We received a new picture book this week that I absolutely love. “It’s a Book” by Lane Smith is about monkey who loves books, a donkey who is obsessed with computers and a straight talking little mouse. I love how the donkey keeps trying to understand the concept of the book and relating it to technology. To top it off, there is a fantastic book trailer to go with it. I first saw the trailer a couple of months ago when one of my friends posted it on Facebook. Check it out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Plot:


The story begins Ed Kennedy, a down-and-out underage taxi driver who is hopelessly in love with his best friend Audrey. She, however, does not have the same romantic feelings towards him. One day, Ed is standing in a bank line when a robbery takes place and forever changes his life. He accidentally foils the robbers' escape, and is proclaimed a hero. Shortly after, he receives a playing card,an ace, in the mail. Ed does not know who has sent the ace but on it is written a list of addresses and times. This is where the adventure truly begins.

My thoughts:

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak has been on my reading list for a couple of years now. I had read the Book Thief by him and wanted to see if he was indeed a wonderful author or he just hit the jackpot with the Book Thief. Over the holidays, I decided that enough was enough and grabbed the book from the library. Needless to say, I was not disappointed! This book was really good. Zusak has a way of grabbing the reader and pulling them into the story. I especially like the fact that he never sugarcoats anything, he just tells it like it is. Once you finish the book, you are left with thoughts on how you perceive your life and how you can affect others. I highly recommend this book!


On a side note, I AM THE MESSENGER won the 2003 Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year Award.

Storytime Ideas: Penguins

There are so many activities that you can do with penguins. Here are a few suggestions:


Books:

Cuddly Dudley              by Jez Alborough
Penelope Penguin : the incredibly good baby     by John Bianchi
A penguin pup for Pinkerton                             by Steven Kellogg
Tacky the penguin         by Helen Lester
Penguin moon              by Annie Mitra
Penguins                      by Liz Pichon
A penguin story           by Antoinette Portis
Pink!                          by Lynne Rickards
Little Penguin’s tale     by Audrey Wood


Movies:
March of the Penguin
Happy Feet


Craft Ideas:

DLTK penguin crafts:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/birds-penguins.html

Easy Penguin craft:
http://familycrafts.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=familycrafts&cdn=parenting&tm=9&gps=94_609_988_551&f=02&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.dltk-kids.com/animals/measypenguin.html

Storytime Ideas: Winter

Well, we can no longer avoid the fact that it is winter so have some fun with these books and activities!

Books:

Winter Games by Roger Paré
Elephants Cannot Dance by Mo Willems
Totally Polar by Marty Crisp
Snow by Manya Stojic
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid


Fun Movement Activity:

Get the kids all warmed up with this!

Have the kids repeat the rhyme after you -

Brr, Brr, Brr
It’s cold! cold! cold!
It’s time to warm up, by jumping.
Jump on one foot,
Now on the other foot,
Now with both feet.
Turn and turn, now stop!
Now we are warm.



Craft ideas:

Build a snowman:
http://www.daniellesplace.com/images/snowman-pattern.gif



Igloo craft:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/winter/migloo.htm

Reading Resolutions for 2011

I do not generally make any sort of resolutions but this year I wanted to motivate myself to read books that have been piling up on my bedside table. I also wanted to venture back into reading books outside the Children's Department. So, here I am publicly declaring that I will clear all the books (and by that I mean read them, not put them away) piled up on my table. I also plan on reading 1 adult fiction book a month. So far, I have that one covered. I read Room by Emma Donoghue at the beginning of January. What a fantastic but horribly tragic book. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it! I also cleared off 2 books from my table - The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (which I did not like so did not venture past page 50) and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (absolutely incredible read).




Wish me luck!

Protecting your child online: Facebook

On Thursday night at the library I will be giving tips to parents about protecting their child on Facebook.  Facebook, which I admit that I am addicted to, can be lots of fun but it is important to show our kids how to use it properly.  The privacy settings are not usually a concern for young tweens and teens but it should be.  If all your information is wide open, that means anyone can access it.   My number 1 recommendation regarding FB privacy settings – check them each month.  FB has a nasty habit of opening up people’s information without any warning.  Taking the precaution of checking privacy settings will help protect your child online.

CBC Book Club YA Death Match!

I was on Twitter this morning and saw that YA author Kelly Armstrong (she wrote the books: The Summoning, The Awakening and The Reckoning) posted a link to the CBC Book Club. The title alone was intriguing so I clicked on the link and came upon a fantastic idea - dueling YA characters from your favourite books. There is a mix of old YA heroes (like Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, the Hardy Boys) as well as new heroes (The Cullens , Harry Potter and Katniss). You have until Sunday to vote for your favourite YA hero (they are divided into categories) and then we get ready for the duel. Have fun!


http://www.cbc.ca/books/bookclub/2010/11/get-ready-to-rumble-ya-style-introducing-the-cbc-book-club-ya-death-match.html