Blog Post
Once Upon An Alphabet
by manz
If words make up stories, and letters make up words, then stories are made of letters.
In this menagerie we have stories, made of words, made FOR all the letters.
Once Upon An Alphabet: Short Stories For All the Letters is written and illustrated by the amazing Oliver Jeffers. The picture book has a (cute or charming or funny or silly or weird or dark) short story for each letter of the alphabet, accompanied by quirky and beautiful illustrations. The stories feature some great vocabulary that dances off the page. This book is a real treat for both adults and children who aren't afraid of dark humor. (All the letters have great stories, but I recommend W. Since W is for Whiraffe!)
Blog Post
Parent’s Corner: Top Picks
by manz
The Parent Shelf is located in the downtown youth area, and on this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from homework to potty training to time-outs to bullying. These books are available for checkout and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf.” Here are a few stand-out titles worth a peek:
Making grateful kids: The science of building character
How to be the parent you always wanted to be
For additional parent resources check out the long list of titles in the catalog and located on the Parent Shelf!
Blog Post
Delicious Imagination!
by StoryLaura
It’s time for gingerbread play at the Youth Department Tot Table this month. We’ve got the cookie sheets, spatulas and felt cookies in every shape and size. If it makes you long for true gingerbread deliciousness, check out this recipe inspired by Zingerman's “ginger jump up” cookies. Then burn calories and “run, run, catch me if you can” at the annual Turkey Trot!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Inch by Inch
by ryanikoglu
In honor of "I" .. Ms Rachel brought Inchworm to Storytime.
Inchworms are very useful because they can measure things ... including Nightingale's song ....
Find the stories to read/sing at home:
INCH By INCH by Leo Lionni
Ms. Sara sang INCH By INCH The Garden Song by David Mallett
You can hear the song (and more) on the recording PICKIN & GRINNIN Great Folk Songs For Kids
I MADE A MISTAKE was a silly story about how things can go wrong ... by mistake!
More Inchworms and Counting can be found below:
Stories To Go SIZE And MEASUREMENTS is a pre-selected set of stories on measuring sizes.
There are many more Stories To Go with Preschool themes. You can choose by the bag-full!
Here are more books to practice your counting:
INCHWORM And A HALF
LIFETIME:The Amazing Numbers In Animal Lives
100 ANIMALS On PARADE
The DEEP DEEP PUDDLE
20 BIG TRUCKS In The MIDDLE Of The STREET
Blog Post
Fall fun!
by manz
This week at storytime Ms Amanda featured fall themed picture books and stories! Not Halloween, but FALL! We saw some animals swapping items in The Scarecrow’s Hat, we shook our heads at Anansi the spider as he played tricks on the animals in Anansi and the Talking Melon (I turned it into a talking PUMPKIN for this story!). We also had fun checking out GIANT pumpkins in How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow. And for the cuteness factor we met up with Penguin and Pumpkin on a fall adventure.
The library has all sorts of fun and beautiful fall picture books to suit your fancy. They sure are fun to share with little ones this time of year!
Blog Post
New Youth CDs @ the Library
by annevm
The library has lots of new youth CDs, including the soundtrack of Disney Maleficent. Composed by James Newton Howard, the CD also credits Lana Del Rey. Other new youth CDs at the library include the soundtrack to Muppets Most Wanted and Kidz Bop: Party Pop!. Check them out!
Blog Post
Mustache Madness!
by PattySmith
In the month of November you might notice more men walking around sporting mustaches. No, there isn’t going to be a shortage of razors and shaving cream! Many of these men are taking part in a campaign called Movember. Movember started over 10 years ago in Australia as a way to raise awareness about men’s health. In the past few years the mustache movement has made its way across the world and has become an international campain that has raised $559 million and funded over 800 programs in 21 countries.
But hey, grown men aren’t the only ones allowed to have fun with Movember! Children can participate too by checking out these great books centered around, you got it, MUSTACHES!
Mo’s Mustache by Ben Clanton
Monster Mo's big, beautiful mustache inspires all of his friends to copy his style by growing fabulous mustaches of their own, leaving Mo to wonder how he will continue to distinguish himself.
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
When Baby Billy is born with a mustache, his family takes it in stride. They are reassured when he nobly saves the day in imaginary-play sessions as a cowboy or cop and his mustache looks good-guy great. But as time passes, their worst fears are confirmed when little Billy's mustache starts to curl up at the ends in a suspiciously villainous fashion. Sure enough, "Billy's disreputable mustache led him into a life of dreadful crime."
Mustache by Mac Barnett
When extremely good-looking King Duncan builds more and more tributes to his handsome face, neglecting kingdom projects and repairs, his loyal subjects find a mustachioed solution.
Big Bushy Mustache by Gary Soto
In order to look more like his father, Ricky borrows a mustache from a school costume, but when he loses it on the way home his father comes up with a replacement.
Blog Post
At the Art Table: Poppies for Vets!
by manz
For the next few weeks the art table will feature a chance to make Veterans Day cards featuring pretty poppies! We have all the supplies on hand. We have a spot to collect the cards you make and they’ll be delivered to the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor. Feel tree to make yourself a poppy to also take home and put on the fridge!
Why poppies for Veterans Day? This symbol of remembrance was inspired by the poem In Flander’s Fields by John McCrae. The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in WWI.
Want to learn more about Veterans Day? Here are a couple book to look at.
Blog Post
Filmmaking fans? Moose fans?
by manz
Have I got a new picture book for you! This is a Moose, written by Richard T. Morris and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, is hilarious! The book features many animals including the director duck who is trying to film the documentary “This is Moose,” and the shooting gets interrupted by Moose’s granny, a giraffe and outer space. Moose doesn’t want to be a moose, he wants to be an astronaut! The impatient director is about to quack up – all he wants is for the animals to play their proper roles! Will this film ever get beyond the the first scene? It's a great story about being able to be who you want to be. The back of the book also features a mini glossary of filmmaking terms.
Another not-so-new funny moose picture book is Z is For Moose, an alphabet story that gets a little mixed up when Moose gets upset.
Blog Post
Lift the flaps in Little Pear Tree
by manz
With creatures fed, the seasons turn
And leaves begin to fall.
The little pear tree stands at rest,
Awaiting autumn’s call.
Little Pear Tree by Jenny Bowers is a darling (not so tiny) board book featuring “lift the flap” options on each page. The pages beautifully depict scenes from Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer with bright, vibrant illustrations. Young children will love looking at the bright colors and lifting the flaps to see what critters are hiding beneath the leaves and flowers each season. Each set of pages includes poetic text describing the pear tree as it changes through the seasons. It’s a lovely board book for babies through early elementary schoolers.