MORE DRAGONS! GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

Just wanted to share a few pictures from our 4s/5s storytime yesterday - we had a parade around the Library for Chinese New Year!  Here's two of my kiddos with their "dragon breath" craft that Ms Patty came up with, as well as a new friend who was donated to RML on Take Your Child to the Library Day!

Snow Day Fun

Okay, who's getting a little stir crazy what with the blizzard and the rain and the 6 foot piles of snow?!  If you and your little ones are looking for something to do other than another round of Crazy Eights, head on over to Spoonful, a website that now incorporates all the great ideas from Family Fun magazine plus lots of other great ideas.  This link will take you to winter games for inside and out.  Spoonful Winter Fun and Games

Love and Dragons: Storytime Week 2/3

Before we were  interrupted  by the blizzard, during week 2 of storytimes the 2s, 3s, and 4s were celebrating Chinese New Year with a fire-breathing dragon craft, while the 4, 5, and 6 year-olds were reading books of love and making book-page valentines.  Both are very cute and worth a look-see into the storytime room to check them out.

While celebrating Chinese New Year the kids and I danced around to this song (set to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Little dragons dance and prance, dance and prance, dance and prance
Little dragons dance and prance on Chinese New Years Day

Little dragons hop, hop, hop
Little dragons twirl around
Little dragons go to sleep 

Books shared this week include:
Dragon Dancing, by Carole Schaeffer
Dragon Dance, by Joan Holub and Benrie Huang
The Paper Bag Princess, by Robert Munsch
The Pet Dragon, by Christoph Niemann
Never Too Little to Love, by Jeanne Willis, I'll. by Jan Fearnley
Valentine Frineds, by April Jones Pierce

In Week 3 some of the "love" books will make an appearance in Ms. Patty's storytimes and some of the "dragon" books will show up in Ms. Eileen's storytimes as we swap themes.

Funny Friday!

The Library remains closed thru Storm/Blizzard Charlotte/Nemo/Blizzard of 2013, but we can still enjoy a Funny Friday!
It doesn't get much better or heartwarming on a cold day than to enjoy some Calvin & Hobbes ~ courtesy of Nerd Approved.com ~ Stay warm (and click the link below!)

Calvin & Hobbes Adventures

Love is in the Air...and so is SNOW!

Seems Mother Nature is nowhere near done with Winter yet - the Town of Marlborough has closed all town buildings including the Library for tomorrow, Friday Feb 8 and Saturday Feb 9.  This means Ms Patty and I won't get to see our Friday storytime kids, but we will likely have a makeup class at the end of the session.
This week my Tuesday kids got to hear some ***LOVE**** stories! Ok, age appropriate stories about love of course! One that both Ms Patty and I like to do is a book we have in our storytelling collection (yes, the secret books that aren't for circulation that we stash in our office!) In our defense, this one has some 'flap' pages so it could easily get destroyed - that's why we keep it in the back for the kiddos to enjoy at storytime.

In Never Too Little to Love, a persistent mouse just has to reach his beloved, who is waaayyyy up there! Just shows you that when you give love, you get it in return, even if you have to climb a cupcake and matchbox and thimble for it! 

Here's a bad pic of the Valentine craft that we made - and yes, I did destroy an old and yellowing paperback for this (it was on the sale rack anyway and not in the collection!) It's a great way to recycle and those book print pages just evoke a feeling of love in us book people anyway!

Stay safe during this storm and RML will close tonite (Thurs) at 8pm and reopen on Monday!

Take Your Child to the Library Day 2013

It was the second annual Take Your Child to the Library Day and, WOW, what a lot of fun we had. A great number of folks stopped by to join our guest readers, Representative Pam Sawyer and our First Selectman Catherine Guadinski for storytime. And even more came by during the day to make a colorful craft, to search for monkeys in the library to earn a treat, and to be photographed by our own Ms. Heidi for a keepsake bookmark.  I can say that all the staff here at RML enjoyed the day and we hope you did too.

If you had your photo taken, remember to stop by after Tuesday to pick up your bookmark. And stop by any time to YOUR library.  We always have something fun and interesting going on, plus a wonderful expansive collection and a staff eager to help.

Funny Friday

This week, a classic: Cookie Monster at the Library.

Enjoy!
And don't forget Take Your Child to the Library Day tomorrow, February 2.

This May Be My Best Year Yet!

Ok so I have to acknowledge how well I did on the Newbery Award pick! (Not so great on the Caldecott, I know). The two books I highlighted for the Newbery actually won! The One and Only Ivan took the award, but Three Times Lucky came in as an honor book! So excited. I'll give you a full review after we finish it - a few chapters left.
Here's a link to the official announcements if you haven't seen:
http://www.ala.org/news/pr?id=12298

Let's talk about 2 other awards though:

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books "have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". The 2013 winner is Katherine Paterson! Here's a favorite of mine from back in the day:

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book went to “Up, Tall and High!” written and illustrated by Ethan Long.
Bad me! Have to order it! But looks great!

 

Winter Storytime, Week 2: Pancakes!

This week Ms. Eileen and I are giving a nod to National Blueberry Pancake Day which is January 28th,  National Pancake Day on February 5, and National Pancake Week which is February 19-25.  Who knew there were so many "official" pancake days of honor?!

Our books this week included the lovely, lyrical "Like Butter on Pancakes", by Jonathan London with illustrations by Brian Karas, as well as:
If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
Pancakes, Pancakes, by Eric Carle
Hey, Pancakes, by Tamson Weston and Stephen Gammell (a big hit with the 4 and 5s)
Tyler Makes Pancakes! by Tyler Florence and Craig Frazier
Marsupial Sue Presents "The Runaway Pancake", by John Lithgow, ill. by Jack E. Davis. This was very dramatic and featured a sly fox, a  sassy pancake, and a twist at the end.  The 4/5 year olds were able to hang with this story, but I think we'll pass on it with the younger kids. 

We started with a simple action rhyme:
Mix a pancake, stir a pancake
Plop it in the pan
Flip a pancake, Toss a pancake
Catch it if you can!

And then I presented "Flip Flap Jack", a fun and funny flannel board story to much delight.  This is a variation on Aiken Drum and goes like this:

There was a man made out of food, (out of food?) yes, out of food.  There was a man made out of food and his name was flip-flap jack.  (When saying his name the kids clap their hands flip-flap 3 times)
His body was a waffle (a waffle?!) yes, a waffle.  His body was a waffle and his name was flip-flap jack
Continue with a pancake as a face, banana arms, bacon legs, french toast feet, blueberry eyes, strawberry nose, orange ears, whipped cream hair, sausage mouth and lastly a raspberry bellybutton, complete with raspberry sound!  

Our craft was printing with circles accompanied by Lisa Loeb's "Disappointing Pancake", and Maria Muldaur's "Making Breakfast for the Ones We Love". 

On the Eve of the Awards

Ok, so let me start by saying that I truly stink at predicting or selecting the awards for children's literature, most notably the Newbery & Caldecott. Many 'kidlit' people will say the same thing. Why? Maybe it's just too political or too subjective. Like the Oscars, it depends on when the book was released, what critical acclaim it gets beforehand, the selection committee, etc.
 Others will ask, "who cares?" Well, I kinda do. I mean, I have spent many announcement days waiting for someone to put the info up on the internet. But I have also had a year or two where I just plain forgot until I went into work the next day. This year, I have joined twitter, so I am thrilled to see who manages to tweet the info first. Does it mean these are the best children's books for the past year? Yes, and no. There have been many award books I haven't loved. And many books I have loved more. C'est la vie.
So there are alot of titles that have award 'buzz' ~ some I have read, others I haven't, and some I haven't even ordered. Yes, there are always a few titles, honor books or occasionally an award winner that I just didn't think looked good for our collection, or overlooked.
So here are a few picks of mine, that likely won't win for the simple reason that I selected them. Why did I choose these? Because they spoke to me. Not you, me.  Because they were ones I ordered and liked. They were ones I had time to read.
Newbery:

 Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
My daughter and I are currently reading this one together and loving it. Of course, I am a fan of the quirky, so it's right up my alley.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
 Possibly the most talked about title, and from a seasoned writer. It's been called extraordinary and heartbreaking.

Other Contenders:
Seraphina by Hartman
Wonder by Palacio
Starry River of the Sky by Lin
Splendors & Glooms by Schlitz
Bomb by Sheinkin
Liar & Spy by Stead

Caldecott: 

 

and then it's spring by Fogliano and Stead
truly beautiful artwork - but she won for another fave, A Sick Day for Amos McGee...?

A Home for bird by Stead
Ms Patty and I both adore this book. It has great illustrations and the story to back it up. Likely won't win!

Other Contenders:
More by Springman and Lies
Green by Seeger
Extra Yarn by Barnett
Baby Bear Sees Blue by Wolff
Oh, No! by Fleming and Rohmann