The Four Seasons- Week #2 Photos

Getting crafty with birds' nests at
our Steelville branch.

Several entries from our
Ste. Genevieve branch.  Check
out that crafty fox in the bottom
left corner- he showed up
in our Hungry Hen book, too!



Keep reading!

Shaen

The Four Seasons- Week #2

Fall Story Time (Week #2)
Weekly Theme: Spring (All About Birds)

Icebreaker: learned Two Little Blackbirds rhyming fingerplay

Books: Hungry Hen by Richard Waring and Caroline Jayne Church, Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri

Activity: searched for "crows in the corn"

Craft: paper-plate bird nests

Pictures of the second week of story time are up in the next post, so... 

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Four Seasons- Week #1 Photos

Two of our book choices.





"Lost" clouds from our cloud hunt game.

 


Putting glue on our dragonfly wings.





Twig-&-glitter dragonflies!



 

 

Some of our cute kiddos at one of the branches.





Keep reading!

Shaen

The Four Seasons- Week #1

Fall Story Time (Week #1)
Weekly Theme: Spring (All About Weather)

Icebreaker: talked about different kinds of weather, rain activity with cotton ball clouds and glass of water

Books: It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, Little Cloud by Eric Carle, and Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

Activity: lost cloud hunt

Craft: twig-&-glitter dragonflies

Pictures of the first week of story time are up in the next post, so... 

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Four Seasons- It's Fall Story Time at Ozark Regional Library!

Well, it's officially autumn at the library, regardless of what the calendar says, because today kicked off the first day of Toddler/Preschool Story Time!

Our theme this fall is The Four Seasons, and each week, I'll be visiting 10-15 regional libraries, daycares, and preschool centers with a box full of supplies- hello to ten weeks of stories, songs, games, science experiments, and craft projects- and more glitter and glue than you can shake a stick at!  Some things to look forward to: crafting a mossy bird's nest in week two, making foil-print flags in week four, and painting with watercolor ice cubes in week nine.

You can find a complete story time schedule at the library's website under the "Programs and Events" tab, or you can stop by your local library in person to pick up a colorful, printed brochure.

Stay tuned for pictures from our first week of fall story time!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Modern Classics Picks

So maybe you’re not interested in breaking out a tome like Great Expectations yet, but you still want to read some books that have passed the test of time.  Give one of these modern (and fun) classics a spin:

Cover images
from Goodreads.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo- An illustrated fairy tale tells the adventures of mouse Despereaux Tilling and his two associates, Roscuro the rat and Miggery Sow, who happen upon a journey together to a castle where their destiny awaits.

The Silver Crown by Robert C. O'Brien- On her tenth birthday, Ellen wakes up to find a silver crown on her pillow; a few minutes later her house burns up, her parents disappear, and she is launched on an adventure involving a trek through the woods, a castle full of brainwashed captives, and the powerful Hieronymus Machine, which wants her crown.

A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle- Struggling to confront her grandfather's impending death, sixteen-year-old Vicky Austin finds herself the center of attention for three young men, and, when the inevitable crisis comes, she must rely on the love of others to overcome her grief.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech- After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route, and Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

Keep reading!

Shaen

Humor Picks

Looking for something light to read?  Choose one of these books, and laugh your way through:

Cover images
from Goodreads.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts- When Rafe Kane enters middle school, he teams up with his best friend, "Leo the Silent," to create a game to make school more fun by trying to break every rule in the school's code of conduct.  *Librarian's tip: You might not want to follow Rafe's example :P

Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl by Daniel Pinkwater- Possessing cat eyes and whiskers, Big Audrey embarks on a journey to the mysterious world of Poughkeepsie, New York, where she and a companion search for another cat girl while sharing a series of quirky adventures.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas- As three dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, and Ted, are demonstrating how much they love to rhyme, a fourth, Bob, is trying to warn them of approaching danger.

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey- George Beard and Harold Hutchins are two amazing kids! Not only did they create Captain Underpants, but they've saved the world five times! Now they bring you an all new superhero who's faster than a speeding stroller, and more powerful than a diaper rash - meet Super Diaper Baby.

Keep reading!

Shaen

Sports Picks

A new school year has started, and with it, comes a new season of sports.  So whether you toss around a football or head to the batting cage in your spare time, we've got a book that's just your speed.

Cover images
from Goodreaeds.

Football: How It Works by Agnieszka Biskup- Describes the science behind the sport of football, including offense, defense, special teams, and arenas.

Roberto and Me by Dan Gutman- Stosh travels back to 1969 to try to prevent the untimely death of Roberto Clemente, a legendary baseball player and humanitarian, and returns to meet his own great-grandson, who takes him into a future more shocking than the past.

Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics by Sue Macy with a forward by Peggy Fleming- Bright photos capture the excitement and drama of the diverse sports of the Winter Olympics with detailed stories on historical victories, great matches, and other memorable moments, such as the Jamaican bobsled team and the Soviet-American hockey match.

The Batboy by Mike Lupica- Even though his mother feels baseball ruined her marriage to his father, she allows fourteen-year-old Brian to become a bat boy for the Detroit Tigers, who have just drafted his favorite player back onto the team.

Keep reading!

Shaen

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

In memory of September 11th and all that date has come to symbolize for our nation, pick up a copy of Mordicai Gerstein's beautiful and uplifting Caldecott-winning picture book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. 

Cover image
from Goodreads.

The story focuses on French aerialist Philippe Petit, who astouded audiences in 1974 with a daring high wire act strung between the Twin Towers.  The image of the intact New York skyline and Petit's elegant act of courage are certain to resonate with readers.

Shaen

And the Facebook Trend Continues...

The Ironton Headquarters of the Ozark Regional Library system has its own Facebook page now, too!  "Like" us to receive up-to-date info in your Facebook news feed about all things library!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Graphic Novel Picks

We only have a few more book "Pick Lists" until Fall Story Time starts on September 19, and today, we're featuring graphic novels.  If your taste in reading runs more toward comic books or magazines, try one of these great graphic novels that combine punchy text with lots of paneled illustrations.  Bonus: even if you're not a fast reader, I bet you can polish off one of these books in an afternoon!  All book summaries below are from Baker and Taylor.

Cover images
from Goodreads.

Babymouse: Our Hero by Jennifer and Matthew Holm- Babymouse, an imaginative young mouse is terrified to face her enemy in dodgeball, but with the help of her best friend Wilson and support from her mother, she not only plays the game, she proves herself a hero.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick- When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Out From Boneland by Jeff Smith- The adventure starts when cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are run out of Boneville and later get separated and lost in the wilderness, meeting monsters and making friends as they attempt to return home.

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson- Follows the adventures of three mice who are part of the Mouse Guard--soldiers and guides for common mice looking to journey from one hidden mouse village to another--and their quest to uncover a traitorous plot against the Guard.



Keep reading!

Shaen

Quotability #3

So, here's a simple question for the day (or maybe not so simple if you really love to read!)... what's your favorite line from a book?  I've been reading lots of picture books lately, trying to narrow down the list of options for fall storytime, and here's the best line I've run across yet:

"On Thursday, when Imogene woke up, she found she had grown antlers." --Imogene's Antlers by David Small

So, what's your favorite book quote?  It can be from any book- children's, teen, or adult- just be sure to credit who said the line and what book it's from so others can track the title down if they want.  Click on the "Comments" button to leave your line!

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Shaen

We're on Facebook!

All sorts of fun, technological things are happening lately at the library.  Our newest announcement: the Fredericktown branch of Ozark Regional Library has a Facebook page!  So, if you're from the Fredericktown area and want to keep in the know about author visits, story time programs, and more, be sure to go our new Facebook page and click on the "Like" button to receive library updates in your news feed. 



Image of our Fredericktown
Facebook page.



Keep reading!

Shaen

2012-13 Preliminary MASL Award Nominees!

Ooh, awards books.  These aren't dusty lists of titles that nobody wants to read.  These are books you can't help but read, with amazing writing and zippy plots.  These are books that take place in outer space, in an American high school, under the ocean. These are books about adventure and mystery and humor.  These are the 2012-13 Readers Award Preliminary Nominees*...

Check out the Show Me nominees for some great picture book recommendations for kids in grades 1-3. 

Check out the Mark Twain nominees to see some reading recommendations for kids in grades 4-6.

Check out the Truman nominees for some great book picks for middle schoolers, grades 6-8.  I served on the Truman Committee for the 2010-11 school years.  A couple of my favorites off of this list: Dark Life by Kat Falls, about teens Ty and Gemma who live in a futuristic and dangerous undersea world & Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings, about high schooler Natalie who loses her vision due to a degenerative eye disease but triumphs despite adversity.

Check out the Gateway nominees for some recommendations for the high school set, grades 9-12. 

*All Readers Award lists mentioned in this post are sponsored by MASL, the Missouri Association of School Librarians.

Keep reading!
Shaen

Science Fiction Picks

Are you always wondering "what if?"  If your curiosity is sparked by reading about other worlds, alternate realities, and the future, these sci-fi choices might just be up your alley.  Tip: if your library's copy isn't on the shelf, ask the front desk librarian to fill out a request slip for you, and we'll have it sent from another one of our libraries.

Cover images
from Goodreads.

Keep reading!

Shaen

Family Cupcake Throwdown!

You've voted, and we've heard!  Our next tween program at the Ironton Library is... (drumroll, please)...



Image from Dreamstime.



A FAMILY CUPCAKE THROWDOWN!!!

Join us on Monday, September 26 from 4-5 pm at the Ironton Library for a sweet dessert-decorating contest for kids ages 8-12 and their families.  The library will provide unfrosted cupcakes and all sorts of fun stuff to fancy them up with: sprinkles, chocolate chips, gumdrops.  Contestants will have ten minutes to decorate their cupcake, which will then be judged on presentation and originality by our panel of library judges. 

We'll also make some cool crafts and hear booktalks on great new titles that are perfect for the preteen set.

The program is free, but remember, registration is required so that we can make sure to have enough supplies for everyone participating.  You can register by calling the Ironton Library at 546-2615 or by emailing me at ozarkregionallibraryyouth@gmail.com with your first and last name and phone number. 

Keep reading!

Shaen