READING UP IS NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE

Can you name a few titles that many second and third graders are asking to read these days?

If you said Ivy & Bean or Ramona or Cam Jansen or the adventures of Humphrey the hamster, you’d be wrong.

What kids tell us they are reading are Twilight, the Hunger Games, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and The Lightning Thief.

Educators call this Reading Up.

Reading Up means a child is reading books that are beyond their maturity and comprehension, though maybe not their actual reading level. For example, a first grader may be able to read War and Peace, but that doesn’t guarantee they can understand the content. Reading Up is certainly not a new phenomenon; it has gained momentum ever since Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Lightning Thief, and Twilight came on the scene. Before, precocious readers would gravitate towards the classics or A Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, the Saturdays, Half Magic, Wizard of Oz, Little Women, A Wrinkle in Time, or Pippi Longstocking.  I knew a third grader who loved Charles Dickens.

I don’t see any negative impact when they Read Up, except when they venture into literature whose intended audience is for those ages 14 and up; books that offers a hefty dose of drugs, violence and sex.

Recently, I read Books in the Home: Reading Up written by author Rosanne Parry in the Horn Book Magazine. Not one to censor what any of her four children read Parry was thrilled when her youngest daughter decided to read Harry Potter as a way to keep up with her older siblings. It wasn’t until years later that Parry lamented the fact that children who Read Up are uninterested in going back to simpler fare. Would a second grader who just finished reading Twilight be interested in the less eventful life of Clementine by Sara Pennypacker or the Mallory series by Laurie Friedman? Lois Lowry’s The Giver lacks the same punch as the dark and very violent Hunger Games.

I always wonder what young children are taking from books that are written for a more mature audience. Take Twilight. The whole premise of this book is the lust and love Bella and Edward feel towards each other. Can a prepubescent child understand the heavily layered sexual tone of Twilight? (And don’t you hope that is the farthest thing from their young minds?) Something else to point out is the fact that Edward is an abusive boyfriend. High schools across the country use the Twilight series to teach teenagers how to identify and get out of an abusive relationship. A young child will not understand that and can grow up thinking that kind of behavior is okay.

Parry states about her youngest daughter who spent a year reading all seven Harry Potter books, It took her so long to read them, that much of the momentum of the stories were lost in the work of decoding, so she never found them as exciting as her older siblings. Perry goes on to say, my younger two often find YA books a little bit stale. John Green, (Looking for Alaska) whom they used to love when they were in grade school, seems a little silly to them now. And that’s a shame.

Precocious readers take only a shallow spoonful of what is available in a mature text. They may appreciate jokes from Green’s book, An Abundance of Katherines, but the substance of the story they just glossed over. The downside, too, is that after wading through books for older readers, children often are no longer interested in books that are age appropriate, which is so sad because then they miss out on the more innocent stories, such as The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O’Roark Dowell, Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes, Probably the world’s Best Story about a Dog and the Girl who Loved Me by D.J.Smith, or The Summer Sherman Loved Me by Jane St. Anthony. Parry also observed that compared to their older siblings, her two youngest daughters spend less time reading.

Sex and violence as entertainment for children who don’t have a concept of what it all means can confuse, scare, and desensitize children. They don’t see what adults see. Children learn that violence is how you settle a conflict or a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend is okay. Getting drunk at a party is acceptable and having sex or taking drugs is pretty cool. As a parent, you want your child to learn empathy for others, not develop numbness to how others feel. We all want our children to grow up to treat others with respect, make healthful decisions, and be kind to others.

I do understand how difficult it is to keep your child(ren) from reading popular books, especially those made into movies. At times it seems that everything is marketed to young children. Yet, you as a parent have the power to guide your children into reading more appropriate material, which will in turn make them lifelong readers. Let us help you.

Visit the public library for some great recommendations.

Helping children after a tragedy

Many parents have been in this week asking for suggestions in how to talk with their child(ren) about the recent tragedy in Newton, CT. Here are some excellent web sites with sound advice.

The Maine Department of Education has many helpful resources.


Talking with your kids about News from pbs.org


Here is another great article from Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International, a global non-profit leader in teaching positive, practical personal safety skills to protect people of all ages and abilities from bullying, molestation, abduction, and other violence.

Other sites that include a listing of books:
Galley Cat's list of library books to help kids talk about the Newtown Tragedy:

School Library Journal




Beside listening to your child, reading books, any book, will help ease their anxiety. Shelf Awareness: From My Shelf: lists her favorite Comfort Books.

We can also supply you with an armful of wonderful books to share with your family.

Zombie Makers by Rebecca L. Johnson

Yikes! Zombies!
Just thinking about these brain-sucking creatures gives me the creeps. Yet, day after day, children of all ages ask me if we have any books on Zombies. (“Zobmies,” asks a savvy 3-year-old) According to Rebecca L. Johnson, zombies do exists, only more of the insect variety. Whew!

In Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead we learn about a few things that can take over the bodies and brains of innocent creatures, turning them into senseless slaves. Find out about the fly-enslaved fungus, suicide worm, and the Jewel Wasp that lays its eggs inside a cockroach. When hatched, the jewel wasp larvae feasts on the roach’s organs. Delicious!

 The book’s cover is eye-catching. All in red, we see a close-up photograph of a jewel wasp attacking a cockroach. 5 chapters, each four pages long, includes color photographs of the subject and side bars with scientific facts. The writing is entertaining and informative, and Johnson includes a phonetic pronunciation for all the scientific names. Readers will learn how the fungus, insect, or virus attacks its victim and then takes total control. Hey, it’s nature!

Take, for example, the hairworms (Paragordius tricuspidatus). They take control of crickets, the hairworms true host. Tiny insects, those that begin life in the water, are infected by tiny young forms of the hairworm. The hairworm larvae didn’t hurt the insect they infected. They just curled up to form little balls, called cysts, inside them. The larvae waited as cysts until the insects died and were eaten by crickets.  Once inside the cricket the larvae nibble on their host and grow until nearly 3 feel (1 meter) long. To fit inside the cricket it must loop, coil, and knot itself.  Once fully grown and needing the water to reproduce, the worms release a chemical inside the crickets brains that makes the cricket think it needs water. (Crickets can’t swim) The crickets hurl themselves in the water and drown, at which time the hairworm quickly wiggles out of their dead or dying host. It’s not a pretty sight.

In an afterword, Johnson explains why zombie makers go to so much trouble to invade and control their hosts.  All living things reproduce to make more of their own kind. If they didn’t do it, they’d die out. An author’s note, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, web sites, and an index rounds out this fascinating look at insects.

Share this with your children and you might find them sitting in the corner reading, completely absorbed.

Other books about parasites include: What’s Eating You: parasites---the inside story by Nicola Davies and Gross Universe: your guide to all disgusting things under the sun by Jeff Szpirglas.

Abraham Lincoln

Have you seen the movie, Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg? It is now in theaters. After watching it,  you may yearn to learn more about our 16th president.

Candace Fleming’s book The Lincolns: a scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary will keep you reading far into the night. The book covers their childhood and their tumultuous courtship, the loss of their three children, the issue of slavery, the civil war, and their own tragic deaths.

Before reading The Lincolns, I didn’t have a very high opinion of Mary Todd. I was led to believe she was vain, a tyrant, and a social climber. Though those accusations are true, there was another side to Mary I did not know. She was well-educated. Oftentimes, Mary was the most educated and articulate person in the room! Of course, being an educated woman in the 1850’s was looked very highly upon by most men. In fact, meant most men she meant after becoming Mrs. Lincoln were appalled by her knowledge of current events. Yet, Mr. Lincoln, as she referred to him in public, adored her. It is true that towards the end of her life, Mary did seem a bit crazy, but so would you be if three of your four children died and you witnessed your husband’s assassination.

The book’s design is unusual but works very well here. It resembles a scrapbook that is chock full of maps, engravings, and photos, some by Matthew Brady.  Fleming also includes the recipe for Lincoln’s favorite white cake!

Another great book for younger children, illustrated by New Yorker artist Maira Kalman is Looking at Lincoln.Using simple, yet direct language the book's narrator, after seeing a man dressed similar to Lincoln while walking through a New York City park, goes to the library to learn more about this remarkable man.

Come to the Library for other great books on Lincoln.

Pajamarama

Look what we made at Pajamarama night on November, 6!

 

 

Our next Pajamarama will be on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 6:30 PM. See you then!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Children love pretending. They dress up as a police officier, sanitation worker, fire fighter, cook, nurse, doctor, veterinarian, to name a few.  We enjoy seeing children in their costumes when they visit the Library. To spur on their imagination, we have a variety of books that talk about the different occupations.

Can you guess the occupation?

In Martin’s Hats by Joan Blos; illustrated by Marc Simont, young Martin has many adventures whenever he tries on a different hat.

Photographer Margaret Miller, in Who Uses This?, presents photographs of various objects and asks readers to guess their purpose and who uses them.

Kitten Red, Yellow, and Blue by Peter Catalanotto, Mrs. Tuttle finds homes for fourteen other colorful kittens after placing the red kitten with Dave the firefighter and the blue kitten with Francine the police officer.

Hardworking Puppies by Lynn Reiser is a rollicking read where, one by one, ten energetic puppies find important jobs as dogs who help people in different ways, including by pulling sleds and saving swimmers.

Keith Baker’s humorous story, LMNO Peas finds busy little peas introducing their favorite occupations, from astronaut to zoologist.

New to the Library

A Day in the Life series is a new addition to the Library. Each book follows a different community workers as they describe what their typical day is like.  There is doctors, nurses, day care workers, dentist, fire fighter, and more.








          We have lots of other books about occupations you and your family may enjoy.

Stop in and see!

"You can't read that book!"
How would you feel if someone said that to you? Yet, that is exactly what teachers are telling your child each time they say, "You can only read books within your Lexile range."

A little over a year ago, I wrote about the downside of selecting books for your child based soley on the Lexile Rating System. I bring it up because testing is over and teachers, once again, are assigning children to read a book based on that darn Lexile number. "Sorry, but you can't read this book you've been waiting to read because, well, it doesn't have the right Lexile number. Intead, you must read this one!" What a way to destroy any love of reading, don’t you think? Go here to read how author, Ilsa Bick (Ashes) feels about Lexile.

Remember, Lexile is a product that fits into a standardized test. Publishers must pay to have their books analyzed and assigned a number. If a book does not have a Lexile number, it will not appear on a recommended list. 

The more you know about Lexile and how it is marketed, the better you can relax and see it as one tool in helping your child select a book. It should never, ever be the sole way to choose a book.

Happy Anniversary to Charlotte's Web

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of the beloved classic Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. Anyone who has read the book understands the timelessness of the story and can appreciate the beauty of the language. Even the most reluctant listeners will surely be drawn in by the first sentence.
     “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."

We Mainers claim E. B. White as our own. In 1933, he purchased a farm in Blue Hill and lived there until his death. The idea for his famous story, which won a Newbery Honor in 1953, came about because of his life on the farm. Animals on a farm are not raised as pets, but as food for the table. But, what would happen if a pig’s life could be saved from the dastardly farmer’s plan? Who would step up to the task?

The book follows the story of the pig Wilbur who becomes desolate when he discovers that he is destined to become the farmer’s Christmas dinner. He is saved by Charlotte, the amazing spider who uses her common sense -- and her impressive weaving skills -- to let the world know Wilbur is “Some Pig.” For many children, listening to Charlotte’s Web is the first time they make the connection between what they eat and where it comes from.

If you haven’t shared this book with your children, do so now. Regardless of their age, this is one story you don’t want them to miss. I love everything about the book, the characters, the black & white drawings done by Garth Williams, but mostly, I love the language. Charlotte’s Web is one of those rare stories that once you get to the ending, you want to go right back to page one and read it all over again. It is unforgettable.

“Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”

I agree.

Other children’s books by E. B. White: Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan.



To learn more about the life of E. B. White for adults, read The Story of Charlotte’s Web by Michael Sims. To hear his interview on NPR, go here.

Banned Books Week September 30 - October 6

Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to remove books from schools and libraries. Sunday, September 30 marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. Since 1982, Banned Books Week has rallied librarians, booksellers, authors, publishers, teachers, and readers of all types to celebrate and defend the freedom to read.

What's your favorite book? Chances are good that someone has tried to ban it. Here is a list of frequently challenged books.

• Hunger Games
• My Mom’s Having a Baby
• It’s Perfectly Normal
• Olive’s Ocean
• Gossip Girls series
• Captain Underpants series
• Bridge to Terabithia
• Twilight
• And Tango Makes Three
• Scary Stories 3
• Harry Potter series

It’s crazy!

Many libraries, schools, bookstores, universities, and other organizations promote Banned Books Week. North Carolina State University recorded excerpts from banned books read by members of the NC State community. Go here to listen.

Celebrate YOUR freedom to read and right to choose your book during Banned Books Week.  The Scarborough Public Library will have a week-long display in throughout the Youth Services Department.

ALL FOR FALL!

The leaves are changing colors, and the temperatures are dropping as the days grow shorter and shorter. September 22, 2012 marks the Autumnal Equinox.

NONFICTION TITLES

Why Do The Seasons Change? by Melissa Stewart, part of the Tell Me Why, Tell Me How series, offers children an examination of the phenomena and scientific principles behind the changing of the season, in just 32 pages. 

Share, How Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro (Let’s Read and Find Out Science series)  or How Leaves Change by Sylvia A. Johnson to help answer your child’s questions about this amazing occurrence.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors in Fall, check out The Kids’ Guide to Nature Adventures : 80 Great Activities for Exploring the Outdoors by Joe Rhatigan.  From reading the weather to making a camping utility belt to casting tracks, this book will offer plenty of family friend activities.

Mushrooms seem to appear overnight in Fall. Katya’s Book of Mushrooms by Katya Arnold and Sam Swope is a colorful introduction to identifying different kinds of mushrooms.


And don’t forget poetry…Autumnblings by Douglas Florian is a collection of poems that portray the essence of the season between summer and winter. Each poem is graced with the whimsical paintings by the poet.

Stop in to the Library for more books that celebrate Autumn.

Books to Read Aloud

The atmosphere has changed a lot in the Youth Services area now that children are back in school. All summer long, families streamed into the Library checking out stacks of books to read for pleasure. Now, the crowds come after school and the items going home are often fulfilling homework assignments. Gone are the leisurely days of summer.

Now that your children are back in school or at nursery school, I’m guessing there is a difference to your evening routines. Maybe an earlier bedtime? If you are spending more time reading aloud, let us make some recommendations of sequels to stories we’ve loved.

In 1999, Helen Lester wrote an engaging picture book, Hooway for Wodney Wat, about a young rat who is teased because he can’t pronounce his ‘r’s’. He pronounces his name Wodney Wat, instead of Rodney Rat. Then one day a new student barges into the classroom. Her name is Camilla Capybara. Now the bullies are bullied by Camilla! Poor Wodney. He imagines what Camilla will do to him once she hears him speak. Read the story to find out how Wodney Wat, an unassuming hero, saves the day.

In Wodney Wat's Wobot, Lester returns with another story about the beloved rat. It’s Wodney’s birthday and he gets one tewiffic pwesent – a wobot! Not just any wobot, but one that can talk! Wodney soon discovers that the wobot will wepeat whatever he tells it, even magically turning his lunchroom request of “wibs and wice” into “ribs and rice.” How Wodney uses his wobot to outsmart the boastfull Camilla Capybara makes for a joyous read aloud.

Author Tad Hills introduced the cute little dog Rocket in How Rocket Learned to Read. In that book, “A little yellow bird teaches Rocket the dog how to read by first introducing him to the "wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet." Rocket is back and now he wants to write a story!  Rocket Writes a Story follows Rocket as he collects new words from his word tree, searches for inspiration, writes – and rewrites—every day, until, best of all, when his story is finished, he shares it with his new friend. A charming read aloud. Perfect for all ages, especially those who have aspirations of becoming a writer.

We have many more titles you’re children will want to hear again, and again, and again. Stop in to the Library. The Youth Services staff will be happy to suggest some other, equally terrific books to read aloud.

So you want to be President?

We are in an election year. The rhetoric will heat up now and many children will ask what is this all about. How do you get to be The President? The Library has many books to help you answer that, and other questions your children may have from now until November. 

Some books to get you all in the spirit:

So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George; illustrated by David Small

This celebration shows us the foibles, quirks and humanity of forty-two men who have risen to one of the most powerful positions in the world.

Vote by Eileen Christelow

Using a campaign for mayor as an example, the steps involved in an election are shown, from the candidate's speeches and rallies, to the voting booth where every vote counts, to the announcement of the winner.

Vote by Philip Steele

Presents the history of the election process from Roman times to the present day.

Woodrow for President: a tail of voting, campaigns, and elections by Peter Barnes

Woodrow is running for president of the United Mice of America.

The Class Election from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Grace for President by Kelly S. DiPucchio 

When Grace discovers that there has never been a female U.S. president, she decides to run for school president.

For young listeners, try:

Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel

 or Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

There are lots of other great titles we can recommend. Stop in to the Youth Services Room and let us help you.

Pick up your Reading Logs

Time flies during the summer. There is so much going on each day that things can get away from me. Our Summer Reading Program ended on Wednesday, August 15, 2012. Over 400 people came to our End of the Summer Reading Program Ice Cream Party. The Library was packed! Our performer was terrific, as was the ice cream that was generously provided by our Friends of Scarborough Library. Thank you! We had a lot of great readers this summer. So many of your children read lots and lots of books. We marveled at those who had to add pages to their reading logs. Who ever said children are reading less? Our numbers prove otherwise.

If you were not able to attend the party, but your child did turn in their Reading Log, please stop in to the Youth Services Department anytime the Library is open to pick it up and select their free book. We have lots of books left.

To help us plan for next summer, we are going to ask you to fill out a simple online questionnaire. Keep checking this blog to learn more details.

Thank you all, and keep reading!

Summer Reading...Week Four!

We are at Week Four in our Summer Reading Program. WA Hoo! We have had a tremendous turn out of children coming in each week to return their books, stamping and stickering their Reading Logs, placing a sticker on The Wall of Fame, and then checking out more books. It is wonderful to see so many eager readers. I know the teachers and school librarians will be tickled with the results!

Here are two pictures of The Wall of Fame.

Week One.

 Week Four. Can you see the variety of different colored stickers?

We are curious what you've been reading. Send us an email to tell us what books you have enjoyed so far this summer.

Summer vacation...Week One

Week One in our Summer Reading Program is off to a great start. We have over 460 children signed up! That is more than last year. Congratulations! Our Wall of Fame is quickly filling up with stickers from those summer reading participants visiting the library. Each time a child who is signed up for the summer reading program visits the library they, too, can place a sticker on our Wall of Fame.

As for our special programs, we do have a few spaces left for the Northern Stars Planetarium. If you are interested in having your child attend, please call or stop in to put their name on the signup sheet. For our other programs, many are already filled, but call us to double check.

We do have lots and lots of exciting books to keep your child reading all summer long. We always love to help children find the perfect match, so never hesitate to ask us for suggestions.
On display are books from the Maine Student Book Award list. For students in Wentworth, we also have the review forms they need to fill out to qualify for the MSBA Book Group.

Studies show that children who read throughout the summer do better when they get to school in the fall. Come on in and sign up for our summer reading program where children can earn a free book just by reading throughout vacation. See you soon!

Goodbye, Jean Craighead George

Newbery Award winning author, Jean Craighead George passed away Tuesday, May 15, 2012. She wrote over 100 books, both fiction and nonfiction and will be remembered for her love of the natural world. My favorite book is My Side of the Mountain, the story of young Sam Gribley who leaves his crowded home in NYC for a mountain in Vermont. Sam carves out a home in an old tree and finds food with the help of a falcon he names Frightful. Written as a diary, we share Sam's exciting year surviving on his own.

Visit George's author site for more information about her life and her books.

Stop in the Library and check out her books. They are perfect for a family read aloud.

A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer

A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer; Illustrations by Robin Brickman
S&S. 1997

As the weather warms up and families spend more time outdoors, A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer is an excellent book to share with young readers. In simple language and amazing cut-paper collage, the book introduces to young readers the life cycle of a tree. 

Beginning with a great oak, we see it teaming with life. Squirrels live in a hole in the trunk, a woodpecker searches for insects in the rough bark, wood-boring beetles burrow under the bark chewing wood. Then, during a storm, the tree is hit by lightning and topples to the ground. Over the course of many seasons, summer, winter, fall, and summer, as many animals and insects find shelter in the downed tree, it also slowly rots. And soon, there is no log left but fertile earth. Soon, a seedling oak sprouts and grows and grows until it becomes majestic. Then, another storm and the tree falls, and the cycle begins again.

Scholastic provides lesson plans or go to YouTube for the book trailer.

It's time to plant your garden!

Here are some great books to inspire you to share gardening with your child.

Ready Set Grow!
Young gardeners learn how to grow plants from seed,  how to propagate plants, when to harvest seeds, how long different plants take to grow, what to do about pests, and much more. Features more than 30 simple gardening projects, which include flowers and vegetables, specially designed to be completed during summer vacation.

Green fingers and muddy boots : a year in the garden for children and families  by Ivor Santer  illustrated by Lucy McCrick.
 This book, with accompanying worksheets on a CD (included), presents fun and practical activities to do in the garden every month of the year, come rain or shine.

Grow it Cook It!
Shows how to grow plants and then how to use them in delicious kid-appealing recipes and encourages healthy eating in children.

Kids in the garden : growing plants for food and fun by Elizabeth McCorquodale.
A fun and accessible guide for children to use on their own or with adults, Kids in the Garden encourages children to learn about gardening, healthy eating and caring for the environment. Instructions are step-by-step with bright photography and fun illustrations. This book is aimed at children aged five upwards with adult supervision, then for older children up to 11 to complete on their own.

The vegetables we eat by Gail Gibbons.
Illustrations and simple text describe the various vegetables people eat.

Garbage helps our garden grow: a compost story by Linda Glaser ; photographs by Shelley Rotner.
Amazing things happen inside a compost bin. In this book, you can watch as one family makes compost for their garden and also learn how to start your own compost bin.

I had a wonderful afternoon on Wednesday, April 25 visiting at Wentworth during their Maine Student Book Award celebration. 65 students enjoyed ice cream, then we sat around and listened as Mrs. Merritt and others introduced the new, 2012-2013 Maine Student Book Award List.

Some of the books talked about were:

Amelia Lost by Candiace Fleming ” Between chapters on Amelia's childhood, growing up, and training to be a pilot, are chapters on the search, after contact with her was lost during her final flight, including information from Coast Guard cutters sitting in the Pacific and ordinary Americans sitting in their living rooms.”

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos “In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.”

Mission Unstoppable, Book One in the Genius Files by Dan Gutman “On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.”

The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell “In late nineteenth-century Maine, eleven-year-old Clara Dooley gains a friend and uncovers a magical secret that changes her life when she learns to care for the once-feared birds in the aviary attached to the Glendoveer mansion where she lives.”



Sidekicks by Dan Santat “When Captain Amazing feels he is getting too old to be a reliable superhero, he tries to hire a new sidekick, but his pets have different ideas.” This book is rarely on our shelves, it is that popular.









For a complete list of the titles, click here to visit the official Maine Student Book Award site.

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. To learn about it visit Poets.org

One of my favorite poets is American poet, Valerie Worth. She was born in 1933 and died in 1994 from cancer. She is best known for her “’small poems” for children. Worth wrote about ordinary things using simple free-verse. My favorite of her poems is “Back Yard” where she describes the sun moving around the yard on a lazy summer day. It is in the book, all the small poems and fourteen more. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994)

Maine Student Book Award Winner

The 2012 Winner of the Maine Student Book Award is...

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Yeah! That book is one of the most popular children's book in our library. It is never on the shelf.

For more information about the Maine Student Book Award, click here.

New picture books

Following her success with The Red Box, which won a 2005 Caldecott Honor medal, Barbara Lehman continues to offer young readers a sophisticated story using no words. The Secret Box follows a young schoolboy from the early twentieth century who hides a candy box with secret instructions in the floorboards of his boarding school for future generations of schoolchildren to find and follow to a mysterious hidden place. You must look closely to the illustrations, done in watercolor, gouache, and ink for details that move the story forward.

Linda Ashman partners with artist Lauren Stringer in Castles, Caves and Honeycombs. This story for young children describes unique places where animals build their homes. Ashman is known for her excellent book, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Come to the Castle! : a visit to a castle in thirteenth-century England. Using rhymed text, we see life in a medieval castle through the eyes of its many different inhabitants.

British artist, Inga Moore is known for her lush interpretation illustrating two classics, The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows. She has written and illustrated her own stories, which are comforting and enchanting. Her latest, A House in the Woods is a different take on a familiar tale, The Three Little Pigs. Here, two Little Pigs whose small homes in the woods have been accidentally destroyed by Bear and Moose decide to build a house they can all share, and with the help of Beaver Builders they soon have a fine new home. A charming read aloud.



Stop into the library to see other new titles throughout the Youth Services Department.

Interested in joining a Book Group?

Posting regularly to this blog is a challenge. I have no problem coming up with book-related topics I want to share. No, what slows me down is finding the time, a quiet moment in my crazy-busy day, to put my thoughts together. One way to make things easier is making 'live booktalks'. The Youth Services staff is excited about this new addition to the blog. We will continue to post new ones as we make them.

As children move into the intermediate grades, 3 thru 5, being involved in a book discussion group gives them an opportunity to express their opinions about the books they have been reading. The adult who leads the group can expose children to a broader range of titles. I have hosted several books group over the years and found them to be exciting. Participants are eager to learn different terminology -- theme, plot, and pacing -- and how some authors are successful at writing than others. We would love to start a book group with students in grades 4 and 5. Stop in and talk with Mrs. C anytime. We would need at least 5 to start.

For those who love to read but find themselves in the car a lot, National Public Radio (NPR) hosts a monthly book club called 'Backseat Book Club'. Children can log on to the the site to read a brief summary of the book and learn more about the author. If the book piques your child's interest, you can stop in to the Scarborough Public Library and check the book out.

Call the Youth Services Department 883-4723, ext 6277 and ask for Mrs. C. or send an email: kids@scarborough.lib.me.us if you would like to join a book group.

Have you read...

Do you enjoy books about animals? Click here to listen to Lauren, Youth Services Assistant, talk about the book Poppy by Avi.

SCHOOL VACATION ACTIVITIES IN THE LIBRARY

We are having a special PAJAMARAMA!

Tuesday, February 21 @6:30 pm
The theme for this program is Fairytales.

"Run, run, as fast as you can". The Gingerbread Boy eludes the grasp of a host of hungry characters, including the old woman who baked him, until he happens upon a fox more clever than he and goes the way of every single gingerbread boy that ever came out of an oven.--
The Gingerbread Boy By Paul Galdone

We'll also listen to:
The 3 Bears And Goldilocks By Margaret Willey
Red Riding Hood By James Marshall

Craft: Decorating King And Queen Crowns

Puppet Theater
Wednesday, February 22 at 10:30 am.
Join Lauren, Marilyn, and Mrs. C as they bring some stories to life using puppets and flannel board.

We will continue our regular story times.
Note: we will be closed Monday the 20th for the holiday.

2012 Book Awards Announced

Monday, January 23 at 7:45 am CST the American Library Association announced the 2012 winners of over 15 awards. Among those were the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott awards.

To read the complete list of winners, click here.