New Titles Abound @ Your Library

As this column is being typed, visions of gingerbread houses are dancing through the heads of over 50 children signed up for our Gingerbread House Decorating Event, which will be history by the time you read this column.  Those same visions are dancing through the heads of staff members who will mix about 25 batches of royal icing and put together those 50+ houses before the children arrive on Saturday morning.  As in past years, surely it will prove to be a good time indeed for all involved.  Our teen staff and teen volunteers are a huge help with this project and are greatly appreciated!

 Since the last writing of Kids’ Corner on November 11, some changes have taken place in the children’s library.  The desk is now manned from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.   Story times have changed as well.  Preschoolers now meet on Monday beginning at 11:15.  On Tuesday, infants come to story time at 11:15.  Toddlers have their story time at 11:15 on Thursday mornings.  Please stop by the library or check our website for the exact dates that each of these groups of youngsters meets. 

The display rack just inside the children’s area has been continuously stocked with Christmas books for the past several days.  These books, as well as any others that are on display, may be checked out.  A number of new chapter books and picture books have recently come into the library.  One of these books could possibly win the Caldecott or Newbery award this winter, so make sure you check out some of these new titles.  Here are a couple of the new chapter book titles.   The first is Cold Cereal by Adam Rex.  Fine print on the cover reads “there’s a little bit of magic in every box.” Inside the dust jacket is a chart like a typical nutrition label on food items.  It reads as follows:

That should be intriguing enough to attract some readers!  The next title is The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone.  This is the description provided by the publisher “A wounded girl and the boy who won’t give up on her.  Seventh grader Louise Terrace has a secret admirer.  He sends her notes when she needs cheering up, and draws chalk hearts on the sidewalk outside her apartment.  It should be the perfect romance…but somehow they never meet up.

 “It’s the same with gymnastics.  Louise is a natural champion.  She can do cartwheels all day long and even backflips on the balance beam.  She should be captain of the school team…but somehow it doesn’t work out.

 “There’s something holding Louise back, a family secret from the past so heart-breaking that it’s got her frozen inside.  And it’s going to take a miraculous spring to thaw her out again.”

 For the younger crowd, new to our collection is Hello! Hello! by Matthew Cordell.  In our techno-saturated society, a young lady finds a meaningful escape in the great outdoors.  Follow her on her escapades in the pages of this book.  Philip Stead’s newest, A Home for Bird is a cleverly written, wonderful story of friendship.  Do plan to stop by and check out these or other new titles on display in our in both the Easy book and J Fiction areas.

 In a never-ending quest to assist parents with valuable early literacy materials, Memorial Library is putting together 6 by 6 kits in line with the statewide initiative of the same name.  These colorful yellow and blue bags will contain a book and a suggestion card of activities to use with the book.     The kits are geared to three separate age groups—early talkers, talkers, and pre-readers.  Be watching for more information about availability of these resources in the very near future. 

 With Christmas fast approaching, plan to stop in and check out some materials, as the library will be closed December 24, 25, and 26.  Have a Merry Christmas and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Kansas Reads to Preschoolers is Here!

 Preparations are now complete for the celebration of the 8^th annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers event.  Daycares and preschool settings will be hearing the story Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn as library staffers tour Liberal making visits this week.

 Youngsters who come to the library for our special story times on Thursday will also hear the story along with taking part in some other fun activities, including a drawing for a copy of the book.  Even if you have never taken part in story time prior to November 15, please plan to join us.  The age groups and times are as follow: Infants birth through 18 months meet at 9:15; toddlers ages 19 months through 35 months meet at 9:55; preschoolers ages 3 to 5 meet from 10:30 to 11:15.  Story time sessions for the younger two groups last 20 minutes. 

 A wonderful time was had by all who attended our Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy dress-up party.  The young attendees looked ‘ magnifique’, as Fancy Nancy would say.  Watch our website or in-library publicity for upcoming fun events for children. 

On your next trip to the library, check out our tribute to veterans in the north alcove.  Even though today is Veterans’ Day, the display will remain in place for a couple of weeks.  Another thing to check out is our new circulation desk.  Installed just last week, staff members are still moving into drawers and cupboards and getting used to the new feel of things.  So far, everyone seems really pleased.

The glass display case in the hall is now housing one of the library’s 27 pre-literacy kits which were made possible about 9 years ago by a special populations grant.  These kits are designed to help parents, grandparents, and other significant adults work with children in learning or in reinforcing skills needed when they start kindergarten.  Housed in clear, plastic backpacks, these kits contain books and manipulatives centered around fun topics for little ones.  The kits also include a notebook offering suggestions on how to use the kit.   The notebook and many of the books featured in the kit are provided in Spanish as well as in English.   Parents, grandparents, and caregivers have lots of great ideas themselves, so the notebook acts as a jumping off point to get started with the kit.  In the Youth Pages tab across the top of the library web page, select kid’s corner then scroll down on the left to see a description of each of the kits or stop by the library and look at the binder that features each kit.   Besides being educational, the kits are a lot of fun!!

Some patrons may not be aware that the library purchases all the nominated books for the William Allen White award annually.  This award is the Kansas state award in children’s literature.  Kansas school children get the opportunity to vote for the winner in one of two categories: grades 3 to 5 and grades 6 to 8.  In order to vote, a student has to have read at least two titles from one or the other of the lists.  These are always excellent reading as attested to by the fact that lots of adults also try to read through the titles before the award is announced.  The authors of the nominated books must confirm that they will attend the award ceremony should their book win.  This year there was a bit of a problem getting confirmations due to so many publishing companies being located on the east coast in the path of Hurricane Sandy.  The event organizers have promised an official final list by November 12.  The bookmark list that is located with the display of these books on the ledge by the Children’s Desk may be altered after the twelfth.  Please ask if you need assistance in locating the books. 

 In conclusion, if you failed to call the library to line up a visit to your home daycare, it’s not too late to give us a call.  Have a happy Veterans’ Day and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Upcoming events week of November 11

Monday, November 12 – Friday November 16 KANSAS READS TO PRESCHOOLERS

Tuesday, November 13          

 10 a.m.            Wii for Adults

10 a.m.            Beginning Computer (call for reservation)

  Noon                Library & Lunch.  If you are interested in the Dust Bowl years, the featured
                         book is The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan.

Wednesday, November 14    

 9:30                 Spanish Beginning Computer (call for reservation)

Thursday, November 15  

  9:15                 Lapsit Story time

  9:55                 Toddle-in Story time

   10:30               Preschool Story time

4:30                 Chess – beginners & experienced players welcome

 6:30                 Book Chat – come discuss the new books you are reading.

                                                                 

Lots of Activities for Little Ones

The library joined in commemorating Fire Prevention Week Oct 7 – 13. Some of our young patrons tried on fire gear and had their pictures taken. Staff members joined in as well. During time with the little ones and their parents/caregivers, information was shared about library resources for fire safety. One of the 26 pre-literacy kits the library is titled Fire Safety. Chief Kelly Kirk of the Liberal Fire Department provided the final approval for materials that went into this kit

The National Fire Protection Association has just come out with a book to celebrate Sparky’s 60^th birthday entitled Sparky the Fire Dog. It provides good information in a non-frightening manner and also incorporates some letter recognition to spell out a special message along the edge of the pages. The library was fortunate to receive some materials geared to children from the Seward County Fire Department which were distributed at our preschool story times during the week.

The next few weeks will feature lots of things at the library for little ones. The biggest event is the 8^th Annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, which will take place the week of November 12. If you are unfamiliar with this event, a special committee chooses a book annually that is read to as many preschoolers across the state as possible.  Here at Memorial Library that includes programs that take place at the library, as well as journeying with our special story, Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn,  to preschools and to daycares, both the large ones and smaller home daycares.  The latter category is the one in which readers can provide us some assistance.  If you know of a home daycare provider who would like to have someone from the library come and read to the little ones in her care some time during the week, please have her phone the library (626-0180, ext. 4).  Library staff is always excited to make contact with the wonderful youngsters throughout the community.

Please note that our story times have resumed and will meet October 18 and November 1, 8, 15, and 29.  This is a fun time for little ones and their parents as well.  Check our website or phone the library for times.  November 15 is the day Lola Loves Stories will be shared in the library.  There are always more fun things than just the story library staffers read at their preschool earlier in the week, so plan to come and share the fun

It’s dress up time again!  Fancy Nancy will be held at the library on Saturday, November 3, from 10 to 11:30.  This is a fun time for children ages 4 through 7 to put on their fancy clothes and come down to our party.  This party will feature the posh puppy, so each child will celebrate the event by bringing their own plush puppy from home.  There will be a runway walk for the children to model their attire and show off their plush puppies.  Next we will share the story, do some puppy-themed crafts, and have a ‘people’ snack before the party concludes.  Reservations open October 18.  Either the children’s desk or the circulation desk can assist in getting your child signed up for this event.  As always, this is a popular program with limited spots available. If you find your child cannot attend once you’ve made the reservation, please give us a call and cancel so that another child can enjoy the event.

Another popular event for children here at the library is our annual Gingerbread House Decorating.  We will be hosting this once again during the first part of December.  Children 4 through 11 may make reservations for this event.  Watch the library website or in-library signage for dates and times. 

When young children tour the library, I always ask them, “Who do you think owns the library?”  Invariably, a lot of them respond, “You”, to which I am then able to say, “No, but you do.”  Then we talk a bit about the taxes that support our library.  Liberal has a wonderful facility in this library--don’t pass up the opportunity to check out its resources.  See you at Memorial Library!

Don't forget this week's events.  For our NASA series, Aaron Johnson from the National Weather Service in Dodge City will present a program on the Earth's atmosphere on Monday, October 15, at 4 p.m.  Thursday afternoon, October 18, is Chess from 4:30 to 5:30.  Anyone interested may attend these events.

Variety of Things for Patrons at Your Library

Some exciting things are happening here at the library!  Last week staff attended a training session for a new early literacy concept called 6 by 6 Ready to Read.  The library also applied for a grant to help update our parenting collection, which has found its way once again to the children’s side of the library in the non-fiction section.  Watch for more news on these exciting ventures in the weeks to come. 

 If you haven’t come to one of our NASA sessions, be sure to check the schedule for more information on the upcoming programs. The next program in the series will take place on Monday, September 24, at 4 p.m. when a speaker from the Kansas Cosmosphere will be presenting “Living in Space” in the Cooper Clark Room and will address such things as what an orbit is and how it is achieved, what micro-gravity is and how it affects human physiology and function, and how an astronaut spends a typical day in space.   This is a great opportunity to hear a Cosmosphere program without having to leave Liberal.  Plan to join us at 4 p.m. on Monday.

 Some of the new books to recently arrive are now in our non-fiction section.  Learn to Speak Fashion – A Guide to Creating,Showcasing & Promoting Your Style by Laura deCarufel  provides the interested young person with information on every aspect of fashion from creating to modeling to photography to marketing.  The author is very down to earth, shares her opinions, and uses lots of examples from her own experiences.

 Nature’sPatchwork Quilt – Understanding Habitats is by Mary Miche’ with wonderful illustrations by Consie Powell.  This book explains several different habitats and their occupants and how the existence within the habitat fits together like a patchwork quilt.  Terms such as adaptation, interdependency, and biodiversity are explained in easily understood terms.  Age range is listed as 4 to 10, lending itself well to some parent and child time with lots of discussion about the various smaller pictures in each spread.

 Note on the schedule below that our story times will take place on September 27.  That day will mark the end of the first session of story times for the school year.  Though we normally take a two-week break between sessions, this next session will be the exception.  We will only break for one week and resume story times on October 11.  Check the library’s website or in-house postings for the complete schedule, or stop by either the circulation desk or children’s desk for a printed copy. 

 The library is seeking national political campaign buttons and other small memorabilia from past elections to place in the glass display case in our hallway for the month of October up through the election in November.  If you have any items you would be willing to loan, please phone 626-0180, ext 4 or stop by the library.  Make sure the person who accepts your loaned items catalogs them and gets your name and phone number to insure their safe return. 

 Another thing the library is seeking are names of daycare providers who cannot bring the children in their care to the library for our special celebration of Kansas Reads to Preschoolers the week of November 12 and would be interested in lining up a home visit from a library staff member to share the selected story.  If you know someone in this situation, please have her call the library to get on the schedule. 


Check out what’s going on below, and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Happenings at Your Library the week of September 24

Sept 24         4 p.m.          “Living in Space” presented by KS Cosmosphere

Sept 27         9:15             Infant Storytime

                   9:55             Toddler Storytime

                   10:15            Preschool Storytime

Sept 27         4:00             Teen Gaming

 

Storytimes for Little Ones Begin this Week

School will have already started when this column reaches you.  For those of you with children, that means changing gears in your household from the pace of summer to a more set routine.  Here at the library the official end of summer programming came with our summer reading tee shirt claim which took place on Friday, August 10.  Youngsters who had earned shirts came to pick them up and enjoyed ice cream sundaes as well.  Those who were unable to claim their shirts last Friday will need to pick them up by August 25. 

If you didn’t come to  Bettman & Halpin Acoustic Duo at the library on the 7^th, you missed out on a great concert.  Watch our website for the next concert event.

 Fall programming at the library always means the start of our story times for little ones.  This year a change has been made in the schedule.  The day is still Thursday, but now the Lapsit Storytime will start off the morning.  It will begin at 9:15 and end at 9:35.  This age group is birth to 19 months.  Toddle-In Storytime, for children 19 months up to age 3, will begin at 9:55 and end at 10:15.  Our 3 to 5 year old Preschoolers will have the final slot, which begins at 10:30 and goes until 11:15.  Dates for the story times are August 23, 30, and September 6, 13, 20, and 27.  Patrons may call ahead to sign their child up, or may do it at the first session.  If you have never been to story time, why not give it a try?


The Southwest Kansas Library System, of which Memorial Library is a part, will be launching a new early literacy initiative next week entitled 6 x 6 Ready to Read.  It involves six skills that children should know in order to be ready to read at about age six.  Since parents are a child’s first and best teachers, there is valuable information in 6 by 6 for them.   Be watching for forthcoming information about this program.

For you older youngsters, see if you are familiar with the following authors and illustrators who are celebrating their birthdays this week.  Ogden Nash, author of The Tale of Custard the Dragon, whose birthday is the 19^th; On the 20^th, Margaret Bloy Graham, illustrator of the Harry the Dirty Dog books, and Belinda Hurmence, author of A Girl Called Boy.  Claudia Mills and Arthur Yorinks have birthdays the 21^st.  Mills authored Mason Dixon: Fourth Grade Disasters.  Yorinks is probably best known for Hey, Al, winner of the 1987 Caldecott Medal.  Moving on to August 23, children’s science topic author, Melvin Berger will celebrate.  Ian Falconer who is both author and illustrator of the Olivia titles shares August 25 with Charles Ghigna, author of early reader books like Mice Are Nice, and Lane Smith, illustrator of Jon Scieszka’s  hilarious book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.        Why not come on down to the library and check out one of these titles, don your party hat, and celebrate the author’s and/or illustrator’s special day?

The Library will be continuing with its journey into outer space in September and October. Learn about the wonders of space and NASA programming at the Library through a series of fun and educational events, which will include speakers, demonstrations, and activities.  Watch the Library’s web page and in-house postings for further details. 

Speaking of NASA, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Mars Rover Curiosity.  Fifteen- year- old Kansas high school sophomore Clara Ma is responsible for the name ‘Curiosity’.  If you would like to follow the progress of Curiosity, check it out at www.nasa.gov.  That site also contains some interactive things for young people.  If you scroll down, there is a section entitled Participate, following your curiosity.  It contains educational games, landing videos, and much more.   

 Don’t forget to pick up your summer reading shirt and plan to attend our NASA activities in September and October.  See you at Memorial Library!

Eagerly Awaiting the 2012 Olympics

On Friday of this week, host city London will be raising the curtain to the waiting world on the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.  These will be the Games of the XXX Olympiad and will feature the following  26 events:  triathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, archery, judo, modern pentathlon, canoe/kayak, swimming and diving, track and field, equestrian, gymnastics, taekwondo, tennis, wrestling, boxing, table tennis, handball, field hockey, weightlifting, badminton, soccer, basketball, volleyball, cycling and fencing.  The Olympics will draw to a on August 12.

Athletes who participate in the Olympics are nationally ranked, already demonstrating their superior athletic skill.  They are chosen to represent the United States and compete against outstanding athletes of 203 other countries.  Young people can not only watch the various competitions but might see a sport that truly sparks their interest and leads them to participation in that sport, first at the local level, and then perhaps beyond. 

Olympic medals are a much-sought-after part of the Games.  In the 2008 Summer Games, the United States accumulated the most total medals with 110, but trailed China for the most gold medals, with 36 to their 51.  Historically, since the creation of what is known as the ‘modern day’ Olympics in 1896, the United States has earned 2,285 medals in the Olympics, with its closest competitor being the Soviet Union with 1,009 total medals.  These medal statistics are courtesy of msn.com. 

The library created an alcove display highlighting the Olympics as well as a display of information about the individual sport of Archery for the glass display case in our hallway.  In the alcove are a number of books on display which pertain to the Olympics.  As with any books on display in the library, these books are available for checkout.  There are books specifically about the Olympics, such as National Geographic’s Swifter, Higher, Stronger, which is a photographic history of the Summer Olympics.  Books on many individual sports which are part of the Summer Olympics are also on display and include Swimming and Diving by Christin Ditchfield and biographies such as the one entitled Wilma Unlimited – How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman.  New to our collection is a book which is part of the new Go-for-Gold Gymnasts series written by former Olympic Gymnast Dominique Moceanu.  Winning Team is its title.  Another recently added title written by Deloris Jordan, mother of basketball great Michael Jordan, is the fictionalized story of Michael Jordan and the Pursuit of Olympic Gold entitled Dream Big.  Look for these and other titles in the Children’s collection.  If they are not what you are seeking, staff can help you find something that can be requested through our Interlibrary Loan service, which is free to patrons.

Here is just a reminder about a few upcoming events.  The final movie will be shown in the Space Movie series this Wednesday, July 25, starting at 2 p.m.  Children under 8 will have to be accompanied by an adult.  Call the library for additional details. 

Friday, August 10, will mark the official end of Summer Reading 2012 with those young people who earned tee shirts claiming them beginning at 2:00.  This event will last until 3:30, but shirts may be claimed any time the library is open after that event and should be picked up no later than August 25.  If this poses a problem, please phone the Children’s desk and make alternate arrangements.  Our readers worked hard this summer and the library is proud to acknowledge their reading achievements with the tee shirts.

Those of you who have infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, mark August 23 on your calendars for the start of the next story time session.  Please note one important detail if you are a returning story time patron—the starting times have changed!  Story time now begins with the infant session, moving into toddlers, and ending with the preschoolers.  Stop by the library for a schedule or check our website at www.lmlibrary.org.  See you at Memorial Library!

Summer Reading Well Underway

Greetings from the ‘eye’ of the summer reading ‘storm’ as we experience a whirlwind of activities here at the library.  We are truly in the midst of our program, as we saw the end of week three on Friday and will usher in week four on Monday, the 18^th.  And what better way to welcome the new week but with a special program?

Storyteller Rosie Cutrer will be joining us in the Children’s Library at 10 a.m.  This program is not only for our summer readers but also for the citizens of the community.  Rosie has been telling stories professionally for 15 years. Do plan to come and enjoy her presentation.

Our weeks have moved by quickly.  Week one focused on night animals and our young enrollees got into our individual age groups and learned some interesting things, made some fun crafts, and just had a good time.  The adults had their first event on May 31.  It was a fun, social gathering.

Week two, we focused on NASA.  On Tuesday, we shared some NASA clips so that the young people learned a bit about life in space.  On Wednesday, our older students (fifth and sixth graders) tackled a moon habitat project which they made from tightly rolled newspapers.  Two hours later, however, they had to admit defeat.  They were trying to construct one twice as big as the model in the alcove.  They quickly learned where their engineering errors were, but we were out of time to start the project over.  Most of them took home the plans and supplies to construct the smaller one at home.  They had a great time, even if they didn’t have expected outcome. 

The teens experienced a bit of CSI Liberal with a presentation during week two by Patsy Guinn of the Liberal Police Department.  She truly sparked the interest of the young people and we appreciate her willingness to contribute to our programming agenda.   The adults did Library and Lunch on the 12^th and discussed books they were currently reading. 

Week three was entitled Night Shivers.  Our activities were not too scary, if you don’t ask the first and second graders!  Those who came Wednesday afternoon to our presentation by Mad Science of Central Kansas had a rollicking good time with Becky Myer as she mixed together all sorts of interesting things.  The following day, students ages 10 and up got to attend Who Glows There? by Dr. Patrick Ross of Southwestern College in Winfield.  It was a fascinating program in which the kids got to ask lots of questions and see things first hand. 

Alli Lyon came to the library last week to lead the teens in some Yoga.  Some of the participants reported that they felt fine during the yoga but a bit sore if they slouched afterwards.  Good posture is important.  A big ‘thank you’, Alli for leading us!

Now we are ready for week four.  Besides storytelling Rosie this week, we are also offering a special sleepy story time and stuffed animal sleepover.  Children 5, 6, and 7 are invited to wear pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal.  Following the story time, the humans leave and the animals stay for a night in the library.  This is a reservation-only event and participants must be signed up for our summer reading program.  There are a few spots left, so phone the library first thing Monday!

The teens will be enjoying a movie this week on Thursday at 3.  In this 1985 film, a nice, average teenage basketball player begins to show werewolf tendencies that suddenly make him popular at school when he leads the team to victory. The underlying message is to be yourself, regardless of how much hair you have on your body.

The adults will be taking part in Book & Movie on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.  Featured will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Come and join us for a discussion about the play!

Week four will wrap up with the Teen program Tai Chi at 2 p.m. on Friday.  Lydia Augustine will be our presenter.  Teens, stop by and experience this ancient art.  Wear comfortable clothing. 

Summer reading is truly a lot of fun!  Hope you can take part in some way and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Summer Reading Begins

                The library is bustling with activity this time of year as we approach the start of our summer reading programs.  Every age group is able to take part, so no one will feel left out.  For the adults, our program this year is entitled “Between the Covers”.  The adult session lasts longer than that of the other two.  It will go from May 29 through July 31.   Some unique things are planned for the adults, including the start of the program social, book discussions, movies, and a murder mystery.  Paulina will have more details in next week’s column.

Teens entering seventh through twelfth grade can look forward to “Own the Night” which runs from May 29 through June 29.  Sign up and set a reading goal to earn a cool tee shirt.  In addition, there will be programs taking place throughout the five weeks that you can attend, including a program by the evidence division of the Liberal Police Department, Yoga, and much more.   When you sign up, you’ll get a sheet with all the info on it.

Children from infant through entering sixth grade can sign up for “Dream Big…Read”.  Besides the reading portion of the program to earn the tee shirt, there are also age group gatherings each week for stories and crafts and special programs the whole family can attend, including Mad Science, a storyteller, and a program on nocturnal animals, to name a few.   When children sign up, they’ll get a program sheet that tells all about the activities. 

Sign up week is May 21 - 26.  We are hoping that patrons can make it into the library during that week, but if not, it will be possible to sign up after the 26^th of May.  New this year is the option to print out your sign-up sheets on line, fill them out, and have them ready when you come in to sign up.  To access each set of forms, go to www.lmlibrary.org, Adult Summer Reading will be in the column on the left.  Teens go to Youth Pages at the top of our home page, click on teen drop down, then following summer reading in left column.  For children, it’s Youth Pages on the top of the home page, kid’s page, then summer reading on the left.  All the forms can be picked up when you are at the library as well.  Parents need to accompany minors, as a media release form will need to be signed.  

Parents, the Dream Big…Read! Program is truly beneficial to your children in that it provides reading practice, through a fun program, for five additional weeks into the summer.  Research proves that children lose reading skills throughout the summer unless they read.  “Access to reading materials has been consistently identified as a vital element in enhancing the reading development of children. Of all the activities in which children engage outside of school, time spent actually reading is the best predictor of reading achievement – the more students read, the better readers they become (Allington, 2006; Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988).”  (Taken from Summer Reading Loss by Maryann Mraz & Timothy V. Rasinski at www.readingrockets.org/article/15218/)

The library affords wonderful access to reading materials to help your child keep up his or her reading skills this summer and a fun program to go along with those materials.  Why not plan to join us?  See you at Memorial Library!

 

COMING UP AT THE LIBRARY THIS WEEK

·         Sign up week May 21-26.  Stop by the Children’s Desk

·         Teen Gaming, Thursday, May 24 at 4:00

Earth Day and Coming Events

April always seems like a whirlwind of activity!  Some of the library staff just returned from the Kansas Library Association’s annual conference.  Lots of good information is always presented to guide library staffers in ultimately providing the best service for our patrons. 

National Library Week has come and gone.  The theme this year was You Belong @ Your Library.  The emphasis was on all the varied things libraries provide for patrons with a wide range of interests.  The week kicked off with a cookie and lemonade reception on Monday, the 9^th.  Patrons were invited to put their names into a drawing for neat prizes in the children’s, teen, and adult categories.  If you were called as a prize winner, be sure to stop by the library and pick up your prize. 

The final sessions of spring story time took place on Thursday, the 19^th.  The next group of story times begins with the start of summer reading the week of May 29.  Speaking of summer reading, something new is available this year for attendees of our program.  In order to speed up the sign up process, which begins the week of May 21, patrons have two options.  They can either stop by the library for the forms necessary to enroll their children in the summer program OR they can go to our website at www.lmlibrary.org, click on Youth Pages, then Kids’ Corner, then Summer Reading and the forms will be available to print out.  In fact, it is set up that you can fill them out before printing them out.  Then all you need to do is stop by during sign up week with the completed forms and we’ll get your children enrolled.  This should make sign up a much more pleasant experience.  Should you have any questions, please call the Children’s Desk at 626-0180, ext 4. 

Today is Earth Day.  Second graders in our district got to start celebrating early with a special program on Monday, April 16, provided through the partnering of Liberal Parks & Rec, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Seward County Conservation District, and Memorial Library.  Educator Tarra Tyson and docents Joe and Connie from the Lee Richardson Zoo presented a program about how our conservation practices here impact wildlife in other parts of the world.  They brought along boa constrictors, desert tortoises, and chinchillas.  The students not only got to see the animals but got to touch them as well. 

It’s always impressive how well behaved these second graders are even when they become excited about seeing the animals.  The second grade teachers are to be commended for guiding their students in the proper behavior out in public. 

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few resources available in the library.  Two popular book characters are featured in Earth Day stories.  Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter presents It’s Earth Day and the ever-popular Jane O’Connor character Fancy Nancy stars in Every Day is Earth Day.    Diane de Groat, who is famous for her ‘catchy’ titles, has penned Ants in Your Pants and Worms in Your Plants, another fiction offering.   Wilma Gore and David F. Marx have each written non-fiction books about Earth Day with the title Earth Day.  The 333.7 section in the Children’s Library will net a plethora of various titles having to do with the conservation of our many resources.  Another non-fiction title is Recycle this book :  100 top children's book authors tell you how to go green edited by Dan Gutman  who is also the author of Honus and Me, The Kid Who Ran for President, and the My Weird School series, among others.  The book offers simple things that anyone can do.  Gutman points out that if enough people do these simple things, it will make an impact.   So check out these and other titles and see how you can join others in making that impact.  Have a happy Earth Day.  See you at Memorial Library!

National Nutrition Month

Now that everyone’s overcome the transition to daylight savings time, note that spring begins in just two days. Even though our winter was a rather mild one, for the most part, it will be nice to have a more steady diet of warm weather.

Looking back for just a moment, our Children’s Healthy Fun Fair, which took place on March 3, was a major success with just shy of 900 people attending. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Many of the exhibitors reported running out of supplies before the event concluded, or having to dash back to their office for more. If you missed the event, mark March 2, 2013, on your calendar for the Tenth Annual Children’s Healthy Fun Fair.

The Children’s Healthy Fun Fair is passed, but it is still National Nutrition Month. Let’s take a look at information the American Heart Association released in March of 2011, “Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.

“Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression.

“Excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood. Perhaps one of the most sobering statements regarding the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic came from former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who characterized the threat as follows:“Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."

The children’s library has a number of good books on the subject of nutrition. Among them are: Good Enough to Eat – A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition by Lizzy Rockwell, Eat the Right Stuff: Food Facts by Catherine Reef, Staying Healthy, Eating Right by Alice McGinty, and Too Fat? Too Thin: Healthy Eating Handbook by Melissa Sayer.

Parents in search of information will find a number of resources in the adult collection, among them Raising Low-Fat Kids in a High-Fat World by Judith Shaw. Dr. Dean Ornish’s endorsement on the cover of the book reads, “A major book for every parent, an invaluable companion. Judith Shaw quickly and simply leads the way through the maze of lower fat confusion. I highly recommend this book.”

K-State Research & Extension, Seward County spends time in the classrooms and at some of the after school programs teaching nutrition to children. In addition, Snack Attack, which is a nutrition education program provided through this library, takes place monthly at the Rec Center. So if your children come home talking about something they learned about nutrition, take a moment to listen and answer any questions on points that need clarification or expanding on. Remember, their future health depends on it!

Summer reading is the next big project in the children’s library. A couple of workshop opportunities are available for library staff to get some fresh ideas to bring back for this event. The dates will be May 29 through June 29, with sign up May 21-26. It’s always fun to visit the schools with a presentation about the program. Students are then given an information slip about the program. Be watching for that in your student’s backpack in early May.

Two more storytime dates remain for the little ones. Those dates are April 5 and April 19. New children are welcome any time during the session. In addition, our summer reading program includes a Wee Ones group for birth to age 3 and a Preschool group for 3’s and 4’s and those entering kindergarten in the fall. More information will be available soon in the library and on our website. Stop in real soon—new materials are arriving daily, so you’re bound to find something you like. See you at Memorial Library!

Children's Healthy Fun Fair Coming Soon

Greetings readers! Hopefully by now the logo which appears with this column has become familiar to many residents of this community. It means that the Children’s Healthy Fun Fair is coming up once again. On Saturday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., lots of interested children, accompanied by their parents, will be making their way to the Ag Building on the Seward County Fairgrounds to join in the festivities. Each year the fair offers fun activities, healthy snacks, great giveaways, and helpful information to attendees, all free of charge.

A number of agencies will be in attendance this year including Southwest Medical Center, Southwest Guidance Center, PACT, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Head Start, Smart Start, UMMAM, USD 480 preschool, Liberal Police Department, Liberal and Seward County Fire Departments, Liberal Parks & Rec, and many, many more. A must-visit area at the fair includes fingerprinting by the police department with fingerprint kits for parents to take home and record pertinent information about each of their children. Another fun stop will be the Seward County Community College Respiratory Therapy area which will include a respiring pig lung. Come watch it ‘breathe’. Parks & Rec has a brand new X-box Connect which they will have at the fair. This is a game that does not require controls. It goes by the movement of the kids who are playing. Some of the games that go with it require a lot of physical movement, so it is good for kids to burn off excess energy. The library will invite kids to exercise as well with their Wii Fit. For the younger ones, there will be an opportunity to do a simple craft project connected to our upcoming Summer Reading Program. Seward County Health and USD 480 preschool always have lots of neat activities going on at their booths. It’s a good idea to just start at one end of the fair and work your way all the way around to everyone so that you don’t miss a thing!

This year’s fair will feature the Sure Sight Vision Screener, which will be manned by a trained Lions Club International member from the eastern side of the state. This is a valuable vision screening tool which provides non-invasive screening to check preschoolers for early visual problems. It allows for vision screening without feedback from the child who is being screened, meaning it can be used even with smaller children. Make sure that you stop by and check it out. In addition to this machine being available at the Children’s Healthy Fun Fair, the library will host a special storytime beginning at 3:45 on Friday, March 2. Following the storytime, parents will have an opportunity to have their screened. This is a really good opportunity for families who might not be able to attend the fair.

There is truly a lot of excitement about the fun fair and the potential it has to inform and educate the public in a really fun way. Since the Home Show will be going on in the Event Center, families can easily take in both events since they are in such close proximity to one another.

In closing, mention should be made about the library’s Valentine promotion which took place from February 1 to February 14. Patrons were asked to share what book they loved by writing it on a heart. They were then entered into a drawing for some sweet prizes. Winners of those prizes included:

Boxes of chocolate: Carolyn L. and Lynn S.; Plush Puppy: Wendy D.; Plush Monkey: Micayla L.; and Plush Penguin: Angelica M. Winners, be sure to stop by and pick up your prizes, if you have not already done so. National Library Week is coming up in April. Come on in check out the exciting things that will be going on then. See you at Memorial Library!

Book Awards & Pre-literacy Kits

Library folks all across the country this past week eagerly awaited announcement of the American Library Association's annual book awards for children's and young adult books. A column written this time of year would not be complete without mention of the winners of those awards. Drum roll please…For the Caldecott award (outstanding picture book illustrations) went to A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka; the Newbery award (for outstanding chapter book) was presented to Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos; the Theodore Geisel award (outstanding easy reader book) went to Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider. Other categories include the Coretta Scott King Award which recognizes both an African American author and illustrator. The author award went to Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson, with Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane Evans capturing the illustrator award.

The Michael Printz, which is awarded to a young adult novel found a winner in Where Things Come Back by Corey Whaley. Pura Belpre' awards for both a Latino author and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience were given to Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. Author accolades went to Guadalupe Garcia McCall for Under the Mesquite. These are just some of the award categories. Each category also recognized honorable mention books. What an honor to even be in contention for one of these prestigious awards!

This week's column will feature a highlight of a few of items that are beneficial to preschool-aged children. Several years ago, a special populations grant made possible the creation of 28 pre-literacy kits. Clear plastic backpacks were secured and items focusing on specific themes were gathered for each kit. The purpose of the kits was to assist parents in acquiring or reinforcing skills in their little ones which are necessary for success in school. An added bonus is that these kits contain some really fun things!

From your home computer, you can find out what each kit is by going to our website at www.lmlibrary.org. Across the top bar, click on 'Youth Pages' and select 'kids' corner'. Once you have that page open, scroll down the left side and select 'pre-literacy kits'. That page yields a brief description of each of the kits, but clicking on any title will bring up a full description, including the contents of the kit.

If you select the Insect kit, here is what you will find:

• The Insect kit features fact-based books and fun books which include The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Waiting for Wings, In the Tall, Tall Grass, Bugs for Lunch, and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.


• Manipulatives found in the kit are Bugs Floor Puzzle, Old lady with all the things your child can help her swallow, Child figure with fly attached to yarn, Insect lacing set, and more.
  


• The two CDs in this kit are Four Baby Bumblebees and The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly. Also included are poems, rhymes, fingerplays, and songs. Each kit addresses certain skills.

The kits vary in the items they contain, but each has narrative guidelines for using the kit. This is just a starting off point to get adults going. Lots of other ideas will occur to parents as they use the kits. Each kit contains a number of items in Spanish, including the narrative guidelines. Ask at the circulation desk to see the notebook containing the list of pre-literacy kits. The kits may be checked out, one per patron, for a two-week period.

When the kits were created, the library formed a partnership with the Family Resource Center at Washington Elementary School. Ten of the kits may be accessed at their facility and are traded off with those at the library periodically.

As you look at the options in the left column of Kids' Corner, below pre-literacy kits is 'puppets'. The circulation desk also maintains a notebook showing all the puppets that are available for check out. Letting your child use his or her imagination through the puppets is a wonderful way to build narrative skills as he or she makes up stories with the puppet and stages presentations for family members. If your child makes a beeline for the in-house puppet collection every time you come to the library, why not check out one to take home? Even if your child hasn't expressed interest, why not give one a try? One more thing, be sure to mark your calendar for March 3 and the Children's Healthy Fun Fair. This will be the ninth year for the event which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ag Building on the Seward County Fairgrounds. See you at the Children's Healthy Fun Fair and at Memorial Library!

Christmas Programs

Greetings from amidst the Christmastime bustle! Things have been moving right along here with decorating the library, the Redskin Singers coming to perform, and the Fancy Nancy Spendiferous Brunch & Soiree'. Two more events are approaching. One is the library's annual Gingerbread House decorating. New and exciting items are being added to the great assortment of goodies participants can use to create their own unique house. Everything is provided. Youngsters ages 4 to 11 are invited to take part. The event will take place on Saturday, December 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. This is a reservation activity, so give the library a call to reserve a spot for your child. Don't miss out on a good time! The second event is Poppa D. Clown's Magical Christmas. This is a free program that will take place in the Children's Library on Wednesday, December 21, at 2 p.m. The program will be approximately 45 minutes in length. Plan to come and join in the fun!

A number of new Christmas titles have been added to our collection in the last few weeks. Here is a sampling. Olivier Dunrea, best known for the Gossie & Friends series, brings us A Christmas Tree for Pyn. In spite of Pyn's father's objections, she manages to get him to help her find the perfect Christmas tree, and in the process forges a closer relationship with him. This is a heartwarming story indeed.

The Christmas story is beautifully told in Lauren Thompson's One Starry Night. All sorts of animals watch over their young as Mary & Joseph watch over their baby boy, Jesus.

Jennifer Holm provides another episode of her famous Babymouse series with A Very Babymouse Christmas. This series is for chapter book readers.

Home for Christmas is another of Jan Brett's books with her beautifully decorated signature borders. In this tale, Rollo the troll gets bored doing chores and runs off to spend some time on the tundra with various animals who live there. Finally he decides that he wants to be home for Christmas, even if it means he will have to behave better than he has in the past.

For those who are fans of non-fiction, check out Franklin and Winston: A Christmas that Changed the World by Douglas Wood. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, these two great world leaders met at the White House at Christmastime to decide how best to face the threats which were occurring worldwide. This was the beginning of an alliance between the United States and Great Britain. The book shows the human side of these gentlemen as they got to know each other better during that Christmas season.

A fiction story based on a true event is The Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo, a story of a family facing hardship in their newly assigned, isolated lighthouse post but how a special flight service, the Flying Santa Service, saves Christmas for the family. Here's a bit for information about that service. "In 1929, the first year of the Great Depression, aviation pioneer Captain William Wincapaw began the tradition of "The Flying Santa." Also known as the "Santa of the Lighthouses," Wincapaw oversaw flying operations for the Curtiss Flying Service at Rockland, Maine. He had a great deal of admiration for lighthouse keepers and their families, who served in isolated and inhospitable locations. On the morning of December 25, 1929, Wincapaw loaded his aircraft with a dozen packages of Christmas gifts and delivered them to a number of local lighthouses. By 1933, the Flying Santa program was so well received that Wincapaw expanded it to include ninety-one lighthouses throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Wincapaw began to dress as Santa and he enlisted his son, Bill, Jr., to help pilot some of the flights." Since this title was checked out and exact facts could not be obtained from the back of the book, this information was taken from the Coast Guard Compass, which is the official blog of the U. S. Coast Guard.

Christmas Eve at the Mellops' by Tomi Ungerer is the story of the four Mellop brothers who each had the idea to provide their family with a Christmas tree. Now the family must decide what to do with four trees.

Our collection features many of the old Christmas standards, such as Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Day Before Christmas, which is the story of the poem The Night Before Christmas. In addition, there are a lot of books following the Night Before Christmas format--The Redneck Night Before Christmas, The Librarian's Night Before Christmas, and The Barnyard Night Before Christmas. A quick perusal of our card catalog will bring up a wealth of Christmas titles to be enjoyed. Stop by and check them out, as well as our Christmas activities. See you at Memorial Library!