KidsBiz

Library Club

amy — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:14:03 +0000

If you’re between the ages of 7-11, you’re someone who loves the library and you want to be more involved, than perhaps Library Club is for you!

Library Club has been meeting for about 3 years now, and has done a variety of activities. Some of the these include:

Hosting a local author visit
Taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the library
Looking through catalogs and suggesting possible titles for the library to purchase
Reader’s Theatre
Game night!
Writing reviews of great books for the library Blog
Creating the library’s scarecrow for the Annual Scarecrow Festival
Crafts
AND MORE!

We meet approximately every six weeks or so. If you’re interested in joining please contact Mrs. J @ 223-9091 and let her know you want to be a part of this great group!

Irish Dance Party Program

amy — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:26:40 +0000

Over 150 people attended the Irish Dance Program today at the library! What great performers and amazing costumes.

Check out the library’s Facebook page to see the pictures and “like” us for updates and pictures for all of our programs as well as general library information .

Honorable Mention – Rescue Pet Writing Contest – Balto and Togo

Robin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:30:09 +0000

***Editor’s Note: This is the final post for our Rescue Pet Essay contest. It was written by Phoebe Uman, a 6th grader at Calkins Road School in Pittsford. Phoebe loves reading and bracelet-making – and, as you will see from her story, she is also excellent at research.

If you are walking through the paths of Central Park you may stumble across a statue of a dog standing on an outcrop of rocks. This dog is a courageous Siberian Husky who led a dog-sled team through sub-zero degree (Fahrenheit) weather for 53 miles in the dark. This dog is the famous Balto.

Less known is another Siberian Husky named Togo. Togo also led a sled dog team in frigid weather. Togo ran for 91 miles.

Balto and Togo were born and raised in the kennels of Leonhard Seppala. They were always sled dogs and they carried medicine and supplies to the gold miners of Nome. They also carried sick and injured miners fro medical care in Nome. Balto was bigger than Togo, but Seppala always favored Togo as a racer. Balto was favored by Seppala’s assistant , Gunnar Kaasen. Both dogs became heroes during the great serum race of 1925.

During 1925, in Alaska, a deadly epidemic of diphtheria broke out among the children of a small town called Nome. The only known cure for the people was found in Anchorage, which is almost a thousand miles away. The only plane that could take the medicine to Nome had frozen engines and could not fly to Nome. With no other options, officials decided to have a sled dog race to take the cure to the ill children. Over twenty teams of mushers with a total of over 150 dogs participated in the race. The dog who led the last sled team was Balto. The dog who led his team through the roughest terrain for the longest leg of the race was Togo.

Balto got most of the fame because he ran last and was the one who brought the cure into Nome. First, everyone wished to give the credit to Gunnar Kaasen, the musher for Balto’s team, but Kaasen suggested giving Balto attention. At the same time, Togo, the dog who ran the farthest and deserved the most praise, was overlooked by many.

Balto and Kaasen were celebrities after the great race. Balto has a statue in Central Park dedicated to all the dogs that participated in the serum run with him. When Balto and six companions were brought to Cleveland, they were given a hero’s welcome. In 1995 the movie “Balto” was produced. The film was loosely based on the serum run.

Though he was not as famous as Balto, Togo and other dogs on his team went on tour from Washington to California. They attracted huge crowds everywhere they went. They even appeared on a Lucky Strike cigarette campaign. They drove from the steps of city hall through Central Park. Often appeared at Madison Square Garden, where Roald Amundsen awarded Togo a gold medal. After several dog sled races against local Chinooks in New England, Siberian Huskies became very popular in Maine and they were recognized as an official breed by the American Kennel Club. At death, Togo was headline news in the New York Sun Times. Most Siberian Huskies today are relatives of Togo and the dog team.

Balto had a life of luxury right after the race, but his later years were not as great. Balto was neutered at a young age and could not reproduce. George Kimble, former prize fighter, visited the dogs in Los Angeles, and to his surprise found that Balto and the team were unhealthy and badly treated. He worked with the newsppaper The Plain Dealer to bring Balto and the team to Cleveland to be taken to the Brookside Zoo (now the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo) for a better home.

Balto died on March 14th 1933 and his remains were donated to the Cleveland Museum of History. Togo died on December 5, 1926.

During and directly after the race, Balto had quite a bir more fame than Togo, but then was found later an abused dog. Togo was neglected during Balto’s fame, but continued to be an influencing dog until death. Both dogs were great heroes during the great serum race, and throughout their whole life.

Writing Contest – 3rd Place Winner!

Robin — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:43:31 +0000

**Editor’s Note: Amy Frankovich is our 3rd place winner in the Rescue Pets Writing Contest. Amy is a 3rd grader at St. Louis School and loves to read and play cello in her spare time. Amy has never owned a pet, but, as you can tell from this exciting story, she will be a great writer when she grows up!

JULIE, MY CAT RESCUE PET

It all began on a warm and humid summer night. I was asleep in bed, dreaming of becoming a Hollywood rockstar. I did not know much about disasters because my family and I lived in a quiet little town by a small stream.
Suddenly, my cat came into my bedroom and pounced on me. Her name was Julie. Julie had fear in the back of her eyes, telling me something was wrong. I started to pick her up and stroke her, but she wouldn't let me. Julie's eyes darted to the wall next to me. When I saw, I screamed, "Ahh! Fire!"
THE HOUSE WAS BURNING DOWN!
I then realized what Julie had been trying to tell me tonight. We headed to my parents' room, where Mom and Dad were sleeping. "Wake up! Mom! Dad!" I shook them with all my might. "There's a fire in the house!"
Mom said, "You're just dreaming. Go back to bed." But, looking anxious, she followed me back to my room. Once she got a glimpse of the flames, she was frightened. "Go and warn your sister." I couldn't reply. A brief nod of the head, and she knew I understood.
I went to my sisters' room and woke up my little sisters. "Jennifer! Tara! Wake up! Fire! WAKE UP!" I could only talk in fragments because I was so scared. I jumped on them to make sure they were awake.
"Okay, okay, we get it. We have to wake up." said Jennifer groggily as she got out of her bed in her Wonder Woman pajamas. "But who will tell Max?" Max was our brother. "And who will carry Julie?" Tara whispered. (Tara always worried about everything.)
"I'll carry Julie!" I volunteered. "And if you can't decide who will tell Max, it's Jennifer, because she's older and faster."
"Max picks his nose," Jennifer muttered under her breath.
While Jennifer was getting Max, Tara realized something I should have thought about earlier. "How do we get out?"
I tried to stay calm when I told her the plan. I grabbed Julie while Tara searched for openings in the wall.
Just then, Julie jumped down from my arms and growled. She'd found a small hole that she managed to crawl through. It looked too tiny for us to fit through, though. Tara and I looked at each other and knew exactly what we were thinking - It's our only way out. We have to go. I busted some more space in the wall to fit both of us through. The hot metal and wire burned me as I walked through the wall.
"Good luck, " I thought when we got outside. No, it was all Julie. she showed me the flames in my room. She showed us the passageway leading to the front yard. Julie is the best animal in the world!
When we got outside, we were relieved to see the rest of the family waiting for us.
Julie is my hero and I will love her forever.

Writing Contest – 2nd Place Winner!

Robin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:54:51 +0000

**Editor’s note: This is the Second Place Winner in our “Fairport-Literally-Goes to the Dogs” Writing Contest. The author of this essay is Becky Park who is a 3rd grader at Northside Elementary School. She adopted her dog, Buckley, from Lollypop Farm 3 years ago. In her spare time, Becky is a swimmer with FAST. She is also a musician and plays with the Hochstein Youth Orchestra.

Hi my name is Rebecca Park and I am here to talk about the dogs who need a home and help.
I actually got my dog from Lollypop Farm, but when I got there, you could see many dogs that have been abandoned or had diseases or needed help in its body. My wish is to help every dog or animal and stop animal abuse. When the day animal abuse stops, I promise that I will thank everyone who helped make my dream come true.
But even though we take a dog, we have to care for it, love it, and help it. Even my dog has stomach problems so we always take him to the vet once a year.
Also when I go to Lollypop Farm I see mostly pit bulls and no-one to take care of them. I understand that maybe this dog is not your dream dog but you don’t know how special that dog could be. You could even adopt a stubborn dog – maybe like a beagle – because actually I adopted one that is more stubborn than a mule! He is very very sweet but barely exercises. This is one of the things you should remember: to always give the right amount of food and water and exercises.
The day when my dream comes true I will be satisfied but, if it doesn’t, I will never stop trying to make my dream come true. Like my mom always says, my dog will always be my hero.

DEVO by Mia Trovato

Robin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:13:42 +0000

**Editor’s note: This is the winning entry in our “Fairport – Literally – Goes to the Dogs” writing contest. It was written by Mia Trovato, a 5th grader at East Rochester Elementary School. Mia has owned Devo for two years. Her hobbies include swimming and traveling and she has visited China and India.

This is the story of how Devo, my German Shepherd dog (or G.S.D.) came into my life.
Devo was born in a warehouse in New Jersey. The people who had the puppy didn’t want the puppys – so they starved them. The parents were both guard dogs. The pups didn’t get enough of what they needed.
Devo was rescued by an organization called “Big Dogs, Big Hearts”. He was put into foster care. “Big Dogs, Big Hearts” found cardboard, plaster, and metal in the pups poop. Then I came along.
Suddenly, Devo’s life changed. My mom and dad took me to a pet store where the organization had the dogs for adoption. Then I saw him. I went over to him and asked if I could say hello. Soon, I was not leaving his side! I took him to the tiny space of grass between the parking lot and the building and back. My mom and dad looked into him and learned about his awful beginning. I remember saying, “We are not leaving here without him.” So true!
The next day Devo came to my house. My family and his fosters talked. I asked, “Can we keep him?” and they said , “Yes.” It was desided that we would get him forever the next day.
You may have heard of dog nicknames. Well, Devo has TOO many! There are: egg-lifter, pita-puller, poochie puppy, woony-wuppy-wo-wo, wuppy puppy, little handsome pooch, floopy-eared-big-boy (which died out long ago, as he has big, straight, high ears now), baloney-brain, Devo-bandito, and big ears. Devo does “sit”, “down”, “stand”, “wait”, “rest”, “pool”, “car”, “door”, “shoosh”, “swim”, “touch”, “paw”, “come”, “watch”, “heel” and “with-me”. The other command is “find”. Devo goes, finds his treat-filled watever you want him to find, and he brings the whole thing with you (with the treat). You say “show” when he finds it and he puts it in your hand! Before eating it!
Devo has many friends. He goes to the dog park early each morning and plays. He plays with many other friends; he even has a best friend, a Great DAne!
Devo is a great dog – he gives me nothing but love.

Essay Contest Winners!

Robin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:21:35 +0000

We are excited to announce that winners have been selected in our writing contest, “Fairport – Literally – Goes to the Dogs!” First Place was awarded to MIa Trovato for her piece about her dog Devo. Second Place went to Rebecca Park who is very passionate about animal cruelty. Amy Frankovich was given Third Place for her thrilling story about Julie the cat. Honorable Mention was given to Phoebe Uman for her well-written essay about Balto and Togo. Each week through March 6th we will publish one of these essays here so check back for some great reading!

Rochester Amerks Reading Power Play

Robin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:17:25 +0000

This is the last week to get your entries in for the Reading Power Play! Kids in grades K-12 can enter for a prize drawing every time they read a Hat Trick of books (that’s 3 books in everyday language!) Two grand prizes will be awarded, one for a child in grades K-5, and one for a teen in grades 6-12. Each Grand Prize winner will win 6 tickets to the February 11th Amerks game, a catered dinner in the President’s Suite, and a chance to drop the first puck at that game!

Kids in grades 4-8: Enter our writing contest “Fairport – Literally – Goes to the Dogs!”

Robin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:29:49 +0000

The Fairport Public Library and Kathy Porter who blogs
at www.HealingRescueDogs.com are co-sponsoring a contest open to kids in grades 4-8.
Kids in grades 4-8 are invited to write a two-page story or essay about their favorite rescue pet and submit it to the library no later than 9:00 p.m. on January 31st, 2012.

The winning entries will be published in Rochester Woman Magazine’s PetPalooza , On the Fairport Library’s “Kidz Biz” blog, and on the HealingRescueDogs’ blog.

Questions? Call the Fairport Public Library Children’s Room at 223-9091.

The Library now has Electronic Books!

amy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:44:34 +0000

The library has purchased several electronic non-fiction books for children that are accessible from the website either on your computer at home or in the library!

From here, just click on the tab at the top of the page that says: eBooks

Check them out and let us know what you think!