Job interviews are hard!!

So yesterday, I interviewed for a position at the Orem Public library.  It's just a part-time, no guaranteed hours fill in position.  Even with that caveat, there were a TON of people who applied and were being interviewed. 

Anyway, there were two questions that I feel like I kind of flubbed and as SOON as I got home, I thought of at least THREE great answers.  So today's blog is those answers!

Question: I'm a patron.  I approach the desk and ask you for books for my two children, both boys, ages 5 1/2 and 2 1/2.

So in the interview, I mentioned Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold, which boys tend to love, but which is probably too old for the 2 and 1/2 year old. The interviewer did say that his boys love it though.  Unfortunately I got stuck there....and couldn't think of another title.  I did mention The secret science project that almost ate the school by Judy Sierra and also Tuesday by David Wiesner. 

Titles I thought of after the fact:

• Melinda Long's How I became a pirate or Pirates don't change diapers (illustrated by David Shannon)
• David Shannon also has a couple great one for boys like Too Many Toys and No David
• David Gordon has a series where he's 'fractured' some fairy tales by making the main characters trucks The three little rigs, The ugly truckling, and Hansel and Diesel.  These do have the potential to be a little scary for younger kids 
• Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin is an older series which younger boys love.  Tacky is a little bit loud and very boisterous, like many young boys! 
• I stink! is a fun one, both for boys who like trucks, and for the 'gross' factor
• Grandma drove the garbage truck by Katie Clark is a little bit silly, and has some fun repetitive bits that kids sometimes like to repeat.

The other question was about books for his in-laws, mother-in-law who likes those mysteries that involve cooking and a father in law who likes history.  I don't read much in the way of adult ANYTHING, but I feel like I could have handled the 'reference interview' elements of the question better than I did.

How it SHOULD have gone would be something like

PATRON: I'm looking for a couple of books for my in-laws to have by their bedside while they are visiting, in case they want to read. 
ME: I'd be happy to help you with that.  Tell me a little more about your in-laws.  Let's start with your mother-in-law.  What kind of interests does she have? Do you know the kind of things she likes to read?
PATRON: Well she mentioned these cooking mysteries she likes.
ME: There are a couple of authors who write that style of mystery, let me show you how to search a subject like that in the catalog and we can probably find a couple. 
(We find a few)
PATRON: Okay, my father in law likes history
for some reason, in the interview this turned into WAR books for me, I don't know why.  What I SHOULD have said
ME: History is pretty broad, any particular era or area of the world that he seems to prefer?

and we could walk to the 900's as well, to see if anything that's face out might jump out at him also (which I did say in the interview)

I also should have said something about how I don't personally read a ton of adult historical fiction,  but would be happy to help him take a look at the catalog to find something.