Before You Came

Children love to hear stories about themselves, especially ones that involve their birth, parents, and extended family. These stories captivate a young child's imagination and become treasured family folklore.  My own father was a zookeeper before he had his own little wild animals and my four-year-old self imagined that our house was once filled with a menagerie of exotic pets.  David Diaz creates the feeling of a magical folktale through his illustrations in Before You Came by Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest.

The deep browns of a mother's skin and curls are set against a vibrant backdrop of the adventures she had before the birth of her child.  The final pages show the mother and father sharing these special experiences with a wide-eyed little girl.  Take this beautiful book home as a way to start a narrative with your own children about their birth and their family history.

A Picture Book Prescription

Sometimes what ails a young child is beyond the scope of baby aspirin or dimetapp. When children suffer the loss of a pet, a friend, or worst of all, a family member, we struggle with helping them make sense of their feelings when they are only just learning to name them.

Picture books can offer a great deal of comfort to children dealing with grief or loss.  Stories range from ones about the death of a pet to losing a grandparent and include developmentally appropriate emotions like anger and saddness. Sebastian Loth’s Remembering Crystal is a small book, perfect for little hands, with a comforting message about how Zelda, a young goose, deals with the passing of her elderly turtle friend, Crystal.

If you or a little one you know is in need of picture books dealing with grief, or other tough topics like divorce, diversity, or bullying, visit the children’s room. While our recommendations can’t do what the comfort of a loving adult can, they are a place to start.

NO Problem

No, really, I’ve got a “No” problem. Would you sometimes like to magically “un-teach” your toddler this word? If you answered YES, here’s a little comic relief to share with your emphatic little tyrant.

Mimi, the mole-ish looking protagonist, finds out what happens after she says “NO.” For example, Moms are good at helping put on tricky purple jumpers, pouring milk on cereal and catching you at the bottom of the slide. Mimi’s final NO is to a hug from her mother. Don't worry, she wants to be the one giving the hug. So, while you stick it out through the "NO" phase, remember that your toddler is developing sense of self and autonomy (the silver lining: big boy/girl underwear is just around the corner). In a few years you’ll remember it fondly when he/she's in the "but-everyone-else-has-one" phase.

Robot Reading

...is a serious condition and everyone is at risk!  Its causes include, but are not limited to,  reading when your eyelids are threatening to slam shut, and/or reading when your child is likely to have a meltdown at any moment.  This type of reading lacks emotion or enjoyment and is dangerous to your sanity and your child's future reading success!  Here are a few tips to help you avoid this dangerous disease. 

1.  Read to your child when you are both in a good mood.  Your child will be more willing to listen to stories if you are enjoying them (i.e. not reading a picture book like you would an IRS instruction manual) and if the child isn't overly tired or stressed out.

2.  Reading to your child for twenty minutes each day does not have to be done all in one sitting!  Read for small increments of time throughout the day and you're both more likely to enjoy the experience.
 
3.  Find ways to liven up your reading with silly voices, puppets, or songs.

We've got number three covered!  As storytellers we try to accomodate your busy schedule and create opportunities for you and your child to enjoy lively storytimes together (especially if you don't have time during the work day to do so).  Beginning September 20th we will hold two evening storytimes each week that will incorporate music, rhymes and fantastic picture books for your child and provide you with a chance to meet other parents and learn a few storytelling tips yourself!

Monday @ 6:30pm Tot Tales -- for children ages 18-36 months and an adult
Tuesday @ 7:00pm Preschool Storytime -- for children ages 3-5 and an adult

For more information about our storytimes, check out: http://www.wclibrary.info/storytime/index.asp

Indoor Elephants are Dangerous

So are really big chickens.  Maybe dangerous in the milk-might-come-out-of-your-nose-if-you're-reading-this-while-drinking kind of way.  Keith Graves’ new book, Chicken Big is not your typical misfit story.  It does deal with themes identity and belonging, but it’s also filled with a hilarious supporting cast including a paranoid frizzy-feathered chicken who is always yelling “run for your lives!” Graves' clever comic strip illustrations highlight the big chicken's unique talents (rain shelter and a fox-chaser) and some outrageous reactions to his unusual size.  All of this is enhanced by the author's exceptional ability to include humor for kids AND their grown-ups.

Grab this book for a good laugh after a long day filled with back to school activities. Your children will get a kick out the extra bits like the author’s bio (he’s a Professor Emeritus at the Chicken School in Austin, TX) and you’ll be ready and willing when, at the end of the book, they demand “AGAIN!” Just make sure no one has a mouthful of milk.

"Reading is for girls!"

As a librarian, it’s a sentiment that I am all too famiar with, and one that breaks my heart. Worse, and almost always from boys, is the complaint: “Reading is boring.” Studies consistently show that, on average, boys take longer to learn to read and value reading less than girls. I read an article recently on Reading Rockets explaining that families are at the center of the solution to the idea that reading is for girls…especially dads. “There is only one way to change this perception and that is for men both at home and in the community to read aloud to boys and to show that reading is an activity of value.” What a simple, enjoyable (and free!) way to be able to give our boys an advantage in school!

Here’s a start:

1. Encourage and support his reading choices, whether they are non-fiction, magazines, graphic novels or sports titles.

2. Stop in and take a look at our booklist The Guys Guide to Books that Aren’t Lame.

3. Look at Jon Sczieska’s website, Guys Read, for excellent practical strategies and anything-but-lame book titles.

Talking to Grown-Ups

Let's face it, talking to grown-ups is a necessity.  Even I'd rather not do it sometimes, but that's why I work with kids.  This is an especially important skill for children to learn early on.  Part of preparing your child for school is helping him/her get comfortable talking to adults other than parents and family members.

The library is the perfect place to practice! Let your child ask the questions. Don’t feel the need to hurry your child; we are fully prepared to be patient while he or she articulates a question. We do our best to work with young children in a way that is warm and supportive so that they walk away with just the right book and a sense of self-confidence. 

Question we love to answer: How many books can you check out?
Answer: 100! (Cue squeals of surprise and delight)