Tuesday, May 31, 2022

The Wolves of Yellowstone by Catherine Barr, illustrated by Jenni Desmond

I picked this up because I recognized the illustrator, who has done a number of really beautiful nonfiction and informational picture books. This falls more on the side of nonfiction, with Desmond showing her artistic range alongside Barr's prose, which changes from brief sentences to paragraphs expanded on the context and history of the story.

The endpages and title page are flecked with gray drips against the white background, the footprints of deer, and the running figure of a dark wolf, creating the feeling of a wolf running through the snow. The first page is a charcoal night sky with a wolf's yellow eyes peering out above the title and an introduction to wolves that begins "The wolf is admired and feared in equal measure."

Throughout the pages, Desmond varies her style from the increasingly barren wilderness, eaten away by uncontrolled herds with no wolves to hunt them, to faceless scientists beginning the reintroduction project, and back to the original image of a wolf running. This time it's packs of wolves, running across the landscape, through the winter, the snow, the night, and the spring. With the wolves peering from bushes and relaxing in the lush grass, the balance returns and with it a lush, green spring. Barr expands to talk about the plants and animals that return with the wolves and their individual cycles, from beavers and plants to beetles and bears. Barr looks at other examples of rewilding and the effects of keystone species and predators, tells what happened to each of the original wolves, beautifully drawn by Desmond, and finishes with a thoughtful reflection on rewilding, against the same white background with gray flecks that we saw at the beginning - but now the wolf stands and howls, its tracks replacing those of the deer, and there are sprigs of grass popping up through the snow.

Verdict: This isn't a narrative nonfiction title you'd read straight through to a storytime audience, but each page is crafted like an individual vignette of a larger story with interesting facts, brief narratives, and reflections on conservation and rewilding and the complexities of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone.

ISBN: 9781547607983; Published April 2022 by Bloomsbury; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Added to the order list

Monday, May 30, 2022

Togo & Balto: The dogs who saved a town by Jodie Parachini, illustrated by Keiron Ward and Jason Dewhirst


In the fall of 2021, Albert Whitman launched a new series of informational picture books, Animalographies, featuring a variety of heroic or famous animals and their stories. I had looked at a few descriptions, but this was the first one I finally ended up reading (admittedly under the mistaken impression it was a chapter book).

Told as a narrative partially from the dogs themselves, this particular story is of the heroic race of Togo and Balto to get the diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska. The introduction briefly mentions the use of sled dogs by indigenous peoples, then focuses on the story of the two dogs, focusing on Togo, who is less well-known than Balto. Togo tells the story of his training and early life, then explains the circumstances around their famous relay race and narrates the exciting events. Digital cartoons show a predominantly white cast with smiling cartoon dogs racing through the snow.

Back matter consists of a fact sheet on sled dogs and the use of Huskies as sled dogs in history.

Verdict: The writing is rather pedestrian, and the story greatly simplified, but kids who love true stories about animal heroes will be thrilled with this new series and I think most libraries will find it a popular title to have on the shelf.

ISBN: 9780807503829; Published April 2022 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Sunday, May 29, 2022

This week at the library

Tulips are brief but beautiful

 Programs

  • Paws to Read
  • Lakeland School field trip
  • Pokemon Club
  • Combined 2nd grade/5K field trip
  • Storytime/art projects
  • 4K and 5K outreach storytimes - 3 schools, 12 sessions
  • Library on the Go - 4 sessions
  • STEM challenge - wrap-around visit
  • Kindergarten field trip (approx. 70 kids)
  • Fourth grade field trips - 3 classes, four sessions
  • 1st grade field trips - 3 classes, 3 sessions
Other projects
  • Meetings, collection development, summer planning
I've mostly finished our school visits and field trips - only 2 more big field trips and 2 school visits left to go. This is the first year we've gone back to our field trips after the pandemic and reconsidering how we do this is going into my planning for next year - there will be a lot of changes and reorganization and one thing I definitely want to do is encourage regular library field trips instead of this huge push right before summer.

Saturday, May 28, 2022

In short, I am busy: I survived program

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
  • Photo op - Cardboard cut-out of shark mouth, created by various staff
  • Craft - mini sharks
    • Die cut cardboard fish
    • Scissors, markers
  • Experiment - fake blood
    • corn syrup, corn starch, flour, red food coloring, water
    • bowls, sink, cleaning materials
    • paint brushes
  • Decorations
    • mini sharks with shark facts
  • Resources
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005
I Survived the Children's Blizzard, 1888
  • Storm in a jar
    • paint, baby oil, glitter, alka seltzer
    • jars and/or clear water bottles
  • Resources
I Survived the San Francisco earthquake, 1906
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
  • Coding challenges
  • Paper, pencils
I Survived the destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
  • Vinegar and baking soda volcanoes
    • vinegar, baking soda (we used about 6-8 jugs of vinegar and a very large bag of soda)
    • washable paint, balloons
    • milk jugs or soda bottles, swimming pools
I Survived the sinking of the Titanic, 1912
  • Boats
    • Popsicle sticks, duct tape, corks, styrofoam plates
    • Ice chunks
    • Swimming pools
General resources

In short, I am busy: Art workshop: Sand/Landscape art

  Program Goals

    • Motor development (pouring and stirring)
    • Patterns
    • Encourage creativity and experiment with different art techniques and supplies
    • Provide a flexible program open to all ages and skill levels
    Landscape Art
    • Supplies
      • sand
      • glue
      • paint
      • scrap paper
      • regular paper
      • cleaning supplies
    • Resources: Print outs and books of aerial photography
    Project: Sand Art (with shells)

    Supplies
    • Sand, shells
    • Thick paper - recycled cardstock and/or construction paper, paper plates, pencils
    • Plastic tubs, spoons (dixie cups b/c someone took a bunch of my spoons)
    • Glue sticks, glue
    Evaluation

    Tuesday, May 24, 2022

    Abby in between: Ready or not! by Megan E. Bryant

     Whether she's ready or not, Abby is facing a whole lot of change. Her cousin and best friend, Zoey, is moving across the US - and getting a phone. Abby's mom is going back to work, her dad has lost his job, and Abby has been signed up for Run Wild, an after school athletics program. On top of all these changes, and the challenges of starting fourth grade, she's starting to notice changes in her body as well.

    With sympathy and a realistic appreciation of the challenges Abby is facing, Bryant tells an absorbing story of a young girl dealing with early puberty, family changes, and trying to connect after her close friend moves away. Abby loses her temper and gets in trouble with her parents, discovers new interests and friends, feels left behind and abandoned by her cousin, pursues her artistic interests, feels embarrassed about the changes in her body, and also faces a big issue in her town: homelessness.

    Abby, depicted as Asian on the cover, and her family are far from perfect; she loses her temper, struggles to express her feelings, and is not always sympathetic to her parents' challenges or her little brother. Her parents get distracted by their jobs and their own problems, but make the best choices they can for their kids and Abby's mom acknowledges that she has gotten too caught up in her work and is not following through on her promise to communicate with Abby. Once they realize the problems she is having, they are both sympathetic to her reactions and fears about homelessness and puberty, and Abby in her turn admits that she does actually love Run Wild and enjoys the program.

    This is not a "big" issue book; Abby's family is settled and supportive and although they face issues and problems everything is more or less resolved at the end of the book. Abby has been sheltered and privileged and her exposure to the issues of homelessness - and her embarrassment about the onset of puberty - are a shock that she struggles to deal with, but she has a support system that eventually comes through for her.

    Verdict: Kids who like realistic fiction, family stories, and the everyday issues of life for an average, suburban, middle class child, will appreciate the skillfully drawn characters and their small joys and trials. For contemporary fans of Beverly Cleary and those not yet ready for the more intense stories of Barbara Dee, this is a fun story of friendship and family that will appeal to 3rd-5th graders.

    ISBN: 9780593226520; Published February 2022 by Penguin Workshop; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

    Monday, May 23, 2022

    Button Pusher by Tyler Page

     Tyler Page joins the ranks of comic memoirists in this graphic novel of growing up with ADHD and family struggles.

    The story starts with Tyler as an enthusiastic eight year old, greeting his friends and riding the bus to school. On his way to school, he pulls out a pocketknife he absentmindedly put in his backpack and cuts open the seat. Dragged to the principal's office, he's asked "why" he would do such a thing?

    But Tyler doesn't know.

    This typifies his struggles in the following pages as he tries to navigate school and an increasingly fraught family life. He's intelligent, good at art, and loves his family and friends, but he just can't control his impulses or keep his focus at the times when adults want him to. As the story of his childhood progresses, it's interwoven with doctor's visits, informational comics about ADHD and how research and diagnosis has changed over the years. In addition to trying to navigate the social landscape of school and handle different medications, Tyler also deals with his family issues, the constant fighting between his parents, and his father's uncontrolled rages. Tyler thoughtfully draws parallels, showing how he and his father struggled with many of the same issues, and how they chose different ways of dealing with their challenges.

    The story ends as Tyler transitions to adulthood, starting with dropping his medication and an angry confrontation with his father when he is 16. He decides he's grown out of his ADHD and starts to build his own support network of friends, managing to reconcile to some extent with his father and foreshadowing his parent's divorce several years into the future. The last informational comic talks about dealing with ADHD as an adult and the changing concept of neurodiversity. An afterword talks about how he chose to write this memoir and fiction vs. nonfiction aspects.

    This stands apart from the spate of recent graphic memoirs for kids in the inclusion of information about ADHD, its history and changing views. I appreciated this, as it is a good way of educating readers, whether or not they had ADHD, without expecting them to get all the information from context clues. If you have objections to graphic novels like Smile or Sunny, you're likely to get them here too; Tyler's father's rages are marked by explosive red flushes, broken dishes and furniture, and frequent use of grawlixes. There is no overt violence or swearing.

    Verdict: This is a must-have graphic novel, not only hitting a popular trend of graphic memoirs, but thoughtfully explaining what it's like to grow up with neurodiversity and honestly portraying a strugglin family. Highly recommended.

    ISBN: 9781250758347; Published April 2022 by First Second; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

    Sunday, May 22, 2022

    This week at the library

     Programs

    • 5th grade field trip (2 sessions, approx. 65 kids)
    • STEM challenge: Whirligigs (after school visit)
    • Grow a Story
    • Lapsit
    • 1st grade field trip (2 sessions, approx. 80 kids)
    • 2nd grade school visit (3 sessions)
    • Kindergarten field trip (1 session, approx 60 kids)
    Other projects and outreach
    • Mini school art show
    • Elementary school end of school year extravaganza
    • Interview for new adult services librarian
    I am so tired. In addition to continuing work on the picture books, school visits, marathon interview sessions, and the 101 small things that come up every day, I also worked two closing desk shifts and basically spent 10-12 hours a day at the library. The small apartment building I live in was having the insulation replaced and we had to vacate because of the fumes for a week. My landlord put up those of us who couldn't stay with friends or travel (see school visits and interviews) in a very decent hotel. However, I cannot sleep in hotels and I wasn't going to just sit there anyways, so I figured I might as well go to work when I woke up at ungodly hours in the morning and stay late. I also painted my giant trellises in the library basement - on the bright side, it's so filthy down there that a little paint spatter (or a lot) is hardly noticeable. On the down side, my paint job is a bit... lumpy. However, outdoor trellises, doesn't matter. We finished all the interviews, the smell has mostly dissipated from my apartment building, I have a weekend to catch up on sleep, and we got a start weeding the library garden (also none of my own plants at home appear to have suffered).

    Saturday, May 21, 2022

    Little Killers: The ferocious lives of puny predators by Sneed B. Collard III

    Nonfiction author Sneed B. Collard III returns with another fascinating plunge into an unfamiliar world - this time the world of deadly predators... so small most can't be seen with the naked eye.

    Collard takes his readers through the lives of copepods, pteropods, ctenophores, ants, spiders, and ladybugs. He showcases their strange anatomy with brilliant photos and shows how they are not only voracious predators, but important parts of their ecosystems, on land and on sea. Collard ties together the lives of these creatures with current issues of climate change and invasive species in a thoughtful conclusion that encourages readers to investigate and reflect on the hidden wonders of the world.

    This book made me think about the dichotomy of kids loving nonfiction, but being discouraged from reading it either because of the emphasis on "leveling," the format, or their own reading difficulties. As many teachers and librarians would agree, we need a major shift in how we teach and encourage reading; I am finding it more and more difficult to find readers for this level of nonfiction. Kids - and their teachers - have become engrained with the culture of levels, which often put a higher number on nonfiction because of the more complex vocabulary. Many systems also arbitrarily assign "points" based on page numbers. The end result is that adults discourage kids from reading nonfiction both because of the format "it looks like a picture book/baby book" or the reading level "this is too hard for you" while kids are daunted by the denser text and reluctant to put in the effort for a more challenging book that they might not get "points" for. I'm watching with interest the efforts of Melissa Stewart to encourage teachers to put aside their biases and promote nonfiction, School Library Journal has (again) posted research and interviews showing that leveling systems don't work and aren't used as their creators intended (I take this with a grain of salt), and many school districts are revisiting their approaches to teaching reading. Will it make a difference? We can only wait and see.

    Verdict: Despite difficulties, I pride myself on one of the few nonfiction collections in our consortium that has a strong focus on science, wide variety of nonfiction from expository to narrative, and a generous amount of challenging nonfiction. I've had this confirmed from teachers who visit from other areas to use my collection. While I certainly don't think every library should have the same collection, I am glad that my audience allows me to purchase this type of nonfiction. This is well-written, an interesting topic, and the only drawback is it is from Lerner's nonfiction imprint, Millbrook, which is a little pricier. If you are interested in building a strong nonfiction collection, this is a good choice.

    ISBN: 9781728415697; Published March 2022 by Milbrook Press/Lerner; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

    Friday, May 20, 2022

    In short, I am busy: Story Celebration


     This is just a loose mixture of crafts and activities for Children's Book Week. Several of them are adapted from Mo Willems/Elephant and Piggie programs from the past.

    Activity: Let's Go for a Drive

    • Description: Kids decorate boxes and "drive" them up and down the tiled lobby, powered by teenagers, each other, and their grown-ups. We use masking tape to make road lines.
    • Books from the transportation neighborhood
    • Supplies
      • masking tape
      • B&T boxes
      • stickers and markers
    Activity: Show your sparkle
    • Description: A staff member helps kids make tutus and wands using hot glue (we've sewed these in the past, but I don't have someone to handle the sewing machine). We'll hot glue tulle to ribbons to make tutus/cloaks.
    • Supplies
      • colored tulle, sewing scissors, ribbon
      • hot glue, glue dots
      • dowels, stars die-cut from glitter paper
    • Books
      • Itty-bitty kitty-corn, Julian is a mermaid, Princess Truly, plus unicorn, mermaid, and fairy books.
    Activity: Rainbow animals
    • "No-Mess" version: Description: A staff member stands by with the die cut machine and a selection of animal and shape dies. As requested, they cut shapes and then the kids "paint" them with bleeding art tissue paper.
    • "Messy" version: Description: Die cut diffusing paper shapes, paint with liquid watercolors (in ice cube trays)
    • Books: Eric Carle books
    • Supplies
      • Die cut machine on cart, dies
      • White construction paper
      • Bleeding art tissue paper, paint brushes, water bowls
      • Plastic for tables, sink to rinse hands, aprons and towels, paper towels
    Activity: What kind of hero are you?
    • Description: Decorate superhero masks.
    • Books: Zero the hero, Superhero ABC, Timothy and the strong pajamas, books about being kind etc.
    • Supplies
      • Die cut masks (it's a butterfly shape)
      • Thin ribbon and jumbo popsicle sticks (to tie on or hold up the masks). Tape.
      • Markers, glue sticks, sequins, glitter paper scraps
    Activity: Elephant and Piggie puppets
    • Description: Pre-cut pieces to make brown paper bag puppets.
    • Books: Elephant and Piggie
    • Supplies
      • Pre-cut and printed Elephant and Piggie puppet pieces
      • glue sticks, markers
    Activity: Storytelling Math
    • Description: Activities to tie in with the Storytelling Math series. Beads and pipe cleaners go with making patterns and snacks with dividing/measuring/comparing.
    • Books: Storytelling Math and Pitter Pattern
    • Supplies
      • Beads, pipe cleaners, bowls for the beads
      • Cookies, cereal, small cups, napkins

    Thursday, May 19, 2022

    Moving words about a flower by K. C. Hayes, illustrated by Barbara Chotiner


     I may have agreed to let the city department spray all the dandelions on the library lawn, but I still don't see that they do any harm. The dandelions I mean. They're pretty and you can just mow them, so why the fuss? Anyways, in honor of my own personal convictions that sterile monocultures, i.e. lawns, are Not a Good Thing, I've found some fun books about dandelions, so-called "weeds" and nature for our next nature storytime and this one I discovered was a favorite.

    The story begins in a gray city during a storm, where the words fall like rain drops, resulting in a rainbow of words arching above the playground and ending not in a pot of gold, but in a tiny crack in the sidewalk. There a child with dark brown skin and curly hair sees a seed pop up and the dandelion has begun it's journey. The concrete poetry continues, as the words sprout and pop up in green and yellow, then turn to feathery white seeds and float away on the wind, attached to words. A curve of the moon says "That evening the dandelion's last three" and "seeds blew away" is attached to the last three seeds.

    The seeds arrive in a field, lie dormant for the winter, then spring up, only to be nibbled by deer and stepped on by a moose. But one dandelion survives to offer food for the bees and create more seeds, which will create more dandelions, this time blown by a child to a new home.

    Back matter includes a carefully detailed explanation of the make-up and life cycle of a dandelion and additional paragraphs of information about this cheerful and hardy, although much-vilified flower. 

    Verdict: A unique book, great for storytime, learning about plant life cycles, or trying different poetry forms. Recommended.

    ISBN: 9781623541651; Published March 2022 by Charlesbridge; Borrowed from another library; Purchased for the library.



    Wednesday, May 18, 2022

    In short, I am busy: Pete the Cat Celebration

     

    Projects
    • Magic Sunglasses
      • Die-cut thin cardboard Os
      • Popsicle sticks
      • Tape, decorations
    • Groovy Buttons
      • Die-cut and hole-punched construction paper circles
      • Ribbon
      • Tape, decorations
    • Musical Instruments
      • Straw pan pipes
        • Straws
        • Masking tape
        • Scissors
        • Note: It took me a while to figure out that you blow across the straws, not into them.
      • Popsicle stick harmonica
        • large popsicle sticks
        • rubber bands
        • toothpicks (pieces of popsicle stick work as well)
        • scrap paper
      • Jingle bells
        • jingle bells - bought in bulk from Amazon
        • pipe cleaners
    • Tissue cupcakes
      • Cupcake papers
      • Tissue paper
      • Glue, decorations
    • Watercolor paintings
      • Paper
      • Watercolor
      • Brushes
      • Sink, water cups, aprons
    Activity Stations
    • Groovy dancing (tv, Chromecast, utube videos of Pete the Cat)
    Resources

    In short, I am busy: New Year's Eve Noon Party

    • Program Goals
      • We're almost never open the Saturday before New Year's. It just doesn't fall that way. I wanted to try a New Year's Eve Noon party as it looked fun. Of course, we had a dramatic drop in temperatures, numerous crises, and I was exhausted. But it was still fun!
    Stations
    • Photo booth
      • Capes, dress-up clothes, paper and sticks to make fake mustaches etc.
      • Candyland and other photo op cardboard cut-outs
      • Digital cameras
    • Dance station
      • tv, chromecast, ipad
      • bubbles, ribbon wands, hula hoops
      • Noisemakers (bought in bulk)
    • Balloon drop
      • Parachute, chairs, tall staff
      • At noon we took the parachute, pre-filled with balloons, and "popped" it
    Activities
    • Party hats
      • Markers, tape, staples
    • Star wands
      • Leftover vistafoil (like contact paper), popsicle sticks, confetti
    • Misc. crafts
      • pipe cleaners, pom poms
    Resources

    Tuesday, May 17, 2022

    Good eating: The short life of krill by Matt Lilley, illustrated by Dan Tavis


     Dan Tavis is the illustrator of Jacquie Sewell's Whale Fall Cafe, an informational title with a very similar vibe to Good Eating. The endpages here are covered with a horde of orange and green krill and we open the book to stark black backgrounds and glowing orange eggs.

    The egg sinks, miles and miles down, until finally it hatches into a sphere that grows into a pale orange sphere with poky arms and bits sticking out called a nauplius. Lilley and Tavis take the reader through metamorphosis after metamorphosis, as the krill grows new shells, breaks out, and changes into different forms, finally achieving a mouth, stomach, and eventually, after lots of eating and another transformation, it becomes a furcilia, the last stage before it is a real, honest-to-goodness krill! Not a shrimp or a bug, but a creature all its own and still growing, growing, growing and eating, eating, eating!

    Readers will explore the unique qualities of the millions and millions (how about krillions?) of krill, their part in the ecosystem, and ending with an exciting swoop by a whale, which our particular little krill escapes, so they can go on eating for another day!

    Back matter gives more details about the life cycles of krill, facts about krill, and some additional resources.

    Verdict: This reminded me a little of Pagoo, a favorite story from my childhood, but it's a much more scientific approach, even though Tavis' cartoon-style illustrations add a humorous and fictional touch. Informative and funny, this one will interest school-age readers with interest in ocean life.

    ISBN: 9780884488675; Published January 2022 by Tilbury House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

    Monday, May 16, 2022

    A history of underwear with Professor Chicken by Hannah Holt, illustrated by Korwin Briggs

     Underwear is, of course, inherently funny. Pair it with a stream of plump white chickens and Brigg's inimitable cartoons, and this silly but informational picture book is one side-splitting romp from beginning to end.

    The end pages introduce Professor Chicken, with a snazzy purple bow tie, red comb, and wire-rimmed glasses, finishing his lesson on "invertebrates as food and fashion." Next up, underwear! Fuzzy yellow chicks demonstrate small, big, and huge underwear and Professor Chicken starts the history with a slide of early chicken Otzi, complete with leather loincloth. Cartoons take readers on a hilarious and informative journey through the under clothing of ancient Egypt and the creation of linen, plant diapers used by indigenous peoples in Siberia and North America, and on to the elaborate underwear of medieval England. 

    A picture gallery follows the trends of women's underwear from the simple chemise through the farthingale, and to the corset. A similar set of pictures show the varieties of Chinese underwear throughout different dynasties. A brief visit to people who broke the rules, like Mary Walker who wore men's clothing, and then a magazine rack of modern underwear from the 1870s to today. Final pages give more information about underwear through the ages and how it gives us clues to historical life and materials. Sources are printed on the endpages. 

    This is not only funny and interesting, it also ranges across a wide diversity of cultures, fashions, and materials. Once readers finish laughing at the asides, jokes, and silly subject, they may stop and think a little about how history has developed over the ages in different ways.

    Verdict: A solid overview of a silly subject with a serious underlayer. Recommended.

    ISBN: 9781250766496; Published February 2022 by Roaring Brook; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

    Sunday, May 15, 2022

    This week at the library


    Programs

    • Paws to Read
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Pokemon Club
    • Family storytime (2 sessions)
    • 2nd grade field trip (2 classes)
    • Lapsit
    • 1st grade school visit (3 sessions)
    • Battle of the Books
    School visits start this week. Our job opening closed and there were meetings of the hiring committee, we are getting down to the wire for summer reading plans, and the school Battle of the Books came off on Saturday, very successfully. This was the last family storytime from Miss Pattie, my school colleague who is retiring, I am organizing a schedule that looks like a military operation, and I am still working my way through the picture book weeding and development.

    On my own side, I finished a quilt for one of my staff's graduation, took my mom to the last of her appointments and sent her off on vacation, and prepared for my own week away (our landlord is doing extensive repairs to the small apartment building where I live). I am not going on vacation, incidentally. There are more school visits, interviews, and other excitements.

    Also we had a miserable heat wave and I really wish it had worked out that we vacated the building this week so we could have been at a hotel with nice air-conditioning!

    Saturday, May 14, 2022

    In short, I am busy: Princess in Black party

    Stations
    • Craft: Create your own pony
      • Create a hobby horse out of cardboard
      • Supplies
        • Horse heads cut out of cardboard (pattern from my colleague, cut out by volunteers with varying levels of success)
        • Long cardboard tubes
        • Masking tape, markers
        • Yarn
        • Scissors
    • Craft: Create a glitter ring
      • Create and decorate a jeweled ring
      • Supplies
        • Pipe cleaners
        • Jewels
        • glue dots
    • Craft: Create a disguise
      • Decorate both or either of a butterfly mask and a superhero mask
      • Supplies
        • Markers
        • Jewels, feathers, sequins/glitter
        • Glue
        • Large popsicle sticks, tape
    • Craft: Create a scepter
      • Tape together and decorate pasteboard strips to be a monster-fighting scepter
      • Supplies
        • Pasteboard strips
        • Tape, glue
        • Jewels, markers
    • Craft: Create a tiara
      • Decorate and put together a tiara
      • Supplies
        • Printed patterns from online
        • Tape, scissors
        • decorations
    • Craft: Create a monster puppet
      • Make a felt or sock hand puppet
        • Supplies
          • Leftover felt puppets and pieces
          • Socks
          • Hot glue
    • Game: Monster smash
      • Cardboard backdrop, aide behind it throws up balloons, kids jab them with their scepters
        • Cardboard backdrop (use previous ones)
        • Balloons
    • Game: Pony race
      • Lobby - (open doors at the end so they don't smash into them? or pile cushions in front of the closed doors?)
      • Alarm sound - kids race their hobby horses down the lobby.
    • Decorations and misc.
      • Pink and black streamers
      • Books
    Resources

    In short, I am busy: Zoey and Sassafras, magic and science

    green tulle cloak, Sassafras fuzzy friend
    and blue unicorn slime

    I'd like to revisit this in a more organized fashion in the future. Slime is still popular and with more time I could come up with a better range of projects.

    Projects

    • Unicorn slime
      • We used liquid starch and borax, but I don't have the recipe anymore
      • We added shaving cream and food coloring and played around with it.
    • Tutus
      • I had ribbon and fabric tape and a lot of tulle. I helped the kids pin their tulle choices to the ribbon and then zigzag stitched them on. We made both capes and tutus.
    • Caterflies/magical fluffy friends
      • Pompoms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, glue dots

    I also had our microscope out for the kids to use and several enjoyed looking at that.

    Evaluation

    Friday, May 13, 2022

    In short, I am busy: We Explore Artist Ed Emberley

      Program Goals:

      • Introduce Ed Emberley and his art
      • Encourage gross and fine motor skills (cutting, gluing, printing)
      Art Project Part 1: Collage
      I had precut shapes and paper to cut up and the kids did cutting and gluing to make pictures.
      • Supplies
        • Precut shapes (circules, triangles, squares)
        • Construction paper (colored) and scraps
        • Cardstock (recycled)
        • Googly eyes
        • Glue, scissors
      Storytime
      Depending on the age of the kids, we'll talk about different aspects of the art, anything from identifying colors and shapes to asking questions about the author's process and materials. Technically Emberley and his daughter collaborate, but I usually don't talk as much about the art in these books because we're so busy having fun!
      • Books
        • Go away big green monster (puppet)
        • Red Hen (flannelboard)
        • Drummer Hoff
        • Chicken Little
        • If you're a monster and you know it (song)
        • I know an old monster (song)
      Art Project Part 2: Thumbprints/drawing
      If you don't have stamp pads the kids can color their fingers with markers and press them to the paper. Stamp pads are easier. I also have Emberley's thumbprint and other drawing books on display.
      • Supplies
        • Stamp pads (I got a set of minis from Amazon for about $10)
        • Paper, fine-tip gel pens and/or permanent markers
        • wet wipes
      Evaluation

      In short, I am busy: Art Workshop: Puppetry

        Program Goals

        • Encourage creativity and problem-solving
        • Allow children to experience different art products and styles
        • Develop fine motor abilities
      Project: Felt puppets
      • Purchased kits from Discount School Supply
      Project: Sock puppets
      • Recycled and purchased socks
      General puppet supplies
      • styrofoam plates, dixie cups, small paper plates
      • paper tubes, popsicle sticks (different sizes)
      • googly eyes, buttons
      • stickers, sparkles
      • rods (purchased from craft store and walmart)
      • yarn, felt
      • handmade paper (donated)
      • permanent markers, fabric markers, regular markers
      General Tools
      • Scissors, staplers
      • Hot glue, glue dots, white glue (cardboard for hot glue)
      • Duct tape, packing tape, regular tape

      Thursday, May 12, 2022

      In short, I am busy: Maker Workshop: Woodworking

      • Program Goals
        • Teach kids new skills
        • Offer the opportunity for hands-on learning
        • Encourage kids to try out different activities and skills
      I ended up making this a maker kit for people to take home. I'm willing to revisit it in the future, but the lack of sturdy tables for hammering is a huge problem.

      Supplies
      • 6x6 squares of wood
      • Sandpaper
      • Nails, hammers
      • 2 cordless drills, screws, hammers
      • Wood burning set (extension cord)
      • Safety glasses
      • Pencils, paper
      • acrylic paint, brushes, aprons, paper plates
      Resources and Display Titles
      • woodworking books
      Promo:
      Kids and teens will have the opportunity to create with wood, including using a wood burning tool, and learn some basic carpentry skills along the way. Registration is required and space is limited, so if you are unable to attend please let the library know. Kids and teens are welcome; you must have the following skills to attend:

      Required skills:
      • Ability to work independently and wait patiently for assistance when needed.
      • Can safely use carpentry implements with minimal supervision (sandpaper, hammer, nails)
      • Can safely use a hot glue gun, cordless drill, and wood burning tool
      Introduction
      • Tools not toys
      • Plan before you drill, hammer, or burn!
      • Use safety glasses when drilling
      Notes:
      This was in two spots. All of the materials except the tools were organized in the Storyroom. Kids picked out their materials, made a plan, and sanded their wood.
      Drilling, hammering, and burning was supposed to happen outdoors, on at least one workbench, but it rained and I didn't get a workbench. We used tables in the Community Room.
      Then they brought their items back to the Storyroom to paint.

      Evaluation

      In short, I am busy: Chick Central

       Program Goals

        • Introduce kids to the life cycle of a chicken
        • Bring in non-library users
        • Partner with schools and community
        We didn't do this for two years during the pandemic and then again this year. It wasn't very successful this year - we've rearranged things and didn't have a good space, none of our eggs hatched, and we were just too busy to really promote or focus on it. I don't know if we'll repeat it in future - this might have been our last year.

        This program doesn't have a way to count attendance, but it does bring us a lot of great publicity. Generally, I provide the incubator, my school partners provide the eggs, and local people from the community provide expert assistance and the materials for caring for the chicks for a week or two after they hatch.

        We started this in 2012 and have been pretty diligent about repeating each year. Things we have learned:
        • Make sure you know where the chickens are going afterward. They grow really fast.
        • Everyone is a chicken expert. Just smile and nod.
        • They are stinky and need to be cleaned regularly. Make sure you have got somebody roped in for this job.
        • Some chicks will die. It's great if you have a person on staff who comes in before the library opens and removes any unfortunate casualties.
        • Staff and patrons are shocked when I say this, but I tell people all the time: This is science, not pets. Animals die. Not all of them are perfect. We take the best care of them we can, but I am not doing therapy for George the Duck's feet (assuming he needs it anyways)
        • Also, if you throw in a duckling or two kids will adore it but the mess factor will quadruple.
        The whole crew from 2015

        These are from the first hatching

        School partner, Pattie Woods

        Community partner, Virgil Wuttke (the eggspert)

        Wednesday, May 11, 2022

        My parents won't stop talking! by Emma Hunsinger and Tillie Walden


         Two cartoonists pair up to create a hilarious and relatable story of that most exasperating of childhood experiences - being stuck waiting while your parents talk, and talk, and talk!

        The book is narrated by young Molly, who loves going to the park, she's ready to go, she's all dressed, she's got plans, they're setting out and... OH NO. "The Credenzas" a pair of aging hippies and their next door neighbors have sidetracked Molly's moms! The Talking Has Begun.

        Molly's little brother, Seth, is content to settle down with his ball and wait. Molly can do this. She's good at waiting. She lists allllll the boring things she has waited through over the years, from her brother's dance recitals to endless stories, car drives, and dentist trips. She can do this. But grown-up talk is soooo boring! In fact, Molly is being surrounded by all the names of people she's never met, like Salazar Saladbar or Dr. Doody or.... she can't stand it any longer! She could be at the park! She could be having fun! Instead, she is being sucked into a black hole of endless, endless talking... is there no escape? Will she never get to the park?

        This was absolutely hilarious, but it's not really an ideal read-aloud. There are multiple narratives, from Molly's moms and the Credenzas talking about garlic presses, oil changes, and other boring adult things to Molly's mental meanderings. There are a lot of details in the artwork as well, that would make it tricky to read aloud in a group setting. However, it's a perfect choice for kids who like funny picture books - and I've finally started getting an audience for older kids who enjoy picture books - and are allowed to read them!

        Verdict: Definitely for kids whose parents have a sense of humor and remember what it was like to be a kid waiting for their parents to stop talking! This will click best with young school-age kids, or be a good read-aloud for a small group. There's lots of humor for the parents included as well. Recommended.

        ISBN: 9781250800275; Published April 2022 by Roaring Brook; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library


        Tuesday, May 10, 2022

        Chester van Chime who forgot how to rhyme by Avery Monsen and Abby Hanlon


        I've been going through a lot of new picture books recently, but I haven't found any that hit my criteria of raucously funny and worthy of taking to school visits. Past hits have included Misunderstood Shark, Panda Problem, I can only draw worms, and This is a moose. However, this silly rhyming, guessing story just might fit the bill.

        A quirky little kid with a cowlick named Chester Van Chime wakes up one day to discover he has forgotten how to match the sounds of two words. The "story" romps on from there as his family, classmates, and others try to restore Chester's rhyming mojo, with a plethora of rhymes, to no avail. Only when Chester relaxes and returns to the fun of playing with words does he remember how to rhyme.

        Hanlon, creator of the Dory Fantasmagory series, shows her artistic ability to its best advantage here with a dizzying array of tiny creatures, cartoons, and images waltzing across the pages. This story reminded me of Mac Barnett's Guess Again and although it doesn't have quite that raucous humor I'm looking for, I'm hoping that kids, especially those who have grasped the concept of rhyming, will find the unexpected twists hilarious and enjoy the Seussian rhymes that are not completed throughout the book.

        Verdict: I'm personally not a fan of rhyming books, but I think this is one that kids and adults can enjoy and will hopefully be funny as well as a good match for practicing rhymes.

        ISBN: 9780759554825; Published March 2022 by Little Brown; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library


        Sunday, May 8, 2022

        This week at the library

         

        I've been popping this logo up trying to 
        interest folks in our open position. You
        want to come work for us! Really!

        Programs

        • Paws to Read
        • Aquanauts
        • Family Storytime (2 sessions)
        • Lapsit
        • Bookaneers
        • Story Celebration
        I'm still working on the neighborhoods. Also finished my monthly report, continued organizing and planning all the scheduled outreach visits (including spending most of a day frantically searching for the details of a big class visit only to finally remember there was no email because we'd set it up via phone). Also had a managers' meeting, an endless series of phone calls setting up things for our kick-off, and a gazillion and one tiny things.

        Saturday, May 7, 2022

        In short, I am busy: Fairy Tale Adventure

         I hope to eventually adapt this as a Dungeons and Dragons adventure perhaps.

        Balloon monsters are always popular
          Enchanted Forest (lobby)
          Create wings and masks

          Supplies
          • Cardboard wings from Discount School Supply
          • Cardboard and paper masks (die cut)
          • Decorations
          • Large popsicle sticks
          • Regular tape, staples, scissors, glue dots, glue
          • Wipes, paper towels
          Deep in the Enchanted Forest (community room)
          Half of the community room was set up to make swords (and decorate shields they collected on their journey) the other half was for fighting balloon monsters.

          Supplies
          • Pasteboard strips (donated)
          • Duct tape (silver, gold, grey)
          • Balloons, markers
          Gingerbread house (storyroom)
          This was for puppet and block play with a few extra crafts.

          Supplies
          • Die-cut gingerbread people
          • Markers, crayons, glitter glue
          • Pencils (for wands)
          • Ribbon
          • Tape, scissors
          Fairy Tale Journey (throughout library)
          This needs to be updated.

          Photo album of event can be found on the library's Facebook page. (includes pictures of staff and set-up)

          Evaluation

          In short, I am busy: Angry Birds party

          I prefer to do projects based on books, not media, but the kids love the Backwards Angry Birds game so much (basically they build towers, stick the balloons with bird faces in them, and then throw the pig puppets to knock them down) that I've kept this in hopes of tying it to a book series at some point. 

          Project: Plastic Bottle Piggies
          • Kids decorated plastic bottles (the necks are the snouts).
          • Supplies
            • Plastic bottles
            • Paper, foam, wiggly eyes
            • Glue dots, markers, scissors, tape
          Project: Catapults
          • I borrowed this from our first Mad Scientists Club
          • Kids make catapults and use them to launch cotton balls into the air
          • Supplies
            • popsicle sticks, plastic spoons, rubber bands
            • glue dots, tape (packing tape, duct tape)
            • bottle caps, cotton balls
          Game: Backwards Angry Birds
          • The Rules
          • Supplies
            • Balloons, sharpies
            • Lots of recycled boxes and tubes
            • pig puppet
          Evaluation

          Friday, May 6, 2022

          The Wild World Handbook: Creatures by Andrea Debbink, illustrated by Asia Orlando

           I really enjoyed the first Wild World Handbook, focusing on habitats, and several staff and patrons I shared it with liked it as well. So I broke my usual rule of "no sequels" to take a look at the second title, focusing on animals.

          This follows a similar format as the first book, with a wide array of creatures, short biographies, hands-on activities, and practical suggestions. The book is divided into a chapter each on insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians, land animals, ocean creatures, freshwater life, and city wildlife.

          Each chapter includes two biographies, as wide-ranging as medieval scholar Maria Sibylla Merian and contemporary water protector Autumn Peltier, naturalist and illustrator Beatrix Potter and contemporary wildlife advocate George Melendez Wright. Each biography gives a brief overview of the person's life and importance to ecology and wildlife. The chapters also include a true story about an animal, like famous pigeon Cher Ami or Alex the parrot and a narrative of a "natural wonder" which include the story of the discovery of monarch migration, the lifespan of reptiles, or how freshwater creatures live through the winter.

          The "people helping animals" sections talk about conservation efforts, in the past and present, and then there are the hands-on portions. These include suggestions for field trips from watching birds to tracking animals, encouraging readers to observe nature where they are and be respectful and patient when visiting animals' habitats, whether it be in the city or in the wilderness. There are craft projects like making a toad home, writing a story, or crocheting a bird's nest, and finally the "Stewardship" section. This is where I hold my breath, wondering if the author could recreate the really solid advice in the first book; relevant to kids, not guilt-inducing, practical, and science-based. And she did! Kids are given ideas for projects well within their scope, ways to improve their local neighborhoods and communities that include things like picking up trash and advocating for wildlife habitats, and a broader, global viewpoint directing them to organizations doing conservation work across the globe. I am very appreciate of Debbink's truly diverse viewpoint, recognizing that kids don't always have the support, agency, or means to "make a difference" and her encouragement to them to start where they are and improve their local communities in small ways.

          Verdict: This is a great title for browsing or as a starting point for discussion in a classroom or at home. Kids who love science, animals, and history will be drawn in and those who don't will be intrigued by the hands-on projects and field trip suggestions. Recommended.

          ISBN: 9781683692683; Published November 2021 by Quirk Books; Purchased for the library; Review copy provided by the publisher

          Thursday, May 5, 2022

          Blippo & Beep; I feel funny by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Joey Ellis

           A new comic series from prolific author Sarah Weeks joins Penguin's version of Scholastic Acorn and Branches, bridge books between early reader and beginning chapter.

          Blippo is a tall, blue robot with a tv screen in their torso. Beep is a short, purple robot who balances on a wheel. The two friends have a series of short, silly dialogues in each "story" in the collection. In the first book, Blippo and Beep, Beep tries to tell a knock-knock joke and has to explain how it works to Blippo. Then Blippo tries telling their own joke, and finally the two come up with a new joke together. In their second book, I Feel Funny, Beep diagnoses Blippo with a cold, then takes care of them while they are in bed. When Beep catches Blippo's cold, it's their turn to take care of a friend, but Beep doesn't like the same things Blippo does.

          The art is simple cartoons on white backgrounds. In addition to Blippo's blue tones and Beep's purple hue, each book has a third color, matching the cover, that adds touches to small things like a refrigerator, tissue box, or simple bed. The simple dialogue is about the same level as an Elephant and Piggie book and readers will not need to know how to read or follow panels, as there are only two or three speech bubbles on each page.

          There are several drawbacks to this series; first, while it may have been a big deal if it had been created several years ago when early reader comics were still a relatively new art form, it's competing against multiple authors now like Mo Willems, Jonathan Fenske, Jason Tharp, Greg Pizzoli, and Emma Virjan. Secondly, Penguin Workshop's format is questionable one for a public library. The books are available in paper-over-board or in paperback, but the format is an odd, small size, 7x5 inches, and most librarians are going to be reluctant to purchase small books like this in hardcover. Thirdly, the book is threaded with subtle and not-so-subtle gender stereotypes, which is really outdated. Despite the two being robots, both are given specific genders, male for Blippo and female for Beep. Blippo is the stereotypical male nerd, with glasses, no sense of humor, and a little dumb over practical matters. Beep is a stereotypical female caregiver, bossing Blippo around, taking care of him when he's sick, and dancing around her real feelings so as not to hurt Blippo's feelings. (Also, and this isn't really relevant, I keep wanting to call her Bleep.)

          Verdict: I'm reluctant to purchase books that fall back, however subtly, on tired old stereotypes and with so many other excellent titles, including Scholastic Acorn titles and early readers, this is an additional purchase at best.

          Blippo & Bleep; ISBN: 9780593226964

          Blippo & Bleep: I Feel Funny; ISBN: 9780593226995

          Published May 2022 by Penguin Workshop: Review copies provided by the publisher

          Wednesday, May 4, 2022

          In short, I am busy: Owl Diaries: Warm Hearts Day


          Made all by herself (with a little help)
          Projects
          • Owl softies
            • Die cut felt pieces, hand-cut felt pieces, stuffing
            • Embroidery thread, needles, scissors
          • Owls
            • Die cut paper owls (wings, beak, eyes are separate)
            • paint, paper, glues sticks
          • Warm Hearts
            • Die cut hearts (used leftover marbled paper and handmade paper and gold sticker paper)
            • Paper and leftover cards and envelopes
            • Paint
          Evaluation

          In short, I am busy: Bark with Biscuit

          Projects: Dog Treats
          • Staff in charge of this premixed the dough (pumpkin and peanut butter maybe?)
          • They brought in their own cookie cutters and used stuff in the community room kitchen
          • Small groups of kids went in to make the treats
          Project: Dog toys
          Project: Sewing dogs
          • Dog cut-outs (by hand from a horse pattern, will order a custom die-cut for the future)
          • 4 sewing machines
          • needles, thread, scissors
          • buttons, felt and flannel scraps, yarn
          • Batting scraps for stuffing
          Project: Dog houses
          • Cardboard boxes
          • Heavy-duty scissors, regular scissors
          • Markers
          • Masking tape
          • Hot glue
          Puppy ears
          • White, brown, and black construction paper
          • Glue stick, scissors, stapler, tape
          Dog Parade
          • Die cut mini-dogs
          • Popsicle sticks
          • Markers
          • Tape
          Other
          • Dog books, dog breed books
          • Biscuit coloring pages
          • Lakeland Animal Shelter
          Evaluation

          In short, I am busy: We Explore Favorite Artist Beth Krommes

          •   Program Goals
            • Introduce Beth Krommes and her art
            • Encourage gross and fine motor skills
            Art Project Part 1: Scratch art
            If I had an older group I would have had them make their own, but during the school year this group is smaller.

            Supplies
            • scratch art paper
            • scratch art tools
            Storytime
            Depending on the age of the kids, we'll talk about different aspects of the art, anything from identifying colors and shapes to asking questions about the author's process and materials.

            Books
            • The house in the night by Susan Swanson
            • Blue on blue by Dianne White
            • Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root
            • Butterfly eyes by Joyce Sidman
            • Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman
            Art Project Part 2: Paint
            This was fingerpaint, but they had popsicle sticks to make patterns. Each kid got to pick three colors and two popsicle sticks, one to spread and one to draw patterns.

            Supplies
            • fingerpaint
            • paper
            • popsicle sticks
            • paper towels
            Evaluation

            In short, I am busy: Art Workshop: Foil Engraving

            •  Program Goals
              • Encourage creativity and problem-solving
              • Allow children to experience different art products and styles
              • Develop fine motor skills
            Project: Embossing foil pendants

            I got this idea from Make and Takes. We pretty much did it exactly as it said and it was very popular.

            Supplies
            • Foil
            • Pasteboard strips and cards (donated)
            • Wooden styluses (originally bought to us with scratch-art and worked great for this)
            • Permanent markers
            • Ribbon
            • Tape, Scissors, scratch paper (to put under while coloring)
            Evaluation

            Tuesday, May 3, 2022

            Doom's day camp by Joshua Hauke

             In a post-apocalyptic world full of monsters and mutants, small packs of mutated humans remain. Including one particular pack, under the charge of Grizzly Thorax. Oh, and don't forget his son and heir, Doom. In a world where extra powers are necessary for survival, Doom has no special abilities except having taught himself to read, an arcane skill that nobody sees any use for.

            So far, Doom has survived ok, thanks to his dad who protects him from both the monsters and their own pack, including his little sister Dizy (short for Destruction) who has super-strength and a very low opinion of Doom. But now all the adults, led by his father, are taking off to find and destroy the mysterious monster that is driving their game away and the monsters towards them and he's left... Doom to babysit?

            Doom will have to deal with his own ineptness and feelings of uselessness if he - and the pack's kids - are going to survive. Luckily, Doom has discovered an abandoned building full of books and if the other kids will just give him a chance, he might be able to improve all of their lives. But, led by his sister Dizy, the other kids are as unsure of Doom's value and leadership as he is himself and the mistakes he makes destroying their shelter and food supply don't help.

            From (literally) explosive farts, caused by a kid formed of mud who overeats on library paste to a disaster when a girl's protective suit is opened and her untrammeled brain powers are set free, Doom will have to tackle one wild adventure after another. But with the help of a giant mutant library fish and the books he's found, maybe he has a chance to make things work and fix his past mistakes.

            This is definitely on the Pilkey line with the weird/gross factor, but also hits on classic themes from comics like mutants and outcasts with a side of the nerdy kid who saves everyone. There are some mildly serious moments and occasionally a real sense of danger, but the cinematic action moves on quickly and there's little time for reflection when the kids are trying to calm down Slimon, the sentient blob that's gotten mad at its best friend or fight off Snot Wolves.

            Verdict: Hand this to fans of Max Brallier's Last Kids on Earth and readers who are reluctant to branch out from Dogman but willing to try anything funny, action-packed, and leavened with potty humor.

            ISBN: 9780593205419; Published April 2022 by Penguin/Razorbill; Review copy provided by publisher

            Monday, May 2, 2022

            PAWS: Gabby gets it together by Michele Assarasakorn and Nathan Fairbairn

             Readers are immediately plunged into a panicky scene with the main character trying to control a whole pack of dogs - and losing all but one. Cue a flashback to two months ago, and we learn that her name is Gabby and she's a 5th grader at a small private school while her two best friends, Mindy and Priya, are sixth graders. The trio all have very different personalities, families, and interests, but are brought together by their shared love of dogs - and their family's refusing to get any of them a pet.

            While out in the neighborhood the three meet an exuberantly friendly mastiff and come up with the idea of a dog-walking service that will let them play with dogs. Almost immediately though, they run into issues. Priya's sports involvement mean she's never available and she's worried about triggering her mom's severe allergies. Mindy is bossy and doesn't like their uniforms; she also wants to take on more clients than Gabby thinks they can handle. Gabby feels like no one is listening to her and is also dealing with her over-protective father.

            A final argument breaks up the trio and Gabby makes the foolish decision to walk all the dogs alone, thus losing them and taking the reader back to the starting point. However, with the help of their parents and their own choices to value their friendship, the three repair their broken bonds, apologize, and rework their business so they can all have a great time doing what they love - playing with cute dogs!

            The colorful, brisk art is along the lines of the style popularized by Raina Telgemeier, but Assarasakorn adds her own particular twist with the diversity of the three friends, the varied personality of the dog pack, and a fresh, contemporary look at the interests and lives of the three tween girls.

            Verdict: Sure to be a hit at your library for readers who love comics (and dogs) this is a must-have for most library collections. There are planned sequels featuring the other members of the trio, so keep an eye out for those!

            ISBN: 9780593351864; Published March 2022 by Penguin/Razorbill; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

            Sunday, May 1, 2022

            This week at the library


            Programs

            • Lakeland School field trip
            • Paws to Read
            • Pokemon Club
            • Family Storytime (2 sessions)
            • 4K storytimes (4 sessions)
            • Lapsit
            • Daycare storytimes (5 sessions)
            I had part of one day sort of off and one day off and one day we were closed for staff development. Summer is looming over us, we had a Friends general meeting and discussed upcoming fundraisers, a few staff got sick, which reminded us how much we desperately need more staff, and I had to move the piles of books on my desk because they were making it get a bit saggy in the middle.