Eagle Scout James Calderwood

As a Boy Scout you may have earned a lot of badges, but James Calderwood of Chevy Chase, Maryland probably has a couple more than you. He's earned all 122 Merit Badges! Read & hear more about this enthusiastic Eagle Scout on NPR. To learn more about the Boy Scouts check out these books on the Boy Scouts of America or visit the National Council's website.

astronaut

NASA Astronaut Sunita L. Williams set a record Sunday for most total time spacewalking by a woman. Her record is 22 hours and 27 minutes but she has another spacewalk scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8th. Future woman astronauts can launch their career by attending a Sally Ride Science Festival. Details of the University of Michigan festival are still in the works but plan on one for Fall, 2007.

mush

Kids can have a day of winter fun at “Chillin’ at the Mills” on Saturday, January 27 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Hudson Mills Metropark. Pull a dog sled, cross-country ski, learn about winter camping and then head over to the shelter building for hot cocoa and Girl Scout cookies courtesy of the Girl Scouts of Huron Valley Council.

My improbable conversion to a Poke-Mom was foretold a decade ago, when both Pokemon and our son Michael were born. My conversion was completed the week after Christmas 2006, following full immersion in the music, color and magic of the four-day holiday Pokemon tournament led by Eli, a near god in the eyes of Poke-moms, dads and kids.

Eli was managing library technology, while acting as tournament commentator for crowds of kids and parents at the downtown library: “Rayquaza’s Hyper Beam attack was a powerful hit against Swampert . . . Ohhhhhh! Swampert fainted!” Eli’s dramatic, deep-voice Poke-narration sealed my status as a Poke-mom of Great Conviction. I wasn’t there for the whole tournament, but I definitely saw and heard enough to absorb the spirit. For my full report, click on read more below.

Are you looking for a good book to listen to with your family on your next car trip? I suggest Redwall by Brian Jacques. The story is about a young mouse Matthias, who becomes the hero of Redwall Abbey when it is attacked by Cluny the Scourge.

camp

Here we are at … the City of Ann Arbor’s Holiday Break Camp for kids ages 6 – 10 years old. The Bryant Community Center is the place to be 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Jan. 2 – 5, 2007. Lots of activities, lunches, snacks and field trips are included in the $50 resident fee. For more information contact Community Outreach at 994.2722.

There's a new picture book in our collection that is just the thing for cozy family reading or a nice gift for a family with young children. That book is Winter Is the Warmest Season, written and illustrated by Lauren Stringer.
Maybe you're thinking this title doesn't work here in Michigan, but the book's large brilliant illustrations and clever text will convince you otherwise. "Cold jelly sandwiches turn into grilled cheeses" and pajamas "grow big warm feet."

For more books about the joys of winter, click here.

santa

Watch Santa take calls from boys and girls LIVE on Thursday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. on CTN Station 17. Call Santa at 734-997-1050 with your list (after you've checked it twice) during this special 2-hour telecast from the Santa Satellite Network.

Planning on getting a tree, wreath or roping this holiday season? The Michigan Department of Agriculture has tips for selecting and caring for Michigan-grown greenery. You can cut your own at a Michigan Christmas tree farm. To get in the holiday mood, visit the Michigan Historical Center. They’ve decked the halls with holiday trimmings and added special winter and holiday displays throughout the galleries. The kids can make decorations for your Michigan tree at the Center’s WinterFest Arts & Crafts Extravaganza this Saturday, Dec. 2nd.

Each issue of Publisher's Weekly features bestseller lists for all kinds of categories. Here are the top ten bestsellers in the children's picture book category according to the November 20, 2006 issue.

1. Our 50 States by Lynne Cheney, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (This title is on order.)
2. Pirateology. Edited by Dugald A. Steer. (Library's copies are in teen section.)
3. Thanksgiving Is For Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. Illustrated by Sonja Lamut.
4. Mommy? by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorkings and Matthew Reinhart. (This is a pop-up book. Pop-ups are problematic for library collections.)
5. Is There Really a Human Race? by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell.
6. A Princess Primer by Stephanie True Peters. (This one has many removable pieces. Again, not practical for library collections.)
7. Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.
8. The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket.
9. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.
10. Flotsam by David Wiesner.