We're Moving!

We are in the midst of a system wide social media upgrade. Our Facebook presence has changed –  and so will our blogs.   Please join us at http://acplkid.wordpress.com/ for our new look and new name: One Book, Two Book, Old Books, New Books.  

We hope you will find it full of information about children's books and events for children throughout the Allen Count Public Library system. Please check back often! We look forward to your feedback on our new look.

Poetry Contest Award Ceremony

2009 ACPL Poetry Contest Winners

This Saturday, December 3, at 11:00 a.m., join us in the theater at the Main Library as winning poets from the library's annual Poetry Contest are honored with an award ceremony and reception.  Over 800 students in kindergarten through grade 12 entered this year's contest with the theme Snowballs and Sandcastles: Poems of the Seasons.  

Congratulations to the winners and their families, and many thanks to all who entered and supported our young poets! 

Books so sweet you may cry

After I had my first child, I was surprised at the intensity of emotions I felt.  I loved that tiny baby more than I even realized I could.  I felt very protective of him and fell even more in love with my partner.  As I prepare to have my second child in the next few weeks, I'm remembering the books we read when our son was little.  These titles are especially memorable to me, because I couldn't get through any of them at the time without crying.

Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells

Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers










Watching your children grow up is a wonderful, bittersweet experience. I try to remember to savor each day. I hope your family might enjoy reading these books together as much as we did.



******************************************************

Thanks, Sara Patalita - our Children's Librarian from the Georgetown Branch - for writing this post.

Wordless Books! Wordless Books! Wordless Books!

Did you know...wordless picture books are a GREAT way to help your child with pre-reading and reading skills.  When you share a wordless book with your child, try taking turns telling the story.  This helps children learn how stories work AND helps teach new words!  Pictured on the left are some of my favorite wordless books -- click on them to find their availability in the library's catalog.

Do you have favorite wordless books?  Click here for a list of more titles!

Come see the dancers perform!

Kids of all ages and their families are invited to join us for a special, mini-performance by the Fort Wayne Ballet on Tuesday evening, November 15th at 7:00 pm - doors open at 6:45. This special ballet presentation will feature Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

You'll love watching this classic children's book dance to life!  We will follow a caterpillar eating its way through a wide variety of foods before turning into a glorious butterfly. A delightful story of life with a very big appetite! This FREE mini-performance by the Fort Wayne Ballet will be held in the theater at the Main Library on Tuesday evening, November 15th, at 7:00 pm.

Doors open at 6:45 for the 7:00 pm performance.

(And did I mention that it's FREE?!?!)

Hey, Kids! Which Book is YOUR Favorite?

All children in grades 3 to 6 are invited to participate in the ACPL Mock Newbery for Kids program -- to be held on Saturday, December 3, 2011, from 2:00-3:30 p.m in Children's Services at the Main Library.

So far, we have included the 4 titles pictured above on the Mock Newbery for Kids reading list --- with one more soon to come -- that we hope you'll read and then come to the library to talk about (snacks included).  We'll also learn a little about the Newbery Award, and then you'll get to cast your vote to help pick the winner of the 

2012 ACPL Kids' Mock Newbery Award!

Interested?  Click here to register!

El Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead

The sugar skulls and frosting have been prepared...







The papel picado has been strung...










It's time for Children's Services annual celebration of El Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead!!  Join us and learn about this joyful Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the departed. 

Decorate your own sugar skull to take home, add your memories to the community memory board, taste bread of the dead, make marigolds and masks, and bring your camera along to have your picture taken in our holiday photo booth.   To learn more about Day of the Dead, check out this booklist!

Saturday, November 5th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 6th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Loopy Lessons to Live By!

Fort Wayne Youtheatre 

presents

STORYBOOK THEATRE

"Loopy Lessons to Live By"

A humorous trip through Aesop's Fables!

Come skip through the pages of Aesop's Fables with YOUTHEATRE!! 

You'll meet a Wiley Wolf, a Bragging Rooster, a Lazy Bear and so many more!!

Don't cry wolf!! No sour grapes!! Join the fun!!

Main Library November 4 at 2:00 in the Globe Room

Woodburn Branch November 18 at 1:30

Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Open House

Saturday, November 5, 2-4 p.m.
Sunday, November 6, 2-4 p.m.

Families with children of all ages are invited to come to the Main library and learn about the joyful Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the departed. Although the official Day of the Dead occurs on November 2, we will spend some time together on Saturday and Sunday this week. Decorate your own sugar skull to take home, add your memories to the community memory board, taste bread of the dead, make marigolds and masks, and bring your camera along to have your picture taken in our holiday photo booth.

Meet the Artist: Michele Wood!

On Saturday, October 22, from 2:00-4:00 p.m., visit the Krull Gallery to meet, live and in-person, award-winning artist and illustrator Michele Wood.  Michele Wood was honored with the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 1999 for her book I See the Rhythm, written by Toyomi Igus. Come and see her amazing art, which will continue to be on display in the gallery through Sunday, October 23, 2011.   This event is FREE and is open to families and patrons of all ages.

Below is a brief video featured on ACPL's You Tube Channel about Michele Wood's exhibit "Not to be Forgotten":

Rainy Day Destination!

It's cold outside, and rainy and gray. Here in Children's Services, though, we're warm and cozy and colorful! When you and your little one can't go outside and discover the world, we invite you to make the Main Library a destination of discovery! We have one gaztrillion facts to soak up, stories to read and places to learn and play!

Come visit us any time! Find a comfortable spot with a delicious book and read until your heart is content.

Getting Ready for Day of the Dead

Preparing for programs in Children's Services can be sweet work. Seriously!

In preparation for our upcoming Day of the Dead Program, Children's Services staff created hundreds of sugar skulls. These will be available for families to decorate in memory of loved ones who have died. We hope you will join us for our Day of the Dead Open House on Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6 from 2:00 to 4:00.

Come learn about this joyful Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the departed.In addition to decorating your own sugar skull to take home, you can add your memories to the community memory board, make marigolds & masks, taste bread of the dead and more!  We hope to see you!

Helping Your 1 to 2-Year-Old Get Ready to Read

Parents and caregivers -- you've heard you should read to your toddler, do you feel you have no idea where to start?  Are you wondering how you can get your active little person to sit down and read a book?  Come to the downtown library Monday night, and learn how simple and fun it is to get your child ready to read.   You'll learn more about the Five Practices:

• Talking
• Singing
• Reading
• Writing
• Playing

...and how they can teach your child about letters and language and sounds and books -- and get them ready to read!  All attendees will receive a free gift and certificate of completion, and door prizes will be given away.  At the end of the program, we'll do a brief tour of the Children's Department and the Early Learning Center. 

Ready to Read -- Toddlers!

Monday, October 10, 2011

7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

(Next month, November 14, from 7-8:00 p.m., there will be a session for parents & caregivers of preschoolers, ages 3 to 5.  Feel free to come to both sessions!)

Read for the Record!

On Thursday, October 6, 2011, we'll be joining with millions of others around the country who will be reading Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.  Help us set a reading world record AND call for an end to America's early education achievement gap.

We'll all have fun -- and we'll be standing up for kids!  Join us for our special storytimes at any of the following locations this Thursday, October 6, as we participate in Jumpstart: Read for the Record.

• Children's Services, Main Library, 10:00 a.m.
• Aboite Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• Dupont Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• New Haven Branch, 10:30 a.m.
• Shawnee Branch, 11:00 a.m.
• Woodburn Branch, 1:00 p.m.
• Little Turtle Branch, 1:30 p.m.
• Grabill Branch, 7:00 p.m.
• Hessen Cassel Branch, 6:30 p.m.
• Waynedale Branch, 7:00 p.m.

Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

This week, September 24 through October 1, 2011, is Banned Books Week. Celebrate your freedom to read by reading a banned book.  Click here to see a list of books challenged or banned in 2010-2011.

Tumblebooks!

What's a Tumblebook, you ask?  Tumblebooks are animated, electronic books that can be accessed directly from the Children's Services website.  Simply look for the Tumblebooks icon, shown above, and click on it!

You can find early readers, such as Biscuit by Alyssa Capucilli...picture books, such as Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Fly...and classic titles like Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz.  Many books in the Tumblebooks Library include Lexile level and Accelerated Reader information, as well as reviews. 

Readers may choose to listen to the story being read to them, or read along.  Many titles include games and puzzles.  There is even a section of titles available in languages other than English.  

Happy Reading!

Have You Read To Your Child Today?

Reading aloud to your children -- at any age, from birth on up -- is one of the most important thing parents can do to help your children's reading development.  From sharing short, simple board books with your infant or toddler ... to sharing picture books with your preschooler...to reading snippets of chapter books with your school-age child ... reading aloud has been shown over and over again to be beneficial, in many, many ways.  Just a few minutes a day is all it takes, but you may find you're enjoying it so much, you'll be spending more time reading together!

Checkout Reading Rocket's Top Ten Resources on Reading Aloud for some great tips.

One of my all-time favorite resources on reading aloud with children is the The Read-aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

Of course, you can always visit us at the library, where your friendly children's librarians will be happy to share their favorite read-alouds with you!  Happy Reading!

Alphabet Fun!

Children's Services is going Alpha-crazy this month with some special programs featuring letters of the alphabet!

Visit our Art Room and create some beautiful Alpha - Art!  We have all the materials you need to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Participate in our ABCs of Downtown Quiz -- check out the letters on display throughout the Children's Department, and figure out what downtown building they came from -- don't worry, we have a list of buildings to choose from!  When you turn in your answer sheet, you will be entered in a drawing for a prize!!

Wednesday, September 14 is Letter A Playday! Preschoolers and their grown-ups can visit the Early Learning Center for special Letter A activities and attend storytime at 10:30 a.m. (We'll have a special storytime at 9:30 a.m. for daycare and preschool groups).

After all this alpha-fun, you may want to check out some alphabet books to take home with you.  We hope to see YOU soon at the library!

Remembering 9/11



America Is Under Attack
by Don Brown

  Explaining the events of September 11, 2001 can be difficult, especially with children. Here are some books and websites that may be helpful for parents and teachers.

Books

14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy with Wilson Kiimeli Naiyomah
illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
by Maira Kalman


Websites

9/11 Memorial: Teach + Learn
The official website of the 9/11 Memorial includes tips for talking with your children about the events.

PBS.org: America Responds
Provides information on the events of 9/11, as well as tips and resources for parents and teachers.

Help Is Available!

Applications to receive free reading tutoring are available for children in Grades 1-3 who are reading below grade level. Projects Reads, an Allen County Education Partnership program, is partnering with ACPL to offer skill-building activities including one-on-one practice with trained tutors at three library sites:

Children's Services, downtown at the Main Library (Mondays, 3-4 p.m.)

Georgetown Branch Library (Mondays, 3-4 p.m.)

Dupont Branch Library (Thursdays, 3-4 p.m.)

Applications for both students and volunteers for these, and additional county sites, are available at the libraries or by contacting kbradley@abouteducation.org. Sessions will begin on Monday, September 19, and meet weekly when Fort Wayne Community Schools are in seesion, through April, 2012.