Pajama Story Time

Put on your pj's, bring a bed buddy, and come to Tredyffrin Public Library on Monday evenings for our new Pajama Story Time, which will feature relaxing stories, songs, and bedtime snacks. Pre-registration is appreciated to make sure we have enough snacks, but weekly walk-ins are more than welcome. We'll be in the picture book area, so please join us! Details below.

P.S. Thank you to those of you who filled out our recent story time survey. The votes for an evening story time on either Monday or Tuesday were exactly equal, so we'll be trying out Pajama Story Time on Tuesday evenings in the spring session to accommodate everyone interested.

Pajama Story Time
Ages 3-8 years + adults
(adults must accompany children under 6)
Monday evenings 7:00-7:30 pm
January 3 - February 28
Registration begins December 27 and is ongoing

image courtesy of http://picture-book.com/

4s and 5s Story Time: Fall Wrap-up

Oh, the places we went! Our theme for the fall session was "We All Have Tales," and through books, flannel board stories, crafts and songs we started in the USA and then "traveled" to Afghanistan, Brazil, the Caribbean Islands, Chile, China, Denmark, England, France, Greece, India, Korea, and Pakistan.

A complete list of the stories is yours if you wish it. I look forward to seeing you all at the winter session! Registration began December 27, and the session begins January 3.

So Many Sites, So Little Time

The great thing about the interwebs: you can find anything there! The bad thing about the interwebs: you can find anything there! So, what's a parent, caregiver, or teacher to do? How can you tell not only which sites are appropriate but which are the best of the best for kids?

Look no further. The Association for Library Service to Children (the ALSC, a good acronym to know), which is a division of The American Library Association (ALA), has a Great Web Sites for Kids Committee that carefully screens sites "for design, stability, authorship, clear purpose, and content." Here's the skinny:

"Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS)* features links to websites of interest to children 14 years of age and younger, organized into diverse subject headings, from astronomy and space to zoos and aquariums, from games and entertainment to geography and maps. There is also a special section with sites of interest to parents, caregivers and teachers. Members of the ALSC GWS Committee...regularly check the entire site to ensure currency and [to] re-evaluate sites as [needed]."

Still need more? Ask the staff member at the Children's desk to open up our "Favorites" tab in Internet Explorer, where she will find lots more to recommend to you.

*librarians really, REALLY love them some acronyms.....

Hidden Classic #4: The House Without a Christmas Tree

In honor of the holiday season, I went back and looked at my list of favorite children's holiday books, and this was right at the top: The House Without a Christmas Tree by Gail Rock, one in a short series of novels about the incomparable 10-year-old Addie Mills. Unfortunately, the series is out of print, but several libraries in the system still have copies, and this particular title was filmed as a must-see made-for-TV movie in the 1970s that is still available on DVD.

I was curious as to what other people thought about the book, which is truly a hidden classic that not many have read. I found this delightful review on Goodreads from a friend of a friend named Tatiana, and it says it all:

"I was looking for a Christmas novel that 1) had heart, 2) wasn't sappy, and 3) didn't make me cry. I found it in The House Without a Christmas Tree: sweet, concise (I read it today), and old-fashioned in the best way. It's the story of Addie Mills, a fiesty 10-year-old in 1946, who can't understand why her father won't allow them to have a Christmas tree. Father and daughter both have trouble communicating with those they care about, and so it's good they have Grandma to bridge the gap. Grandma tries to make Addie see the situation from her father's point of view, that of a man who's still grieving the loss of his wife, while simultaneously explaining to her son the importance of loving the ones still with us. But it takes a series of miscues, including Addie dragging a tree through town (twice!) before all can be resolved. A lovely story that leaves you hoping there really are girls like Addie Mills in the world and wishing you could know one."

The only thing I'd change about this review is that it does, in fact, make me cry. But not because it's deliberately "tear-jerking" or emotionally manipulative in any way. Rather, because it's a lovely story told simply and honestly, and out of that simplicity and honesty comes the true emotion of the piece. Not to be missed.

There is also a very nice, but brief, fan site for Addie. Check it out!

Praise for the Addie Mills series:

As befits a true "Hidden Classic," there aren't many professional reviews still around for this series, or for this book in particular. But everywhere you go on the web, all of the reader-based reviews (via sites like Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, ALibris, etc.) consistently give Addie at least 4 out of 5 stars.

Screenwriter Eleanor Perry won a prime time Emmy for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama - Adaptation," and director Paul Bogart was nominated for a Director's Guild Award, both for the made-for-TV movie of The House Without a Christmas Tree.

And there is a lovely Time article praising the adaptation: "The Little Christmas Classic That Could."

New Dates for PAWS - Update!

Yes! For those of you who have been enjoying the PAWS for Reading program at Tredyffrin Library, I'm happy to announce that we have our dates for the winter. They are:

January 8 & 22
February 5 & 12
March 5 & 19

Sessions run from 10am-11am. Call 610-688-7092, ext. 210, or stop by the children's desk to make an appointment!

If you haven't yet discovered the PAWS for reading program, here's the scoop:

PAWS for Reading is a new program to Tredyffrin Library, where kids read aloud to a therapy pet to improve their reading and communication skills.

Reading to well-trained, gentle therapy pets in a one-on-one setting is a great way for emerging or struggling readers to gain confidence.

The program is aimed at children ages 5-12, but all independent readers are welcome. Check it out!

Holiday Concert and Open Mic!

Those of you who attend Miss Joy's storytimes may not know this: in her other life, she is a piano teacher! She and her lovely students would like to invite you to:

Tredyffrin Public Library's Holiday Concert and Open Mic Night

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

7:30-9:00 pm

Upstairs in the large meeting room (by the main entrance)

The evening will begin with some holiday music performed by Miss Joy's students, and then the stage is open to anyone else who would like to shine. We'll have a sign-up sheet at the show.

So bring your voice/guitar/ukulele/etc. and your holiday cheer! We look forward to seeing you there!
photo by iLikeSpoons via Creative Commons.