Love Frozen?

If you or your child loved the movie, Frozen, you may want to try some of HarperCollins Childrens' book recommendations.

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!

New Books for March!

Tired of the same old, same old?  Check out the New Book shelves at your nearest Dearborn Public Library!  Here are some of the new offerings at Henry Ford Centennial Library.

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming

The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash

Going to Mecca by Na'ima B. Robert

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith

More by I.C. Springman

5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything) from National Geographic Kids 

Visit us to see even more great new titles!

Seek and you shall find...

This week is Children's Book Week, and we're celebrating with an exciting event.  During the week of May 7-11, we've hidden 'Golden Tickets' in fifty of our children's library books at the Henry Ford Centennial Library.  If you find one, check out the book and bring the ticket to the HFCL Children's Help Desk to get a prize.  You never know where you'll find one!  Look in all picture books, easy readers, *J, J, non-fiction, and graphic novels.  Don't forget to check the NEW shelves, too!

If you find one, you have until May 18th to redeem your ticket.  Find one before someone else does!

Happy Hunting!

There can be only one

It's time for March Madness!

Not that kind of March Madness.  Well, sort of.  It's time for Battle of the Kids' Books 2012.  The idea is based on the basketball tourney, but instead pits one Kids/YA book against another.  A judge (Kid/Teen authors) looks at each match up and sends one to the next round.  The survivors find themselves pitted against a book risen from the grave in the final battle on April 2nd.

Who thought up this brilliant battle?  School Library Journal.  In it's 4th year, this book melee always proves interesting.

Three contenders have already fallen.  Anya's Ghost, Bootleg and The Cheshire Cheese Cat already are gone to the graveyard.  Will one of them return?  Only time will tell.

How about the winners?  Do Amelia Lost, Between Shades of Gray or Chime have the staying power to make it to the end?  Return and find out.  Or visit the YA section at the Henry Ford Centennial Library and see the brackets posted on the wall.

In the meantime, check out the books from the Dearborn Public Library and judge for yourself.

Which book is the baddest?

What's New...

Looking for something new to read?  Here are some books we're enjoying at Henry Ford Centennial Library hot off the New Shelf.

Every-Day Dress-Up by Selina Alko














Magic Trash:  A Story of Tyree Guyton and his Art by J.H. Shapiro; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

My Name is Elizabeth by Annika Dunklee; illustrated by  Matthew Forsythe

My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius by Harriet Ziefert; paintings by Barroux

Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson; illustrated by Sophie Blackall

VOTE NOW!

Today is the day!  Visit the Henry Ford Centennial Library's Children's Desk between now and November 10th to vote for your favorite book character!  There are four candidates and they need your votes NOW!

CAT the Cat

Lunch Lady

Owly



Thea Stilton



Muffin & Goldie's GoodReads

Looking for a place to find some good books? Check out our GoodReads page! We add new books from our collection every week to keep you updated on our latest and greatest finds. If you have a GoodReads account, don't forget to add us as a friend. We'd love to know what you're reading, too!

Children’s Book Week–Trailer #5

We saved the best for last.

DINOTRUX BY CHRIS GALL!

If you love books about dinosaurs AND trucks, this is the book for you. Millions of years ago, Dinotrux walked the earth, destroying everything in their path. To find out what happened to the Dinotrux, visit the Dearborn Public Library.

National Library Week

Happy National Library Week!


Here's how we're celebrating at Dearborn Public Library:

• There's still time to drop in and memorize a poem for National Poetry Month! Come by the Henry Ford Centennial Library Children's Help Desk to pick a poem from the Poetree and recite it from memory to the librarian for a prize! Ages 5-12.
  
• Book Bingo Night is on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30pm. There are still a few open spots, so call or stop by the Henry Ford Centennial Library Children's Help Desk. Ages 6-12.
• What better way to celebrate National Library Week than checking out books? And what better way to celebrate Earth Day than recycling? We're combining two great events with Read, Receipt, Recycle. Check out books during National Library Week, then save & recycle the receipt on April 21 & get a prize. Receipt must be dated between April 10-16. One receipt per cardholder. Bring the receipt to the Henry Ford Centennial Children's Help Desk.

Don't let your library love stop there! Let's make every week National Library Week at Dearborn Public Library! Visit Dearborn Kids Read and Dearborn Public Library to find out what's new at your library.

April Pocket Poem Challenge

April is National Poetry Month and where is the perfect place to celebrate? The library, of course!


Poetry lovers between the ages five and twelve, join our Pocket Poem Challenge!

Stop by the Henry Ford Centennial Children's Help Desk during National Poetry Month, pick up a Pocket Poem to take home and learn by heart. On your next visit by April 30, recite your poem to the librarian at the Henry Ford Centennial Children's Help Desk and receive a reward.

Looking for other ways to celebrate? Take a look at these titles:

Reading Poetry
Soup for Breakfast: Poems and Pictures by Calef Brown(Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O'Connell George (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes (Children's Non-Fiction 811.52)

Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary by Julie Larios (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Heroes and She-Roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes by J. Patrick Lewis (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

A Pizza the Size of the Sun: Poems by Jack Prelutsky (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Down to the Sea in Ships by Philemon Sturges (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)


Writing Poetry
Haiku: Asian Arts & Crafts for Creative Kids by Patricia Donegan (Children's Non-Fiction
811.54)

Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem From the Inside Out by Ralph J. Fletcher (Children's Non-Fiction 808.1)

Poetry From A-Z: A Guide for Young Writers (Children's Non-Fiction 808.1)

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem by Jack Prelutsky (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme by Jack Prelutsky (Children's Non-Fiction 811.54)

Write Your Own Poetry by Laura Purdie Salas (Children's Non-Fiction 808.1)

Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to LIving the Poet's Life by Allan Wolf (Children's Non-Fiction 808.1)

Cast Your Vote!

Hello, Dearborn Readers! Head over to the Children's Choice Book Awards page to cast your vote for your favorite books of the year!


The winners will be announced on May 2nd, just in time for Children's Book Week. Cast your vote by April 29th to make sure your favorite book, author, or illustrator wins!

This year's finalists:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year

• Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott (Walker)
• Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Derek Anderson (Scholastic)
• How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills (Schwartz & Wade/Random House)
• Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam/Penguin)
• Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Little, Brown)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year

• Babymouse #12: Burns Rubber by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)
• Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front Door by Nick Bruel (Roaring Brook/Macmillan)
• Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Heroes by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda (Candlewick)
• Finally by Wendy Mass (Scholastic)
• Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year

• Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (HarperCollins)
• It's a Book by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook/Macmillan)
• The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)
• Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix/Scholastic)
• Zebrafish by Peter H. Reynolds and FableVision (Atheneum/S&S)

Teen Choice Book of the Year

• Burned (House of Night, Book 7) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan)
• Fang (A Maximum Ride Novel) by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
• Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
• Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead (Razorbill/Penguin)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton/Penguin)

Author of the Year

• Cassandra Clare for Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) (McElderry/S&S)
• Suzanne Collins for Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) (Scholastic Press)
• Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (Amulet/Abrams)
• Stephenie Meyer for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown)
• Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) (Disney-Hyperion)

Illustrator of the Year

• Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique (HarperCollins)
• Loren Long for Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters (Knopf)
• Nancy Tillman for Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan)
• David Wiesner for Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• Mo Willems for Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins)

Wondering if the library has some of the nominated books? Click on the links above to go straight to the Dearborn Public Library's online catalog!

Share some of your other favorite books in the comments below!

Congratualtions and Be Prosperous Winners

It was a busy day yesterday at the library.

We celebrated the start of the Year of the Ox. 恭喜發財, Gong hei fat choi, "Congratulations and be prosperous!" The Lunar New Year is a multi-day celebration so you still have time to join in the festivities! A great way to celebrate would be to have a Chinese meal or fortune cookies. The library also has several Chinese folktales, books about the Lunar New Year and books by Chinese and Chinese-American authors like Grace Lin. So, congratulations and be prosperous!

Also yesterday, the American Library Association announced several awards for children's books.


The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was named the Newbery Medal winner. Newbery Honor books are The Underneath by Kathi Applet, The Surrender Tree: poems of Cuba's Struggle for freedom by Margarita Engle, Savvy by Ingrid Law and After Tupac and D. Foster by Jacqueline Woodson.






The Caldecott Medal winner is The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson. Caldecott Honor books are A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written and illustrated by Marla Frazee, How I Learned Geography written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz, and River of Words: the story of William Carlos Williams illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant.



The Theodore Seuss Geisel Award is given for the best book for beginning readers. This year's winner is Are You Ready To Play Outside? by Mo Willems. The Geisel Honor books are Chicken said 'Cluck!' by Judyann Ackerman Grant, One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Stinky by Eleanor Davis and Wolfsnail: a backyard predator by Sarah C. Campbell.



There are many, many more award winners. Be sure to check out the entire list and then check the library catalog. Interested in past years winners? Look at the ALA website.

Celebration is in the air. Join in!!

Back to School

Well, summer is done. The reading program finished a month ago and our wrap-up party on August 13th was a blast as always. Were you there? Did you miss it? You can see pictures. Remember to keep it in mind for next summer.

So school starts next week. For some of you this will be the first time you are going to school. We have some really great stories to help you get ready. Try Miss Bindegarten gets ready for kindergarten or Wow! School! Sometimes even teachers are scared of the first day of school.

For those of you that the first day causes no jitters, we have some great books to help you with your homework. We also have a lot of great databases with magazine articles, biographies, and other information for reports. With your Dearorn public Library card number and PIN you can look at these right from home.

Speaking of library cards, September is Library Card Sign-up Month! Bring your parent in to the library with their driver's license, fill out the form and you're all set. And the best part? Getting your library card is FREE!

The library has a lot of good things waiting for you. Make time in your busy school schedule for a visit!

The final stretch

Well, it's the last week of Summer Reading Program. We've been having a great time here seeing all of you and learning all about bugs. The crafts have been great and storytimes fun. And reading, reading, reading! Everyone has been reading a bunch!

The fun doesn't have to end on Friday either. We have crafts, storytimes, and special programs all year around. Do you know that you can even get a special email that tells you about all of the fun things we do at the Dearborn Public Libraries? No really, you can! We'll send you a note right to your email box. Just go to our BookLetters sign up page, check the box next to Children's Programs @ the Dearborn Public Library, enter you email address and you'll be good to go!

We also have BookLetters highlighting new fiction and non-fiction books that have come in and a Spotlight On special subjects in our collection. And there are even BookLetters that are great for adults too, including our Library Matters Newsletter!

So don't think that just because Summer Reading Program ends on Friday that all the fun is done! We have fun all year!

Don't BUG me, I'm reading!

We're coming to the middle of the Summer Reading Program. So far here at the Henry Ford Centennial Library we have had over 400 kids read over 1500 books! Sixty-one kids have joined our Little Bugs Program for those patrons under age three. Wow! We hear things are busy at the branches too. (And don't forget the reading programs for Teens and Adults - Metamorphosis @ your library.)

All over Dearborn, we've done crafts, had magic shows, released butterflies, watched praying mantises grow and all sorts of other fun stuff.

You haven't joined Summer Reading Program yet? Come on. We have still three more weeks to go. Check out some books and check out some fun!

Get Buggy!

Wow! It's been a wild week here at the library. The Summer Reading Program has started and hundreds of kids have been visiting us. We even had Gordon Russ the magician here on Tuesday! He was great!

Catch the Reading Bug! What a great idea! We love catching bugs. And a reading bug must extra tasty! Oh, we don't eat reading bugs, you say? Well, maybe we'd better just settle in with a good book then. We promise not to leave any tooth marks.

Looking for something more than just great books at the library? Check out all of the other fun stuff we're doing at all of the Dearborn Libraries. Here at Henry Ford Centennial we have praying manitids, little baby praying mantises. They're really cool. Over at Esper Branch, Mrs. Patty has a butterfly pavillion. And don't forget crafts everywhere!

Well, we should run. Make sure you come and visit us really soon. We proimise not to bug you too much!

We're back and blogging

After a very long break...I'll bet you didn't know that bears could sleep so long!...we've decided to write again. Summer is here. Okay, not according to the calendar, but Mother Nature isn't one to follow the calendar. It's hot! School's out! And that means? Come on, you know! Summer Reading Program! We're gearing up for another fun summer filled with books, crafts, activities and BUGS! That's right, BUGS! The theme for this summer's program is "Catch the Reading Bug!" So get ready for all things buggy.

Oh and in case you didn't know, our home at Henry Ford Centennial Library got a re-do this year. Check it out! We guess they thought we missed the forest. It was pretty sweet of the Library Foundation to think of us bears. Stop on by for a visit.