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CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT NEWS

                                                                       June 2012

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Frederick County Public Libraries

Greetings!

 

Like a busy beehive of activity, summer is an exciting time at Frederick County Public Libraries. No other organization in our community provides as much enriching, educational, fun programming at no charge to you. Our libraries are your hot-weather destination, and our website calendar is your roadmap to a wonderful summer for all ages!


In the event that this newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend and you would like to continue to receive information about library programs, services, and events, we invite you to sign up here for our email newsletter.

 

Our library programs are always free and always welcoming. Please stop by and see us soon!


Sincerely,
Darrell Batson, Director
Frederick County Public Libraries
In This Issue
What Should I Read?
Black-Eyed Susan Award
On the Road Again
Urbana Music Festival
Wanna Be in the Band?
Nighttime Nature on the Deck
Correction
Keep in Touch

The Big Read

 June, 2012

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Don't miss these

Big Read events:

Paul Revere's Ride

(ages 6-12, with an adult)

Saturday, June 2, 3 pm

Thurmont Regional Library

Sign up today!

Special poetry readings at

FCPL children's programs.

Check out all the Big Read

programs and free books at

neabigread.com

WHAT SHOULD I READ?

Some Great Ideas for Summer Reading

When the children are out of school, it's good to have an answer ready for when they ask, "What can we do? We're bored!" The library is a terrific place to go anytime, but especially in the summer. In addition to the many special activities offered by the Summer Reading Program, there are books for every age and interest. The only problem is finding the right ones.

 

A good place to start is with our Summer Reading Program Collaborative booklists. Librarians from the Frederick County Public School Libraries and from the Frederick County Public Libraries put their heads together to come up with lists of their favorite books, broken down by age groups. Their top choices are listed on Summer Reading Program Bookmarks, available at all the libraries. The entire book lists for the 2012 Summer Reading Program can be found on our FCPL.org website-click here to view the lists.

 

You will also find book lists from prior summer reading programs and a slew of other lists, including staff picks, read-alikes, and award winners. If you see some you like, you can check on their availability at our libraries by clicking on the title. This will take you right to that title in our catalog where you can see which of our branches have it. You can then place a hold on the books so that we can have them sent to the branch of your choice.Elmo Visit

 

If you don't have time to drive to the library, we have several premium online book websites that are accessible from our FCPL website-eBooks for Kids. These websites include BookFlix-Stories for Children, TrueFlix, and TumbleBookLibrary. The books, some of them animated, can be read right from your computer or you can choose to have the computer read it to you. You will need your library card number and PIN to access these websites.

 

Another helpful database, available from our website is NoveList K-8. This handy site allows you to search for books by subject, reading level, author, and title. It gives a capsule description of the book and several reviews. If you want to know the order of books in a series, you can also find that information here. Once you find a book you like, you can click on it to find out if we have the book in our FCPL collection. This website also requires your library card number and PIN.

 

Enjoy your summer and READ!

 

Submitted by Jeanne Read, Thurmont Regional Library

2011-12 BLACK-EYED SUSAN AWARDElmo Visit

And the winners are...

All 72,000 student votes have been collected from throughout the state of Maryland. The votes have been counted and the following titles are the winners: (Drum roll please...)

 

Picture Book: Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

Grades 4-6:The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

Grades 6-9: Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

High School: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

 

These titles can be a great jumping-off point when advising patrons of a variety of ages. Also, many students should have some name recognition with the titles since they have been promoted through-out the public schools in Frederick County. I have provided a brief synopsis of the Picture Book winning title and a "Word on the Street" report from one of our local Elementary Schools.

 Elmo Visit

Picture Book Winner: Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

A goldfish gives a personal account of his experiences while swimming around his bowl as it slowly fills with fish and other accessories. He only realizes how much he misses them when he is relocated to a tiny bowl for cleaning.

 

Word on the Street

Merri Jo Wright, Media Specialist at Urbana Elementary, reports that students at her school were happy with the results, especially students in grade 3 and up! "The older students loved the tongue-in-cheek nature of Memoirs. However, a lot of the sarcastic humor was lost on the younger students," says Mrs. Wright. She also wanted to give a shout-out to Chicken, Big by Keith Graves. Mrs. Wright felt this title was very well receivedby the younger students. "The awards don't include an honorable mention but I feel this title deserves recognition especially since the author is also the illustrator. I was blown-away by the talent of Keith Graves" says Mrs. Wright.

 

All of the above mentioned titles can be found in the FCPL catalog. Read and Enjoy!

 

Submitted by Marlene Bordner, Thurmont Regional Library

ON THE ROAD AGAINElmo Visit

"On the road again-Just can't wait to get on the road again."...ahh, those iconic lyrics that remind us all of summertime and the all American road trip. Let's face it. Even with the price of gas, millions of Americans will once again set out to find adventure this summer. Whether it is for an extended vacation or just a day trip, the excitement and thrill of setting off on a new adventure is wonderful. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the exhilaration to wear off. After listening to the children snap their fingers for 30 minutes straight or kick the back of the car seat repeatedly patience begins to wear thin. And then it happens...you hear the most dreaded phrase of every road trip... "Are we there yet?" Once this phrase has been uttered there is simply no going back. From this point on you know that you will be subjected to questioning every 10 minutes, 5 minutes, every other minute. Often this phrase is accompanied by "How much farther?" or "How much longer?" until the hair on the back of your neck begins to prickle and beads of perspiration begin to form on your forehead. But never fear! Here at FCPL we have the answer to your dilemma.

 

There are always DVD's, and a variety of other literacy based options to keep everyone happy. We offer Read Along books which are picture books with an accompanying CD as well as books on CD for all ages.

 

There is a large selection of Playaways for Juvenile readers and Playaway Views for the younger crowd. These are portable, self playing, preloaded, digital media players. Playaway Views offer up to 6 hours of pre-loaded content from top children's studios like TumbleBooks, Weston Woods, and PBS KIDS, a shatter-resistant color screen, built-in speakers and optional headphone jack. They are completely self contained and do not need a separate player.

 

We have an extensive collection of downloadable eBooks. Check out our various collections available from Maryland's Digital eLibrary Consortium, and Tumble Books.

 

As a librarian I would be remiss if I did not suggest Books! Books! Books! Check out books that correspond with your trip and challenge your child(ren) to find an interesting fact about your destination. Two great picks are Go,Go America by Dan Yaccarino and Celebrate the 50 States by Loreen Leedy.Elmo Visit

 

We also have a variety of music CD's for children. A great pick is Joe Scruggs' CD Traffic Jams with hilarious tunes such as Car Seat Exercise, The People in the Car, and Buckle Up.

 

Don't forget to join the Summer Reading Program with a host of fun activities to keep the kids busy. Check out our passport activity which encourages travel and adventure right here in Frederick County.

 

So whether you've been up all night packing and just need a little shut eye (while someone else is driving of course) or you are looking for fun activities that the whole family can enjoy during your journey don't forget to check out all of the options at fcpl.org.

 

So, happy trails to you. We hope to see you at a Frederick County Libraries Branch this summer.

 

Submitted by Cheryl Dillman, Emmitsburg Branch Library

URBANA MUSIC FESTIVAL AND CRAFT SHOWElmo Visit

Saturday, June 23

12-6 pm

Now in its fourth year, the Urbana Music Festival returns-bigger and better than ever-on Saturday, June 23, from 12 to 6 pm at Urbana Regional Library. The annual celebration of music, art, and summer continues to grow with food vendors, crafters, special guests, and fun activities for all ages throughout the day.

  • Craft Show
  • NEW! Transportation Zone with a "tricked out" National Guard HUMVEE, highway utility truck, and equipment from Urbana Volunteer Fire Company
  • Pony rides, petting zoo, moon bounce, inflatable slide, and obstacle course
  • Karate demonstrations
  • Meet and greet with Frederick Keys' Keyote, Max the Bunny (of Max & Ruby), Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Sneaks the Cat
  • The Painted Cone, Urbana Ledo's, Gourmet Gang, Buffalo Wild Wings, Catoctin Popcorn, and other food vendors

 Of course, front and center at the festival is the music! This year's lineup includes:
 

12-1:30 PM: The Fabulous Mary Ann Redmond Band

2-3:30 PM: The Beat Hotel featuring the Bell Hop Horns

4-5:30 PM: Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band 

For details, click here.

 

The popular event is underwritten by The C. Burr Artz Trust, The Villages of Urbana, FMH Urbana, Frederick County Public Libraries, Natelli Communities, Community Association Services, The Town Courier, Capital Women's Care, Living Grace Lutheran Church, Pediatric Center of Frederick, Amber Hill Physical Therapy, Frederick Food & Ankle Specialists, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards, Main Street Homes, NV Homes, Parkwood Homes, Ryan Homes, Friends of the Urbana Regional Library, and Franklin Liquors.

 

Submitted by Robyn Monaco, Thurmont Regional Library 
WANNA BE IN THE BAND?
Hi, I'm Mr. Jon. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking. That's really kind of you! Let me introduce myself. I am a Children's Library Associate at C. Burr Artz Public Library in Downtown Frederick. And I'm also a musician. Ta-da! I love performing; it is so fun to make music and share it with people. Especially with children!

 

I just released a new CD called Mr. Jon & Friends. I think of it as family music. I really tried hard to create music that kids will love, and that parents can enjoy too and not feel like they want to stick sharp objects in their eyes when they listen to it. My hope is that my music won't alienate anyone; that everyone from babies to grandmas will enjoy the songs.

 

I have a bunch of summer shows coming up. My shows are all Mr. Jon & Friends shows. Will you be my Friend? Want to come and help me and my band? Awesome! How this works is the shows are interactive, and are designed for families to sing and dance along and help out with the sound effects and whatnot. So you are very important! I hope you can come out to a show because I need all the Friends I can get to make this music. See you there!

 

See Mr. Jon & Friends Live in Concert:

Sunday, June 2, 2:30-4:00 pm - Frederick Arts Festival

Thursday, June 21, 10-10:45 am - Summerfest Family Theatre - full band show

Friday, July 20, 1:00 pm - Eldersburg Library

Wednesday, August 8, 2 pm - Urbana Library

Tuesday, August 21, 6 :30pm - C. Burr Artz Library - full band show on the Terrace

 

Go to mrjonmusic.com for more info about Mr. Jon's music.

 

Submitted by Jon Lewis, C. Burr Artz Public Library 

NIGHTTIME NATURE ON THE DECK
What happens while the sun is sleeping? Find out at these fun and informative programs on the deck of the Thurmont Regional Library. Suitable for all ages, the Nighttime Nature series is hosted by the Friends of the Thurmont Regional Library and funded by a Citizens for Maryland Libraries grant.

 

Stories and Songs of the Night - Thursday, June 21, 6:30 pm

Featuring nature stories and traditional campfire songs with professional storyteller Roger Troxell and musicians Brent and Patty Progocene.

 

The Nocturnal Sky Above - Thursday, July 19, 6:30 pm

Featuring Skip Bird (aka The Astronomy Guy) from the Westminster Astronomical Society.

 

The Wetlands Wake Up at Night - Thursday, August 16, 6:30 pm

Featuring night sounds and local creatures of the dark (live animals!) with Cunningham State Park's Scales & Tales.

 

Written by Marlene England for FCPL's BookMarks summer publication.

Correction for Pre-K Bookmark Art Contest Winner

The article in our May eNewsletter spelled the name of the Pre-K winner of the art contest for the Summer Reading Program incorrectly. The correct name for the Pre-K winner is Clare James. Bookmarks with age-related suggested reading on one side and Clare's and the other four winners art on the other, are now available at all FCPL branches. The winning artists work is also featured in the summer issue of FCPL's publication BookMarks.

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