I'm borrrrrrrrrrred!"
Okay, what parent hasn't heard their child whine this lament at the end of summer? Need ideas to can the complaints? Read on!
*Start a family book club--choose the same book and discuss every two weeks. Rate each book and ask everyone to list favorite characters, best scene, and add a new ending.
*Create your personal family history--collect invitations, ticket stubs, postcards, photos, and brochures from family outings. Combine in a scrapbook and add narratives and dates.
Ah, the flash of yellow, the squeak of the brakes, the whoosh of those double doors opening... it's school time again!
For most kids the arrival of this vehicle means vacation is officially over. They plod out to the bus stop, face hanging down like a Bloodhound's, dragging that brand-spanking new backpack behind them, scuffing their new shoes on the pavement while trying their best to instill eternal guilt in the hearts of mom and/or dad for sending them off to that house of horrors known as SCHOOL.
The Easy Readers section is getting an overhaul! Don't worry, folks, we're not dragging in the bulldozers or anything. We're just re-categorizing the Easy Reader books to a national standard.
The old star system will be replaced over the next few weeks with a simpler, four level dot system which should make it easier for you (and us!) to find the books you need for your young reader. The dot colors are as follows:
Egads! It's almost that time of year again!
Yes, folks, Westlake City Schools will reopen their doors on Tuesday, August 28. And shortly thereafter, students will be descending on the library, arms piled high with texts and papers and gadgets galore.
Those first few assignments are always a breeze, aren't they? And then, about three weeks into the semester, reality checks in with killer assignments, papers due yesterday, and vocabulary words that would make the Oxford English Dictionary weep with frustration.
Looking for a day trip? A co-worker tipped me off to a fantastic website if you're in the mood to explore quirky attractions in any state. Check it out before you hit the road, or if you're just plain curious!
Roadside America
Lately, little ones have been heard howling, "I don't wanna goooooooooooooo!" as they reluctantly straggle down the midway with spaghetti legs. We'll take it as a compliment that they've enjoyed their visit. Please keep reading! :-)
The end is coming!
After July 21, the world will know the fate of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the gang when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" hits the stands.
Sales are unbelievable; hundreds of thousands of pre-orders have been made and people worldwide will be waiting at their mailboxes and outside stores for their very own copy of this last book in the series.
And of course, speculation is running wild. What will happen to Harry? Will he survive? Who will be killed? Will Snape get his just desserts?
A new online storybook experience will soon be available in the Youth Services Department.
Tumblebooks is an online library of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love.
Tumblebooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.
Spring in Northern Ohio is an uncertain time; the skies never know whether to rain or shine, the flowers don't know whether to bloom or not, and you can go from your heaviest sweater to a tank top all in one day.
But amidst the confusion there is one certainty: that summer is coming. And for us library folks, that means it's time to gear up for Summer Reading!
Our program this year is titled "Trails and Tales." It's a camping/outdoors theme, and the Youth Services area will officially become Camp Wanareadit in June.
Finally, the children's music station has been returned to us!
We've had a long, long wait. After the station was broken in December, we sent it out to a repair company in Wisconsin to see if there was any hope of resurrection.
We waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
And our patience paid off at last! The station was reinstalled today and we've loaded it up with some new music for your listening pleasure.
Well, folks, it's been a rough year so far for the venerated Train Table. First it was cleaned, then the tracks split and fell off, then it needed repainting and new tracks, then the new tracks arrived, then they didn't fit like the picture said they would, then Jim Newton in Building Services got creative and made a new track design (hooray for Jim!), then they were glued on, then the glue turned into a sloppy, greasy mess, then the tracks had to be removed and cleaned again and new glue ordered...
