Pick of the Week: Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel

Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel (Greenwillow Books, 2008)

Finding a beautifully illustrated picture book that works well as a read-aloud to babies and toddlers is a real treat. Anita Lobel's book, Hello, Day!, hits the mark. With vibrantly painted illustrations of farm animals awaking on a sunny morning, each animal greets the day in its own unique way. The simple plot concludes with the sun setting and an owl appearing to say goodnight. A great morning or bedtime read!

Tonight: Curious George Ice Cream Social @ Philomath Library

We're kicking off the Curious? READ! reading program for children ages four-years-old and younger at the Philomath Community Library tonight following storytime at 7:00 p.m. Come pick up your Curious George reading bag with reading log, gameboard, stickers, booklist and more. We'll share a craft, ideas for bringing literacy home, and enjoy an ice cream treat!

Read more about the Curious? READ! Curious George reading program...

Summertime Fun Activities

I'm always looking for new and creative ideas for toddler and preschool activities. With the theme of summertime in mind, I recently came across this website. It contains just the thing I need - a list of one activity to try each day. You can sign up to have the list emailed to you, or just take a look at the list online at About.com. The 30 Days of Summer Fun for Babies and Toddlers site contains creative suggestions for making imaginative, yet simple summer memories.

What are your favorite ways to spend the summer with a small child?

Pick of the Week: Sylvie and True

Sylvie & True by David McPhail (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2007)

David McPhail introduces children to two adorable characters in Sylvie & True. This picture book contains several short chapters exploring the adventures and friendship of Sylvie, a rabbit, and True, a large colorful water snake who sleeps in a bathtub. Sylvie and True live together in an apartment in the city. The characters work together to find solutions to everyday problems and learn about fairness. This is a comforting book and children will look forward to hearing more about the adventures of Sylvie and True.

New Picture Books on Order

Click on a title to place your hold today!

Bear's Picture by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by D. B. Johnson (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008)

A bear continues to paint what he likes despite criticism from two passing gentlemen.







Daddies by Lila Prap (NorthSouth Books, 2007)

Illustrations and rhyming text portray a father and son pretending to be animals, from rhinos to monkeys, as they stomp and swing and roar their way to bed.







A Day With No Crayons by ElizabethRusch, illustrated by Chad Cameron (Rising Moon, 2007)

A little girl discovers all sorts of artistic possibilities when she has to go a day without crayons.






I Lost My Kisses by Trudie Trewin, illustrated by Nick Bland (Orchard Books, 2008)

Matilda Rose loves to kiss hello, goodbye, good morning, and goodnight, but on the day her father is to return from a trip, she cannot find her kisses anywhere, despite knowing how they feel, taste, and sound.






Pilot Pups by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Dan Andreason (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008)

Toy dogs go on air patrols to make sure that none of the other toys in a child's room go missing.

Pick of the Week: Eats by Marthe Jocelyn

Eats by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Tom Slaughter (Tundra Books, 2007)

With a fresh cast of animal characters — and what they eat — the creative team of Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter has produced another work in their award-winning series for very young book and art lovers. Marthe Jocelyn's simple concept of matching creatures — familiar and unusual — with their favorite foods is brought to life by the sparkling colors and masterfully cut paper shapes of Tom Slaughter's illustrations; a first taste of modern art. And the surprise final picture makes a satisfying dessert. Previous titles have received acclaim from Japan to Denmark, from France to Mexico. Enhancing a child's visual and verbal vocabulary, Eats makes a joyful addition to the collection. (summary copyright Syndetics)

Tom Slaughter is one of my favorite artists of children's books. The bright, eye-popping colors and paper cut art is brilliant. With just a few words and clean, modern artwork, Tom Slaughter makes a great addition to children's books for toddlers and preschoolers. Concepts such as counting, colors, the alphabet, and the food chain are depicted with ease in these collaborations between Jocelyn and Slaughter.

Other books illustrated by Tom Slaughter include:

ABC x 3: English, Espanol, Francais by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Tom Slaughter (Tundra Books, 2005)

From airplane/avion/avion to zigzag/zigzag/zigzag, Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter have created a unique ABC for the very young. The book works perfectly in three languages, English, Spanish, and French (English, Espanol, and Franais). In each case, deceptively simple paper cuts will delight the eye while young readers explore words in three languages. The book has been carefully constructed to accommodate each language, including the letters which occur in Spanish, but not in English or French. Earlier collaborations by Tom Slaughter and Marthe Jocelyn have received raves from critics. This new addition to their library is yet another excellent introduction to modern art, to words, and this time to the fun of languages. (summary copyright Syndetics)

One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Tom Slaughter (Tundra Books, 2004)

"One Some Many" by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter is an excellent early introduction to numbers and to the principles of modern art. It is the perfect companion to "1 2 3," a counting book with a difference. Slaughter’ s bold, Matisse-inspired paper cuts illustrate basic artistic elements, including color, form, and line, while the playful and inventive text introduces the concepts of quantity that children find most puzzling (and that adults have the most difficulty explaining!). After all, how many is many? Some? A few? (summary copyright Syndetics)

Over Under by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Tom Slaughter (Tundra Books, 2005)

Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter explore opposites in this gorgeous introduction to modern art for small readers. Cut paper images introduce children 10 color, form, and design us they explore tall giraffes arid short mice, squares and circles, light day and dark night. An art book us well as a sound learning tool. (summary copyright Syndetics)

Curious George Reading Program Launched

Curious George Reading Program for Children Ages Four-Years-Old and Younger!

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library is kicking of a new reading program especially for very young children from birth through age four. The youth services librarians encourage you to spend time each day reading with your child. It's never too early to start sharing the love of books with a child.

Stop by the library to pick up your Curious George Reading Program bag to get started! Each bag contains a Curious George reading log, gameboard to record each day you read with your child, a sticker, bookmark, craft, and an application for your child's first library card. Each week the library will have a new craft and early literacy tip to share with families participating in the program.

The library will also be celebrating with a Curious George Ice Cream Social for all families participating in the program this summer:

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library: Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
Branch library dates and times will be announced shortly.

For more information, call 541-766-6794 or see the announcement on the library's website here.

Images Copyright 2003 American Library Association. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, Inc. All rights reserved. Produced in cooperation with the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Services to Children.

Pick of the Week: Ladybug Girl

Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Penguin Group USA, 2008)

When this little girl is told by her big brother that she's too little to play with him, she dresses up as Ladybug Girl and takes matters into her own hands. An inspiring book for all young children that feel bored or lonely in their play. Empowering and imaginative, this brave little girl knows how to create fun!

This book is on order. Place your hold today and Catch the Reading Bug!

Touchpoints: Birth to Three

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a talk given by world-renowned pediatrician T. Bery Brazelton last week at the American Library Association's annual conference in Anaheim, California. The theme of the presentation was based on his work with infants, families, and educators in the strengthening of families. Dr. Brazelton is the founder of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Children's Hospital Boston. Brazelton is also known for developing the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) in 1973, which is used in hospitals across the nation to assess an infant's own unique behavioral strengths, responses to care, and possible issues.

According to Brazelton, “Our goal is that parents everywhere work with supportive providers, feel confident in their parenting role and form strong, resilient attachments with their children. To help achieve this, providers must be responsive to parents, knowledgeable about child development and eager to see every parent succeed.” (http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/may2008/ALSCpresprogram.cfm)

Dr. Brazelton is a gentle speaker whose presentation called for librarians, community members, and families to improve the quality of care for children as they grow. His books are accessible to parents and emphasize understanding a child's development, needs, and the need for strong parent-child attachments. His small, topic-based parenting book series, "The Brazelton Way," provide overviews of subjects of concern to parents and advice from Dr. Brazelton. Topics include discipline, calming a fussy baby, feeding, sleep, sibling rivalry, toilet training, and handling anger and aggression.

Pick of the Week: Jon Scieszka's Trucktown Smash! Crash!

Smash! Crash! by Jon Scieszka, created by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon (Simon and Schuster, 2008)

Trucks are one of those timeless, childhood fascinations little boys -- and girls! -- enjoy. Librarians serving children are very familiar with the constant demand for truck books. So when Jon Scieszka, the author of popular children's books including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs) teamed up with author/illustrator David Shannon (No David!), illustrator Loren Long (The Toy Boat), and author/illustrator David Gordon (The Three Little Rigs) to create a series of books all about trucks, truck fans had something to be excited about!

In Smash! Crash! Jack Truck and Dump Truck Dan are the best of friends - and known for their love of smashing things. When they meet Wrecking Crane Rosie, though, they become worried - will they still be able to have some smashing good fun?

Jon Scieszka is a big proponent of getting children, especially boys, excited about reading. Recently named the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress, Mr. Scieszka is also the founder of GuysRead.com, a site devoted to connecting boys with books they'll love.