Before You Were Here, Mi Amor

Expecting a new member of the family? Check out the new book Before You Were Here, Mi Amor by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Santiago Cohen to read to the expectant siblings. This beautiful story of a family expecting a third child is full of wishes for the new baby. The warm illustrations express the family's love and the text is a hug you can hear with Spanish words expertly woven throughout.

For more titles check out our New Babies booklist or check out our Spanish Words in English Language Children's Books booklist.

Hey, Look At This!

Shark Adventures

Kids and grown-ups are fascinated with the world of SHARKS! Join us this Saturday, February 27 at 2:00 for SHARK stories, a special guest, and crafts. We'll explore real facts about SHARKS and we'll laugh out loud at make believe SHARK adventures.

Happy Birthday Wilhelm Grimm!

On this day in 1786 Wilhelm Grimm was born. During his lifetime Wilhelm would, with the help of his brother Jakob, collect German folklore. The stories that the Grimm Brothers collected have been read and loved by generations.

Check out this beautiful copy of Household Stories from the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Lucy and Walter Crane. This book from 1922 is available to read at the Internet Archive. You can also download it and read it on your ebook reader. Oh yeah, and access is FREE!

Scream and Run Away!

I am extremely disturbed by everything produced by the repellent Lemony Snicket. This hideous video filled me with hopelessness and despair. Please don't watch it. It includes rare footage of the awful author, so you know that you really don't want to see it; his image is worrisome. And don't visit this website to find more ominous content. Don't. Please.

The Winter Olympics and Teachable Moments

If you've been watching the Winter Olympics with your family, you may have had some great questions from your kids, like...where's Vancouver?








....what's curling?










...how can I learn more about Apolo Ohno?











A GREAT place to learn the answers to these questions...and more...is right here at the Library! There are so many books for kids of all ages about countries, sports, and cultures. The Olympics only happen every few years, but your Library is here for you almost every day -
take advantage of it!

Get the conversation going...

A uniquely charming book of questions and possibilities to get
kids laughing, thinking, talking, drawing, writing and exploring the world.
The open ended questions are accompanied with whimsical illustrations.

"Could you imagine waking up one morning as a baby again?"

"What sort of animal would you like to be?"

"What would you like to do when you are bigger?"

Homeschoolers' Tour of the Rare Book Room

Have you ever wondered what is kept behind lock and key in the Rare Book Room of the Allen County Public Library?

Maybe it's some papyrus from the 9th or 10th century.

Maybe it's an original letter signed by General Anthony Wayne. -->

Kids in 3rd through 6th grade -- and their families -- are invited to join us on Monday, February 22nd at 2:00 for a look at some of the items kept in this special climate-controlled, temperature-controlled room.

What do YOU think you'll find?

ACPL LEGO CLUB

We have so much fun during LEGO club at the Main Library!

If you are a kid who loves LEGOS and

you are between five and twelve years of age ~ Come join us!
Tuesday, April 20th
3:30pm-5:00pm

Animal Tracks

If there's snow around your house, chances are good that you may find some tracks in the snow. Can you tell what animals may have been there by looking at their paw prints or tracks? Feel free to visit us at the Library to find a book on identifying animals by their tracks.

In the meantime, you may want to check out this online guide from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Happy Tracking!

February is "Bake for Family Fun" Month!

Why not stop by the Library and pick up some cookbooks from our collection? We have a great variety of baking books for children.


Cooking and baking with children can be a great way to reinforce reading and math skills, as well as a fun family activity.

Happy Baking!

Spotz at the Library for Story Time!

St. Joseph Regional Burn Center and the Fort Wayne Fire Department came to our Smart Start Storytime last Wednesday. The nice nurses talked to the children about fire safety and a Fort Wayne Firefighter taught us to "stay away from hot stuff!". It was a great surprise when Spotz came and showed us how to "Stop, Drop and Roll"! A great time was had by all!

World Math Day

1 + 1 = FUN!

Join World Math Day and help break a world record! Last year 2 million students from over 200 countries participated in the event. This math event is for students ages 5 to 18 and their parents & teachers. Check out the World Math Day website for more information and plan to participate in online math games with students from around the world on March 3rd.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Curl up with someone you love and read a book together, today and every day. Remember, the magic number is 20. Read to your child for 20 minutes a day from birth and he will be ready for school. Don't stop reading when your child begins school or begins to read on his own. Keep reading, bonding and enjoying books together as a family and your children will LOVE to read! Really.

Letters to a Soldier

It's fun to send and receive letters in the mail!

In the book Letters to a Soldier, students in Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class write letters to First Lieutenant David Falvey, stationed in Iraq. In his responses, Lt. Falvey answers questions about his duties, about life in the military and other information about his experiences.

Have you ever shared letters with someone?

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Shelby drew this wonderful tree for us and left it in the Early Learning Center mailbox. Thank you Shelby!

We love to see the drawings that kids and their grown ups create in the Early Learning Center. Stop by today and draw us a picture!

The Early Learning Center is open:
Monday - Thursday 9am to 8pm
Friday & Saturday 9am to 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm

What Have Children's Books Taught YOU?

In this title, Anita Silvey asks over 100 people from all walks of life "What children's book changed the way you see the world?" the answers are both insightful and funny; inspiring and unexpected.

One of my favorite responses was from Jerry J. Mallett, the founder of the Mazza Museum in Ohio, who remembered The Twenty-One Balloons: "From it I learned that it is never too late to have your life changed by a children's book."

This is a fun and fascinating book for anyone who enjoys reading. Check it out! You won't be disappointed!

Winter Olympic 2010 Links

Interested in the Olympics? Check out these links from our friends at the Indiana State Library to find more information or event schedules:

Official Website of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games - Everything about the Olympics in one place!

Team USA - Find out more about the US athletes going to Vancouver.

Meet the 2010 Olympic Mascots - Sumi, Quatchi, and Miga featured in activities and games.

There are six early literacy skills that your child must master in order to be a proficient reader.
Exposing your child to stories and books from birth on, is one sure way to set your child on the path toward literacy.
Our library storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers are designed to focus on the six early literacy skills. We even give you ideas for incorporating early literacy into your daily routine.
So join us for storytime, where you and your child will have fun together and learn valuable skills in the process!

Babies and Books 10:00 Friday Mornings
Toddler Time 10:30 and 11:00 Friday Mornings
Smart Start Storytime for Preschools and Daycare Programs 9:30 Wednesday Morning
Smart Start Storytime for Preschoolers 10:30 Wednesday Mornings

Oobleck, Slime and Dancing Spaghetti

Are you looking for a fun science experiment to share with your child? Check out Oobleck, Slime and Dancing Spaghetti by Jennifer Williams.

This creative book includes 20 science experiments for children preschool to 5th grade which are inspired by favorite children's books.

One of the 2nd grade experiments was inspired by the book Everybody Bakes Bread by Norah Dooley. During the experiment, children lock yeast & sugar in bags and measure the expansion to discover why dough rises. Included is an opportunity to take the experiment further, an oral history component and this great link to the Exploratorium's bread page.

Cowboys and Coffin Makers

I couldn't resist picking up Cowboys and Coffin Makers: One Hundred 19th Century Jobs You Might Have Feared or Fancied by Laurie Coulter up off of the new book shelf. The book begins with a time line of changes that took place in the 19th century to get the reader a little perspective on this portion of our history.

Some of the jobs in this book you may have heard of such as lighthouse keeper or explorer, but others may be new to you. Here are a few that I just learned about: jimmy duck, mule spinner, iron puddler, ship biscuit maker, and limner. Have you ever heard of these careers?

National Library Week 2010 Bookmark Contest

The ACPL is now accepting entries for the 2010 National Library Week Bookmark Contest.

Design a bookmark with the theme "Communities Thrive @ your library" on our bookmark template and enter it by Saturday, February 27th.

Winning entries in each category will be made into ACPL bookmarks and distributed during National Library Week, April 11 to 17, 2010.

February is Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month with a good book! Here are a few that I highly recommend:

• Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
• Carver, a life in poems by Marilyn Nelson
  

The Bad Beginning

The first book in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, The Bad Beginning, is now available online for FREE. In fact, you can get it right here on this blog post by clicking "Browse Inside this book" above. Enjoy!

Redwoods by Jason Chin

One of my favorite new picture books is Redwoods by Jason Chin. In this book a young boy is magically transported from the city to the redwood forest to experience firsthand the majesty of these incredible, ancient trees.

The text of the book focuses on facts about the trees and never mentions the boy; his story is told only through the beautiful illustrations. Chin has created a perfect nonfiction book, one that allows readers to use their imaginations while absorbing the interesting information.

I just had the opportunity to see the redwoods in person and enjoy the wonderful smells of the forest. If you can't make a trip to California, pick up Jason Chin's book to experience the look and feel of the forest, the only part you will miss is the smell!

Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day!

Every February 2nd, all eyes in the U.S. turn toward Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to find out if the groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. So what is the big deal about his shadow? According to legend, if he sees his shadow we will have six more weeks of winter, if he does not, spring will arrive early. You can see a video of the official announcement here.

This morning, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so we can expect spring weather to arrive in about six weeks. Six weeks isn't very long, so be sure to get out and enjoy the snow today! The soft snow and slippery ice will be replaced by blooming flowers and fresh green grass before you know it!

2010 Edgar Award Nominees

The Mystery Writers of America have announced their nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards, an annual award honoring "the best" in mystery fiction. This year's juvenile nominees are:

• The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
• The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil
• Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn
• Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds
• The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer

Winners will be announced at a banquet in New York City on April 29th, 2010.

Are you a mystery-lover? Which is YOUR favorite?

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com