Reading is Soooo Delicious at the Homewood Library!

ScribbleJayne and ScribbleJim

Bobby Hunt, Circus Boy

Dennis DeBondt, Magician Extraordinaire

Staley da Bear, Chicago Bears mascot

Registration for our summer reading program, Reading Is Soooo Delicious, begins Wednesday, June 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Read for fun and prizes! (We have awesome prizes this year, too!) In addition, we'll have great entertainment--ScribbleJim and ScribbleJayne--musicians who will have your kids up and dancing, Dennis DeBondt--a magician who will float a child in the air, Bobby Hunt--a funny stunt comic known for riding the smallest bicycle in the world, Jean Rauch--our local Farm Bureau rep who will present a From Farmer to You storyhour and craft,  race cars and drivers from Illiana Speedway, and a Tailgate Party with music, food, fun, and Staley da Bear, the Chicago Bears mascot. Whew! It's going to be an amazing summer here at the Homewood Library! (Pssst...when you register for summer reading, you'll get a lovely Dairy Queen Dilly Bar.) Come join us!

The iPads Are Coming! The iPads Are Coming!

 Yes, our generous Friends of the Homewood Library have donated 4 iPads to the Youth Department. We plan to load them with a few books and cognitive learning apps for three age groups--infants thru preschool, kindergarten thru third grade, and fourth thru sixth grade. They will be checked out on an adult Homewood library card for one week with a one week renewal.We're terribly excited about our iPads! Look for them soon!

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!