“This whole book is written in rhyme!” she tells the kids as she prepares to read “Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa” by Anna Dewdney. The story follows little Llama Llama who’s spending the night with his grandparents for the first time.
“Do you know what rhyme is?” she asks. “It’s words that sound alike like ‘book’ and ‘look’ and ‘chair’ and hair.’”
McGinnis has found this is a great way to spend her 70s and hopefully, beyond.
“Trust me, the Book Lady was NOT on a bucket list,” she said. “It was in my head and in my heart and now it’s a reality. Someone once described The Book Lady as Mister Rogers and Mrs. Doubtfire combined. It’s all very pure, unpolished and simple.”
In the beginning
The Book Lady’s roots can be traced back to the days when McGinnis was herself a young mother.
“I had my first three children in four years so life was fun, crazy and active! My children absolutely LOVED bedtime reading and, to be honest I loved it too because I got to use so many different voices. It was fun to watch them become so enthralled. We’d talk about the books, the characters, the illustrations.
“Those were fun times. Then I had two more children and the book reading continued. I was working full-time but bedtime books was kind of a sacred time that we all looked forward to,” she said.
Born at Wright Patterson Air Force Base hospital in 1954, McGinnis moved several times before returning to Dayton and settling in Oakwood. She attended kindergarten and first grade at the brand new Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and remembers waving to then-president Dwight Eisenhower who was there to christen the Academy’s new chapel. Later she attended Kettering and Oakwood schools and The Ohio State University as a journalism major.
Her formal career path includes working at WHIO radio, later as a beat reporter for the Kettering-Oakwood Times. She was a corporate writer at the Kettering Network and publications editor for Premier Health.
On the bus
Many will remember McGinnis as the driver of Centerville’s Cool Bus 14, a job she treasured for 12 years.
“Carlo and I lost our son in 2010. This was a very difficult time for us and our daughters. That’s when my friend and former WHIO peer David G. McFarland (of ‘Bowling for Dollars’ fame) suggested I be a school bus driver. If someone had told me I’d have a Commercial Drivers License at my age, I’d have thought they were crazy. ”
McGinnis began to tell stories along the route. The kids wanted more.
“They’re just thirsty for a good story. Sometimes I’d come to a kid’s stop and they wouldn’t want to get off because they wanted to hear how the story ended. I even had riders create illustrations for some of my stories.”
On the air
When McGinnis and her husband became grandparents in 2016, she could see that parents were often too busy to read books to their children at night. Four years ago she pitched her idea for “The Book Lady” to Jay Weiskircher at Miami Valley Cable Council (MVCC) and although they hadn’t done a children’s show previously, he liked the idea and decided to give it a try.
McGinnis built her own set, bringing her own own wicker chair and table to the studio. She heads for the Wright Library in Oakwood each Wednesday to select books, then tapes the half-hour programs on Fridays. McGinnis insists on recording in just one take because she wants the children to feel as if she’s sitting on the edge of their beds reading to them.
“I work with my fabulous producer, Liberty Lord. I choose two or three books, read them and talk about them. I’ve done books about feelings, parents, holidays, queens, monsters.”
She tells her young viewers that someday they may also become authors or illustrators and encourages them to experience their own libraries.
She’s invited guests as well, including children. She asked a theater friend, Saul Caplan, to talk about Hanukkah and share the ways he celebrated the Jewish holiday when he was a little boy. When she read a book about military moms, she invited a mother to come in uniform and talk about her boots, her uniform and her job. She’s found some great dental health books and hopes to have a dental hygienist on the show.
The earrings and glasses have become her shtick. She owns 22 pair of glasses and countless earrings.
“The Book Lady is simply an old lady who loves to read good stories to children and talk about the stories a bit. It’s not loud or repetitive or high tech. My aim is to be calming, entertaining and educational. Plus maybe it’s nice to hear a different generation read stories and share perspective.”
Her listeners have expanded over the years. Her producer says they have viewers in Scotland and Turkey.
“It’s weird because Carlo and I might be out getting a bite to eat and some child will be staring at me,” McGinnis said. “I always wave but they keep staring. Then they say, ‘You’re the Book Lady.’ ”
Her daughter, Jane, who lives in New York, babysits for two little boys. When they’re not behaving, she puts on “The Book Lady.” One day the boys’ father, a media guy, walked in while his sons were watching.
“This is really good,” he said. “I have to tell you the truth, it’s my mom,” Jane said. “Is she here in New York? ” he asked. “No, she’s in Dayton, Ohio.”
In the show’s second year, McGinnis won a Phylo Festival of Media Arts Award. The award goes to community stations in a four state area.
On stage
In addition to being in front of the camera each week, McGinnis can often be seen in leading and challenging roles on stage at area community theaters. She’s starred as Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!,” Sally Bowles in “Cabaret,” Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.” She’s been Miss Hannigan in “Annie” and Mame in “Mame.” Recently she played Ethel Thayer in “On Golden Pond” and “Fonsia in ”The Gin Game.“ She received the Dayton Playhouse Blackburn Award for Best Supporting Actress in “Death Trap.”
“There are definitely fewer roles for older women,” said McGinnis, who is 71. “And memorizing is a lot more work. But, I feel like the roles for us old ladies are a bit meatier. And I find preparing for a role keeps me on my toes.”
Looking forward
McGinnis is thinking of taking “The Book Lady” on the road and adding more guests. Retirement, she said, is smelling very sweet.
“Between ‘The Book Lady’, singing in the choir at Westminster, community theater and grandchildren, it’s all good,” she said. “The love of my life, Carlo, and I celebrate 50 years of marriage this year and he has supported me fully whether it’s theater, bus driving or Book Lady. The best part about retirement is that I get to map out my future and right now it’s looking bright.”
HOW TO WATCH
Search for “The Book Lady” on YouTube. In Dayton, she can be found on MVCC or DATV.
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