City of Ember is Here!

View the trailer below of the new movie City of Ember, based on the book by Jeanne DuPrau – and starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, and Martin Landau.

                    

In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.  
This book was rated by readers 5-stars on BarnesandNoble.com and 4.5-stars on Amazon.com, and is an ALA Notable Book.  
Click on the sites to view reader reviews!
Both Irondequoit libraries carry 
City of Ember – look for it in our Children’s and Teen fiction sections under the author’s last name: DuPrau.

Time for School!

We’re back to school again, and it’s a different experience for everyone.
Coming back to a well-loved teacher or friends you have missed over the summer, or to a familiar school building, usually brings a sense of reassurance and happiness. The very first year in school, or in a new school, can be scary. Here are some books that can ease the transition.

Picture Books:

Dog Day by Sarah Hayes
Ben and Ellie have a new teacher. But wait a minute the new teacher is a dog named Riff!

I am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child
(A Charlie and Lola Book)
Lola is not so sure about school. After all, why would she need to count higher than ten when she never eats more than ten cookies at a time? And why write letters when you have a telephone?

Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis
Sure, some kids are a little afraid of going to kindergarten, but not Dexter. No, he’s not a bit afraid . . . he’s terrified.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee
A first grader is frightened on her first day of school after hearing a rumor that her teacher is a 300-year-old alien with a purple tongue who steals baby teeth from her students.

Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him.

Take a Kiss to School by Angela McAllister
There is so much to learn on Digby’s first day at school. Will he remember where to hang his jacket and to listen for his name? Digby’s mother has some special help for her boy who doesn’t feel quite brave enough for school.

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
When a little pig worries about being apart from his mother when he goes off to school, she reassures him.

First Grade Stinks by Mary Ann Rodman
On her first day of first grade, Haley discovers that the routines are much different and decidedly less fun than kindergarten. She gets only one recess, no sharing time, a room without the familiar decorations, a teacher who is less demonstrative than her beloved Ms. Lacy, and, worst of all, a read-aloud that isn’t even finished.

Chapter Books:

Stuart Goes to School by Sara Pennypacker
Stuart worries about getting stuck in the boys’ bathroom, about not having anything to show for show-and-tell, but most of all, about not making any friends. With his cape, though, Stuart is bound to have a day full of wacky adventures.

Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman
Summer is over and that can only mean one thing for eight-year-old Mallory McDonald–she has to go back to school. But not just any school, a new school with all new kids in it. To make matters worse, her mom is going, too!

Ellie McDoodle, New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw
When Ellie’s family moves to a new town, she’s sure she won’t fit in. Nobody else likes to read as much as she does, and even the teachers can’t get her name right.

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: School Days by Erica Silverman
n this third collection of stories about the cowgirl and her horse, school begins. When Kate leaves on the bus, Cocoa follows it like Mary’s little lamb, much to the other children’s enjoyment and Kate’s embarrassment.

Mostly Monty by Johanna Hurwitz
Six-year-old Monty doesn’t have a brother, a sister, or a pet. What he does have is asthma, which sometimes makes it hard to breathe and often makes him feel like he’d rather be somebody else. And now that he’s starting first grade, he’s very nervous about being with all those kids he won’t know.

Old Fashioned Stories for Summer Family Reading

Many fine chapter books are being published for children these days, but please don’t forget the classics! Many of these books have stood the test of time in that the characters are so appealing and their thoughts and actions so universal that 21st century kids (savvy though they are) will excuse the “old-fashioned” details because they want to enjoy the fantastic story or characters within. For parents who are trying to steer away from books that are violent or may contain language or concepts that are offensive to them, the titles listed below are sure to please!

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Doomed to–or blessed with–eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family wanders about trying to live as inconspicuously and comfortably as they can.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
As Dorothy journeys down the yellow brick road, she shares adventures with the famous trio of characters, and learns about the power of friendship, loyalty, and self-confidence.

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
A very small bear found by Mr. and Mrs. Brown at Paddington station becomes one of the family.

The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth
When Nate looks in the henhouse, he discovers the biggest egg he’s ever seen, and he’s not prepared for what hatches out of that egg!

Half Magic by Edward Eager
Faced with a dull summer in the city, 4 friends suddenly find themselves involved in a series of adventures after one discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes.

The Moffats (and other books in the series) by Eleanor Estes
The misadventures of the 4 Moffat children, as they live with their widowed mother in a yellow house on New Dollar Street.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann discovers her own abilities and gains a new perception of the world when she goes to live on a Vermont farm with relatives.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy; she writes down everything she knows about everyone in her notebook, even her classmates and friends.

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stile Gannett
A young boy determines to rescue a poor baby dragon who is being used by a group of lazy wild animals to ferry them across the river.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers.

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
The animals of Rabbit Hill wonder if they will plant a garden and thus be good providers for the new humans moving into the big house.

Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
Doctor Dolittle doesn’t understand people, but he can talk to animals.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betsy MacDonald
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and smells of cookies; she also knows all there is to know about children.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Miniature people who live in an old country house by borrowing things from the humans are forced to emigrate from their home under the clock.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.

Summer Reading

Summer Reading Club is winding up today, with lots of kids coming in to submit their completed reading game boards. All completed game boards are entered into a raffle for the grand prize, a $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble bookstore!

Did you participate in the public library’s summer reading program this year? If not, please be sure to enter next summer! You’ll have a chance at the grand prize, AND you’ll win prizes all summer long just for reading books. Prizes are awarded for every 5 days that you read for 20 minutes or more, and you can choose from lots of different prizes each week. Registration always begins on the Friday after school ends.

Most of all, the library is a really fun place to be, with lots of special programs and friends to see.
And, you can check out as many books as you can carry!

There’s always something to see @ the library!

The Evans Branch library was host to fabulous art work from the community’s little creators. The Irondequoit Cooperative Nursery School and the Summerville Nursery School had work on display from their preschool classes in the children’s room. The exhibit may be gone, but others will be up later this year. Check out the children’s room to see what’s new!

POETRY FRIDAY

SPORTS POEMS

With the warm weather come outdoor sports — basketball in the driveway or an outdoor court, Little League baseball, soccer games, swimming!

Poems about sports make some good rainy day or evening reading for kids. Or, try them for family read-alouds after an evening at the ball park. Here are a few suggestions.

EXTRA INNINGS: BASEBALL POEMS selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Mr. Hopkins has compiled many popular poetry collections. In this collection, there are 19 poems by different poets, each one complemented by a bright and lively realistic painting. Some are well-known poems like Ernest Lawrence’s “Casey at the Bat”. Others are more contemporary, like Sandra Liatsos’ “The Baseball”

I see it rise
to conquer space
like a rocket
in a race.

It hovers at
the peak of flight
almost past
my range of sight –

Then

down it dives
by air’s command
to make a landing
in my hand.

HOOPS by Robert Burleigh
This book will surely be appreciated by basketball enthusiasts. One poem moves like a smooth play on the court, across the softly illustrated pages of this book. To read it is to feel the game!

Check out the poetry section for more great books!

If you liked “Where’s Waldo” and “I Spy” you might enjoy…

If you’re a fan of picture books with hidden objects, you don’t have to stop with “Where’s Waldo” and “I Spy”. There are lots more to enjoy at the Irondequoit Public Library branches. Here are a few we’d like to recommend:

Errata: A Book of Historical Errors by Hemesh Alles
Ancient Egyptians never used tractors and Vikings never windsurfed! Find the historical errors in these pictures.

Anno’s Journey by Mitsumasa Anno (and other books by this author)
Follow one traveller as he journeys through forests and farms to crowded cities and beyond.

Hide and Snake by Keith Baker
“Ready or not — here I go!” says the slinky snake as he slithers off to hide in all sorts of unlikely places.

I Spy: An Alphabet in Art by Lucy Micklethwait
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with A.” The familiar game gets a new twist in this introduction to famous paintings.

From One to One Hundred by Teri Sloat
Search for everything from three trees to ninety ants, and then test your skills by finding one hundred children.

Do You See a Mouse? by Bernard Waber
There is a mouse in the Park Snoot Hotel, but even Hyde and Snide, famous mousecateers, cannot find it.

Animalia by Graeme Base
An alphabet book with fantastic and detailed pictures bearing such labels as “Lazy lions lounging in the local library.”

Where is the Cake? by T. T. Khing
An adventurous look-and-find book with new stories to follow and items to discover in each browsing.

POETRY FRIDAY

THERE ONCE WAS A MAN WHO LOVED A RAT and Other Vile Little Poems
by Gerda Rovetch

The word “vile” means disgusting, wretched, unpleasant! Who would want to read poems like that?
I tried them out, and discovered that while they ARE a little gross, they are mostly just plain silly!

Each rhyme is just four lines, illustrated with a simple (and very funny) picture. In the book, you’ll meet some very strange people, like…

“There was a man who loved to bake.
Sometimes his bread contained a snake.
Sometimes the snake was not quite dead.
Most people did not like his bread.”

or….

“There was a man in Albilene
who loved a little lima bean.
He kept it in a velvet bag
and only took it out to brag.”

Hmmmm….what do you think? Could YOU write a poem like this about someone you know??

A few girls you might like to meet…

How To Be a Baby by Me, The Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Big Sister in this book explains the pitfalls of babyhood, and why it’s far superior to be the big sister. For one thing, when you’re a baby, “you’re not allowed to touch anything. And a special plug goes in your mouth…to stop your scream coming out.” Life is tough for baby who has to sit in a baby-holder in the car, and doesn’t even “face the right way” — but not for our narrator who hastens to tell us that “I prefer to sit in a seat like a normal person”. As the story nears it’s end, she imagines a future when the two siblings play together and laugh about the baby days. A great read for a home with a new baby.

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
This book takes us through one week in the life of Clementine, an irrepressible 3rd grader who is true to her word that “spectacularful ideas are always sproinging up in my brain.” Clementine is good-hearted but she attracts trouble, and this sweet and hilarious story will have you laughing and cheering for Clementine as she tries again and again to explain her behavior to her parents, or to avoid showing up for something she’s anxious about (a good excuse — she has the “heartbreak of sore irises”). Kids who like Junie B. Jones and Judy Blume will love Clementine. Ages 6-10.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Maud is a spunky orphan who longs to be loved, and then is adopted by three spinster sisters. The sisters are phony spiritualists who use Maud in their staged seances. This unusual and captivating book is a fast read with a satisfying ending, as Maud eventually learns to give and receive the love she yearns for. For older children who enjoy mysteries, or character studies. Ages 10-14.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Sal takes a journey with her grandparents to try to find her mother who abandoned her. Along the way, she tells her grandparents the story of her friend, Phoebe Winterbottom, and discovers a lot about her own self. Ages 9-12.

The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
A homeless, orphaned girl finds her place in Medieval England. Ages 10-17.

Pictures of Hollis Woodsby Patricia Riley Giff
Hollis Woods has been to lots of foster homes and keeps running away. A talented artist, she captures her dreams in pictures. What happens when she finally finds a loving home? Read to find out. Ages 8-13.

Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones
Twig befriends an elf in her backyard who shrinks her to his size, and then joins her in many adventures. Written in the 1950’s, this book is still fresh today for children who love fairies and elves and a good, old-fashioned read. Ages 8-11.

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
Lucky’s deepest fear is that her Guardian, Bridgette, will leave her, just like her parents did (her mother through death, and her father by desertion). Lucky is a beautifully drawn character — child emerging as young adult, independent yet yearning for relationship, hilariously funny yet poignant in her determination to get what she needs. The 2007 Newbery Award winner. Ages 9-11.

Poetry Friday

Don’t Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein has been a favorite among kids of all ages since his first book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, was published in 1963. Shel Silverstein is known for his silliness, both in illustrations and in verse.

This new collection of poems is actually a reissue. The book was first published in 1964, the same year as his well-loved picture book, The Giving Tree., and is the only collection of poems that has colored illustrations., and what wonderful pictures they are!!

In this book you’ll meet a variety of creatures, but watch out for the Slithergadee!

SLITHERGADEE
The Slitherdagee has crawled out of the sea.
He may catch all the others, but he won’t catch me.
No you won’t catch me, old Sliterdagee,
You may catch the others, but you wo—-

Here’s a poem with a slightly happier ending:

OOPS!
We’ve been caught by a Quick-Digesting Gink
And now we’re dodging his teeth
And now we are restin’
In his small intestine,
And now we’re back out on the street…