Do You Know Mo?

One of my absolute favorite children's author/illustrator is Mo Willems.  You may be familiar with his Pigeon books, but don't miss out on some of his other fantastic offerings! 

  Leonardo, the Terrible Monster          Elephant and Piggie


  Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct


  Knuffle Bunny, a Cautionary Tale     City Dog, Country Frog


  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus                                                                                                              

Find a babysitter!!

It's time to find a babysitter and tell hubby it's date night!  Join us for a Mystery Dinner Theatre fundraiser for the library.    http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=tmii4ejab&oeidk=a07e5o1o96v301c6d03

Different and the Same

When kids come into the library, they love to find books with characters that reflect themselves.  It's important for children to find themselves in books, but it's equally, if not more important, for them to discover others.  We know what children learn from reading:  increased vocabulary, early learning skills and an imagination.  We also need to recognize that children learn empathy from reading about experiences different from their own. 

Check out some of these terrific titles to open up your little one's world.

   A New Year's Reunion      Back of the Bus


  I'm Adopted!                        This is Paris

  The Dreamer                        The Day of Ahmed's Secret

Internet Public Library

With the bazillions of websites out there, it's really quite difficult for parents to ensure that they are directing their child to safe and educational resources.  Check out the Internet Public Library for information on the best of the best for your little learner!

Internet Public Library

Book Bundles!

We've just made it super easy to pick up books for your kids!  Visit our library and pick up a Book Bundle that matches your child's interests.  We have bundles on  dinosaurs, trains, fairy tales, animals and tons more.  Each bundle includes a stack of books and 2 dvd's that you can grab and go!

April Program Bonanza!

This may sound very un-librarian-like, but I don't feel comfortable when the library is quiet.  Being in the children's department, I'm used to laughing, talking and often noisy children.  That's where I'm comfortable.  Therefore, I don't enjoy a lot of downtime!  In order to make sure that the library is a lively, jovial place, I like to pack in the programs.  We have a storytime or children's program nearly every day of the week.  Each month, we have special programs for children and this April is no exception. 

On April 5th, we're having the folks from Gateway to the Arts perform a storytime program of Eric Carle's Head to Toe.  Being a huge Carle fan, I am really looking forward to this one!  April 11th will bring our monthly Reading With Ruby the Dog!  On April 22nd we will have our monthly Lego Club meeting and on April 26th we will have our monthly Books 'N Cooks meeting.  This has turned out to be a really successful bookclub for the elementary crowd in which we talk about our featured title, have fun with some related activities and then cook up something yummy!  Last month we made fruit kabobs with sweet yogurt dip...delicious!  On April 28th, Miss Beth has some gooey fun in store with our Super Sloppy Saturday Science Club!  And finally, we will wrap up the month with a visit from the Queen of Hearts on April 29th.

I think I have the noisy library thing covered!

Get Your Battle On

Tonight is the 21st Annual 5th grade Battle of the Books Tournament.  Each year teams from Moon Area and Rhema schools compete against one another in this literary event.  Children form teams of five and read a total of 15 books chosen by school and public librarians.  This year we have an amazing assortment of titles including a few classic loved books and brand new favorites.  Over several months they study these books and prepare their teams for battle.  Tonight these teams will go head-to-head in 3 trivia battle rounds to see who is the most well-read team in Moon Township.  The Battle of the Books has been a radically popular and successful program for the last two decades.  Children voluntarily sign up to read these books and work as a team.  This year we have 28 teams competing for the title.  In today's world where books are often overlooked in favor of video games, iPods and the like, it thrills me to see so many kids participating and getting so excited over reading!