Website of the Week!

Kaboose, a Disney sponsored website, is a treasure trove of craft ideas, parenting articles, health advice, community blogs, games, recipes, and much more.  The website is attractively designed and easy to navigate.

Our favorite parts of the website are the “Crafts” and “Holidays” sections.  Having used quite a few of their craft ideas, we can attest to how creative, fun, and easy they are for parents and children to make together.  Be sure to take advantage of the Craft Finder to find just the right craft according to age, materials used, holiday or theme, and difficulty level.  Thousands of boredom-busting creative crafts are right at your fingertips!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Storytellers Cindy Killavey, Christopher Carbone and Piper Padilla will be performing favorite Dr. Seuss stories at the Middletown Public Library on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 4 pm.  The program, "Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!" will feature Reader's Theater and musical interpretations of "The Cat in the Hat", "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Sneetches" and other beloved Seuss books.  Seuss bookmarks and puzzle sheets will be available to take home.

The performance is sponsored by The League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.  For free tickets and more information, please call the the Children's Room at 846-1573.

March Into Reading!

As February draws to a close, the March Into Reading campaign begins!  It kicks off on Friday, February 26, when authors and illustrators will be visiting local schools to discuss their books with students.  It continues on Saturday, February 27 at Salve Regina University's O'Hare Academic Center from 9:30 am - 1 pm.  There will be children's discovery rooms, author and illustrator workshops, book sales and signings, and community information centers.  All are *free* and open to the public.

Click here for the full schedule of events! 

Black History Month

February is National Black History Month!  Celebrate the cultural contributions,  achievements, and extraordinary lives that African Americans have given and lead in our country this month by visiting the library to check out the books that we have to offer on Black History.  There are multiple book displays around the library for readers of all ages to browse and check-out.

In the Children's Room, visit our special display of books where you can read books such as:

"Coretta Scott: Poetry" by Ntozake Shange with paintings by Kadir Nelson
"Onward: A Photobiography of African-American Explorer Matthew Henson" by Dolores Johnson
"Satchel Paige" by Lesa Cline-Ransome with paintings by James E. Ransome
"Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive" by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Eric Velasquez
"Ray Charles "by Sharon Bell Mathus with illustrations by George Ford

These are just some of the many books that we have to offer in the library, so please let us know if there is a biography or history book that you are looking for during Black History Month!

Stories from Snowy Lands

Sparky’s Puppets will perform “Stories From Snowy Lands” at the Middletown Public Library on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

The show will feature lively adaptations of “The Snowman,” “The Bear Goes Ice Fishing,” “The Grasshopper and the Ant,” “The Tale of the North Wind” and other classic tales.

Sparky’s Puppets have been dramatizing children’s stories in schools and libraries throughout New England for over 25 years. The show features colorful hand puppets, lively humor and audience participation. Free tickets can be picked up at the Children’s Room Desk or by calling the library at 846-1573.