Notes from Mother Goose

Welcome to NOTES FROM MOTHER GOOSE, a column of Kidsbuzz, the Children’s Room blog. Once a month we will post nursery rhymes, music, developmental tips, programming information, and book ideas. Everyone is welcome to post any comments, suggestions, or questions they have.

WE RING OUR BELLS TOGETHER
We ring our bells together,
We ring our bells together,
We ring our bells together,
Because it’s fun to do!
Tap sticks
Shake shakers
Tap drums

Developmental Tip:
[from: “The Early Literacy Kit,”
Betsy Diamant-Cohen]
“The use of small percussion instruments such as bells, rhythm sticks, shakers, and drums helps children with muscular development and coordination.”

DID YOU KNOW?
We have musical kits you can check out, just like a book. They consist of bells, a shaker, rhythm sticks, tambourine, and a sheet with the music we do at Mother Goose on the Loose. They are available at the Children’s desk.

Need help with songs? Try using nursery rhymes-you can find collections in J398.8 or look in the Toddler book bin.

Registration for September Mother Goose on the Loose starts Aug. 23, 2010. Call 617-796-1370 or come in to register.

Check out NewTV, Green channel, every night during the month of August, at 5:00 PM, for Mother Goose on the Loose.
-----Sandy

Get Crafty With Recycled Materials

Do you like making crafts? Want to do your part to recycle? Come to our new Crafty Kids summer program for ages 10 and up. Click here for more information.

We also have many books with ideas for recycled crafts you can do at home:

Go Green @ Your Library! 2010 Summer Reading Program

Join our summer reading program beginning June 22nd. In light of this year's green theme, we have are doing away with the paper logs. Now you can keep track of your reading and post book reviews online! Get out of the heat and come to the library for some cool books, a fun scavenger hunt and fabulous programs.

READERS REACH OUT!

Read books to benefit local environmental heroes, Green Decade Newton. Keep track of your reading online and for every 5 hours your read, you will receive one "greenbuck" to place in our Readers Reach Out jar. At the end of the summer we'll count up our greenbucks and the library will make a donation of the same number of dollars to Green Decade Newton, an organization of people from Newton and neighboring communities working together to create sustainable solutions to environmental problems facing our city and out world.

Looking for something fun to do this summer? Take a look at our events calendar.

Find a great book on one of our summer reading lists!

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile in Concert!

Do you like the book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber?

If so, you might want to come to a children's concert by one of Newton's symphony orchestras - the New Philharmonia Orchestra - to hear a musical version of the story. A narrator will tell the story while the orchestra plays the music, by composer John Tarrh, who is also a percussionist in the orchestra. The concert, the World Premier of the piece, will take place on Sunday, April, 11th, at 3:00 pm at the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre. After the concert meet legendary author Bernard Waber at a book-signing!

Information about tickets is available at the orchestra's website, http://www.newphil.org/

Read To A Dog At The Library In April

(Pax and his owner love the library!)

Back in December, we had a really successful reading to dogs program at the library. Four different kids came and each read to one of two trained therapy dogs. Next month the dogs, Ruari and Pax (and their trainers), will be back for a three week session: April 3, 10, and 24th. This program is open to all reluctant/struggling readers in grades 1-5. Sign up starts March 15th and is open to Newton residents only. Sign up early -- spots are limited. For more info, stop by the Children's room or call 617-796-1370.

Magazines of the Month

Did you know that the children's room has magazines you can check out and take home? Our collection features something for every age and interest, from science to literature to history to sports! We will be highlighting two or three magazines each month on this blog -- come on in and check some out!



Dig is a magazine of archaeology, paleontology

and earth science for kids 9 and up

Read about your favorite teams and athletes in Sports Illustrated Kids

Ages 8 to 11

Crinkles magazine features people, places and events, real and imaginary, for kids ages 7 -11

Great Books to Give as Gifts

Here in time for the holidays, is our list of terrific children's books to give as gifts:

FOR THE YOUNG

Burgess, Mark. Where Teddy Bears Come From (Xmas)

dePaola, Tommie. Strega Nona’s Harvest
Ehlerts, Lois. Boo to You
Fox, Mem. The Goblin and the Empty Chair (ill. Dillon)
Gravett, Emily. Spells
Isadora, Rachel. Happy Belly, Happy Smile
Kimmelman, Leslie. Mind Your Manners Alice Roosevelt!
Long, Loren. Otis
Oldland, Nicholas. Big Bear Hug
Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion and the Mouse (folk)
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Duck! Rabbit!
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. The Spoon
Tafuri, Nancy. The Big Storm, A Very Soggy Counting Book
Van Fleet, Matthew. Cat
Willems, Mo. Big Frog Can’t Fit In
Willems, Mo. The Naked Mole Rat
Wolff, Ferida. The Story Blanket
Yoon, Salina. Opposnakes A lift-the-flap Book About Opposites

BEGINNING CHAPTER BOOKS

Brown, Jeff (creator). Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventure
Kelly, David. Babe Ruth And The Baseball Curse
Salisbury, Graham. Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet
Voake, Steve. Daisy Dawson is On Her Way

OLDER



Baggott, Julianna. The Prince of Fenway Park (grade 3-7 plus)
Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Shines My shoes (grade 5-8)
Carmichael, Clay. Wild Things. (grade 6-8)
Cooney, Caroline. If the Witness Lied. (grade 6-8)
Creech, Sharon. The Unfinished Angel (grade 3-7)
Hoberman, Mary Ann. Strawberry Hill (grade 4-5)
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. (grade 3-7)
Klise, Kate. 43 Old Cemetary Road Dying to Meet You (grade 4-6)
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. (grade 4-6)
Look, Lenore. Alvin Ho Allergic to Camping, Hiking… (grade 3-4)
Paulsen, Gary. Mudshark (grade 4-6)
Peck, Richard. A Season of Gifts (grade 5-7)

POETRY



Agee, Jon. Orangutan Tongs
Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus
Janeczko, Paul (sel). A Foot In The Mouth, Poems to Speak, Sing
And Shout
Rosen, Michael. The Cuckoo’s Haiku and other Birding Poems
Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops a Year in Colors