Pick of the Week: In the Meadow

In the Meadow by Yukiko Kato, illustrations by Komako Sakai (Enchanted Lion Books, 2011)

A young girl's imagination and her exploration of the natural world is brought to life with the beautiful illustrations of Komako Sakai. You might recognize the Sakai's style from Emily's Balloon, The Snow Day, or Mad at Mommy.

Summer Reading Prize

There's still time for your child to turn in his or her completed Curious George Summer Reading Program gameboard and receive a summer reading certificate and a $3.00 coupon for the Corvallis Farmer's Market. The last day to turn in the completed gameboard is September 6th, 2011. Congratulations to all of the children who participated and completed the summer reading program this year!!

Pick of the Week: Rah, Rah Radishes!

Childhood nutrition is an important topic and a concern for many parents of young children. Whether your interest in the subject revolves around the earliest stages (healthy eating while pregnant, nursing, infant and toddler foods), dealing with a picky eater or coping with food allergies, the library offers materials with a diverse range of views, experience and advice. Sometimes as parents we wonder how our own attitudes and relationship with food is passed along to our children. When you're grocery shopping with your kids, do you spend a lot of time in the fruit and vegetable section, talking about the selection and what or how you're picking what to purchase? Do you savor your vegetables on your plate at dinner time or avoid them like the plague? In April Pulley Sayre's new picture book, Rah, Rah, Radishes!: a Vegetable Chant, photographs of a variety of vegetables and rhyming text invite readers to celebrate our vegetables.

Rah, Rah, Radishes!: a Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, 2011)

Pick of the Week: The Art Collector

Before I became a librarian, I got my undergraduate degree in art history. My love of books and working with children led me to pursue a career in librarianship instead of art history, but art will always remain a big part of my life. So my interest is always piqued when I see new picture books about art for young children.

The Art Collector by Jan Wahl, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet

When Oscar is very young, he sees his great-granny at work creating art and decides that he wants to create something too. His great-granny encourages him, but none of his efforts live up to his expectations. However, he finds a new way to appreciate art after he makes his first art purchase at a flea market. He frames and hangs up an etching in his room, which is the first piece in what will become a large and diverse collection of art. As Oscar grows, so does his collection and eventually, as a grown up, his art collection is so admired and so extensive that a museum is built to house his treasures! Rosalinde Bonnet's illustrations are wonderful and depict a variety of artistic styles and movements. This is a delightful book to share with budding artists or those - like myself - who have a great appreciation for art that far outstretches their own artistic talent! It just may inspire a future art collector to start their own collection today.

Today at Storytime

I had the pleasure of presenting a dinosaur-themed Toddler Storytime today at the library. It was a lively, fun group. We especially had a great time pretending to be pterodactyls as we listened to the music of "Sleeping Pterodactyls" by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

I shared these books at storytime:

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

One of my favorite dinosaur-themed books for young children. Should dinosaurs stick beans up their nose? Toss their spaghetti into the air? No, in this book we all learn good dinosaur mealtime manners!

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

I used a big book version of this book by Byron Barton. I've long been a fan of his simple, colorful, bold images for storytime with toddlers.

Dinosaur's Binkit by Sandra Boynton

This is a smallish board book, but a delight to use in storytime. I wish it came in a larger version for bigger crowds. Rest assured, dinosaur finally finds his blanket in time for bed.

Dinosaurs Galore! A Roaring Pop-Up by Paul & Henrietta Stickland

What's not to love about bright, colorful pop-up dinosaurs? This book also introduces new vocabulary and the concept of opposites.

A Number of Dinosaurs: a Pop-Up Counting Book by Paul & Henrietta Stickland

Paul and Henrietta Stickland do such a wonderful job with their dinosaur-themed pop-up books that I couldn't resist sharing another one with the crowd. On each page, as another dinosaur is added, the image(including the size of the number) becomes larger and larger. The children loved the last page.

I also shared a rhyme I altered from the traditional "Two Little Blackbirds" rhyme to fit our dinosaur theme. I created two stick puppets to use with our rhyme:

Two Little Dinosaurs
Two little dinosaurs sitting on a hill

One named Jack and one named Jill

Go away, Jack! (stomp, stomp, stomp)

Go away, Jill! (stomp, stomp, stomp)

Come back, Jack! (stomp, stomp, stomp)

Come back, Jill! (stomp, stomp, stomp)

I also made these flannel pieces for using with Nancy Stewart's song "Dinosaurs in Cars".

Picks of the Week

I don't know about you, but I welcome the heat we're having this week! When your children take a break from enjoying the sunshine, why not head to the library and check out one of these books?

I'm a Shark by Bob Shea

A boastful shark is not afraid of anything, which impresses his underwater friends until they ask about spiders.

Fun Dog, Sun Dog by Deborah Heiligman

 Although Tinka the dog can be described in many ways, she is always the right kind of canine for her owner.

An Island in the Sun by Stella Blackstone

A boy sails across the sea, looking at various objects through his spyglass, until he reaches an island where his dog is waiting for him.

Now It Is Summer by Eileen Spinelli

A young mouse is encouraged by his mother to enjoy summer while waiting for autumn to come.

It's Vacation Time by Lerryn Korda

Three friends prepare for summer vacation, Little Nye by making popsicles, Nella by overstuffing a suitcase, and Lester by removing an array of playthings so the suitcase can be closed.