Happy Halloween!!!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween and keep reading!!!

Book Review-Frankenstein:A Montrous Parody- Rick Walton

 In a creepy old castle all covered with spines,
lived twelve ugly monsters in two crooked lines.
In two crooked lines , they bonked their head,
pulled out their teeth and wet their beds.




Sound familiar? It might. In Frankenstein-A Monstrous Parody,author Rick Walton ( writing under the name " Ludworst BeMonster") takes a hilarious and strange turn on the children's classic Madeline. Only in this version, we have twelve little monsters, with Frankenstein as the  spunky main character. One  dark night, Miss Devel, their guardian/mad scientist, awoke in her laboratory and sense something was wrong. So she rushes to the monsters' room... and sees poor Frankie has lost his head. So off to the lab... and the story gets even funnier and stranger.

Walton and illustrator Nathan Hale have a job of a wonderful job of spoofing Madeline, from the rhyming pattern of the original tale (even the wording!!) to the illustrations ( presented in wonderful colors of orange and black, with a little green.) I especially love the monsters' "eewwws" to Frankie new's screws ( and they're jealous, so guess what happens next.) Children and adults will laugh their heads off ( figuratively) to this book, awarded the CaldeNot Horror Medal ( a spoof on the Caldecot Honor Medal, LOL).  A monstrous delight, just in time for Halloween.

Frankenstein-A Monstrous Parody by Rick Walton
Age Range- 4 and up
Lexile:525
***** ( 5 stars)

Trick or treat! Here is the book trailer. Enjoy!!!

Happy Halloween!

Bookworm List: 20 years at the Magic Tree House

Tomorrow at 4pm, children, grades K-5, are invited to spend Halloween at the Magic Tree House. We'll visit some of the no-so- scary adventures of Jack and Annie, play some games, and make a haunted house. Please register at Library Events or call 769-3541 ext 360.

Speaking of the Magic Tree House, this year is their 20th anniversary. The adventures of Jack and Annie started July 1992 in Dinosaurs before Dark, written by Mary Pope Osborne. While playing hide and seek in the woods of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, they find a tree house filled with books. Jack was looking at a Pteranodon ( which was a flying reptile, the P is silent) and wishes he could see a real one. Suddenly the tree house starts to spin... and the children land in the time of the dinosaurs. They meet lots of them and almost eaten by a T. Rex. But don't worry, they find a way home and go on more adventures. They eventually learn in book 4, Pirates past Noon, the Magic Tree House is owned by Morgan Le Fay, an enchantress from the tales of King Arthur. Currently there are 48 books ( book 49 comes out in March 2013), and the children have gone everywhere from the prairie to the rainforest, even to the moon and the Titanic. (Note-There are actually two parts to the series. The original series consists of 28 books. At book 29, Osborne renamed the series The Magic Tree House Merlin Missions. While it is a continuation of the original series, they are a bit longer and feature a mix of fantasy and reality.)

I learned about the series about five years ago during my first two weeks on the job(every kid was asking for them or Junie B.  Jones). I decided to check them out, and they are a fun quick and educational read. Currently, my favorite in the series ( and we'll be hearing parts of it tomorrow) is A Good Night for Ghosts (book 42 in the series.) In this adventure, Jack and Annie travel to New Orleans, 1915, to help a young Louis Armstrong find his musical talent and face some real ghosts.

Our Magic Tree House collection can be found on the red display shelves in the middle of the department. Also, check out the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers. These are simple non-fiction books that provide more information on the topics covered in the series. Currently, there are 26 in the series, and they are shelved according to subject. Some titles ( and their call number) include:

• Rags and Riches : Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens (companion to A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time)-362.74 OSBO
•  Sea Monsters (companion to Dark Day in Deep Sea)-591.77 OSBO     
• Ghosts ( companion to A Good Night For Ghosts)-133.1 OSBO  
• Space( companion to Midnight on the Moon)-520 OSBO

Keep reading!!

Halloween Story Time

The children had a spooktacular time hearing stories, finger plays, musical activities and making a Countdown to Halloween Calendar.  The 4 & 5 year olds trick or treated in the Children's Department.  LCPL staff were very generous. Those trick or treat bags were filled to the brim.  Many thanks to the LCPL family for making the story time a success!

 

Upcoming programs in November

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, Nov. 5 and 19 at 10 am- Audience: 2 and 3 year olds and caregivers.

Mother Goose on the Loose-Tuesday, Nov. 6 and 20 at 10 am-Audience: Infants Birth to
23 months and caregiver (s).

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

Gaming Night- Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6 pm- Audience: 12 to 17 years old.

Lego Club- Monday, Nov. 19 at 4pm- Audience: 2nd to 6th grade.

LCPL Children's Book Week-Thursday, Nov. 15 at 4pm-Audience: K-5 and families

Also this November-

*NEW*Scrabble F-U-N!- Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 pm-Audience: 2nd to 6th grade. ( Children may bring a parent or caregiver to be a team if they would like.) *NEW*

See you s-o-o-n!

Storytime for 2 and 3-yr old: Happy Halloween!

Today was the 2 and 3 Cute and Cuddly  Halloween Storytime ( no costumes this year because of renovations, although I did wear a Halloween sweatshirt, Mickey pumpkin ears, and a ghost necklace. Also dressed up Faux Baby Baxter as a Care Bear.) I read two Halloween books ( Pumpkin Patch Cats by Frank Fiorello and Halloween Mice by Bethany Roberts) and made a mouse painting a pumpkin craft ( orange paper pumpkin for the kids to draw a face on and a cartoon mouse that was cut from a coloring sheet.) We also did a lot of singing and fingerplays, including a final visit from the Five Little Pumpkins ( who next Tuesday will appear for the 4 and 5 year Halloween Parade. Costumes optional,  may also bring candy to share but no PEANUTS!)

Here are some Halloween rhymes from today-


Halloween Ghost added 9-22-98 Original Author Unknown
There once was a ghost, (extend hand and wiggle fingers)
Who lived in a cave. (form hollow with palm for "cave")
She scared all the people (point to children)
And the animals away.
She said "Boo" to a fox, (point)
She said "Boo" to a bee, (point)
She said "Boo" to a bear, (nod head "yes")
She said "Boo" to me! (point at self)
Well, she scared that fox, (nod head "yes")
And she scared that bee. (nod head "yes")
She scared that bear, (nod head "yes")
But she didn't scare me! (shake head "no")

 
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said " Oh my, it's getting late!"
The second one said "There are witches in the air".*
And the third one said " We don't care."
The fourth one said " Let's run, run, run."
And the fifth one said " It's Halloween fun"
Then Woooooo went the wind, and out went the lights.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

* In case one feels the use of "witch" is going to be a problem, I have changed it to " There's a chill in the air".

 The next Storytime for 2 and 3 yr olds will be  Monday,November 5 and  Monday, November 19, both at 10 am.

Also-
Tico and the Golden Wings program-Thursday, October 18 at 4 pm. Audience- K-5

See you soon!

Recommended by Staff

Ever what the children's librarians love to read? Well, we have a Staff Recommended display in our department. The display started back in March of last year and is similar to the regular adult display ( which may be available at other branches but not here due to renovations. I think here the books are now shelved on the regular but mixed-up shelves.) Our display features picture, chapter, and non-fiction titles, with a small blurb on the cover. New items are gradually added.

Here are some of  our  recommended books-

•  Ivan the Terrier by Peter Catalanotto
• Kindred Souls-Patricia MacLachlan
• Tuesday-David Wieser
• The End-David LaRochelle
•  Cock-a-Doodle, Quack Quack!-Ivor Baddiel and Sophie Jubb
• Funerals and Fly Fishing-Mary Bartek

The Children's Staff Recommended display is currently located by the front desk of the Children's department, next to our holiday table ( which is currently featuring books of Halloween and fall.)

Keep reading!

Storytime for 2 and 3-yr old: Fall in the Forest

Yesterday was the second 2 and 3 yr old of the fall. It was a fall trip to the forest. I had about 13 participants. I read two stories ( Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky and Over in the Forest by Marianne Berkes). We also had an early visit from the Five Little Pumpkins and did a craft featuring  bear coloring sheet and die cut leaves ( and this was to tie back to  the Every Autumn Comes the Bear  book).

Here is one of  the songs that we did -


Owl in the Tree
Owl in the Tree goes Who, Who, Who
Owl in the Tree goes Who, Who, Who
Owl in the Tree goes Who, Who, Who
Owl says Who are You?

( This is usually done with an owl puppet. From past experience, some kids may by shy in greeting the owl, other will hug him, which the owl will say " Thank you, but I have to see the other boys and girls now. Bye)

One  cute  thing I felt like sharing as craft time was winding down , I had a grandma and a visiting granddaughter, and the grandma asked the child if she was going to put the picture on the refrigerator. The child said " Yes, I'm going to put in on the fridge-o-later" :)

The next Storytime for 2 and 3-yr olds will be Monday, October 15 at 10 am.  We will be celebrating Halloween a few weeks early.

See you soon!



 

Twice upon a review- Fairest of All and The Wishing Spell

For most of my book reviews, I just look at one book. But since the last two books I read are similar in plot ( siblings magically entering the world of fairy tales) and age range ( 7 and up), I decided look at them in one review.


First the summary of the two books:
Fairest of All ( Whatever After, Book 1) - Sarah Mlynowski- Once upon a time, life was normal for Abby and her younger brother, Jonah. That is, until Jonah finds a magic mirror in the basement, which hisses and glows... and sends them to Snow White's cottage. There, they accidentally save her from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray..oops. Now it's up to Abby and Jonah to help Snow find her happy ending ( plus a way home.)


The Wishing Spell ( Land of Stories 1)-Chris Colfer- Once upon a time, twins Alex and Conner receive a treasured book of fairy tales for their birthday. But this is no ordinary book,  because it sends them to a  land where fairy tales come to life. The only way to get home is collecting magical items, like Cinderella's glass slipper,  to perform the Wishing Spell.

My opinion: Both are great reads ( and great first books  to exciting new series.) I'm also a fan of all things dealing with the fairy tale world, particularly the ABC show Once Upon a Time and The 10th Kingdom ( an underrated but really long  NBC miniseries of the 90s.)

I've enjoyed Mlynowski's past books for teens and women, so I knew I would enjoy her first book for middle schoolers ( plus the cover was cute!!) Fairest is a fun, sassy ( and very quick) take on Snow White. I really enjoyed the dwarfs ( three of which are girls) and Jonah, who provides most of the comic relief. Even the ending is cute. It is a bit girly in tone ( most of Mlynowski's stuff is), but boys might like it. I'm actually planning to use this for my Cool Kids program this week, and can't wait to read If the Shoe Fits, the second book in the series coming in January.

Wishing Spell is a great debut for Colfer ( best known from the  Fox show  Glee) despite a few flaws. He writes with a lot of vivid detail that one wishes they could  go to this land of fairies, princesses, and trolls. There's a lot of heart and humor in the journey, and a great blend of reinvention and staying true to the fairy tales. There are even cool illustrations at the beginning of each chapter ( and a very cool map of all the lands in the story.) It does tend to drag a bit at times (plus sometimes gets a bit heavy with the plot, not something one would not expect to find in the first book of a series.) Still, it is a very worthwhile read ( and so is the audiobook, which shows that Colfer may a future as a  voice actor.) I'm considering using Wishing Spell for a future program, and can't wait to see more in the series. ( I did see online that Colfer does have another book coming in November, Struck by Lightening, but it is for older readers and based off a screenplay of a movie he wrote and stars in.)

Fairest of All  (Whatever After)-Sarah Mylnowski
Age Range: 7-12
Lexile: 500
***** ( 5 stars)

Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell- Chris Colfer
Age Range: 8-12
**** 1/2 ( 4 and a half stars)

By the way, both have cool websites-
Whatever After-http://www.scholastic.com/whateverafter/

Land of Stories-http://thelandofstoriesbook.com/index.html

Storytime for 2 and 3-yr old: Pet Day

Seeing some of the blogs share a little of what they do in story time, I decided once and while to share a little of what I do for programming ( daycare, 2 and 3, and school-age/family. Pictures sometime in the future.)

Yesterday was the first 2 and 3-yr old program for fall 2012. Between toddlers, parents, and tagalongs ( a few babies), I had 21 in attendance. It was Pet Day ( because it was around Labor Day weekend of last year that Baxter, greyhound/lab mix, came to live with me), so we had a book about a dog ( Homer by Elisha Cooper)  a book about cats ( I love Cats by Sue Stainton), and made a dog puppet. We also did a book about identifying colors, did some counting songs and a  bear hunt ("Going on A Bear Hunt"), and shook some eggs to " I Know a Chicken" and " Hey Diddle Diddle" ( and I was  almost attacked by the felt board.LOL)

Here are just a few of the songs we did-

Two Little Birdies Sitting on a Hill
Two little birdies sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Fly away, Jack! Fly away, Jill!
Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill!

Twinkling Stars (Movement Chant*)

(Sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)

Twinkle, twinkle, little stars, (Wiggle fingers)

 Stand and twinkle where you are. (Stand up while wiggling fingers)

Twinkle high and twinkle low. (Put hands in the air then at your feet)

 Twinkle fast and twinkle slow. (Shake hands fast then slow)

Twinkle, twinkle, little stars (Continue wiggling fingers)
 Now sit and twinkle where you are. (Sit back down) 

Going on Bear Hunt

Refrain: (clap)
We're going on a bear hunt,
Going to catch a big one.

Oh look, some grass.
We can't go over it, can't over under it, can't go around. ( Motion under, over, and round)
We got to walk, walk, walk (Pretend to walk)
Oh ( Refrain)
Oh look, a river
We can't go over it, can't over under it, can't go around.
We got to swim, swim, swim. (Pretend to swim)
Refrain
Oh look,  a cave.
We can't go over it, can't over under it, can't go around.
We got to tiptoe (Tiptoe-improvise that it is dark, turn on "light", see bear!!)
Oh no, there's a bear, but he's not happy!
So run out of  the cave...the river... the grass.. shut the door. Phew

(More can be added, such as a tree, a hill, etc, if you have time.)

The next Storytime for 2 and 3-yr olds will be Monday, October 1 at 10 am.  We'll be asking " What falls in the fall?"
  See you soon!