Blog Post
Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
by PizzaPuppy
Already anticipating next year's release of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie? Antsy to get your hands on new Harry Potter reading material?
Harry Potter: The Creature Vault is a brand new companion book to the series, and is bursting with information regarding your favorite Harry Potter creatures. This enormous book is filled to the brim with behind-the-scenes information, including rare concept art and backstage photographs. Learn about dragons, acromantulas, hippogriffs, house elves and more with detailed profiles of each creature, including which books and movies each creature appears in. This stunning book delves into the process each creature took from page to screen, and details each stage of development. Also included are interesting filmmaking secrets from the set (did you know that Hedwig was played by at least 7 different snowy owls?). This mesmerizing collection is a must read for any Harry Potter fan. A word of warning: some of the early development pictures can get pretty creepy!
For more Harry Potter creature research, try the classic Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. For more behind-the-scenes action, take a look at Harry Potter Film Wizardry, one of my personal favorites.
Blog Post
PreK BITS – “X” = Expedition on Extinct !
by ryanikoglu
Ms Rachel did stories with extinct creatures in them.
ME WANT PET ! by Tammi Sauer is about a little Neanderthal child who wants to bring home pets.... Mama say, "No can keep!"
We went on a "Dino Hunt", found some bones, and put them together like a dinosaur exhibit.
The CD MOST AMAZING DINOSAUR SONGS brings us “Dem Bones” and other activity songs related to dinosaurs.
There was a box we found in the room ... and in that box was another box. What did we find? Someone will remember.
If you want more books for your expedition on extinct try the following:
DINOSAUR vs. BEDTIME and other books by Bob Shea
IF The DINOSAURS CAME BACK is an imagination tale by Bernard Most, who loves dinosaurs best.
TEA REX by Molly Schaar Idle
DINOSAUR STARTS SCHOOL by Pamela Duncan Edwards.
DINOSAUR THUNDER by Marion Dane Bauer.
DINOSAUR PARADE by Shari Halpern.
DINOSAUR BONES by Bob Barner.
NEVER ASK A DINOSAUR To DINNER! by Gareth Edwards.
DINOSAUR ALPHABET and other preschool concepts presented with dinosaurs by David West.
Now get in your time machine and go "Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .... back in time to extinct !"
'Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !"
Blog Post
Read Across America Day & National Reading Month
by manz
Today is Read Across America Day!
Read Across America Day was founded in 1997 “to promote the joy and importance of reading and to celebrate the birthday of beloved author Dr. Seuss.” It has become a nationwide event celebrated by schools, libraries and bookstores across the country. You just mind find an elementary school principal dressed up like Thing 1 or Thing 2, and some students may end up eating green eggs and ham for lunch. How wacky! How Seussy!
Did you know that there will be a NEW Dr. Seuss book coming out in July? The manuscript for Which Pet Should I get was recently found by his widow.
Be sure to check out your favorite Dr. Seuss titles and get some reading done! Hooray for reading! It's not just today, the entire month of March is National Reading Month.
Blog Post
Parent’s Corner: “Mom, I’m Hungry!”
by manz
Kids seem to be hungry all the time. Always wanting a snack or a juice box, even after they’ve just ate. How and what do you feed the kid who wants to eat all day? The Parent Shelf is located in the downtown youth area, and on this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from food and nutrition to potty training to time-outs to homework. These books are available for checkout and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf.”
Beating the lunch box blues: Fresh ideas for lunches on the go! is found on that shelf, and sounds like a great way to spice up the brown bag lunches if you’re burned out on spreading peanut butter on bread. For more titles, check out this list of great books featuring more fun lunch box ideas.
For additional food ideas and insight on dealing with food challenges, check out Food fights: Winning the Nutritional challenges of parenthood armed with insight, humor and a bottle of ketchup, and Whatever happened to dinner?: Recipes and ideas for family mealtime.
And of course here are even more food titles to help with meal planning and encouraging healthy eating habits.
Blog Post
New Picture Books With a Twist!
by manz
Sometimes new picture books come out that are presented in a nontraditional format. Here are three great examples of books that feature a messy story with interruptions, a story that’s read backwards and upside down, and story with a choose-your-own-ending.
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story
In this classically cute story by Patrick McDonnell, Louie becomes angry when the story in which he appears is ruined by messes from jelly, peanut butter, finger prints, and other things that do not belong in books. It’s quite funny! In the end he realizes that it’s still a good story – messes and all.
The Story Starts Here:
Little Wolf decides to do things his way, including starting his story at the back of the book instead of the front, wearing pants on his head, and playing piano with his toes. But at some point the book has to turn upside down in order to turn things right side up.
Milo and the Mysterious Island:
Milo wishes to see what’s beyond the horizon and he and the other mice build a raft and set off on a voyage. The book reads as normal, then you get to a point where there are split pages. One set of pages finishes the story with a happy ending, and the other set of pages finishes the story with a sad ending – you get to decide which one you want to read! Or of course you can read both. Written by Marcus Pfister, author of Rainbow Fish.
Public Event
For the First Time in Forever...a Disney Showcase!
Sunday November 8, 2015: 3:00pm to
4:00pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Preschool–Grade 5.
Blog Post
New and Unusual Animal Books
by evelyn
If you or your little one loves animals, we have some great new books in that will teach you all about them in a whole new way! You’ll want to look at all of these beautiful, bright, and fascinating books.
First up, check out Bone Collection: Animals, which offers realistic drawings of animals’ skeletons with explanations of how the bones fit together and what purpose they all serve. Mixed in with the skeleton drawings are photographs of the animals and lots of facts. I learned so much from this book! Did you know that kangaroos’ tails are heavy to support their weight during fights, or that even though fruit bats are only 15 inches long, their wingspan can be longer than 5½ feet? That’s taller than I am! Learn all about this and more in this beautiful book.
For an amazing look at how wildlife adapts, take a look at Chernobyl’s Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone. This brilliant book explains the disastrous 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion and explores the aftermath. This book details the recovery of plants and animals in the area, which was initially assumed to be impossible. The effects of radiation are explained in clear, detailed language, and photographs highlight the difference between animals living within the “dead zone” and without.
If you’re after beautiful illustrations and simple, informative text, look at illustrator Steve Jenkins’s new books, Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do, and Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World. With a combination of true facts and big pictures, these books are perfect for younger readers.
Public Event
Kinder Concert
Friday September 25, 2015: 11:00am to
11:30am
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Ages 2–5 Years
Public Event
Kinder Concert
Friday September 25, 2015: 10:00am to
10:30am
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
2-5 Years
Blog Post
Draw Paint Print like the Great Artists
by PizzaPuppy
With Draw Paint Print like the Great Artists, you can learn different art styles alongside your favorite artists throughout history! In this beautiful and fascinating book, the reader is introduced to more than 30 different famous artists and their works. From there, the book introduces each artist's favorite art techniques, and provides creative projects designed by the author in order to hone your newfound art skills. All of the activities include easy instructions and the activities themselves are both inspiring and a lot of fun!
With aesthetically pleasing content and formatting, Draw Paint Print like the Great Artists encourages artists of all ages and skill sets while leaving enough room for creativity and growth. For more information on these famous artists, look for An Eye for Art: Focusing on Great Artists and Their Work and Look Closer: Art Masterpieces Through the Ages.