Clifford, the Big Red Dog Turns 50!

Norman Bridwell's beloved character, Clifford the Big Red Dog, turns 50 this year, and there was a big birthday party thrown for him in New York City. Children who attended the party got to ask Norman Bridwell questions. Bridwell also participated in a webcast of the event with more than 5,000 classrooms to answer children's questions. One cool fact, Clifford's owner, Emily Elizabeth, is actually named after Bridwell's daughter (the children found this out during the session), and his daughter was there with him at the event. The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, even declared Monday, "Clifford the Big Red Dog Day."

Check out some pictures of the party at:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/clifford-the-big-red-dog-turns-50-296112.html 


The Clifford books are located under E BRIDWELL! Check them out!

Have You Heard About Book Spine Poetry?

So, what is book spine poetry? It's a poem that is made by stacking a few or more books together and reading the titles from top to bottom. All the examples we've come across are excellent and so fun! A lot of them tend to be funny, but they can also be more serious in tone. Who says you need a pencil and blank paper to create a poem? The book spine poetry images below were all done by Candlewick Press and you can view them all and more at their Book Spine Poem Galley. The 100 Scope Notes blog also has other fabulous examples.

There are no cats in this book/Just ducks!/Quack!

Hooray for Fish!/Bluefish/33 snowfish/What do fish have to do with anything?

Here's a little poem/Lala salama/Tweedle dee dee/Caterpillar caterpillar/Dance with me

Books about Dolphins

Here are some great books about dolphins:

Dolphins on the Sand by: Jim Arnosky (E ARNOSKY)

A dozen dolphins, led by their eldest member and her youngster, become stranded on a sandbar and must be helped to safety by humans.

Dolphin Baby! By: Nicola Davies (E DAVIES)

Following his mother, a baby dolphin learns about life under the sea, from catching his first fish to developing his own unique whistle.

 
There's a dolphin in the Grand Canal! By: John Bemelmans Marciano (E MARCIANO)

Luca, a young Italian boy, is bored until he meets a playful dolphin who takes him on a ride through the Venice waterways.

  

Dolphins by: Melissa Stewart (ER STEWART)

Presents an introduction to dolphins, discussing their physical characteristics, life cycle, eating habits, and behavior.

1000 Books B4K Program Update

The library's 1000 Books Before Kindergarten early literacy program for children from birth to before they start Kindergarten is going great! A number of caregivers have signed their children up. If your child is any age from birth to Kindergarten and you haven't yet, sign them up in the Children's Department next time you stop by. We'll give you all the information and materials you'll need. If you have any questions, stop by or call us at 409-643-5983 or 5966.

Would You Like Golden Girls Star Betty White to Read You a Story (via video)?

Betty White is not reading stories to people in person (that we know of at least), but she will read you and your child a story online via video! Storytime Online, a program run by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, has several videos available online of famous actors and actresses reading children's books!  Our favorite is Betty White, but there are a variety of other books and storytellers, from Elijah Wood (the actor who played Frodo in the Lord of The Rings movies) to Tia and Tamera Mowry (actresses from the 1990's television show Sister, Sister). Below are just a few of the videos and information on the books they're reading so you can check them out from the Children's Department and read along with your favorite actors and actresses if you like:

Betty White reading Harry, the dirty dog by: Gene Zion 
(Library shelf location: E ZION)





  










Elijah Wood reading Me and My Cat by:  Satoshi Kitamura 
(Library shelf location: E KITAMURA) 










Tia and Tamera Mowry reading No mirrors in my Nana's house by: Ysaye M. Barnwell 
(Library shelf location: E BARNWELL)

 

Books about Stars

We like stars here in the Children's Department, and if you do, too, here are some books that are related to stars:



Star climbing by: Lou Fancher (E FANCHER) 

When he cannot sleep, a little boy imagines himself on a nighttime journey across the sky where he can run and dance with star constellations.

 

How to Catch a Star by: Oliver Jeffers (E JEFFERS) 
Eager to have a star of his own, a boy devises imaginative ways of catching one.

 

 
Stargazers by: Gail Gibbons (E GIBBONS)
Tells what stars are, why they twinkle, how constellations were named, how telescopes are used to study stars, and more.







Stellar Stargazer! by: Jane O'Connor (E OCONNOR)
Fancy Nancy and her father love stargazing, and during her first campout under the stars Fancy Nancy talks about the stars to him and her sister, JoJo, using her fancy words. 

Book Trailers: Like Movie Trailers, but about Books

Have you heard about book trailers yet?  They're not trailers that you attach to your car just to carry all your books (even though that sounds awesome), but instead are videos that promote books. Instead of telling you about a new movie, it tells you about a new book. They're growing in popularity and a fantastic example of a recent trailer for a book that's already out is this 41 second one for the 2012 Caldecott winner A Ball for Daisy by: Chris Raschka (E RASCHKA):

Impressive, right? It's even more impressive if you know that Chris Raschka's 17-year old son, Ingo Raschka, created the trailer. If you'd like to check out the book, its shelf location is E RASCHKA.

New Book: Animal Masquerade

We have a fascinating new book to share with you: Animal Masquerade by: Marianne Dubuc (E DUBUC). It's a sweet book about animals who dress up as other animals for a masquerade costume party.  The "disguises" the animals choose will make you smile, from a rhinoceros dressing up as a baby chick bird to an armadillo dressing up as a lobster! This book is a great choice to read for anyone who likes animals and/or costumes. So, pretty much everyone!  As always with new books, if it is not checked out, it will either be on the shelf (E DUBUC) or on the new books display.

1000 Books B4K Program Kicking Off Today

Today the library will be launching a new early literacy initiative program “1000 Books Before Kindergarten." 1000 Books B4K's purpose is to encourage and support the pre-reading skills of children from birth until before they start Kindergarten.  Children do not simply learn how to read after they start Kindergarten, but instead have been prepared for reading from birth.  Early literacy skills are developed by reading to children as much as possible, but also by talking to, singing with, saying rhymes, and attending library programs with them so they are curious about both learning and reading. 

The program is as simple as it sounds: read 1000 books to your child before they start Kindergarten.  There is no timeline or end date other than the child entering Kindergarten. You will be surprised at how quickly you’ll reach the 1000 books read point going at a natural pace for both you and your child. 

To join the program, a parent or caregiver registers the child in the Children’s Department and Children’s Department staff will give them all the required materials and information they need. Parents will get support from the library along the way with help choosing books to read and early literacy tips. There will be some rewards along the way for children, including a book prize at the end. For more information contact the Children’s Department at 409-643-5983 or 5966.