New Year, Fresh Start

The library received a non-descript package in the mail today with this book and typed letter.  With the new year coming, maybe this individual was hoping for a fresh start with a clean conscience.

Dear Sender: We accept your apology. 
Happy New Year to you and to all Dearborn Public Library Patrons!

We know you are done with homework for the rest of the year (SQUEE!) but we wanted to remind you that the library is still open - sort of!  All Dearborn Public Libraries will be closed December 24 & 25 as well as December 31 & January 1.  Otherwise, regular library hours apply.

We have lots of programs to fill your free time.

Saturday, Dec. 21 (all ages) is "Let's Go To The Movies" Day with a craft at 1:30 pm and a movie in the auditorium at 2:00 pm.

Monday, Dec. 23 (all ages) is "Holiday Break Game Day" with gaming from 2:00-4:00 pm.

Thursday, Dec. 26 (all ages) is a Fairy Tea Party at 2:00 pm.  *REGISTRATION REQUIRED* Call 313-943-2345.

Friday, Dec. 27 (ages birth - Grade 12) is a Book Exchange from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.  Bring in a gently used book for a brand new paperback.  Used books will be donated to FOLD.  One trade per person WITH A VALID DEARBORN PUBLIC LIBRARY CARD.  Please bring your library card with you when you come in to trade.

Monday, Dec. 30 (all ages) is a Snowflake Extravaganza Craft from 2:00-4:00 pm. 

Thursday, Jan. 2 (all ages) is a Pirate Party at 2:00 pm.  *REGISTRATION REQUIRED* Call 313-943-2345.

Friday, Jan. 3 (all ages) is a Paper Dolls Craft at 2:00-4:00 pm.

Come on in for fun!

How do you sing it?

You know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen...

That the start of one of the favorite children's Christmas songs of all time.  We all know the words, but what about all the extra words everyone sings?  Do you know the same ones that the kid from the next school over does?  Do you sing the same ones that your mom and dad do?

The standard words (written by Johnny Mercer in 1954) are

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Had a very shiny nose,

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer,

Used to laugh and call him names.

They never let poor Rudolph

Join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,

Santa came to say,

"Rudolph with your nose so bright,

Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him,

And they shouted out with glee,

"Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer,

You'll go down in history!"

What extra words do you add in?  Is his nose like a flashlight or a light bulb?  Do the reindeer play Monopoly or baseball?  Does Santa 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' or show up in his underwear?  Does Rudolph go down in history like George Washington or Columbus?

Are there any other Christmas songs that you use different words to?

If you'd like to see Rudolph's whole story join us at the Henry Ford Centennial Library for the Rankin-Bass favorites - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.  There will be a craft at 1:30PM, Saturday December 20 and the movies to follow at 2PM.

Junie B. Jones' Author Passes Away

 

Sad news in the children's lit world: Junie B. Jones' author, Barbara Park, passed away Friday, November 15, in Scottsdale, AZ from ovarian cancer.  Ms. Park was 66 years old.

The Junie B. Jones series has sold more than 55 million copies.  Celebrate her legacy by checking out a Junie B. Jones book from your Dearborn Public Library branch.

For more information, see this article from USA Today.

Halloween Countdown....8 Days to Go

OK.  Got the costume set...

Decorations?  Not yet?  Oh, no!

Don't run to store!  Make your own!

Again, look at  Pinterest.  (Yes, we love Pinterest.  Follow DearbornPL to see what we love and who we follow.)

You can also come to the library and check out inspiration.

Some fun books include:

 

And there are many more!  We even have DVDs to show you Halloween Crafting!

Happy Hauntings!

Halloween Countdown...10 days to go...

Ten days until Halloween!

Don't just run to Party City or Meijer or Kmart!  It's not too late to make your own costume.

Actually, you can even wait until the day of and head to Value World or Goodwill to outfit easy fun favorites like little old ladies or bums or zombies.

But if you start today and are the least bit crafty there are plenty of ideas for costumes.  One great place for ideas is Pinterest.

Still looking for inspiration?  The library has kids' costume books to check out including Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids.

Happy hauntings!

Poetry Month, Day 30

Happy last day of National Poetry Month!

Here is a fun final snack.  It is the title piece from Adam Rex's Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich.







Have a great May!

Poetry Month, Day 29

These are from a couple of very famous American poets.  Neither is a happy poem but both are important to American literature.

The first is from Edgar Allan Poe... Alone.





The second is from T.S. Eliot...The Hollow Men.




This is the way the world ends. 
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Stop by tomorrow for a silly end to Poetry Month.

Poetry Month, Day 28

Only a few more days left in poetry month...

Today Nikki Giovanni's Girls in the Circle...



play Maya Angelou's Harlem Hopscotch...




Enjoy!!

Poetry Month, Day 27

Today we have a pair of poems from the nursery.

One silly...The Duel by Eugene Field






One a little scary...Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley

Amazing Art, Volume 2

Sarah visited the library with her mom yesterday and shared this gorgeous pencil drawing of a house in her neighborhood.

We love the clean line and attention to detail!  Good work, Sarah!

If you have artwork you'd like to share, visit the Henry Ford Centennial library with your piece and we'll feature it here on the blog!

Poetry Month, Day 25

Time for a little nonsense.  This poem from Roald Dahl comes from James and the Giant Peach.




You can find a whole collection of Dahl poetry in the book Vile Verses.

Poetry Month, Day 24

Color me Wednesday...

What is Pink? by Christina Rossetti.

Amazing Artwork

Today the lovely Mahya stopped by the desk and showed us her amazing art skills.

We loved it so much we wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy!

Poetry Month, Day 21

On April 19, the children's book world lost a special friend.  Rest in Peace, E.L. Konigsburg.

Today's poem is in honor of our friends in West Michigan, especially along the Grand River who are probably wishing they had a giant wooden shoe to sail in.

Enjoy Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Field.

Poetry Month, Day 19

Missed yesterday, so we have two for today.  Both are a celebration of words.

Oh, Words by Eloise Greenfield.





And we're going Old School, enjoy some Rapper's Delight with the Sugarhill Gang.





You can find both poems in the book Hip Hop Speaks to Children.

Poetry Month, Day 17

Spring is finally here.  Enjoy all the greening trees.  Edna St. Vincent Millay lists a forest in her "Counting Out Rhyme."

Poetry Month, Day 16

She still stands sentinel.





Our hearts are with Boston.

Poetry Month, Day 15

Today is Tax Day.  Without taxes, the government cannot buy a nail and for the Want of a Nail everything can fall apart.

Poetry Month, Day 14

We missed a few days.  So here is a trio of animal poems to play catch up.

From William Blake,  the Tyger...







Shel Silverstein brings us the Boa Constrictor...






And finally from Edward Lear, the Owl and the Pussycat...

Poetry Month, Day 11

Verses are often contained as part of a longer story.  Today's poem, "The Jabberwocky," is taken from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.



"Beware the Jabberwock, my son..."

Poetry Month, Day 10

Are you still in mourning for the Wolverine's loss on Monday night?  Or are you missing March Madness?  Today we have a poem from Michael S. Harper about "Makin' Jump Shots."

Looking more more to feed your hoops madness?  Check out these books!

Poetry Month, Day 9

As things are a little hazy today, think on Carl Sandburg, fog and little cat feet.



Carl Sandburg hailed from Chicago and his tribute to his city is one of his most famous poems.

Poetry Month, Day 8

Time for an April Rain Song.  This poem comes from Langston Hughes.

Poetry Month, Day 7

On a beautiful day like today, let's celebrate one of iconic signs of spring.  Although we are a bit past the first robin, that is what today's poem features.




To the First Robin is by Louisa May Alcott.  She was a nineteenth century essayist, poet and novelist best known for the classic novel Little Women.

Poetry Month, Day 6

During her short life Emily Dickenson was an unrecognised poet.  She left behind a rich legacy that we celebrate today.

Poetry Month, Day 5

In celebration of Opening Day 2013 and the Tigers trouncing the Yankees, we're featuring Analysis of Baseball by May Swenson. 




This poem was featured in Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets.

Hear the Roar!!!

Poetry Month, Day 4

Robert Frost, most associated with New England, was for several years a poet in residence at the University of Michigan.   The house he lived in while teaching at U of M is now part of Greenfield Village.

Besides letting us know that 'good fences make good neighbors' and telling us he had 'miles to go before I slept'  Frost also encouraged us to reflect on "The Road Not Taken."

Phineas and Ferb Fun

On Tuesday, kids of all ages gathered together to celebrate all things Phineas and Ferb!  It may not be summer vacation just yet, but since it's spring break, we had to answer the most important question: "Whatcha doin'?"


First up, we made marshmallow towers (just like Phineas and Ferb always start by building something):

Next up we made Perry the Platypus toys and Phineas/Ferb stick puppets:

We answered the question "Where's Perry?" and tried pinning his tail back on:

And then in true Candace fashion, we had our own version of "You are sooooo busted" by busting balloons:

All in all, everyone had a good time and hopefully for the rest of the break they'll be inspired to say: "I know what we're doing today."

Poetry Month, Day 3

Poems often tell stories.  Some are serious, some are silly.  Among the silly poems is Odgen Nash's tale of a realio, truelio little pet dragon.




Join us in a little white house visit and with Belinda, Blink, Ink, Mustard and Custard the cowardly dragon. Check out The Tale of Custard the Dragon.

Poetry Month, Day 2

Day 2 features one of the most famous poets of all time, William Shakespeare.  Besides composing numerous sonnets, all of Shakespeare's plays were in iambic pentameter, a way of measuring the beat of a poem. 

The following comes from the tragedy, Macbeth.  It is the Song of the Witches.



Looking for more poetry?  Visit the Poetry Foundation.

Happy National Poetry Month!

Happy National Poetry Month!

To celebrate here in Youth Services, everyday we'll feature a Wordle created from the text of a poem.

What's a Wordle?  Well the easy answer is to take a look below.  A Wordle is a picture made from word, any words.  They're fun to make.  Try one of your own!

Today's poem comes from the book Hip Hop Speaks to Children. It's called Hip Hop Rules the World.   The author is Jacqueline Woodson.  Besides being a poet, Ms. Woodson has written several novels for all ages.




Looking for more poetry?  Come to any Dearborn Library and check out the Dewey Number 811.  Share your favorite poems with us.  If you do, we'll have something special for you.  Ask the librarian what her favorite poem is. 

Oh. yeah.  It's Spring Break!  Join us for activities all week.  Share a joke with us today and get a prize!

Stop by tomorrow for another poem!

We Love to Read!

Today the toddlers read to their adults and even some animals.  These kids love books!

Today's activity reinforced these Every Child Ready to Read early literacy skills:

• Love Books (Print motivation)
• Use Books (Print Awareness)
• See Letters (Letter Knowledge)
• Make Sounds (Phonological Awareness)

We did this using these early literacy practices:

• Talking
• Reading
• Playing

For more information about early literacy skills, visit us at Henry Ford Centennial Library!  And don't forget to read every day!