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Wacky Science 3/3 - Kite Making Workshop

Let's go fly a kite!

This week in Wacky Science, we will be having a kite making workshop! We will learn the science behind kite flying and experiment with different kite shapes and materials. Then we will make our own kites to fly at home, at the park, or at the Austin Kite Festival.

March 2, 1904 - Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In storytimes this week, we will be reading Dr. Seuss books to celebrate his birthday! Check out these great links to learn more about the man behind The Cat in the Hat and many more classic stories:

http://www.seussville.com/
http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm
http://www.drseussart.com/artofseuss.html
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/250.shtml

Storytimes:
Monday @ 10am - Preschool (3-5)
Monday @ 10:45 - Monkey in the Middle (12-24mos)
Friday @ 10am - Baby Bookworms (0-18mos)
Friday @ 10:45am - Toddler (18-36mos)
Friday @ 11:30am - Preschool (3-5)

Star Party Pajamarama Tonight!

Join us tonight, February 26 at 6:00pm, in your pajamas for a special family program all about the night sky. We will learn about stars and space, then make our own planesphere, a tool used to find stars and constellations. Then we will go stargazing through telescopes and drink hot chocolate! This program is intended for children ages 5 and up, but all ages are welcome to attend.

March Selection for the Mother-Daughter Book Club: Little Women

In celebration of National Women's History Month, we will be reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott for the March meeting of the Mother-Daughter Book Club. The library has many copies of this book available for check out.

March 30 @ 6:30pm : Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Mother-Daughter Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm. It is for mothers of all ages and daughters ages 7-12.

Mother-Daughter Book Club - Meeting 2/23 @ 6:30pm

Join us tonight for the Mother-Daughter Book Club as we discuss the book Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. This story takes place at the Moon Shadow Campground before and during a solar eclipse. To learn more about this book and solar eclipses, check out these links:

http://www.wendymass.com/
www.skyandtelescope.com
www.space.com
www.eclipsechaser.com
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
www.astronomy.com
http://worldwidetelescope.org 
http://outreach.jach.hawaii.edu/birthstars/ 
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/9780316002561.asp 

The Mother-Daughter Book Club meets on the last Tuesday of the month. It is for mothers of all ages and daughters ages 7-12. The next book we will be reading is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We will disucss this book on March 30 @ 6:30pm.

Snow at the library!

Check out the photos of the library covered in snow! Snow days are great for staying cozy inside and reading a good book!

Wacky Science 2/24 - Sharpie Tie-Dye

This week in Wacky Science, we will continue to learn about chromatography as we make our own Tie-Dye creations! By using permanent markers and rubbing alcohol, you can make tie-dyed fabrics without the mess! Bandannas are provided, but feel free to bring a shirt, pillowcase, or any other fabric item from home to tie-dye!

Wacky Science is every Wednesday at 5:00pm for kids ages 7 and up.

New Shelving!

Come by the library to check out our new shelving in the kids area!
We now have:

• a special shelf just for juvenile series books
• a reference bookcase with the 2010 Encyclopedia Britannica set (in the study room)
• a bookcase full of puzzles and games available for in-house only checkout (in the study room)

Wacky Science 2/17 - Black Marker Experiments

Is a black marker really only black? Join us this week in Wacky Science to learn about chromatography as we experiment with black markers and color separation! How many colors do you see in the photos above?

Wacky Science is every Wednesday at 5:00pm for kids ages 7 and up.

Happy Valentine's Day! - Storytimes

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

In Storytimes this week, we discussed Valentines Day and read special valentines stories. Then we made our own beautiful valentines! I hope everyone has a very happy Valentine's Day! Come by the library to check out some great books all about Valentines Day:

Valentine Books we Shared:

E-1 BRI   Clifford's Valentines by Norman Bridwell
E RYL    If You'll be my Valentine by Cynthia Rylant
E WEE   Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine by Sarah Weeks

Other Valentine Books:

E BOU    Franklin's valentines   by Bourgeois, Paulette
E BRO    Arthur's valentine   by  Brown, Marc Tolon
E JAC    The ballad of Valentine    by Jackson, Alison
E PAR    Amelia Bedelia's first Valentine    by Parish, Herman
E ROC    Valentine's Day    by Rockwell, Anne F
E SHA    Nate the Great and the mushy valentine    by Sharmat, Marjorie
E SPI    Somebody loves you, Mr. Hatch    by Spinelli, Eileen
E WAL    The Valentine Express    by Wallace, Nancy
E-1 GRA    Happy Valentine's Day, Miss Hildy   by  Grambling, Lois G
J 394.2618 GIB    Valentine's Day is-    by Gibbons, Gail
J 745.5941 175    175 easy-to-do Valentine crafts
J 745.5941 EIC    Valentine's Day crafts    by Eick, Jean
J 745.5941 ROS    All new crafts for Valentine's Day    by Ross, Kathy

Wacky Science 2/10 - Color Mixing Workshop

Today in Wacky Science, we will be experimenting to see how many different colors we can make out of the combinations of the colors red, yellow, and blue. Then we will create fun and unique names for the colors! Wacky Science is every Wednesday at 5:00pm for kids ages 7+.

Fantasy Book Club - First Meeting 2/9 @ 6:30pm

The Wells Branch Community Library Fantasy Book Club will be meeting this Tuesday at 6:30pm. We will discuss how the book club will run and suggest titles for future meetings.

The book for this month is The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I encourage you to not only read the book, but go see the movie for our discussion on March 9!

Watch the trailer at: http://www.percyjacksonthemovie.com/

Come to the library for a new book club for fantasy fiction fans! Kids ages 7-12 will read the book of the month, then meet up on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm to discuss the chosen book.

The library will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 3rd & Thursday, Feb. 4th

No Wacky Science or Arts & Crafts on Wednesday!

2010 Bluebonnet Award Winner : "Help me, Mr. Mutt!: expert answers for dogs with people problems"

The votes are in! The winner of the 2010 Texas Bluebonnet Award is Help me, Mr. Mutt!: expert answers for dogs with people problems written by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel ; illustrated by Janet Stevens. This book was a favorite of the Bluebonnet Book Club members! Help Me Mr. Mutt takes a comical look at what problems dogs might write complaint letters about if they could. Stop by the library and check it out!
E STE

Love Your Library!

 

February is Love Your Library Month! In Storytimes this week, we will be sharing stories all about libraries! To find out more about Love your Library Month, visit the ALA website ilovelibraries.org.

Storytime books about libraries:
Read it, Don't Eat it! by Ian Schoenherr - E SCH
Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins - E COU

Other books to check out about libraries:
Read All About It by Laura Bush - E BUS
Mr. Wiggle's Book by Paula Craig - E CRA
Library Dragon by Carmen Deedy - E DEE
I.Q. Goes to the Library by Mary Ann Fraser - E FRA
Miss Smith Books (series) by Michael Garland - E GAR
Library Lion by Kevin Hawkes - E HAW
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies - E LIE
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra - E SIE
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk - E KIR

Nonfiction books about the library: J 027

Every Soul a Star - Mother-Daughter Book Club

  The Mother-Daughter Book Club is for mothers of all ages and girls 8-13. The book club selects a book each month that the mothers and daughters will both read, then we meet on the last Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm at the Wells Branch Community Library for discussion and activities!

We had a great discussion of Riding Freedom for the first book club meeting! The book we selected for the next meeting of the Mother-Daugher Book Club is Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass.

From the author:

"Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find."

We will discuss this book on:  
Tuesday, February 23 at 6:30pm

Mr. Johnny & Sharon Concert

Thanks to everyone who came to the Mr. Johnny & Sharon concert. It was such a fun and interactive musical event! Visit Mr. Johnny's website and kid events page. Here are some photos of the concert:

Counting Books

This week's Storytime is all about counting!

For our craft, we will make objects using dots like in the book Ten Black Dots and practice counting. How many apples are on the tree?

Counting books we shared:

Baby Bird Count by Tom Arma - E BOARD ARM
Quack and Count by Keith Baker - E BAK
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang - E BAN
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews - E CRE
Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss) - E-1 LES

Other books about counting:

Doggies: A Counting Book by Sandra Boynton - E BOARD BOY
1,2,3 by Charlie Harper - E BOARD HAR
Arlene Alda's 1,2,3 by Arlene Alda - E ALD
Anno's Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno - E ANN
Five Little Ducks by Ivan Bates - E BAT
Count on Clifford by Norman Bridwell - E BRI
Goodnight Moon 1,2,3 by Margaret Wise Brown - E BRO
Ten in the Den by John Butler - E BUT
1,2,3 To the Zoo by Eric Carle - E CAR
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow - E CHR
Click, Clack, Splash, Splash by Doreen Cronin - E CRO
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert - E EHL
Can you Count Ten Toes by Lezlie Evans - E EVA
Turtle Splash by Cathryn Falwell - E FAL
One, Two, One Pair! by Bruce McMillan - E MCM
Count! by Denise Fleming - E FLE
Each Orange had 8 Slices - by Paul Giganti - E GIG
26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban - E HOB
Count and See by Tana Hoban - E HOB
One More Sheep by Mij Kelly - E KEL
Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by Bill Martin Jr. - E MAR
Five for a Little One by Christopher Raschka - E RAS
Curious George Counts from 1 to 100 by H.A. Rey - E REY
Carlo Likes Counting by Jessica Spanyol - E SPA
The Big Storm by Nancy Tafuri - E TAF
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh - E WAL
Max Counts his Chickents by Rosemary Wells - E WEL
Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood - E WOO
Let's Count by Tana Hoban - J 153.2 HOB

These books about numbers can all be found in the children's section of the Wells Branch Community Library

1/27 - Wacky Science - Homemade Play Dough

This week in Wacky Science, we made homemade play dough! Using household ingredients, you can make your very own customized play dough at home! I used purple food coloring, glitter, and peppermint oil to make my play dough unique. Here is the recipe we used:

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Salt
1 TBSP Cream of Tartar
1 TBSP Oil
1/2 cup Water
Food Coloring

-In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt, cream of tartar)
-In a separate bowl, mix water and oil with food coloring
-Pour water, oil, and food coloring into a pot and heat on the stove
-Slowly stir in flour mixture
-A doughy ball should start to form
-Let dough cool
-Play with the dough!

If dough is too sticky, add more salt.
For fun, add glitter, sequins, sand or scented oil such as peppermint oil.
Look online for more recipes, some are even edible!

Mother-Daughter Book Club 1/26 @ 6:30pm

Join us this Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30pm for our first meeting of the Mother-Daughter Book Club! We will be discussing the historical fiction book Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan. We will also choose the book selection for February's Book Club. This book club is for mothers of all ages and daughters ages 7-12. Happy reading!

Free Family Concert - Sat. 1/23

Free Concert: Mr. Johnny & Friends- Saturday, January 23^rd at 1pm

Mr. Johnny & Friends will perform an interactive sound and music show! Your youngster can sing, jump, dance, and play with props along with the music! Space is limited, so arrive 10 minutes early.

Check out the Mr. Johnny website to listen to their music and check out other kids events!

2010 Literary Award Winners

Today, the ALA's 2010 Literary Awards for Youth have been announced! To learn more about the awards, visit the ALA website.

John Newbery Medal - “When You Reach Me,” written by Rebecca Stead

Newbery Honor Books - “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose; “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly; “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin; and “The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick.

Randolph Caldecott Medal - “The Lion & the Mouse,” illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney.

Caldecott Honor Books - “All the World,” illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon; and “Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors,” illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman.

Michael L. Printz Award - “Going Bovine,” written by Libba Bray.

Printz Honor Books - “Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith” by Deborah Heiligman; “The Monstrumologist” by Rick Yancey; “Punkzilla” by Adam Rapp; and “Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973” by John Barnes.

Coretta Scott King Book Award (Author) -“Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal,” written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.

Coretta Scott King Honor Book (Author) - “Mare’s War” by Tanita S. Davis.

Coretta Scott King Book Award (Illustrator) - “My People,” illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Coretta Scott King Honor Book (Illustrator) - “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” illustrated by E. B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award - “The Rock and the River,” written by Kekla Magoon.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement - Walter Dean Myers

Pura Belpré Award (Illustrator) - “Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros,” illustrated by Rafael López.

Pura Belpré Honor Books (Illustrator) - “Diego: Bigger Than Life,” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand; “My Abuelita,” illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Tony Johnston; and “Gracias Thanks,” illustrated by John Parra, written by Pat Mora.

Pura Belpré Award (Author) - “Return to Sender,” written by Julia Alvarez

Pura Belpré Honor Books (Author) - “Diego: Bigger Than Life,” written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz; and “Federico García Lorca,” written by Georgina Lázaro, illustrated by Enrique S. Moreiro.

Schneider Family Book Award - Ages 0-10: “Django” written and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen.

Ages 11-13: “Anything but Typical” written by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

Ages 13-18: “Marcelo in the Real World,” written by Francisco X. Stork.

William C. Morris Award - “Flash Burnout,” written by L.K. Madigan.

Odyssey Award (Audiobook) - “Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken” by Kate DiCamillo and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

Odyssey Honor Audiobooks -“In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber,” produced by Listen & Live Audio, Inc., written by L. A. Meyer and narrated by Katherine Kellgren; “Peace, Locomotion,” produced by Brilliance Audio, written by Jacqueline Woodson and narrated by Dion Graham; and “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” produced by Brilliance Audio, written by Kadir Nelson and narrated by Dion Graham.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award - “Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!,” written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books - “I Spy Fly Guy!” written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold; “Little Mouse Gets Ready,” written and illustrated by Jeff Smith; “Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends,” written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yeet; and “Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day,” written by Kate McMullan, illustrated by R. W. Alley.

Margaret A. Edwards Award - Jim Murphy

Robert F. Sibert Medal (Informational Book) - “Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream,” written by Tanya Lee Stone.

Robert F. Sibert Honor Books - “The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors,” written by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani; “Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca; and “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice,” written by Phillip Hoose.

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award - “Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith,” written by Deborah Heiligman.

Andrew Carnegie Medal (Video) - Paul R. Gagne and Mo Willems of Weston Woods, producers of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,” based on the book written and illustrated by Willems; it was narrated by Willems and Jon Scieszka with animation by Pete List.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award -“A Faraway Island” is the 2010 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Swedish in 1996 as “En ö i havet,” the book was written by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck.

Alex Awards (Teens) -

• “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope” by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
• “The Bride’s Farewell” by Meg Rosoff
• “Everything Matters!” by Ron Currie, Jr.
• “The Good Soldiers” by David Finkel
• “The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir” by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch
• “The Magicians,” by Lev Grossman
• “My Abandonment” by Peter Rock
• “Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel,” by Gail Carriger
• “Stitches: A Memoir” by David Small
• “Tunneling to the Center of the Earth” by Kevin Wilson

Newbery and Caldecott

On Monday, January 18, the 2010 Newbery and Caldecott Award winners will be announced! The winners will be posted on the ALA website and on the wbbookwoms blog! Come to the library to check out our Newbery and Caldecot display!

"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." (www.ALA.org)

"The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children."(www.ALA.org)

Miss Kristin's Newbery and Caldecott Award Picks:
If I could choose the 2010 Newbery and Caldecot Award winners, these would be my selections. What would you choose?

Newbery Award: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
J FIC STE
(ages 9-14)

- I absolutely loved this book! This story follows a girl named Miranda as she learns about friendship, family, and time travel while receiving mysterious messages. Throughout the book there are many details that don't seem significant until they are all tied together at the end. Fans of Madeline L'Engle will enjoy the references to A Wrinkle in Time. This is a great read for lovers of realistic fiction, science fiction, and mystery books.

Caldecott Award: Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins
J 591.779 JEN
(ages 4-8)

-Down, Down, Down takes its readers deep into the depths of the ocean. Seve Jenkins' books are both beautifully illustrated and informative. Each creature in this book has its name next to it and there are diagrams with more information about each level of the ocean in the back of the book. Each page represents a level of the ocean, with a scale to show how deep the levels are from the ocean surface to the ocean floor. The illustrations are constructed in a beautiful paper collage style, but are also realistic. I found this book to be fascinating and loved how the reader could use the scale to better understand the life found in the various depths of the sea. This is a great read for kids who love nonfiction and Eyewitness books.

2010 Lone Star and Tayshas Reading Lists

The 2010 Lone Star and Taysha book lists have been announced!Click on the links below to check out the lists!

2010 Lone Star - Grades 6-8
2010 Tayshas - Grades 9-12

Mother-Daughter Book Club

New Program!

Mothers of all ages and daughters ages 7-12, join us at the library for a mother-daughter book club! Each month, mothers and daughters will read the same chapter book. Then we will meet on the last Tuesday of the month to discuss the book together!

The book for January is Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan.We will have our first meeting January 26 at 6:30pm.

Science Fair Workshops

Need some help with your science fair project? Come to the Science Fair Workshops at the library on January 13 and 20th from 5-7 pm! All ages are welcome. Feel free to bring your experiment or display board to share.

Jan 13 - Experiment Workshop - Come to the library to find great experiment ideas and learn about the scientific process.

Jan 20 - Presentation Workshop - We will make a mock display and learn about the components needed to showcase your experiments.