Sturdy For Common Things

Blog Update

2013-01-20T12:54:00.006-06:00

Please be sure to visit http://www.sturdyforcommonthings.com/!

It's the permanent blog home for Sturdy for Common Things. See you there!!

Seeing Things

2012-10-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

Blue bites,

stacks of wonder,

paper cuts,

Color across pages through afternoon rain and thunder.

Growing kit.

Just when you think no one is looking...

while the walls are vibrating. Harmony, melody, two by two.

You look over your shoulder and can't recognize what's behind you.

It's been a hectic fall thus far. At the library, at home, and all around. I feel as though I've been caught in a storm the past month or so, but can finally see it breaking on the horizon. Other than the sleep I've been missing, I've also missed being here. Writing here. It's been a natural part of my schedule for over two years now and when I don't make the time for it, the effect is similar to when I don't get my cup of coffee in the morning. It's not a good situation. For me, or for anyone in close proximity.

I first started writing this post four weeks ago and already so much has changed. L even looks so much different than the pictures above. I was going to scrap it, but decided against it. I thought you might like to give it a read regardless. For those of you who visit frequently, thank you for your patience in my absence. And if you're here for the first time, thank you for visiting. Have some tea and enjoy your stay. I'm back and there's a lot coming your way!

Read Across Lawrence for Kids Recap

2012-10-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

The crickets were a chirpin' over here at Sturdy for Common Things over the past month. Not much posting going on, but it was a necessary sacrifice-- I promise! I'm back and would like to share with you one of the main reasons blogging took a backseat...

For the month of September, I spearheaded the launch of a community-wide reading program for young readers called Read Across Lawrence for Kids (I mentioned it here back in August) at the Lawrence Public Library. Area readers 8 & up "got on the same page" by reading the same book at the same time, and also by participating in exciting events themed around the book. The featured title was the critically acclaimed middle grade bohemian fantasy, The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski. While I wrote a more thoughtful and heartfelt recap for the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Blog (a huge honor!) highlighting this program to be posted later this month, I thought a fun alternative to outlining this massive program would to put together a photo montage. Because who doesn't love a good montage! And even better... I embedded a special song for you to play while you look through the images. And no I haven't tired of listening to it... yet. And I have a feeling you haven't either. Enjoy!

You would want to participate after seeing this poster too, right?! A poster from an assortment of fabulous marketing materials created for Read Across Lawrence for Kids (RAL Kids)!

Due to the fantastic support of the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, we gave out over 600 free copies of The Cabinet of Wonders to young readers and local educators within the first few days!

A majority of the books were given out at the Read Across Lawrence Kids Pizza Party Kick-Off, the first opportunity for kids to pick up a free copy of the book. I briefly gave a rundown of the month's worth of RAL Kids programs offered, we watched The Cabinet of Wonders official book trailer, and then enjoyed delicious pizza donated from Wheat State Pizza.

A few days after the kick-off was the adult kick-off and Lawrence Book Night. The adult Read Across Lawrence title, Winter's Bone, and The Cabinet of Wonders were given out around town to lucky individuals staff members happened to stubble upon.

A local artist drew this awesome chalk drawing to promote the month of events.

The cover art of The Cabinet of Wonders looks very similar to cut-paper art, so we hosted local cut-paper artist, Angie Pickman, for the RAL Kids cut-paper workshop.

The kids created cut-paper using elements found in The Cabinet of Wonders. This was such a fun and unique program. If I hadn't worked it I would have attended. It was awesome. Read the artist's recap here.

At the RAL Kids Kick-Off, after I showed the official book trailer, I challenged the kids to create an even better trailer using the popular stop-motion technique of claymation at the RAL Kids Book Trailer Workshop.

The attendees of this workshop were responsible for creating the characters, the sets, and shooting the scenes. It was a blast! And they did a great job! The trailer premiered at the RAL Kids Virtual Author Talk Finale.

Pretty awesome, right? Make sure you watch the *entire* clip.

One of the ongoing activities was a Downtown Geocaching Scavenger Hunt where families could rent a simple, pre-programmed GPS device and use clues from the book to find secret container all in a walkable distance from the library.

Here is an example of one of the hidden boxes. Contents include a clue to the location of the next hidden item, a finder's log, pen, an item or items relevant to the book, disposable camera to take your picture, and a note about the program.

Another one of the the ongoing events included was our library's Cabinet of Wonders Instillation. Kids of all-ages could bring in their own artifacts to be put on display in a community cabinet of wonders collection throughout the entire RAL Kids month.

In honor of RAL Kids, The Cabinet of Wonders was the September selection for the monthly book club for tweens at the library.

One of my favorite programs offered was a Tour of Lawrence's Own Cabinet of Wonders at Watkins Community Museum of History, an exclusive tour for kids wanting to explore the very top floor of the museum, which looks very much like a cabinet of wonders.

Adults attended this event as well to learn about the secret artifacts and a few of the secrets the city keeps in the museum's attic. The education coordinator of Watkins, Abby Pierron, did an awesome job with this event!

For the older tweenage crowd, we hosted a raffle for advanced reader's copies of The Cabinet of Wonders author Marie Rutkoski's new book The Shadow Society. Along with the books, we also raffled off awesome swag as well! A handful of the RAL Kids readers were older, so this was a neat side element of the program.

The very last event of the month was the RAL Kids Virtual Author Talk Finale, where we hosted author Marie Rutkoski in a virtual skype chat with the kids at our library. She talked about her inspiration behind the books, what it's like being a writer, and what she's currently working on. And did I mention she's living in Paris for the year? We skyped with her from grand ol' Paris! Gotta love technology today!

Afterwards we premiered The Cabinet of Wonders book trailer, raffled away a few copies of The Celestial Globe, the sequel to The Cabinet of Wonders, and also enjoyed juice and donuts donated by Checkers Foods. The picture above is of attendees signing a RAL Kids poster as a thank you to Marie for visiting with us.

The adventures in reading didn't stop with September! My colleague, Molly Wetta, who works in the Teen Zone made this awesome infograph of read alikes for The Cabinet of Wonders.

If you'd like to read more about this program, please check out the ALSC Blog after October 30th!

And if you'd like to listen to "Call Me Maybe" again... just scroll up and hit play.

You know you want to.

Pages to Projects

2012-10-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

I'd like to take a moment to direct your attention over to "Pages to Projects", a new series I'm honored to be guest blogging for over at Library as Incubator Project. The sole intention of the series is how to incorporate elements of art education and appreciation into the ever-popular, timeless children's program-- storytime! The very first post, "Pages to Projects: Outside the Box", went live this morning! Please head over there for a looksie!!

Treasure Hunt

2012-10-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

Like I mentioned earlier, the Lawrence Public Library's annual book sale was a couple weekends ago. They have THE BEST finds for cheap. If you're library has a book sale, go! You won't regret it. Here are a few of my found treasures...

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Inga Moore
Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten by Emilie Poulsson
Perrault's Fairy Tales with thirty-four full-page illustrations by Gustave Dore
The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Yaroslava
Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

Whopping Grand Total: $8

Not A Box Storytime

2012-10-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Our library recently had their big annual books sale which meant afterward there were tons and tons of boxes that once housed books. I grabbed 40 from the pile and planned a storytime and craft inspired by Antoinette Portis' picture book, Not A Box, and a few others books that inspire using one's imagination by thinking outside the box. For the craft we made playhouses by decorating the outside and inside of the boxes, magically turning them into... well... not a box!

Storytime Line-Up:

Not A Box by Antoinette Portis

A fun and simple book about a bunny and the different ways he imagines his box is not a box.

Sitting in my Box by Dee Lillegard, illustrated by Jon Agee

A boy starts out alone in his box until animal after animal keeps making an appearance wanting to get in the box with him. You can imagine soon enough it gets quite crowded. Oh the things that happen when sitting alone in a box with a book...

Chloe by Peter McCarty

A favorite in our house (seen here). We've read it so much we own it. Chloe loves family fun time after dinner, but when a new television disrupts that time she has to create a few distractions of her own to get it back.

Magic Box: A Magical Story by Katie Cleminson

I've gushed over Katie Cleminson before here. When planning this storytime I learned about her out-of-print book, Magic Box, and immediately interlibrary-loaned it. It's awesome! Colorful and fun! The kids loved it.

Not A Box Craft:

Like I said earlier, the library had tons and tons of boxes left over from the library sale, so I thought I would put them to good use for the craft after storytime. I made a playhouse out of my "not a box" example, but encouraged the kids to do whatever they'd like with their boxes. The majority made playhouses, but a few made cars and one made a custom "not a box" chair.

Materials used: Pre-cut squares and rectangles out of colorful cardstock from a few previous crafts (including this one from a few weeks back), pages from home magazines, markers, glue, and scissors. Also, I want to mention that I cut all the tops off the boxes before storytime so the kids wouldn't have to hassle with them.

All the materials were laid out on a large table. To the side of each table were stacks of boxes. The kids went through the boxes and picked out the one they wanted to use. They sat on the floor and cut and glued and colored, turning their box into anything they wanted.

For this box, I colored different shapes with a marker, and then glued them on with a glue stick.

I also cut out flowers from a magazine and made window planters.

For the inside of the box, I taped cardstock to the bottom. Glue also works.

For decorating the inside, I tore out pictures from bunches and bunches of home magazines and let the kids cut out from then what they liked. Some pasted the whole page on the inside. Others cut out specific objects and pasted them in whichever fashion they preferred.

I did a little of both.

After they finished, they took their "not a boxes" home to play.

We made this craft over a week ago and L still wakes up every morning and plays with it.

Life Lately

2012-09-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

This picture pretty much sums of life lately... The laundry continues to pile up on the bed. Dishes pile up in the sink. Will is busy with school. I'm busy with work and restyling my blog. L is busy being a two-year-old. Sleep has become an afterthought. We've been working on finding some semblance of peace to keep us sane. Sometimes it feels like I only see my husband in fleeting moments. As soon as we wake he leaves, as soon as he comes home, I'm out the door. Something's gotta give. But for now, our only commitment is to the hope of a some shut eye. Even if it has to be on three loads of laundry.

Pirate Storytime

2012-09-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

Yo, ho, ho ya scurvy dogs! International Talk Like a Pirate Day is tomorrow, September 19th! To celebrate, the Sunday Storytime was everything pirates! We talked like pirates, read books about pirates, sang pirate sea shantys, and dressed up like pirates-- eye patch and all! ARRR!!!!

Pirate Storytime Line-Up:

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon

A favorite book among children and pirates alike! It was also a great introduction into how to talk like a pirate. After the story was over I introduced a few phrases listed below and we practiced aloud as a group. All phrases and definitions were found and modified from Talk Like A Pirate.

Avast!-- Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise.

Aye-- "Why yes, I agree most heartly with everything you just said or did."

Aye, aye!-- "I'll get right on that sir!"

Arrr!-- Can mean, variously, "yes", "I agree", "I'm happy", "My team is going to win it all", "I enjoy reading this book", and "That was a clever remark you or I just made".

Jolly Roger-- a pirate's flag including white skull and crossbones over a black field

Seadog-- old pirate or sailor

Thar she blows!-- whale sighting

Yo, Ho, Ho!-- cheerful exhortation to demand attention

Port Side Pirates by Debbie Harter, illustrated by Oscar Seaworthy

I thought I would try to sing a couple pirate sea shanties with the kids, but when I started to look a few up they were... er... not quite appropriate for storytime. Even this Disney version- yikes! But this book sung to the tune above work out extremely well.

Pirate Song

I came across this flannel board from the blog In The Children's Room and was so happy I did! It was the perfect addition to Sunday's Pirate Storytime! It goes like this...

Pirate Song (Sung to "This Old Man") via Work of Heart

This old pirate, has a hat

Where a skull and crossbones sat.

With an Ar, Ar, Ar, and an Ay Matey!

This old pirate sailed the sea.

This old pirate had a patch

Sailed the sea without a scratch.

With an Ar, Ar, Ar and an Ay Matey!

This old pirate sailed the sea.

Additonal Verses:

This old pirate has a hook, uses it to hold a book.

This old pirate has a map, keeps it handy in his lap.

This old pirate has a bird, barely knows a single word.

This old pirate has a ship, travels the world in a single trip.

This old pirate looking for treasure, more than anyone can measure!

Started out with this old pirate decorated with only a few mere pirate accessories...

...And then continued to add on items with each verse.

This flannel was so fun. It was stressful creating it at the last minute (Sunday morning), but it all came together in the end. All of these flannel pieces are my own except the ship. I used this ship template from Rovingfiddlehead Kid Lit.

Pajama Pirates by Andrew Kramer, illustrated by Leslie Lammle

For our last Pirate Storytime book, I read a new picture book with lovely illustrations about three siblings and their fantastic pre-bedtime pirate adventure.

Pirate Craft: EYE PATCHES AND PARROTS! ARRR!

You ain't a pirate if you don't have an eye patch and a trusty parrot!

I pre-made eyepatches for each storytimer to tie around their head after storytime and then they made their very own parrots to perch on their shoulders.

Materials used: Black foam sheets, black yarn, colored cardstock, feathers, glue, scissors, googly eyes, and tape.

For the eye patch, I used these instructions found on About.com as a general guideline. Since I wanted a slightly larger patch, I drew one free hand on the foam, cut it out, and then used that as a stencil for the remaining eye patches.

Cut out your patch/patches. After they are cut, carefully using scissors or an exacto knife, make small slits on each side.

Cut a piece of black yarn slightly bigger than the eye patch wearer's head. For the storytime kids, I cut 16 in. strands.

Thread the strand through the slit.

So that it looks like so.

Fit by placing the patch on the eye and then tying the ends to the back of the wearer's head.

AVAST! Now... for the parrot!

Using this template I found on Family Fun, I printed out parrot figures on red and green cardstock.

And cut them out. That was all the prep. ARRR!

After storytime and after the kids afixed their eye patches to their faces, they went on to decorating their very own pirate parrot using crayons...

...Googley eyes

...and feathers. Lots of feathers!

"Polly wanna cracker?"

Bend the tab on the line marked "A" and tape to child's shoulder.

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! It's a pirate's life for ME!

Miss Becca's Storytime Mixer

2012-09-11T16:23:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for a few books to come in that I've inter-library loaned specifically for storytime, so I decided this week would be a good time to have another storytime mixer. A storytime mixer is when I read some of my favorite books and also a few brand new books that I think the storytime kids would enjoy. It has also been a very busy couple weeks with the start of Read Across Lawrence for Kids, so a mixer and a simple craft were the perfect remedy.

Miss Becca's Storytime Mixer:

My No, No, No Day! by Rebecca Patterson

I decided to share a recent favorite in our house. The kids and parents were rolling with laughter.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

I remember this book being read to me in grade school. It's rhythmic tone and hilarious pictures continue to capture the imagination of kids today.

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer

Love me some Olivia! Other than the first Olivia book, this newest addition to the series is by far my favorite to date!

Press Here by Herve Tullet

After writing about Press Here here, I made a note that it might make a nice read for a future storytime. Press Here is an interactive book that encourages children to be apart of the story by pressing, rubbing, tapping, shaking, and blowing on the book. I stood up to read aloud and had all the kids sitting close to me help with the prompts. I've added pictures of the first few pages, so you'd get the idea. It was a hit!

Press Here Book Craft:

I came across this wonderful dot collage idea inspired from the Press Here book featured on Share & Remember and thought it was so creative! Using Stacy's idea of a dot collage with color coding labels, the storytime kids made their very own mini interactive dot books.

Materials used: colored cardstock/construction paper, white printing paper, color coding labels, scissors, stapler, and a sharpie.

Before storytime, I halved a stack of white printing paper. Enough for 4 sheets per book for 35 kids.

I halved red, green, yellow, and blue cardstock and construction paper for the covers.

If you want to write on the covers with sharpie, I recommend you do so before you staple them together so that the sharpie doesn't bleed through. I ended up not writing on them and leaving the covers blank.

Take two halves of colored paper and sandwich four halves of white paper.

Staple together to make books! That was the extent of my prep for storytime. 10 minutes tops! Love a quick craft prep.

Using colored label dots we already had on hand from our library's craft supplies, the kids used the sticker dots to make their own interactive Press Here book. If you'd like to do this craft at home or in your library or classroom, you can purchase color coded labels here or at your local office supply store.

Below is the example I made for the kids... Of course they did a much better job than I was able to do.

Since September 19th is "Talk Like a Pirate Day", next week is Pirate Storytime! Aye aye!

68 Tiny Distractions

2012-09-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

Those rooms you breezed through just now... they're miniature.

Go ahead, scroll up, and take another looksie.

Incredible, right?

These pictures above are only a sampling of a permanent gallery of miniature rooms called The Thorne Rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago. A few weeks ago, I read The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone, a children's middle grade fiction book about two friends, who discover they can shrink themselves to the size of the miniature Thorne Rooms. It isn't long before they also learn the Thorne Rooms are even more real than they appear.

Have you ever heard of the Thorne Rooms? I never had until reading this book. After I finished The Sixty-Eight Rooms, I immediately loaned Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago, a large book about the rooms and how they came to be, to put their reality to what I had envisioned while reading. Per The Art Institute of Chicago:

"The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications."

The book is truly a fascinating story of Mrs. James Ward Thorne and her love off all things miniature. She collected many of the pieces while traveling abroad in Europe, and commissioned dozens of craftsmen to create rooms to house her findings. The rooms she sketched were inspired by historic castles, museums, and homes of Europe and North America.

After flipping through the book I went to The Art Institute of Chicago's website to look through the rooms there, but I also came across Escape From Thorne Mansion, an interactive way to tour the rooms virtually. So fun!

Every person I talked to about the Thorne Rooms are unfamiliar with their existence, so I thought I would pass on my indulgence so you could explore their master and magic.

This one is my favorite...

South Carolina Ballroom 1775-1835, c. 1940, American, Created by Mrs. James Ward Thorne. Can't you see this room in candle light with a a waltz softly playing? The furniture pushed to the side and people dancing or mingling out on the terrace. A grand southern soiree with a warm breeze and flushed faces.

Then I remember this room is only a little larger than a breadbox....

image sources: thorne rooms: Tennessee Entrance Hall, 1835, French Dining Room of the Louis XIV Period, 1660-1700, c. 1937, English Reception Room of the Jacobean Period, 1625-55, c. 1937, English Drawing Room of the Georgian period, 1770-1800, c. 1937, French Salon of the Louis XVI Period, c. 1780, c. 1937, French Dining Room of the Louis XIV Period, 1660-1700, c. 1937, New York Parlor, 1850-70, c. 1940, Virginia Drawing Room, 1754, c. 1940, Massachusetts Bedroom, c. 1801, c. 1940, mrs. thorne, South Carolina Ballroom, 1775-1835, c. 1940

Read Across Lawrence for Kids

2012-08-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

After months and months of preparation, I'm so excited to share with you a community-wide reading event with the goal of getting kids "on the same page".

For 10 years, the Lawrence Public Library has been hosting a city project, Read Across Lawrence, where everyone reads the same book at the same time. This year will be the very first year we also have a parallel program for kids, Read Across Lawrence for Kids, featuring the highly acclaimed, bohemian fantasy, The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski.

Yesterday, over 200 kids attended our Read Across Lawrence Pizza Party Kick-Off to enjoy delicious Wheat State Pizza, pick up a FREE copy of the book, watch the offical book trailer, and learn about the variety of events offered throughout the month of September. Lots and lots of events!

Cover Art Workshop: Local cut-paper artist Angie Pickman will be hosting an art workshop inspired by the cover art of The Cabinet of Wonders.

Book Trailer Workshop: Kids will learn how to make a stop-motion claymation movie and create a book trailer for The Cabinet of Wonders to premiere at the Read Across Lawrence for Kids Author Talk Finale

Tour of the City's Own Cabinet of Wonders: Watkins Museum in Downtown Lawrence is going to grant access to library patrons to explore their attic, which looks like a cabinet of wonders. There will also be a short book discussion and craft activity following the tour.

Cabinet of Wonders Scavenger Hunt: Using pre-programed GPS devices and clues based on the book, kids can navigate downtown Lawrence in search of hidden treasures.

Cabinet of Wonders Installation: The library is creating it's own community Cabinet of Wonders!

Book Club: Our monthly children's book club, The Secret Book Club, will be reading and discussing The Cabinet of Wonders for their September meeting.

Teens Read it First: Drawing in the Teen Zone for advanced readers copies of Marie Rutkoski's YA novel, The Shadow Society, due out this October.

Read Across Lawrence for Kids Author Talk Finale: Kids will have the opportunity to virtually meet The Cabinet of Wonders author Marie Rutkoski. The book trailer for The Cabinet of Wonders made by the kids of Lawrence will also premiere. Attendees also have a chance to win a copy of the next book in The Kronos Chronicle Series, The Celestial Globe.

The whole month is chock full of activities that take the reading experience one step further.

Along with promoting the events in the library with displays and word-of-mouth, the local teachers and school librarians have been the BIGGEST advocates. Twenty classrooms ranging from 3rd-7th grade have either already started or soon will start reading the book as a part of their language arts curriculum. School librarians have been encouraging their students to read the book and continuously keep them updated on upcoming events. They've been a dream to work with! Gotta love teachers and librarians!

With the kids program underway and the adult Read Across Lawrence program kicking off later this week, I feel confident in saying it's going to be a great month of reading here in Lawrence, Kansas.

Stay tuned...

On The Road Storytime

2012-08-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

Hello Sunday Storytime readers! Yesterday's storytime theme is a tried and true favorite... Cars, Buses, Trucks, and all things that go on the road!

I have to admit... I was completely uninspired for this weekend's storytime. But when that happens, I'm so very lucky to have my "storytime gurus", a couple co-workers who have been doing storytimes for decades, to turn to. With a few of their suggestions, and combining two of their crafts ideas into one, On The Road Storytime was a hit!

On The Road Storytime Line-up:

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Being kind and having friends gets you far, especially when you need a helping hand.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Whatever you do, don't let the pigeon drive the bus! The Sunday storytimers never tire of Mo Willems. Who could?

Bunnies on the Go by Rick Walton, illustrated by Paige Miglio

A rhyming read-aloud about different modes of transportation.

Green Says GO! Flannel Board

I had all the kids stand up and march in place for the different traffic light commands for this interactive flannel board.

Green Says GO!

Green Says, "Go!" (march fast in place)

Go! Go! Go!

Yellow says, "Slow." (march slow)

Slow... slow... slow...

And Red says, "Stop!" (freeze stop)

GO! GO! GO! (march fast)

Slow... slow... slow (march slow)

STOP!!! (stop)

Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia

Love Emma Garcia's books. I like them so much, the craft was inspired by this book.

On The Road Collage Craft:

Our library will be re-locating for a renovation in the very near future. To prepare for the move there has been a cleaning (and purging) of our craft supplies. This craft was inspired by two separate crafts we had leftover supplies from.

It was also inspired by Emma Garcia's collage work in her book Toot Toot Beep Beep.

The materials used for this craft include leftover dye-cut cars, traffic signs, and roads, scraps from the Piet Mondrian craft, wood peices, cardboard scraps, magazine clippings, large sheets of bright blue paper, glue sticks, and scissors. To recreate at home, all you need is some construction paper, magazines, glue and scissors.

First, they kids glued the road down. If you don't have an accucut machine handy, cutting strips of black paper works just as well.

After the road was laid down, various rectangle magazine cut-outs, colored construction paper, and cardboard pieces were glued to the paper to act as a cityscape. These were cut out before storytime, so the younger kids wouldn't have to use scissors.

Paper street signs and cars were also glued on as roadside additions.

Or not.

The majority of the kids chose to not glue their paper car on so that they could move it up and down along the road. In the future, I would love to get a huge sheet of butcher paper some time and assemble a city with the kids. Hmmmm..... I think I see a "Big City Storytime" in the near future...

Reading Together

2012-08-24T10:31:00.000-05:00

The latest and the greatest books we've been reading together the past few weeks! Please feel free to share what you've been reading--- we're always looking for recommendations!

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

Now, I've read Elephant and Piggie for storytime before, but they have finally found their way into our home. L is obsessed. We have checked out every single one of them the past few weeks. She has each book memorized.

Zoe Gets Ready by Bethanie Deency Murguria

A sweet story about a girl who's favorite day is Saturday because that's the day she gets to pick out whatever she wants to wear for the day ahead.

My No, No, No Day! By Rebecca Patterson

Anyone with a toddler will appreciate this story. That is all I have to say.

Day By Day by Susan Gal

A beautifully illustrated story about a moving to a new home, making new friends, and settling in day by day.

Happy by Mies van Hout

A simple story about fish and their emotions enhanced with an electric color palette.

When the Moon Forgot by Jimmy Liao

The first time I read this book I thought it was quite odd. The second time I read it it grew on me. And now every time we read it together I love it more and more.

The Belly Book by Fran Manushkin

A book about bellies!

No Bears by Meg McKinlay, illustrated by Leila Rudge

One little girl is sick and tired of reading books about bears, so she decides to write her own book with NO BEARS. A new favorite author/illustrator duo of mine (I'm currently reading their book Duck for a Day, a new children's beginning chapter book)

Small Bunny's Blue Blanket by Tatyana Feeney

Small bunny loves his blue blanket just the way it is. But when his mother wants to wash it, it takes him some time to warm up to the idea.

Mrs. Giggle Belly Is Coming For Tea by Donna Guthrie, illustrated by Katy Keck Arnsteen

A co-worker introduced this book to me to read with L and we are both head over heals for it. Such a sweet mother-daughter story.

How Do you Say It Today, Jesse Bear? By Nancy White Carlstrom, illustrated by Bruce Degen

Ever since we read Happy Birthday Jesse Bear! and Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?, we've been really into Jesse Bear books.

You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church

You Are My Sunshine and the next book The More We Get Together are a part of a simple series of favorite songs translated into a board books perfect for babies and toddlers. I really enjoy Caroline Jayne Church's illustration style.

The More We Get Together by Caroline Jayne Church

Basher 1, 2, 3 by Simon Basher

Basher books are so kooky. And so fun! We like reading this Basher 1, 2, 3 book and Basher A, B, C.

I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs

"I spy with my little eye" picture book guessing game with sea animals. Also incorporates counting down from 10 to 1.

Press Here by Herve Tullet

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this book yet! We've been reading it whenever it's available to check out. The most cleaver, interactive picture book I've ever read. And one of my favorites to suggest to kids. I love how big their eyes get when I read them the first couple pages. It doesn't seem to ever stay on the shelf for very long.

The Game of Light by Herve Tullet

Another favorite of ours by the same author of the interactive story Press Here. This book should only be told in the dark with a flashlight. See the story play out on your ceiling.

***’Reading Together is a sampling of picture books I’m currently reading aloud to LBD (also known as L or Little L), my toddler daughter. Since I work in the children's room of a public library, I’m always bringing home stacks and stacks of books to share together. Old and new. These are our favorites. Some of which have been read over and over and over again…. Times thirty. To the tenth power.***

Dragon Storytime

2012-08-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

With our medieval armor and trusty steeds, the Sunday storytimers and I journeyed into the mountainous terrain of of books only to come face to face with fire-breathing (and taco eating) DRAGONS!

That's right! Yesterday's storytime theme was DRAGONS! (I feel the word DRAGON should always be in caps, don't you agree?) We read some of my favorite dragon picture books and then made our very own fierce fire-breathers.

Dragon Storytime Line-up:

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

What?! You didn't know dragons love tacos? Well, they do.. they like them a lot. What don't dragons like? Spicy salsa. The kids loved listening to this new picture book hit.

The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring, illustrated by Miriam Latimer

A personal favorite, this picture book is about what happens when you replace fighting with friendship.

The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama

After one boy's mother constantly rejects the idea of getting a dog, she agrees to adopting a dragon. It's only a mater of time when they both soon find out that dragons make terrible pets.

King Arthur's Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel

This story about a 6-year-old boy, the very great great great great great great great grandson of King Arthur, takes off in search of adventure on his donkey, Knuckles. The dialogue in this book is hilarious.

Fire-Breathing Dragon Craft:

This fun and fiery dragon craft idea come from KangarooBoo Blog! What you don't see from this image is a hole in the back of the dragon head. Blow into the hole and make the dragon's flames flicker and spark.

Materials needed: Paper cups, pom-pom balls, googly eyes, crepe paper, construction paper, stickers, liquid school glue, tape, pen, and scissors.

First, punch a hole in the bottom of the cup. I did this to all the cups pre-storytime.

Cut the crepe paper into 5-10 inch strips and tape to the inside lip of the cup.

You are going to want to tape the strips to the top part of the dragons mouth for maximum fire-breathing effects.

To decorate the dragon's face, glue two pom-pom balls where you'd like the eyes to be.

Count to 20 and then glue the googly eyes on top of each pom.

This example dragon was also decorated with construction paper and stickers. I cut the paper into small triangles and folded them at the base. Then I glued them on using school glue. Since I ran out of prep-time for this particular craft, the kids didn't use construction paper triangls. Instead they used the foam shape stickers left over from last week. We also used left over star stickers from Olympic Storytime.

Final product: Fire-breathing DRAGONS!

Here L demonstrates how to wreak havoc.

A lot of kids loved this craft and a lot of them found it difficult. The little ones needed extra help and I ran out of supplies. But everyone had fun listening to stories and was able to take a dragon home with them. Quest completed.

Note: No children were burned during this project and the library still stands today.

Seeing Things

2012-08-19T05:40:00.000-05:00

Shallow waters.

Liar & Spy

2012-08-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Published: Wendy Lamb Books, imprint of Random House, August 2012

Recommended Age: 9 & up

In a Nutshell: I have an author crush on Rebecca Stead- this is no secret. When You Reach Me is up there as an all-time favorite, her Newbery Medal acceptance is something I go back to and read all the time (excerpt found here), I'm constantly recommending her books to kids and adults at the library (even my husband recently read When You Read Me in an evening and is now a fan), and I also enjoy checking in on her blog regularly.

You can imagine I was very excited to claim my library copy of her latest, Liar & Spy. The first reader to crack the spine.

Georges (pronounced George, named after the famous pointillist Georges Saurt) isn't the most popular kid at school. Of course a name like Georges doesn't help the situation either. To add to his troubles his father lost his job and his family has to relocate to a new (and let's face it, not as cool) apartment in Brooklyn. The day they move into their new home, Georges meets Safer, an energetic, yet bizarre boy his age who drinks coffee out of a flask. Safer also has a Spy Club. At least he does now that Georges is in the picture. Spy Club and Georges and Safer's friendship starts to evolve as they start to investigate a mysterious apartment tenant, Mr. X. Whether it's the school bullies or Spy Club missions, Georges starts to test his comfort levels and unveil the mystery of his fortitude.

With characters so real I felt as if they lived next door and a story told with such voice and soul, I couldn't put it down. Upon finishing the book at four in the morning, as I did with the middle grade books Wonder and Okay for Now earlier this year, I was not tired. Quite to the opposite. I was alive.

Well done, Rebecca Stead... Well done.

Perfect For: Middle grade mystery lovers, realistic fiction readers, and of course Rebecca Stead fans.

Don't Take My Word For It: Kid Lit Frenzy, Chicago Tribune

Back to School Storytime

2012-08-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

The majority of the Lawrence area kids go back to school this Wednesday.

What?

School?

Already?!

To get into the shift of a academic state of mind, the Sunday storytimers and I read some (in my opinion) fantastic books about going to school, and also made radical pencil toppers for our craft. Why are they radical? Because when you make them they have a secret super power to make going to school fun!

Back to School Storytime Line-up:

Foxy by Emma Dodd

A brand new Emma Dodd book. We love Emma Dodd! A story of a fox with a magical tail who does his best to help a little girl prepare for her first day of school.

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murry, illustrated by Mike Lowery

A fun spin on the classic gingerbread man tale about a class who leaves their gingerbread man behind and his journey to find them.

Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

Going back to school is all good with when you rock out with Pete the Cat.

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, illustrated by Judy Love

My personal, all-time favorite back to school story with a twist about back to school jitters.

Radical Pencil Topper Craft:

A simple way to spice up a plain ol' No. 2 to send the kids back to class in style.

Materials needed: pipe cleaners, scissors, foam stickers, and markers.

Cut a pipe cleaner in half.

Find two foam stickers the same shape and size.

Attach one to the end of a halved pipe cleaner.

Line up the other sticker with the sticker already attached to the pipe cleaner. Sandwich sticky sides together.

Line up pipe cleaner with a pencil...

...and curl around the pencil.

And that's it! The kids asked me how you are supposed to erase with a pencil topper attached, (They were very concerned about their erasing), but all you have to do is slide it down.

I left markers out during the craft so kids could draw smiley faces or write their names on their totally awesome toppers.

Wishing everyone preparing to go back to school a great first day!

Reading Tween

2012-08-11T05:41:00.000-05:00

Too old for kids books, too young to read teen fiction?

The last installment of the Summer Book Hook is devoted to that in-between age group, the tweenagers. I selected some of most talked about and most recommended books by tweens over this past summer sprinkled in with a few recommendations of my own. Other than Harry Potter (naturally), below are a few great reads for kids not quite ready to make the jump into reading young adult fiction...

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Apothocary by Malie Meloy

The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer

Stormbreaker (The Alex Rider series) by Anthony Horowitz

Eight Grade is Making Me Sick by Jennifer L. Holm

Beauty by Robin McKinley

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Eragon (Inheritance series) by Christopher Paolini

Warp Speed by Lisa Yee

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice series) by John Flanagan

Hope Was Here Joan Bauer

Two great resources for tween recommended reading: Welcome to My Tweendom and The All-Time Best Books for Tweens by Parents.com.

Previous Summer Book Hook posts:

Beginning Chapter Books

Audiobooks

Graphic Novels

Early Readers

My Cyber Librarians

Get a Clue! Middle Grade Mysteries

Looking For Your Next Magical Adventure

Season's Readings: Librarian selected books featured in Lawrence Kids Magazine

Summer Survival Guide for Wimpy Kids Fans

Looking for books for toddlers age kids and younger? Check out this board book list or the Reading Together picture book lists.

And that's it! I'm hoping to have a non-fiction favorites feature, "Fall Into Non-Fiction", here in the near future. I really wanted to include one in the Summer Book Hook, but alas ran out of time. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer of reading. Here in Lawrence school starts next week... where did the summer go? I hope these tips and the Summer Book Hook reading lists were helpful. I know I enjoyed putting them together and sharing them with you and yours.

RIP Summer! Vive le Fall!!

Cardboard

2012-08-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel

Published: Scholastic, August, 2012

Recommended Age: 10 & up

In a Nutshell: If you could make anything out of cardboard what would you make? What would you do if you later find what you made comes to life? Cardboard is an action-packed graphic novel about a boy and his father, a piece of mysterious magical cardboard, and what happens when that cardboard falls into the wrong hands.

This is a story about good vs. evil, transformation, and hope. As I was reading it, I knew this was a book the library kids would go for. The story is exciting, has depth, is imaginative, and the illustrations are incredible.

My only negative about this book was that Marcus, the "bad kid", had a gothic and peculiar appearance, and then **spoiler alert** in the end when he cleans-up his act it is accompanied by a new "normal", boy-next-door appearance. It gives the impression that alternative=villain and clean-cut=good guy. That was my take on it. It certainly did not make or break the book for me, but it was something to note.

Other than that I think Cardboard is a top-notch read!

Perfect For: Superhero comic fans and the graphic novel series, Amulet.

Don't Take My Word For It: Kirkus Review

Wild West Storytime

2012-08-06T06:45:00.000-05:00

Howdy, partner!

Had quite the fandango down at the local library yesterday... Cowboys, outlaws, ladies, and BOOKS! That's right, books. Didn't you know that cowboys love to read? Anyway, I've been awaiting to do this theme for quite sometime, especially since just south of Lawrence, Kansas is Dodge City, one of the most iconic cowboy towns in history. Yee-haw!!

Wild West Storytime Line-up:

How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague

With summer almost over, this was the perfect intro into our storytime lineup. One boy thought he was going to be sent to his Aunt Ferns for a relaxing vacation when a band of cowboys kidnapped him. After that, his summer vacation was anything but ordinary.

Don't Touch My Hat! by James Rumford

Sheriff John thought he could do anything with is 10-gallon hat, but he quickly learns that a hat is a hat. It's the person who's wearing it that saves the day.

She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Deborah Allwright

This book was so fun to read aloud, especially since their is a hand-action guide that goes along with the traditional song. So, I encouraged the kids to chime in with the expressions and hand-motions. They were laughing throughout the story. A must-read for Wild West Stortyime.

The Day Dirk Yeller Came to Town by Mary Casanova, illustrated by Ard Hoyt

What do you give an outlaw who comes to town, itchin' and a scratin' for something to keep him still? A library (and sweet as pecan pie librarian) of course! The perfect remedy for the restless.

Sheriff Badge Craft:

For our wild wild west craft we made sheriff badges. Since our library's summer kick-off theme was "Mustaches & Lawngames", we own the accucut dye cut for various mustache shapes, so I cranked a few out for the kids to wear with their sheriff badges as well.

Materials needed: metallic gold and silver poster board (cheaper than metallic card stock), fake jewels, stickers, tape, sharpie, white school glue, scissors, and colored construction paper.

Pre-storytime, I traced out star badges from a left-over Oriental Trading Company craft. Not so great at drawing free-hand (like myself)? Print out these sheriff badge templates here or here to use as a guide.

Cut the badges out. Smaller scissors seemed to work well.

At storytime, the kids decorated their badges by gluing jewels with white school glue and also applying star stickers.

Sharpie markers we left out to write "Sheriff", "Deputy", "Cowboy", "Best in the West", a name, etc.

And that's it. Short and sweet.

I left out masking tape in case the kids wanted to affix their badges to their shirts AND paper mustaches with a roll of double-stick tape for instant sheriff-appeal. Yippie-kay-yay!

Here, my lil' pardner, Sheriff L, models the Wild West Storytime craft in true cowgirl style.

Stick 'em up! Don't anybody move a muscle. This is a heist. I want to watch 10 hours of Elmo while eating strawberry icecream. Or else.

My Cyber Librarians

2012-08-03T04:53:00.000-05:00

Lean in close, because I have a little secret to share...

Children's librarians usually have gobs and gobs of reading recommendations, but we all get stumped every now and then. It's the truth. Even librarians are human. When this happens, without even flinching, we turn to a tried and true friend--- the internet.

Today I'm spilling three of our top secret (and not so top secret) book recommendation tools, for those dire circumstances when you or your child get stumped looking for that next great read. Because everyone needs a little cyber help every now and then...

Mid-Continent Public Library

Mid-Continent Public Library Juvenile Series and Sequels: A majority of kids these days read books that are grouped into series. Not only is the Mid-Continent Public Library website a great way to find the book order of a particular series, but it is also handy for searching for book series by subject. Fairies, pirates, pigs... whatever your child has an interest in, it's probably been written in a book series and is searchable on this website.

Your Next Read

YourNextRead My new favorite toy! Flowcharts are all the rage lately and this nifty tool gives you reading suggestions in the format of a flowchart. Simply type in a book and for every one book, YourNextRead gives you eight other reading suggestions. When the flow chart pops, click any title on the chart, and it will take you to your next group of recommended reads. This site can be a little glitchy at times and also may have a couple not so great recommendations every so often, but when that happens, there is a "thumbs-up" and a "thumbs-down" option that you can select to display an alternate title.

Goodreads

Goodreads also is a great tool for instant book recommendations even if you don't have an account set up. Search by the title, read the reviews, and browse the read-alikes. When you find the summary and reviews on a specific book, scroll down, and on the the right hand side will be similar book recommendations. More often than not, a book can also be found in reading lists created by Goodreads members. This feature is located above the reader reviews.

This is the second to last edition of the Summer Book Hook. (Can you believe summer is almost over?) I hope you find these websites invaluable not only over the remainder of the summer months, but throughout the year.

Summer Skies

2012-08-02T04:57:00.000-05:00

When the summer starts to stretch into August, blue skies start to become cluttered with sunflowers. Reaching up and out, tall and proud, flexing their fingers these golden sun worshipers, declaring their love of light. When a breeze blows through off the plains, they shake and sway, entranced in dance.

I look up, they look away.

Summer skies in Kansas.

Summer Book Hook: Get a clue!

2012-08-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

The past couple of Summer Books Hook posts have been recommendations for popular middle grade series. Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Greg Hessey the Wimpy Kid have all made appearances, but now it's time to get a clue on read-alikes for readers who enjoyed reading the extremely popular The Mysterious Benedict Society! With the release of the newest edition to the series, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, these books are vanishing off the library's book shelf.

Oh so mysteriously, mysterious....

If you like The Mysterious Benedict Society series, why not try....

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist

Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach

The Name of this Book is Secret (Secret series) by Pseudonymous Bosch

A Whole Nother Story (A Whole Nother Story series) by Dr. Cuthbert Soup

The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes Mystery series) by Nancy Springer

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place) by Maryrose Wood

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen ( The Puzzling World of Winston Breen series) by Eric Berlin

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

The Seven Professors of the Far North (The Seven Professors of the Far North series) by John Fardell

Previous Summer Book Hook booklists and entries can be found HERE!

Shark Stroytime

2012-07-31T03:32:00.000-05:00

"SHARK! Get out of the water and into the library!" With the much anticipated 25th anniversary of The Discovery Channel's Shark Week on the horizon, and since kids love sharks, I thought it would be fun to have a storytime featuring these fun, yet fearsome creatures. For our after-stories craft we made "Deep Sea Panoramas" featuring The Sandbar certified sharks.

Shark Storytime Line-Up:

I'm a Shark by Bob Shea

Meet a shark that's not afraid of anything; well, almost anything. Bob Shea's dinosaur books are a big hit at our house as well as at storytime. This title was no different.

After reading I'm a Shark, I showed the kids pictures of different types of sharks with a few facts before reading the next book...

Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist, illustrated by Julia Gorton

A spin-off of the tale The Three Little Pigs for the ocean blue.

Next, the kids enjoyed a flannel board rhyme.

Five Little Fish, Teasing Mr. Shark Flannel Board

Five Little Fish Teasing Mr. Shark

(Sung to the tune of 5 Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree)

Five little fish, swimming in the sea,

Teasing Mr Shark

"You Can't Catch Me!"

You Can't Catch Me!"

When along swam Mr. Shark, as quiet as can be...

AND (clap hands) caught that fishy right out of the sea.

(Repeat with four fish, three fish, two fish, and one fish...)

So alone swam Mr. Shark as quiet as can be

And he looked and he looked...

"no more fishies for me."

Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway

A friendly shark that would do anything to be friends with the other sea animals. The kids loved this book.

Deep Sea Panorama Craft:

The kids had such a fun time with this craft. There was quite a bit of prep involved, but it was worth it - especially since The Sandbar donated toy sharks for the kids to keep. For those of you who don't live in Lawrence, The Sandbar is a downtown staple. They're famous for their "indoor hurricanes" and signature adult beverages including (make that especially) their "Shark Attack". For this post, I amended their famous shark attack and made it kiddie friendly. More on that later.

Materials Needed: file folders, colored paper, tape, glue stick, clip art printed and cutout, stickers, scissors, and crayons.

To create the deep sea panorama, open a file folder and tape two pieces of blue paper on the inside of the folder.

Cut the exposed folder parts leaving only the blue paper showing.

It will look like so.

Using white or manilla colored paper, cut sand to line the bottom and glue on.

From green paper, cut squiggly lines, layer, and glue onto the panorama.

I pre-cut the sand, seaweed, and also cut out some clip-art I found on the interweb that the kids glued on. They also used foam stickers. (They love their foam stickers!)

I also left crayons out to color their panoramas with.

The finishing touch... each kid received their very own shark! To keep!

And to play with in their homemade deep sea home forever and ever!

We also took diorama pictures that were posted on the library's facebook page. You can view those here.

Now for the bonus round...

How to make a Shark Attack drink for kids (without the bite).

Here we go!

BONUS Shark Attack Fun!

Since The Sandbar serves adult-only Shark Attack drinks, my co-worker (who has two shark-loving boys) came up a kid-friendly version. Here is my take on her idea to make a kiddie concoction for refreshment fun at home.

Materials needed: light blue sports drink (I used Powerade Mixed Berry), grenadine, clear drinking glass, ice, and a hollow plastic toy shark.

To make, put a few ice cubes in a glass and fill 3/4 full of blue sports drink.

Holding shark nose up, pour grenadine into the shark until almost full.

Serve by setting shark in the glass facing up.

Now for the fun part... Allow the child/children pour the grenadine into the cup while yelling, "SHARK ATTACK!!!!"

Make sure you bob your shark up and down to mix it well. Saying, "shark attack" a few more times helps as well.

Drink and enjoy .

A BIG THANK YOU to The Sandbar for donating the sharks!

Looking for more kid-friendly ways to celebrate Shark Week?

Check out Discovery Kids Shark Week's Shark Facts, Shark Yourself by uploading a picture of yourself or anyone to become a shark, and these free shark coloring sheets. Know a game nut? Try Shark Dash ($.99) or Shark Munch (free) kid-appropriate computer games.

See You at Harry's

2012-07-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Published: Candlewick Press, May 2012

Recommended Age: 10 & up

In a Nutshell: Twelve-year-old Fern is feeling anything but the love. Her three-year-old nuisance of a brother Charlie will not leaver her alone. Older brother, Holden, a freshman in high school, is having a hard time at school and keeps running off, refusing to talk to anyone (even Fern) about it. Sarah, the eldest has been aggravated since her friends went off to college, leaving everyone else in the house to cope with her grumpiness.

On top of that, their father devotes most of his time and "creativity" into running their family-operated restaurant, Harry's; of which some of his entrepreneurial marketing idea's involve the whole family. Yikes! This means Fern's mother is always trying to keep the peace. The only person in Fern's life who gives her a little relief is her friend Ran, a friend she's growing to like in a 'more-than-a-friend' way.

With the entire family submerged in their own agendas and issues, one event turns everything they know upside down and it's up to them to mend the pieces back together - even if the picture doesn't look exactly how it looked before.

I read some fantastic middle grade literature over the summer, and really, this entire year thus far. See You At Harry's joins the ranks. An unbelievable, stay-up-all-night must-read.

Perfect For: Tweens with a knack for realistic fiction.

Don't Take My Word For It: Kids Indie Next Summer 2012 Pick, Welcome to my Tweendom,

Sturdy For Common Things

Blog Update

Seeing Things

Read Across Lawrence for Kids Recap

Pages to Projects

Treasure Hunt

Not A Box Storytime

Storytime Line-Up:

Not A Box Craft:

Life Lately

Pirate Storytime

Pirate Storytime Line-Up:

Pirate Craft: EYE PATCHES AND PARROTS! ARRR!

Miss Becca's Storytime Mixer

Miss Becca's Storytime Mixer:

Press Here Book Craft:

68 Tiny Distractions

Read Across Lawrence for Kids

On The Road Storytime

On The Road Storytime Line-up:

On The Road Collage Craft:

Reading Together

Dragon Storytime

Dragon Storytime Line-up:

Fire-Breathing Dragon Craft:

Note: No children were burned during this project and the library still stands today.

Seeing Things

Liar & Spy

Back to School Storytime

Back to School Storytime Line-up:

Radical Pencil Topper Craft:

Reading Tween

Cardboard

Wild West Storytime

Wild West Storytime Line-up:

Sheriff Badge Craft:

My Cyber Librarians

Mid-Continent Public Library

Your Next Read

Goodreads

Summer Skies

Summer Book Hook: Get a clue!

If you like The Mysterious Benedict Society series, why not try....

Shark Stroytime

Shark Storytime Line-Up:

Deep Sea Panorama Craft:

*BONUS* Shark Attack Fun!

See You at Harry's

BONUS Shark Attack Fun!