Merry Christmas from the Children's Department at the Massillon Public Library!

Have you tried TumbleBooks yet on MPL's website? It's listed under the "Kid Stuff" tab on our homepage and it's a free service from the library. Our feature story right now is T'was the Night Before Christmas:

There are hundreds of other books on the TumbleBooks page that you and your child can read. Simply click on the title you want to see and choose "View Online". There are also puzzles, games, and videos on that page.

You can even use it with the Ipad now. Check out the first batch of iPad-compatible TumbleBooks by signing into TumbleBookLibrary on your iPad and going to the Story Books section. There are currently 44 iPad books to choose from!

Just below the "Story Books" heading, there is a link called "Click here for iPad-compatible titles". Click on this link, and the iPad books will be sorted for you. Next, simply click on the "iPad" button to launch the book of your choice. The book will appear in a small window at first. Click on the "full screen" button to expand it.

Hope you like it!

Happy Chanukah!

Here's a nice TumbleBook story about Chanukah, called A Light in the Darkness by Aaron Zevy, that you and your children can read online or you can email to another child free of charge through the Massillon Public Library website. Enjoy!

10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011

The New York Times Book Review recently announced its annual list of the 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books in the November 13th issue. If we have the book in our library consortium, you can click on the book title to go directly to our book catalog.

The Book Review's 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books for 2011 are:

•Along a Long Road, written and illustrated by Frank Viva (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

•A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade)

•Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures, written by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton (Chronicle Books)

•Grandpa Green, written and illustrated by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press)

•Ice, written and illustrated by Arthur Geisert (Enchanted Lion Books)

•I Want My Hat Back, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press)

•Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

•Migrant, written by Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (Groundwood Books)

•A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Dial)

•A New Year’s Reunion, written by Yu Li-Qiong, illustrated by Zhu Cheng-Liang (Candlewick Press)

The children's books editor for The New York Times Book Review is Pamela Paul. The judges this year were Jeanne Lamb, coordinator, Youth Collections at The New York Public Library; Lucy Calkins, Richard Robinson Professor of Children's Literature at Teachers College, Columbia University; and Sophie Blackall, an author and artist who has illustrated 24 books for children, including one of last year’s Best Illustrated winners, “Big Red Lollipop,” as well as, “Are You Awake?”  “The Crows of Pearblossom” and “Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children,” all published this year.

The New York Times Best Illustrated awards will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year.

Family Christmas Program

There is still time for your family to come to the Massillon Public Library's Family Christmas program! This morning we performed for a crowd of preschoolers that were rolling with laughter during the puppet show. I hope you can make it to the library tonight or tomorrow night! Here are the details:

"The Children's Department invites you to attend the 25th annual Family Christmas program. Admission is free but registration is required. Call 330.832.5037 to register for one of the following performances: Monday, December 5 at 6:45 p.m. or Tuesday, December 6 at 6:45 p.m.

The program is a 45-minute-long variety show, including songs, skits, poems, and the family favorite: a 15-to-20 minute puppet show. All ages are invited to enjoy this year's selection, "Christmas with the Three Little Pigs (and the Big, Bad Wolf)," as well as many of your favorite Christmas songs and rhymes led by the familiar faces of our librarians! Join us for a heart-warming evening full of holiday spirit and laughter.

For more additional information, contact the Children’s Department at 330.832.5037."

PRESS HERE: an interactive book for the iPad generation

If your children like playing games on your iPad or iPhone, they'll probably enjoy this new interactive book. On the first page of Press Here, by Herve Tullet, the reader sees a simple yellow dot on a clean white background. The book invites you to "Press here and turn the page." How can you not be tempted to press the yellow dot and see what happens next?

With each page, the reader has to follow more directions, tapping and shaking the book. The setup is very similar to a game my children like to play on the iTouch called, "Do Not Press the Big Red Button." It's very addicting! Only this time, book readers are encouraged to keep press buttons and swiping dots just like on a screen. Rubbing a yellow dot just might make it change colors and blowing on the page will send the dots flying. It really encourages children to use the power of imagination to make the dots move around the page.

It's targeted at ages 4-8 years, but I think it would entertain any age of reader. I promise you'll have fun!

Check out this video to watch the Press Here book in action with two children. If you'd like to order it, you can find it in the Massillon Public Library's catalog here: Press Here by Herve Tullet.