Funny Friday

No need to turn yourself in, you still have a few days (Saturday, March 30, and Monday, April 1) to eliminate your fines with pet food; one item for each fine. Although the pet food amnesty doesn't work for lost book so bring along a change of clothes in case you want to turn yourself in anyway.  And a pillow.  The floors in the library are kind of hard. 

***Although I believe this constitutes "fair use", there might be copyright issues here.  This was taken from the blog "Book Patrol" via Pinterest, via "Wandering in Books" on Tumblr,  via Peanuts.com a division of Peanuts Worldwide LLC, the legal owner of this image.  Find more Peanuts related items including comics at their website Peanuts.com 

Waiting for Spring

Now that it's officially Spring, we're waiting for the weather to catch up here in Connecticut. I'm hoping this weekend will feel more like it, but if not, check out these titles and we can at least wish for butterflies and blooms.

This was a 2012 Best Book on sooo many lists, thanks in part to the beautiful illustrations by Caldecott winner Erin Stead. Unfortunately, the browns sure do remind me of the colors outside my window.

 This one is for the littlest listeners - it's just so darn cute.

 Doug Florian's poems and paintings are a favorite of mine. And it's almost National Poetry Month, so you'll be killing two birds with one book. Wait, that didn't sound very spring-like of me.

Unfortunately, you will not find this one at RML. It's out of print. I could probably get a used one on Amazon, but I'd hate to buy it only because it was one my favorite books as a kid. I've read it to my kids, and honestly, it is a bit too long for a picture book.  But what I always loved was how Owl's friends do all these really Springy things to get Owl out of his winter funk. They paint his kitchen yellow and even sprinkle green confetti all over his lawn.  In the end, it's a small blue crocus Owl sees outside his window that cheers him up.

Here's hoping....

Read to Your Bunny Today

In the storytime room today, Ms. Eileen will hosting a special storytime for babies.  Lots of great things planned including multiple copies of books to share, toys, action rhymes and more.  Enjoy a morning out.

Another Creative Week

Our resident photographer, Heidi, snapped a few shots of one of the tables in the storytime room today after a few days of use.   Art, imagination, and fun are evident in what is left behind when the children go home.  Ms. Eileen and I think it is just beautiful.
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'Furry' Funny Friday!

 This is the first I've seen of Milo, but he is adorable! Throw in the Wizard of Oz and it's just too cute for words.

Milo: off to see the Wizard

Spring Storytime 3: Jan Thomas and Terrific Two!

This week Ms. Eileen is doing something new...spending an entire storytime with one author/illustrator!  And who is that author?  It's none other than Jan Thomas who we highlighted recently in one of our Funny Friday posts.  Silly titles Ms. Eileen will be sharing:

Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy
Here comes the Big, Mean, Dust Bunny!
Is Everyone Ready for Fun?
What Will the Fat Cat Sit On?
The Doghouse
Can You Make a Scary Face?
Let's Count Goats! (written with Mem Fox)

Notice how many of her books end with exclamation points and question marks?  Those books are sure to be fun for all in storytime.  She's tops off the hour with a dust bunny craft, seen below.  Aren't they cute?!

Ms. Patty will be sharing this theme with the 2s,3s, and 4s, next week, but this week all the books center on the terrific number TWO.  With books such as:

One Moon, Two Cats, by Laura Godwin, illus. by Yoko Tanaka
Ones and Two, by Marthe and Nell Jocelyn
Jonathan and Martha, by Petr Horacek
Two at the Zoo, by Danna Smith, illus. by Valeria Petrone
Two Little Monkeys, by Mem Fox, illus. by Jill Barton
Toddler Two Step, by Kathi Appelt, illus. by Ward Schumaker
Eggs and Legs, Counting by Two, by Michael Dahl, illus. by Todd Ouren

Crafting and Listening music include:
Tea for Two, traditional

Of course, Two Little Blackbirds will make an appearance, and our craft will be two-some!

Great Books for Boys

BEYOND WIMPY KID:  GREAT BOOKS FOR BOYS

Fiction (grades 4-6 unless otherwise noted)

JF Angleberger   Fake Mustache / Angleberger, Tom

PJ Boyce            Millions/ Boyce, Frank Cottrell

JF Carvell          Planet Tad / Carvell, Tim

JF Christopher    Snowboard Showdown /     Christopher, Matt

JF Krieg             Griff Caver, Hallway Patrol / Krieg, Jim

PJ Lubar           Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies / Lubar, David

JF Lupica           The Batboy / Lupica, Mike

JF Palacio         Wonder / Palacio, R.J.

JF Park             Archer’s Quest/ Park, Linda Sue

JF Salisbury       Night of the Howling Dogs / Salisbury, Graham

YA Scieszka       Guys Write for Guys Read / Scieszka, ed. – Gr. 5-9

PJ Silberberg     Pond Scum / Silberberg, Alan

JF Tak                Soldier Bear / DumonTak, Bibi

Fiction Series (grades 4-6 unless otherwise noted)

JE-ER Adler             Bones series / Adler, David – Gr. K-2

JF Angleberger        Strange Case of Origami Yoda series / Angleberger, Tom

PJ Birney                World According to Humphrey series / Birney, Betty G.

JF Bransford            Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow /      Bransford, Jacob

JF Bruchac              Skeleton Man & Return of Skeleton Man / Bruchac, J.

JF Buckley               NERDS series / Buckley, Michael

JF Davies                Lemonade War series (Lemonade Crime, Bell Bandit) /Davies, Jacqueline  

PJ Gutman              My Weird School series / Gutman, Dan – Gr. 1-3

PJ Kirby                 Captain Awesome series / Kirby, Stan – Gr. K-2

JF Korman              Showoff (Griffin Bing series) / Korman, Gordon

JF Lubar                 Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie / Lubar, David

JF Paulsen              Lawn Boy & Lawn Boy Returns / Paulsen, Gary

JF Paulsen              Liar Liar, Flat Broke & Crush / Paulsen, Gary

JF Peirce                 Big Nate series / Peirce, Lincoln

JE-ER Ries               Aggie and Ben / Ries, Lori – Gr. K-2

PJ Salisbury             Calvin Coconut series / Salisbury, Graham

JF Scaletta               A Topps League Story series / Scaletta, Kurtis – Gr. 2-3

JF Scieszka              Guys Read (Thriller, Sports Pages, Funny Business)/ Scieszka, Jon

PJ Scieszka              Spaceheadz series / Scieszka, Jon – Gr. 3-5

JF Scroggs               Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet series / Scroggs, Kirk

JF Tashjian             My Life as a Book series / Tashjian, Janet

PJ& JF VanD           Shredderman series / Van Draanen, Wendelin – Gr. 3-5

JF Vernon              Dragonbreath series / Vernon, Ursula – Gr. 3-5

PJ Victory               Victory School Superstars (Sports Illus. Kids) – Gr. 2-3

JF Warner               EllRay Jakes series / Warner, Sally – Gr. 3-4

Graphic Novels

JGraphic Krosoczk      Lunch Lady series / Krosoczka, Jarrett J. – Gr. 2-4

JGraphic Morse          Magic Pickle / Morse, Scott – Gr. 3-5

JGraphic Venable       Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series / Venable, Colleen AF – Gr. 2-4

JGraphic Wood          Into the Volcano / Wood, Don – Gr. 4-8

Non-Fiction

JE 796.357 V     Brothers at Bat: the true story of an amazing all-brother baseball team / Vernick, Audrey – all ages

J001.94 Gorman The Bermuda Triangle – The Loch Ness Monster – Bigfoot (X Science series) / Gorman, Jacqueline Laks – Gr. 3 & up

J133.122 Everett Haunted Histories: creepy castles, dark dungeons & powerful places / Everett, J.H. – Gr. 4-6

J335 Demarest   Alpha Bravo Charlie: the military alphabet / Demarest, Chris L. – Gr. 1-4

J391.42 Swain    Underwear: what we wear under there / Swain, Ruth Freeman – Gr. 3 & up

J522.29 Scott     Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: what the Hubble telescope saw / Scott, Elaine – Gr. 4 & up

J523.2 Kudlinski Boy, Were We Wrong About the Solar System! / Kudlinski, Kathleen V. – Gr. 1-3

J551.46 Burns     Tracking Trash: flotsam, jetsam, and the science of ocean motion / Burns, Loree Griffin / Gr. 5 & up

J567.9 Kerley     The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins / Kerley, Barb.– Gr.2-6

J590.723 Burns  Citizen Scientist: be a part of scientific discovery from your own backyard / Burns, Loree Griffin – Gr. 3-6

J595.76 Jenkins  The Beetle Book / Jenkins, Steve – Gr. 3&up

J597.95 Crump  Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon / Crump, Marty – Gr. 3-6

J623.4 Boos       Swords: an artist’s devotion / Boos, Ben – Gr. 3 & up

J790.1 Stevens    Things to do with Dad / Stevens, Chris – all ages

J791.44 McCar   Aliens are Coming!: the true account of the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast / McCarthy, Meghan – all ages

Check out other books by these great ‘Guy’ authors:

Abbott, Tony

Cammuso, Frank

Christopher, Matt

Clements, Andrew

Coville, Bruce

Dahl, Roald

Gantos, Jack

Green, Tim

Grisham, John

Gutman, Dan

Hale, Bruce

Kinney, Jeff

Korman, Gordon

Lubar, David

Lupica, Mike

Paolini, Christopher

Paulsen, Gary

Peck, Richard

Pilkey, Dav

Riordan, Rick

Sachar, Louis

Selznick, Brian

Simon, Seymour

Stilton, Geronimo

Willems, Mo

 

 

Friday with Mo

We just adore Mo Willems around here. Big surprise, right? Who doesn't?
So click on the link below for a funny (and terribly cute) little YouTube preview of his next book coming out in April, entitled:

That Is Not A Good Idea!

Spring Storytime, Week 2: Wearing of the Green!

This week in storytime we celebrate Spring, and St. Patrick's Day with "green" stories.  We have a beautiful new picture book in the library by Laura Vaccaro Seeger that shares green in all it's glory and Ms. Eileen and I are looking forward to sharing it with everyone. You can click on this link to be taken to a YouTube presentation of the book. 

Perennial storyime favorites such as "Where's the Green Sheep" by Mem Fox and Judy Hovarek,"Go Away Big Green Monster" by Ed Emberly, and "Green Eggs and Ham", by Dr. Seuss, as well as a lovely book by Kevin Henkes, "Little White Rabbit, may be featured.

This week's music for crafting and listening:
Green, Green, by The New Christie Minstrels
St. Patricks Day, by William Coulter and Friends
Green Grass Grew All Around, by Pete Seeger
It's Not Easy Being Green, Glee Cast (by way of Kermit)

This week's action rhymes include:
Five little peas in a pea pod pressed
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest
They grew and they grew and they did not stop
Until one day that pea pod POPPED!

Five Green and Speckled Frogs (flannel board)

This week's art and craft: Coffee Filter Shamrocks. 

Celebrate Women's History Month With Strong Gals & Girls!

You can find a lot of children's books with strong female characters here at RML, but these are some especially for Women's History Month. (No disrespect to Charlotte, Harriet, Junie B. and the March girls, I just figured you knew about them already!)

                                      (from Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio & pictures by LeUyen Pham)

Picture Books

• Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride / Ryan, Pam Munoz ~ JE Ryan

• Every Day Dress Up / Alko, Selina ~ JE Alko

• Grace for President / DiPucchio, Kelly S. ~ JE DiPucchio

• Mirette on the Highwire / McCully, Emily Arnold ~ JE BK&CD

• The Princess Knight / Funke, Cornelia ~ JE Funke

• Queen of the Falls / Van Allsburg, Chris ~ JE Van Allsburg

• Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon / Lovell, Patty ~ JE Lovell

• You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer: a very improper story / Corey, Shana ~      JE Corey

Juvenile Fiction 

• Firework-Maker's Daughter / Pullman, Philip ~ PJ Pullman

• Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance / Jocelyn, Marthe ~ JF Jocelyn

• One Crazy Summer / Williams-Garcia, Rita ~ JF Williams-Garcia 

• One for the Murphys / Hunt, Lynda Mullaly ~ JF Hunt

• Our Only May Amelia / Holm, Jennifer ~ JF Holm 

• Three Times Lucky / Turnage, Sheila ~ JF Turnage 

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon / Lin, Grace ~ JF Lin  

Juvenile Non-fiction

• Independent Dames: what you never knew about the women and girls of the American Revolution / Anderson, Laurie Halse ~ J973.3 Anderson

• Mighty Jackie: the strike-out queen / Moss, Marissa ~ J796.357

• Wheels of Change: how women rode the bicycle to freedom / Macy, Sue ~ J305.4 Macy

• Women Explorers: perils, pistols, and petticoats / Cummins, Julie ~ J910.92 Cummins

 Biographies

• Amelia Lost: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart / Fleming, Candace ~       JB Earhart

• Ballots for Belva: the true story of a woman's race for the presidency / Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta ~ JB Lockwood

• I Could Do That!: Esther Morris gets women the vote / White, Linda ~ JB Morris

• Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender: the true story of a Civil War spy / Jones, Carrie ~ JB Edmonds

• You Can't Do That, Amelia! / Klier, Kimberly ~ JB Earhart

• You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? / Fritz, Jean ~ JB Fritz

We Interrupt This Friday to Bring You...

I'm so excited to have the opportunity to share what we do in our NEXT CHAPTER Reading Club with everyone in the awesome book world! Here is a link to my post as a guest blogger at The Nerdy Book Club!:

paying-it-forwardone-chapter-at-a-time

Ms Patty and I really do enjoy our monthly meetings with this great bunch of kids. Most of them go right home and read the book, nary a complaint. Our February meeting focused on the book Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Of course we had to expand on the western theme (we love a theme here at RML) and had Trail Mix for snack! We played a fun game where the kids had to come up with a name for themselves similar to the funny sayings at the end of each chapter of the book (Rootin-Tootin Robbie or Pancakes Patty) and then had the kids design 'Wanted' posters of themselves for their reading infractions! Here are some of their reading violations:

"Losing books while reading" (how does that happen?)
"3,000,000 overdue books" (ack!)
"Reading too many books at once" (I'm guilty)
"Reading with a stuffed animal" (aw, cute)
"Stealing money from Book Club" (I'd say "oh, no!" but we have no money, so)
"Not reading alot of fantasy" (work on that one)
"Reading without a permit" (Luckily, no permit needed!!!!!)

Spring Storytime 1: Let's Start with a Smile!

Spring Storytime begin (for many of you without interruption because of make-up classes) this week.  Our stories will focus on Smiles and Teeth.  A combination of books will likely make an appearance including:


Bear's Loose Tooth, by Karma Wilson
The Tooth Book, by Theo Lesieg (Dr. Seuss)
Brush, Brush, Brush, by Alicia Padron
Grandpa's Teeth, by Rod Clement
Teeth Are Not For Biting, by Elizabeth Verdick
Snip, Snap, What's That, by Mara Bergman
Birdy's Smile Book, by Laurie Keller
Augustus and His Smile, Catherine Raynor


Songs for crafting and listening fun include:

Brush Your Teeth, Raffi
Whenever I See Your Smiling Face, James Taylor

Action Rhyme:
Got my toothpaste, got my brush
I won't hurry, I wont' rush
Making sure my teeth are clean
Front and back and in between
When I brush for quite a while
I will have a healthy smile!


As for crafts...well, Ms. Eileen may be doing a shark craft, and Ms. Patty may be painting with toothbrushes...we'll see :)

A Super Cute Funny Friday!

It's no secret that we love it when kids LOVE to read. We love it even more when they 'play' Library! But these kids below aren't playing - they are serious! Talk all you want about the demise of the 'book' - these kids aren't having it.

This is my friend Ryan. This is Ryan's Library. We could give him his own branch, save for the "no due date" thing.

Here are some of our friends from Not-too-old-for-Storytime helping us out with processing books. Good thing we have multiple stools.