An Awesome Book

Hello, folks. The behind-the-scenes mechanics have changed in Blogger so bear with me as I get used to all the new stuff around here.

I recently had the pleasure of reading An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton. The cover practically sells the book just in and of itself, but I enjoyed the inside as well. The text is actually a poem, with large two-page spreads for every few lines. The poem is basically a letter to a child about the importance of having big dreams, and I found it very inspirational. (The librarians out there who are planning a "Dream Big!" summer reading program should definitely take note of this book, btw.) The rhythm of the poem is mostly solid with a few small exceptions (for example, "They dream of breakfast sandwiches / They dream of telephones / Sometimes they even dream of dreams that aren't even their own.") The illustrations are the book's true strength - detailed and vibrant, with lots of great touches and things for children to pore over at length.

Unfortunately, this book is not available in our local system yet, but if you are interested in borrowing it please contact me and we can work something out. As soon as it is possible, I plan to add it to our library's collection.

Summer Reading Program Details

Allerton Library's summer reading program is simple, fun, and open to all children under 18. After kids sign up, they take home a reading log. They can read anything they want (audiobooks also count) and they should keep track of their minutes on the log. After 200 minutes, they can bring the log in and get a bag full of prizes. After 500 minutes (in other words, 300 additional minutes), they can bring the log in again and get a second bag of even cooler prizes. Kids who want to keep going should keep recording their minutes, because large prizes are awarded to the 15 readers who have the most minutes at the end of the program.

The reading program starts on June 4 and ends on July 27. Kids can sign up for the program anytime between May 12 (Library Luau day) and July 27, but June 4 is the earliest day they can begin counting minutes. They have to stop counting minutes on July 27.

When kids sign up, they will get a reading log, information about reading goals and prizes, and a bookmark. They may also pick up activity calendars and sign up for activities (for more info on activities, please go here) but they don't have to do the activities in order to participate in the reading program. Kids must come in to the library to sign up.

Questions? Call us at 762-4676 or email me at klawson.allerton@gmail.com.

Summer Reading Activities

Summer is coming soon, and we have lots of great activities for kids planned at Allerton Library. You can register for these activities anytime between May 12 and the day of the activity you're interested in. Sign up for all, some, or none - it's up to you! There's no penalty for no-shows or cancellations. To sign up, stop by the library at 201 N. State St., call us at 762-4676, or email me at klawson.allerton@gmail.com.

Activities are on Monday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. We will also have weekly teen book club meetings, baby lap times, and storytimes. Stop by the library or go here to view monthly calendars.

June 4: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at 10 a.m. Kids will do crafts based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. One will be a picture of food coming down from the sky with pipe cleaner and muffin cup umbrellas, and the other will be a food picture mixing/matching activity.

June 5: Building with Food at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make buildings from toothpicks and mini marshmallows, and will test their cookie stacking skills.

June 11: Three Ravens tour at 11 a.m. Kids will go to the Three Ravens restaurant on the square and will get to see how the restaurant works. We will all meet at the library at 10:45 and then walk downtown to the restaurant to be there when it opens at 11. Parents should make sure that small children are accompanied by an adult or caregiver.

June 12: S’Mores and Stories at 2:30 p.m. Kids will listen to stories in a tent and enjoy microwave s’mores.

June 18: Potluck Picnic at 10 a.m. Kids will play picnic games like a Penny Toss, Relay Race, Clothespin in the Bottle, and a Hoop Jump. Parents can bring recipes for a recipe exchange. Juice & snacks will be provided.

June 19: Iron Chef at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. At both programs, kids will have access to several kinds of food and will be able to put together their own dishes – but they have to include the Secret Ingredient! The 2:30 program is for children ages 3-7 and the 3:30 program is for children ages 8 and older.

June 25: Food Detectives at 10 a.m. Kids will try to identify the kind of squished candy bar in each plastic bag. They will also try to guess condiments based on taste and spices based on smell.

June 26: Gross Food at 2:30 p.m. Kids will assemble different kinds of foods to make “gross” items, such as Ritz cracker & pretzel stick spiders, cheese & pretzel boogers on a stick, etc.

July 2: My Plate, My Pancake at 10 a.m. Kids will do a craft based on the “My Plate” healthy eating model, and do a pancake & frying pan craft.

July 3: Bean & Pasta Mosaic at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make mosaics by gluing pieces of pasta and beans onto construction paper.

July 9: Butterflies & Bees at 10 a.m. The Macon County Conservation District will come to the library and do a presentation about how bees and butterflies eat. Kids will learn about pollination and honey making and will get to taste some local honey.

July 10: Pondering Pizza at 2:30 p.m. Kids will learn how all the ingredients on a slice of pizza begin on farms, are processed, distributed, and made into a tasty meal. Cheese pizza will be served.

July 16: Making Healthy Snacks at 10 a.m. Monticello’s 4-H group will lead a workshop for kids where they can learn about healthy snacks and then make their own.

July 17: Cooking Up History at 2:30 p.m. Kids will learn about the kinds of things pioneers used to eat and how they were grown and made. There will be several hands-on activities.

July 23: Spaghetti Painting at 10 a.m. Kids will make paintings using cooked spaghetti instead of paintbrushes.

July 24: Ice Cream Sundae at 2:30 p.m. Kids will make a pretend ice cream sundae with craft pom poms and sequins for sprinkles.

American Girl Tea Party: Follow-Up

I didn't announce the answers to the spice guessing game at the party, so here they are:

1. Clue: This spice is native to Asia. It contains a substance called "piperine" that gives it a sharp, biting taste.
Answer: Black Pepper

2. Clue: This herb is in the mint family and is native to India, but is often used in Italian cuisine.
Answer: Basil

3. Clue: This herb is an excellent source of vitamins. The fresh leaves are used as a garnish and the dried leaves are often used in soups.
Answer: Parsley

4. Clue: This spice comes from the bark of a special tree that grows mostly in Sri Lanka.
Answer: Cinnamon

5. Clue: This spice comes from the bulb of the plant, and is related to the onion.
Answer: Garlic (powder)

I also want to announce that I have called all the winners of the prize giveaways.

Upcoming Events

Today I've been very busy getting ready for this Saturday's American Girl Tea Party. It starts at 11 a.m. and we'll have crafts, painting pictures, a spice guessing game, and a luncheon with sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, and cookies. Kids can dress up and bring their dolls if they want.

I've also started getting ready for our annual Library Luau, which is now exactly one month away! We always do a luau to kick off the summer reading program, so we will have pre-registration for that as well as fun games like coconut bowling, a bean bag toss, and fishing.

The theme for this summer's program is Reading is So Delicious, so we're going to have a lot of really cool food-related programs at the library in June and July. Stay tuned for details on an Iron Chef program, a Food Detectives program, and a Gross Food program.

More Books with Pictures!

So I'm looking forward to finally getting the rest of the One Piece manga series for our Teen graphic novels section. I've been chipping away at it for a long time, trying to find a little money here and there around the necessary orders for new Rick Riordan or Ellen Hopkins books. I will finally be able to get caught up with the series (it's up to volume 61) this quarter! Now I'm wondering what other series we should start with. We already have all available Black Butler and Fullmetal Alchemist volumes.

A new Pigeon picture book came to our library yesterday, titled The Duckling Gets A Cookie?! As always, Mo Willems has delivered a hit. The Duckling (super cute of course) asks politely for a cookie and receives one, and then the Pigeon comes along and FREAKS OUT because of course he wants one too! But the Duckling gives the Pigeon the cookie, which makes the Pigeon super happy. Then, at the end, the Duckling asks for another cookie, "But this time, without nuts." Fabulous. :D