CHILDREN`S NEWSLETTER

CHILDREN’S NEWSLETTER
Gary Byker Memorial Library
September/October 2012
FALL STORY TIME
BANNED BOOK WEEK
Fall Story Time at the Gary Byker
Memorial Library will be: GOING
TO THE ZOO: Lions, and tigers,
and bear, oh my! Sign-up will begin
Tuesday, September 4th. The session
will run for eight weeks beginning
September 17th. Story times for 3 1/2
to 6 year olds will be offered Monday mornings
from 11:15 to 12:00 noon. It will be a 45 minute
program of songs, stories and simple crafts. Parents are more than welcome to help during craft
time. Pre-registration is required. There is a
$10.00 fee per child for non-residents.
The Wee Wigglers will also be doing: GOING
TO THE ZOO (Sign-up and fees are as above.)
This eight week program for toddlers
18 months to 3 1/2 years accompanied
by an adult lap is offered either Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings
from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m. Preregistration is required and space is
limited, so sign-up early. The first
twenty minutes is for stories, songs,
and fingerplays. Then the parent helps
their child make a craft. Lastly, the
children play and the adults can chat.
1000 books before
Kindergarten
1000 Books Before
Kindergarten—
This free program encourages parents to
read 1000 books with
their children before
they enter school—a
goal to help them
learn to read for themselves. Your child will receive a small prize for every 250 books read to
them (rubber ducky, book, etc.) and when they finish their name will be written on our rainbow wall.
This club doesn’t end until your child’s first day of
kindergarten, so don’t feel rushed—just enjoy the
experience. Program begins September 17th.
Many people think that book banning is something that
only happened in the past, but last year over 450 attempts to ban books were made. Books are usually
banned “with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.”
However, the First Amendment guarantees our right to
free speech which includes the right to read and write
books that might be considered offensive to others.
Banned Book Week (30th anniversary) will be held
from September 30th to October 6th and our library will
have banned books displays around the building. You
might be surprised at which books have been banned!
PUMPKIN CONTEST—October 22 to 29
Decorate and bring your pumpkin to the Gary Byker
Library between Monday, October 22nd and Monday,
October 29th to make our library festive. They will be
judged and first prize will be a $25 gift certificate to
Meijer. Other prizes will be awarded. This is a family
event!
Urban HayDay
Hudsonville Urban HayDay will take place on
October 27th, 2012 between 12 pm and 5 pm, and
will be kicked off by a costume walk and contest
hosted by Grand Valley Health Plan. There will
be downtown hayrides, a market place held at the
corner of Prospect and School Avenue and bus
tours to hosted events. HayDay was created by
the Hudsonville Chamber of Commerce. Have
fun and join in!
FUTURE PROGRAMS
Pencil Basket Program –On Saturday, Nov. 10th
children 8-12 can learn to make a pencil/flower
basket. These would make wonderful Christmas
gifts. Room is limited so sign-up starting Monday, October 29th.
Dance to the Music will return with Miss
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
The Gary Byker Memorial Library has partnered
with the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Once
a year, Gary Byker library card holders can “check
-out” a day pass to the museum, good for up to six
people. Regular admission to the museum is $7.
The museum is located at 22 Sheldon Ave. N.E.,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503. (www.grcm.org)
Ellie starting Wednesday, November 14th from
10:15 to 10:45. This is a walk-in program for
kids 3 to 6.
Christmas Programs for Story
Time kids.
These programs will include: songs,
stories, crafts, and snacks. They are
free but registration is necessary.
Times and dates will be released as the programs
approach.
MITTEN AWARDS
I was lucky to be on the Mitten Award Committee this year. The Mitten Award is designed “to recognize and
promote quality literature for youth, ages 0-12, and the ability to communicate to that audience through literature.” The award was established in 1999. Our committee read over 300 children’s books and the following are
the ones we felt showed children’s literature at its best.
Mitten Winner
Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Breaking Stalin’s Nose is the story of 10 year old Sasha Zaichek, living with his father in
the USSR under Stalin’s communist rule. He has spent his whole life waiting for the day
when he will become a Soviet Young Pioneer, but then his father is arrested and everything
Sasha has known and believed in begins to unravel. This book is an excellent springboard
for informing children of all ages about world history and Communist governments in a format and style that directly appeals to them. Through humor and straightforward prose the
reader can begin to understand what life as a child may have been like.
Honor Books
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a
mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room
and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they
are missing.. Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and
forth with mesmerizing symmetry.
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans
watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about
it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog.
But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed
line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—
through new eyes.
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
In BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade, Sweet uses mixed-media
illustrations and a clear but charming text to explain the various versions of puppets and balloons Sarg made for the parade, each better than the last, until finally creating the helium-filled balloons we see today. With a gorgeous palette,
sidebars of diagrams, archival photographs, and newspaper clippings, Sweet explores the legacy of a creative, fun-loving
man who imbued his work with his own playful sensibility .
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. August Pullman was born with a facial
deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he
wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary
face. WONDER begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend,
and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and
hope.
Best Book Apps for Kids
- free or low cost.
Nighty Night HD - Lovely app lets toddlers turn off the lights for bedtime. Age 2. ( iPad)
Peek-A-zoo by Duck Duck Moose - Tots learn to recognize emotions and behaviors. Age 2. ( iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch)
The Cat in the Hat—Perfect adaptation of classic Dr. Seuss mischief-maker. Age 4. (Android, iPad, iPhone, IPod Touch, Kindle Fire)
Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook - Creativity makes this engaging learning app a favorite. Age 4 (iPad, iPhone, iPod
Touch)
Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! - More than a storybook, app lets kids help craft the tales. Age 5. (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch)
The Magic School Bus: Oceans - Interactive storybook loaded with educational content. Age 6. (iPad)
Bobo Explores Light - Thorough, and thoroughly entertaining, interactive science. Age 7 (iPad)
Weird But True - Silly sounds and great graphics jazz up 300 fun facts. Age 7. (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch)
Shadow Ranch HD—Interactive Nancy Drew novel plus mini-games. Age 9. (iPad)
Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever - Realistic, scary art in dino lover’s dream database.
Age 10 (iPad)
3D Bookshelf: Classic Literature Collection - Choice of books in ebook app are best for older readers. Age 12. (iPad, iPhone,
iPod Touch)
Parents need to know that this app has no objectionable contest, but most of the books require a reading level of at
least the fifth grade. The kid-friendlist books in the collection are Little Women, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and Tom Sawyer. The
rest are on the level of A Tale of Two Cities.
Yalsa Teen Book Finder - A free app to help teens, parents, librarians and educators who love Young Adult literature to access to the
past three years of Yalsa (Young Adult Service Association) awards and lists. Age Teens and Adults. (iPhone, iPad, iTouch)
FUN WEB SITES
Shape Collage (www.shapecollage.com)
This is a free software program that you can download to make picture
collages in a variety of shapes with just a few mouse clicks.
ROOM 108 (www.netrover.com/~kingskid/108)
This site features a host of recorded stories, education games, and
puzzles.
DLTK-KIDS (www.dltk-kids.com)
DTLK Kids offers terrific craft ideas for ages 2 and up. Some of the
crafts need parental supervision, and many need a printer. The instructions are framed by a banner ad.
JrChefsofAmerica (www.jrchefsofamerica)
This site is home to an online cooking show for kids. The site's goal
is to promote kids getting into the kitchen and cooking, as well as
making healthier eating choices; there's also a focus on kitchen safety. The site doesn't have any advertising or outside links, and the
content is age appropriate for tweens and up.
The Toymaker (www.thetoymaker.com)
Cheerful paper toys to print and assemble. This site features terrific, colorful content and no commercial messages, plus, it's free!
Exploratorium (www.exploratorium.edu)
This is a science website from the San Francisco museum of the same
name. Kids don't need to register to use the site; the videos, interactive
exercises and other features are free. Users are encouraged to follow the
museum on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to post comments and interact with other fans -- but can't comment on each and every
section of the site.
Summer Reading Club
We had 528 children and teens join the summer reading club
with almost 300 finishers. We had 84 kids and teens win raffle
prizes. For best decorated star: Chloe Prins won first prize for
cross stitching her star, next were Abby Foster, Hannah
Gaffner, Seven Lewis, and Anna Mettler. J.B Miedema won
the tickets to the Holland Aquatic Center, and Tyler Arntz
won the Corn Hole game. Congratulations!
We want to thank our sponsors: Pizza Hut, McDonalds, the White
Caps, the Griffins, Dutch Village, Meijer, Horizon Sports Complex,
the Holland Aquatic Center, Texas Roadhouse, the Friends of the
Library and Hudsonville Lanes. We also want to thank Maranda
from Fox 17 who got many of the sponsors for us and filmed a
Summer Reading Club commercial here.
Thanks to Ali Bendert who did a great music program for the
little ones. Also a special shout out to the Girls on the Run from
South Elementary who did the “stain glass” murals on our picture windows. They were more than awesome!!!!!!
Chalk Art Winners
Bat Program
Mural Program
FALL ACTIVITIES
DOES A PUMPKIN SINK OR FLOAT?
Fill a large clear storage container or aquarium with water. (If the
weather is warm, you can do it outside). Have children make predictions of what will happen and graph the predictions. Do the experiments to determine if they were right or not.
Make it interesting and get a few pumpkin sizes.
You may hear predictions that the smaller pumpkins will float and the
large will sink. (Pumpkins float) Talk about why they float... If older kids know the answers...
have them run the activity. The pumpkin will float because its mass is less than the mass of water it displaces. This is due primarily because the inside of the pumpkin is hollow.
PRESERVING LEAVES
THE OLD FASHIONED WAY:

Place your autumn colored leaves between two layers of wax paper.

Cover with a cloth rag. Using a warm (not too hot) iron, press down on the wax covered
leaves, sealing the wax paper together with the leaf in between.

Cut your leaves out, leaving a narrow margin of wax paper around the leaf edge.
__________
MICRO-WAVE METHOD
You can preserve fall leaves in your microwave oven.

Choose fresh leaves with the bright colors. Avoid fallen leaves that have already begun to
dry.

Place separate leaves in the Microwave oven on top of two pieces of paper towel. Cover
them with one sheet of paper toweling.

Run the oven for 30 to 180 seconds. Microwaves vary so watch carefully. The drier the
leaves, the less time they will need.

Be careful, if the leaves "cook" too long you could actually start a fire.

If the leaves are curled on the edges they need more time.
Let the leaves dry for a day or two and then finish the leaves with a sealant, such as an acrylic
craft spray.