The BK Club

I know it is Groundhog Day and some are hoping winter is done in six weeks, although it seems it hasn’t really begun!  But today also celebrates two other animals, the Hedgehog and the Sled Dog.  I’m not sure about the Hedgehog but I’m guessing the Sled Dog prefers the snow and winter.    We have many books and movies, fiction and non-fiction, about sled dogs, and sled dog racing in The Children’s Room.    This book Wind-wild dog by Barbara Joose looks at one dog who must decide whether to run wild, or to race.  If you were an animal such as a sled dog, which would you choose?  Would you want to run free or would you want to be owned by someone and be part of a race team?  Let us know by clicking on the comment box below.  And if you don’t like the cold you can always have a family movie night with Iron Will or Balto.  Don’t forget the hot cocoa!

So, we just finished a week of storytimes all about dragons.  We touched upon both mythical dragons and chinese dragons…they are both very different, but they are both simply fascinating.  According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.  It is considered the luckiest year of the Chinese zodiac.  We shared a wonderful book called Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer.  “Take a book about dragons.  Add some sparkly paper and ribbons and spangles and scales.  And then take some children with a little imagination and sense of adventure.  What happens next?  A dragon dance!“  Making Chinese dragons is such a fun thing to do.  Click here for an easy craft that will brighten up your Year of the Dragon.  We also shared some stories about mythical dragons.  In a lot of children’s books, the kids seem to really want to have a dragon for a pet.  As you can imagine, this can cause a lot of problems, but also a lot of laughs.  My favorite story of the week was If I Had a Dragon by Tom and Amanda Ellery.  It’s the story of a young boy who is tired of playing with his little brother, and he imagines having a dragon for a playmate instead.  You need to pay close attention to the illustrations in this book as they are so funny!  I hope you get a chance to visit us soon and check out some of the other great books we have in the Children’s Room about dragons.  Happy 2012—Year of the Dragon!

Earlier this week the John Newbery Award for children’s fiction, and the Randolph Caldecott Award for picture book were announced at the Midwinter Conference of the American Library Association.  These awards and many others are given annually by the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC).  The Newbery Award Medal was created to honor the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery.  Each year a committe of librarians from across the country meet to choose what they consider to be “the most distinguished American children’s book published during the previous year”.  This year the Newbery winner is Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos with honors going to Inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai and Breaking Stalin’s nose by Eugene Yelchin.  The winning book is described as a humorous look at growing up in a small town during the early 1960’s.  Narrated by the young Jack Gantos it is a lesson in history, coming of age, and life lessons, with a lot of laughs.
Another committee awards the Randolph Caldecott Medal in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator, “to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children published during the previous year”.  This year the Caldecott Medal was awarded to Chris Raschka for his book A ball for Daisy with honors to John Rocco for Blackout, Lane Smith for Grandpa Green, and Patrick McDonnell for Me Jane.  A wordless picture book, A ball for Daisy, was chosen because the illustrations depict the themes of the story with simple watercolor paintings, gouache, and ink.  The pictures simply tell the story without the need for words.
For more information on these awards and others, including past winners, visit the ALSC Book and Media Awards Page.  The Children’s Room has copies of Newbery and Caldecott winners in special sections for you to browse through so stop by soon for some award-winning books.

January is National Tea Month.  I have to tell you that I absolutely love tea!  I love black tea, green tea, herbal tea, and even iced tea!  One of my favorite things to do is sit in my picture window watching the snow fall while drinking a steaming hot cup of tea…ahhhhh.  I also love to sip tea when I am not feeling well.  One of my favorite books in the Children’s Room is about just that…sipping on tea when you’re not feeling well.  It’s called Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson.  It’s the story of the time that Bear is too sick to play and all his friends go to his cave and make him tea to help him feel better.  It’s just so sweet.  Another great thing about tea is having tea parties!  Who doesn’t like getting dressed up in your “fancy” clothes, munching on “fancy” foods, and sipping some “fancy” tea with friends.  Hey, wait a minute…I know about another book that shows you how to do just that!  It’s called Fancy Nancy, Party Planner: tea parties by Jane O’Connor.  In this book, Fancy Nancy provides tips on how to host the perfect tea party, and of course she does it by using her “fancy” words.  You don’t have to be a grownup to enjoy tea.  Ask Mom or Dad to make you a cup (decaf would be best for you guys) and then sit down, sip and say…”ahhhh, a nice hot cuppa tea.”

The Chinese phrase above means “Good fortune and happiness!”  People who celebrate Chinese New Year greet each other this way.  It is a way of wishing someone lots of good things in the coming year.  The date for the Chinese New Year is determined by something called the lunar calendar.  This is related to the cycle of the moon.  Each year also celebrates one of twelve different animals from the Chinese zodiac. 2012 is the year of the dragon!  People born in the year of the dragon are supposed to be smart and energetic.  If you click here, you will see a chart of the zodiac, which will show under which animal sign you were born.  Chinese New Year is a time of many festivities, including family gatherings and lots of delicious food.  Children are often given red envelopes with money inside, and allowed to stay up late.  Parades in the street often feature something called the lion dance, with people dressed in large and elaborate costumes.  Click here to see pictures of it.  You can read more about these traditions in Chinese New Year by Carrie Gleason.  This week in story time, we will be sharing stories about dragons, and making one to take home.  If you can’t make it to the library in time, click on this site to find lots of ideas for crafts to make at home.