Sunday, November 29, 2009

Storytime Week 5: Favorites!

This week's storytimes are our last regular storytimes until late January or early February. So, for this week, I'll be bringing out some of my storytime favorites.

This Week's Music:
Twenty Great Kids Songs! by Music for Little People, including great songs such as "Choo Choo Boogaloo" by Buckwheat Zydeco, "All I Really Need" by Raffi, and "Swinging on a Star" by Maria Muldaur.

This Week's Books:
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, by Audrey Wood, ill. by Don Wood
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown
Will You Be My Friend, by Nancy Tafuri
A Hat for Minerva Louise, by Janet Morgan Stoeke
A Boy and His Bunny, by Sean Bryan
The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf
Today I Will Fly, by Mo Willems
The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog, by Mo Willems

This Week's Action Rhymes:
1. There was a little turtle, he lived in a box
He swam in the puddles, he climbed on the rocks
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow, and he snapped at me
He caught the mosquito, he caught the flea
He caught the minnow, but he didn't catch me!

2. Zoom, zoom, zoom, I'm going to the moon
If you want to take the trip, climb aboard my rocket ship
Zoom, zoom, zoom, I'm going to the moon
Whooosh!

Plus "Two Little Blackbirds", a flannel board game, and marbelizing paper craft. See you there!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Traditions

Hopefully everyone has plans for Thanksgiving. I know I'm looking forward to it! I get together with my sisters and mother the day before Thanksgiving and we bake too many pies and casseroles and make bread. In between, as a break, we play lots of games. It's my favorite day of the year. On Thanksgiving day we have a potato peeling contest and, later, a football game where the winning team gets possession of the ceremonial stuffed gorilla (it sits proudly on my husband's dresser right now...ugh).

Traditions, however foolish they may be, are the glue that bind us together as a family and as a community. I believe that when everything else gets topsy-turvy, traditions can give a sense of stability and comfort, especially for children.

I'm sure you all have many fun and interesting holiday traditions and I would love to hear about them! If you are looking for some new ideas to incorporate into your family, check out the Family Fun website by clicking HERE. There you will find many fun crafts, games, and recipes.

Have a great holiday everyone. Remember that there will be no storytime sessions next week (11/23-11/27) , but Ms. Eileen and I will see you the following week (11/30-12/4) for one last storytime. See you then.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Some New Books



Ms. Eileen has been busy filling out our holiday book collection. We have several new books; a bit of everything from New Year's Day to Mother's Day to Christmas. Most are on the new shelf and will eventually make their way into the holiday book carts in the front of the library. I wanted to highlight a nice series of books by Karen Katz (the author of "Counting Kisses") including "My First Kwanzaa", "My First Ramadan", and "My First Chinese New Year". They are colorful, fun, personal introductions to these holidays. By the way, Kwanzaa, a non-religious holiday that focuses on the African values of family and community, takes place this year is on December 26, while Chinese New Year is on February 14, and Ramadan, a Muslim holiday and period of fasting and focus on spiritual growth takes place in the the late summer.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Storytime Week 4: Firefighters!

This Week's Books:
"Fire!Fire! Said Mrs. McGuire, by Bill Martin Jr. and Richard Eglieski
Firefighters A to Z, by Chris Demarest

Dot the Fire Dog, by Lisa Desimini

Fire Truck, by Peter Sis

Fire Fighter Piggy Wiggy, by Christyan and Diane Fox

The Firefighters, by Sue Whiting, ill. by Donna Rawlins
A Day with Firefighters, by Jan Kottke


This Week's Music:
Our Fire Fighters, by Mary Lambert
People in Your Neighborhood, from Sesame Street, by the Hit Crew

Firefighter, by Sally's Music Circle


This Week's Action Rhymes:
1. Three brave firefighters standing in a row Ding, dong goes the bell, down the pole they go Jump on the firetruck, ready to aim the hose Climb up the ladder, Whoosh! Out the fire goes

2. This little firefighter is going to bed On the pillow she lays her head Wraps herself in her blanket tight Closes her eyes and says "good night". The fire alarm rings! She opens her eyes She quickly gets dressed and down the pole she slides. Hop on the truck, now don't be slow Off to the fire, let's go, go, go!

This Week's Craft: Our own firefighter helmets
See you there.

Friday, November 13, 2009

The Big Storm

Ms. Eileen took advantage of the change in weather today and read stories about the cold weather including "The Big Storm" by Nancy Tafuri. If you don't know about Nancy Tafuri yet, you should check out some of her books at the library. All are very beautifully illustrated with clear, gentle story lines. In "The Big Storm" forest animals search for a safe place when a big storm blows in. When they find out their safe haven isn't so safe they make a hasty retreat giving the reader the opportunity for counting up and back. Other Nancy Tafuri favorites include "The Very Busy Squirrel", "Will You Be My Friend?", and "Snowy, Flowy, Blowy". They are perfect books for babies to preschool age. Here's hoping you stay warm and dry during out weekend Nor'easter.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Enjoy December at Your Library

As promised, here's a rundown of all the great activities happening in December at the Richmond Memorial Library. Note that some events require registration and some do not:

December 2, 9, 16, Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Book Tots for ages 6-24 months with caregiver. Join Ms. Eileen for this popular storytime series sharing books and crafts. Registration Required.

December 7, Monday at 6:30 p.m. Homemade for the Holidays for adults and teens. Join our newest librarian, Cindy, for a fun evening of make-it-yourself gifts. Registration Required

December 10, Thursday at 1 p.m. Join Ms. Patty for a Merry Musical Holiday for ages 3-6. We'll listen to music, make music, and play musical games. No Registration Required

December 11, Friday at 3:30. p.m
. Are You Series-ous? Ms. Eileen and Ms. Patty present great series and books for the avid and reluctant readers in grades 2nd-5th. Tell us about your favorites and learn about some of our new favorites. No Registration Required

December 14, Monday at 6 p.m.; Family Night of Lights. A fun event for whole family as we create luminaries of all types including ice luminaries and tin-can luminaries (in which you use nails and hammers!) All sorts of age-appropriate crafting for kids and families (not appropriate for children under 3). Dress warmly as we will admire our creations outside. No Registration Required.

December 18, Friday 3-6 p.m.: Drop and Shop! For ages 4-10. The Richmond elves (at least 3 adults and several teens will be on hand) will help entertain your children while you attend to last minute errands. We'll watch a movie, hear stories, make a craft and have a snack. Your child(ren) may stay for part or all of the three hours. No cost for this program, but we ask you bring a donation for the Marlborough Food Bank please. Registration Required.

December 21, Monday, 10:00 a.m.: A Quiet Storytime. For ages 2-4 (parents of 2s should plan to stay in the room for the program, other parents may stay if they wish). Your littlest ones can enjoy a quiet moment amidst the holiday hustle and bustle. No Registration Required.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Going once, going twice...

Our library is having an auction! From now until December 9 at 6:00 when bids close you have a chance to make an offer on 28 great items and packages. All proceeds benefit your library. Go to the library's main page HERE to find a link to the list of all the great things. A few highlights:

- A Kindle
- An assortment of toys for a boy or girl
- Movie Tickets
- Hair salon gift certificates
- A personal tour of the Consumer Reports testing lab
- Wine
- A fishing trip
And lots more including a package of four classic picture books and a personal storytime visit (at your home, if you choose) by me, Ms. Patty.

So come on in and bid!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Storytime Week 3: Talking a Walk

Who doesn't love taking a walk? In our part of Connecticut we are lucky to have an incredible natural resource known as the Airline Trail, a wonderful place to take a walk. (Do you know the name comes from a railroad known as the Air Line and has nothing to do with airplanes?) Click here for a map of the trail.

This Week's Music:
These Boots are Made For Walking, by the Sugar Beats
Walk of Life, by the Dire Straits
Walking on Sunshine, by Katrina and the Waves


This Week's Books:
Grumpy Bird, by Jeremy Tankard
Rosie's Walk, by Pat Hutchins
Oliver Finds His Way, by Phyllis Root, ill. by Christopher Dennis
Little One Step, by Simon James
I Went Walking, by Sue Williams, ill. by Julie Vivas
Tiny's Big Adventure, by Martin Waddell, ill. by John Lawrence
Let's Go Home, Little Bear, by Martin Waddell, ill. by Barbara Firth

This Week's Action Rhymes:
1 The Itsy Bitsy Spider (you know how this one goes!)

2 Here is our world, our big round world
Here are the mountains high
Here are the fish that swim in the sea
And here are the birds that fly
Here is the sun, the bright warm sun
And here are the leaves that fall
All in our world, our big round world
Go explore and see it all!

Plus we'll do some painting with odd looking brushes. See you there.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Thanksgiving Books

The Thanksgiving books are up for display in the library. We have many fun and lovely books for all ages, but I wanted to highlight this unique book: "Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving", by Laurie Halse Anderson with illustrations by Matt Faulkner. Sarah is a real-life, heroine who uses the powers of persistence and persuasive writing to petition president after president (over 38 years!) to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. As you know, she succeeded. So, when you are enjoying a day of turkey, football, and family togetherness say "Thanks" to Sarah.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Enjoy December at Your Library

Oh my goodness, we have some wonderful events planned for December with something for everyone: a craft program for adults and teens, a family night making different kinds of luminaries together, an event for the "series-ous" readers in your house, free babysitting (yeah, that's right!), and more.

Click HERE to go to Richmond Memorial Library's calendar page to learn more. We'll have more details on this blog and at the library as events get closer. Or call 295-6210.
Come enjoy December at your library!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Storytime Week 2: Squirrels

Did you know that we had squirrels in the library last winter? Well we did! And this week during storytime we'll have squirrels again, only this time they'll be made of felt for a squirrel and acorn game we'll play. Here's what else is coming up.

This Week's Music:
Peep Squirrel, traditional, sung by Pete Seeger and Family
Hop Old Squirrel, by MyTunes
Donguri/Rolling Acorn, by Lisa Loeb

This Week's Books:
The Busy Little Squirrel, by Nancy Tafuri
Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert
A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes
Moon Glowing, by Elizabeth Partridge, ill. by Joan Paley
Squirrels by Brian Wildsmith
Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt
Pumpkin Soup, by Helen Cooper


This Week's Action Rhymes:
1 Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Swish your bushy tail
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Swish your bushy tail
Wrinkle up your little nose
Hold a nut between your toes
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel
Swish your bushy tail

2 These are the brown leaves fluttering down, And this is the tall tree, bare and brown. This is the squirrel with eyes so bright, hunting for nuts day and night

3 Whisky, frisky, hippity-hop, up he goes to the tippity top
Whirly, twirly, round and round, down he scampers to the ground
Furly, curly, what a tail, tall as a feather, broad as a sail
Where's his supper? In a shell, Snappity, crackety, out it fell

Plus, painting with acorns! See you there.