Pick of the Week: A Child's Good Morning Book

A Child's Good Morning Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Karen Katz (HarperCollins, 2009)

Margaret Wise Brown first wrote A Child's Good Morning Book in 1952 and Karen Katz has reinterpreted the text and illustrated a new edition. Four toddlers awake in the morning to find the animals, birds and insects around them have already awoken and begun their day. Brightly colored images and delightful round-faced toddlers are seen on each spread of this large-sized picture book. Fans of Karen Katz's illustrations will enjoy this one.

Model Train Show @ the Library

Model Train Show
Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, Noon - 5 p.m.
Main Meeting Room, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

***Please note this replaces the annual event usually held in November.*** Free fun for the whole family! Come see a working model railroad. Donations of non-perishable food is gladly accepted for the Linn Benton Food Share.

Spring Early Literacy Newsletter

New! Check out the Spring Early Literacy Newsletter for recommended children's books, music, literacy ideas, and fun rhymes to share with children. The Spring issue features themes of picture books about baby animals, raising bilingual readers, books to encourage beginning math skills, books for babies, and more. Enjoy!

Chocolate Bunny Program

Chocolate Bunny Program & Contest

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library and Burst's Candies present the 10th annual Chocolate Bunny Program & Contest!

Join us on Monday, March 23rd at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Meeting Room of the Corvallis Library.

Burst's Candies will be bringing 2 GIANT chocolate bunnies! One will be unmolded and shared...the other one will be given away in the Chocolate Bunny Contest!

Bunny-themed stories and songs will also be shared. See you there!

Kindergarten Open House for Corvallis Public School District 509J

Below is the schedule for Corvallis Public School District 509J's Kindergarten Information Night.

Two useful documents regarding kindergarten readiness and expectations are available from the Corvallis School District on the 509J web site:

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Welcome to Kindergarten booklet

Kindergarten Information Nights:

Adams	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-8:00 p.m.	757-5938
Franklin	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.	757-5747
Garfield	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.	757-5941
Hoover	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-8:00 p.m.	757-5958
Jefferson	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.	757-5951
Lincoln	Thursday, March 19, 6:00-7:00 p.m.	757-5955
Mountain View	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.	766-4760
Wilson	Thursday, March 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.	757-5987

Please note that community events shared on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Community Parenting Class - Live & Learn with Your Baby

Live and Learn with your Baby - WEB Version

This popular class will be offered for the first time on the WEB. The class for parents of infants to beginning walkers provides fun and easy ways to support infant development and gives parents the opportunity to discuss parenting issues with other parents.

When: Ten weeks beginning the week of March 30th. Individuals may join at any time.

Cost: $10.00 for the ten week session

Who: LBCC Parenting Education Faculty Felicia Reid-Metoyer

Call 917-4949 for registration information

For information about the non-WEB version of this class and other LBCC Parenting Educaiton classes visit www.linnbenton.edu/go/parenting-education or call us at 917-4949.

Please note that community events and classes shared on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Pick of the Week: Mommy, Carry Me Please!

Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera (Holiday House, 2006)

This has to be one of my favorite books published in the past few years. Jane Cabrera's illustrations are bright, colorful, rich, and inviting on each spread depicting baby animals and the different ways their mothers carry them. The book ends with a human child being carried in his mother's arms. This one is a delight to share with toddlers and anyone needing a little extra cuddle time with mom!

Taking the time each day to share a book with a child is one of the best ways to prepare her to learn how to read later on. Print Motivation - or the interest in and enjoyment of books - is an important early literacy skill. Sharing the pleasure of books with a small child goes a long way towards building a lifelong reader. Not to mention it's just plain fun!

Pick of the Week: Last Night

Last Night by Hyewon Yum (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008)

In this debut wordless picture book by South Korean-born artist Hyewon Yum, a little girl refuses to eat her dinner and is sent to her room. She climbs into bed with her teddy bear for comfort and thus begins a fantastic dream of a very imaginative voyage into the forest with her bear. Linoleum block prints and full-bleed spreads vividly bring to life the emotions and experiences of the little girl and her bear. The wordless format works well here as the pictures evoke enough of the experience to carry the young viewer through the story. But it also makes it easy for a parent or caregiver to discuss what the little girl might be feeling along her journey. With the bright and cheerful last pages, we see the little girl awake in the morning, running down the stairs of her home and into her mother's arms with a smile on her face.

Lambing Season

It's lambing season at the Oregon State University Sheep Center. Barns are open to the public to visit until March 13th. Tours are self-guided (for groups with 12 or more, please contact the OSU Sheep Center: e-mail: lambing.barn@oregonstate.edu). The barns are open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. More information is available on the OSU web site.

The library's collection includes information about sheep and lambs. Kim Lewis' Little Lamb (Candlewick Press, 2000) shares the story of little Katie, who feeds a newborn lamb milk from a bottle and observes the lamb discover her farm.

Transitioning to a Big Bed

Whether you chose to co-sleep or start your baby out sleeping in a crib, eventually children make that transition to their own bed. Many children's books that deal with transitioning to a "big boy/girl bed" discuss the changes from a crib-sleeping situation. If your child is part of a co-sleeping family, this new book from Lawrence E. Shaprio, Ph.D. may be a welcome addition when it comes time to make the switch to a "big bed". In It's Time to Sleep in Your Own Bed (New Harbinger Publications, 2008), readers follow Alex, who loved sleeping in the family bed, on his journey to sleeping independently in his own new bed. The author acknowledges Alex's current security and comfort in the family bed along with his confronting his fears and the uncertainties that come along with a new and unfamiliar situation in a gentle and reassuring manner. At first Alex loves his new bed - but he didn't want to sleep in it! But with love, support from his parents, and the courage to be independent, Alex makes it through the night in his own bed. A note to parents and caregivers appended to the book make this a useful addition to books on the topic of this sensitive transition time.

Parenting Pick: I Brake For Meltdowns

I once had a conversation with a childless friend who, after musing about the wildly differing parenting styles of his friends with children, exclaimed, "You'd think by now someone would figure it out and write a book about parenting and discipline. Then people would know what to do!" In I Brake For Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2-to-5-Year Old, authors Michelle Nicholasen and Barbara O'Neal write that when your child is having that highly public meltdown in the grocery store and all eyes are on you - the parent - and how you're going to react, there are basically two types of onlookers. There are the people with children, who give you a look indicating, "I understand. I've been there. Good luck!". And there are the people without children and with no clue as to how you should or could handle the situation or avoid it. Luckily for readers, authors Michelle and Barbara, fall into the first type - the "been there, done that" group. The advice in this book is fairly straightforward and divided into chapters based on specific issues like mealtime, getting dressed, sleeping, and social graces. Specific advice is given in a format that also gives alternatives - just in case that didn't work the first time or with your child's temperment. A "Been There" type of box also gives real-life "it happened to me" parenting stories that illustrate the discipline advice and also comfort the reader. As to my friend's comment about that wonder-parenting-discipline book, doing a keyword search in the library's catalog for "discipline" elicits 253 results. When narrowed to a subject search of "discipline of children" 76 titles appear. With each family and each child having unique styles, beliefs, temperments and situations, disciplines remains a hot and ongoing topic in the parenting and publishing world.

Community Event: 509J hosting "Preschool to Kindergarten" Program March 4th

Do you have a preschooler that is getting ready to start kindergarten next year? Join early childhood specialists and parents at a Corvallis School District 509J "Preschool to Kindergarten Community Meeting" on Wednesday, March 4th from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Commons Area of Linus Pauling Middle School, 1111 N.W. Cleveland Ave. According to the school district's website, "Early childhood specialists and experienced parents will share how parents can prepare their child to be successful in kindergarten and how the registration process works. Preschool child care and refreshments also will be provided." Click here for more information.

Please note that community events shared on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Pick of the Week: Kitty Up!

Kitty Up! by Elizabeth Wojtusik and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008)

Kitty Up! follows a lively little kitten's adventures using a simple plot, rhymes and lovely illustrations. Due to the simple text, listeners will look deeper into the illustrations for clues to add interest to the story. The simple narrative makes this one a good title to share with toddlers and younger preschoolers. Kitty Up! is recommended for sharing on a lap while taking a playtime break.