Saturday, December 20, 2014

Holiday Books

Here are a few suggestions for some great holiday reading:




http://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/#section=resource&resourceid=523650955&currentIndex=0&view=allCopiesDetailsTab
Simon and the Bear a Hanukkah Tale by Eric A Kimmel

Summary from Catalog: Before Simon sails to America, he promises his family that he will get a job and send for them. Simon's mother knows he will need a miracle, so she reminds him to celebrate Hanukkah wherever he may be. Little does either of them know that Simon will spend the first night of Hanukkah on an ice floe after his ship sinks.The lone survivor out in the wide ocean, Simon lights the first candle, and it attracts a visitor: a polar bear. Does she eat him? No! She shares his latkes, enjoys his songs, goes fishing for him, and even keeps him warm at night. By the last day of Hanukkah, Simon has nearly given up hope of ever being rescued. But then he recounts all of the miracles that have befallen him so far.Perhaps it is not too much to hope for one more, he thinks, as he lights all of the candles in the menorah. The bright glow signals a passing ship, and Simon makes it to New York after all. This fanciful Hanukkah tale-like none you've ever read before-celebrates eight miracles: family, friendship, hope, selflessness, sharing, faith, courage, and love. A retelling of the ancient Hanukkah story is included on the last page. Praise for The Golem's Latkes




http://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/#section=resource&resourceid=537465686&currentIndex=0&view=allCopiesDetailsTab
A Cookie for Santa by Stephanie Shaw

Summary from Catalog: In this clever twist on the Night Before Christmas story, a gingerbread boy cookie is carefully crafted and placed on a plate. He was made special to serve as Santa's nighttime snack, a homemade thank-you for all the presents he will deliver. The cookie wonders if he is brave enough to face up to his holiday duty. But instead of spending the evening contemplating his fate, the gingerbread boy finds himself facing two rambunctious puppies experiencing their very first Christmas. Their mischief includes a tug-of-war with presents, leaving a big mess. And it's up to the gingerbread boy to save the day...and Christmas. 

http://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/#section=resource&resourceid=526950887&currentIndex=0&view=allCopiesDetailsTab




December Dog by Ron Roy

Summary from Catalog: In the twelfth book of the Calendar Mysteries, an early chapter-book mystery series featuring the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives, Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy find a lost puppy on Christmas Eve. The poor dog was meant to be a present for someone. It has a ribbon with a tag around its neck, but the tag is ripped. Can the kids find out who bought the puppy or who was supposed to receive it?
















Eight Jolly Reindeer by Scholastic Inc.

Summary: This board book is a great counting rhyme for young kids. Kids can count the number of reindeer in this holiday board book. Note: Available at the Barnard Crossing Branch Library

http://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/#section=resource&resourceid=541232604&currentIndex=0&view=fullDetailsDetailsTab
 The Animals' Santa by Jan Brett

Summary from Catalog: When Big Snowshoe tells Little Snow that the animals' Santa is coming with presents for everyone, Little Snow wants to know who he is. The animals say they have never seen him. Maybe he's a badger, a moose, a polar bear, or a wolf, they tell him. But this spunky little rabbit thinks they are just fooling him. On Christmas Eve, Big Snowshoe finds a way to see the animals' Santa when a Snowy Owl in a red cap swoops down with a pack full of presents. Never again will an excited Little Snow doubt that there is an animals' Santa.







Happy Holidays,

Karen



Friday, December 19, 2014

Best Opening Lines from Children's Books







This sounded like a fun list. 100 best opening lines from Children's books

Here is a slideshare presentation about opening lines in children's books. This list seems to have more classics on it. 

This site has some too. 

This Pinterest site on first lines of picture books looks fun. 

Have fun. 

Cathy 


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Larry the Library Elf - stop in today to find him.

Larry the Library Elf 


Larry's Clue Cards 

Larry in one of his hiding spots! 

Clue cards at the J Desk Stop by.











Cathy 

Monday, December 15, 2014

Hour of Code - December 9, 2014

                                                             

We were excited to participate in this years Hour of Code program.We held a teen program on Monday, December 8th where the teens learned about coding with a tutorial. We had two Student Ambassadors from RIT's College of Computing and Information Science; Katie and Brian. 

On Tuesday we had the kids Hour of Code program and our tutorial was Write your first computer program. We used a drag and drop program to help the Angry Birds find their plants.  Our RIT Student Ambassador's were Nathan and Connor.  Everyone finished and had a great time. We got to use our laptop lab that the Friends of the Greece Public Library purchased for us.  

The student becomes the teacher.

Learning to Code.

Coding Away.

Our RIT Student Ambassadors Nathan and Connor. 
  

















It was so much fun and we learned so much. All the tutorials are on the Hour of Code site. I can't wait to participate next year too. 

Cathy 

Friday, December 12, 2014

Kids and Apps: A New Parent’s Guide from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center

From School Library Journal:


photo 204 300x225 Kids and Apps: A New Parents Guide from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Screen from “Family Time with Apps” (Joan Ganz Cooney Center) illus. by Marybeth Nelson.

Many parents have concerns about digital media’s educational value for children and wonder about best practices and setting limits. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center, a research lab focusing on children, digital media, and education, has been exploring those questions for years and has published a number of related studies on its website.

Now, a new Cooney Center guide for parents, “Family Time with Apps: A Guide to Using Apps with Your Kids” (free on iBooks; released December 4), discusses the ways that apps can be used to foster communication and “support children’s healthy development” and learning while turning “screen time into family time.”

While encouraging adults to trust their “old-fashioned instincts,” the 20-page booklet in comic book format asks parents to consider the type of experiences they are looking for when purchasing apps. The guide also delivers research findings and suggestions for family activities, from creating photo albums to bird watching with apps. In addition, the iBook provides answers to parents’ frequently asked, nagging questions and offers recommendations and resources for locating quality products.

This introduction to this practical, reassuring primer cites the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2013 recommendations on screen time, and closes with a note on a 2012 joint position statement about digital media and learning, issued by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College.

Daryl Grabarek About Daryl GrabarekDaryl Grabarek dgrabarek@mediasourceinc.com is the editor of School Library Journal's monthly enewsletter, Curriculum Connections, and its online column Touch and Go. 
{Accessed 12/5/14}

Cathy 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Great Websites for Kids


Home


We have this as a link under Recommended Links on the blog but wanted to spotlight this site. Looking for something new for you and your child to explore? Try the Association for Service to Children's site; Great Websites for Kids.  

Did you try one out and like it? Let me know.

Cathy 


Monday, December 8, 2014

Building a Home Library



The ALA-Children’s Book Council (CBC) Joint Committee, with cooperation from ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee, have updated the four Building a Home Library bibliographies to provide guidance to parents, grandparents, and others interested in assembling a high-quality library for their children at home. When creating these lists the committee looked to include tried and true classics; under the radar gems; multicultural books; and new, yet notable, reads for all ages.
Librarians, educators, and others who work with families are encouraged to download and print these brochures and share them with parents, grandparents, and caregivers in their community.

Cathy 

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Graphic Novel Reading List



The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association has updated the Graphic Novel Reading List

Graphic novel here is defined as a full-length story told in paneled, sequential, graphic format. The list does not include book-length collections of comic strips, wordless picture books, or hybrid books that are a mixture of traditional text and comics/graphics. The list includes classics as well as new titles that have been widely recommended and well-reviewed, and books that have popular appeal as well as critical acclaim.

Cathy 

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Best of Books for 2014



This is the time of year when I start to see lists of the best books for 2014. Here is one to start with, the Bank Street College of Education list. I like this list because you can see the whole list or just by age group. 

Amazon has a list too, here.

School Library Journal came out with this list. 

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's books of 2014

The American Library Association's Notable Children's Books

Kirkus Best Children's Books of 2014


Happy Reading.

Cathy