Spring Book Clubs

Monthly children's book clubs will continue this spring. These book clubs are funded by a grant from Target. Registration is required. Please register online here or call the library at 439-1240.

Book Buddies
Kindergarten – 1st grade

Wednesday, March 28: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Theme: Animals
Children will read a nonfiction book about any animal before the program. (These books are located on the E Nonfiction shelf in the 595-599 and 636 sections.) They may read the book or parents may read to their children. Children will come to the program ready to share two facts about the animal in their book and will make a clay sculpture of their chosen animal

Wednesday, April 25: 4:45 - 5:45
Theme: Circle Stories
Circle Stories are stories that end in the same place where they began - the story makes a circle back to the beginning. Children will read The Best Nest by P. D. Eastman before the program. Copies of this book will be available at the March program or at the circulation desk after that time. At the program, we'll discuss The Best Nest and make our own circle stories. (You may check out Laura Numeroff's If You Give a . . . books (e.g. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Pig a Pancake) if you'd like to read more circle stories.)

Bookworms
2nd – 3rd grade

Tuesday, March 20: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catlin. Copies of the book will be available at the February program and at the circulation desk after that time. We’ll discuss the book and participate in activities related to the story.

Tuesday, April 17: 4:45 - 5:45 P.M.
Read poetry by Jack Prelutsky. Books are available to check out from our library. Bookmark a few of your favorite poems to share at the program. We'll discuss the books and write our own poetry.

Chapter Chatters (recently amended from 'Chapter Chats' by the group to reflect who they are - chatters: people who chat about books!)
4th – 5th grade

Tuesday, March 27: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read The Tale of Despereaux by Andrew Clements. Copies of the book will be available at the February program and at the circulation desk after that time. We’ll discuss the book and participate in activities related to the story.

Tuesday, April 24: 4:45 - 5:45 P.M.
Read poetry by Shel Silverstein. Books are available to check out from our library. Bookmark a few of your favorite poems to share at the program. We'll discuss the books and write our own poetry.

2012 Book Awards

The American Library Association recently announced several 2012 youth book award winners.

Click on the book titles to see them in our catalog. (It may take a minute for our catalog to load.)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What were your favorite books from last year?

Newbery Medal Winner



Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Newbery Honor Books

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. See more information about the Newbery Medal and past winners here.


Caldecott Medal Winner



A Ball for Daisy written and illustrated by Chris Raschka

Caldecott Honor Books:

Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco
Grandpa Green written and illustrated by Lane Smith
Me . . . Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. See more information about the Caldecott Medal and past winners here.


Geisel Award Winner



Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider

Geisel Honor Books:

I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
See Me Run by Paul Meisel

The Geisel award is given to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. See more information about the Geisel Award and past winners here.


Sibert Medal Winner



Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet

Sibert Honor Books

Black and White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor by Larry Dane Brimner
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. See more information about the Sibert Medal and past winners here.

Wilder Award Winner

Tomie dePaola - See a list of his books in our library here.

The Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. See more information about the Wilder Award here.

Winter Book Clubs

The following book clubs are funded by a grant from Target. Registration is required. Please register online here or call the library at 439-1240.

Book Buddies
Kindergarten – 1st grade

Wednesday, February 1: 4:45 – 5:30 P.M.
Theme: Mysteries
We’ll read a Nate the Great mystery together and then solve a mystery of our own.

Wednesday, February 29: 4:45 – 5:30 P.M.
Theme: Around the World
We’ll read The Umbrella by Jan Brett (a book set in the cloud forest in Costa Rica) and create a craft project related to the story.


Bookworms
2nd – 3rd grade

Tuesday, January 31: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read any A to Z Mystery by Ron Roy before the program. (Books are located in the Juvenile Fiction area of our library under the author’s last name – Roy. See a list here.) We’ll discuss the books and solve our own mystery.

Tuesday, February 21: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read Dragon of the Red Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne. Copies of the book will be available at the January program and at the circulation desk after that time. We’ll discuss the book and participate in activities related to the story.


Chapter Chats
4th – 5th grade

Monday, January 30: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read any mystery and bring the book with you to the program. We’ll discuss the books and other mysteries, and then solve our own mystery.

Tuesday, February 28: 4:45 – 5:45 P.M.
Read Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. Copies of the book will be available at the January program and at the circulation desk after that time. We’ll discuss the book and participate in activities related to the story.

Great Websites for Kids

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has updated its directory of Great Websites for Kids. Find educational and entertaining websites for children on their website here.

Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers was named the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature this morning.

See more about the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature here.

See his books in our library here.

Family Reading and Science Program

Our annual Family Reading and Science Program will be held on Saturdays, January 21, February 11, and March 10. This year’s theme is Vital Signs: How Health Works. This program is for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, accompanied by an adult. It is provided in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Muesum of Natural History.

You are invited to attend all three workshops, but if you can only attend one or two, you are welcome to attend just the one(s) that fit your schedule.

Registration is required. Please register online here or call the library at 439-1240.

Workshop 1: How YOU work: What are you made of and what do your vital signs mean?
Saturday, January 21: 10:3o – 11:30 A.M.
We will explore what makes you who you are. We’ll look at the building blocks that make our bodies (cells and DNA), figure out what the numbers doctors talk about really tell us, and see how it all works together.

Workshop 2: Germs, parasites, and allergies: Oh, my! What makes us sick and what makes us well?
Saturday, February 11: 10:3o – 11:30 A.M.
We will look at some of the things that make us sick, and find out what our bodies do to protect themselves.

Workshop 3: Build the $6 million you: Making the most of your health
Saturday, March 10: 10:3o – 11:30 A.M.
We will learn what we can do to improve and maintain our health. We’ll examine how our environment, healthy eating, and exercise influence our health and well-being.

December Programs

Santa is coming!

Stories with Santa
Thursday, December 15 at 6:45 P.M.
Milan Senior and Community Activities Center

Santa will read a Christmas story and then children will have time to visit with Santa, have their pictures taken with him, and create a Christmas craft.

Registration is required. Please register here or call the library at 439-1240.

Winter & Christmas Crafts

1st and 2nd graders
Wednesday, December 21
4:45 P.M.
Hear a story and then create winter and Christmas crafts. Registration is required. Please register here or call the library at 439-1240.

3rd – 5th graders
Monday, December 19
4:45 P.M.
We’ll make winter and Christmas crafts. Registration is required. Please register here or call the library at 439-1240.