31 Jul 2024 Kid of the Month: Matthew Sutton

By Becky Bell

Sometimes you don’t have to leave the country to get your passport filled with stamps and have memories of a summer journey.

That is the case for Matthew Sutton, 7, who joined the White County Library System’s Passport Program this summer. The large county system, one of the largest in the state, has eight libraries, and the program has been a hit with children such as longtime library visitor Matthew, said Amber Duncan, children’s librarian with the White County Regional Library System. 

“The theme is Adventure Begins in Your Library, and the patrons from the county go to all eight libraries and ask questions and get their passports stamped. When it is completed, they get a prize,” she said. “This allows them to go out and see the libraries and see what all they have access to. They have really enjoyed it.”

Duncan said Matthew and his parents, Thomas and Imelda Sutton, are well-known to her as Matthew has been brought to the library by his parents since he was 2 years old. She said Matthew developed a passion for reading because he learned at an early age how exciting story time was at the library.

“Matthew was one of the first little ones to come to one of our story times when the library opened. He was always very interactive in story times, and he enjoyed the silly dances and the puppets,” Duncan said. “He was always very active. He wanted to check out the books we were reading to read again. He was always so excited when he walked in the door for story time.”

Matthew has enjoyed going to the library as far back as he can remember. His favorite books are the “Magic Tree House,” an American children’s series written by Mary Pope Osborne.

When asked how to summarize the books, Matthew said they were about a treehouse with books inside, and if you point to a book’s title, it will take you to the place. According to magictreehouse.com, adventures await within the No. 1 bestselling chapter book series of all time.

Matthew said he would like to discover a treehouse like this, and if he did, the first place he would want to take an adventure would be Egypt.

“That’s because I want to see the Sphinx and the pyramids,” he explained.

Although one might assume his favorite subject at school is English because he is such an avid reader, remember that assumptions are often incorrect.

Matthew, an only child who will be going into the second grade at West Side Elementary at Greers Ferry this fall, said science is the class he enjoys most.

“My favorite subject is science because sometimes you can figure out new things that the world has not figured out,” he said.

Although he didn’t specify that any of the books he had read this summer were about subjects in science, this library fan has already checked out and read around 18 books as part of the Passport Program.

And his passport is full.

Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to mention that Matthew, whose mother is Hispanic, is bilingual and sometimes speaks a little Spanish with his friends if they seem interested in learning some words and phrases.

So, whatever he grows up to become, one thing is for certain for Matthew. He is going to be a well-read individual. Before actually visiting Egypt and getting a stamp on an official passport, he can always read about this far-away land filled with mysterious stories of mummies, buried treasures in tombs and camels that can take you to your next stop.

Duncan said she looks forward to seeing Matthew whenever he stops in the library next. Perhaps he will check out a book on Egypt. It is certainly a possibility, I suspect.

“Matthew is always going to be a reader, and he is always going to be a good reader,” Duncan said. “His parents are really great with him, and they have been right along with him all summer long.”