Do you keep track of all the books you read? When you get that book report assignment, do you have several titles to choose from? Do you remember what each book was about?
A book journal is a good way to keep track of the books that you read.
Come to the Pittsfield Branch on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. and make
a journal that you can use to track your reading history.
We'll show you how to make paper journals as well as online ones.
This is for kids in grades K - 5. All supplies will be provided.

For some ideas, look here.

Should the hype about Saga. Volume One convince you to read it? You bet! This tale of two soldiers from opposite sides involved in an endless galactic war who fall in love and attempt to initiate change through their newborn daughter will draw you in from the dramatic opening to the surprising end. Apparently writer Brian K. Vaughan has not previously used narration but effectively does so here in using the newborn Hazel to tell the story. Actually, it’s a grown up Hazel looking back who tells the story of how from the first breath of life there are those who try to wipe her and her parents off the galactic map.

I enjoyed Vaughan’s pacing and engaging characters. Fiona Staple’s stunning artwork creates amazing worlds and characters, balancing the poignant quiet moments with the battles for survival. Request this book and be ready when Saga, Volume Two arrives July 9!

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin is one funny picture book. I recently read this to my small relations and we were all cracking up. The book features a crew of taco-loving dragons. They LOVE tacos! (I mean, who doesn’t?) They love all kinds of tacos. They also love parties. Especially taco parties. BUT! Dragons do not like spicy salsa of any kind, ever. Of course the dragons end up at a taco party serving spicy salsa! If you want to know how it ends you’ll have to grab this funny book off the shelf and give it a read. Grown-ups, you'll have as much fun as the kids.

For more picture books about dragons check out this list, and for more funny picture books check out this list.

There’s nothing like tales of girls with gumption, to make us laugh and gasp and celebrate the female spirit. The Girl Scouts are cruising Ann Arbor’s cultural events this Saturday for their 100th birthday and we are a stop on the fun train. At 3 pm on March 2, all children in Kindergarten and up are invited to join us for stories about magical nesting dolls, jungle adventures and more with the Girl Scouts.

Saturday, March 2 | 1-2:00pm | Downtown Multi-Purpose Room | Grades K-5 with an adult

March 1 is Read Across America Day! "Now in its 16th year, this year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources." It's no coincidence that this special day happens around March 2 each year... Because that day is author Dr. Seuss' birthday!

We'll be celebrating the magic of reading by making Seuss character puppets. We've got all the supplies for the kids to make Cat in the Hat and/or Thing 1 and Thing 2 puppets. As always, it's a great idea to catch silly spirit by curling up with some of your favorite Dr. Seuss stories.

Monday, February 18 | 6:30pm-8:30pm | Pittsfield branch | For Grade 6 - Adult

Join us for an evening of making decorative pins and hair clips out of felt and other embellishments. You’ll cut out your shapes, jazz them up, and sew and glue them into place. All materials will be provided, just bring your creativity!

For more fun with felt, check out this list of books.

Four new Book Clubs to Go titles will be available soon! Follow the title links below to jump on the waiting list.

In Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling author of Blink identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires, why certain cultures are associated with better academic performance, and why the Beatles earned their fame.

We the Animals by Justin Torres is a short novel that follows three brothers who tear their way through childhood -- smashing tomatoes all over each other, building kites from trash, hiding out when their parents do battle, and tiptoeing around the house as their mother sleeps off her graveyard shift. Life in this family is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward: Enduring a hardscrabble existence as the children of alcoholic and absent parents, four siblings from a coastal Mississippi town prepare their meager stores for the arrival of Hurricane Katrina while struggling with such challenges as a teen pregnancy and a dying litter of prize pups.

The Submission by Amy Waldman: When a Muslim architect wins a blind contest to design a Ground Zero Memorial, a city of eleven million people takes notice. Waldman, a former bureau chief for the New York Times, explores a diversity of viewpoints around this fictional event, bringing in politicians, businessmen, journalists, activists, and normal people whose lives -- whether by happenstance, choice, or even due to their country of origin -- get caught up in the controversy.

Book Clubs to Go (BCTG) is a service of the AADL that provides local book clubs with the convenience of complete kits for book discussions. Included in each BCTG are 10 copies of the featured book for discussion (or 10 each of two related titles), 1 copy of movie DVD if available, a resource folder containing the following: summary information and reviews of the title(s); author biography; a list of suggested discussion questions and read-alikes; tips for book groups; and evaluation forms so you can let us know what you think of the service.

Monday, February 18 | 1 - 2 pm | Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room | Preschool to Grade 3

Make a simple, but snazzy, snowman bookmark out of construction paper, beads, decorative punch out designs, and twine. Also, learn how to make a unique, 6-point, paper snowflake that you can use to create a beautiful winter scene.

The AADL has crafting books of all kinds for kids!

Thursday, February 21 | 10 - 11 am | Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room | Preschool - Grade 5

Harpbeat's harpist, vocalist, and percussionist Donna Novack takes you on a magical world tour and explores the geography, culture, language, and music of Africa. Featured languages include Swahili and Zulu.

Travel across the "Middle Passage" to the West Indies. Take a ride on the Underground Railroad and arrive "dancin" in Motown. Learn how African musical styles -- call & response, work songs, spirituals and more, have revolutionized American music. Martin Luther King, Jr. is featured in Harpbeat's original "I Have A Dream," song, which is accompanied by simple sign language.

Harpbeat! recordings and Donna's original songs have won many national awards. The AADL has the Harpbeat! CDs Around the world from A to Z as well as Hopes & Dreams & Rainbows for checkout.

Denise Owens will lead the DANCING BABIES Program @ Malletts Creek Library on Saturday Feb 16, 2013 from 10:00- 10:40 am.
Denise leads Kindermusik Classes in the Ann Arbor area, and she will have her information available at the program.
DANCING BABIES is a music and motion program for children 0 to 5 years, with their adults.

If you want more MUSIC and MOTION with your kids ... try these:
A Family Album by Verve Pipe.
15th anniversary collection : celebrating 15 years of the best in children's music packed with worldly classics.
Jim Gill Presents Music Play For Folks Of All Stripes
It's Time To Get Up!: Music For Kids Of All Ages
Kid's Dance Party: a Salute To Highschool Musical
Dinostory: The Ultimate Dinosaur Rock Opera!
Dance Along
Exercise Party
... so push back the coffee table ... roll up the rug ... and let the dance begin!