Lorenzo’s Favorites!

¡Hola! Madres and Padres!

Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Lorenzo El Magnífico; please, por favor, just call me by my nickname, Loro. I’ve just perched on your blog to tell you about our growing collection of books in Spanish and English for los niños (boys and girls) at EWML. Did you know that we have bilingual stories in every shape and form: board books, picture books, CD/Book combinations, CDs and DVDs? Best of all, you don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to share them with your niños. Most of the stories have phonetic spellings to help you try out the new words.

I hope you will add “A Piñata in a Pine Tree” by Pat Mora and illustrated by Magaly Morales to your reading list: it’s arrived just in time for the Christmas holidays and you will find it on the holiday display table. What fun! From the first to the twelfth day of Christmas, a secret amiga brings a little girl a piñata in a pine tree, two pastelitos, three tamalitos, four luminarias, etc. With burritos bailando, trompas girando and estrellitas saltando, who could ask for a happier celebration? The ocho (8) pajaritos serenando, are my favorites-of course. But then, a library loro (or parrot, as I’m called in English), would naturally favor eight little serenading birds. ¿Verdad?

Every page of “A Piñata in a Pine Tree” is exciting! There are gifts to discover and to count (phonetic spellings are part of the illustrations). And, ¡Sorpresa! The illustrator has painted a second, very important story that evolves without words in the background of each page. ¡Mira con cuidado! Look carefully, and you’ll discover the little girl’s greatest gift of all. No wonder there are doce angelitos celebrando on the twelfth day of Christmas! It’s my favorite new Christmas story. Hope you like it, too!

¡Felicidades!
Lorenzo

Learning to Read-You Need Background Knowledge

Hello Parents!

I was just sent this video from a library list-serve, and it's so worth watching! If you want to improve your child's reading scores, you might try working with them at home on background knowledge (aka, exploring the world around them)! This video is about 9 minutes long, but you will come away with more knowledge about how to help your children than before. Don't miss it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc&feature=player_embedded

Best,
Adrienne Wilson
Children's Librarian

Ask to Post to This Blog

Hello Parents!

I'm going to do something new! I'm asking anyone who would like to contribute to our blog, to email me at awilson@ewml.org. I'd like to make this blog a one stop shop for information for Parents in Monroe, CT. It would be great to have a place to go, that we all share, and can post to. Email me, and I will invite you to become an author on this blog!

Best,
Adrienne
Children's Librarian

Tri-Town Knit for Charity

Just trying to get the word out about this program! You are invited to come and knit for charity in our Children's Craft room. All ages invited. You do need to know how to knit. We are asking people to knit hats and scarves for Monroe Social Services.

Every Friday from 2:00-4:45 PM in the Library Craft Room through Dec. 18.
Tea and Cookies Served as well.
Free Yarn and Pattern Exchange!
Meet new people and fellow knitters.
Come with your child if you both knit!

Thank you for your help!

-Children's Librarian

H1N1 News

Looking for a one-stop shop on all the info for the H1N1 Flu information? Our library has it! Please see here: http://www.ewml.org/webguide/health.htm

Stay Well!

-Adrienne

Do You Use Our Parenting Web Page?

We have a webpage soley for parents. This is it: http://www.ewml.org/jparents.htm. Do you use this page? Have you ever used this page? I'm thinking about intergrating these links into this blog, and removing the page altogether. Any comments, ideas or suggestions?

Information You Can Use!

As we are bombarded with more and more information daily, it becomes difficult to weed through what might be helpful, and what might just be a waste of our time. I'm hoping that we (librarians and the libraries that we serve) can help you do that-weed through the information-to get you what you truly need.

In addition, sometimes we forget about resources out there that are really helpful. I was reminded of one today, and wanted to share!

Did you know that the US Government has an entire database devoted to parents and parenting issues? It covers a variety of topics including but not limited to: nutrition, childcare, health, youth employment, literacy, adoption and expecting parents. The amount of information is really astonishing and thorough. Also, there's links to free databases, activity sheets, handbooks, guides, grants, financial aid and many other resources.

Here's the link: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Parents.shtml

I hope you find it helpful! Let me know. Also, if you have a particular website that helps you out alot, and you want to share it with everyone-leave a comment on this blog!

-Adrienne, Children's Librarian

School is Just Around the Corner

Hi Parents,

School starts soon, and I know you are all getting ready for it. Don't forget that the library has the school summer reading lists still out. If your child needed to get some reading in before school, there is still time. The lists can also be found here: http://www.monroeps.org/summerreading.aspx

Just wanted to remind you all, that the library is a great place to do homework! Especially, from home. That's right, we have online databases that your kids can use to do research/homework. What makes these sites better than just "googling" your information? They are guaranteed authoritative sources, and they are invisible on the "regular web". That means that not just anyone can get to these resources. You have to go through your library's website.

Check out our research page for kids: http://www.ewml.org/jdatabases.htm

We also have more databases here: http://www.ewml.org/databases.htm , but they are geared more for adults.

Hope this helps!

Best,
AW
Children's Librarian.

Changing our Format

Well, since we weren't getting too many kids saying they were reading our blog, we thought we would change the premise. Welcome to the new parents blog! We (I) hope to post as much new information as I can about the latest and the greatest as it is know to us. We hope to also post the newest acquistions that we've read and loved. We'll see how this goes! Stay tuned.

Mid-Way-Through-Summer!

OK kiddies! It's mid-way through summer, how is your reading going? Have you claimed all seven of your prizes yet? Have you turned in your goal sheet yet? Keep on reading, even if you have passed your goal! You might win one of our top reader prizes!

We are very excited about many of the programs that are still to come this summer-including our Lego Building Contest. Can't wait for that.

The summer reading program ends on Wednesday, August 11. August 12 is our summer reading picnic on the town green -complete with Rita's Ice for dessert. Don't miss it!

-AW
Children's Librarian

Summer Reading @ The Library

If you haven't checked it out already, our Summer Reading Program will begin Friday, June 26! We are having a gianormous kick-off party called Chalk It Up. Don't miss it. You get to decorate the sidewalk all around the library with sidewalk chalk.

Also! The offical summer reading book for 4th-6th graders is Masterpiece by Elise Broach. She will be here at the library on July 14 @ 7PM. You can sign up to be part of her book discussion on our programs page. Only 20 spots available!

-Chat with you soon bloggers!
AW-Children's Librarian

Last Olympian Movie

Oh boy kiddos! The Lightning Thief series is going to be made into a movie! Next Feb it comes out! Are you excited! I am!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/

Check out the link above for details~!

39 Clues

Update: 1/30/09- I finished The Maze of Bones. And it was pretty good. I think I'll go onto the second book.

I'm curious to know if anyone is reading the 39 Clues and what they think about this book? I'm in the middle of the Maze of Bones, Book 1 and I'm having a hard time staying focused on it. I did go to the website and played some of the games. They are cool and fun. If I started a 39 Clues Book Club at the library-would you come?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Sooo.....who is reading the Percy Jackson Series? What have you thought of each book so far? Did you know that a guide to this series The Demi God Files comes out this February? Also, the last book in the Series-The Olympian will come out this May 2009. I think we should have a book release party at the library-and give away copies. How does that sound? Would you come to that? Give me your thoughts and ideas about all of this!

http://www.percyjacksonbooks.com/ -Here is the link to the series website!

-Yours Truly

AW the Children's Librarian

INKHEART MOVIE TICKET WINNER!

We want to congratulate Dhexplorer for putting his comment about the book Inkheart on our blog! He is our lucky winner of the movie tickets! Way to go DH! We are so happy that you liked the book. Please let us know how the movie was!

People are posting for INKHEART!

We'll people-I'm so excited that we are starting to get some posts for Inkheart Contest! I was afraid I was going to have to skip the contest. You're odds of winning are really good right now! So comment on this great book! Thanks for commenting JTH & Dhexplorer!