This Friday, May 9, 2008, the Washtenaw United Way will provide an opportunity for parents to have toys and other child related plastics tested for lead at the Whittaker Road Ypsilanti Library from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. The Ecology Center will have its XRF Lead Analyzer there and they will do on the spot tests to check for high lead levels. Other educational activities will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at our Pittsfield branch. Read more about chemicals in toys from the Ecology Center and check out the top toys from HealthyToys.org.

Whether you're shopping used cars dealers or Craigslist, auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup will tell you the things you need to know to buy a car that not only looks good but runs well too. This program, titled "Buy a Ride: No Clunkers, Lemons, or Junkers," will be held from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, in the Malletts Creek branch program room.

Parents struggle with creating healthy habits for children. One BIG issue these days is "Screen Time", homework, social behaviors, video games, computers, television, and how it all fits together. Perhaps these titles can help .... Taking Back Childhood and Grand Theft Childhood, or the following web site, and it's links.

David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family, presented research on the topic at the Public Library Association 2008 Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota in March 2008.

If Duff, from Jeanne DuPrau’s Car Trouble, had come to Malletts Creek on Tuesday, May 13 (7-8 pm) and heard auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup share his knowledge about buying your first car and keeping it in great condition, it probably would have not been much of a story.

But instead, Duff goes out unprepared and buys a used car. It runs ok but the dash lights don’t work. Duff thinks it’s no big deal since he plans to do all of his cross-country drive in daylight and can easily read the speedometer and gas gauge. But that is no help for the engine trouble lights. Three hours into his trip he has no way to know he has low oil and eventually throws a rod. Don’t be a Duff. Join us May 13.

Got wheels? Let's GO !!
But Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!.
In Mouse Tales "The Journey", Mouse sets out to visit Mother. And if you are very courageous, see what it's like to get In The Driver's Seat. These are the stories for Malletts Creek and Pittsfield Branch Storytimes this week.
Now pick out something by Richard Scarry like Richard Scarry's Cars And Trucks And Things That Go and study those pictures when you get home.

Kids have asked for books about dragons. The pictures were the treasures! Look for The Book Of Dragons with illustrations by Michael Hague. Dr. Ernest Drake's dragonology : the complete book of dragons. If you like to draw, find Ralph Masiello's dragon drawing book and get out your colored pencils! For stories of girls who went up against dragons look for The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories Of Strong Women with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.

Plan to buy your first set of wheels soon? Come to Malletts Creek Tuesday, May 13 (7-8 p.m.) to learn what you need to know to buy a car that not only looks good but runs too. Auto technology instructor Paul Kruthaup will share his knowledge about buying that first car and keeping it in great condition.

See the piggy? See the puddle? See the Piggy In The Puddle?
We'll do "Piggies" in Storytimes at Malletts Creek and Pittsfield Branches.
Once you know a traditional version of a folktale, revisions are fun.
Begin with traditional The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone; Try a revision of The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall;
And when you know the story, you can read ....
The wolf's point of view by Jon Scieszka in The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs.

I was not the only Helen Keller obsessed girl in my 1963 classroom. We read everything about Helen and Annie that we could get our hands on and we would have eaten this book alive! This dramatic tale, told through the suffering eyes of Annie Sullivan, will create a whole new generation of Helen and Annie fans and remind older children that words are filled with power.

Storytime @ Malletts Creek and Pittsfield will feature stories from Africa this week. We did Rachel Isadora's new Princess And The Pea and Anansi And The Moss-Covered Rock.
Rabbit Ears: Anansi is a DVD production of Anansi stories based onthe book illustrations and text. Rabbit Ears Productions publish, "stories read by well-known actors accompanied by music from top-notch groups".
Look for the Rabbit Ears DVDs in the Library collections.

School Library Journal provides an "Online Science Fare" resource list for Science Fair season.
Here it is, and hope it HELPS !
Science Fair Project Resource Guide from the Internet Public Library.

Online (and Hands-on) Activities created by the San Francisco Exploratorium.

Science Fair Project Resource Guide created by Librarians, "a well-known classic among science fair veterans". And

ZOOMsci with simple experiments especially good for elementary students and teachers looking for in-class projects

National Library Week is coming, April 13-19, 2008. El Dia De Los Ninos is April 30 every year. School Library Media Month is April every year. What better time to inform yourselves on Intellectual Freedom. Strong libraries help build strong minds.

That very question is posed in Searching for Bobby Fischer when a chess teacher talks with the father of a 7-year-old boy, Josh, who shows an amazing gift for playing chess. The teacher goes on to say that, "Bobby Fischer got underneath it like no one before and found at its center, art." And what's Josh's answer? When talking on the phone with a buddy, Josh explains, "Chess. It's a game, like Monopoly."

If you've never seen this flick, check it out. And, if you enjoy playing chess, come this Sunday, April 6 (1-4 p.m.), to Pittsfield Branch for Chesstastic. It's a chance to play a whole variety of opponents from the youngest age to senior citizens.

We'll do "Doggies" in Preschool Storytime this week @ Malletts Creek and Pittsfield Branches. Doggies is one of my favorite Board Books by Sandra Boynton. The Cake That Mack Ate is out of print, and is still fun to tell. The Great Gracie Chase is Cynthia Rylant's story of the day the dog got out. If you have a dog, you know ALL about this story!