K-2 Begins Tomorrow!

Our April K-2 Storyhour will begin tomorrow, April 4th, at 4:00-5:00 p.m. We have some wonderful stories to read and a great butterfly craft to make. It's going to be great! See you there!

Free Earth Day Activities and Spring Craft

To celebrate spring and Earth Day, here's a spring butterfly craft using recycled magazine pictures. What is Earth Day? Earth Day is a day dedicated to protecting our planet from pollution through reusing and recycling every day items.

Speaking of Earth Day, the library will be joining with Irons Oaks for their FREE Earth Day celebration at Irons Oaks on April 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. for some springtime fun. There will be entertainers--Ricky Recycle, Anna Stange, David Stokes, and library staff, too! There will be awesome crafts--recycled shoe planters, recycled musical instruments, earth bracelets, and rain barrel painting and raffle. Don't miss the exhibits and Rocky the Racoon. But wait! There will be a Trash Creature contest by the children of the school districts in Homewood, Flossmoor, and Olympia Fields. Winners of the contest will have their Trash Creature displayed at the Homewood Library for a week in the lobby. Too cool! The flyer also says you can climb the Tower at Irons Oaks for free, too! So much fun!
Hope to see you there!

New and Notable Junior Fiction

Here are just a few of our new and notable junior fiction books that I think you'll enjoy.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose. May is used to hardship. After all, living with her family in a leaky sod home on the prairie during winter teaches one how to cope. When her parents contract with their neighbor to hire her as a housekeeper for his new bride, May must rise above her insecurities. The new Mrs. Oblinger hates everything about her new life on the prairie and returns home. Mr. Oblinger rides after her and never returns. May B. is left alone for months without companionship, adequate food, firewood, or protection from the wolves or winter weather. What a wonderful story about one brave, resilient girl! If you loved the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you'll be fascinated with May B.




Last of the Gullivers by Carter Crocker. You remember Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, right? NO!? Wow, read that, please! But in the meantime, here is an updated take-off on Swift's tale. Michael Pine is in trouble. He's laying flat on his back, tied to the ground with spiderwebs, and seeing strange little lights. Maybe he's hallucinating. He was just hit by a car, after all. Then a stooped old man unties him and says ,"They thought you were a bear." What!? The minute Michael is untied he runs...right into the arms of a policeman. You see, Michael was hit by a car after stealing from a local store. It's off to court and Michael is given community service of stocking shelves for an irritable Mr. Fenn. Who comes into the store but Mr. Gulliver, the old man who untied him. Mr. Fenn thinks he's loony but Michael knows that Mr. Gulliver may hold the key to what happened to him in that field. Read this book and find out how Michael and the Lilliputians (the little folk in the field) work together to save themselves from certain death.




Dumpling Days by Grace Lin. A continuation of Pacy's story in The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat. This time Pacy has flown to Taiwan for a month for Grandma's birthday. Most people would be excited but not Pacy. Even though her family is Chinese, she has never spoken the language, she has no one to hang with but her sisters, and her art talent has suddenly disappeared. By the end of the month, our sassy Pacy has eaten things she thought she never would, learned things she thought she'd never learn, and come to appreciate her culture and family.




Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. Twelve-year old Ben Ripley is so interested in being a spy that he has accessed the C.I.A.'s website 728 times. As the tuxedo-ed gentleman who suddenly appeared sitting on his sofa says," When you show interest in the C.I.A., the C.I.A. shows interest in you." Ben has been accepted in the C.I.A. School of Espionage for junior operatives. His mission is to find the double agent who has infiltrated the school. Can nerdy Ben accomplish his mission? Explosions, espionage, and all kinds of spy fun! You'll love it!

K-2 Egyptians

Our Wednesday and Thursday K-2 classes were in Egypt this past week! Well, maybe not physically there, but our spirits were! We learned about King Tut, mummies, and pyramids. Did you know King Tut was only 19 when he died? That he most likely died from malaria? That his internal organs were removed and preserved in jars? Our K-2 kids do! We had great fun learning these facts and more fun making our Egyptian king headgear! I snapped these pics of the kids posing like an Egyptian hieroglyphic. Aren't they marvelous?

New Christian Fiction for the Family

Stephanie Perry Moore is an author who writes Christian fiction for young adults, preteens, and children and has really found an important niche with her stories that feature children who are struggling with peer pressure and their faith. In the past, she addressed issues that high school, middle school, and intermediate school children face on a daily basis. Now Ms. Moore has entered elementary school with two new series, Morgan Love and, partnering with her husband on a series for boys, Alec London.



According to the reviews on Amazon.com, "The Morgan Love/ Alec London Series are chapter book series written for girls, 7-9 years old and boys 8-12 years old. Both series provide moral lessons that will aid in character development. It will also help young girls/young boys develop their vocabulary, English and math skills as they read through the stories and complete the entertaining and educational exercises provided at the end of each chapter and in the back of the book." Wow, great stories and educational resources!

Recommended Books for the Holidays

I'm going to give you the most wonderful link to the 2011 Guide Book to Gift Books published by the Bulletin of the Center for Childrens' Books at the University of Illinois. It categorizes the books by grade/age and has a wide assortment of fiction and nonfiction from which to choose.

I'm also going to recommend just six books that I found to be different than the usual holiday fare that are new to our collection.

Brock Cole's "The Money We'll Save" is a hysterical story about a family who sends Pa to the grocery store to purchase just two eggs and a half pound of flour no more and no less as they were saving their money for Christmas. Pa gets persuaded by the chicken man to purchase a turkey poult (baby turkey) with the thought that it will make a lovely Christmas dinner. Pa brings it home and you can guess what happens next! Food disappears, turkey mess is everywhere, neighbors are complaining about the smell. Will the turkey make it until Christmas? Check it out and find out!


Tami Lehman-Wilzig has written an unusual Hanukkah story called, "Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles." Nathan's brother Jacob is autistic and is driving Nathan crazy by repeating "Hanukkah is coming! Hanukkah is coming!" Nathan understands that Jacob's brain is wired differently but it doesn't make it any easier to tolerate his behavior. The first day of Hanukkah arrives, the new neighbors join the festivities, the candles are lit, the blessings are said....and Jacob blows out the candle. Nathan is embarrassed in front of his new friend. How Nathan and his family handles the situation is really quite innovative and heart-warming.



"The Christmas Tree Ship" by Carol Crane is the story of two boys whose Grampa's holiday stories always include the story of Christmas Santa and the Christmas Tree ship that sailed from
Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Chicago every year. It tells of the story of the storm that drove the ship under the waves. Sad, yes, but it also tells how the captain's wife maintained that tradition in honor of her husband. Nice historical fiction based on fact.

Another unusual story, "The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood" by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, relates the story of an Episcopal priest's daughter's experiences during winter on the reservation. The mud is sticky, it's freezing outside, and Virginia's coat is too short and too tight. The reservation relies on donations of clothing but the priest's family is always the last to choose. This year's donations include a grey rabbit fur coat that Virginia would love to have but unfortunately another girl wants that coat. This is a story about selflessness and sacrifice...and the magic of Christmas!


"The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockerfeller Center Tree" by David Rubel is the story of a family down on their luck. They cut down spruce trees to sell as Christmas trees and set up their stand next to a construction site in New York City . The men there see that Henry and his father need help and proceed to unload the truck. All the trees are sold and the workmen receive a tree as a thank you gift. Tin cans and newspaper stars decorate the tree and Henry, knowing that there will not be much of a Christmas at home, stares longingly at it and tucks away a lone pinecone from the tree. Home they go and the next morning they are awakened by trucks full of lumber. The workmen from the construction site have arrived to fix their house. But that's not the end of the story...you'll have to read the book to find out the end! (Hint--what is that saying? Big trees from little acorns grow?)


"Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be" by John Harris is the story of the composer of "Jingle Bells", James L. Pierpoint. A pastor of a integrated church in Savannah, Georgia, Pierpoint writes the song during a Thanksgiving heat wave. A fun story with some historical background included.

No K-2 til Feb.?! What are we going to do?

Now that story hour  is over for this year, you may be wondering what you can do with your children during that lag time between Halloween and National Freedom Day (February 1st). As you know, Kelly Joslin from Iron Oaks visited our Halloween storyhour (the children loved her!) and mentioned to the children some of the upcoming programs. 

The Turkey Talk takes place on Thursday, November 11 at 1-2:30 pm. To quote from their flyer, "It's turkey time! Come learn about the star of the season at Irons Oaks. We'll do the turkey dance, make some crafts, and go on a short hike in search of food that a wild turkey would enjoy." This is a great program for ages 4 to 8. Wow! Better hurry! You must register by November 9th! The cost is $5 if you register, $7 if you don't.

For your younger ones (2 1/2 to5 years old) , why not try "Little Naturalists: Seeds!" which takes place on Monday, November 21st at 9:45-11:00 am. Again, to quote the flyer,"Bring your budding naturalist to Irons Oaks to discover the sensational world of seeds. We'll actively explore our woodland, read a story, play a game, and create a unique piece of art." Cool! The cost for this program is $6 if you register, $9 if you don't.

If you're looking for a free program, it's back to the Homewood Library for Lego Club on November 10th at 6:30 pm and a special Holiday Lego Club on December 14th at a special time, 4:00-5:00 pm. And don't forget the library's free Family Holiday Craft Day coming on December 7th at 4:00-5:00 pm. Bring your whole family and create great pieces of art and wonderful memories. And finally:

Registration for February K-2 Storyhour on Wednesday or Thursday will begin on January 21st at the Youth Services desk.