As anyone who met her will attest, Millie was an affectionate, smart dog with one of the best dispositions a pet could have. Ethie, her owner, said Millie brought a great deal of joy not only to the children who loved to read to her, but to nursing home residents, as well.

She will be sorely missed by her friends at the Wallkill Public Library, and our condolences go out to Ethie.  

Monday: The Mini Art Club meets at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday: Book Buddies meet at 10:30 a.m. Gnome and Gardening Family Story Time is offered at 4 p.m. The Nonfiction Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Jon Meacham's Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. Textile Tuesdays are offered between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the community room of Town Hall. Bring a project and a friend and come and go as you please!
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. The Art Club meets at 4 p.m. The Adult Computer Class is offered at 7 p.m.
Thursday: The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m. Guitar Lessons are also offered at this time, downstairs.
Friday: Come out and enjoy some free play during Fun on the Lawn at 4 p.m.

Please note that the library is closed on Monday the 27th in observation of Memorial Day. Join us that day for our annual ceremony on the library lawn. Details to come next week.

  

Field paleontologists Mike and Roberta Straka will take Ostrander students on a scientific exploration of the world of dinosaurs, fossils, rocks, and minerals June 3 at the elementary school!

The 1:45 p.m. show will cover the formation of fossils, herbivores and carnivores, and geology basics. The audience will get a chance to see actual triceratops and albertosaurus skulls, as well as rare fossils. The Strakas explore the badlands of North and South Dakota each year, excavating dinosaurs, so they know their stuff!

The show will be rounded out with original music, songs, and a touch of magic.

The presentation is courtesy of the Wallkill Public Library as part of their introduction to the upcoming Dig In and Read Summer Reading Program.

  

Donations of host plants are being sought.

As Mrs. Ellison's third-grade class (who are raising their own butterflies at this very moment) will tell you, butterflies are  fascinating creatures that add beauty to any setting. The garden will be a great place to see them in action.

Any contributions you can make would be very much appreciated!

Gardiner's Fifth Annual Cupcake Festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The event, located at Wright's Farm on Route 208, features music, wine tastings, vendors, children's activities, and, of course, cupcakes galore!
This year, a 5K run will be in the mix, as well!
Visit the festival's website for more information.

  

Great news for book hunters - starting May 24, the Friends' Used Book Shop will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Friday! This is in addition to their current hours of 3-7 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

To celebrate, the blowout book sale that's been so popular will continue through the end of May! That means that on any day this month you visit the Book Shop, you can buy one/get one free inside the store, or get a plastic grocery sized bag of books for $3, or a paper grocery sized bag for $5.

Shop on, book lovers!

  

EarlyWord is sure to get the bookworm - in more ways than one.

The site is devoted solely to stories about books, for readers of all ages. Features include a weekly New Title Radar, reader advisories on popular books, and hold alerts on titles that are unexpectedly accumulating lengthy waiting lists.

The site also breaks down bestseller lists, so that breakout authors and debuts are highlighted. EarlyWord's chats feature librarians discussing the hottest galleys as well as guest authors.

Every reader should make this site a favorite! 

  Place a hold on Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls here.

  

The Wallkill Public Library tries to offer patrons as wide an assortment of their favorite magazines as possible. At the moment, our selection includes People, Vogue, Golf Digest, Country Living, and many other popular periodicals (and yes, you can take them out with your library card).
In an effort to expand and improve our offerings, we want to know what appeals to you! What do you want more of - entertainment news? Home improvement and decorating? Science and history-related topics? Let us know! Click here to send an email with your requests and suggestions!

The Cooked Seed, by Anchee Min

Twenty years ago, Anchee Min, having fled her tumultuous homeland of China, published Red Azalea, the memoir describing her years growing up under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
Having only recently arrived in America, getting a book published here was no easy task. First she wrote it out in Chinese. Then she translated her own manuscript into English. Then she typed it out using the only thing she could afford at the time - a battered typewriter she picked up at a flea market. She kept a bottle of Wite-Out handy, because every time she typed an N, the letter P would come up simultaneously.
But Red Azalea was published, and now its equally fascinating sequel - The Cooked Seed - is available, too. 

Min's latest book describes her escape to America, where she taught herself English, worked five jobs at once to keep herself housed in the unheated rooms of various bad neighborhoods, and went to school full-time.

As filled with hardship as her American life was in the beginning, her one dream was of getting the green card that would allow her to stay here. And no wonder - back in China she'd spent three years in a labor camp toiling under grueling conditions before being spotted by talent scouts looking for a lead actress in one of Madame Mao's famous propaganda films. That may have been Min's big break, if not for the fact Chairman Mao died before her very first movie was completed, launching the country into yet more upheaval. Madame Mao was blamed for the atrocities committed during the revolution and sentenced to death, which meant Min was labeled a political outcast and punished, as well, until she eventually fled to America. 

  The story is incredible, inspiring, and something we should all force our kids to read the next time they start complaining about how rough they have it.