Dear Reader: Summer Reading

Our regular website is being rebuilt, and the current one cannot be updated.  Some of the links are no longer valid, and will be fixed over the summer when the new website goes live.  Here are important links for your summer reading program:

To register for “Fizz Boom Read!” for ages 3-9; “Spark a Reaction” for ages 10-17; and “Literary Elements” for adult, go to http://www.readsinma.org/rochester and click on the appropriate tab.  Logging times will start on June 18.  The kickoff show is Mike the Bubbleman on June 23 at 3:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Congregational Church next door to the library.  All readers are eligible for prizes, including books, and prizes from the Boston Bruins, one of our sponsors.  

To access the ORRJHS summer reading list, click on http://orrjhslibrary.weebly.com/summer-reading-gr-7.html for 7th grade, and http://orrjhslibrary.weebly.com/summer-reading-gr-8.html for the 8th grade list.  We will list more links for school reading lists when we get them.  We have copies of most of the books, and can get more copies through the SAILS system.

From Mrs. Lisa, via our Event Calendar:

The TriTown is celebrating Science!  Come enjoy interactive  Science, Technology, Engineering or Math fun with your family in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester!  All activities are geared to children 3-9 and their grown-ups.  Families will work together to conduct simple STEM hands-on activities.  

Plumb Library will be hosting programs on June 24, 25, 27 and 28 at 11 am – 12 pm.  

**There will be an evening session on June 26 from 6:30-7:30 pm.**

 For each session, there will be a take home activity. 

Sessions could focus on any of the following! 

Science is a way of thinking. Science is observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions, and wondering how things work.
Technology is a way of doing. Technology is using tools, being inventive, identifying problems, and making things work.
Engineering is a way of doing. Engineering is solving problems, using a variety of materials, designing and creating, and building things that work.
Math is a way of measuring. Math is sequencing (1, 2, 3, 4…), patterning (1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2…), and exploring shapes (triangle, square, 
This program is sponsored by the CFCE Program of the ORR School District  with funding from the Massachusetts  Department of Early Education and Care’s Coordinated Family and Community  Engagement Grant.

Drop by the library on the days and times listed to take part in these activities.  Someone will be there to assist the budding mad scientists.

 

November Newsletter

Neither hurricane nor story time nor Halloween ghosts will stop us from putting out the newsletter. Here’s the latest news from Plumb Library. Inside you’ll find the November book group selections; two book reviews from the Junior Friends (one is in code); Holiday Open House announcement and request for Silent Auction items; two Family Literacy Month programs; and the annual wreath order form.

The literacy month program that has us the most excited is a visit from the author of The Mighty Mastiff of the Mayflower, Peter Arenstem. Peter is an expert on the Mayflower, and has written several children’s books about the Plimoth colony. He will be at the library on Monday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. to talk about his book and to sign copies. This is a great gift for children in grades 2-4.

Friday at last!

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, I present to you the “Re-Seussification Project”, courtesy of School Library Journal. Click HERE to see artists re-illustrate The Cat in the Hat in the style of Jon Klassen and Arnold Lobel, Horton Hatches the Egg in the style of Laurent de Brunhoff and William Steig, and, my favorite, Green Eggs and Ham in the style of Eric Carle and Tomie DePaola. The real artists are listed at the end of the blog post, so be sure to look.
We have our own Seuss-ing going on. Kids can make a guess on how many fish are in the bowl. Names will be drawn after tomorrow, so be sure to drop by and make a guess.
Also coming up in March: Coffee with the Candidates – an informal “meet and greet” with your neighbors who are running for town office. It takes place on Saturday, March 24 from 9:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m., and refreshments will be served, thanks to the Friends of Plumb Library. We need to clear out at 11, because at 11:30, Aoife Clancy will be performing her “Musik -n – Fun – St. Paddy’s Day Celebration” for children ages 4-10. Pre-registration is required. This is going to be a fun program, so sign up now.

We have been highlighting a Book of the Month since January. January’s book was The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. February – Caleb’s Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks. March’s book is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne Valente. I saw her read from this book, to music written and performed by Tricksie Pixie, at the Boston Science Fiction Conference last month. I brought the library’s copy with me, and had her sign it. It’s currently out, but place a reserve. These are all books that the three of us read and liked, so they come highly recommended.

That’s it for now. I’m off to a knitting retreat with my fellow Rochester knitters, so have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday – Snow Day!

One feature of this “winter that wasn’t” is the way we keep getting surprised by snow after a string of warm days. If you’ve read any science fiction apocalypse books dealing with climate change, this is too freaky. For comfort, I present the 50th anniversary of A Wrinkle in Time, the first science fiction book I ever read, and the book that set me on a lifetime of reading science fiction and fantasy. It won the Newbery Award for children’s fiction in 1963, and was the first in a series of books featuring Meg Murray and Calvin O’Keefe and their children. Here is a 90-second “synopsis” of the plot, but you are better off reading the book yourself, though this film is very cute. Wrinkle in Time in 90 seconds

Today at the library, we present “TGIF – Thank Goodness It’s Funny”. Members of the Junior Friends will be reading funny stories and telling jokes. Just the thing for a rainy/snowy/no-back-to-rainy day. At 2:00, join fellow knitters and crocheters for tea and cookies. You can stay for the whole hour and a half, or drop by with a knitting or crocheting problem, or to find a pattern for a new project. Or just to chat.

Next week, the Friends Board will meet at 6:30 on Monday, Feb. 27. There will be a drop-in craft for Dr. Seuss’ Birthday on March 2. Story times will start the following week, starting March 6.

Oops!

Oh dear, oh dear, I missed a Monday post! I guess my brain was still at the Boston Science-Fiction conference last weekend. It was a great time, and, if you need a list of survival gear for the Apocalypse (never mind which one), see me.

Mad Science will be presenting their program on Machines here at 4:30 on Thursday, not 4:00 as was listed in the Events Calendar.

Also on Thursday, the Cafe Parlez book discussion group will talk about Tinkers. The March book will be The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which won the Randolph Caldecott award. Jen and I will be switching book groups in March, so the discussions should be fun.

Remember, there is something for children here every morning during the February vacation. We had a lovely Treasure Hunt this morning (and thank you to the 17 children and their parents who turned up). Wednesday is Watercolor day. Mad Science will be here Thursday afternoon, and Friday if Fun-Day at 10:30. Not forgetting the Knitting group on Friday afternoon at 2.

Friday Fun!

Here it is: Friday before a three-day weekend, weather’s not too bad; what are you doing sitting in front of the computer reading this?!

I like to look at the nominees for the Academy Award for Best Short Animation, and try to see as many as possible. This year, I’ve only seen one so far: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by children’s author and illustrator William Joyce, and Brandon Oldenberg. Click HERE to watch it. It’s funny, sad, and so beautifully done. I should say that I hope it wins, but I have yet to see the other contenders, so I’m no judge. Look for yourself and let us know what you think!

BTW, there is something going on here every day of next week, so if your little angels are driving you batty, come on over between 10:30 and noon every day except Thursday. Tuesday there is a Treasure Hunt; Wednesday – Watercolor painting; Thursday – Mad Science will be making “Machines” in the afternoon (spaces are still available – sign up NOW!); Friday is TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Funny) with the Junior Friends and others reading their favorite jokes or funny stories. Registration is only needed for the Mad Science program. We also have museum passes if you want to take a day trip, like to Worcestor (Higgins Armory) or Mystic (Mystic Aquarium) or Providence (Providence Children’s Museum, RISD Art Museum, or Roger Williams Park Zoo) or Boston (Museum of Fine Arts, or Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). Or try a State Park with our free parking pass. Remember, we’re closed on Monday, but I’ll still be bloggin’!

Thanks, Wanderer!

Hey, hey! Didja see? That’s us on the cover of this week’s Wanderer! Click here to see, I’ll wait. The artist is Marcy Smith and her daughters. That’s Myself on the left, Jen in the middle, and Miss Lisa on the right, not to mention Punxatawney Phil in the front. No offense to Phil or Punxatawney, PA, but Nantucket has its own weather prognosticator: Quentin Quahog! Apparently, they open Quentin, and if he squirts to the left, it’s six more weeks of winter. Read about it here.

“Symphony Tales” is full and all copies of the book have been reserved. Mattapoisett Public Library’s performance of Jan. 21 was postponed to a later date due to snow, and the Elizabeth Taber Library in Marion will be having a performance in March, so there will still be an opportunity to see “Scritch Scratch”. Our next children’s program will be Mad Science: Machines on February 23 at 4:00. Children ages 5 and up will learn about simple machines and will get to make a catapult to take home.

And finally, let me tell you about Library Elf. If you have a busy family, lots of library cards to oversee, can’t get a handle on who has what and when it’s due and how much to we owe, you should sign on to Library Elf. It’s a free service that lets you register all library cards, give an email address and/or a cell phone number, and you will receive emails on your schedule detailing everything checked out on those cards, what’s on hold, when it’s due, and more. You can also opt to receive text messages when something is coming due or a hold has come in. It’s a free service provided by SAILS, and you can register HERE.

Newbery and Caldecott Award Winners

Here is the link to the ALA page that announces all of the award winners, including the Newbery, Caldecott, Corretta Scott King, Batchelder awards, and more. Let us know if you want any of the books mentioned.

Substitute for the Cafe Parlez blog post

Sad to say, I won’t be at tonight’s book group discussion of The Kite Runner. Instead, I’ll be singing sea chanties at the Whaling Museum. I really loved this book when I first read it, so was looking forward to the discussion. Ah, well, the show must go on! Instead, I thought I’d post the coming events for fall. Lisa, Jen, and I have been working and planning, and have come up with the following events that are scheduled between October and December.

FOR ADULTS: 1. The rebirth of the Knitting Group: this group had sort of died out during the construction of the vestibule, but there’s been some interest in restarting. We’ll meet Monday evenings at 6:30 starting October 6. All knitters, crocheters, and needleworkers are invited. There’ll be tea and cookies, but more importantly, there’ll be a chance to get away from everyone, sit and relax, share ideas, problems, solutions, and just talk to fellow crafters. I’m trying to schedule some special guests to make presentations once in a while.

2. The Nonfiction Book Discussion Group: I have 3 people registered; need 3 more. We’ll be meeting Tuesday evenings after hours, at 6:30 p.m., in the library to discuss nonfiction books only. The first meeting will be Tuesday, October 21 to discuss Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich. Coming up in November will be A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle; December’s book will be Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. Other books being planned are Confederates in the Attic, The Soiling of Old Glory, and The Children’s Blizzard. Sign up at the desk.

4. October 20 – 25 is National Friends of the Library Week, and we’ll be holding the Friends Annual meeting on October 23 at 6:30 p.m. If you’d like to get involved with any aspect of the Friends, attend this meeting.

FOR CHILDREN: 1. Friday, September 19, is “Talk Like a Pirate Day”, and the library has a special afterschool program planned for all bucko mates from 3:30-4:30. Wear your favorite pirate outfit for pirates stories, songs, and a snack. Vote on which library staff has the best pirate outfit.

2. Registration for story times starts on September 15. Preschool Story Time starts October 1; Toddler Story Time starts October 3.

3. Monday, October 27: Get Ready for Halloween Spooky stories and songs, 6:30 – 7:30 Come listen to the secret spooky storyteller and have a Halloween snack. Costumes are optional. Identify the storyteller and get a special treat! Sign up at the desk.

Space is limited for all of these programs, so sign up early.

Whew! No wonder we’re tired! We are truly “the little library that could”!

Cookies!

October is National Cookie Month!  Come in and vote for your favorite cookie, and maybe check out a cookbook to learn a recipe for a new favorite.  Cookie winners will be posted here, and served on November 1 at the library.