January 2013 Schedules

Pay close attention to the dates of each activity.  These activities will be held at the Decatur Mall. 

If everything continues to move on schedule with the renovations, we will use the last half of January to move back in to the library's building.  Stay tuned to the library's website for more information. 

December Storytimes: Gingerbread Man

This storytime will take place at the library's temporary location next to JC Penney's in the Decatur Mall: 

December Storytimes: Hibernate!!

This event will take place near the library's temporary location at the Decatur Mall:

Storytimes at the Decatur Mall!!

Storytime kids!!  Join us at the mall tomorrow at 10 am for fun stories and a puppet show all about wolves!!  Bring your best growl with you! 

Our temporary location is next door to J C Penney's. 

Stay afterwards for a fun art project to help us decorate our temporary library space!! 

Our Book Babies class will meet this Wednesday at 10 am in the same location.

See you there!!

Alphabet Books at the Library

Here are just a few of the library's alphabet books:


ABC, I Like Me! by Nancy L. Carlson
A You're Adorable by Martha Alexander, Sidney Lippman
The Alphabet Parade by Seymour Chwast
Alphabatics by Suse MacDonald
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H. A. Rey
Eating the Alphabet:  Fruits and Vegetables From A to Z by Lois Ehlert
Kipper's A to Z:  An Alphabet Adventure by Mick Inkpen
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth


Children practice eye/hand coordination and develop fine motor skills as they learn to write the letters in their names.

Here are some tips for starting out:

-Start with capital letters.  These letters use straight lines and circles and are much easier to write than lowercase letters.
-Use unlined paper-children won't be able to stay within the lines when they are first starting out
-Start with only the child's first name
-Write the child's name in large letters and have the child trace  over the letters.  Let the child cover the letters with cereal, m & ms, etc.
-Keep it fun!

Keeping You Informed.....

Just wanted to pass on an important update:

The children's department of the Decatur Public Library will be closed to the public beginning Monday, November 19.  If you want to check out any material from this department, you will need to do so before that date. 

Keep in mind that we are pulling a very limited collection to take to the Decatur Mall.  This small collection will be available at our temporary branch at the mall beginning the first part of December. 

We hope to have that temporary branch opened up on December 3.  The hours will be 10 am to 6 pm Monday thru Saturday.  Again, this will be a very limited selection of books and movies.

December Schedule of Events!

December storytimes will take place at the Decatur Mall.  These will be in the commons area just outside of JC's 5 Star Outlet (formerly JC Penney's).  Please take note of the following calendar for dates and times:

Temporary Closing Information

As you may know, the library is closing soon to have a new heating and air system installed.  Please routinely check the library's website for more information:  Decatur Public Library

Stay tuned for more information about storytimes throughout the month of December!!

Poetry anyone??

Just added to the collection is this gem--a collection of poems by Jack Prelutsky--the same author who brought us the ever popular A Pizza the Size of the Sun.  This is a collection of over 100 of his most popular poems.  A bonus feature to this book is an included CD with 30 performances by the author!

Be Glad Your Nose Is On Your Face by Jack Prelutsky

What To Read Next.....

Here are a few great sites to help you find that next book your child will love to read: 

ReadKiddoRead

GuysRead

BestChildren'sBooks

ScholasticBookWizard

Alexander On the Big Screen??

Rumor has it that the classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is headed for the big screen.  This will be a Disney production and it looks like the cast will include Steve Carrell as Alexander's father. 

Pass the popcorn!  

Trick or Treating At the Library

We are trick or treating around the library with our storytime children this week.  Our preschoolers will trick or treat tomorrow at 10 am and our Book Babies will trick or treat this Wednesday at 10 am.  So much fun to see everyone in costume!!

Just How Do You Pronounce It.....

Ever wondered how to pronounce your favorite author's name?  I know I've run into this with some of my favorites.....How do you say Judy Schachner's name?  What about Jon Scieszka??

Here's a great site with a handy pronunciation guide.  In most cases you can actually hear the author say his/her name:

Name Pronunciation Guide

Wimpy Kid!

Just ordered three copies of the newest Diary of A Wimpy Kid book.  The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney is scheduled to release on November 13.  Call and reserve your copy today!

New Graphic Novels

Lunch Lady saves the day in this series of graphic novels which are now available for check out.

Explore these titles today!

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute
Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes
Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown
Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit
Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco
Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians
Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vindetta
                         all by Jarrett Krosczka

I can personally attest to the funniness of these books.  How can you not like a book with the tagline---Serving Justice and serving lunch!

Book Babies

Do you know about our Book Babies class?  We meet every Wednesday at 10 am for a 30 minute session for babies/toddlers and their caregivers.  We combine music, movement, picture books and puppets in a fun way to help children develop early literacy skills and adapt to a group setting.  What a wonderful way to spend time with your little one and meet other families.

Book Babies
10 am
Wednesdays
Community Room of the Decatur Public Library

November Storytime Schedules

Take notice of the important message on the schedule.  The library will close soon for a little renovation project.  We are getting a new heating and air system which is absolutely wonderful news.  The sad news is that the building will be closed for quite some time so that this can be done.  We are trying to find a location for December's storytimes and Story Crafternoon.  Stay tuned for more information on that.  We hope to start the project the week after Thanksgiving but please know this is a tentative date.  It could change!  If it does, we will let you know as soon as possible. 

Grow A Reader....

Two big factors in my life helped instill the love of reading in me.  I thought I’d talk with you today about that.  Firstly, I was read to as a child and secondly, I saw reading going on in my household.  My mother and older brother were and still are avid readers.  They almost always had a book they were reading.  Little did I know at the time that this sent a message to me that reading is important.  What could I do but pick up a book and read too? 
  

I read everything.  Yes, I was one of those kids that read the cereal box as I ate breakfast in the morning.  Didn’t matter that I’d read the same box the morning before.  I had my favorite books.  Little House on the Prairie was my favorite series and I read it time and again.  I also looked for books similar to that series and read them.  As I got older, I moved on to other authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Grace Livingston Hill and then Janette Oke’s Canadian West series and Seasons of the Heart series melted my teenage heart.  As I became an adult I discovered other great authors such as Edith Wharton, Anita Shreve, Nicholas Sparks and I do still love juvenile and young adult fiction.  My personal favorite children’s authors of the moment are Richard Peck, Vivian Vande Velde, Suzanne Collins…..and my constant fav being Laura Ingalls Wilder (yes, I still read her books and don’t get me started on how I feel about the spin off books from her beloved series).  

I was the quiet child in the back of the classroom who rarely participated yet secretly thrilled when told we had to read classics.  I think I loved them all!  Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories and of course his Scarlet Letter, other short stories like Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery that just makes you go wow!  And then has you thinking of the meaning of such a story.  To Kill A Mockingbird which shines a light on the injustices of the world—my world right here in the South.  I even liked Miss Havisham and her creepy self. 

Why am I telling you all of this?  Well, if you are looking for ways to instill the love of reading in your child one of the best places to start is by being a reader and letting your child see you reading.  Also, read to your child.  Visit the library and borrow books to share with your child.  Let them see that books are important to you.  Reading with your child gives them an understanding of how stories work, that there is a beginning, middle and end.  It also encourages imaginative thinking.  I’m reminded of a quote I read somewhere recently:   “Open your child’s imagination.  Open a book.”
 

The library is here to help you with this.  Need reading suggestions?  Want to attend programs that encourage reading?  Check us out today and see what we have to offer.  There's something for everyone!  Even great adult programming such as the program just recently with the author of  The Rebel Wife. 

New Downloadables!

New children's/teen downloadable ebooks/audio just ordered for Camellia Net.  Remember you must sign in with your library card in order to see these titles. 

#		Title	Format Type	Format
1.		The 7 Habits of Happy Kids (unabridged)	Audiobook	OAB
2.		Alice in Zombieland	eBook	EPUB
3.		Battle Fleet	eBook	EPUB
4.		Chasers	eBook	EPUB
5.		Decked with Holly	eBook	EPUB
6.		Gooney Bird and the Room Mother	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
7.		Gooney Bird Is So Absurd	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
8.		Gooney the Fabulous	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
9.		Gossamer	eBook	EPUB
10.		The Iron Daughter	eBook	Kindle, EPUB, PDF
11.		The Kill Order	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
12.		Lincoln's Last Days (unabridged)	Audiobook	OAB
13.		The Lost Prince	eBook	EPUB
14.		The Mark of Athena (unabridged)	Audiobook	OAB
15.		The Maze Runner	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
16.		Powder Monkey	eBook	EPUB
17.		Prison Ship	eBook	Kindle, EPUB
18.		The Raven Boys (unabridged)	Audiobook	OMA, OAB
19.		The Time Travelers, Volume 1	eBook	EPUB
20.		The Time Travelers, Volume 2	eBook	EPUB
21.		Twice Shy	eBook	EPUB, PDF
22.		The Witch Family	eBook	Kindle, EPUB