THE MAGIC OF BOOKS

Preschool Fall Activities - Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:26:00 +0000

(This one was a miniture pumpkin we did.)

Ah, did you save those gourds and pumpkins? Good then let’s get started. We had a variety of these fun fall decorations this year. Unfortunately, for us the gourds didn’t last as long as they usually do. Gourds like pumpkins tend to eventually give way to a number of things such as funguses or mold. With many gourds especially the ornamental kind they tend to have an unusual drying process that rather has an unattractive look to them when their inside moisture is trying to escape. Anyway, we took a number of our gourds (and will do so when the time comes to our pumpkins) and decided to harvest the seeds and keep them for planting next year.

Activity 5 – To harvest the seeds is really quite easy and a great activity for a preschooler on up. We cleared a spot and set up several paper plates and a strainer. I took a knife and cut the gourds open and then handed them over to my 4 1/2 year old and let her take out the seeds with a spoon. (We kept the seeds separate as we wanted to avoid any mix-ups later.) She was carefully not to damage them when she went digging. Once she had the seeds out we tried to remove as much of the pulp or strings as she called them before we put them in the strainer. She then washed the seeds under a gentle flow of water.

We then spread them out on a paper towel to blot dry and then moved them to a regular plate to dry. (Leaving the seeds damp on a paper plate or towel will cause them to stick later and not dry properly.) The hard part for the young one was waiting for them to dry. After two days they were dry. She has since created an envelop with her “picture” of the gourd to store them and we’ll plant some in the spring. Because there were so many seeds the young one is creating more envelops with planting instructions and giving these out for Christmas gifts this year. There are a lot of teachable moments in this fairly quick and easy activity. Most of all though it was just plain fun.

Preschool Fall Activities - Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Now before we get started with this one - do not throw away those gourds and pumpkins just yet.

Okay, with that said let's move on. If you planted flowers this year and had some success, why not extend that over to next year. Our flowers actually did fairly well this year, I think mostly because we had pretty good weather and didn't require too much maintenance from me. Anyway, we did spend more than I had planned on acquiring the flowers though. Unknown to me when I planned the garden was that rabbits enjoyed feasting on marigolds. I had heard otherwise for years. I had thought by encircling the typical flowers we get with marigolds the rabbits would not munch and all would be safe and survive. Oh, how this is so not true. I cannot count how many times we would look out back and see one of our regular six rabbits of varying size enjoying our marigolds as if they were the cream of the crop. Then when I would go out front, sure enough I would be missing a number of them there as well. Of course they then went for the petunias and other flowers. Silly little rabbits.

So why go into all this, well the next activity has to do with harvesting marigold seeds. Yes, that's right.

Activity 4 - If you haven't had a hard freeze yet and still have these out then now is the time (if not sooner) to get out there and collect the dead heads. (See them circled in red in above picture.) As the blossom dies out there are seeds housed within the base of the flower. Have your preschooler or older one help snap off those dead heads and open up the base. Carefully take the seeds and spread them out to dry. You do not want any moisture in the seeds when you pack them up for next year. There are lots of internet and book resources that can teach you how to do this with most flowers. Marigolds are one of the easiest for little kids I think though. My little one is decorating the envelops and handing them out as gifts this year. She had a great time learning about the life cycle of the flower and can't wait to plant them in the spring. She is also learning some patience as well as things take time to grow just like her.

Preschool Fall Activities - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Okay, I know I should have started with these two activities at the very beginning. Call it Autumn brain or something like that. Anyway, we been having so much fun with activities, it is hard to keep track. We finally got ourselves some pumpkins late in the month. Until we had them we made our very own out of paper plates. Just think no gooey inners or decay and you can put them in places you normally couldn't decorate with a pumpkin.

Activity 3 - So, here is how we did it. We took those cheapy paper plates that you really should never serve food on. Turned them either direction it didn't matter. We colored it orange and drew our faces. (We use paper plates for lots of arts and crafts around. They make great lion masks as well and African style necklaces.) You can attach a craft stick to the other side if you want to make like a sign or punch holes in them to hang, etc. You get the idea. It really is all about lots of fun family time.
But, once we got the pumpkins we had a fun time painting them. We didn't go for the basic faces on many of them, but our bookworm girl painted hers in some very artistic creative styles. A tip though, those washable paints do not work well. We used acrylic and covered everything well. If you aren't into painting, try permanent markers in various colors. Again, those washable markers do not do well either. If you are working with older kids you could try dressing up the pumpkin. Hot glue guns are great for adding decorations. One year I did a simple dog and cat by using a marker for the faces and gluing on ears and cat whiskers. Have fun and enjoy the seasonal treats it has to offer. Oh, and there are a number of books out there with pumpkin decorating ideas. Visit your local library or bookstore for ideas that or the latest family magazines.

Preschool Fall Activities - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Well, this one is probably a little late to do in many areas, but can be done in some areas all year long.

Activity 2 - Leaf Rubbings! Yeah! One of those all time favorites of mine and many, many others I know. The trick to this activity is you need either still on the tree leaves or ones that have just fallen. We picked a variety earlier this past week, but by the next day and especially the day after the leaves were a bit too crunch to work with. Luckily, we still have some available in the neighborhood and parks to choose from.

Some like to put the leaves between two pieces of everyday usage white paper, while others like to tape them down (which I recommend for smaller participants) to keep from moving around too much. We have so many crayons with the paper peeled that there were lots of colors to choose from. We did find the triangle crayons not as good for rubbings as the basic big ole' fat washable ones. The skinny ones work well too, but these are not as easily washable, so beware of the surface being worked on.

One of the things we do with this activity is talk about the leaf life cycle and reasons behind the color changes. In some areas, like where my sister lives in California they don't lose their leaves, but rather go through at least two "blooming" seasons like her lemon and orange trees. Again, lots of age appropriate books at the library can be used to supplement the activity or not. Just doing the rubbings is fun enough and provides lots of great memories.

Preschool Fall Activities

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:50:00 +0000

Ah, Fall or Autumn as some would say has been upon us for a while now. However, it is never too late to do some fun fall activities. There are so many that we have tried these past few weeks I think I'll post them in a ultra mini series here. There are a number of books at the library that can give you ideas on fun activities for all ages, good luck though on finding any at this time. We have found even limited fiction books with a fall theme available.

(Seems libraries are seeing quite an increase in usage with disposable incomes being down these days. Unfortunately, our library system will take its first cut in decades in its collection budget this next year. They have cut the salaries, operating hours, and the staff so much there is literally nothing left to cut other than the collection now.)

But, back to fall activities. I named it preschool as that is the age I'm working with on these projects.

Activity 1 - My daughter calls these activities nature explorations and I agree. She loves doing little "science" experiments. A week ago she discovered a number of "nuts" and wanted to open them up. This is a great time to grab a tree book and/or animal book to use afterwards to extend the fun and bit of lesson. I'm still not sure what acorn type nut we had, but I did know what it wasn't, so we started there. We talked about how nuts can be cracked, what is inside, how it is edible for animals and at times for people. We compared them to spring tree seeds you find on maples and such versus walnut and oak trees have nuts as their seeds.

We discussed terms and of course she was free to completely dismantle the nut. We kept one whole to do comparison. The funny part was trying to crack the nut. It took so much strength that we all agreed squirrels must have extraordinary teeth and techniques to open these things. There are lots of books suitable for all ages about trees, leaves, animals, etc. at the library. Check it out and find a nut for a little fun.

Later, we did something similar with the crabapples found on various trees in these parts.

Audiobooks - Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Not quite a year ago, my husband indulged me with an iPod. For the longest time I thought they seemed a bit silly, but then I discovered their uniqueness that was very handy. (Not crazy about their battery replacement life though or having to give the iTunes people my credit card just to download free music, which I still haven't and probably won't every do.) Lucky for me the podcasts are free and come in audio and video.

Anyway, this past spring/summer I had the unfortunate event of dealing with the ominous breast tumor surgery,etc.. Fortunately, it is all working itself out and healing is still progressing. My awesome four year old bookworm though had it tough from time to time with limited mommy time. However, we did discover she really likes audiobooks. The story goes like this.

It was just a spur of the moment idea that I had one day as I headed out once again for the umpteenth time to the doctor's office. I thought hum, the awesome girl likes to hear me read I wonder if she would listen to someone else through a headset? She loved the music station with headphones at preschool, maybe this can work. So, I perused the download section from the library and there it was. One of the awesome girl's favorite friends. Pooh and his buddies available for download to the iPod just like checking out the book itself. How cool. (We started with Winnie-the-Pooh then ventured over The House at Pooh Corner, which includes stories with Tigger.)

Since the awesome girl had shown previous interest in mommy's little apparatus, I asked her if she would like to try it. Oh, the excited response. (Probably thinking something different to to keep her from getting bored or restless). Little did I know how she would be hooked. We arrived at the doctor's office and I set the iPod up. Made sure the volume was appropriate for little ears and set part one in motion. -- It was approximately a 55 minute part with three individual pooh stories read by the same guy who did the narration of the older shows. These two audiobooks are divided into 4 parts with 3 to 4 separate stories within each part, which makes it easy to listen too. --

As the doctor and I were reviewing the most recent issue, the awesome girl sat quietly in the corner listening and being very still. Mind you she has always been exceptionally good at doctor visits, veterinarian visits, dentist...well you get the picture. How I was blessed with this very active child being so still when it is really needed only God knows that. Anyway, after the visit was all over with I let her know it was time to turn it off. Oh, the look and attitude that came with it. Finally, I convinced her we do not go into parking lots listening to anything on an iPod and that she could start it up in the car.

We have since downloaded a few more books from the library and made a list of those she would like to try. We found a number of early chapter books like The Magic Tree House series and the Mercy Watson series all available and appropriate for her age. I can't say that all four year olds are up to audiobooks, but I'm sure there are a number of six and ups that would really get into it. Our library provides downloads in a number of formats and not just to iPod (that actually was just provided in the past few months). We are even trying some from the library's regular collection on her CD player. If you haven't already, think about giving audiobooks a try. The key though is who the narrator/reader is and how they read the story.

Chapter Books - The Tiara Club 4: Princess Alice and the Magical Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:06:00 +0000

We are definitely into the "first chapter" books nowadays. It is fun watching my 4 yr old bookworm enjoy listening to me read these more drawn out stories and understand the plot. What is even more fun is that she remembers a series premise and gets right into the next book so quickly. We are trying a variety of these "first chapter" books and have come across The Tiara Club series by Vivian French . This series is prefect for those girls that are into anything princess or just plain girly. The cover and then title is what first caught my wee bookworms eye. The series takes place in a boarding school type setting where young princesses go to learn the ins and outs of being a princess.

In this 4th book we find it centers around Princess Alice. She and her roommates need to still pass the "descending the staircase as if floating on air" test. Although Alice has practiced she has yet to master it. While getting ready for the test, she accidentally gets some of her friends in trouble. So, she goes to help make things right and misses her test. Knowing that without the points from passing the test she won't be able to go to the Garden Party, it is even harder knowing that she'll miss getting a chance to look into the Magical Mirror.

One of the fun things about this particular book is the underlining moral sense and the honesty that Princess Alice displays even though it would cost her something dearly. Great lead into some discussions about making good choices even when it is really hard. Never to early to plant little seeds I think. Even though this is a series, these books need not be read in order to enjoy.

It is hard to find this series at our library as these and many of the other "first chapter" books tend to be checked out. Plus, the summer reading program is in full swing here. The covers I have noticed do tend to be different between the UK publications versus the US. I personally like the UK's better. There is also a fun website that is connected with these books. Each book has a secret code word that you can plug in and get some fun activity pages. We did the coloring page and used the stickers that came with the book to fill it in. Read and fill your inner princess needs.

Chapter Books - Rainbow Magic Fairies

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:20:00 +0000

Oh my, where to begin with this series of many series. My wee four year old bookworm was first introduced to the Rainbow Magic fairies at her fourth birthday party. One of her little preschool classmates gave her five of the seven Rainbow Magic Weather Fairies for a gift. Little did I know then how big of a hit they would be. I have been a bit out of touch with the latest and greatest in the book releases, especially series. Our wee bookworm got so interested that we had to immediately go and find the last two of the weather series, plus we needed to find out how it ended.

As with many kids series, like my beloved original Nancy Drew being one of them, there is generally a set formula that is used to write these. No doubt author Daisy Meadows is using a method as well, especially being able to crank them out so quickly. From what I have seen there seems to be no end in the type of fairies the series will address. We of course started with the weather fairies, which follows the series introduction of "the" Rainbow Fairies. These being the color fairies. Then we moved on to the Petal Fairies for flowers. There are also fairies for dances, parties, jewels, pets, fun days, sports, and the all encompassing special fairies.

The books are written in a seven part series with of course seven fairies. The lead characters are tween age girls Rachel and Kirsty who meet in the first series and become best of friends. The stories goes sort of like Jack Frost causes some type of grief for a set of fairies in Fairyland and some how their magic item/being/or event has been sent to or affected in the human world where the girls are able to help sort it out. Of course, this all the while trying to avoid Jack Frost goblins who are pretty much bungling fools who are not too evil for the most part just make bad choices and hang out with a mean leader. The series can be read out of sequence, but it helps to go in order for some readers.

They are not scholarly books or scary, but are a bit of fantasy magical fun. One of my favorite times with my wee bookworm is curling up together on the sofa and reading away for the about 30 minutes it takes to read one of these out loud to her. She totally gets the story line and remembers the key elements that make the stories their own. Plus, a key liking for her is throughout the book on almost every page small illustrations can be found. A choice series pick for kids 4 to 8 and that enjoy a bit more complex story line than found in the typical early readers and picture books. Probably more of a girls series. Most of these books can be found either online or the larger bookstores. They are hard to get at several of our library branches as they are checked out most of the time.

Picture Book - AlphaOops!

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000

AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis and illustrated by Bob Kolar

Although published in 2006, this is a delightful and humorous take on how the letter "Z" is tired of being last. He takes it upon himself to rearrange the alphabet. The letters then begin a bit of chaos in taking turns. All this fun yet filled with lots of new words, which themselves will bring out more laughter. The illustrator has provided on the bottom of each page the correct alphabet position in outline format. The kids can then see how the order the letters are following do not match up with the traditional flow. This is great for kids that know the alphabet and great for shared reading, especially when the reader adds the attitude and emotions the letters are expressing. Probably good for ages 4 to about 8 or so. Also, a great gift for the alphabet enthusiast out there of any age.

Good Grief!

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:04:00 +0000

These are the days my mama told me about...or something like that. It has been a long journey of chaos with my hard drive. Way back in the first of January I discovered the first of several hardcore viruses on my computer. Let's just say that the good thing that came from that is how much more knowledgeable I am now in computer software and hardware. I already had a small bit, but now I border on geekness. I even ended up proving the Geek squad wrong and fixed some of the damage they didn't think was possible. Of course, I'm wondering if they purposely led me down the path of little faith to sell me new things. My old, but trusty hopefully once again computer has been "well" for a few month.

However, it has been other fun things and chaotic life with a preschooler and activities that have kept me from posting. Can't say that this is much of a priority like it use to be. Although home improvements, which took up most of the spring would have to be the lowest of lows, but demanded my attention. We are still reading books by the truck load. This has been accomplished both in the from of buying and visiting the library. I still have my bookish habit of buying, but still love to visit the library with the wee one. She loves to choose books for herself and has her own little card and book bag in which she enjoys with this process.

I will be sharing a number of books that she is really into, especially these new chapter books that are so predictable, but lots of fun for her. So, hopefully I will talk with you more often now. Also, I'm not sure the term wee one still applies to her any more as she turned four back in February. Guess I will come up with something soon enough for my little bookworm. Ta Ta for now.

Merry, Merry Christmas to All

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Yes, I did disappear for quite some time and chose this day before one of the biggest non blogging days to attempt a reappearance. I could go into many details for the absence, but lets just sum it all up in had wrist/hand surgery that took several months to recover from, can type now, handwriting looks worse then ever, various family illnesses, enjoying busy family life, wee one started preschool, we're doing lots of fun activities and projects, and now may attempt to keep this site up to date again.

So, let’s just start slow with a mention of a great group of books that we discovered these past few months and hope to enjoy more of. They are by the author Crystal Bowman and illustrated by Claudine Gèvry. We first found the book A Star for Jesus (2006). It tells the story of a special star that was put in the sky long ago to mark the birth of Jesus. Simple easy rhyming text that is engaging and has an easy to remember message that kids can keep in their hearts for years to come. This is indicative of the other books that we picked up by the same author such as J Is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told, Christmas Angels and My Christmas Gift.

Bowman and Gèvry have a number of other books with different themes that are in a similar style. The ones we found are large/oversized die cut shaped board books. They would be great for first time Christmas books for babies, and preschoolers would love them too, at least ours does. I do think even some early elementary age kids would enjoy them as part of a story time, but would find them on their own a bit too simple.

Well, enjoy your holidays whether it be Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or just the New Year.

School's Out - Yeah! or Hey?

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:24:00 +0000

Oh, it is hard to believe, but our school district’s traditional calendar schools ended today. Although I haven’t worked in the local elementary school library since the 2003 school year this day always brings back memories for me. One of the hardest things I found as part of my library work was collecting books back from all the kids. Taking back books rather then checking them out seemed like such an anti-librarian thing to do.

At one time our school was located next to the local branch library then the school was rebuilt down the road a bit. There were times I would see some of the students at the branch, but unfortunately most of the 700 or so students did not visit the library for one reason or another. I also knew many of the students didn’t have books at home and only read at school. For many of the students the last week of school would be the final time they would see a book until the next school year.

So on the last day of school, for me it was really doing lots of cleaning up, inventory, and so forth. As the doors would close behind me and lights went out, it really saddened me to know that those magnificent books would remain on the shelves until a summer school session and then only read, not checked out by the visiting students for a few weeks until August came around. I would have such great memories of working with the students all year, learning their favorite reads, helping open up a mind to different works, watching a student blossom with their research, and so forth. But on that last day, the kids rejoiced for a break, yet the books looked lonely without a child’s hand wrapped around them.

What's in a name?

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:50:00 +0000

I am not sure what to think of my wee one’s latest information gathering. As I have mentioned before commercial television is pretty much off limits in our house for her. PBS is the only station she has any knowledge of, or I thought. However, it seems my quick glances at the local all weather station has had a bit more impact on her than just “what does the weather say mommy?” Apparently, those quick little five-minute news updates especially the political ones has come to rest upon her wee little ears.

Today she was finishing up her breakfast when I tuned into catch the day’s forecast. And, there he was the newscaster talking about how Barak Obama was going to be in the state again and his agenda. Then the wee one perks up and says “is Rock Obama here?” “Is he going to be the one?” At first I was in the, what are you talking about frame of mine, then I put it together. I explained he with several others are running for president and at that moment a picture of Hillary Clinton was on the screen as the newscaster continued on about her agenda for the state. The wee one then asked “is that Rock Obama?” After a good chuckle, I said no, but then tried explaining that was another one of the people also wanting to be the next president. With the primaries here next week and one of the few times our state’s votes will make a difference at least for the democrat party nominee the news has been littered with national and local candidate discussions.

So, as with all new things the wee one will be asking questions about Rock Obama for a number of days until another interest over takes it. Funny how of all the names thrown out in these quick news reports hers picked up on his. Maybe after she devours a few books today she will more interested in Pooh or Fancy Nancy again. That is what turning three should be more about, I think?

Early Readers - Fancy Nancy at the Museum

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:59:00 +0000

Ah, we have discovered Fancy Nancy in our home and what a delight she is. Fancy Nancy along with a few other fun books kept us company a few weekends ago on a short trip. The one we acquired was Fancy Nancy at the Museum by Jane O'connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser part of the I Can Read series level 1.

Now as we all know not all Early Reader books are created equal. This particular series I like as it is a bit more on target in my opinion for the age and reading level it addresses. One of the fun things about this book is how the author throws in some “fancy” words that really do add to a kid’s vocabulary like observant and masterpiece.

We haven’t read any of the other Fancy Nancy books, but if they are as engaging as this one we will be on the look out the next time we are at the library. Definitely a cute book for girls getting read to read or just learning to read. Boys may like this particular Fancy Nancy just for the vomit incident, but I doubt they could relate to her overall girlie style.

Picture Books - As seen on DVD

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Oh where, oh where has the time gone. No matter where it went, gladly it has given way to spring weather. Although, I haven’t posted about books of late, be assured we have not lost interest or in my case passion about the written word. Some may call my passion a bit over the top, but I like knowing we have a home that you literally cannot step into any room without being able to pick up a book. Why even in the bathrooms you will find a bucket of books or even a step stool with hidden storage just waiting to fulfill your bookish desires. Most of course are of the children’s literature genre, but getting in touch with your inner child is a good thing.

Even though books are great, we also like our quality shows as well. PBS has been putting quality kids programming together for some time and I have just been loving their Jane Austen series over these last few months. But, wait we also have spent a buck or two or three on DVD’s besides books. I’m not a big fan of commercial television especially for kids. So, whenever I get a chance I pick up a DVD or two of entertainment like VeggieTales, Little Einsteins, or Angelina Ballerina. Some great finds of late include The Little Polar Bear (2003) based on the book by Hans De Beer and the recent purchase of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories (1995) based on the classics by Eric Carle. (I use the word classic in the sense that Carle’s books have on many levels in my opinion reached that status.)

My wee one loves pretty much all books, but it is fun to sit with her and watch Carle’s books unfold on screen word for word as she has heard them from us and also can pretty much recite on her own. Oh, I still think the book version is the best, but when looking for a quick change of pace or in our case this week working on removing a splinter from the wee one’s hand, the DVD version is quite mesmerizing for her. There are many books that have gone to DVD, but some like Stellaluna have deviated from the original text. This isn’t bad and can actual be a good teaching tool in comparing and contrasting story versions. Some books that have been put to DVD include the text viewing as an option. Great for early readers or if you have special needs children.

So, where am I going with this post? Don’t know. Have spring fever. Enjoy a book or watch it unfold on screen. Either way have a great day. Oh, and many of these DVD's are available at the library for check out.

Picture Books - Easy Street

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:20:00 +0000

Typically in our area road construction runs from about March to November, but there are always those “quick” patches that are done year round. Previously, when I have been slowed or stalled from road construction I have usually tried to make light of it to our wee one by pointing out the various pieces of equipment. However, I really haven’t ever gone into to the “why’s” other than explaining the road needs fixing.

In Easy Street (2006) the author Rita Gray has gone the extra mile to explain the road building process in simple terms with the use of rhyming text. Surprisingly, the details behind constructing a road are there in the words and the unique artwork depicted by illustrator Mary Bono yet it isn't overwhelming to the reader. This is definitely a book to read with the coming construction season for those looking to be sitting in traffic. Also, this does have the familiar Bob the Builder look, but it is a bit more than that. Good for both boys and girls and probably a good reminder to us driving that road building is a process that is good, but tedious. My recommendation for ages would be newborn to 5.

Hey There All! How Have You Been?

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. I even missed my two-year blogging anniversary in January. Well, my typing abilities have always been a bit rough with proofreading even being rougher. But, with my wrist not working well these past years and even worse over the last three months, I can’t promise quality type here. Anyway, I have had a very, very painful shot of cortisone in my wrist that has eased the pain that was from shoulder to fingers and has allowed for increased usage of this very helpful appendage. Now, all I have to do is schedule surgery and we may be on the way to a more permanent recovery.

What has been very encouraging during this two month hiatus was to see my readership actually increase rather than decrease. After reviewing many of the statistics it appears that the increase is from readers reviewing past book postings and routing through the various children’s resources listed. One of my goals when starting this blog was to be a useful spot in finding or directing readers to children’s resources and commenting on some books. Looks like my little itty-bitty spot on the World Wide Web has been find useful to some. Yeah! And, thanks for tuning in.

Hopefully, over the next week or two I will start posting about books again and updating the resource list. Until then I hope you are enjoying your day and that the winter weather especially for those of us in the colder states aren’t getting too caught up in the gloomy weather.

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:38:00 +0000

Sorry to say, but carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel have forced me on a hiatus for a while. So, in the meantime enjoy the holidays, read lots and lots of books, and give lots and lots of books to everyone. Oh, and one of many books I would recommend giving is the recent release of Andrew Clements, Dogku. Excellent use of the hiaku style of poetry with a found stray dog as its lead character.

Easy Reading Found Here!

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:38:00 +0000

Was taking a stroll through the children's lit blog world this afternoon and noticed several were participating in a reading rating. Now, one thing I try to really strive at is to keep it simple with most everything in life. So, I like to think I have extended that philosophy to this here quaint little blog world of mine. When "taking" the blog test I was very pleased to learn that my keep it simple practice is working well here. Read on my friends!

Boxes and Tissue

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:28:00 +0000

As the season of gift giving is upon us, I as usual have been doing some wondering. Yes, for those that don't know me well, I am a girl that ponders those unusual, everyday, and even quirky things of life. One of the many ponderings that have been passing through my brain of late is that of tissue paper. No, not the kind we use to blot, wipe, or blow our noses with, but rather the stuff in a bag or line a box kind.

As long as I can remember, which is a long, long time all the gifts given or received within my side of the family we have always used tissue paper to line our gifts with especially boxes. Even looking back at some old, old photos of Christmas past there were boxes all over my mom and grandparents home with tissue sticking out. Now, I totally understand the tissue in a bag thing, but of course it adds to the mystery of what is inside for the receiver.

So, what brought about this pondering moment? Well, I was wrapping a few gifts and could not locate any tissue paper and it put me in a quandry. Every bit of my inner gift wrapping mantra said "you must use tissue in the box, you must use tissue in the box". Well, I now have a 120 count package on hand and the dilemma resolved, but my pondering is still unanswered. Why have I been using tissue to line boxes all these years? It seems like a good idea and makes things a bit more elegant plus when wrapped around books it helps perserve the dust jacket, yet why for everything?

Picture Books - Big Smelly Bear

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:09:00 +0000

Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup 2007 has the smell of a delightful book. If you have a small one that just hates to take a bath or just a little one with a funny bone this is a book that will bring lots of smiles. Our little one really loves to take baths on most days. Luckily for us she is a bit on the dainty side and so far doesn’t play with too much mud.

What we have here is a case of Big Smelly Bear who has an itch. Could be due to not ever taking a bath or could be his fur hasn’t been groomed or something else all together. But, whatever it is the itch needs some tending to, but he can’t find the solution. About this time Big Fluffy Bear speaks up and offers to assist only after Big Smelly Bear takes a bath. Well, you can probably see where this is heading.

Both boys and girls I’m sure will enjoy the situation, but I have a feeling boys could probably relate more to Big Smelly Bear’s situation. Recommend for ages preschool to about 2nd grade.

A Lone(ly) Wolf

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 02:12:00 +0000

Some days I really wonder about nature. A few weeks ago on the way to church we saw a wolf lying beside the road that had unfortunately been hit by a car. Now it seemed odd to see a wolf that close to city limits, but we were traveling towards and almost in a rural area. So, it didn’t seem too odd. However, this morning on our way to Thanksgiving dinner we saw another one only this guy was inside city limits and in an industrial park area (opposite direction of our last encounter). We had to do a double take and then slowed down to get a better look. Sure enough it was a wolf and a large one at that and meandering a bit anxiously along. However, it made my heart sink when I noticed that he was heading in the direction of the interstate. Hopefully, he found a different and safer path to get were he was heading. I have heard about coyotes and even a fox or two in city limits heck there was even a beaver in my old neighborhood, but this was my first wolf sighting. The picture posted here is almost identical to the one we saw today. Had I not been driving I would have grabbed the camera. The cool thing was both my husband and wee one got to see it too. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Picture Books - Library Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:54:00 +0000

Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk 2007 was such a treat to find. Back in September my husband surprised me with a mini-date night to celebrate my birthday. With no idea of what to do in the spare hour or so we had, we headed off like most booklovers or those married to one to a bookstore. There we perused my favorite section, children’s of course. We found many wonderful selections and came home with a few. However, my favorite of that night was Library Mouse. Of course, I love to find books featuring a library as the setting and this one fit perfectly. Yet, the story isn’t so much about the wonders of a library, but rather the possibilities that can come from knowledge learned through reading. Sam the library mouse loves to read and enjoys all the books of the library when the doors close and lights go off. Then one night he gets an idea, how about writing his own story, then another and another. He begins to leave his works around (in the correct subject area of course) where others can enjoy them. Soon the librarians get the idea to have the mysterious Sam to a “ meet the author” event. However, Sam would rather encourage others to explore the stories within themselves and sets up a different type of event. This story is charming and would really be of use in encouraging young children to write. But, it is also a good story just for pleasure reading. I would suggest to kindergarten to 4th grade.

Where oh where is spring?

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:25:00 +0000

Well, it was a lovely day and we took great advantage of it by planting over 150 spring bulbs today. (For some reason the pervious owner of this house didn't have spring flowers.) About half of those were daffodils and the other half various shades of pink tulips. We still need to add some more dirt and mulch this week, but the weather won't effect the bulbs until another week or so. Last year I waited a bit too long and only planted a few, but this year I thought we should up the spring time bounty.

Unfortunately, we didn't have much time this afternoon as we went running around trying to find a replacement for our garage window. Not an easy task we found and now we are going to have to settle for something that really doesn't match nor does it function the same as we don't have time for a special order. But, hey the builder of this home and its previous occupants have given us numerous challenges and this too shall be overcome. At least we have started the heating season off with no gas leaks so far. It seems that was becoming too much of a common aliment for this house. Although this is generally the time most of us read harvest season type books to the younger crowd, don't forget to throw a book or two in about preparing for the next growing season. Watch it Grow by Ivan Bulloch 2000 is one to consider. It is very general and more geared to actual spring planting, but worth a look for an overall view of gardening.

Picture Books - Babar's Little Girl

noreply@blogger.com (PJ Librarian) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:07:00 +0000

There are so many books I want to share with you, but we have been busying regrouping from last week’s vacation and this week's odd happenings. Right now the wee one is battling a mean case of the croup. Unfortunately, for me she woke up this morning after an extremely difficult night without her voice. Although she is only 2 1/2 she really has an amazing vocabulary that I have come to rely on for communication. Now she is a bit frustrated with me because she is trying so hard to tell me things and I truly have no idea what she is saying. So, I’m having to revert back to what I did before she had this marvelous way of expressing herself.

In the meantime we are reading a wide variety of books and watching some of those great educational videos. One of the books she is really enjoying is from the Babar series. Ah, you can’t go wrong with a classic Babar book in my opinion. We picked up Babar's Little Girl by Laurent De Brunhoff a few weeks ago at the library. I am amazed at how well she sits for an extend length picture book. The story is a fairly straightforward tale of how Babar’s little five-year-old wonders off without telling anyone and worries everyone. Although she is safe, the story explains without drama how wondering off is not a good idea. With so many unfortunately incidents of today’s world this would make a good introduction to the topic of staying safe and letting others know where you will be. The wee one is a bit too young to understand this from the book, but a seed planted here and there at this age can never go wrong. Most sites recommend this for ages 9 and up, but I think preschool and up would work if the audience is one with patience or sits well for longer stories.