KidsBiz

We’re organizing a LEGO Club!  The first meeting will be on Saturday, September 11th, at 10:30 a.m.  Kids ages 6-10 can bring their own Legos (or use the library’s stash) to create amazing sturctures that reflect this month’s theme:  Back to the Future.

Register by going to the Program Calendar on this website.

To help us get this club “off the ground”, we’d love to have donations of Legos that you no longer want or need.  Bring them to the Children’s Room for Mrs. B. or Mrs. J. and we can give you a tax receipt.

• Tell a friend

Dare we say it?  It is the last few weeks of summer.  You still have time to finish your August  Undersea Reading  Map and turn it in for a prize.

In the meantime, Mrs. B. and Mrs. J. had tons of fun planning our “Dive Into a Good Book”/ Yellow Submarine program in July.  Believe it  or not, we’re already making plans for summer of July 2011!

So here is your chance!  Tell us what you loved about the program this year and what didn’t work so well.  Give us suggestions for next year’s program if you have some!  You can reply right to this blog and we promise to read every word!

• Tell a friend

It’s finally summer!  Why not read some books about kids who are enjoying their time off from school as much as you are?

Picture Books:

Carl’s Summer Vacation by Alexandra Day

Carl the rottweiler and his family are at their cottage by the lake. Mom tells her young daughter and Carl to take a nap, but the two have other plans.

Happy Dog Sizzles by Lisa Grubb

Happy Dog and his buddy Jack Cat are suffering in the summer heat. To take their mind off things, they decide to enter a contest to make a walla-pa-doo.

Hot City by Barbara Joosse

The library is cool, and not just in temperature, when Mimi and her  little brother, Joe, seek refuge there from the “dragon hot” city streets.

Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey

A cottage on an island in Maine is the best place to spend an idyllic summer.

Root Beer and Banana by Sarah Sullivan

Molly can’t decide between two flavors of Popsicles until Grandpa and a new friend help her make the choice.

Comics:

Salt Water Taffy series by Matthew Loux

Brothers Benny and Jack are about to discover that their quaint summer vacation spot is not as boring as it first appears because mysteries abound here.

Secret of the Summer School Zombies by Scott Nickel

It isn’t bad enough that Trevor has to go to summer school; now his teachers have turned into zombies and he may be trapped in school FOREVER!

J Fiction:

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tales of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

This quintessential summer story about four sisters, their new friend and his snooty mother is rollicking fun.

Summer According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

When Humphrey hears that school is ending, he panics. What’s a classroom hamster to do if he’s not in school?

Half Magic by Edward Eager

What promises to be a boring summer becomes exciting when four friends find a coin that is only half magic.

Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes

The Pye family is spending the summer at a cottage when they find a tiny black kitten caught in a crab net.  Can they keep her?

Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire by Brenda A. Ferber

Jemma can’t wait for summer camp, where she will be reunited with Tammy, who moved away at the beginning of fifth grade. Then Tammy arrives with her cousin in tow, and Jemma’s hopes for a fun-filled summer are dashed.

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn

Even the cover of this ghost story is scary.  But don’t read it after dark!

The Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett Krosoczka

Lunch Lady and the Breakfast Bunch kids are looking forward to a relaxing summer vacation with no funny business, bu, once they get to camp, they learn about the evil swamp monster there…

• Tell a friend

Everyone is raving about the new Toy Story movie!  But did you know that you can borrow books based on the movie for FREE from the Fairport Public Library?

Try these!

In J Fiction:

• Toy Story 3: The Junior Novelization by Toy Story
• Toy Story 3: A Read-Aloud Storybook by Christine Peymani

In Easy Reader:

• The Great Toy Escape by Kitty Richards
• Toy to Toy by Tennant Redbank
• Woody’s Wild Adventure by Kitty Richards

In Non-Fiction:

• j791.437 DAK   Toy Story 3: The Essential Guide by Glenn Dakin

• Tell a friend

If you have a graduate in your family, you may be aware that the Dr. Seuss book Oh the Places You’ll Go! is often recommended as an inspiring gift choice.  However, there are some great new books that would make good graduation gifts:

So Many Days by Alison McGhee

A cheerful, energetic text outlining life’s many options makes the future look bright for your new grad.

How You Got So Smart by David Milgrim

For a kindergarten grad, this book expresses pride in all his accomplishments.

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers

This is a  jumping, jazzy, joyful, poetic expression of the many ways each of us is unique.  The sophisticated, abstract artwork also make this a great choice, even for high school and college grads.

• Tell a friend

Usually our plans for summer reading are kept secret until Mrs. B & Mrs. J make all their school visits, but we thought it would be fun to post some pictures of the Children’s Room transformation in progress…

See if you can guess what it’s going to be!!

Here is a picture of Mrs. Peluso as she begins to make a blueprint for our Story Room decorations….

And here she is getting some instruction from a young artist!

• Tell a friend

Are you going out of town for a family getaway this upcoming memorial day weekend?  How about taking along a good supply of audiobooks for your family road trip…  you may even find yourself driving a few extra miles just to finish the chapter!!

Here are some great new titles to consider:

• “The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity” by Mac Barnett

When twelve-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. (Read by Arte Johnson)

• “The Seeing Stone” by Kevin Crossley-Holland

In late twelfth-century England, a thirteen-year-old boy named Arthur recounts how Merlin gave him a magical seeing stone which shows him images of the legendary King Arthur, the events of whose life seem to have many parallels to his own.  (Read by Michael Maloney)

• “Northward to the Moon” by Polly Horvath

When her stepfather loses his job in Saskatchawan, Jane and the rest of the family set off on a car trip, ending up in Nevada after improbably being given a bag full of possibly stolen money.  (Read by Becca Battoe)

• “The Sam Krupnik Series” by Lois Lowry

Includes the stories “All About Sam”, “Attaboy, Sam!”, “See you around, Sam” and “Zooman Sam”.

• “Wishing for Tomorrow: a sequel to a Little Princess” by Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of “A Little Princess” and Sarah Crewe’s happily ever after.  But Sara is much missed – and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde. But life must go on at Miss Minchin’s as new friendships are made, rivalries continue and lessons are learned.  (Read by Justine Eyre)

• “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex

When her mother is abducted by aliens on Christmas Eve (or “Smekday” Eve since the Boov invasion)  11-year old tip hops in the family car and heads south to find her and meets an alien Boov mechanic who agrees to help her and save the planet from disaster. (Read by Bahni Turpin)

• “The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place the Mysterious Howling” by Maryrose Wood.

Fifteen-year-old Miss PenelopeLumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for poor bright females, is hired as a governess to three young children who have been raised by wolves and must teach them to behave in a civilized manner quickly!  (Read by Katherine Kellgren)

• Tell a friend

Try some books that will help you re-live your favorite show!

Small Florence: Piggy Pop Star! by Claire Alexander

Florence’s two older sisters are trying out for a singing competition on live TV, but Florence is too small and squeaky to join them.  (PICTURE BOOK)

A Song for Jamela by Niki Daly

Jamela gets to meet her favorite Afro-Idol celebrity.  (PICTURE BOOK)

And try the Children’s Room Biography section for books on these former Idol contenders:

David Archuletta

David Cook

Chris Daughtry

Carrie Underwood

• Tell a friend

Let’s celebrate our Moms!

Just in time for Mother’s Day, hear stories and make a simple craft.

Saturday, May 8th

9:30 a.m.

For ages 2-7

Register by calling 223-9091 or by clicking on the Program Calendar on the library’s home page.

• Tell a friend

Love those series books!  Here are some more new ones you might like to try:

Series Name:  Classic Starts

Where to Find: J Fiction

Author:  various authors – ask the librarians for help!

From Little Women to Robinson Crusoe, to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and more,  here are artfully abridged versions of classic literature. (Grades 3-5)

Series Name:  Martha Speaks

Where to Find:  J Fiction

Author: Jamie White

If you grew up loving picture books about Martha the talking dog, you’ll love these mysteries featuring this crime-solving pet! (Grades 2-3)

Series Name:  Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie

Where to Find:  J Fiction

Author: David Lubar

Nathan’s bad day gets worse when he is accidentally doused with a serum that turns him into a ZOMBIE! (Grades 4-6)

• Tell a friend