Bookworm List- Books to Celebrate the 4th of July

Hi all, this is a new feature to the blog.

So today at 4 pm for K-5 and families, we are having a four days early 4th of July celebration ( because like most public places, we will be closed on the 4th since is a federal holiday).
Here are some books for celebrating our Nation's birthday ( 235 this year, standing strong):

• Journey of One and Only Declaration of Independence- Judith St. George: In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. But would you believe this important piece of parchment had more homes than a traveling circus? Find out in this incredible story.
• On the Day the Tall Ships Sailed-Betty Paraskevas:  Follow a bald eagle as he flies in the sky as ships of all shapes and sizes sail into New York Harbor on Independence Day.
• Happy Birthday, America- Mary Pope Osborne: Join a young boy and his family at a small town American celebration with a pet parade, fireworks, and more.
• Revolutionary War on Wednesday- Mary Pope Osborne: Using the Magic Tree House, Jack and Annie travel back in time the American Revolution and help General George Washington cross the Delaware River.
• Judy Moody Declares Independence-Megan McDonald: After befriending an British girl and learning about the American Revolution during a trip to Boston, Judy Moody decides to write her own Declaration of Independence in hopes of getting more freedoms, like her own bathroom and a higher allowance.
• Meet Felicity-Valerie Tripp:  Nine-year-old Felicity rescues a horse from a cruel owner in Williamsburg in 1774. 
• Yankee Doodle America- Wendell Minor: Learn about the American Revolution through the alphabet.  
• Jake Johnson: Story of a Mule- Tres Seymour: Poor Farmer Puckett! His new mule refuses to move an inch and the fireworks need to be delivered to the town. Is the 4th of July celebration doomed?

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!! Keep reading!!

Review- Elephants can Paint Too!-Katya Arnold

 

Kayta Arnold is an art teacher who teaches art in two different schools: one at a private school in Brooklyn, the other.. in the jungle. Some of these students have hands, others... have trucks. In Elephants can Paint Too!, Arnold shows she teaches elephants to paint amazing works of art ( plus her human students in the city).

I love that the book shows the elephants at work ( and that like human artists, they too can get messy.) I also like that the print is big and simple for a child to read, and that there are elephant facts for the the adult to read to the child ( such as an elephant's truck is both a hand and a nose, and that it has 150,000 muscles.) Arnold also provides information about the elephant art project ( called Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project in the back ( such as the website www.elephantart.com where one can learn more about the elephants and purchase their artwork.)

Elephants can Paint Too!-Katya Arnold
Age Range: 3 and up
Lexile: 660   
***** ( 5 stars)

One World, Many Stories-July Programming

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.All branches will be closed July 3 and 4. The last day of the Summer Reading Program is July 30th.

Mother Goose on the Loose - Tuesdays, July 5 and 19 at 10 am or 2pm.
Audience: Infants 6-23 Months and caregiver.

Story Time for 2 and 3 yr Olds- Mondays at 10am or 2pm.
July 18-Home in Your Heart
Audience:2 and 3 year olds and caregivers.

Story Time for 4 and 5 yr Olds- Tuesdays at 10 am or 2pm.
July 12- Arctic Blast!
July 26- Whoever You Are
Audience: 4 and 5 year olds.

School-Age-Thursdays at 4pm.
July 7-Viva Mexico!
July 14- One World, Our World
July 21- Welcome to Korea
July 28- Polar-tastic
Audience: K to 5th grade and families

Family Movie Day ( Wednesday at noon)
Patrons can bring a lunch or snack. No red or dark colored drinks!
July 6-Sorcerer's Apprentice
July 13-Tron Legacy
July 20-Megamind
July 27-Tangled
Audience: All Ages.  Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older.


Hope see everyone soon. Happy Summer!!

Every Child Ready to Read-Letter Knowledge

Letter knowledge is when children understand that letters of the alphabet are different from each other and  that the same letter can be written different ways.Knowing the names and sounds of letters helps children figure out how to say written words.

Some tips on practicing letter knowledge with your child:

• Sing the alphabet song together and play with rhymes.
•  Let your child play with blocks or puzzles with letters on them and/ or have them make letters with clay, crayons, etc.
• Read alphabet books. (Note: For children ages 0-3, reading the whole book might be a bit much. You might want to just focus on a few letters, such as the letters in their name.)

Here are some recommended books with letter knowledge ( for more, please see 
http://www.lcplin.org/children/ecrr-letter.htm )

• ABC Doctor-Liz Murphy
• Kipper's A to Z-Mick Inkpen
• Bad Kitty- Nick Bruel

Review- The Umbrella- Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

 

In The Umbrella, a little Scottie dog find a red umbrella on a very windy day. But -WHOOSH!- the wind picks up the doggie like he's Mary Poppins, and off he goes. Off into the sky, what awaits him nobody knows.

The pictures are very rich and vivid. And , being a wordless picture book, one can create a story and add special effects ( I did this book for a daycare visit today and the children really loved me going  " Brrrr" when a pelican drops him off at the North Pole and some seals are going " ARF, ARF".) There is a happy ending for our furry traveler, and a cute  twist, too!


The Umbrella- Ingrid and Dieter Schubert.
Age Range- 2 and up.
Lexile: NA
***** ( 5 stars)

Review-Dino-Basketball-Lisa Wheeler

 

It's March Madness, and all the dinosaurs are heading out the basketball arena to see the Grass Clippers ( the planting-eating dinosaurs) battle the Meat ( the meat-eating dinosaurs) in the championship game. The cheerleaders are getting the crowd ready. The dodo ref throws the ball.... and the game begins.

 Dino-Basketball is a really clever book . I love how each team player is named after a dinosaur ( and that the team's colors are used to identify what team they play for: red for Meat, green for Clippers). The play-by-play is done in rhyme ( and also we get  basketballs terms, so this would a great book for doing two Every Child Ready to Read Skills- phonological awareness and vocab ). We even get a half-time show with a dino-pyramid, mascots jumping on trampolines, and a dino-Elvis impersonator.  I think children who like dinosaurs and sports would like this book. And if they really like it, it's part of a series ( which includes Dino-Hockey, Dino-Baseball, and Dino-Soccer, which the library does have, please check our catalog to see which branch they are at. And based on the last page, we get an early peak of Dino-Football.)

Dino-Basketball-Lisa Wheeler
Age Range- 4 and up
Lexile: 300
***** ( 5 stars)

Every Child Ready to Read-Print Awareness

Print awareness is noticing that  the printed word is all around us. This skill focuses on how print is used,how to handle a book and  knowing how to follow the words on a page. We know that every book has a cover, a title page, and a spine, and that we read from left to right, from front to back. Becoming familiar with the printed word helps children become comfortable with books and that print is useful.

To help develop print awareness, here are some tips:

• Show children that print is all around them. Point it out in signs, on menus, and in books and newspapers. 
• Point to some words as you say them, especially words that are repeated.
• Turn the book upside down and see if child notices and corrects you; if not, do it yourself.

Some recommended books on Print Awareness (see
http://www.lcplin.org/children/ecrr-Pr-Aware.htm for titles):

• Hurry! Hurry!-Eve Bunting
• Wiggle-Doreen Cronin
• Book!-Kristine George

Review-13 Words-Lemony Snicket

 

Once upon a time there was a bird. This bird was very despondent (which is another word  for sad) that she went under the table and found a box. In this box was a cake ... and there are 10 more words featured in this nifty ( which is a big, fancy word for smart) story with colorful illustrations. There also a big musical number at the end.*

* Singing ( particularly singing operatic) is optional. But, having used this book a couple of times for programs and school visits, it sure is fun.*



13 Words-Lemony Snicket
Age Range: 4 and up
Lexile: 625
***** ( 5 stars)

Review - Elliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer Nielson

Goblins, Brownies and an eight-year-old hero named Elliot Penster makes this lighthearted fantasy a fun read. One Halloween night, Elliot saves what he thought was a little girl from two bullies who wants her candy. It turns out that the little girl is a Brownie, a mystical creature from the Underworld. The two bullies were not kids dressed in costumes but were actually Goblins. Elliot is chosen to be the king of the Brownies. His first duty as king is to end the war that the Goblins have waged against the Brownies and humans.

This is a great book for both girls and boys. It's filled with action and humor. Moderate to fast pace.

Note: Brownies are the Goblins favorite food.

Elliot and the Goblin War (Underworld Chronicles) - Jennifer Nielson
Pages: 208
Age Range: 8 to 11
Lexile: 740
*****(5 stars)

One World, Many Stories- June Programming

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the library's summer reading program. Starting June 6th, and continuing until July 30th, 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 to the Children's Department, where our teen volunteers will record each book read  on a special card, and eventually earn prizes by 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 - Tuesdays, June 7 and 21 at 10 am or 2pm.
Audience: Infants 6-23 Months and caregiver.

Story Time for 2 and 3 yr Olds- Mondays at 10am or 2pm.
June 6- Up, Up and Away
June 20- We're Going on Safari
Audience:2 and 3 year olds and caregivers.

Story Time for 4 and 5 yr Olds- Tuesdays at 10 am or 2pm.
June 14- G'Day  Mate!
June 28-Roar!
Audience: 4 and 5 year olds.

School-Age-Thursdays at 4pm.
June 16- Stories from Faraway Places
June 30- Happy Birthday, America!
Audience: K to 5th grade and families

Family Movie Day ( Wednesday at noon)
Patrons can bring a lunch or snack. No red or dark colored drinks!
June 8- Around the World in 80 Days (  2004 remake)
June 15- Toy Story 3
June 22- Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore
June 29-Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster
Audience: All Ages.  Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older.

Hope see everyone soon. Happy Summer!!