Teddies Call Slumber Party "The Best Ever!"

Check our pictures! On the right side of this blog page, click "Slideshow" and you can see all of the fun we had last night! (On Flickr, you can download them!) It was so much FUN!














Look for these pictures:

A wagon trip to the third floor (the general public is not allowed up there but the bears had a special privilege!) where they met the Library Director (Mr. Jake Speer)

Typing on the typewriter (ask your mom or dad what that is) in the book processing area

Checking out the pop machine

Exploring the world map on the wall

Reading board books in the book bin

Riding the library book carts

Going outside to the book drop (brrr!)

Relaxing with the fish

Enjoying a popcorn snack

Playing computer games

Reading the USA Today

Horsing around in the stable

Sleeping overnight on one of the staff break area sofas!

Teddy Bear Slumber Party Storytime

Watch Out for Bears at the Library!

Our kids' teddy bears are partying at the library tonight! After a fun storytime today, the bears (and some other important animal friends) are spending the evening "checking out" the library! They are all over the place...exploring the fishtank...jumping in the book drop...building towers...scanning world maps.... And they tell me that they are planning to sleep in the bookshelves and in the horsebarn and in the green library baskets and on top of the Tiki Hut.... Oh my!

Stay tuned. We're going to post pictures!

Two-Hour Delay Today - Friday, Feb. 25

ZPD says village streets are snow covered with ice underneath, so the Library will delay its opening until 11:30 AM today - Friday, Feb. 25. Enjoy your morning at home and stay safe! Check our website for updates.

Youth Book Review

As part of our Winter Reading Program this year, we've had some great book reviews submitted by Zoe, aged 10! Zoe's recently read and reviewed three books: two historical fiction novels - Felicity's Surprise by Valerie Trip (an American Girl book) & Skippack School by Newbery winning author Marguerite de Angeli,


and one fantasy novel: Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky.

Great work, Zoe, in writing and submitting your reviews! She even tried both ways to submit her reviews.



Tell us what you've been reading and what you've thought about it by either filling out a paper copy of our review, available at the Youth Services Reference Desk, or by clicking on the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bookreviewsbyyou. Parents, don't forget, you can submit reviews for youth materials, too, including picture books with a purpose: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/picbookreviewsbyyou.


The deadline for reviews is Sunday, February 27th. Monday morning we'll have our raffle prize winner!

Lost at the Library!

At a young age we teach our children to go to a safe place and tell a grown-up when they are lost.
This little kitty, who looks remarkably like Dewey, did just that-she came to the Library and asked for help!

She was hanging around our entrance begging to come inside, and since she was wearing her collar with her rabies tag on it we were able to contact the Humane Society to find her owner.

Meanwhile, the cat looks pretty comfortable in the Library!

Romance Me!

I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning (or any morning for that matter), but I remember strolling the aisles at the grocery store and finding Valentine’s Day candy available just days before Christmas. I was appalled. I really just wanted to get past one gift-giving holiday before the next one started screaming my name. While I enjoy the day, the flowers, and the chocolate, I do not like romance books. I’ll read them, but I won’t like them. But in the past year I have been tricked into reading a few romance books, and I loved them. So if you are like me and romance is not your favorite genre, give these titles a try.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman, which is being made into a movie, is about a snow day that turned family trip results in a car crash that kills an entire family. Except… seventeen year old Mia is not dead, but is in a coma. She has an out of body experience and watches the doctors and her loved ones interact with her unconscious body. The big question: should she return to her body and her boyfriend, with an unknowing knowledge of what damage her body and brain have suffered, or should she go and join her family in death? Just thinking about this book gives me goose bumps. I have never before read a book where I could feel the romantic pull between two people. You must put it on your list, even if you don’t read it for years, put it on your list.
If you are looking for another romance title, I was pleasantly surprised by Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and the sequel The Dead Tossed Waves. Going in I knew I was reading a book about a zombie apocalypse, but I did not expect to find a story about being bitten and infected by the undead to be so eloquently written. And I certainly did not expect to find a love triangle mixed in with death, blood, and zombies. So if you’re not into romance, but need a little extra love this month, try these titles and check out the display of romance titles in the teen area.

Travel the World Without Leaving Zionsville!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could meet people from other countries without even leaving Zionsville? You may think I’m talking about Facebooking with friends from faraway lands or Skyping with a class of school children in South Korea or doing a craft from Russia at the Library. Those are all cool ways to experience something international, but have we got something even better at the Library on Sunday!!

The Hussey-Mayfield Library’s Sixth International Fair is being held at the Library this Sunday, February 13th from 2:30 – 4 PM. Begun in 1999, it was thought that the first International Fair would be the only one. But, the popularity of the event has made it become one that has been repeated several times. This year, more than a dozen local residents from the greater metro-Indy area who were born in another country and make their home here now will be on hand to introduce you to their home country and culture. Tables with displays of clothing, maps, books written in different languages, artwork, crafts, music and food & drink will all help you learn about other cultures and how life is lived in other countries. Some of the countries and cultures you will meet people from at the International Fair are Japan, Bulgaria, India, Greece, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Guatemala, Turkey and Switzerland, among others. Some of our friends from other countries will have activities and crafts for you to do that are illustrative of the culture and life in their home countries.

The Zionsville Star had a story about this year’s Fair a couple of weeks ago and featured comments from a participant who has been at every International Fair we’ve had at the Library, Emilia McCarthy, who is originally from Bulgaria. The accompanying photo in the online version features Odette Zero, originally from Guatemala, and her 2 daughters, at our 2009 International Fair. All 3 will be at this year’s Fair as well.

The weather looks like it is going to cooperate this weekend, so, please venture out to the Library on Sunday afternoon to travel the world for no cost – so you can afford to bring the whole family! Registration is recommended to help our participants plan for amounts of food and drink to bring and may be done via the Library’s website Event Calendar.

See you there!

Winter getting you down?

Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring in 2011, and he also predicted that the Steelers would win the Super Bowl, we will soon see if his predictions are accurate!

In the meantime, as long as the Library is open, we have some great youth programs planned for February. Here is the line-up…

Itty Bitty Storytime, Thurs., Feb. 17, 9:45 AM or 10:30 AM, Ages 1 - 2

You Can Do It Too - Collage Artwork, Thurs., Feb. 17, 4:30 PM, Grades 1 - 5

Valentine's Day Glamorous Gala, Mon., Feb. 14, 10 AM or 1 PM, Ages 3 - 6

PAWS to Read, Tues., March 1, 4:15 PM, Grades 1 – 5

Click here to register for any program. Registration for regular Storytimes begins February 9.

February 8 is your last chance to sign up for the Youth Winter Reading Program. We have had over 100 logs returned already, WOW! It sure is nice to curl up with a warm book in the winter, especially if you have a special reading buddy.

Remember, each time you review a book; you're eligible to enter our raffle for a free iTunes or Amazon gift card!

The Library will remain closed Thur., Feb. 3!

Our parking lot resembles an ice rink, so the Library will remain closed Thursday, Feb. 3. All programs have been canceled.
Please do not try to return your Library materials to our drop boxes, overdue fines will not be charged while we are closed!
Enjoy your days at home and we will, hopefully, see you soon!
All updates will be posted on our website.

Library will remain closed Wed., Feb. 2!

The extreme weather has forced the Library to remain closed through Wednesday, February 2. The ice storm also prevents staff from emptying our drop boxes, so please do not return your Library materials while the Library is closed. Once we reopen, we will be able to process your returns.
We hope all of our customers stay safe and warm until we can see them again at the Library! Please check our website for future updates.