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HPL Youth Services

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Celebrate National Adoption Month!

Help us celebrate adoption by checking out one of our awesome books on adoption, including:
Happy Adoption Day! by John McCutcheon.

Posted by Ms. Sarah at 11/13/2008

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Sophie's Dog Blog

Hi, my name is Sophie and I am Ms. Sarah's dog. I am a mutt from Hebron, Indiana with great taste in books. (I especially like the taste of library books, the glue they use tastes extra yummy!). My interests include sniffing, licking and chasing my tail. Ms. Sarah has agreed to let me write on the HPL Youth Services blog if I promise not to throw up on her rug anymore. Stay tuned for my adventures and to hear about the cool new books I'm reading! For now you can check out some of my favorite books:
Fire Fighter Piggy Wiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox (that's the book I'm reading in the picture),
Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon,
Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh,
Murphy Meets the Treadmill by Harriet Ziefert,
Noodle by Munro Leaf and
Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck.

Sophie's Winter Pics

I confess, I'm not really a winter dog. I would rather be curled up under the covers eating popcorn (my favorite snack) on a cold, blustery day. But when my two best doggy friends J.W. and Tara come to visit we love to run around in the snow! Here are some of my favorite books to read about having fun in the winter time:

Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Katy and the Big Snow
by Virginia Lee Burton

The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats

Sophie's Not-So-Scary Halloween Pics

It's almost time for Halloween. I loooove Halloween because I love to dress up, I LOVE treats, and I love celebrating my birthday! That's right, I am a Halloween puppy and I will be three years old this year. Check out some of these fun but not-so-scary Halloween books (even though I was born on Halloween I am a little bit of a scaredy-dog).
Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe
This is the Pumpkin by Abby Levine
Arthur's Halloween by Marc Brown
The Best Halloween Masquerade Ever! by Richard Scarry
Harriet's Halloween Candy by Nancy Carlson
Jungle Halloween by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz
Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever! by B.G. Hennessy
Dinosaurs' Halloween by Liza Donnelly
Froggy's Halloween by Jonathan London

Happy Birthday to Sophie!

Today is my birthday. Yes, I am a Halloween puppy. For my birthday I got a pink stuffed puffer fish and a tasty bone, I was so excited. Turning three was very fun. Read these awesome birthday books to help me celebrate!

Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish by Cynthia Rylant
It's My Birthday! by Pat Hutchins
Every Year on Your Birthday by Rose A. Lewis

Sophie's Guide to Swan

Sometimes it is hard for me to type because I don't have working thumbs and my fingers are very hairy. I also have trouble looking for books on the library's website because I'm not sure what words to use. That's why I use something called "Easy Cat". "Easy Cat" has pictures that I can click on to find what I need in the library. Try it! Just click on this link: http://swan.mls.lib.il.us:90/kids/11

Fun Sites for Kids

Between the Lions-Games, stories and more!
The Yuckiest Site on the Internet-Did you know that humans pass a quart of gas a day? Or that a headless roach can live for a week? Find out more digustingly cool facts on this amazing website!
Adler Planetarium-cool facts about the universe
Discovery Kids-action packed science adventures
Cheerios Book Donation Challenge-Play a game to see how much you know about your favorite books
Hamster Tours-learn more about the secret lives of hamsters!
International Children's Digital Library -Read stories from around the world, choose the way you want to see them, and write your own reviews!
Seussville-Go Dr. Seuss CRAZY!

Cool Craft Projects

Alphabet Steering Wheel: For this project you will need a paper plate, old magazines, scissors, and glue. First find a picture of a cool car and glue it to the middle of the paper plate. Then find each letter of the alphabet and glue them to the outside of the plate. You can take this craft with you in the car and find objects that start with each letter during your road trip!

Upcoming Events

Patch Club has returned! Ask the Youth Services Department for more details.

Sites for Parents

Cooperative Children's Book Center-many great lists of books to read with your child on a variety of topics
The Los Angeles Public Library-Games, ideas for stories to read, and book searches by age/grade level
Reading is Fundamental-RIF's new Learning to Read website is a fantastic way for your child to learn early literacy skills through play!
Homewood School District 153-find out what's happening in your child's school!
GuysRead.com-books for boys and information on the books for boys movement
GreatSchools.Net-an invaluable tool for looking up information on local schools as wel as schools across the country

Reading Readiness Activities

Letter awareness is an easy skills to practice when you're out and about. Pick a letter of the week, and then look for that letter on signs, in the grocery store, etc.
An important part of reading readiness is being motivated to read. Combining literature with fun snacks, snuggly times, or field trips will help cultivate a love for reading in your child.
Make a simple recipe. Following the directions in a simple recipe will help your child develop sequencing skills that are essential for reading comprehension. Check out Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen for some great recipes.
Make a letter collage. Look through old magazines and find pictures that start with the same letter. You could even make your own alphabet book if you want to!

Sites for Teachers

Jamestown Virtual Colony-a variety of webquests about Jamestown history
The American Library Association's Book and Media Awards Section-many lists of award winning books for children and young adults
Kaye Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page-information on a variety of children's literature, including great multicultural titles
The Best Kids Book Site-books, crafts and songs on a variety of topics
The Library of Congress Guide for Teachers

Places to Visit

The Field Museum-Check out the new Crown Family Play Lab!
Lincoln Park Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Shedd Aquarium
DuPage Children's Museum
Chicago Children's Museum
National Museum of Mexican Art
Chicago History Museum
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Museum of Science and Industry

Bedtime Chapter Books

Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins

Books for Boys

Richard Scarry books
The U.S. Marine Corps by Matt Doeden
I Stink by Kate McMullan

Books We Read in Preschool StoryHour

10 Trick or Treaters: a Halloween Counting Book by Janet Schulman
My First Halloween by Tomie De Paola
The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval
When an Elephant Comes to School by Jan Ormerod
Curious George's First Day of School by H.A. Rey
Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School by Nathan Hale
Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier
Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
Ten Red Apples by Virginia Miller
Ten Apples On Top! by Theo LeSieg
May I Pet Your Dog? by Stephanie Calmenson
Puppies!Puppies!Puppies! by Susan Meyers
My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven

Books We Read in Tot Time

Yes by Jez Alborough
10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo
Pepper Picks a Pumpkin by Linda Bleck
It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Black?White!Day?Night! by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
My First Book of Opposites by Kim Deegan
Opposites by Robert Crowther
Zoo Animals 1, 2, 3 by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
City 1 2 3 by Zoran Milich
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Fall is Here! Counting 1 to 10 by Pamela Jane
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash!: Counting Round and Round by Suse MacDonald
Maisy Drives the Bus by Lucy Cousins
Wheels on the Bus by Raffi
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

Great Authors for Preschoolers

Zoe Hall
Ezra Jack Keats
Pat Hutchins
Ian Falconer
Richard Scarry
Eric Carle

Multicultural Resources

The Brown Bookshelf-a group of authors and illustrators who promote African American fiction
Barahona Center for Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents-great resource for Latino books for children in Spanish and English
Jump at the Sun (Hyperion Books for Children)-publisher of African American books
Oyate-publisher and reviewer of Native American books

Sites for History Projects

Kids.gov-A guide to government pages for kids.
Looking for primary documents? Try the Library of Congress American Memory

Blog Archive

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  - Celebrate National Adoption Month!
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