Human Candy Land

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Human Candy Land program was a blast. Board games are so much better when they're life-size! Take a look at the pictures from this deliciously fun program below.

Books to Look Forward to in 2010

Saturday, December 26, 2009

2009 is coming to a close and a new year means new books! Here's a few of the books we can't wait to read in 2010:

Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale. This sequel to the graphic novel, Rapunzel's Revenge will be out in January 2010.






Lord Sunday by Garth Nix. We're excited that the final book in the Key to the Kingdom series will be realeased in March 2010.



We the Children: Keepers of the School by Andrew Clements. We loved Frindle and everything else by Andrew Clements and we can't wait for his next book. This one's due out in April 2010.







The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Jules Feiffer. One of our favorite authors combined with one of our favorite illustrators! How could we not be excited by this book about a princess who longs to escape from her royal life? It's due to be released in April 2010.



Happy New Year! May 2010 bring you lots of good fortune and good books!

Snow Books

Monday, December 21, 2009

We were inspired by all this snowfall to think about our favorite books about snow. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats in a favorite, so much so that we currently have our window decorated with a scene from that book. We also love Snow by Uri Shulevitz, Snow Day by Komako Sakai, Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, and Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. Do you have a favorite snow book? Share your list of favorites with us!

The Horn Book puts in their two cents...

It looks like everyone is counting down to the end of the year. The Horn Book's choices for the best books of 2009 can be found here.

And just to make sure you didn't miss any great books this year...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

For those of you still looking for book suggestions check out The Best Children's Books of 2009 from Kirkus Reviews. Speaking of Kirkus, this will be its very last listing of best children's books. We are very sad to hear of its closing. It was a publication well used by all of us.

Storytime Book List

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Week of 12/7/09 -- 12/11/09

Tales For Two's and Three's:
Where the Giant Sleeps by Mem Fox, illustrated by Vladimir Radunksy
The Baby BeeBee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis, illustrated by Alison Jay

Fun for Four's and Five's:
Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop Up by Robert Sabuda
The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kaaza
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

Book Pairings: How to give the perfect holiday gift.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

We were really inspired by the 105 Ways To Give A Book post over at MotherReader in which she pairs books with a corresponding gift. The book/gift pairings in that post made us start to think of our own book matches. It was a challenge! Here are some holiday gift ideas from the youth services staff:

Picture Books
1. Pair The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney with a knot tying kit like this one.
2. Give Scribble by Deborah Freedman with a pad of drawing paper and crayons.
3. Give Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney with a pair of red pajamas.
4. Pair The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza by Philemon Sturges with a play pizza set like this one.
5. Match Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy with a bottle of bubble solution (of course!) or a pack of bubble gum.
6. Give Kid Tea by Elizabeth Ficocelli and match it with some bath toys like Crayola Bathtub Crayons.
7. Pair Wiggle by Doreen Cronin with a hula hoop for wiggly fun.
8. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and a stuffed bear.
9. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats with a new snow hat and gloves.
10. Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel or (or any pirate themed book really) and a model pirate ship like this one or pirate gear like this.
11. Harry and Horsie by Katie Van Camp and this Radio Flyer Retro Rocket that matches the wonderfully retro illustrations.
12. Pair Bark, George by Jules Feiffer with a new puppy. (Just kidding!)

Easy Readers
1. Pair Mo Willem’s I Love My New Toy with a windup toy or an old fashioned top.
2. Pair any of the Fly Guy books by Tedd Arnold with those fake flies you can get as gag gifts. Add a butterfly net or bug catcher for a great gift for budding scientists.
3. Give Bones and the Math Test Mystery (or any of the Bones or Cam Jansen books) by David Adler with a detective set.
4. Give Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman and a cowgirl hat.
5. Match the classic Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman with a toy car.
7. Fred and Ted Go Camping by Peter Eastman paired with a play tent.

Chapter Books
1. Give Flush by Carl Hiaasen with a fishing pole or a plastic alligator.
2. Give A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban with some funky striped toe socks.
3. Match a book from the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman with a new backpack or pencil case.
4. A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman paired with a few packs of baseball cards, or tickets to Phillies game, or baseball glove.
5. All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall (the characters father is an Elvis impersonator) paired with a music CD.
6. Saffy's Angel by Hillary McKay paired with a paint set and paper
7. Dessert First by Hallie Durand paired with a ice cream sundae kit, or gift card to Friendlys
8. Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers by Megan McDonald and a new pair of sneakers
9. Neil Armstrong is my Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty told me by Nan Marino paired with a telescope.
10. My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald with a makeup kit or a gift certificate for a facial.

Nonfiction
1. Pair Moonshot by Brian Floca with astronaut ice cream.
2. Pair Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins with passes to the local zoo.
3. Pair Fairy Tale Feasts: a Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen with a mixing bowl and some kid friendly measuring cups.


We're just getting started and we promise to post more book pairings as we come up with them. Please feel free to comment and add to the list with your own ideas!

Storytime Book List

Week of 11/30/09 -- 12/4/09

Tales For Two's and Three's:
Big Sister, Little Sister by LeUyen Pham
My Brother by Anthony Browne
The Wildest Brother by Cornelia Funke

Fun for Four's and Five's:
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
Night Lights by Susan Gal
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis
 
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