Winter may be slowing people down outside but the Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library Children's Room has plenty to offer inside! Several fun programs are coming up that we are very excited about offering to our patrons.
The Children's Room will be holding its annual bookmark design contest beginning March 1 and running through April 1. Children can stop by and pick up an entry form to design a bookmark using the theme, "Reading is out of this World!" Winning bookmarks will be selected in three age categories and will be reproduced and distributed at the library. New books will be given as prizes to the winners.
Happy 50th birthday greetings go out to that famous mischief maker, The Cat in the Hat. That's right; Dr. Seuss' famous cat turns 50 this year. To celebrate, the library will be holding a birthday party in his honor on Saturday, March 3 at 10:00 a.m. Kids and their parents can make a hat, play some silly games, listen to the book and have birthday cake. We will also be making and sending birthday cards to The Cat. For every card sent, Random House Children's Books will donate one book to First Book. First Book is a national nonprofit organization which gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.
We can't promise you the luck of the Irish but you can celebrate with us at a family St. Patrick's Day party on Saturday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. Families will make some special St. Patrick's Day crafts, have green refreshments, and learn about this fun holiday's origins.
Not going away for spring break and worrying about what to do with the kids? Bring them to the library of course! The library along with the Decatur County Arts and Cultural Council will make kid's boredom disappear at the "How to be a Magician" workshop being offered on Monday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. A real magician will be here and will help kids make and learn some authentic magic tricks. Parents are welcome to attend as well! We will be open regular hours all week during spring break so kids can also come in to check out books and movies. Kids can also play computer games here. We recently got some new games, including Sponge Bob Square Pants, Pokemon, The Incredibles, Jimmy Neutron, Littlest Pet Shop, and Toy Story. Let the games begin!
April is National Poetry month and the library will be holding a Poetry Fest on Saturday, April 14 at 2:00 p.m. Budding poets young and old can recite an original or favorite poem. Participants can dress in costume or use props to enhance their poem. Just be creative and have fun!
If you're looking for something special to read you might want to look at some of the new award winners for 2007. David Weisner's book, "Flotsam" is the 2007 Caldecott medal winner. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded every year to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Weisner's wordless book begins with a boy looking for sea creatures at the beach. While he is searching the shoreline he finds a Melville underwater camera partially covered with barnacles. There is still film inside the camera and he takes it to a one hour photo shop. The photographs he gets back are of a beautiful and fantastic undersea world! A family of octopus is reading together. Tiny cities reside on the backs of sea turtles. The boy also finds photos of other children like him that stretch back through time. He eventually takes a picture of himself and throws the camera back out to sea. This is a great book for a parent and child to share together.
The Caldecott honor books for 2007 are: "Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet" by David McLimans and "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom" illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford. The Newbury Medal was awarded to "The Higher Power of Lucky" written by Susan Patron. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. In the book, Lucky Trimble, age 10 lives in the tiny town of Hard Pan in the California desert, population 43. Lucky's mother is dead and her father is absent. She lives with a young French woman who is her guardian. Lucky is a combination of bravery and cowardice, something like Ramona Quimby. She worries her guardian is getting tired of taking care of her and begins trying to take control of her own life while looking for her higher power. This should be a good read and kids will be happy to meet Lucky. The Newbery honor books are "Penny from Heaven" by Jennifer L. Holm and "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson. These and many other great books are available at the Greensburg Public Library.
The Greensburg Public Library is a great place to visit. Our resources are both educational and recreational. We have a staff that is ready to help you with anything you need from term paper help to finding comic books that are just for fun. Come on in and check us and our materials out! Don't forget that all of our programs require you to register in advance. Call the Children's Room at 663-4455 or stop by the desk to get registered or for more information. We look forward to seeing you soon!