Looking for a fun and FREE way to celebrate the holidays together as a family? What are you doing this Monday or Tuesday night? You should come to our Family Christmas Program on Dec. 6th or 7th. It's held in the auditorium where we usually have storytime, and it looks like a lot of fun! The puppet play, "Santa and the Three Bears," is a really cute take on the story, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

You do need to register ahead of time so we can set aside your tickets. These shows fill up really fast! Here's a link with all the details: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/node/812
Or give us a call in the Children's Department at 330-832-5037. I hope to see you there!

Looking for new books? Try Dear Reader

Massillon Public Library offers this really cool feature on their website that I've been using for awhile and thought you might also like called "Dear Reader." Once you subscribe it will deliver an email with descriptions of new children's books in the library. Once a month, you'll get an email with a list of several good children's books to try, a picture of that book, and a little blurb describing the story. Then if it sounds good to you, there is a link right next to the picture that you can click to see if this book is available in our catalog. That makes it really easy to request that book and pick it up in our library the next time you stop in!

You can check this out by clicking here for all children's books (including chapter books, easy readers, etc.): http://www.massillonlibrary.org/node/472
or here for Picture books for chlildren: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/PictureBooks. From the library's home page, you can also click on the heading "Kid Stuff" and then select "Picture Books" or "Books for Kids" from the drop-down menu. Signing up is as easy as providing your email address!

If you like this feature, you can also subscribe to other categories too. The "Dear Reader" link off the home page allows you to choose book selections from best sellers, romance, mysteries, and many more categories. Try this link: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/booknews.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I hope all our library families have a wonderful, turkey-filled holiday! While you're preparing that turkey, I leave you with this song. It's a great one to sing to kids while dancing around the kitchen---as long as you don't mind being silly. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fat Turkey's Song (tune: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?")

Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys, fat turkeys.
Oh gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys are we.
We walk very proudly and gobble so loudly,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble.

And if you're looking for a story before dinner, I highly recommend Alison Jackson's "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie."

Yummy in my Tummy

Now here's a story time that you can sink your teeth into! Starting the week of November 1st, when the trick or treat bags are (hopefully) still full of candy, we'll be talking about FOOD and BAKING and getting ready for Thanksgiving in our preschool storytime sessions. With a theme called, "Yummy in my Tummy" our programmers will present stories and songs about the five senses, children cooking in the kitchen with their favorite adults, and nervous turkeys trying to run away and hide from Thanksgiving cooks.

In Yum Yum! What Fun!, Katie and James are having too much fun cooking up something delicious to notice all the strange guests who stop by. What if one of those "guests" decides to snack on them instead?
Poor little Pea is not allowed any vegetable treats for dessert until he eats all of his sweets in Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Kids who refuse to eat their veggies will relate to Little Pea in this fun twist on this age-old dinnertime problem. We'll also see what would happen if gorillas left the zoo in search of a good lunch in Gladys Goes Out to Lunch by Derek Anderson.

And just in time for Thanksgiving meals, storytime goers will watch the flannel board story of I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Allison Jackson. First she downs a jug of cider to moisten the pie (which really was too dry), then an entire squash, followed by a bowl of salad--and the whole darn turkey! Oh me, oh my!  (Although I have to admit I'm glad to hear "Oh me oh my!" used in this flannelboard story instead of the original "Perhaps she'll die" in the book. I've always been superstitious about saying that out loud when reading to the kids!)

There will be plenty of gobble, gobbles from our little preschool turkeys in songs and stories. Hope to see you at story time!

Operation Record a Story

This sounds like a great idea! Operation Record a Story lets kids hear their deployed military parent read a bedtime story to them. Publications International is donating 5,000 books to the USO and United Through Reading, who will then help military members record themselves reading the book for their children. Recording sites are located on Navy ships and at overseas bases, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at select USOs worldwide. Their kids will receive in the mail both the book and a dvd of their parent reading that book out loud to them. Then they suggest that the other parent or caregiver record the child enjoying the dvd and send it back to the military parent so they can see how much it was appreciated.

Isn't that nice? The simple act of reading a bedtime story to your children, one of the most important things you can do with your child in terms of reading readiness (and just good bonding time!), can be so difficult when that parent is deployed for a long time. This makes it easier to maintain that important bedtime ritual. I imagine everyone in the family would enjoy seeing that dvd, don't you?

The titles include ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Sesame Street: Together at Heart, Dora the Explorer and Guess How Much I Miss You. There is a fact sheet (pdf) at http://portal.pubint.com/pubint/RAS_Video_panel/Op_RAS_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

Who's Afraid of a Scarecrow?

Right now in the beautiful fall season, with all the leaves turning bright colors and the corn fields turning into seas of brown stalks, he might be hard to find. But soon, after the corn stalks are cut down from the harvest, you'll see him out there again, guarding the fields from birds and animals who wish to eat the crops. It's the scarecrow! And this week in our new storytime sessions, we pay honor to the lonely scarecrow who protects his fields no matter the weather.

Who could be afraid of a scarecrow when we listen to adorable stories such as The Little Scarecrow Boy, written by the beloved author Margaret Wise Brown? In the middle of a field stood a scarecrow who hoped that the animals and birds would be his friends, and guess what? He got his wish in the story of Lonely Scarecrow by Tim Preston. The verses written in many books can actually become a song or action verse, as we discover in the board book, I'm a Dingle-Dangle Scarecrow. The non-fiction selection, Scarecrows, by Calvin Harris, uses beautiful illustrations to help us understand how helpful scarecrows can be to our farmers everywhere!

The theme "Scarecrows" also gives the children a chance to learn their body parts through songs and rhymes about our floppy scarecrow friends and through creative movement and music as we pretend to walk and stand like a scarecrow: straight one moment, floppy the next!

This week's storytimes begin Monday, October 18. You can still sign up your children for one of our storytimes by calling the Children's Department at 330-832-5037. Hope to see you there!

What's a bookmark again?

Once or twice a week I get the chance the work at one of our branch libraries, Belloni Memorial Library, which is in the Fairless Elementary school. It's a busy place, serving as both a public library for the Fairless area and a school library to over 900 elementary students who come into the library with their class once a week. For a few years we've been putting bookmarks out on the counter and offering one to the students after they check out a book. It kind of struck me this week that most children don't have a clue what bookmarks are to be used for. However, as soon as I set that container of bookmarks on the counter, they come running to the desk.

"What's this thing again, Mrs. Brant?" one the students said. Not waiting for my answer (which I've explained over and over again), he turns to his class and shouts "They're free! You can have one!" I think that's more the appeal to them at this age anyway!

So it occurs to me to explain bookmarks to them in their language. Since most children seem to be having more "screen time" on tvs, computers, and videogames instead of books, you need to speak that language. So I held up one of our bookmarks and explained that if you were reading and your mom said to stop, you would need to "pause" the book just like you "pause" your game or dvd. Then when you come back to the book, you can "hit refresh" by opening the book back up where you left off. They nodded like they understood.

Think I got through to them this time??

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Day

Want to help put a new book in a child's hands just by reading to your own child?

This Thursday, October 7, read Ezra Keats' The Snowy Day and help set a record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. For every copy of The Snowy Day read, the Jumpstart organization (makers of learning games) and We Give Books will donate a book to a child in need. This campaign also kicks off Jumpstart’s yearlong program, preparing preschool children in low-income neighborhoods for success in school and life. You can read more about that at jstart.org.

If you don't have a copy of this book, you can check for it at the library or read it for free online at wegivebooks.org. Make sure to register at that site to get counted for the reading record.

For teachers and homeschoolers, that website also offers different vocabulary and art activities you can do in addition to reading the story to your class.

Show your support for early literacy and read a good book with the rest of us this Thursday! How many can we get to join in from the Massillon area??

It's Fall!

Outside, the temperature is getting cooler. It's "good football weather" as I like to say, meaning here in Ohio we're getting out cozy sweatshirts, making bonfires, enjoying hayrides and picking out pumpkins, and watching football--especially here in Massillon!

This coming week in Storytime at MPL, we're celebrating the beginning of fall with the theme: "Autumn Antics." Autumn continues to offer a special opportunity to read some very simple stories that emphasize the colors, sounds, and smells of the season. We will read some of the following stories in our "Autumn Antics" storytime session the week of October 4th: Ska-tat! by Kimberley Knutson, Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson, It's Fall! by Linda Glaser, We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger, Who Loves Fall by Bob Raczka, and When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey. Fletcher's favorite tree is changing colors and dropping its leaves. Find out what happens to his tree when the last leaf is shed in the story, Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson.

Looking forward to seeing you all there! The following week we'll take a break from storytimes to get ready for the next session. But you can sign up for the second session of storytimes starting Monday, October 11th by calling the Children's Department at 330-832-5037.

DIY Storytime

If your child is not feeling well or can’t make it to storytime, here's something you can try at home.

It’s your very own do-it-yourself storytime!

Do-It-Yourself Storytime

Start with a movement song or poem. Use one of your favorites or pick one of these:

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Place both hands on parts of body as they are mentioned.
Repeat and speed up each time.)
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

If You’re Happy and You Know It

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it,
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! (clap clap)
Verse 2: stomp your feet (stomp stomp)
Verse 3: shout “Hooray!” (shout )
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it,
If you’re happy and you know it, do all three. (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)

We're All Here for Storytime
We're all here for storytime, storytime, storytime (slap thighs or clap)
We're all here for storytime, let's get ready.

Can you turn your ears up high? Ears up high? Ears up high? (pretend to turn your ears volume up)
Can you turn your ears up high so you can hear?

Can you turn your mouth down, mouth down, mouth down? (turn fist at the corner of your mouth)
Can you turn your mouth down low, now let's read!


Pick a story to share.
Take time to look at the illustrations as you read. Ask your child to tell you what they think is happening in the pictures first before reading.

Find a favorite CD and dance together to one of the songs. Practice marching around to the music.
For extra fun, use a scarf or tap two spoons together in time to the music. If you have rhythm instruments (tambourine, shakers, play drum), you can use those too.
Pick another book to read.
Maybe your child would like to pick the book and tell you the story this time…
Time for another song!

Then pick a craft to do:

• Make your own picture puzzle by choosing a magazine picture and gluing it onto cardboard (an empty cereal box works well). Cut it into pieces – as many or as few as you want. Then put it back together.
• Make a necklace out of cereal or macaroni. The cereal comes in handy at snack time!
• Make a shaker by putting rice or beans inside a toilet paper tube and covering the ends with cling wrap and rubber bands. Make sure it is tightly covered. Your child can decorate it with stickers/markers.
• Make a sock puppet. Decorate it with markers, buttons or yarn.
• Tear up colored paper or magazine pictures and make a collage.
• Make a long paper chain and use it to count down to a special day (birthday, holiday, grandma visit).
• Make a card or picture for someone far away and mail it to them.
• Draw a tic tac toe board and use different cereals or fish crackers as markers. Eat them when you win!

Sing a closing song (here's one we use at the library at the end of storytime):
This is the way we say good-bye, say good-bye, say good-bye,
This is the way we say good-bye, clap clap clap clap clap! (Repeat 2X)

You can also use some of the fingerplays or songs on the sheets we hand out at storytime each week. These will be familiar to your child!

We hope to see you at the library again soon!

An Apple a Day

Want to know what we're doing in Preschool Storytime this week? Well, if it's Fall, then it's apple picking time! So this week, our stories and songs and fingerplays are all about APPLES.

If you've never had apple pie, you will want to taste it after you hear our stories: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman, An Apple Pie for Dinner, retold by Susan Van Hecke, and the popular The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall. Other selections this week's storytime theme, AN APPLE A DAY, might include Little Mouse and the Big Red Apple by A.H. Benjamin, Pepo and Lolo and the Red Apple by Ana Martin Larranaga, Apples Here! by Will Hubbard, and Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time by Jody Fickes. Aren't apple stories delicious?

Teachers and Librarians, if you'd like to know some of the other fingerplays and songs we used this week to plan your own Apple-themed storytime, please let me know. We would be happy to share ideas!

Squirrels and Chipmunks Invade Storytime at the Library this week!

What's happening at Preschool Storytime the week of September 20?
As we approach the begining of the season of Autumn this week, our "Squirrel Tales" storytime will include hilarious adventures of our little furry pals!

• Mama Squirrel has knitted three very special red sweaters for her babies named Mack, Mick, and Molly in the story Hooray for Fall by Kazuo Iwamura.
• Inspired by a really naughty squirrel she was observing, author Lois Ehlert wrote Nuts to You!
• Claude Clement's book entitled Little Squirrel's Special Nest tells of a mama squirrel attempting to prepare her net as she discovers that the help of her friends is a wonderful gift!
• Old Man Fookwire wanted the birds to stay for the winter, so he built birdfeeders and filled them with seeds and berries. Oh, no! The clever squirrels outsmart this fella, and the hilarity continues in Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin.

While many of the preschool storytime sessions are full, there are still openings for the 4 and 5 year olds (not yet in kindergarten) class on Thursday mornings. We are also accepting names on a waiting list for another session of PJ storytime on Monday evenings.

Sign up for Fall Story Times!

Preschoolers, are you ready to hear some great stories, sing and dance, and see your storytime friends again? Parents and caregivers, registration begins on Tuesday, September 7 at 10 am by calling the Children's Department at 330-832-5037. The Massillon Public Library's Story Times are for 2- to 5-year-olds (not yet in kindergarten) who are accompanied by an adult. Story Times include a variety of books, storytelling, rhymes, fingerplays, songs and movement activities.

Want to know what's happening the first week of September 13?
     We will all be "Comin' Down to Storytime" as we begin our fall sessions with Rob Reid's book. The delightful farm animals tell each other what to expect: funny stories, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, singing songs, making "quacking", "mooing", and other silly sounds, moving, take-home crafts, and best of all....checking out lots of books when we leave!
     Magically, the number three appears often in such books as Paul Galdone's The Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs, Three Little Kittens by Marilyn Janovitz, and The Three Wishes retold by Leslie Sims. Reading these favorites will help all of our little ones feel comfortable with these familiar tales.
   

Ramona and Beezus

I finally got a chance to take my 9 yr old daughter to see the new "Ramona and Beezus" movie, based on the series of books about Ramona by Beverly Cleary. As we left the theater, she said excitedly, "I sure hope they make a 'Ramona and Beezus 2' movie!" That's a sign of a good story when you're eager for more stories about those characters!

I had some good news for her and anyone else who enjoyed that movie---there is more! In the movie we were introduced to Ramona Quimby and her family and friends at school, including her big sister Beezus and Beezus's long-time friend, Henry Huggins. The movie shows a sweet story of siblings who one minute can't stand the other and the next minute are sticking up for each other. It also shows the beginnings of a nice romance between Beezus and Henry.

Here's some trivia from the movie's webpage on imdb.com: "Beezus and Ramona first appeared, as supporting characters, in a series of books focused on Henry Huggins. Beverly Cleary later wrote Beezus and Ramona, which actually focused on Beezus and her family. However, her younger sister Ramona became so popular that the remaining books focused on Ramona. Beezus is still an important character, and Henry Huggins still appears, but became a secondary character in the series he launched. The names are reversed in the title for this film because of the shift in focus to Ramona."

If you or your children liked the movie and want to know more about Ramona, Henry, Beezus, or the rest of the Quimbys, I encourage you to read Beverly Cleary's series of books:

Ramona Quimby Age 8, Ramona the Brave, Ramona and Her Mother, Ramona and Her Father, Ramona the Pest, Beezus and Ramona, Ramona's Bad Day, Ramona's World, Henry Huggins, Henry and Beezus, Henry and the Paper Route, Henry and Ribsy, and Ramona Forever. You can look for these books in our catalog here: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/

There is so much more to learn and enjoy about Ramona!

Nuts To You!

The Children's Department workroom is a busy place right now, gathering books and puppets and crafts to
prepare for the fall lineup of preschool storytimes. We're trying out a new system this fall where we all collaborate on our storytimes, and each programmer is assigned to collect all the stories and materials we will need
to choose from to create our own storytime programs on that topic. There are large bins to fill with stories, crafts, and songs. It's a programmer's dream!

Speaking of gathering, have I mentioned my latest obsession with squirrels and gathering nuts? I was assigned the storytime called, "Squirrel Tales." Now, this is new for me so I naively said, "Are there really enough books about squirrels for a whole program?" Let alone fingerplays about squirrels! Well, as I soon discovered, there is a plethora of things to choose from in the storytime world of squirrels!

I found books: "Nutty Nut Chase", "Those Darn Squirrels", "Nuts to You!", and "Little Squirrel's Special Nest." Fingerplays: "Five Little Squirrels", and songs: "Frisky Squirrel", "A Squirrel Song", and "Fall is Here." I have no less than three squirrel crafts to choose from and large acorns cut for a creative movement gathering song.

About this time, I left for a vacation with my family in the Smoky Mountains. I was still thinking about squirrels, but how could I avoid the subject while hiking out in the beautiful mountains there? As we were hiking a couple miles straight up the side of the mountain (in 93 degree heat, no less), we heard a squeal from the hikers behind us. I thought it might be a black bear, native to those woods, but no--it was just a couple ordinary squirrels!

Squirrels! They're everywhere! I took the opportunity to start a round of Squirrel Songs with my young nieces and nephew (which also gave me a chance to sit down and rest). I would have been happy to whip out my newly discovered squirrel fingerplays right then and there, but people seemed more interested in hiking.

So I returned from vacation with a new-found passion for sharing the joy of squirrels with the children of Massillon. My manager said to me, "How about blogging something about your obsession with squirrels after researching materials for story times?!? "

Me, obsessed? What does she mean?? Just because in my purse I have a glove finger puppet with 5 little squirrels attached (I meant to work on that at home!), I'm labelled obsessed. Just because I've stuffed the squirrel storytime bin in the workroom to the brim, I'm out of control! Hmph! Well, maybe she has a point...

Hope to see you at our preschool storytimes for the week of September 20th for SQUIRREL TALES!

It's Never Too Early to Read

This morning a young mother came in with her infant in a stroller to the Children's Department. Outside our library, the streets had been blocked off for a Children's Fun Fest with free activities and crafts for children. We had a lot of interest in our air conditioning and bathrooms today!

The mother was checking out several picture books and board books for her young baby. We started talking about the importance of reading early as I made silly faces at her smiling baby. She said she had been reading to her infant since the time he was born and by now at only 4 months old, he was interested in turning the pages on the board books for her! Even if your baby is only chewing on the corners of the board book, he/she is beginning to learn important early literacy skills. They will learn print awareness (how to hold the book, turn the pages, words and pictures correspond) and print motivation (learning to enjoy reading books or hearing stories).
Most of all, they will enjoy the time spent with you sharing the love of reading!

I encouraged this mother to sign up her baby for the Tyke Tales Story Time on Thursday mornings with Mrs. Haney so they could come to the library and read stories and sing songs together. If you can't make story time, still come in and we'll help you pick out some great board books for you and your baby.
And babies---keep reading!

Fall Story Times

The Massillon Public Library's Story Times are for 2- to 5-year-olds (not yet in kindergarten) who are accompanied by an adult. Story Times include a variety of books, storytelling, rhymes, fingerplays, songs and movement activities. We provide informational handouts to encourage parents and caregivers to continue Story Time activities at home. This helps to reinforce early literacy skills. Each week, a take-home craft further reinforces the ideas learned or discussed in Story Time and also provides fun and creativity. In order for us to prepare materials, we require that you pre-register for Story Times. We hold sessions that are approximately six weeks long, beginning in early January, late February, early September and late October.

Pajama Story Time with Mrs. Brant is on Mondays from 6-6:30 pm AND 7-7:30 pm (ages 2 to 5 yrs)

Tots 'n' Toddlers Story Time with Mrs. Warden is on Wednesdays from 10:15-10:45 am AND
11:15-11:45 am (ages 2 to 3 yrs old)

Tyke Tales Story Time with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 10:15-10:35 am (ages 0-23 months)

Preschool Story Time with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 11:15-11:45 am (ages 4 to 5 yrs)

Watch for other special events throughout the year!

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library

We have adapted our Story Times to reflect the recent research described in "Every Child Ready to Read" (ECRR). ECRR introduces parents and their children to the six early literacy skills that are the basic building blocks for learning to read. We demonstrate how you can develop these skills in your child in a fun and entertaining way. We encourage you, as your child's FIRST and BEST teacher, to use the activities shared at the library to enrich your child's environment. Story Times involve listening, singing, rhyming, moving, following along, and responding. Each child is unique and will participate when ready. Our main goal is to foster a love of language and books in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. The six pre-reading skills are:

Loving Books (Print Motivation)

Using Books (Print Awareness)

Seeing Letters (Letter Knowledge)

Telling a Story (Narrative Skills)

Making Sounds (Phonological Awareness)

Using New Words (Vocabulary)

ECRR is a partnership of the Public Library Association, the Association for Library Service to Children and the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.

Story Time

The Massillon Public Library's Story Times include a variety of books, storytelling, rhymes, fingerplays, songs and movement activities. We provide informational handouts to encourage parents and caregivers to continue Story Time activities at home. This helps to reinforce early literacy skills. Each week, a take-home craft further reinforces the ideas learned or discussed in Story Time and also provides fun and creativity. In order for us to prepare materials, we require that you pre-register for Story Times. We hold sessions that are approximately six weeks long, beginning in early January, late February, early September and late October.

Family Story Time (all ages) with Mrs. Brant is on Mondays from 7-7:30 pm

Tots and Toddlers Story Time (2's and 3's) with Miss Green is on Wednesdays
from 10:15-10:45 AND 11:15-11:45 am

Tyke Tales Story Time (0-23 months) with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 10:15-10:35 am

Preschool Story Time (4 & 5, not yet in K) with Mrs. Haney is on Thursdays from 11:15-11:45 am

Watch for other special events throughout the year!