Changes to FRAMED! A Journey In Art

Hello, artists!

FRAMED is a new program for us this school year, so I've been tweaking things as demand requires. With that in mind, the spring session will feature two changes:

1. The age range is now Kindergarten through Third Grade (K-3).

2. The program has been adapted so that it will accommodate both new and returning students:

NEW STUDENTS (and younger students who may be struggling or missed numerous classes last session) will work on drawing basics with me for the first few weeks.
RETURNING STUDENTS (and new students in grades 2-3 who have more experience and sharper small motor skills) will work on independent painting projects for the first few weeks while I teach the basics to the new students.

Registration for the spring session started today, and there are still spaces available. If you're interested, please call 610.688.7092 x210. Classes are on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:15 starting March 27, and they are cumulative, so it is important to attend every week.

Whether or not you're joining us for the spring session, don't forget to mark your calendars for the Art Show Opening Reception on Tuesday, May 22 from 4:30-5:00pm. Refreshments will be served and you will see what we have been working on throughout all three sessions of FRAMED. The artwork will be on display in the large meeting room upstairs from the opening reception until the Summer Reading Club starts on June 18.

Happy spring!

Ooo La La! Tres Chic!

On Monday, February 20, we celebrated all things fancy and French with our Fancy Nancy Hearts and Flowers Tea Party. Over 50 young mesdemoiselles and messieurs ages 4-8 sipped (iced) tea (with their pinkies out, of course) and nibbled cookies; listened to a plethora of Parisian tunes; worked on Fancy Nancy-themed mazes, matching games, and coloring pages; listened to a book from the Fancy Nancy series; and tested their posture and poise with a book relay. The catch: they had to carry the books on their heads...

Merci beaucoup to Mlle. Laurie, Mlle. Angela, and several parents for their help on the day. It was tres magnifique! We have other special events planned for the spring, and the reading club keeps us busy all summer, but please keep an eye out for the fall 2012 calendar for our next fancy event.

Books In Brief: Meanwhile...

Reviewer: Travis

The name of the book being recommended: Meanwhile... by Jason Shiga

Please give us five reasons why this book is awesome:

1. This is actually a Choose Your Own Adventure-style book, but in a graphic novel format.

2. That means that you can win or lose!

3. A poor choice in ice cream leads to your encounter with a mad scientist, and you'll hold the fate of humanity in your hands.

4. It's silly AND apocalyptic.

5. Once you win, you can go back and find the secret extras that the author hid in the book.

How can I find this book in the library? It can be found in the Children's Department, in graphics, under the call number j GRA SHIGA.

Books in Brief: Zombie Tag

Zombie Tag by Hannah Moskowitz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the most amazing book I've read all year. Granted, it is only the beginning of February, but still. Uh-Mazing.

The plot, in super-brief: 12-year-old zombie-obsessed Wil finds a way to bring his older brother Graham back from the dead. But will Graham be the same awesome big brother Wil remembers, or will he instead eat Wil's brains? Perhaps more importantly, has Wil just triggered the zombie apocalypse?

This book has everything (suspense, fun, heartbreak) and it goes way beyond its action-packed premise to tackle issues of loss, identity, friendship and responsibility head-on.

(And if that weren't enough, the author includes instructions at the end of the book on how to actually play zombie tag, spatulas and all! Bonus!)

Bottom line: I'm not here to tell you how to live your life. But if I were, I would tell you to wrangle yourself up a copy of Zombie Tag.

And maybe also to hug your brother.

(Assuming he's not looking to eat your brains.)


View all my reviews

Story Time Rhymes

Practicing rhymes with your children at home will go a long way towards their confidence and participation in our story times here at the library.

Toddler and Family Rhymes

Good Morning
One day I saw a downy duck with feathers on his back;
I said,"Good morning downy duck,"
And he said, "Quack, quack, quack."

One day I saw a scarlet bird, he woke me from my sleep;
I said, "Good morning scarlet bird,"
And he said, "Cheep, cheep, cheep."

One day I saw a happy child coming to story time;
I said, "Good morning happy child,"
And the child said, "Hi, hi, hi."


Reach for the Ceiling
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor,
Stand up again, let's do it some more.
Touch you head, then your knee,
Up to your shoulders, like this you see.
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor,
That's all for now, there isn't any more.

This is My Right Hand
This is my right hand, I raise it high.
This is my left hand, I touch the sky.
Right hand, left hand,
Roll them round and round.
Right hand, left hand,
Pound, pound, pound.

Clap Your Hands
Clap your hands 1, 2, 3,
Clap your hands, just like me.
Roll your hands 1, 2, 3,
Roll your hands, just like me.
Pat your hands 1, 2, 3,
Pat your hands, just like me.

The Wheel Around the World
If all the world's children wanted to play holding hands,
they could happily make a wheel around the sea.
What a beautiful chorus we would make
singing around the earth, if all the world's children
would circle holding hands.

Hello Hands
Roll, roll, roll your hands, as slowly as can be;
Roll, roll, roll your hands, do it now with me.
Roll, roll, roll your hands, as fast as fast can be;
Roll, roll, roll your hands, do it now with me.

Clap, clap, clap your hands, as slowly as can be;
Clap, clap, clap your hands, do it now with me.
Clap, clap, clap your hands, as fast as fast can be;
Clap, clap, clap your hands, do it now with me.

Ten Little Fingers
I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me.
I can make them do things, would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight
Or open them wide.
I can put them together
Or make them all hide.
I can make them jump high,
I can make them jump low,
I can fold them up quietly
And hold them just so.

Here We Go Up
Here we go up, up, up.
Here we go down, down, down.
Here we go forward.
Here we go backward.
Here we go round, round, round.

Busy Hands
Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Put them behind you, if you please.
Raise hands high in the air,
Down at your sides, now touch your hair.
Hands at sides now you may place.
Touch your elbows, now your face.
Raise hands high as before, now you may clap 1, 2, 3, 4.
Now sit down, hands folded once more.
Eyes to the front, feet on the floor.

Reach for the Ceiling
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor,
Stand up again, let's do some more.
Touch you head, then your knee,
Up to your shoulders, like this you see.
Reach for the ceiling, touch the floor,
That's all for now, there isn't any more.


Wee Ones Rhymes

Hi, Hello and How are You
     (to the tune of London Bridges)
Hi, hello, and how are you?
How are you?
How are you?
Hi, hello, and how are you?
How are you today?

Here We Go Up, Up, Up
Here we go up, up, up
Here we go down, down, down.
Here we go up, up, up,
Here we go down, down, down.

Eyes, Nose, Cheeky, Cheeky, Chin.
Eyes, Nose, Cheeky, Cheeky, Chin.
Eyes, Nose, Cheeky, Cheeky, Chin.
Eyes, Nose, Cheeky, Cheeky, Chin.
Cheeky, Cheeky, chin, nose, eyes.

Round and Round the Garden
Round and round the garden,
Goes the teddy bear.
One step,two step.
Tickle under there.

Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
Baker's man.
Bake me a cake
As fast as you can.
Roll it and pat it,
And mark it with a B.
And put it the oven
For baby and me!

Away Up High
Away up high in the apple tree.
I saw a little baby staring at me.
I shook the tree as hard as I could.
Down came baby.
Mmmm, he/she was good.

Star Light
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.

Open Them, Shut Them
Open them, shut them.
Open them, shut them.
Give them a little clap.
Open them, shut them.
Open them, shut them.
Put them in your lap.
Creep them, creep them,
Right up to you chin.
Open up your little mouth,
But do not let them in. (say this last line fast)

Good-bye Rhyme
My hand says thank you with a clap, clap, clap.
My feet say thank you with a tap, tap, tap.
Hands clap, clap, clap.
Feet tap, tap, tap.
Roll your hands and wave goodbye.

Hidden Classic #5: Trouble In Bugland

Ask anyone to name a famous private detective, and their first response will undoubtedly be "Sherlock Holmes." More tributes, sequels, spinoffs, and parodies have been written based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle than on any other mystery and detective writer. Personally, I'm a big fan, and I look forward to any twist that a current author cares to put on the stories I have loved since I was about ten years old.

Which brings us to Trouble in Bugland: A Collection of Inspector Mantis Mysteries by William Kotzwinkle. Kotzwinkle keeps the basics: the Victorian setting; the fast-paced action; the master detective with a brilliant mind and finely-tuned deductive reasoning; and the ever-faithful and valuable sidekick. There is, however, one major change from the original: all of the characters are...insects.

This creative choice adds many twists to the tales that Doyle fans know so well. The brilliant detective is a praying mantis with super-sensitive antennae and an iron grip. His partner is a grasshopper who is an accomplished long-jumper (and it is he, not his mentor, who is the accomplished violinist). A bookworm absorbs top-secret naval plans when he mistakenly ingests a coded message. Butterflies are kidnapped, their wings are stripped for their "jewels," and their bodies are tapped for the poisons they excrete in self-defense.

The best part of this book is that the stories are delightful both for readers new to Holmesiana (or to detective stories in general) and for fans of Holmes who will appreciate the full range of the cleverness and humor that Kotzwinkle brings to these stories. He never talks down to his readers, yet the stories remain accessible to a wide audience. And I can't wrap up this review without mentioning the spectacular color plates and pen-and-ink drawings throughout. "Profusely illustrated by Joe Servello," promises the cover, and it does not lie. Nearly every page features beautifully detailed examples of insects, all amusingly rigged out in Victorian costume.

This book is tragically out of print, as happens with many wonderful children's books, but it is available at a few libraries, and used copies are readily available for purchase online, most for under $10. If you or anyone you know loves good detective stories, Sherlock Holmes stories in particular, or even stories about bugs, don't miss this one!

Stuffed Animal Sleepover

Have you ever wondered what happens in the library when we close for the evening and we turn out the lights? A few new friends spent the night in the library and we have the pictures to prove that there is a lot going on after hours. Check out our photo album on facebook to see what happened when stuffed animls slept over at the library. Stuffed Animal Photo Album

Anyone willing to part with their beloved stuffed animal for an evening was invited to enjoy a story time and a take home craft. (We made really cool foam photo frames.) Next, kids said goodbye to their stuffed animal. Everyone returned the next day and was given a photo showing what their stuffed animal was doing over night. The photo fits right in their hand made foam photo frame. This event was so much fun we will be sure to host a stuffed animal sleepover again.