Story Time Starter — Moose

06 Apr
crivers

Story Time Starter

Spring is finally on its way, so what better topic for story time than . . . moose?  OK, well, maybe there are things better suited to spring (like cute baby animals, gardens, rain, or mud), but we’ve got some terrific moose books to share and we couldn’t wait for a better time!

Taking a look at some of our picture books, we of course have to include If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff.  Moosestache by Margie Palatini is another must (don’t forget the Christmas title Mooseltoe or the family-reunion-favorite Moosekitos).  From there, let’s not forget that Dr. Seuss character Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose.  Even though it’s a bit long, you may find that your kids will sit still for this classic story.

Some of our newer titles include the animal alphabet book Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham; Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner about an oversized moose just trying to fit in; and This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers, which shows that moose may not be the ideal pet.

Take a look at all the moose books we have to offer!

moose collage

Moose Books Booklist (Word Document/.doc file)

Next, we’ve got some rhymes and fingerplays to fill in the gaps.

This Little Moose
This little moose went to market
This little moose stayed home.
This little moose had grass and twigs.
This little moose had none.
And this little moose went trot, trot, trot,
All the way home.

Mr. Moose
Mr. Moose is very tall (put hands to head for antlers)
His antlers touch the sky (hands high up in the air)
They make a real good resting place (put hands out to sides)
For birdies passing by (flap arms like wings)

Ten Big Muffins
Ten big muffins on the window sill.
Moose came along and ate his fill.
Now how many muffins are on the window sill?

_____ big muffins are on the window sill.
Moose came along and ate his fill.
Now how many muffins are on the window sill?

(Continue)

_____ big muffin(s) on the window sill.
Moose came along and ate his fill.
Now no more muffins are on the window sill.

(This would make a great flannel with decorated muffins that you take down one at a time.)

Don’t forget the music — we’ve got some awesome tunes to give you something to sing about.

Last, we’ve got some fantastic crafts and coloring pages just right to finish your story time.

Enjoy the spring weather and watch out for moose (at least during story time!).

Posted in Book Lists, Children's Authors, Crafts, Feature Article, Featured Books, Fingerplays/Songs, Storytime Starter | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

2013 Children’s Poetry Contest Winners

02 Apr
mgross

Poetry Flower 2

Congratulations to this year’s winners of our annual Poetry Contest!

April is National Poetry Month.  For many years now, we’ve sponsored a poetry contest and have had some awesome poems turned in. We want to thank everyone who submitted an original poem this year! There were many great entries–it was a task to choose just a few winners!

We chose three winners from each of our two age categories (grades 1 – 3 and grades 4 – 5). Each of the winning poems are displayed at Main Library in the Children’s Department. If you can, stop by to check out the winners’ original poems–a few include original artwork as well!

Here are our 2013 winners!

1st
Grades 1 – 3 Category
First Place

Caden Stewart
2nd Grade
Foundation Academy

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs
listen how they roar,
Dinosaurs Dinosaurs
watch how they soar,
Dinosaurs Dinosaurs
listen how they stomp,
Dinosaurs Dinosaurs
watch how they chomp.

 

2nd
Grades 1 – 3 Category
Second Place

Molly Bradbury
3rd Grade
Lexington Central

I Like, I Love

I like sweets
I love treats
I like fun
I love the sun
I like nooks
I love books
I like and love my library,
‘Cause I think it’s extraordinary

 

3rd
Grades 1 – 3 Category
Third Place

Alexia Gerber
3rd Grade
Mansfield Spanish Emersion

 

Flowers
Flowers
Beautiful Sweet
Waving Blooming Dropping
Pleasant rainbows in the meadow.
Flying Hiding Surprising
Billowing Adorable
Butterflies

 

1st
Grades 4 – 5 Category
First Place

Grace Maurer
5th Grade
St. Peter’s Elementary


Nature
Lightning
lightning strikes,
hits the ground,
lights the sky,
all around.
Lights the sky,
strikes the tree,
sends electricity.
River
River flows,
peacefully,
for the deer,
and the bee.
Grass
Grass is my blanket,
and home for the insects,
I can look at the stars,
and lay on the ground.
Tree
Tree is the home of my friends,
birds, squirrels, owls, raccoons
climb the tree,
the fun never ends.
Rain
Rain waters my friends,
the trees, flowers and grass,
leaving dew and the ground,
the sun makes it look like glass.
Sun
Sun lights the way of the earth,
glimmering in the day,
the big ball of fire,
sets during the night.

 

2nd
Grades 4 – 5 Category
Second Place

Olivia Togliatti
5th Grade
St. Peter’s

 

The Silent Woods

Leaves glide to the ground.
All is quiet
Except for the sound of birds chirping,
Talking amongst each other.
The river splashes against the sharp rocks,
Sounding peaceful and active.
The sly fox hides behind a bush
Waiting for something to come.
The wise owl spies from its tree,
The lone wolf howls at the bright full moon.
Although the woods may seem silent,
Everything within it is lively and beautiful.

 

3rd
Grades 4 – 5 Category
Second Place

Ethan Schmitz             
4th Grade
Homeschool

Chameleons

Chameleons are fun.
Chameleons are neat.
They’re the coolest lizards
you ever could meet.

They have amazing eyes
like telescopes.
Their interesting tails
look like ropes.

Their tongue is like a suction cup
so they can catch their prey.
Birds, mice, insects, frogs
should get out of the way.

I really like chameleons,
mostly for their colors:
Purple, orange, blue, green…
along with many others.

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Book Review: Courage Has No Color

28 Mar
crivers

Monthly Book Reviews

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone
From Miss Caroline at Main

Set against the backdrop of the early to mid-1940s, this is the true story of a group of black servicemen who were serving in the military like their white counterparts with the Service Company of The Parachute School (TPS) out of Fort Benning, Georgia.  Unlike the white paratroopers, however, they were not put into the actual paratrooper training program, but were assigned to patrol and guard the facility.

Although the men were good at doing the job assigned to them, they were left without a real purpose, and felt like they had more to offer than the assigned service duties like driving trucks, cooking, doing laundry, guarding facilities, or unloading cargo.  Tanya Lee Stone’s book Courage Has No Color offers an untold history of these men.

courage has no color

As one soldier said: “It is hard to identify one’s self with fighting a war, when all one does is dig ditches.” And so begins the journey of these men who wanted an opportunity to contribute to the war in a meaningful way.  They wanted “to act like soldiers, not servants.”  The men then began to secretly train and do the same exercises the white paratroopers were doing and morale began to go up.  Surprisingly, the commanding officers not only allowed the training to continue when they were found out, but they authorized the creation of an all-black unit of paratroopers: the 555th (Triple Nickles) Parachute Infantry Company.

The story goes on to document and tell of the hardship and discrimination the Triple Nickles faced during integration and training.  The Triple Nickles persevered and went on to become highly trained and ready paratroopers.  Although they didn’t face active combat, they became smokejumpers, receiving training from the Forest Service and jumping from airplanes to combat wildfires on America’s west coast.  Two years after the Japanese surrendered, the Triple Nickles were eventually integrated into the 82nd Airborne, as the 3rd Batallion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Brigade, finally achieving their goal to become not just black soldiers, but American soldiers.

This is a fascinating look at one of the lesser-known groups of men to train and serve in the military in World War II, and  would be a great pairing with a look at either the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, or the Buffalo Soldiers of the Spanish American War.  Full of interesting stories and factual information, this is truly nonfiction at it’s finest!

Did you know that author Tanya Lee Stone also won the Sibert Medal for Almost Astronauts: The True Story of the “Mercury 13″ Women in 2010?  We also have 20 other books written by the author in our catalog, with topics ranging from the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor, to famous Americans like Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Posted in Book Reviews, Children's Authors, Feature Article, Featured Books, Nonfiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday, Lois Lowry!

20 Mar
mgross

Spotlight

Today is author Lois Lowry‘s birthday!

Possibly best known for her Newbery Award winning titles The Giver and Number the Stars, Ms. Lowry was born 76 years ago today in Hawaii. She wanted to write from an early age–writing is what she liked best in school. When she grew up, Ms. Lowry wanted to write books for adults, and even published a couple textbooks. Someone suggested she write children’s books, and she decided to give it a try. This undertaking, along with her love of writing stories and poems in her childhood, turned into more than 30 published children’s books!

Lois Lowry Collage

Did you know that Ms. Lowry likes photography and bridge, and she enjoys knitting, traveling, and reading in her spare time? If you were to visit her, you may find her at her desk writing but she would stop to share tea with you and chat. Many of Ms. Lowry’s books are based on her personal experiences while others are based on ideas. However, all of her books focus on the importance of human connections.

Even though many of Ms. Lowry’s books are about serious topics, she infuses humor and fun into some, such as in her Anastasia Krupnik series. People label some of Ms. Lowry’s books as science fiction but she doesn’t consider herself a sci-fi writer. She writes to convey to others what she feels about the world and how humans are connected. So what inspires Ms. Lowry to write?

“I write books because I have always been fascinated by stories and language, and because I love thinking about what makes people tick. Writing a story… The Giver or any other… is simply an exploration of the nature of behavior: why people do what they do, how it affects others, how we change and grow, and what decisions we make along the way. Added to that, I love the process of finding the right rhythm of words, and then putting it all together, finally, to make a book.”
(Taken from Lois Lowry Interview Transcript on Scolastic.com)

Help us celebrate the birthday of an awesome author!

happy_birthday_with_stars

Check out this video interview from TIME for Kids!

More From the Web

  • For more video interviews with Ms. Lowry, check out this site!
  • An interesting author study of Ms. Lowry can be found on this children’s literature site.
  • How well do you know Ms. Lowry? Take this quiz to find out!
  • Look for The Giver movie being released sometime in the future!
Posted in Author Spotlight, Award Books, Children's Authors, Feature Article, Featured Books, Spotlight, Web Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rockabyes and Lullabyes

15 Mar
crivers

Spotlight

In the past we’ve put the spotlight on authors or illustrators that we like or who have had birthdays.  Today, however, we are going to spotlight something a bit different.  We recently moved our children’s music CDs from the Audiovisual Department to the Children’s Department.  Many people may not have noticed the change, but we love having the music closer to us–it helps in preparing for story time and it makes our area more convenient for “one-stop” selecting.

So in honor of those children’s music CDs, we are going to show off a portion of our collection that is underutilized:  the lullaby and instrumental sleepytime CDs.  These are perfect not only for new parents and their fussy babies, but also for long car rides or quiet times at home.  Now, we’ve certainly got many of the traditional lullabies, but we also have some new (ish) CDs that will rock your socks off (but in a soothing way!).

The Rockabye Baby series of music takes rock music from well-known singers and bands and turns it into instrumental versions of your favorite songs.  Who says you can’t rock out to a little classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Queen, or Journey with the newest member of your family?!?  You’ll find yourself singing or humming along, but you won’t have to worry about questionable lyrics or music that is too hard for little ears.  In addition, we’ve also got a variety of artists to select from, like The Beatles and Elvis along with Nirvana and Tool.

rockabye and lullaby collage

If you’re not a fan of rock music, we’ve also got country hits turned into lullabies just right for you and your baby.  The Hushabye Baby collection features artists like Patsy Cline, George Strait, and Taylor Swift.  These soothing lullabies can make bedtime much more enjoyable and fun for everyone.

Other sets of lullabies feature more contemporary artists like Train, Jason Mraz, and Adele.  The Twinkle, Twinkle Little Rockstar CDs turns popular hits by these artists into lullabies that might be a bit more to the liking of younger parents.  The Jammy Jams CDs feature Lady Gaga and “Hair Metal” songs; the Sleepytime Rangers feature Nashville hits; the Sweet Little Band CDs feature artists like Beyonce, Shakira, and Pink; and Sleepytime Tunes feature singers like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen.

Whatever your taste in music, you can be sure to find something that you’ll enjoy listening to in the wee hours with that new little bundle of joy who just won’t go to sleep yet!

 

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Story Time Starter — Green

12 Mar
crivers

Story Time Starter

March is all about the arrival of spring and celebrating all things green!  This month’s story time starter brings all the best books, music, and crafts that the color green has to offer.  From frogs and turtles to grass and leaves, we’ve got plenty of green things to choose from.

  • You can focus on the color green and how mixing yellow and blue creates the color.
  • Or you could focus more on things that are growing now that warmer temperatures are here to stay.
  • You could even talk about “going green” and how important it is to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
  • Or make it a St. Patrick’s Day theme with a selection of holiday books.

We’ve also got lots of nonfiction reads included to teach AND entertain.  Keep on reading for all of these great story time ideas and much more!

 

Take a look at these green books:

green collage picasa


Green Books booklist (Word Document/.doc file)

 

Rhymes and fingerplays are a great addition to story time.  These are not only good time fillers, but they are also good for getting some wiggles out!

Five Fat Peas
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed  (put fists together side by side)
One grew, two grew, and so did all the rest  (open fingers slowly, one at a time)
They grew and they grew and they did not stop  (open hands wider and wider)
Until one day, the pod went “POP!”  (clap hands loudly)

Green Leaf
Here is a green leaf
And here is a green leaf  (hold out two palms)
That, you see, makes two
Here is a bud
That makes a flower  (cup hands together)
Watch it bloom for you  (spread fingers slowly)

The Frog on the Log
There once was a little green
frog, frog, frog
Who played in the wood on a
log, log, log
A screech owl sitting in a
tree, tree, tree
Came after the frog with a
screech, screech, screech
When the frog heard the owl, in a
flash, flash, flash
He leaped in the pond with a
splash, splash, splash

 

Next, we’ve picked out some winning music to go along with the fingerplays and rhymes.

The Merry Goes ‘Round CD by Jewel
Song:  The Green Grass Grows All Around (#12)

Seasonal Songs in Motion CD by The Learning StationSongs:  Hungry Caterpillar (#1), Spring is Here (#2), Green Grass Grows (#3)

Time Out to Rock CD by The Not-Its!
Song:  Green Light, Go! (#4)

Shakin’ in Chicago CD by Thaddeus Rex
Song:  Where Can I Find Green Eggs and Ham (#9)

 

And last, but not least, we’ve got some fabulous green crafts picked out that would be a great way to end this awesome story time for you.  Have fun this month being silly and enjoying green!

 

Posted in Crafts, Featured Books, Fingerplays/Songs, Seasonal Books, Story Times, Storytime Starter | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: My First Day

08 Mar
mgross

Monthly Book Reviews

My First Day by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
From Miss Deborah at Main

What did you do on the day you were born?  You probably just slept, cried, and drank some milk.  My First Day shows what animals can do on day one of their lives.  Some, like tigers can’t even open their eyes and their mothers take care of them until they can take care of themselves.  Others, like capybaras can swim and dive after just a few hours. Sea otters carry their babies on their bellies so they don’t drift out to sea, but leatherback turtles are left to find their own way to the sea when they hatch.

My First Day

Beautiful cut and torn paper collages illustrate animal babies and their parents on their first day as the spare text wraps around them telling what they are capable of when they are born.  At the end of the book, there is more information about all 22 animals telling where they live, how big they get as adults and what they eat.  This lovely picture book will be a favorite of young children who love baby animals.

You can find more books by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page at your library! Mr. Jenkins has also wrote and illustrated many other great books!

More From the Web

  • Check out author and illustrator Steve Jenkins’ website!
  • Read about author Robin Page at HMH Authors.
  • Find out why Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Page write about animals and more here.
  • Publishing company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has a Science is Fun! Teacher’s Guide featuring other books by Steve Jenkins.
  • If you are looking for more really cute baby animals, check out the ZooBorns website! We also have several ZooBorns books here at the library.
Posted in Book Reviews, Children's Authors, Feature Article, Featured Books, New Books, Nonfiction, Web Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate National Craft Month

05 Mar
crivers

Featured Article

March is National Craft Month.  How will you celebrate?  Will you bust out the salt dough and cookie cutters?  Maybe you’ll finish one of those many unfinished projects languishing in a box.  Or will you assemble all your assorted craft orphans and let the kids go wild?  Whatever you do, have a great time with making and creating with your family this month!

If you’re short on ideas, we’ve got lots of books to give you a place to begin; or if you have the ideas but aren’t sure what to do next, we’ve got books for that, too.  From simple to complex, we have got the whole range of craft ability covered!

We’ve got everything from paper crafts, felt and fabric sewing crafts, paint crafts, knitting and crochet crafts, recycled crafts, seasonal and holiday crafts, and scrapbook crafts to nature crafts and beyond.

craft books collage

Craft Booklist (Word Document/.doc file)

Here at the library, we tend to have crafts after most story times.  The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Blog has a posting discussing process versus product for children:  “Process art is when the emphasis is placed on making art and using different mediums whereas product art is when the emphasis is placed on following instructions to achieve an expected result.”  It goes on to point out that there are both pros and cons for each type of art.  We typically have a specific craft in mind for the children to make, but we definitely encourage them to unleash their own creativity and customize their craft to their own liking.

A couple of months ago, Miss Melia with her Homeschoolers at the Library group talked about the history of crafting.  They talked about the origins of crafts, how crafts were a way of life for craftsmen, and crafts from around the world.  Here’s the Parent Resource List that Miss Melia handed out after the program.  Take a look for some really great background information on the subject.

Most months we offer a “Crafting with Kids” posting that features Make-It Take-Its, craft programs for school-age children, and fun crafts for story time.  These projects vary in difficulty, but most can be adapted to appeal to children either older or younger.

Enjoy crafting throughout the month of March!

Posted in Book Lists, Crafting with Kids, Crafts, Featured Books, Web Resources | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Castle in the Attic

26 Feb
mgross

Monthly Book Reviews

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
From Miss Sheri at Plymouth and Crestview

Can you imagine saying good-bye to a friend who is moving that you have known your whole life?  Would it be easier if that friend gave you a spectacular gift?

For 10-year-old William, this very thing is happening.  His housekeeper and friend, Mrs. Phillips, is returning to her home in England.  As a parting gift, she bestows upon William a miniature castle that belonged to her as a child.  The castle is extremely detailed, done in stone and wood, and includes a working drawbridge and moat surrounding the castle.  And best of all, it comes with a miniature knight named Sir Simon.

The Castle in the Attic

Unbeknownst to William, the castle is actually under a magical spell.  When William picks up Sir Simon, he comes to life and tells him the story of a wizard who took over his kingdom.  When William discovers that Sir Simon is in possession of a token he stole from the wizard that has the ability to shrink people, this gives him a way to keep his friend from leaving and he has Sir Simon shrink Mrs. Phillips.

Now, William must find a way to get Mrs. Phillips back to her normal size and the only way to do that is for William himself to be shrunk so that he can go after the other half of the token, which is with the wizard.  Can William embark upon this adventure to save himself and Mrs. Phillips?  Can he restore the kingdom back to Sir Simon by defeating the wizard?  Pick up a copy of The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop and find out William’s story of knights, dragons, wizards and daring deeds!

Check out this trailer for The Castle in the Attic!

More From the Web

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Story Time Starter — Trucks & Tractors

22 Feb
crivers

Story Time Starter

Get ready, get set … GO!  This month’s story time is all about trucks and tractors.  Miss Mary from the Main Library is sharing this month’s awesome ready-to-go story time.

What child does not enjoy rollicking stories about trucks and tractors?  Monster trucks, cranes, garbage trucks and bulldozers all make great topics for story time at home or at the library.  Boys and girls love identifying the pictures of the different machines which are in the stories.

Reading to children is a great way for them to learn new words about different types of trucks and tractors they may see at the construction site or in the fields.  But more than that–it’s fun!  Here are just a few of the great selection of truck and tractor books in our collection which would be fun to share in story time.

 truck & tractor collage

Trucks & Tractors book list (Word Document/.doc file)

 

Rhymes and finger plays are always a great addition to books in a story time.  Here are a few engaging rhymes you might enjoy doing with your child:


PICK UP THE TRASH

Here comes the truck (sweep hands from left to right)
Rumbling down the street (slap hands quickly on legs)
Put on the brakes (pull back with both hands)
Jump to your feet (jump)

Lift the can up high (lift arms overhead)
And dump trash in (lower arms straight out in front of you)
Crush it and smash it (clap on “crush” and “smash”)
Then to the next bin (march in place)

One house, then two (hold up one finger than two)
Til the street’s all done (sweep hands out to each side)
On to the next street (march in place)
Now wasn’t that fun? (nod head)


ON THE MOVE

Here is the tractor so big and strong
Here is the trailer so wide and long.

Here is the cab where the driver will be
Here is the window so the driver can see.

Here is the steering wheel that’s round.
Here are the tires that roll on the ground.

Here is the load that the truck will take.
Here is the engine that can roar and shake.

Here is the truck that’s on its way;
Off to work for another day.


DRIVING OUR TRUCK
(do actions as instructed)

Open the truck door.
Climb inside.
I get to help
My mommy drive.

Fasten the seat belt.
Shut the door.
Start the engine.
Hear it roar.

Turn the corner.
Step on the gas.
If the road’s clear
We may pass.

 

These truck and tractor music CD’s for story time are filled with toe-tapping tunes that can’t be beat!

 

Crafts are a great way to finish off story time!  Here are instructions for simple crafts that are perfect for you and your truck lover.  Just click to follow the link to these printable crafts:

 

Thanks, Miss Mary, for another terrific story time!

Posted in Book Lists, Children's Authors, Crafting with Kids, Crafts, Featured Books, Fingerplays/Songs, Music, Storytime Starter, Web Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment