Fizz Boom Read!-June Programming

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the library's summer reading program. Starting June 9th, and continuing until August 2nd, children ages 2 to 14 can earn prizes by reading  library books. All they have to do is read one  book, magazine, or audio book and return it  to the Children's Department, where our teen volunteers will record each book read  on a special card, and eventually earn prizes for every 10 picture books or 500 chapter book pages read.

We will also be having programming during  the summer, too. Here are some programs that will happening next month in the Children's Dept at the Central Library. Please visit Library Events for information and to register.

Mother Goose on the Loose - Tuesday, June 3 at 10 am and Tuesday,June 17 at 10am or 11:30am
 Audience: Infants 6-23 Months and caregiver.

Story Time for 2 and 3 yr Olds- Monday, June 2 at 10 am and Monday, June 16 ( What's the Weather?) at 10 am or 11:30 am
Audience:2 and 3 year olds and caregivers.

Story Time for 4 and 5 yr Olds- Tuesdays at 10 am or 11:30 am
 June 10-Your Sensational Senses
June 24-Let's Get Moving
Audience: 4 and 5 year olds.


Family Movie Day ( Wednesday at noon)
Patrons can bring a lunch or snack. No red or dark colored drinks!
June 11-Jungle Book
June 18-The Smurfs 2
June 25-Planes
Audience: All Ages.  Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older.

Other Programs:
Board Game Fun- Wednesday, June 11 at 6:30 pm-Audience: Grades 2-6
Summer Reading Kick-off- Thursday, June 12 at 2pm-Audience: Ages 2-12
Lego Club-Monday, June 16 at 4pm-Audience: Grades 2-6
Gaming Night-Wednesday, June 18 at 6pm-Audience: Gr K-6
Ronald McDonald-Thursday,June 19 at 2pm-Audience: All Ages
Dunes National Lakeshore-Thursday, June 26 at 1pm-Audience: K-5
Kids Art Club-Thursday, June 26 at 4pm-Audience: 2-6
Hope to see everyone soon! Happy Summer!

Storytime for 2 and 3 yr old: Tea for Mama!

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For our last storytime for spring, we celebrate mom ( who are "wow"!) The children heard three stories ( Mama's Day by Linda Ashman, ABC I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson, and Time for a Hug by Phillis Gershator and Mimi Green) and made a teacup thank you card. They also sang about the moon, counting some daffodils and played with scarves.

Here are some of the songs we did today:

Daffodils Fingerplay added 3-23-00 Original Author Unknown
(Show fingers or make daffodil puppets from cupcake liners and craft sticks!)

One little daffodil had nothing much to do,
Out popped another one, then there were two.
Two little daffodils growing by a tree,
Out popped another one, then there were three.
Three little daffodils were growing by the door,
Out popped another one, then there were four.
Four little daffodils were glad to be alive,
Out popped another one, then there were five.
Five little daffodils were wearing golden crowns,
They danced in the breeze in green satin gowns.




Wind O Wind ( wave scarf over your head, gracefully)
O Wind o Wind o Wind I say,
What are you blowing away today?
Scarves o Scarves o Scarves I say
I am blowing the scarves away. 


Peekaboo (Shake out scarf, have in full form)
Peekaboo, Peekaboo
I see hiding there.
Peekaboo, Peekaboo
I seeing hiding there.


Here is the poem the kids used for their card ( which consists of a teacup and a tea bag to place in the "cup")

 

“A cup of tea to say thank you,
For everything you have done.
Enjoy, relax, and have a day
Of happiness and fun” 

( Note- This is the page where I got my idea and the poem- http://www.pre-kpages.com/mothers/)

Our Summer Session of Storytime for 2 and 3 yr olds starts in June. We'll have our normal 10 am program June 2, and on June 16, we'll have a session at 10 am and also 11:30 am ( because it will be part of our Summer Reading Program, Fizz Boom Read!! )

See You Soon!!

Upcoming Programs in May

 Here are some programs that will happening next month in the Children's Dept at the Central Library. Please visit Library Events for information and register.



Story Time for 2 and 3 yr olds- Monday, May 5 at 10 am- Audience: 2 and 3 year olds and caregivers.

Mother Goose on the Loose-Tuesday,May 6 at 10 am-Audience: Infants Birth to
23 months and caregiver (s).


Story Time for 4 and 5 yr olds- Tuesday,May 13 and Tuesday, May 27  at 10 am - Audience: 4 and 5 year olds.


Lego Club-Monday, May 12 at 4 pm-Audience: Grades 2-6


Board Game Fun-Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 pm- Audience: Grades 1-5

Gaming Night- Wednesday, May 14  at 6 pm- Audience: Grades K-6

Kids Art Club- Thursday, May 29 at 4 pm- Audience: Grades 2-6

Also this month-

Fantastic Rainbow Loom Fun- Thursday May 8 at 4 pm-Audience: K-6

 School-aged children, K-6, are invited to attend this fun Rainbow Loom program. Participants should bring their own loom but bands will be supplied.
Registration is required and attendance is limited to 15.

 Volunteer Meeting-Tuesday, May 27 at 4 pm and Wednesday, May 28 at 6 pm
 'Tweens and teens, ages 11 (must be 11 by August 2013) through 17, who are interested in volunteering during the library's Summer Reading Program, must attend a Volunteer Meeting in order to sign up. A parent or legal guardian must be present to sign a permission slip at the meeting.  

Coming This Summer- Fizz Boom Read ( June-July 2014)

See You Soon!

Book Review- The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root- Christoper Pennell

 

In an small town called Whistle Root, there lives an orphan girl named Carly Bean Bitters. Carly is a bit of night owl and spends the midnight hour drinking hot tea and reading books til the sun rises, when she can sleep. One night, she finds a squash on her roof...

And that's all I going to tell you about this odd but charming and magical book featuring musical rats, a boy named Green who lives in a cabin under the school, and a monstrous creature know as the  Griddlebeast. There's also wonderful black and white illustrations that add charm and mystery to this very gentle  dream-like read.




The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root-Christopher Pennell
Age Range: 9-12
Lexile: 790
**** ( 4 stars)

For information on Pennell, visit his website.

Want more books featuring talking rats ( or mice)? Here are a few recommendations:

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brian
• Loamhedge by Brian Jacques
•  The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• Redwall by Brian Jacques
• Walter: Story of a Rat by Barbara Wersba

Storytime for 2 and 3 yr old: An Egg-cellent Morning!

Hello, hope everyone had an wonderful and happy Easter.

Since everyone was still in an Easter mood, that's what today's story time was all about. The children heard three stories ( Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by Kimberly and James Dean, Kipper's Book of Opposites  by Mick Inkpen, and Easter Parade by Irving Berlin ( illustrated by Lisa McCue). We had some fun with scarves and made colorful Easter egg collages.

So during the craft time, I'll play some type of CD as background music. I usually try to find some type of instrumental or kid-friendly CD ( and different from the activity music CD) that fits the theme of the program. I went with the soundtrack to Disney's Alice in Wonderland ( the 1951 animated film). My favorite song from Alice (and very appropriate for this season) is " All in the Golden Afternoon" (and I love the bread and butter flies!!), so here is a clip of that song. Enjoy!!!





Our last 2 and 3 yr old for Spring 2014 will be Monday, May 5. We then take a short break ( and will be getting read for our summer reading program, Fizz Boom Read). Our summer session starts Monday, June 2 ( at 10 am) and Monday, June 16 ( which being part of our SRP, will be 10 am and also at 11: 30 am and will be all about the weather).

See You Soon!!!

Happy Easter!!

Hello,

Wishing everyone a fun and wonderful Easter!

 
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Bookworm List: Egg-cellent Reads ( plus movies!!)

Well, I'm hoping Tuesday was the last time we'll see snow (or else the Easter Bunny will be wearing a coat and boots to hide the eggs and deliver the baskets of jellybeans, chocolates and Peeps. I have the new Birthday Cake Peeps, good to add to coffee! Or yes, explode in the microwave but what a mess!)

So after the egg hunts and gathering with family for ham ( or lamb) and bunny cake, you'll probably want to wind down with some Easter and spring-related books. Here are a few recommendations, which you might find on our display shelf by the front desk or the ABC box by the New Book Elephant (which might also have some new Easter/spring books):

• *NEW* Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by Kimberly and James Dean- Pete the Cat helps the Easter Bunny decorate the eggs and hide them ( plus dress like a bunny. A cat dressed like a bunny, now that's funny!!!)

• The Easter Bunny's Assistant by Jan Thomas-The Easter Bunny has a new assistant named Skunk and he's going to help decorate the eggs. But when he gets excited, it....stinks!!

• *NEW*Here Comes Peter Cottontail by Kristen Depken- Picture book adaptation of the  1971 Rankin-Bass cartoon.

• Easter Parade by Irving Berlin ( illustrated by Lisa McCue) Picture book adaptation of the classic Irving Berlin song from the movie Easter Parade ( lyrics included at the back. Kind of wished it came with a CD for those not familiar with the song, especially because it features the lesser-known opening verse.)

Now, the kids might also want some Easter/ spring related movies. This... might be hard because unfortunately, most people think religious ( most of which are too much to handle due to subject material and length. The classic Ten Commandments, airing this Saturday on ABC is 4 hours long!!!). And of what there is bunny and eggs, very hard to find ( there were about 10 or so special back in my 80s-90s childhood, like Peter and the Magic Egg and Family Circus Easter. Plus ABC used to air the Walt Disney Easter Parade, featuring Southern Belles and a sing-along to Peter Cottontail or Easter Parade. Check the Youtube). So here is my best recommendations that I can think of:

• It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!- Love Snoopy and the dancing bunnies ( plus Patty's attempt to teach Marcie to die eggs.) It will be airing this Sunday on ABC at 6 pm ( along with a Charlie Brown baseball cartoon)
• Here comes Peter Cottontail- Based off the book The Easter Bunny that Overslept, it's the story of how the Easter Bunny came to be (and sort of a sequel to Santa Claus is Coming to Town because it features the mailman voiced by Fred Astaire.)
• Prince of Egypt- For those that want Moses but not the long movie, there is 1998 Dreamworks musical cartoon featuring the voices of Val Kilmer and Patrick Stewart. 
• Alice in Wonderland- The Disney 1951 animated movie (or the lesser-known 1985 CBS TV-movie with Carol Channing, Sammy Davis Jr., and  a bunch of big stars, which we have over at Dyer, Hobart, Lake-Station, and Munster ) are my favorite takes on the Lewis Carroll tale ( and actually I am using the Disney soundtrack for my Easter program this Monday). The 2010 Tim Burton is okay ( but more appropriate for Halloween because of Burton freakiness).

I am also recommending a few movie musicals that take place during the 1800-1900s, like Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady,Gigi, Mary Poppins, Newsies and of course, Easter Parade. ( Why? Because the Victorian/Edwardian clothes and designs show up in a lot of Easter decorations and some of the songs from these musicals, especially " Easter Parade" and " Put on Your Sunday Clothes" are used alot in Easter parades.)


 We will be open tomorrow and Saturday at our normal hours but closed Sunday due to the Easter holiday.
Happy Easter!!

It's National Library Week!!!

Did you know that this week is National Library Week? Created in 1958 by the American Library Association (ALA) to increase awareness of the library, it's usually falls during the second week of April.  For more information, check out ALA's official site.


We at the Merrillville Library have lots of stuff going on this week. ( All the other branches have National Library Week stuff, too, please check the calender.) On the main level, we  have a " Guess the Numbers" contests where we are asking our patrons to guess how much we have in books, CDs, etc. On the upper level, we have a photo booth ( no, not an actual photo booth, but a fun little area with props and speech bubbles where you can take a "selfie" celebrating your love of the library.) And down in childrens, we have a contest where children can guess the storybook characters featured in our Programming Room ( yes, we have a mural,and it's LOVELY!!!) and if they can name them all, they win a prize. We will also be having this Thursday, April 17, at 4 pm-


Celebrate National Library Week! Children in grades K-5 are invited to celebrate National Library Week with us! At this special program, participants will learn about how awesome the library is, hear some great stories and make something cool to take home. PLEASE REGISTER

 So come out and celebrate your library!

 Keep Reading!!

Book Review: The Easter Bunny's Assistant-Jan Thomas

 

The Easter Bunny has a new assistant. His name is Skunk, and today they're going to be showing the kids how to make beautiful Easter eggs. Decorating eggs is very exciting, but when Skunk gets excited, it...stinks.

Once again, Jan Thomas has created another funny, LOL book. It is very cute , full of bright colors and big, big print. Also like that the steps are repeated again in the back ( and with more specifics and when an adult's help is required.)



The Easter Bunny's Assistant by Jan Thomas
Age Range: 2-5
***** ( 5 stars).

And if you like this book, here are some of Thomas's other books:

• Can You Make a Scary Face?
•  The Doghouse
• Rhyming Dust Bunnies
• What will The Fat Cat Sit on?
• Birthday for Cow
• Here comes the Big,  Mean Dust Bunny

Storytime for 2 and 3 yr olds: A Day at the Zoo!

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Today's storytime took place at the zoo! The kids heard three stories ( Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles, Chester's Colorful Easter Eggs by Theresa Smythe, and How Loud is A Lion? by Clare Beaton). We also shook some eggs, got a visit from Bananas the Monkey and the Color Birds, and decorated a lion picture with yarn.

Here are some of the songs we did today:

The Animals at the Zoo added 6-2-02 Submitted by: Cecilia HarrisSung to: "The Wheels on the Bus"

The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar,
Roar, roar, roar,
Roar, roar, roar,
The lions at the zoo go roar, roar, roar,
All day long!

 

( You can do any animal for this, like kangaroos or penguins!)

Who Does a Monkey See? added 7-17-00 Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "Skip to My Lou"

Who does a monkey see from a tree?
Who does a monkey see from a tree?
Whodoes a monkey see from a tree?
Monkey sees (child's name)  from a tree.

Our next Storytime for 2 and 3 yr olds are Monday,April 21 and Monday, May 5. Both are at 10 am in the Children's Programming Room.

Hope to see you soon!