Spring Break Crafts: Pretty Placemats

Today you can make a pretty placemat as part of the Spring Break Table Top craft program. There will be a different project each day this week!

Spring Break Crafts: Lovely Lilies

Visit Children's Services for Spring Break Table Top crafts every day this week. Today, you can make a lovely lily with your handprint

Check out the StoryTubes contest

Kids in grades 1 to 6 are invited to talk about their favorite book on YouTube for a chance to win a prize! It's simple! Work with your grownup to make a 2-minute-or-shorter video about your favorite book and upload it to YouTube. Then, go to the StoryTubes.com web site with a parent, upload your video and send the link to your video to the National StoryTubes Contest.

StoryTubes videos can be entered beginning April 1. You choose a category for your video:

• Hair-Raising Tales
• From or For the Heart
• Of Heroes and Heroines
• Facts, Fads and Phenoms

Each week, the top ten videos in each category will be featured for voting. Voting mania will then begin and happen each week in May! At the end ofeach week, one lucky contestant will win $500 in books. Their sponsoring organization (school, library or designated organization for
home-schooled youth) will receive $1,000 in books. Book prizes are sponsored by publishers Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Eaglemont Press, DK Publishing, Charlesbridge Publishing and Shenanigan Books.

Get your story, camera (almost any digital camera will do) and let the streaming stories begin!

For more information, visit www.storytubes.info

W is for Woof!

Do you love dogs? If you do, then you just might love this book: W is for Woof: A Dog Alphabet. Much, much more than an alphabet book, this book has lots of great information about different dog breeds, how to take care of your pet dog, and other interesting and little-known facts.

We have lots of other fantastic books about dogs -- and other animals, too -- at the Library. Visit us soon!

Babies and Toddlers: Growing Up!

Tomorrow morning at Babies and Books and Toddler Time we will be reading about growing up!

If you can't make it to the storytime, but want to explore the topic of "Growing Up" with your baby or todder you can read the book When Poppy and Max Grow Up by Lindsey Gardiner and listen to the song "I Wonder If I'm Growing" on the CD Singable Songs for the Very Young by Raffi.

Babies and Books: Friday mornings at 9:15 a.m. (through April)
Toddler Time: Friday mornings at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. (through April)

Please note that starting in May the times for Babies and Books and Toddler Time will change. Call Children's Services for details @ 421-1220.

Mentoring can be so much fun!

Last night was the culmination of a mentoring program for Northwest Allen County Schools. For the last few months, dozens of students have been shadowing and learning from area lawyers, architects, veterinarians, Mission workers, teachers, and other professionals. Last night the kids talked about what they learned through displays and speeches.

As part of this "PEAK into the Future" program, I was privileged to mentor 5th grader Olivia, who goes to Huntertown Elementary and who wanted to learn more about being a librarian. It was a great learning experience for both of us.

Smart Start Storytime: Alligators

Join us for Smart Start Storytime tomorrow morning (and every Wednesday morning) at 10:30 a.m.

Tomorrow we'll read about totally toothy alligators!

One of my favorite alligator books is A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan. This silly, rhyming story is about "a girl named Claire, who discovered a gator on top of her hair." Check out the book to find out what Claire does all day with "a gator up there."

Enter to Win Youtheatre Tickets!

Visit Children's Services before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1st and enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see the Fort Wayne Youtheatre production of Annie Jr. The winner will receive tickets to the performance for Saturday, April 19th or Sunday, April 20th at 2:00 p.m at the Arts United Center.

Curious George Collection Donation

A big "Thank You" to 9 year-old Gabriel, who thoughtfully donated his 7 year collection of Curious George items to the Children's Services department at the Allen County Public Library!

You can visit this collection in the Great Hall of the Main Library, next to the General Reference desk, through April 2oth. For years to come, it will remain in ACPL's permanent collection.

A Child's Book Review: Beware of the Storybook Wolves

Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child was reviewed by Zoe, age 7:

It is a picture book. It is drawn but also has pictures of real
objects and fabric in it. It's about a little boy who sees some
wolves that come out of a book that he reads. The wolves try to eat
him but the fairy godmother from Cinderella comes out of her book to
help him.

I thought it was good because, first of all, I like the pictures and
then the fact that you don't know what is going to happen to the boy.


Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Spring Preschool Puppet Show

You are invited to the Spring Preschool Puppet Show! Showtimes are:

• Wednesday, March 19th @ 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, March 20th @ 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Remember that pre-registration is necessary for daycares and preschools. Families do not need to register. See you at the puppet show!

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Look at the wonderful writing practice that has been happening in the Early Learning Center!

Preschoolers - stop by today with your grownup and drop a letter in the Early Learning Center mailbox.

Fort Wayne Ballet presents selections from Giselle

Don't forget!
Tomorrow, March 18th @ 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. the Fort Wayne Ballet will present a family friendly mini-performance featuring beautiful dancing and music from Giselle. Seating is limited for this FREE performance. All groups (such as schools and daycares) must pre-register.

Help your kids learn safety skills during Spring Break

Back by popular demand! The RADKids Safety Program! The purpose of this program is to teach kids how to Resist Aggression Defensively. Topics discussed include:

* Home, school and vehicle safety
* Out and about safety
* Realistic defense against abduction
* Good, bad, and uncomfortable touch

This is a five day, cumulative program geared for ages 5 to 12. The program will be held in Children's Services each day from 2:30 until 4:00 during the week of Monday, March 31st through Friday, April 4th. Parents are welcome to stay and attend the program with their children. Advance registration is required; call Children's Services at 421-1220 to register your children.

Homeschool Sneak Preview

The 1st Homeschool Sneak Preview was a success! Over 300 kids and their families enjoyed information, activities, and hands-on fun with over 25 area organizations. The consensus of organizations and homeschooling families alike was "Great place to have this!" and "Let's do it again next year!"

My favorite comment received on one of the evaluations was "My 7 year old said Mom, this is better than an amusement Park!!" Can anyone ask for higher praise than that from a 7 year old?

Check out more pictures of the day's activities on Flickr.

Babies & Books / Toddler Time -- Opposites!

Wow! We had lots of fun this morning at our Babies & Toddlers Storytimes! We sang songs and read stories; we even did the Hokey Pokey! Our theme today was all about opposites: Up and Down, In and Out, Big and Little. If you'd like some fun books about opposites for your little one, try one of these favorites:

Big Little, by Leslie Patricelli










This Little Fishy, by Richard Powell










For more books about opposites you can find at the Library, click here. See you soon!

Art Out of the Box: Traditional Crafts

The Art Out of the Box homeschool group met this afternoon to talk about traditional crafts and make baskets. It was a challenging project that resulted in some beautiful artwork. Check out the rest of the photos on Flickr.

Do you love Basketball?

The Children's Services department has lots of good books about basketball. Ask any librarian to help you find some good ones!

Today, the Children's Services department also has some free tickets to tomorrow night's basketball game at the Memorial Coliseum; the Fort Wayne Mad Ants against the Anaheim Arsenal.The Mad Ants have given us five sets of 4 tickets to give away -- two grownups & two kids could go or one grownup and three kids could go. If your children have always wanted to go to a basketball game, or if you've always wanted to take them to a basketball game, call Children's Services now and see if any tickets are still available.

FREE Tickets to Allen Say Lecture

We have a limited number of tickets available for a very special author presentation on Monday, March 17th at 4:30 pm. Allen Say, the renowned children's book author, illustrator, and Caldecott winner, will give a short lecture at the Arts United Center followed by a reception and book signing at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

In addition to Mr. Say's lecture, all ticket holders will be able to view the current FWMoA exhibit "Works by Allen Say" at no charge. This program is for adults; librarians, teachers, and homeschool parents may be particularly interested in this presentation.

Interested? Come to the Children's Services department at the Main Library to pick up your free ticket. Remember that we have only a limited number of tickets. Check your schedule and stop in to pick up your tickets soon! (If you want, you can call before you come to make sure we still have tickets available. 421-1220)

A Child's Book Review: Yummy, YUCKY

Yummy, Yucky by Leslie Patricelli was reviewed by 3-year-old Robert:

This is a special book. I like the yummy parts. I don't like the yucky parts. I don't like worms.

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Homeschoolers! Don't forget the Sneak Preview this Friday!

This Friday, March 14th, the Children's Services department will be hosting the first annual Homeschooler's Sneak Preview at the Main Library in downtown Fort Wayne. Parking is easy and FREE if you remember to bring your Allen County Public Library card.

This is a program for the whole family; we will have information and activities for parents and their children from preschool through high school. Over twenty organizations will be at the Library to let you know how their organization can help your homeschooling family. You can register your family for the day between 9:00 and 9:30. The programs will end by 1:00; but you're still welcome to explore the Library which will be open until 6:00.

Participating organizations have also donated a variety of cool doorprizes -- including zoo passes, t-shirts, skate admissions at the MAC, gift certificates to Twice Sold Tales Bookstore, a Birthday Party for 10 children at Lindenwood Nature Preserve, and more -- which will be given away to lucky participants at the end of the day.

We hope to see your homeschooling family on Friday!

Art Out of the Box: Traditional Crafts

Homeschoolers in grades 2 to 6, join us for Art Out of the Box: Traditional Crafts on Thursday, March 13th at 2 p.m.

You will have the chance to interact with pieces of art, talk about art techniques, learn about a few artists and hear about some great books. Then you can create a piece of art to take home.

Art Out of the Box meets every second Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. through May 2008.

Future topics:

April: Wood Art

May: Photography

For more information about this program send an email or call Children's Services at 421-1220.

Early Reader Roundup: Amelia Bedelia

Yesterday the Early Reader Roundup book club met to discuss Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish. We talked about silliness, misunderstandings and words that sound the same, but mean different things.

Then we dressed chickens and made big, floppy, Amelia Bedelia inspired hats. See more photos of the wonderful hats here.

Homeschoolers in Grades K to 2: Join us on Friday, April 11th @ 1:30 p.m. to discuss I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems.

Homeschoolers in Grades 3 to 6: Join the Reading Rocks group on Friday, April 11th @ 1:30 pm. to discuss Half Magic by Edward Eager.

A Day in Allen County 2008

Get out your cameras, Allen County! Take a photo of anything in Allen County between 12:00 midnight and 11:59pm today, Friday, March 7th. Photos will be displayed during National Library Week.



Click here for more information on A Day in Allen County 2008.


To see the photos from A Day in Allen County 2007, click here.

Fish Guide Now Available Online!

The three aquariums in Children's Services have been an exciting focal point for visitiors since we opened. People of all ages -- toddlers through grandparents -- are captivated by the beauty and variety of life in the 275 gallon tanks.


One of the frequent questions we receive is "What kind of fish is that? Or, in the case of our reef tank, a finger will point excitedly to an object in the tank with the question "Is that alive? What is it?"Now, thanks to the efforts of one of our fish-loving staffmembers, we have an online guide to answer these questions. Need help identifying any of the fish in our tanks? Check out the online fish guide!

How Strong Is It?

What animal is strong enough to lift four football players using just its nose and teeth?

If a Hummer H2 and the Saturn V rocket were to race, which would win?

Would you believe a tiny bacteria makes glue that is three times stronger than man-made super glue?

Check out How Strong Is It? by Ben Hillman to find the answers to these questions and read about many more feats of amazing strength. Plus, the illustrations in this book are...unbelievable!

A Child's Book Review: Two Bad Ants

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg was reviewed by 3-year-old Robert:


I like when the ants go home.


Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post!

Kits for Kids

As you've walked through Children's Services, have you noticed the big, blue bags? They are Kits for Kids. These conveniently packaged, thematically-based kits each contain 8 books for the child, 1 book for the parent or teacher, and 1 DVD/videotape/CD on the subject. Each Kit may be checked out for 3 weeks with your ACPL library card and may be renewed. A complete list of Kits for Kids can be found here. Recent additions to our Kits for Kids selections include classroom/book club sets of books. If you have a group of interested readers who want to explore Little House on the Prairie or Charlotte's Web or Bridge to Terabithia or Because of Winn-Dixie, we now have a Kit just for you. Check it out!

Two Books about "The Greatest"

Want to read about boxing legend, Muhammad Ali? Take a look at these two books, both published last year, to learn more about how Cassius Clay (that's what his parents named him) became "the greatest" in the world of boxing.


Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali
by Charles R. Smith, Jr.





Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World
by Jonah Winter

Ancient Egypt Program

Join us as we learn more about the Ancient Egyptians. We will also be making Egyptian-inspired crafts. You can even learn how to write your own name in hieroglyphics! Saturday, March 1st at 2:30 p.m. Children ages 6-12.

Finding a Penguin Book on LookyBook

A few nights ago I was looking for penguin books, and found a really cool website that allows you to read books online. Just use your mouse to turn the pages and read the whole book! (Click on the LookyBook "eyes" to open LookBook.com in its own window and make the book larger.)

LookyBook offers a large selection of books from authors and illustrators you will most likely recognize. You don't have to register to use this site, but if you decide to register, you can create your own bookshelf and make comments about books. And registration is free! I'm impressed! What fun!