2016 kicked off with a fresh new start! We rang in the new year with Brown Bag Books and More, a new twist on story time for older children. Meeting monthly, this storytime is for children in grades K-2. Upon arrival, all participants receive their own "brown bag" filled with goodies related to the theme. Our first theme was "Winter Fun" and our bags included:
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It's perfectly okay to do selfies with snowmen! The library is the best place for good ol' family fun this season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Get out your favorite dress (or old bridesmaid gown) and shine up your jeweled eyeglass chain ... it's award time ladies and gents! There is no better time of year for librarians than mock book awards. Whether it's Caldecott, Newbery (yes one 'R'), or Printz, there is something effervescent and exciting about book award season. Perhaps it's that the mock events happen during the kick off to the holidays, that make it feel as if everyone in the whole world is in on the thrill. Or maybe it's knowing that you have picked the winner in your mind long before the officials have (smarty-pants that you are). Regardless, it's the time of year when librarians like me stock up on the nominees and read until my eyes burn. Librarians love the competition! Last year, I fell in love with The Adventures of Beekle, long before it won the coveted medal of honor. The sweet innocence of the imaginary friend and the bright and expressive illustrations tugged at my heart. It's a beautiful book to read in words and pictures. This year, one of the nominees in the mock Caldecotts has had the same effect on me. Completely different than last years winner, Last Stop on Market Street focuses its lens on what's real and tangible and right in front of us everyday. CJ and his grandma live and love in a very real world with lessons and perspectives we all need to remember, this season, and especially in the current state of the world. It's emphasis on people, not things, is extraordinary and deserves to be recognized. Of all the books that seem to be contenders, I sincerely hope the Caldecott committee considers the realness of Market Street and the importance of its message. Whatever the outcome, Market Street is a winner in my heart. Happy reading! Last night was our very first meeting of the Community Club for teens. My idea for this came from our overwhelming turnout of summer teens looking for community service credits. I also believe strongly that teens need a place to feel purposeful. What better than doing good for others and getting some credit for it? I know that bringing teens into the library is tough, especially when SAT's are around the corner and it's the middle of sports season. We had a great group of teens who were really motivated. Our first project was making cards for hospitalized children. I prepared all the supplies necessary (no computers for this one... pure creativity from our own hands) and they all jumped right in! A beautiful and colorful array of cheery cards are now all boxed and ready to be delivered. I am sure they will brighten the days of many. Simple card stock, ribbon, dye cuts, googly eyes and markers rounded out a truly feel-good evening! They all said they had fun and creative juices were flowing.
Storytimes are usually the best times of my week. There are tons of smiles and happy faces and it's an hour I can count on. Sometimes, though, things happen. Scary things.... And not just around Halloween time. Maybe: Snot-filled faces decide to hug you. A fragile toddler's head hits the floor after slipping on a pillow. Parents talk excitedly about the upcoming birthday party DURING my storytime. MY snotty nose won't stop running. And sometimes there is just that one child who can't pull it together, who cries and screams and hits and takes down the whole storytime. Sometimes it's funny moments and sometimes it's not. Share YOUR scary storytime moments with me!
Here's a booklist for parents out there who are very tired of the same old storybooks.... Be sure to hit the arrow to see page 2. :-)
The Daring Librarian has challenged librarian readers to blog about their passion for reading...to describe what drove us to be librarians and why we feel so warm and cozy with a book (or two or five) close by. So, here goes... I can't remember a time I didn't WANT to read. Both of my parents were voracious readers. Obscenely thick and worn out piles of paperbacks lived on their nightstands and they fascinated me. Reading was important in my house and I know this because books and reading were everywhere and part of everything. I remember my first reading crush was my subscription to Highlights magazine. The front of the magazine had its table of contents with every story fitting into a reading level chart. I think there were maybe 3-4 levels. I loved to see which stories were on which level for me to read. Oh the feeling of anticipation when the new issue arrived in the mail! I read every single page that I could and I remember my sheer joy when I advanced a level with ease. And then, of course there were the books.... I loved going to the library in school and the feeling of being surrounded by books. From the beginning, I had a an inner competitive drive to read bigger more "grown up" books. It was 3rd grade when our school librarian, let us choose from the "big kids" novel section. I remember looking for the thickest book I could find. I felt like I had achieved nirvana, checking out that novel! It wasn't long after than that I discovered The Little House on the Prairie books and got my own boxed set (a gift from my folks). I read all of them. All at once the world opened for me. Beverly Cleary, E.B. White, and so on and so on. My home library, the Elmont Public Library, was not in my immediate neighborhood, but we had the Stewart Manor Branch library up the street. It was basically a store-front, but they seemed to have everything - imagine Mary Poppins carpet bag as a store. It was magical. My friends and made many trips to the library until one day I heard a rumor... You see there was..shhhh....don't tell anyone... but there was this book... about a girl who gets her... wait can I mention it?... It's about a girl who gets her period... but SHHHHH.. no one is supposed to know I'm reading it. I checked it out BY MYSELF. Ms. Judy Blume became this bookgirl's version of a rock god! She showed me that books could be edgy.They could be taboo. We were talking about Judy Blumes books in whispers at sleepovers and passing notes in school. By the time I was 13 my bookshelf in my room was my own version of a growth chart. I held on to everything, but one series began to dominate...Sweet Dream teen romances. Who else, along with their 80's hair, remembers these gems? I gobbled these up, at least one a day and I owned about a hundred. My friends and I would trade them like baseball cards. I am pretty sure they were not the most sophisticated in literature (ehem), but they certainly fueled my fire for reading (which is why parents should never censor their kids' pleasure reading even if it's spongebob or some sappy romance). Flower in the Attic soon followed (I stole it from my mom's pile). Then Stephen King (stolen from my dad) scared me half to death but I loved it all. The Junior High years were especially tough for me. Aside from all the usual teen angst and pubescent neurosis , my mom was going for breast cancer treatments and surgeries. Saying the word "breast" outloud was horrendous enough at this time in the early 80's, but having to talk about your mom's breasts with everyone was downright awful. I was scared. Books were a constant comfort. Libraries meant I could bring home handfuls without bothering my over-stressed parents. Books gave me my first feelings of independence. I didn't need permission. I didn't need a ride there and books sure as hell didn't ask me stupid questions about why my mom had no hair. Thirty-one years later and I'm still reading books (big and small) and loving every minute of it. My love affair with reading has only grown stronger with the years I spent reading to my own babies and now the smart, somewhat nerdy but-way-cooler-than-me, young men they have grown to be. A second career as a librarian fulfilled my work-life in wonderful ways. I work where I love to be. In the immortal words of Chazz from Wedding Crashers, I am "living the dream"... fist pumps and all. LOL. Thanks to Gwyneth Jones for giving me the opportunity to take the trip down memory lane and remember. Another awesome reason I love LOVE librarians! Fall storytimes kick off in about a month which means it's time to get my head back in the game after summer reading. I always start planning at the beginning, with storytime basics. Books, songs, puppets, flannel boards, etc.It's important to me to try to keep the essence and foundation of story time the same as it's always been. I like the idea that a child can move to a new area and visit the local library, and easily recognize and acclimate to a story time. The same goes for adults and grandparents as caregivers. It's reassuring bringing a grandchild to storytime, (generations between them), and know what to expect. The vision of "storytime" hasn't changed much over the last 60 years. Last spring I had been infusing more and more iPad technology into my storytimes with tremendous success. As I began my planning this season I am really excited about the apps that I've decided to bring into it as well. New technology has opened the door to some great things. One of my newest favorites is the Sock Puppets app. Yes it has a charge, but when you think about the cost vs. the application for this in storytime it is PRICELESS. I can not WAIT to use this to introduce weekly themes, etc.. I never imagined I could use an app for puppets! What amazing thinking "inside" the box. I'll let you know how it works..
is this blog! So many things are happening and I am just starting to settle down. Sort of. It's been a marathon. I am completely superhero'd out. In the coming weeks I will summarize what worked and what didn't as programming comes to a close. In the meanwhile, we had an excellent pajama storytime complete with bubbles and dancing and crafts. And today's parent/child yoga ended our Wednesday toddler programs with some calming peace and serenity (I think). Take a peek. Namaste..
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