So You Think Your Child Is Too Boisterous for Storytime? Think Again!

A librarian was recently introduced to a young mom who had two-year-old twins. Their conversation started like this:

Librarian: "Have you taken your girls to the library for storytime?"
Mom: "Goodness, no! They won't sit for anything. They would never be able to sit through a storytime. They are definitely not ready for THAT!"

Announcement: Storytime at the library rarely involves sitting for long periods time. Children are NOT expected to be perfect students, quietly sitting criss-cross applesauce with hands in their laps and patiently waiting their turn.

Here is what you CAN expect with the various ages (and their classes):

Infants through 11 Months (Books 'n Babies): There is a great deal of singing, lap bounces, and short activities. Children generally lie on the floor in front of you, sit in your lap, or are just beginning to crawl and walk. No craft.

Ones and Twos (Tales for Tots): Expect tons of movement and very little sitting still. Key activities involve body parts, animal sounds, playing with scarves, shakers, puppets, and bubbles. We might even squeeze in a few very short books. A simple craft (gluing, stickers, coloring).

Threes through Sixes (Preschool Pals): The stories get a wee bit longer and oftentimes have a plot line; however, we intentionally sprinkle large motor activities including music and dancing in between the stories so as to help the kids channel their energy. Puppets, scarves, and a variety of props continue to be used. Usually, there is a slightly more involved craft at the end.

Storytime at the library is one of the best things you can do with your child, no matter the age. For a detailed list of how storytimes benefit your child, check out this great blog.

To sign up for a storytime, here is our Events Calendar. Go to September 2015. In the week starting September 14, simply click the storytime underlined in blue you want to sign up for and register your child. (Please sign up for only one storytime per child.)

 

53rd Annual Birthday Party Carnival

 Friday, July 31 from 5:30-7:30 PM the library will be hosting the 53rd annual Birthday Party Carnival, complete with bounce houses (weather permitting), free carnival games, face painting, and food. 

 Whole Foods Market is donating goodies for the kids, and they are donating Whole Foods Market Gift Cards to raffle off for the parents-it's truly fun for everyone!   

Join us rain or shine…hopefully not rain!  Register your family today.

Inspiring Real Life Heroes for Children to Read About!

This summer, children might be interested in reading about ordinary people who have a big voice.  Whether it is the audacity to ask questions, the need to stand up for injustice, the courage to persist in impossible situations, or maybe it is the need to help someone-heroes take many different forms and often have an interesting story to share; the Summer Reading them is, after all, Every Hero has a Story!  Here are some real, high-interest stories you might like to share with your family.

Picture Books to share

Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand- This rhyming picture book tells the amazing story of a four year old child with cancer who decides to raise money to help herself and others.  This summer, your child might like to participate in Alex's Lemonade Days to fight childhood cancer one cup at a time!

On a Beam of Light- This simple biography about Albert Einstein teaches us that sometimes it is important to ask questions. You might also like to read about The Librarian who Measured the Earth; he certainly liked to ask questions, too!

Wangari Maathai appreciated the trees as she grew up in Africa and noticed as she got older that the trees were gone and the land was changing.  She started planting Trees of Peace, which created Seeds of Change across the land.

The Boy who Loved Math didn't know how to butter his own bread, but he was able to solve math problems that others couldn't, and he was certainly willing to share his gift of math knowledge with the world!



Who Says Women Can't be Doctors?  A lot of people did a long time ago until Elizabeth Blackwell paved the way for women.  She believed in herself, worked very hard and changed society.



For the Middle Grade Readers 
(Some of these books have topics that may be difficult for young readers to handle)

The Who Was? series is a great way to introduce children to biographies about interesting and important people.  They are high interest books and there are many to choose from. See which ones might be interesting for your family!  

Thinking Differently was frowned upon by Steve Jobs' teachers; he did not do well in school.  He had many failures in his life, but he did not succumb to failure, rather he turned those failures into great successes! 

Bill and Melinda Gates are also in the computer industry and they have donated at least 26.2 million dollars to education, libraries, and global development.  You might be interested in reading more about their philanthropy.  

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) tells the story of one girl who wanted to go to school.  Her right to go to school was taken away by the Taliban, but she did not let this injustice destroy her belief in humanity. She stood up against the Taliban and spoke out for her right.  Her story of standing up for herself and for girls everywhere is a true inspiration; some topics you should be aware of that are in this book are war, violence, and terrorism.



Bethany Hamilton's story of survival is an inspiring one!  She has to face the challenges of losing an arm after a shark attack.  She does not give up on herself and she figures out how to overcome. 

Youth Summer Reading explained to Parents!

Hours, Books, or days—what do I choose?  If your children have never participated in our youth summer reading program, or if you have ever felt overwhelmed by the choices, please join us Monday, June 1 at 10:30 AM or 6:30 PM and we would love to explain the program to you!  You will learn how to get the most out of the HMMPL Summer Reading Program for your child and a librarian will be available to answer all of your questions.  Children may attend with you, but this program is geared towards parents.  Please register!

Spring Cleaning? Give Us Your Books and Stuff!

The birds are out and the temps are up! Spring is calling us to reorganize our closets, our drawers, and our bookshelves! But what to do with the items you no longer want or need?

If your Spring cleaning leaves you piles of new or gently used books* or other items (toys or such) that could be used as incentives for our Youth Department's Summer Reading Program, please consider donating them to the Library.

Last Summer, we gave away approximately 3,000 books to children in the Zionsville community. We also offer small incentive items such as toys for those who do not choose a book as a prize. Any donations we receive offset our costs for the program. Cash donations are also welcome!
 
*Only books that are in good condition, with no writing or torn pages, are used for Summer Reading prizes. Books that are not used for SRP will be donated to the Friends of the Library book sale.

Winter Reading Wrap up!

The last day to return your Youth Winter Reading Log is Saturday, February 28.  Bring in your log and help one of these reading buddies find a home!  When reading logs are returned, children will also be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

The goal of winter reading is simple, read OUT LOUD to your child or have your child read OUT LOUD to you  15 minutes a day for 21 days and your child gets a prize.  The purpose of Winter Reading is to help your family make reading a habit: when reading is a habit, everybody wins!

Meet the Author of Farty McFee!

Grades K - 5 can spend a lively morning with author Jim McVeigh and illustrator William Johnson as they describe how their book, The Ballad of Farty McFee, came to be. Jim will bring along his musical and story-telling talents, and Bill will invite you to try your hand at illustrating a story using pencil and paper.  Please register, the program will be Monday, February 16 at 10 AM (it is President's day so kids are out of school).

2015 Newbery and Caldecott Winners Announced

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature goes to:
The Crossover , written by Kwame Alexander.
 

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named:
El Deafo by Cece Bell, illustrated by Cece Bell
Brown Girl Dreaming, written by Jacqueline Woodson

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children goes to:
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, illustrated by Dan Santat

Six Caldecott Honor Books also were named:
Nana in the City, illustrated by Lauren Castillo, written by Lauren Castillo
The Noisy Paint Box: The  Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art, illustrated by Mary GrandPre, written by Barb Rosenstock
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett
Viva Frida, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Yuyi Morales
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant
This One Summer, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, written by Mariko Tamaki

Coming Soon: 2015 Newbery and Caldecott Awards

The Library will be celebrating more than Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2 this year because the much anticipated Newbery and Caldecott Awards, along with many other awesome Youth Media Awards will be announced.  If you are as excited as we are, you can listen to a live webcast from home beginning at 8:00 AM! 

The Newbery Award is awarded for distinguished literature.  Brown Girl Dreaming has received a lot of buzz about winning the Newbery Medal this year, and it has been flying off of our shelf!  Check out other Newbery contenders on Pinterest.

The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished picture book of the year.  Take a peek at your local Librarian's picks for the 2015 Caldecott Award.

Miss Caitlin's prediction for the 2015 Caldecott Award is Winter is Coming illustrated by Jim LaMarche.

Miss Kelli's prediction for the 2015 Caldecott Award is The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

Miss Danielle's prediction for the 2015 Caldecott Award is The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat

Miss Julie's prediction for the 2015 Caldecott Award is Baby Bear by Kadir Nelson

Saturday Morning Chess Club is Back!

The Library is hosting a free Parent/Child Chess Club, which will meet every Saturday morning in January and February at 10:30 AM.  This chess club is for children of all ages, whether beginners or experts.   Local chess enthusiast, Paul Yearling, and his family volunteer their time to work with children on teaching (or improving) chess skills.  You don’t have to commit to each week; you can register for each class that fits in your schedule.  Please come and be part of the club! 

Elf Hunt: Help us choose our Elf's name!

This holiday season Santa is sending the Youth Services Department an elf, and we need your help deciding on the perfect elf name! Please help us decide by taking the elf poll.

Our elf will arrive on December 1st and will be hiding out to keep an eye on all the good little boys and girls at the HMMPL up until Christmas to let Santa know who has been naughty or nice.  

Will you be able to find the elf when you visit the Library? 
What kind of mischief does an elf get into in the Library?

Come on in and find out! If you find him, let us know at the Youth Services Reference Desk for a prize! 

Don't Miss This LEGO Event Downtown!

All you LEGO lovers, be sure to check out LEGO KidsFest at the Indiana Convention Center, coming up November 7-9. Hurry to get your tickets now because this traveling event has sold out at other tour locations in the recent past; in other words, you might not be able to purchase tickets at the door. This tour includes interactive play and build areas, LEGO Master Builders, and intricate models of LEGO structures and creations.

Watch for LEGO programs at the library!
Starting November 11, you can sign your kiddos up for LEGO Read, Build, Play on Monday nights in December at the library. We will have three different story sessions of LEGO play on Monday, December 1, 8, and 15, from 6:30-7:00pm. This is an interactive storytime for ages 3-6 with a parent.

Trick or Treating and Reading

Bring your children to Boone Village Shopping Center for safe trick or treating on Wednesday, October 29 from 5:30-7 PM and you will see your local librarians passing out candy. 
 
Not only will we be passing out candy at this special event, but we will also have an exclusive reading challenge for children ages Birth through 5th grade.  The challenge sheet will only be available at the trick or treating event, and it will be very simple to complete.
 
The Librarians are challenging children birth-grade 5 to read 10 Library books or to read at least 100 pages of a Library book by November 23, 2014.  You choose the challenge you want to accept and start reading.  Though it is called the scary book challenge, you do not have to ready scary books!  After you have completed the challenge, return your completed form to the Youth Services Reference desk where you will be entered into a drawing for the Very Scary Book Basket.
 
This form will not available at the Library, you can only pick it up at the Boone Village Trick or Treat event!

Busy Bag Workshop - Creating Activities for Your Toddlers and Preschoolers

Thursday, October 16 from 6:30-8:30pm the Friends of the Library is hosting a special Busy Bags Workshop. Registration is limited to 12 adults; no childcare available as this is an adult program.


What’s a busy bag?

A Busy Bag is a small, portable (housed in a Ziploc™-type baggie), age-appropriate manipulative activity for a toddler and/or preschooler that aids in developing motor and literacy skills.  The activity is ideal for occupying a child, for example, while he or she waits for a doctor’s appointment, rides in the car, or sits in church services.


What happens at the Busy Bag Program?

Parents will assemble everything needed to make a tote bag full of 12 different busy bag activities. There will be different self-serve stations you will rotate through to make the various busy bags. All the supplies will be supplied and any prep work will be done; you just have to do the basic assembly. Directions will be posted and staff will be there to help and answer any questions.


These bags must cost some money to make. Is the program free?

Online Busy Bag programs often are valued at about $60 per person (after all, you are getting 12 activities for your child!) but ours is totally funded by The Friends of the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library. The only requirement is that you are or become a member of the Friends of the Library. Individual membership is $10/year. Basically, you get a $60 value for $10, plus you get to be a valued part of our Library’s Friends community!


What does a Friends membership do and what will be expected of me? 

You can be involved in the Friends as much or as little as you like. Beyond your $10 membership dues, participation is up to you. Your membership dues alone help to fund Library programs and Library grants (for example, those colorful rugs in the YS department were results of Friends’ donations). If you wish to go deeper, you can attend Friends quarterly meetings and have a voice in how the Friends support the Library; or perhaps you would like to volunteer for working a book sale.

Book Quote Quiz

He Said/She Said/Who Said? Do you have a guess? 

The following quotes appear in famous children's books. (The book covers are some clues. Answers are at the bottom of the article.)

1. “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”

2.  “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

3.  “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

4.  “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”

5.  “It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!”

6.  “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

7.  “I have noticed several times that people don't think I know how to behave even when I'm trying as hard as I can.”

8.  “She thought to herself, "This is now." She was glad that the cozy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”

9.  “Give a boy - ANY boy - enough time, and he WILL eventually pick his nose!”

10.  “And the walls became the world all around.”

 

11.  “Some day I will be famous but for now I am stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons.”

12. "George promised to be good, but it is easy for little monkeys to forget."

13.  “At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”

14.  “...you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.”

1. AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh 2. JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 3. Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You! 4. EB White, Charlotte's Web 5. Louis Sachar, Holes 6. JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit 7. Astrid Lindren, Pippi Longstocking 8. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods 9. Lincoln Peirce, From the Top 10. Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are 11. Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 12. HA Rey, Curious George 13. Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express 14. Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning.

More Free eBooks in July

StarWalk Kids Media is repeating a  Free Summer Reading program, the PopUpLibrary, for the entire month of July 2014. During this month, a collection of 500+ eBooks will be available free to anyone with Internet access — children, families, educators — who would like to access and read  engaging non-fiction and fiction eBooks for children.

http://starwalkkids.com/popup
Visitors to this site in July can immediately read any eBook in our Pre-K thru 8th grade eBook collection, which is carefully curated for exceptional quality and written by well-known and respected authors including their founder, noted science author Seymour Simon.  They allow multiple simultaneous access with no check-in or check-out required.  Most of their eBooks also offer a “Read to Me” option for kids, with high quality, professional narration that accompanies the text.
They don’t require any form of user identification to use this program; they just want to make sure more kids read more eBooks this summer than ever before.

Don't forget that your HMMPL also offers downloadable books for free all of the time with Overdrive!  However, only one person can check out a copy at a time, so our patrons can utilize more copies through the Free PopUpLibrary this summer!