Our interviewer, Rosie McCormick, is the author of Sir Gus and the Director of the Core Knowledge Free Library. Sir Gus is a fictional knight of the realm. You can meet him in the CKLA Grade 2 Student Book, free to download here.
Rosie McCormick: Thank you, Sir Gus, for agreeing to talk with me today.
Sir Gus: You are most welcome. Besides, the king insisted!
Rosie McCormick: I hear you are a great lover of books.
Sir Gus: Indeed, I am! You see, ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, books have become more widely available. The king himself has a well-stocked library. I will confess, I sometimes hide in the library rather than participate in the jousts.
Rosie McCormick: You do?
Sir Gus: I do. I have found a special spot in the astronomy and natural philosophy section of the library that is quite secluded. I even sat out the last battle with the Monsters from the Deep there. But I did learn a thing or two about navigation and was able to teach my fellow knights how to use the night sky to guide their way.
Rosie McCormick: I see! I imagine that you think reading is important?
Sir Gus: Oh, most important. One can learn SO much from books; they are truly wonderful companions. A good book can transport readers to faraway places, or teach them about the heavens, or anatomy, or poetry! And of course, there are the wonderful tales of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Rosie McCormick: You are a learned knight, Sir Gus!
Sir Gus: Thank you, good lady! I will add that summertime is perhaps my favorite time of year to enjoy a good book. There’s nothing better than sipping a goblet of pear juice on a warm summer’s day, while reading a good book. An adventure tale, not a scary one of course, makes for the very best kind of day!
Rosie McCormick: You’ve given me an idea for my summer break!
Sir Gus: And for that I am glad! Ay me, is that the time? Alas, I can tarry no longer. I hear my fellow knights, their armor rattling and clattering as they dress for battle. I must take up my spot in the king’s library, and hope that no one finds me there. Good day to you, Rosie!
Rosie McCormick: Thank you, Sir Gus! It’s been a real pleasure. And for the young readers among us, I happen to know that the Core Knowledge Foundation has a wonderful Free Library online full of compelling biographies, gripping historical stories filled with adventure and intrigue, and tales from Latin America.
Step into the pages of these fabulous books and allow them to whisk you away! A summer reading journey awaits you.
This interview is part of our Literary Interview series, in which members of the Core Knowledge community sit down with figures from the Core Knowledge Sequence to explore what they still have to teach us.