Get Creative- Week #1 Photos

Our "Get Creative with Reading" activity table included a word search page, salt bag alphabet tracing, and a newspaper scrap sensory bin with cube letters.

We searched for hidden alphabet letters, then folded down the matching plate tabs.

Searching for letters at one of the branches.

For our craft, we made crazy hair bookmarks!

A sampling of the finished product (we even had a pirate in the mix!)!

And of course, Anna and Elsa had to migrate into the frame as well!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Get Creative- Week #1

Spring Story Time (Week #1)
Weekly Theme: Get Creative... with Reading!

Books: A Few Blocks by Cybele Young, Mr. Katapat's Incredible Adventures by Stephane Barroux, I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel, No T-Rex in the Library by Toni Buzzeo

Activity: paper plate letter search game

Craft: crazy hair bookmarks

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

Keep reading!

Shaen

Spring Story Time 2014: Get Creative!

Spring 2014 Story Time is almost here!  Beginning Monday, February 24th, Pat and I will be visiting Ozark Regional's eight library branches with a box full of supplies- hello to ten weeks of stories, music, games, activity tables, and craft projects!  Some things to look forward to: making crazy hair bookmarks in week one, having a cotton ball “cloud” race in week five, painting with magnets in week six, and reading If I Had a Robot in week ten!

You can find a complete story time schedule in the left-hand column of this blog or at the library's website under the "Programs and Events" tab.  If you're more of a paper person, you can also stop by your local library in person to pick up a colorful, printed calendar of events.

Join us for Spring Story Time as we get creative with the arts!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Award Picks (Newbery 2014 Version)

Spring Story Time starts up the week of February 24, but until then, we'll be updating the blog with some recommended reading lists.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled: if you see a blue asterisk next to a suggested book, that means that that title is a patron favorite! Would you like to suggest a book for our recommended reading lists?  Just shoot us an email in the Youth Department!  We'd love to hear from you!

Check out these recommended books from the Newbery Award list (Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures was the 2014 winner!), soon to be on the shelves at Ozark Regional Library!

Cover images and summaries from Goodreads.

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo- A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K.G. Campbell.

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes- When Billy Miller has a mishap at the statue of the Jolly Green Giant at the end of summer vacation, he ends up with a big lump on his head. What a way to start second grade, with a lump on your head! As the year goes by, though, Billy figures out how to navigate elementary school, how to appreciate his little sister, and how to be a more grown up and responsible member of the family and a help to his busy working mom and stay-at-home dad. Newbery Honor author and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes delivers a short, satisfying, laugh-out-loud-funny school and family story that features a diorama homework assignment, a school poetry slam, cancelled sleepovers, and epic sibling temper tantrums. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white art by the author, this is a perfect short novel for the early elementary grades.
  

Keep reading!

Shaen

Valentine's Program Photos

Yesterday's Valentine's program at the Ironton Headquarters was tons of fun!  Participants sampled heart-healthy snacks (plus a few sweet conversation heart candies... it IS Valentine's, after all!) and crafted sweet gifts to give to family and friends, including scented bath salts, handmade cards, and Valentine's fridge magnets.  Thanks to photographer, Susan Kline, for the wonderful photos, Naomi and Harley Allen (plus baby Xander!) for the bath salts station, and Melissa Miles McCarter for the handmade cards station (and for sparking the whole collaboration!).

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Shaen

Reminder: Valentine's Program at the Ironton Library TOMORROW!

Get ready for Valentine's Day with our upcoming afterschool program, perfect for all the little sweeties in your family!  The program will be held at the Ironton Public Library on Thursday, February 13, at 3:30 pm in the conference room.  We'll get geared up for the holiday with a heart-warming story, cute crafts, food, and lots of fun!  This program is great for families to attend together, and is open to all age ranges.  Hope to see you there!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Award Picks (Caldecott 2014 Version)

Spring Story Time starts up the week of February 24, but until then, we'll be updating the blog with some recommended reading lists.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled: if you see a blue asterisk next to a suggested book, that means that that title is a patron favorite! Would you like to suggest a book for our recommended reading lists?  Just shoot us an email in the Youth Department!  We'd love to hear from you!

Check out these recommended books from the Caldecott Award list (Locomotive was the 2014 winner!), soon to be on the shelves at Ozark Regional Library!

Cover images and summaries from Goodreads.

Locomotive by Brian Floca- It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.  Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

Journey by Aaron Becker- A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.

My Wuffles by David Wiesner- In a near wordless masterpiece that could only have been devised by David Wiesner, a cat named Mr. Wuffles doesn't care about toy mice or toy goldfish. He’s much more interested in playing with a little spaceship full of actual aliens—but the ship wasn't designed for this kind of rough treatment. Between motion sickness and damaged equipment, the aliens are in deep trouble. When the space visitors dodge the cat and take shelter behind the radiator to repair the damage, they make a host of insect friends. The result? A humorous exploration of cooperation between aliens and insects, and of the universal nature of communication involving symbols, “cave” paintings, and gestures of friendship.
  

Keep reading!

Shaen

Nonfiction Picks

Spring Story Time starts up the week of February 24, but until then, we'll be updating the blog with some recommended reading lists.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled: if you see a blue asterisk next to a suggested book, that means that that title is a patron favorite! Would you like to suggest a book for our recommended reading lists?  Just shoot us an email in the Youth Department!  We'd love to hear from you!

Check out these recommended nonfiction books, now on the shelves at Ozark Regional Library!

Cover images and summaries from Goodreads.

Martin and Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney- On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. Told through Andrea Davis Pinkney's poetic prose and Brian Pinkney's evocative illustration, the stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side -- as they would one day walk- following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical event when they united as one and inspiring kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right.

Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled by Catherine Thimmesh- No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their flesh was scaly or feathered? Could that fierce T.rex have been born with spots? In a first for young readers, the Sibert medalist Catherine Thimmesh introduces the incredible talents of the paleoartist, whose work reanimates gone-but-never-forgotten dinosaurs in giant full-color paintings that are as strikingly beautiful as they aim to be scientifically accurate, down to the smallest detail. Follow a paleoartist through the scientific process of ascertaining the appearance of various dinosaurs from millions of years ago to learn how science, art, and imagination combine to bring us face-to-face with the past.

Eye: How It Works by David Macaulay and Sheila Keenan- How can you see that your shirt is on inside out? How do you see the soccer ball coming right at you? How do you know which players are on your team? It all starts with light--and with the amazing human eye. With his unique blend of informative text and illustration, David Macaulay shows how this extraordinary organ works to capture light and send signals to our brains. Joining Castle, Jet Plane, and Toilet, here's another illuminating nonfiction story for newly independent readers.
  

Keep reading!

Shaen

A Sweet Valentine's Program at Ozark Regional Library!

Get ready for Valentine's Day with our upcoming afterschool program, perfect for all the little sweeties in your family!  The program will be held in partnership with the Chamber and several other community organizations at the Ironton Public Library on Thursday, February 13, at 3:30 pm in the conference room.  We'll get geared up for the holiday with a heart-warming story, cute crafts, food, and lots of fun!  This program is great for families to attend together, and is open to all age ranges.  Hope to see you there!

Keep reading!

Shaen

Juvenile Fiction Picks (Popular Authors)

Spring Story Time starts up the week of February 24, but until then, we'll be updating the blog with some recommended reading lists.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled: if you see a blue asterisk next to a suggested book, that means that that title is a patron favorite! Would you like to suggest a book for our recommended reading lists?  Just shoot us an email in the Youth Department!  We'd love to hear from you!

Check out these recommended juvenile fiction reads by popular authors, now on the shelves at Ozark Regional Library!

Cover images and summaries from Goodreads.

The Treasure of Way Down Deep by Ruth White- In 1954, when mine closings bring an economic crisis to Way Down Deep, West Virginia, foundling Ruby Jolene Hurley makes a thirteenth-birthday wish to find the treasure rumored to have been buried by one of the town's founders.

The Hostage Prince by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple- Snail and Prince Aspen are unlikely companions. Snail is a midwife's apprentice; Aspen is a prince held hostage to prevent a war. Due to a series of misunderstandings, the two find themselves on the run, having adventure after mishap after scary, fast-paced escape. When they reach Aspen's kingdom, they learn to their horror that their actions have divided the country and plunged it into violence. Every minute counts: it is time for Snail and Aspen to figure out a way to stop the building war—together. 

Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko- Alcatraz Island in the 1930s isn't the most normal place to grow up, but it's home for Moose Flanagan, his autistic sister, Natalie, and all the families of the guards. When Moose's dad gets promoted to Associate Warden, despite being an unlikely candidate, it's a big deal. But the cons have a point system for targeting prison employees, and his dad is now in serious danger. After a fire starts in the Flanagan's apartment, Natalie is blamed, and Moose bands with the other kids to track down the possible arsonist. Then Moose gets a cryptic note from the notorious Al Capone himself. Is Capone trying to protect Moose's dad too? If Moose can't figure out what Capone's note means, it may be too late.
  

Keep reading!

Shaen