Tag Archives: kids

Happy Birthday Amelia Bedelia!

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Amelia Bedelia

It has been 50 years since Amelia Bedelia has showed us her unique ways of dusting the furniture, dressing a chicken, drawing the drapes, and changing the towels.  Amelia does EXACTLY what she is told to do and things just don’t seem to turn out right.

Harper Collins is celebrating Amelia Bedelia Day on January 29, 2013.  Visit the website for more information about the day and for fun games and activities: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/kids/gamesandcontests/features/amelia

Check out the library’s collection of books about Amelia Bedelia and about the authors Peggy and Herman Parish.

Happy 50th Birthday Amelia Bedelia !!!

Bats at the Library!

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bats at the libraryIt’s the season where you read about pumpkins, scarecrows and leaves. One of my favorite titles. I found that I love along with my nephews, revolves around bats. I know, yikes! Bats–Too scary! Not this one. It isn’t a Halloween book, it is just a wonderfully entertaining children’s story written and illustrated by Brian Lies called, Bats at the Library. These adorable characters discover an open window at the library and find a whole new world filled with books for everyone’s reading taste. The illustrations are kid-friendly and the story just might inspire your own little ones to explore their library!

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten – Part 5

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My son and I had another fun month of reading books together.  He has his favorite books that he loves for me to read to him over and over.  It is so much fun to see how excited he gets when he hears a book he likes.  Here are some of his favorites:

Baby beep! beep! – a lift-the-flap book to discover different vehicles.

Brush, Brush, Brush - a book about brushing and caring for your teeth.

My Truck is Stuck - a book about different vehicles trying to pull out a truck that is stuck.

Caillou, It’s Me - a lift-the-flap book that discovers different parts of the body.

Each of his favorite books has rhyming or flaps that reveal a surprise underneath.  Toddlers like books they can touch and books that rhyme.  By reading his favorite stories over and over, he gets familiar with the book and knows what is going to happen next.    (He already tells me when I skip a page).

If you would like tips on reading to your toddler, check out the Ready to Read Guide on the website.

 

399 books previously read + 65 books read this month = 464 books read

1,000 books before Kindergarten – 464 books read = 536 books left to read

 

Sir Balin the Ill-Fated

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sir balinSir Balin The Ill-Fated. On the day he was christened, a prophecy was made concerning him. “He shall be known as the noblest knight in England. But Wait! I see destruction and calamity.” It was seen that he would bring down two kingdoms in one day, that he would strike the Dolorous Stroke (whatever that is) and that in the end, he would destroy the one he loves most. His entire life, Sir Balin has been ruled by that prophecy. He is afraid to stay in King Arthur’s kingdom in case his should be one of the kingdoms he takes down, he is afraid to stay near his brother because he is the one he loves the most. For his entire life, Sir Balin is afraid. Finally, one day, he decides ill-fate does not have to be his destiny and he will take his future into his own hands. This is his story.

This is a delightfully funny book. The author does an amazing job introducing new vocabulary in a rather sneaky way and teaching kids a little about Arthurian England without them knowing about it. The illustrations are wonderful and help the story along magnificently. I really liked this book!

Tallulah’s Back!

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tallulah's soloTallulah is back dancing again in the new book Tallulah’s Solo! Tallulah is an excellent dancer and she knows it. She loves everything about ballet and can’t wait until the big recital. She just knows she is going to get a big part and be the star of the show. Tallulah’s brother Beckett is not an excellent dancer. In fact, he is not that interested in ballet. But when the big recital comes, it is Beckett who gets the big part and Tallulah is left in the back. Will Tallulah let her jealousy ruin her relationship with her brother or will she be a good big sister and help him learn his part?

This is a very good book for big sisters, big sister-to-be or just kids who like to dance. It teaches an excellent lesson about sharing the limelight and the importance of every member in a show. It also has some good tips for brothers and sisters participating in the same activities. The illustrations are very and tell the story just as well as the words. The is a great book.

1967 Music and Library Memories

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In 1967, the Bethel Library, founded in 1929 by the Bethel Women’s Club and housed in the Grant Memorial Building, officially became a Branch of the Clermont County Public Library system.

What music were you listening to in 1967?  Do you remember these Grammy Award winners?

And how about these top hits and artists?

Come share your music and library memories from 1967 to the present on Saturday, August 11, 2012 when the Bethel Branch Library will officially celebrate its 45th Anniversary.  Bring the family for fun activities from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Kids can see dog tricks performed by Oliver the Bassett hound, make a craft and have their face painted.  All ages are welcome to listen to music by the Daniel Patrick Family Singers, meet Browser the library’s mascot, check out library and local history displays, enter contests to win prizes, mingle with local and library dignitaries and enjoy refreshments.

Take a “Step Back in Time with Stories of Bethel Library’s Past” on Tuesday, August 7, 6:30-7:45 p.m. and share your library memories with our panel of guest speakers including former and current Bethel library staff, “Worldwalker” author Steven Newman, Walter Carter from the Bethel Historical Museum and Bethel library volunteers and patrons.

What music were you listening to in 1967 in Bethel, Ohio?  We want to know!

 

 

 

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten – Part 4

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my truck is stuckThis past month, my son and I had a lot of fun reading together.  The books we read covered many different themes and ideas.  We read books about animals, parts of the body, colors, shapes, and springtime.  We also read both toddler and easy picture books.  He is enjoying story time more and we are getting into a good routine of reading before bedtime.  Some of his favorite books were:

My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis – This book was by far his favorite.  We read it every night and most nights we read it twice.  This book is about a truck that gets stuck and other vehicles try to help it get unstuck.  This book has counting and rhyming text which makes it fun and easy to read.

All About Me! by Dawn Sirett – This book talks about a group of toddlers who name different parts of the body.   This lift-the-flap board book is a lot of fun.

Baby’s very first touchy-feely animals book by Stella Baggott - This touch and feel book has bright colors and the textured patches make it fun for babies.

Where is Baby’s Belly Button? and Where is Baby’s Yummy Tummy by Karen Katz – Karen Katz’s books are still a favorite of his.  These books are great to help toddlers identify parts of the body and with fun flaps to lift, it makes each page a surprise.

This has been an exciting month of reading.  I am also finding out that it is hard to get him to like new books.  He is very comfortable in having the same books read over and over.  We read the same books for about 2-3 weeks and then we read new ones for 2-3 more weeks.  Repetition in books seems to make him comfortable.  He likes knowing what books will be read and gets excited with every turn of the page.  I am hoping that as we explore the books and since we read the same books over and over, he will learn new words and be able to identify new objects.

For more tips on how to read to your toddler and information on the 6 pre-literacy skills, please visit the Ready to Read page of the website.

 

303 books previously read. 96 books read this month. Total of 399 books read so far.

1,000 Books before Kindergarten – 399 books read = 601 books left to read

 

 

Are you afraid? You should be…

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things that go bump in the nightAre you ready for a scare? Don’t read this book alone because you never know what’s lurking on the next page. Things That Go Bump In the Night is a collection of stories by Patrick Carman which can each be read in 15 minutes or less and each has terrifying video conclusions that you can watch online. You’ll meet characters like Dylan Smith, whose snowboarding skills are to die for, Troy, a talkative kid with a science teacher who has an enthralling skill, Emma, who’s got a gargoyle of a problem and many more. But here’s the thing, the book tells you itself, don’t get too attached to any of them.

This is a great book for grades 4-6, especially reluctant readers who like a good spooky story. I was scared. A lot.

Popular Smopular

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This past weekend I wanted to be a good library worker and familiarize myself with the more popular items that the friendly library has to offer. Just to let you know, I have a strong reluctance toward anything popular. I like to tread my own path, so to speak. It’s an affliction I have suffered with my whole life. I deal with it.

As you may or may not have heard, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, is the big thing right now. But, that is not the popular task that I took on, that would be too big of a step for this rebel. Moreover, the hold list for those books are astronomical, but I highly recommend them nonetheless. Other people seem to like them.

The popular thing I decided to take on was Harry Potter. I know what you are saying “Harry Potter? that was so five years ago.” I am taking baby steps here so cut me a break. Plus, the series sold like half a billion books worldwide and is the best selling book series in history, at least according to good old Wikipedia.

And of course I took the shortcut and watched the movies. That’s why they make movies, so I don’t have to read the books, right? Anyway, some of those books are fairly large and I would probably need more than a weekend to read them all. Plus bonus, you can check the Harry Potter movies and books from the library right now if you want! Because they are available, no wait list.

Needless to say I was entertained. So much so, I may even read the books.

Probably next year.

P.S. I do read books. I am reading Seth Grahame-Smith’s Unholy Night right now. (It’s not a movie yet, so I had to read it)

ARR! Thar goes the neighborhood

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In the new book, Pirates Next Door, the Jolley-Rogers have moved in next door while they repair their pirate ship and the whole town is in a tizzy about it. They don’t take care of their lawn, their ship is too big and blocks their neighbor’s views, their children play with “dangerous” toys (cannons!) and they jut don’t fit in. The neighborhood signs a petition to GET THEM and their pirate ship OUT. But before they go, the Jolley-Rogers leave a little present (marked with an X) for all of their neighbors in the hope of changing their minds about pirates.

This is a great children’s book to emphasize that different isn’t always bad and that you should never judge people based on appearances. It is a fun book to read that teaches a great lesson. The illustrations are amazing and I highly recommend it to all me mateys.