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.