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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 - The Year in Review

2008 was a busy year in Children's Services! Here are some highlights:


In January 2008 musicians from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic performed pieces from Beethoven Lives Upstairs in the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery.


In February 2008, the winners of the Your Reading Pet Photo Contest were announced.


In March 2008 over 300 children & adults attended the Homeschool Sneak Preview.


In April 2008 the kids in the Early Reader Roundup group practiced their emotions with Mo Willem's Elephant & Piggie characters.


In May 2008 Time 2 Chime, the homeschool handchime choir, finished off their year of practice with a live performance.


In June 2008, Fritz the GermanFest dog stopped by Children's Services to sign up for the Catch the Reading Bug Summer Reading Program.


In July 2008 kids had the opportunity to meet a ballet dancer from the Fort Wayne Ballet as part of a special SmartStart Preschool Storytime.


In August 2008 kids displayed their good sportsmanship and concentration skills at the Children's Services Chess Tournament.


In September 2008 things got very fancy at the Fancy Nancy Tea Party.


In October 2008 the Art Out of the Box kids painted two cars on the Library Plaza.



In November 2008 hundreds of children and grown ups enjoyed performances by Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players.

On December 31, 2008 we prepared for another wonderful year!

Please remember: The Main Library and all branches of the ACPL will close at 5pm today & will be closed all day tomorrow. Please visit early to pick up your books and other materials. The Main Library will re-open on Friday, January 2nd at 9am. Branch libraries will re-open at 10am.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Year of Blogging!

2008 has been a year of blogging for the ACPL Children's Services Department! Here are some fun statistics from the ACPL Kids Blog:
  • We posted 375 times this year - that is more than a post a day.
  • The most frequently visited post was viewed 335 times.
  • The second most frequently visited post was viewed 329 times.
  • Our least popular post was viewed 1 time.
  • The most popular "A Child's Book Review" post was viewed 103 times.
  • The blog was visited over 13,500 times this year.
  • Most blog visitors were from Indiana - over 6,000.
  • The state that sent the least number of visitors (4) was Wyoming.
  • The blog was viewed by people in 100 countries.
  • Canada sent almost 400 visitors, Macedonia and Cyprus just sent one visitor each.
  • The blog was read in a total of 47 languages including Swedish, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Chinese and Bulgarian.
2009 will bring plenty more blog posts! We'll see you here.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Play with Spot online!

What preschooler doesn't love the the Spot books by Eric Hill? Now you can read Spot books, play Spot games, and color with Spot online. Click on "Fun with Spot" to start playing.

Click here to find out which Spot books are available at the library. We have over 100 Spot books, videos, and board books. We even have some in Vietnamese, German, Spanish, and other languages!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Early Learning Center Mailbox

What a colorful butterfly!

The Early Learning Center is a 2,200 square foot room just for preschoolers and their grown ups to enjoy together. The activities in the room are designed to help children learn the skills that they will need in order to learn to read.

Visit the Early Learning Center:
Monday through Thursday 9am to 8pm
Friday & Saturday 9am to 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Take a wild guess!

Can you guess how much snow (total) we will have in December?
All throughout December we have been collecting guesses to answer the question "How much snow (total) do you think we'll have in Fort Wayne by the end of December?" Visit Children's Services at the Main Library to drop in your guess and to check out the updated totals.


The closest or correct guesses will go into a drawing and three lucky winners will receive a magnetic storybook kit!


Contest ends at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30th,2008

Friday, December 26, 2008

Kwanzaa Begins!

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!Kwanzaa begins today and lasts for seven days.

My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz is a nice introduction to the holiday for very young children. For older children, check out Paper Crafts for Kwanzaa by Randel McGee. This title is full of creative projects to make in celebration of Kwanzaa.

Happy Kwanzaa!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Happy Christmas!

Today is Christmas Day & the ACPL is closed. The Main Library will re-open tomorrow at 9am and branch libraries will re-open tomorrow at 10am.

There have been a lot of fun Christmas books published this year, such as David Pelham's Here Comes Santa, which is a pop up book! Remember, the Library receives new books almost every day, you are sure to find something that you will enjoy on our new book shelves.

Happy Christmas!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

ACPL is Closed Today

The ACPL is closed today and tomorrow. We will re-open at 9am on Friday, December 26th. You can still enjoy a wide variety of ACPL services on our website. Check these out:
  • Downloadable Audiobooks - download entire audiobooks to your computer or MP3 Player for free.
  • E-Resources - enjoy access to full text magazine & newspaper databases, genealogy databases, business information, art resources and more.
  • Children's Services Booklists - search for titles on hot topics for kids or just find some fun books here.
  • Mock Election Blogs - read what people are saying about some of the best children's books of 2008.
  • Booktalk - search for books by your favorite authors, read reviews, find books that were mentioned on television or public radio and more.
  • Great Sites for Kids - find a list of websites for kids on a variety of topics.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

ACPL Mock Award Reading Lists - Available Now!

If you love children's books, please join us in person in January or on the blogs right now to discuss the best of the best published in 2008.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Happy Hanukkah!

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!Hanukkah began last night at sundown and will last for eight nights.

Check out one of the wonderful new books about Hanukkah available at the library. The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll is the delightful story of a mouse family celebrating the holiday.

Happy Hanukkah!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Winter Begins!

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!It is time to say goodbye to fall and hello to three months of winter! Enjoy all of the wonderful winter activities that you can, because winter won't last long.

Check out Harriet Ziefert's new picture book Snow Party to find out what snow people do to celebrate the shortest day of the year.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Artie and Julie by Chih-Yuan Chen

If you enjoyed the picture book Guji Guji, you will LOVE Artie and Julie.

This wonderfully fun book begins with two separate stories on split pages. One is the story of a lion being trained to hunt rabbits and the other is the story of a rabbit being trained to outsmart lions. Soon the two stories join together on one big page and the adventures of Artie (the lion) and Julie (the rabbit) begin.

Don't miss this new offering from Chih-Yuan Chen.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Congratulations, Helen Frost!

EXCITING NEWS about local author Helen Frost whose book, Diamond Willow, is on the final reading list for this year's ACPL Mock Newbery.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux has just announced that author Helen Frost has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship for her work on The Braid. This literature fellowship recognizes writers of poetry, encouraging the production of new work by affording these writers the time and means to write.

You can see the entire list of 2009 Literary Fellowships (Poetry) here.

Congratulations, Helen! (Thanks to SLJ's Fuse #8 for the info!)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Art Out of the Box: Indiana Painters

Surrender by Whisper

On Friday, December 12th the Art Out of the Box kids met to learn about Indiana Painters and to create a painting inspired by an Indiana artist. To see the rest of the paintings click here.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Computer Room Hours

During the Winter Break, when many elementary schools are not in session, the Children's Services Computer Room hours will be as follows:

Monday through Thursday 11am to 7pm
Friday & Saturday 11am to 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm

These hours will be in effect from Monday, December 22nd through Saturday January 3rd. On Sunday, January 4th, we will return to our regular hours.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Las posadas

Today begins 'las posadas' (the inns), a nine day Christmas celebration that originated in Mexico.

To learn more about this celebration, check out Uno, Dos, Tres, Posada! by Virginia Kroll. We have many titles in Children's Services about celebrations around the world. Stop by today to check them out!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Snow Globes Galore!

Stop in to Children's Services to check out our most recent display!

Our very own Children's Librarian, Heather Acerro, who has been collecting snowglobes from around the world for over 10 years, has brought her collection to the library for everyone to enjoy!


This collection will be on display through December and the beginning of January.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

A Child's Book Review: Fish and Frog

Robert, age 4, says of the Brand New Readers collection Fish and Frog
by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Valeria Petrone:

"I like all four of the books. 'Fish Makes Faces' always makes us chuckle."

Submit your child's book review to me via email and you may see it in a future "A Child's Book Review" blog post.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Entertainment Software Rating Board


Are you planning to purchase a computer game or video game soon? You might like to check it out at the library first. Or click here to visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website. When you do a search for the game, you will find a rating and the reasons for the rating, as well as a list of the platforms for which the game is available. There is a lot of additional good information there for gamers and their families.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Art Out of the Box: Recycled Art


On Friday, November 14th, the Art Out of the Box homeschool group met to learn about artists in Indiana who make recycled art. Then the group turned library trash into wonderful treasure. The drum set shown above is made of broken computer components, VHS tapes & a broken software case! It is pretty amazing what you can do with the things that are thrown away! To see the rest of the recycled art creations click here.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Happy Birthday Indiana!

Today the state of Indiana is 192 years old! Happy Birthday Indiana!

Celebrate the day by learning something new about this great state. ACPL has a lot of interesting books about Indiana, including H is for Hoosier: an Indiana alphabet by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds.

Hurray for the Hoosier state!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Letter J Play Day!

Start off Letter J Play Day at the Jungle Animals Smartstart Preschool Storytime at 10:30 am. Plan to stay to play with the letter 'J' in the Early Learning Center. There will be many new & fun activities for you to enjoy.

Letter J Play Day activities will be available from 9 am to 8pm today in the Early Learning Center.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Playaways have arrived!

Click here to find this Playaway in the Library Catalog!So what IS a Playaway? A Playaway is an audio book smaller than a deck of cards. You don't need an MP3 player, a tape deck or a CD player; you just need to put in a battery and plug in headphones!

The Children's Services department has a small collection available now, but more titles will be arriving soon. Click here to see which titles are now available.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Thank you for the lovely drawing Grace! We'll see you the next time you visit the Early Learning Center.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Poetry Contest Draws to a Close


The 26st annual Poetry Contest sponsored by the Children's Services and the Young Adults' Services departments of the ACPL drew to a close yesterday morning with an award ceremony in the Main Library theater.

Kids in Kindergarten through high school read their winning poems and received a trophy for their creative writing efforts. The theater was filled with proud parents, grandparents, family, friends and teachers as kids read their winning poems. Here's the 1st place winning entry in the Kindergarten division by Josh from Emmanuel-St. Michael:

The Recycling Bin

Crawling up the recycling bin,
A spider looks in.
And what does he see?
Treasures collected by me!

Thanks go to the nearly 900 children and young adults who entered this year's contest and to the Friends of the Library whose financial support makes programs like this possible.

Special thanks to all the teachers, parents, and other adults who offer continued positive support to the writing efforts of young people!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Go Green! Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony

This year, the Allen County Public Library Poetry Contest for children and young adults attracted 878 entries representing poets from over 50 schools. Private schools, public schools, parochial schools, and home schools were all represented among the winners as kids wrote poems on the theme of "Go Green!"

Tomorrow we will celebrate these young poets in our community at a special Awards Ceremony. You are invited to help celebrate their creative writing efforts and hear the winning poets read their poems at 11:00 in the theater of the Main Library.

We hope you will join us!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Fancy Nancy Tea Party at Grabill Branch Library!


The "posh" place to be this Saturday, December 6th is Grabill Branch Library, where all your fantastic friends will be together having a glamorous time!
In addition to tea, your hostess will provide games, crafts, and stories.

Dress-up are encouraged!



Don't miss the fun!
What: Fancy Nancy Tea Party
When: Saturday, December 6th, 10:30-11:30a.m.
Where:
Grabill Branch Library

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Children's Poet Laureate: Mary Ann Hoberman

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!Mary Ann Hoberman has been named the second Children's Poet Laureate. Her job for the next two years will be to instill a love of poetry in children, something that she has been working on for her entire career.

For more information about the Children's Poet Laureate position, click here. Check out some of Hoberman's wonderful books here.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!The new Elephant & Piggie book has arrived at the ACPL! Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems is here. Hurray!

If you like early readers, check out the ACPL Mock Geisel blog to see a list of the best new early readers of the year. If you have read any of the books that you see there, be sure to leave a comment, we would love to have your opinion on the titles.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Fort Wayne Philharmonic Trading Cards

Beginning today you can start your collection of Fort Wayne Philharmonic Trading Cards!

We’ll give you a pack of five cards the first week, and then two additional new cards each of the following five weeks, as you complete online games and activities.

Enjoy the six weeks of activities and then plan to attend a special concert featuring members of the orchestra in the art gallery at Main Library at 2 p.m., Sunday, January 11, 2009. You can ask the musicians to sign their trading cards AND you can enter your name in a drawing for a family pack of tickets to a special Philharmonic concert !

To get started click here. Collect all fifteen cards and trade with your friends!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

A Treasure for Fans of Strega Nona

Tomie dePaola has published a NEW Strega Nona book -- and this may be the best, yet (that's my personal opinion, of course!) Working with Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart of pop-up book fame, he has given us

Brava Strega Nona! A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book

And heartwarming it is, indeed! Those familiar with the Strega Nona stories will recognize some famous scenes...but everyone can appreciate the stunning artwork and, just maybe, will come to love Strega Nona as much as I do.

For more poppin'-up fun, take a peek at our Pop-Up Books Booklist.

Want to read more about Strega Nona? Click here!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

New Booklist: At-Home Dads & Working Moms

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!We have a new booklist all about At-Home Dads & Working Moms. Too Small for Honey Cake is a great book about an at-home dad fox and his little fox as they adjust to having a new baby in the house. Find this list and more on our booklist page.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Early Learning Center Mailbox

Thank you for sharing your lovely drawing with us, Heidi!

Bring your preschooler to draw in the Early Learning Center Monday through Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday & Saturday 9am to 6pm or Sunday 12pm to 5pm.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you would like to read an interesting new book about the history of Thanksgiving, check out Thanksgiving: The True Story by Penny Colman. Did you know that there was a "first thanksgiving" celebrated in Texas 80 years before the Plymouth celebration? If you didn't know this you are not alone, I learned a lot from this book - it is not just for kids!

The ACPL is closed today, we'll see you tomorrow at 9am.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I'm Thankful

Stop by Children's Services before Wednesday, December 3rd to add a leaf to our "I'm Thankful" display. If you visit today at 10:30 am you can attend our I'm Thankful! Smart Start Preschool Storytime.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Go Green Poetry Contest

The 26st annual Poetry Contest has drawn to a close. Nearly 900 children and young adults from 51 schools participated in this year's creative writing contest. All winning poets have been notified and will be publicly announced at our Awards Ceremony to be held on Saturday, December 6.

You are invited to the Award Ceremony at 11:00 in the theater of the Main Library to hear the poets read their winning works!

Click here to find some of the books of winning poems from previous years.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is absolutely unbelievable! Visit the Children's Library for free access to children's books online. Check out:
The high quality scanning allows an excellent view of the beautiful illustrations. This is a great opportunity to see history close up, the only thing missing is that old book smell. There are over a million books available (so far). Spend some time browsing the Internet Archive today.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Swing! by Rufus Butler Seder

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!Another Scanimation picture book by Rufus Butler Seder! Check out Swing! to see kids batting, kicking, riding and running. You really do have to see Scanimation in action to believe it!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

American Girl Books

American Girl fans -- take notice!!


Kaya, Felicity , Josefina, ...and all the other American Girls can now be found on our new American Girl Booklist! Look for your favorites, or explore something new -- all titles on the list can be found at the Library. Can't find something? Ask the Librarian! We love to help!

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Library is Closed Today!

All branches of the ACPL are closed today for a staff in-service day. We'll be open our regular hours tomorrow, refreshed, well-trained and ready to answer your questions!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hooray for Fly Guy!

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!I love Fly Guy. We go way back. Fly Guy might be my favorite fly character, though I do love Old Black Fly too.

The great thing about Fly Guy is that just when I think I have found my favorite Fly Guy book ever - Tedd Arnold writes a new one that I like even more! Last year There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy made me laugh super hard and while I still think that one is funny, I think that this year's Hooray for Fly Guy! might be EVEN FUNNIER!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

An Autobiography

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!This hysterically funny autobiography is brought to you by none other than the first National Ambassador of Young People's Literature: Mr. Ambassador AKA Jon Scieszka.

Jon grew up with 5 brothers and in Knucklehead:Tall tales and mostly true stories of growing up Scieszka, he shares a lot of their adventures and mis-adventures. But even better than that - this book might answer the question: "How did Mr. Ambassador get so funny?"

If you like Jon Scieszka, or if you just like funny, or if someone told you " you have to read an autobiography", or if you like to read, or if you don't like to read, check out Knucklehead. I bet that you'll like it.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Alphabet Books

Click here to find this book in the Library Catalog!Looking for some good alphabet books to share with your child or classroom? Check out our recently updated Alphabet booklist. Not only do we have a great & varied list of alphabet books, we also have a list of books that will help children learn the alphabet. If you prefer non-print alphabet resources, try this list or check out our list of alphabet websites.

If you don't care to look through a list of books, you can always fill out a custom collection form and librarians will pull alphabet books to meet your needs.