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.

It's hard to believe that this week will be the end of this year's K-2 Storyhour. Our last class will be a Halloween Party, complete with a "haunting" of the library. You can relax...it's just a small Halloween parade throughout the library while in costume. (Bring your camera!) Then it's back to the meeting room for our special guest readers who will bring Halloween to life by stories and discussion.

This session's theme entitled "Community Leaders are Readers" was one of my favorites.  Our guest readers included Greg Weiss, speech and drama teacher (and storyteller supreme) at James Hart, Sammy Bacino, owner of racing pigeons which were released in the parking lot to the amazement of the children (it really was awesome!), Mayor Richard Hofeld who with the aid of Claire Schneider read the book "I'm Not", Fireman Bill Wright who instructed the children in fire safety. Kelly Joslyn from Irons Oaks will read the story "Be Nice to Spiders" to our Wednesday storyhour this week to illustrate just how useful these sometimes fearsome aracnids are. Pat Nivens, Park District Commissioner and thespian, will entertain the children with Halloween tales on Thursday. A big THANK YOU to all our guest readers who made this storyhour session so special! Oh, and Happy Halloween to you!

Halloween Apps and Crafts

With Halloween just about two weeks away, Halloween apps are in demand. Here's a few that you and your child may enjoy. One of my favorites is Cookie Doodle

for your iPhone or iPad, where kids can create Halloween cookies without the resultant flour/sugar/sprinkle deluge. Hallelujah! A bargain at 99 cents. Or try Halloween Stickers for your iPad where kids can drag an assortment of pumpkins and ghosts onto 5 different backgrounds--no fuss, no muss, no GooGone! Another 99 cents bargain. Dr. Seuss' What Was I Scared Of?iPad app tells the tale of a fearful boy who meets a mysterious pair of levitating pants (I know, so Dr. Seuss!). When he calls for help, the pants start to cry too. It seems they're both frightened of each other. Yes, 99 cents! Score! The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, the story of a square pumpkin trying to fit into a round pumpkin world, features the ability for the child to read it himself, have it read to him or autoplay where the pages are automatically turned. It is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch also sports the features listed above with random animation. An additional sticker page makes this a good value at $2.99. Also compatible for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Scruffy Kitty is a heartwarming story about a stray kitty who finds a new home. Special Halloween decorations have been added to the house in the story along with pumpkins and ghosts. This is an interactive iPad app and another 99 cent bargain! Our favorite Berenstain Bears step out in Berenstain Bears Go on a Ghost Walk. This interactive iPhone and iPad book is a neat $2.99.

New, New Books for Fall

Welcome to my list of New, New, New books for Fall! Robots, aliens, ogres, ghosts, and shadow people predominate--preparing for Halloween already, I guess. Check these out and let me know what you think. I have two favs here. Can you guess which books they are?



Till Death Do Us Bark by Kate Klise--In this story told mostly through letters, Noah Breth's feuding children come to Ghastly, Illinois, to follow a trail of limericks to their inheritance, while Seymour tries to convince Iggy and Olive to let him keep Mr. Breth's dog.








The Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson--When the Hag of Dribble, an orphan boy, and a troll called Ulf are sent to rescue a princess from an ogre, it turns out to be far from the routine magical mission they expect.










The Girl Behind the Glass by Jane Kelley--Moving from Brooklyn to a rental house in the country strains the relationship between eleven-year-old identical twins Hannah and Anna Zimmer, a situation made worse by the ghost of a girl who is trapped in the house because of problems with her own sister eighty years before.






Killer Pizza: The Slice by Greg Taylor--Having passed the tests to become Monster Combat Officers, teens Toby, Annabel, and Strobe are sent on a secret mission to deliver to the Monster Protection Program a beautiful fourteen-year-old monster who wants to defect, regardless of the considerable dangers this poses.







The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander--Sixth-graders Mac and Vince operate a business charging schoolmates for protection from bullies and for help to negotiate conflicts peacefully, with amazing challenges and results.







The Midnight Gate by Helen Stringer--Twelve-year-old Belladonna Johnson, who lives with the ghosts of her parents, once again teams up with her classmate Steve, whose mother has suddenly disappeared, when they are given a dangerous assignment by a ghostly monk involving a return to the Dark Times.





The Empire of Gut and Bone by M.T. Anderson Brian and Gregory have come to New Norumbega for a reason — to convince the Norumbegans to intervene and save North America from invasion. But instead, the two boys find themselves caught up in both a rebellion and a murder mystery after one of the Norumbegan leaders is sent to sleep … permanently.