Valentine's Day
February 12 , 2013 by Rebecca KolbI love you. I think you’re grand. There’s none like you in all the land.” - from Sleepytime Rhyme by Remy Charlip
New Books for Teens | January 29, 2013
January 30 , 2013 by Leah B.Get your hands on Rinsai Rossetti's The Girl with Borrowed Wings (recipient of multiple starred reviews and named a 2012 Best Book for Teens by Kirkus), today, for a fresh take on the paranormal romance.
New Books for Children | January 29, 2013
January 30 , 2013 by Leah B.This week our new arrivals feature some of your favorite authors, returning with new stories to share.
The Big Winners of 2013 - For Teens
January 28 , 2013 by Leah B.The Big Winners of 2013 - For Children
January 28 , 2013 by Leah B.The American Library Association announced the winners of the 2013 Youth Media Awards (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, etc.) this morning.
Rare Words Are Key for Child’s Success in Reading
January 24 , 2013 by Leslie TetreaultWhat are rare words, where can you find them, and why do they matter?
Rare words are those beyond the 10,000 words known as our Common Lexicon used in most daily conversation with each other.
You can find a great many rare words in children’s books. Children’s books have 30 rare words per thousand, while conversations between an adult and 3-year-old child typically include 9 rare words per thousand (JimTrelease: The Read-Aloud Handbook.)
Quality children’s picture books are filled with rare words. Consider Byron Barton’s I Want to Be an Astronaut, a picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. It includes words like shuttle, mission, and gravity. These are words you might not use in everyday conversation with your young child. When you read this book aloud, you introduce him to these words, and they become part of his growing vocabulary.
Why is this important? Studies show that a child’s vocabulary upon entering school is the number one indicator of whether he will be a good reader. Trelease reminds us that by the time a child is 5-years-old, he will know 90% of the words he will use for the rest of his life. The eventual strength of your child’s vocabulary depends on how many of these rare words he knows. And the child who has heard thousands of picture books before he reaches school will have a larger vocabulary than the child that experiences very few books during his early years.
There are thousands of vocabulary-rich books for young children. Check out the below sampling, but know it is the tip of an enormous iceberg. Visit the library often, attend storytime, and let us help your child develop a rich vocabulary through picture books.New Books for Children | January 22, 2013
January 22 , 2013 by Leah B.New Books for Teens | January 22, 2013
January 22 , 2013 by Leah B.Check out some of the library's recent arrivals for teens, below.
Middle Schoolers
December 28 , 2012 by Rebecca KolbMiddle school can be a time of change. Your child may have new interests, new friends and lots of new questions. Books are always the best way to explore the world – whether it's a book about different cultures or a book about the girl-next-door. Reading a book alone or together as a family can start a discussion about all those new emotions that are a part of growing up.
Things That Go!
December 28 , 2012 by Rebecca KolbZoom! Vroom! Chugga, Chugga, Choo Choo! Beep! Beep! Beep!