Have You Met Mike?

We have not had a male staff member working at RML since I have been here, and probably much longer than that! So we are very excited that you are getting a chance to meet Mike Cramer, our newest staff member! 

Mike is taking over some of the duties that Linda (who retired last year!) used to do.  Take a minute to introduce yourself if you haven't already (he's very friendly and doesn't bite!)
I asked Mike to answer a few questions so we could get to know him better:

Ms Eileen: How old are you?

Mike: 25.

Ms Eileen: So basically, the same age as me. Great!

Ms Eileen: What was one of your fave books as a child?

Mike: I loved the Animorphs series by Katherine Applegate.  They were filled with action and the friendships between the characters was fantastic. If she ever wrote another book for the series I'd still read it!

Ms Eileen: What are some of your hobbies/interests?

Mike: I love to read of course and I also watch a lot of movies, especially scary ones!

Ms Eileen: Dear small children - don't let Mike recommend movies to you. And adults - you have to be prepared for nightmares as well.

Ms Eileen: If you had to fill in for Ms Patty or Ms Eileen in storytime, what would you read, and if you had to use a puppet, what would it be?
Mike: Either one of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems or an Eric Carle book.  My absolute favorite is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".  And as for a puppet, either a dog, monkey or tiger.  Monkeys are my favorite animal though!


Ms Eileen: Fave Dr. Seuss book?

Mike: "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"  I still like to read through it every once in awhile.  It's great for all ages.

Ms Eileen: Fave kids movie?

Mike: Hugo.  Great visuals and a great story.

Ms Eileen: Ok, I take back what I said before. You can recommend movies to kids.

Ms Eileen: What's the best thing about working at RML?

Mike: Books, books, and more books.  And of course meeting everyone who comes into the library!

Ms Eileen: Oh, and didn't you just say "working with Ms Eileen"? right? Mike? Where'd you go? 

Kicking Off the 90th Anniversary of RML!

You may have seen on our website that we are beginning the 90th year celebration of the Richmond Memorial Library! (1924-2014) 
Here on the kids blog, we're going to highlight some of the great children's books from each decade, starting with the 1920's. I'm just going to focus on ones that we own here at RML. We'll try to have as many of them as we can available for checkout, so you and your children can share the journey with us! What a great way to learn a little history - through the context of children's books!

Some Notable Children's Books Published in the 1920s

Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (1920) 

Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1922)

Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg (1922)

The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes (1923)

Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten (1923)

Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner (1924)

When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne (1924)

Winne-the-Pooh (1926)

Now We Are Six (1927)

House at Pooh Corner (1928) 

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)

Coming This Summer!: Fizz, Boom, Read!

It may be January, but here at RML we are already planning for our Summer Reading Program! So I thought I would give you a sneak peak at what's coming!

We are very excited to highlight Science this summer, since it ties in to every aspect of a child's life! From insects and animals to kitchen chemistry to the human body, we hope to offer some great programming which complement skills such as observing, measuring, exploring, predicting, and of course, reading!
Fizz, Boom, Read! also complements the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum at school. 
Also this year, the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is excited to partner with National Geographic, the global leader in children's nonfiction publishing.
Summer may seem like a long way off, but we are working hard to ensure that RML has great science fun to offer your children this year!

Here are a few fun books I can't wait to use!

Backyard Biology: investigating habitats outside your door by Donna Latham

 Candy Experiements by Loralee Leavitt

Gross Science: 25 experiments from the disgusting side of science! by Paul Beck