Planning for Summer

Yep, we librarians start planning for our summer programs REALLY early. Yesterday I spent the morning at a workshop in Champaign for local children's librarians that focused on the upcoming summer reading program. The theme this year will be Read on the Wild Side and I am happy to report that I walked out of the workshop full of good ideas.

I was thinking about devoting a week to activities centered around a backyard/park safari. Kids could make their own trail mix, make insect houses and butterfly nets, and maybe do a craft or activity involving tree leaves. Then they could take home a checklist of activities they can do in their backyards, and get some kind of reward or prize for bringing it back to the library.

I was also thinking about doing activities centered around Tarzan, the Wild West, Curious George, and jungle animals in general. Prizes for reading will probably be very similar to last year's, with some smaller prizes for reading 200 minutes and larger prizes for 500 minutes.

None of this is written in stone, however, and I would LOVE to get any ideas, opinions, or comments from you about the summer reading program. Leave a comment, call, or email if you have thoughts or ideas :)

Magic Tree House Party

This Saturday we're having a Magic Tree House party here at the library. We'll be doing activities and crafts based on the 4 most recent Magic Tree House books. Kids who are already Magic Tree House fans will have a blast, and kids who are new to the series will have a great time too. You don't have to have read the books to have fun at the party, but of course we'll encourage everyone to take home one or two! Registration closes today, Feb. 19.

Also, the 41st book in the series, Moonlight on the Magic Flute, comes out on March 10, so you'll be seeing it in the library soon.

Tired of Waiting for the Next Fancy Nancy Book?

If so, try The Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans. Emily loves to dance , but when she joins a dance class, she finds out that her classmates are very different people and have trouble working together at first. But one day, when Emily brings jellybeans to share with everyone, she notices that even though the jellybeans are all different flavors, they still make a pretty appealing treat. So the girls decide to call themselves the Jellybeans and they go on to have a successful recital.

Kids who liked Fancy Nancy will also like Belinda Begins Ballet by Amy Young. Belinda is a girl who was born with really big feet. When her teacher casts her as a clown in the school talent show, Belinda is upset but doesn't know what to do about it. Then, when she sees a classmate named Camille do her ballet routine, she knows what she wants to do instead. Her ballet performance in the clown costume ends up being a big hit. It's a sweet story.

You might also try Natalie & Naughtily by Vincent Kirsch. It's the story of two girls, Natalie and Naughtily, who live on the top floor of a huge department store. On one exceptionally busy day, they are told that "It would be a great help if you did not play in the store." So they decide to to down to the store to help out instead. Each page features a beautiful, detailed illustration of the store and the girls' silly antics as they do their best to help the customers.

2010 Rebecca Caudill books

The 2010 Rebecca Caudill list is out! You can see the list here. Personally, I was very glad to see Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. I really enjoyed those two books. There are a few others on the list that I haven't read, but are familiar to me anyway because they circulate so much. And then there are several on the list that I've never even heard of, so it will be exciting to discover some new authors.