Dogs are great fun, but if you don't own one, you may not know how to meet one on the street. You also have to consider the issues before you take the responsibility. Books are a non-threatening way to anticipate new scenarios. The following titles give solid pointers:
May I Pet Your Dog? A How-To Guide For Kids Meeting Dogs
A fine guide to say How-Do-You-Do to canine friends.
A Dog's Body: dog body language phrase book helps translate dog behavior for human understanding.
Can we Have One? helps think through what it means to have a pet.
Paws, Claws, Feathers and Fins is a DVD for kids 4-12 years. It points out that taking care of a pet may be fun, but it is also hard work.
For those who enjoy silliness, check Alan Snow's How Dogs Really Work and enjoy the illustrations =)
Woof!

Winter is coming and we need to add blankets to keep cozy and warm.
Ms. Rachel shared quilt stories in Preschool Storytime this week with the following:
A Far-Fetched Story about each quilt piece from the family.
"I'm Makng A Blanket For Baby" which is a poem full of favorite songs to"keep baby rocking all night long".
Owl At Home has an unpleasant experience with "Strange Bumps" in his bed.
If someone in your house loves blankets, you may like these titles too:
No More Blanket For Lambkin
Owen from the same author of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.
Soft House with more than one way to use quilts.
Choose other stories behind quilting in the Library Catalog.

A Parent says .... “Now that my child is in Kindergarten, he/she is asking about differences in skin colors. What can we read to support the conversation?”
Here are suggested titles to read together:
My Two Grannies
All Of Me
Who Will I Be Lord?
The Skin You Live In
Shades Of People
The Colors Of Us
... and here are two books published by UNICEF that provide fabulous photos of children from global cultures and what their days are like.
A School Like Mine: A Unique Celebration of schools around the world
A Life Like Mine

In Preschool Storytime, Ms. Rachel told stories of “The Mouse And The Wind” and “The Journey”, two stories from Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel.
We sang Uh-Oh! and presented rhymes from I Made a Mistake by Miriam Nerlove. This title is no longer in print, but you can read a STORY SHELF copy in the DownTown Youth Department. You may borrow a copy through MelCat, aka interlibrary loan, an extension of AADL services.

If you would like to meet more famous mice, read these books:
Anatole a French mouse who wishes to earn an honest living as a cheese-taster.
Angelina Ballerina a mouse who wants to be a ballerina.
Doctor DeSoto the mouse dentist who agrees to work on Fox’s bad tooth.
Mitt The Michigan Mouse, the first book in a series by Kathy-Jo Wargin. The stories of Mitt & Minn are easy chapter books that make nice read alouds for families with younger listeners.

The Downtown Library will be filled with the tiniest and most colorful trick-or-treaters
you have ever seen on Friday, October 29th for the 9:30 am and 10:30 am Halloween storytimes. After stories and songs we’ll give out bags and candy to kickoff the Main Street Treat Parade which begins at 11:00 am. To get in trickster mode, check out two brand new treats, Hallowilloween and AlphaOoops! H is for Halloween.

Egg Stories were hatched in Preschool Storytime by Ms. Rachel.
Kids heard how Flossie tricks the Fox in Flossie And The Fox and keeps her basket of eggs.
In Dora's Eggs Dora wants to show off her lovely eggs. All the other farm mothers must watch their own cute, cute babies. Now Dora's not sure her eggs are so nice. The Library does not own a copy to loan at this time, but you may borrow a copy through MelCat, aka interlibrary loan, an extension of AADL services.
You can cluck over more stories of important eggs as follows:
And Tango Makes Three, the true story of two male penguins who were given an orphan egg to hatch, and lovingly raised the baby penguin together.
Dimity Dumpty is the story of Humpty Dumpty's sister.
Sometimes things are Just Plain Fancy, even on Amish farms where folks live in honor of leading a simple life.
Zinnia And Dot bicker over who lays the loveliest eggs.
Hunwick's Egg is lovely, but what will it be when it hatches?
After roosting and reading these stories, be sure to check your nest for any new eggs.

turnip

Ms. Rachel harvested the following stories for Storytime:
The Turnip by Peirr Morgan is no longer in print, but you can view a copy in the DownTown Youth Department. You may borrow a copy through MelCat, aka interlibrary loan, an extension of AADL services.
Different versions of this classic harvest tale are:
The Tale Of The Turnip, a "champion" British version.
The Turnip, a German adaptation for "somewhat older than the nursery set".
Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip, an African-American adaptation.
The Giant Carrot, inspired by the Giant Turnip.
The Enormous Turnip, a version with "controlled vocabulary" for beginning readers.
Add to the harvest theme with these titles:
Tops And Bottoms, a tricky tale of harvests.
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe For The Earth, an alphabet related to Gardens.
Crunch, crunch, Yummm !

Just discovered ! New favorites in children's music on CD !!
What makes a favorite for Me?
1. Classic songs updated with new verses, lyrics, or improved outcomes as in, "Three White Mice" from "Three Blind Mice".
2. New lyrics to old music, otherwise called "piggy-back" songs as in "My Lollipop" from "One Bottle of Pop".
3. Interestingly fresh and "above average" voices and composition as in All the songs.
4. Songs skillfully rendered in harmony, rounds and canons.
5. The music lends itself to early learning and active participation because you wish to learn the songs, and sing & dance along, again & again.
My top favorite is:
Fabulous Food with cheers, chants, tongue-twister refrains, and fun! My personal fave is the cheer "GO Bananas! GO! GO! Bananas!" =)
Other themed titles by the same producers are as follows:
Critters and Company with songs to include many types of animals.
Me, My Family and Friends and Honk, Honk, Rattle, rattle.

Alfie Runs Away in Ms. Rachel's Storytime today. Mother suggests, "Don't forget your sweater ..." and other practical advice.
In the story We Were Tired of Living in a House the children "pack sweaters and hats and socks and a ball of string ..." and try out a number of other places to live.
You can read about more "runaways" in the following titles:
Runaway Bunny, a classic by Margaret Wise Brown, who also wrote the classic Good Night Moon.
Pfister Farnello runs away from his bath and becomes Dirt Boy ... until he meets Dirt Man.
Vera Runs Away when she feels unappreciated in the family.
The Caboose who Got Loose by Bill Peet, tells the story of a caboose who is tired of following the train.
Anyway ... Don't runaway until you've read these stories. Then pack the peanut butter and bring a sweater, in case you get hungry and chilly.

Ms. Rachel dedicates Storytime to Pies, beginning with...
Ugly Pie which includes recipes for "ugly" pie, and ...
Apple Pie by Anne Wellington is no longer in print, but you can view a copy in the DownTown Youth Department. You may borrow a copy through MelCat, aka interlibrary loan, an extension of AADL services.
For more pie stories try:
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie, especially if you Halloween ghosts!
A Apple Pie, the traditional nursery alphabet for what happens to apple pie.
All For Pie, Pie For All, and
More Pies!, with a Robert Munsch pie-eating contest.