Aarrrgh! A Pirate!

You MUST, and I mean MUST come to Blish Park on Wednesday August 4th at 10:30 a.m. because a PIRATE will be there! And not just any pirate, but the very wonderful, multi-award winning, clever, funny, and talented Captain Papillion. Click here to go to his website.

On Wednesday this "prodigious purveyor of positive pirating" will be entertaining and informing us. As Captain Papillion himself says, "Let Us Be About Adventure and UnPlundering of the Good Earth & the Sea! That's Right Matey! KidPirates is Great Piratey fun! And along the way We Celebrate Our Great but Tiny Ship~ the Earth ~ Sailing upon the Deep Dark Sea of Space, with Stars Speckled All About! She is our Ship Maties, and we will learn to well care for her while we, of course, Sing Our Pirate Songs and Dance Our Pirate Dances All Along the Way!

See you all there and feel free to wear your best pirate gear.

(I'm especially excited because Papillion has some wonderful children's CDs that I'll will be purchasing to add to our collection. I especially like his Cajun music and I think you will too.)

Summer Reading Fun Continues

We are so pleased with all the summer reading going on in Marlborough! Teens, adults, and mostly you kids are reading up a storm (hmmm, could that be the cause of all the severe weather we've been having??) To add to your summer reading fun, check out the website created by the wonderful librarians at the Connecticut Library Service Center. Online games, book suggestions, plus lists of places to swim, fish, and boat in Connecticut. It's an excellent resource. Click HERE right now for lots of summer fun.

Splash-A-Lympics Today!

Today, Wednesday, is Splash-A-Lympics day at RML. For kids 7 and over (I know, it's mostly outside of the range of this blog) we will have an afternoon of wet fun with sponge throwing, water balloon tossing, and water squirting. Ms. Eileen and I have planned several fun events including the opportunity to get us very wet. My husband and I filled over 200 water balloons ready for kids to throw. Looks like it's going to be a nice warm day so put on your bathing suit and grab a towel and meet us on the lawn today at 3 p.m.

Stories in the Shade, July 23

It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day for our second SitS (Stories in the Shade!). Today expect a hodgepodge of old and new books, as well as some old and new action rhymes. I think we'll do a little "If You're Happy and You Know It", and of course, "The More We Get Together". I'll be reading "Blueberries For Sal", a perennial favorite by Robert McCloskey and perfect for this time of year as we enjoy the bounty of Connecticut's blueberries. Bring along a blanket or a chair and I'll see you under the trees.

Stories in the Shade begin

It's that time of year, time to sit back and relax every Friday morning at 10:30, under the shady trees of the Richmond Library, as we offer "Stories in the Shade" for you and your little ones. These are stories, action rhymes and music best for children ages 2-6. No craft, but maybe some bubble blowing, ball throwing, music-making and other fun. Bring a blanket (I have a few to share) or a chair. Start the morning at the library and then head off to the beach or the park.

We'll meet Friday, July 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13.

I don't generally have a theme, but this Friday is mostly books about the ocean and swimming, including the very cute "Froggy Learns to Swim" by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. Can you imagine a frog who is afraid to swim? Well, Froggy is, but his mom teaches him how using techniques you might remember from your own childhood swim lessons. (Chicken, Airplane, Soldier anyone?)

Bon Voyage (to me)

This morning I leave on vacation (an 8 day cruise with my entire extended family) so I won't be blogging again until July 11 or 12. In the meantime, please go to "An Ocean of Fun" on July 7th, read some great books, stop by the library to pick up your first week's reading prize, and have a fun and safe 4th.

Patty

Independence Day Picnic

Lunch Bunch this Wednesday (@ 12:30) is something special...it's an Independence Day Picnic. Bring your lunch and enjoy stories and action rhymes as usual, but we'll provide a special treat for dessert. Be sure to dress up in your favorite red, white, and blue!

I don't know yet what Ms. Eileen will be reading to you, but one of my favorite Fourth of July-themed books is "Minerva Louise at the Fair", by Janet Morgan Stoeke. It's no secret how much I adore Minerva Louise, that daffy, cheerful, optimistic mixed-up hen. In this story, she see all sorts of lovely things at a state fair that is topped off with fireworks or, as she sees them, falling stars.

Have fun on Wednesday! (and on July 4th too!)

New Books about Cats

We have two cats who are in complete control of our household, a male cat named Meo and a female cat named Silvia. We got them both from a shelter almost 7 years ago and they are about as different as can be. Meo is outgoing, playful, proud, a huge "manly" cat who is afraid of things like trucks and joggers. Silvia appears timid and shy but is a fierce hunter who has a fondness for all things luxurious, like cashmere. Anyway, recently Meo suffered a terrible accident and both cats need a little TLC. So, cats are on my mind...but also on our New Books shelf. Here's a run-down of some new books featuring our feline friends.

"Mattoo, Let's Play!" written and lushly illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. Ruby wants her cat, Mattoo to join her in her adventures, like taking a pretend rocket ship to the moon. Mattoo hides from her so she thinks he is shy. But when Ruby pretends to be on a jungle safari she finds that Mattoo is in his element. JE Luxbacher

"Cat the Cat" series by Mo Willems. Our friend Mo has a new character to share, spunky Cat the Cat, whose tales are perfect for the very beginner readers. Books include, "Say Hello to Friends Who Fly", and "Cat the Cat, Who is That". JE-ER Willems

"Kittens (A Snapshot Picture Library)" by Karen Penzes. A non-fiction book featuring simple, clear text and gorgeous photographs of ...you guessed it...kittens! JE 636.8

Introducing Tiki

We have a new addition to our Richmond Library family: Tiki the Betta Fish. Tiki will be hanging out with us at the circulation desk all summer. He's a betta fish so he likes to be the only fish in the tank (so no need to worry that he doesn't have friends to play with.) In fact, "Tiki" is the name of the first man in Polynesian mythology (sort of like Adam).

Tiki is beautiful blue and lives in a Sesame Street themed tank. Come by and say "hi" to him.

Summer Reading

We had fun last night at our Summer Reading kick-off, even though the weather wasn't the most Luau-friendly. But now the real fun begins...the reading.

So, as a reminder, here's how the Summer Reading programs works: Every week read at least 20 minutes a day for at least 4 days of the week. Keep track on your reading log by adding a sticker on each day you read. The following week bring your reading log to the library for a prize. The prizes change each week and they're all delightful. You can only get one prize a week and you can't accumulate your reading and get more than one week's prize at a time. If you miss a week (because you can't make it to the library, you're away, etc.) we can't give you prizes retroactively...sorry, it would just make things too confusing for those of us who work at the library.

At the end of the summer those children who have read all summer long will become our Star Fish Readers and will have their photos put up in the library.

If you would like suggestions about what to read please ask! Ms. Eileen and I and the other librarians will be happy to help.

So Make A Splash, Read!