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Parents

by: 
Jennifer, Lakewood Library

Did you know that every four-year-old child in the state of Colorado can get a free book next spring?

One Book 4 Colorado is a collaboration between Lt. Governor Joe Garcia, public libraries, and several nonprofit organizations all interested in getting books into the hands of four-year-old children. Why four-year-olds? The powerful combination of access to books and adults who will read to them, greatly increases a four-year-old child's chances of being ready to read when they reach kindergarten.

Which book they will receive depends on which title gets the most votes. Voting has started at One Book 4 Colorado and ends November 30th. The list has been narrowed down to three choices for you to vote on. Not sure which one to pick? Watch local celebrities read the books in English and in Spanish. You can also check out all three finalists from your local library. Free books will be available April 7-21, 2014, so don't forget to stop in to your library and pick up a free book for the four-year-old in your life.

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors by Jane Yolen

Pigsty by Mark Teague

by: 
Marcy, Arvada Library

The "magic" of reading begins with a lot of hard and sometimes frustrating work.

Those first books that a child reads independently should be a taste of the fun and adventure that they now have available to them through books. In our beginning reader section of the library we have many selections that will keep boredom at bay. A librarian can help you navigate the different levels and point you toward a book that is just right for your child. Your new reader will see many of their favorite characters such as Fancy Nancy, Thomas, Barbie and Scooby Doo in our early reader collection. They might make new friends as well, reading the adventures of Henry and Mudge or the mysteries of Cam Jansen or Nate the Great. Here are a few of my favorite series for beginning readers:


Fly Guy makes you laugh out loud in this level 1 series.


Strawberry Shortcake is as sweet as ever in this level 2 series.


Have a little LEGO fan who is beginning to read? We have over a dozen different LEGO readers!

Stop in to your local library today or reserve some of these great titles from home. There is no reason for you or your little reader to ever be bored again.

by: 
Mary, Kids and Families Outreach

When I was born, my parents named me Katie. Well, okay, technically  they named me Mary (that’s what’s on my birth certificate) but always intended to call me Katie. That was back in the days when lots of girls were named Mary Chris, Mary Pat, Mary This, Mary That… but weren’t actually called Mary. So, until I was 5, everyone called me Katie.

Then Kindergarten happened. And my 5-year-old self informed the teacher that my name was Mary and I was to be called that. I then proceeded to make everyone else I knew call me Mary instead of Katie. Why did I decide to change my name? I have no idea what was going on in my young brain, but as an adult I’ve speculated that it’s because we’d recently moved to Denver and lived almost next door to a family with two twin girls – one of whom was named Katie. Strangely enough, her real name was also Mary Something.

I’ve been Mary ever since. Kudos to my family for going along with my self-inflicted name change.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because it kind of relates to why one of my favorite books growing up was Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. Oh, how I loved the story of Katy, the bulldozer/snow plow who did her work in the City of Geopolis and saved the day one particularly snowy winter. I adored the detailed illustrations with maps of the town so that I could follow Katy’s route as she made it safe for the mail carrier to continue his route and the doctor to get his patient to the hospital. But most of all, I loved that Katy and I shared the same name (albeit a slightly different spelling).

Finding yourself (or even just your name) in a children’s book is a powerful thing.  Each year, I am fortunate enough to be able to gift each child whom I visit in my preschool outreach a brand new book. As the kids in one class were making their selections, one young lady saw Anna Quinn’s Lola at the Library. The book features an adorable, smiling African-American child as she makes her regular visit to the library. The young lady pointed at the book, eyes wide, and said “I want THAT one.” What made this encounter so powerful? The girl who chose the book looked EXACTLY like Lola in the story. Right down to the pigtails.

Children need to feel like they are important and have worth, and seeing yourself and your story reflected in a book provides some measure of that. Just as I was proud to share a name with hero snowplow Katy, my young book selector probably was proud to see that she, or a child that looked like her, could be the star of her own story.

What story are YOU the star of? Are there any books that made you think “hey, that’s me!”?

by: 
Jennifer, Lakewood Library

Looking for some fun Halloween activities? Check out these fun events at the Lakewood Library.

Our annual Halloween Parade will be on Tuesday, October 29th. The parade will be held during our regularly schedule storytimes. Toddler storytime is at 11:00 a.m. followed by Preschool storytime at 11:30 a.m. Children are welcome to wear their costumes. We will share a few seasonal stories then trick-or-treat around the library and administration building.

 

Dare to be scared (kind of) at the Lakewood Library's Boo Bash on Wednesday, October 30th at 6:30 p.m. We will tell scary stories, make fun crafts, and enjoy some special snacks. This is an event for all ages. No tickets required. Wear your costumes and be ready for an evening of fun and ghoulish surprises.

by: 
Marcy, Arvada Library

There's only one squirrel I want in my library and that is Scaredy Squirrel. This month he is busy polishing his vampire teeth and getting ready for Halloween. October is known for Trick-or-treating and squirrels. Well, okay, maybe a few other things too, but it really is National Squirrel Month and Scaredy Squirrel is by far my favorite library rodent. His new book is Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween and it can help you be prepared as well! So, while you are busy planning your costume and what candy you will trade (I like peanut butter cups by the way) take a minute to watch this video trailer for Scaredy's new book. And maybe now that you have met Scaredy Squirrel, you may want to check out one of his many books by Melanie Watt:

by: 
Katie, Belmar

On Saturday, October 5 the Belmar Library hosted its second annual Star Wars Reads Day.  Young Jedi from around the area (some in costume!) enjoyed crafts, snacks and games, as well as a special space-themed story time. Activities included making light sabers and Wookiee stick puppets, origami Yoda, pin the tail on Jabba, and a Star Wars Trivia Quiz.

We also had a double-Darth sighting!

Star Wars Reads Day is billed as "a day-long celebration of literacy and Jedi, Sith, Wookiees, and all things Star Wars" and is celebrated all over the country to encourage reading - especially Star Wars-related stories. It was launched in 2012 by Lucasfilm and several publishing houses. Last year there were more than 1200 events and this year they hoped to have even more!

Thanks to everyone who participated - a fantastic time was had by all! Look for our next Star Wars Reads Day coming next fall, and in the meantime, check out these Star Wars materials from the library!

by: 
Marcy, Arvada Library

Have you ever wondered: why do we do crafts at story time?

Creating crafts at story time allows children to use their creativity and imagination. It helps them practice the fine motor skills they will use when they begin school. Children get to take home a tangible reminder of storytime, which may even prompt them to tell you the story all over again! Mostly, it is great fun.

To me, the best crafts are those that the child can do with little assistance and that utilize objects found around the house or outdoors in nature. Crafting does not have to be expensive, although it can be a bit messy! Here is an example of a craft I did in conjunction with a fairytale storytime.

Simply paint a rock green and let dry (triangular shaped rocks work well.) Add googly eyes and draw on nostrils with a sharpie. Add a little gold crown cut out of construction paper or craft foam, and glue the rock to the frog base. Couldn't be easier!

So, jump on in...and get crafty!

by: 
Mary, Outreach

A little more than a week ago, I had the pleasure of attending an event where Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy announced the titles of 25 picture books from the last 25 years that stand as high-quality examples of books that support early literacy learning in young children. The selection was based on the criteria that will be used to select the first-ever CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards later this year. 5 titles were chosen in each of 5 categories: READ, WRITE, SING, TALK and PLAY, which are all activities parents are encouraged to engage in with their children in order to build early literacy skills. When the CLEL Bell Award winners for 2013 are announced, in February of 2014, there will be 5 winners - one in each category.

The selection committee also created an activity sheet to accompany each title, which includes information about the book and how it supports early literacy learning as well as offering suggestions for activities parents and children can do after reading the book to extend learning. To check them out, and learn why each book was selected, click on the category link below! Click on a title to request the book from JCPL!

I'm personally familiar with all of these books and have shared many of them with preschool classes. They are truly wonderful and you and your children will enjoy each of them - even more so if you try out some of the extension activities created by CLEL!

SILVER BELL TITLES for READ:

Backseat A, B, See by Maria Van Lieshout

The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks

Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn (also available in Spanish: Lola en la biblioteca)

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris

Wolf! by Becky Bloom

SILVER BELL TITLES for TALK:

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan Shea

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora

Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb

SILVER BELLS TITLES for SING:

Baby Dance by Ann Taylor

Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler

Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Tanka Tanka Skunk by Steve Webb

SILVER BELL TITLES for WRITE:

Andrew Drew and Drew by Barney Saltzberg

A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams

Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells

A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom (also available in Spanish: Un amigo de veras maravilloso)

The Squiggle by Carole Lexa Schaefer

SILVER BELL TITLES for PLAY:

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale

Elizabeti's Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun (also available in Spanish: Miau y la caja grande)

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig

Press Here by Herve Tullet (also available in Spanish: Presiona aquí)

by: 
Mary, Outreach

Count the Monkeys, a new picture book by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Kevin Cornell, is right up my alley. Right up my goofy, silly-sense-of-humor alley, that is. Right from the title page we're invited to count the monkeys in the book. However, upon turning to the first page, we find NO MONKEYS. 1 king cobra has scared them off. When we quietly (so as not to draw the cobra's attention) turn the page to see if the monkeys are there, we are confronted with 2 mongooses (or is it mongeese?) who have chased away the cobra. The story continues in a similar fashion, with various non-primate animals scaring each other away. We have to zig zag our hands, roar, and shout "SCRAM!" in order to be able to turn the page and cross our fingers that we will FINALLY get to count the monkeys.  But will the monkeys ever appear?

This is a silly, engaging, active story that'll be great to share with your preschool-aged children. They can participate in the story by doing the motions described, and helping to count the animals. It will also be fun to anticipate what will happen on the next page - will the monkeys be there, or will another creature have scared them off? After reading, you might try inventing your own cumulative counting story. Ask your child to draw 1 item, then two, then three, etc., while you add the words that they tell you to the page. Telling stories is an important pre-reading skill to develop and helps grow a child's imagination, while drawing is a good way to start building the muscles needed for writing!

Happy reading!

by: 
Connie, Lakewood Library

We do lots of Baby Times here at the library and I always have parents asking what are the "best books" for babies.  This could be a very long list, but I found a list from Parents Magazine that shows the 25 must-have books for babies that I agree is a pretty good one! 

Check-out the list to see how many you recognize! 

A good baby book can become a classic instantly and the classics stand the test of time.  If you find some you would like to try out with your baby, look for them in our catalog and place a hold to pick-up at your local library! 

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