Happy Birthday Eric Carle!

Writer/illustrator Eric Carle celebrated his 84th birthday this past Monday, so I've been seeing some fun things popping up on the Internet. Thought I would share, and remind you of a great day trip with the kiddos this summer - The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. Here's the link to some great exhibitions coming up:

Carle Museum 

Here's an awesome lunch idea (right!) I ran across on Facebook - I think originally by GoGo SqueeZ 

Check out this link to Reading Rockets website where they have 3 short clips from an interview with Eric Carle. Hear what he has to say on 'visual pollution' and how his ideas develop.

Eric Carle Interviews

The art teacher at my daughters' school had the first graders make these cute caterpillars 

for the art show this year:

and finally, too cute...

Summer Weather Cannot Ruin SRP Kickoff Night!

It feels to me like every year, I am faced with the decision to hold our Summer Reading Kickoff Night performance outdoors or indoors. The problem is, that decision often comes 5 minutes before the show! It always seems to be "threatening to rain", or "pop-up storms likely". Our indoor space isn't large enough (as you'll see in the pictures below) and moving to the Senior Center is fine, but we really LOVE to have our kick-off night here at RML.
Anyway, the thunder and lightning last night DID NOT ruin our show, thanks to a great performer and some helpful parents.  Here's a few pics from Maria Sangiolo's "Growing Green" show:

 We started outdoors, under the shady trees...

 then ended up in the storytime room after a loud "BOOOM"! of thunder

Parents who couldn't fit had to hang outside with the dinosaur...

 

10 Picture Books Perfect for Summer!

It's that time of year when school is winding down and many parents are coming up with 'Summer Bucket Lists' of things to do with the kids during the lazy days of summer. So why not make a list of books to read or re-read with the kids as well?  You can certainly choose any books you'd like, but here's a list to start with. These are picture books that are just perfect for summer!

Harry By the Sea by Gene Zion 

The loveable Harry the Dirty Dog goes incognito once again in this tale of getting lost at the beach.  Instead of dirt, he's covered in seaweed! Complete with umbrellas and crowds and all things 'beach', this title is as irresistible as the first.

Bebe Goes to the Beach by Susan Middleton Elya

This follow-up to Bebe Goes Shopping has our cutie-pie toddler enjoying the beach the mischievous way only a small child can. The vivid illustrations and Spanish words added throughout make it a great book for sharing.

Summertime Waltz by Nina Payne 

I have to admit that I have skipped over this one in the past because I don't particularly love the cover. But inside is a really beautiful poetic tribute to the wonders of summer. "Lovely the lateness in summertime darkening..." it begins. It goes on to capture the true meaning of being a child in summer.

Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey 

This timeless tale of a family vacationing in Maine for the summer won the 1958 Caldecott Award for most distinguished picture book. Even if your vacation place is the Jersey or CT shore, or a lake in the woods or a friend's home away, you will identify with the magic of going away for vacation. "And, children," warns McCloskey, "don't forget your toothbrushes." Truly wonder-ful.

  

How Will We Get to the Beach? by Brigitte Luciani

 This is one of my favorite books for storytime. Part guessing game and problem solving, it really appeals to the kids and makes us all long for that early or late summer day 

at the beach!

 

And Don't Forget These!

 

A Summery Saturday Morning by Margaret Mahy

Hot City by Barbara Joose
Summer is Summer by Phyllis & David Gershator
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

The Night Before Summer Vacation by Natasha Wing

Fun From Book Expo!!!

Ms Patty and I had the privilege of spending 2 days in New York City last week for Book Expo America, also known as BEA. It's a great treat for librarians to see what publishers have coming out, to see what's trending in both adult and children's books and media, and to meet some of our favorite authors and illustrators! 

Here's what a booth might look like at the conference - they are setting up:

We also got to attend the Children's Book & Author's Breakfast on Friday morning.  Actress Octavia Spencer (from The Help) opened the program and introduced the other authors - she also happens to have a children's chapter book coming out and we may actually give it our stamp of approval (I personally, am usually not a fan of celebrity authors!) You can see it in the picture below, which shows all the fun goodies we took home from the Breakfast from the great panel of authors including Mary Pope Osbourne (Magic Tree House), Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus) and Veronica Roth (Divergent YA series).
We brought home lots of other goodies too - we will be using the items for prizes for Summer Reading, so keep a lookout!

Here are some of the sights from the conference floor:

And of course we had to get our picture taken with:

 Piggy and Gerald!!!!!! The great duo from Mo Willem's easy readers. 

I will post more pictures this summer, when we will have you guess some of the famous authors from their pictures and clues in a little contest - so keep reading! 

(the blog that is ;)