Fan Friday

Dawn at the Grabill Branch Library shares a fantastic story about this creative thank you note:

“This is a picture of a Thank You note that a patron made for me after a paper making class. The mom scrounged around in her purse to find scrap paper and got the Trident wrapper to add to her paper. She had her kids use part of the paper and part of a paper bag to make the card.”

Awesome!!!!

Does your family love the library this much?  We would love to feature you on our blog’s Fan Friday posts.  Interested?  Please contact Marra Honeywell at 260-421-1220 or email at mhoneywell@acpl.info

Bookmobile Memories

Summertime at my grandparents’ house meant lots of fun spending time playing wiffle ball and digging in the sandbox.  It also meant an occasional visit from the bookmobile!  I was searching through the library’s collection of historic photos to see if I could find a picture of this rolling wonder but instead I found pictures of older bookmobiles that the library used to visit the community.

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Of course the Allen County Public Library doesn’t still have a bookmobile and the world is a very different place than when it first started the practice, but perhaps someday in the future we’ll again offer rolling mini-libraries that visit neighborhoods and bring the joy of reading practically to your front door.

Literacy Apps

Heading out for a Memorial Day trip? You may want to load up a smart phone/tablet for those last unbearable moments your young one is strapped into the back seat. Reading Rockets, a wonderful website for parents about reading, has compiled a list of educational literacy apps. Included are fun games focused on phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, writing, and print awareness–each made to work on a portable device. Many are free!

If you poke around the Reading Rockets site and would like to receive tips this summer to help keep up with your child’s reading development, they also offer text messaging “Reading Tips to Go”!

Mock Caldecott Book List for 2014

One of our favorite ways to celebrate great children’s books is to read and evaluate new titles based on their pictures and try to predict which one may win one of the highest honors in children’s literature… The Randolph Caldecott Medal.  The medal is awarded in January so we’ve got plenty of time to explore and critique.  Below is a list of titles we’ve written about so far this year that meet all the necessary qualifications.

If you’d like to join librarians from the Allen County Public Library and other children’s book lovers for a great discussion of these books consider joining us at the beginning of January, 2014 (date to be announced) at the Main Library for our Mock Caldecott Program.

2012A, 2013 Caldecott ward, ALA, Book Awards

We’ll be adding onto this list periodically so you may want to bookmark this page and visit again soon!

Bink & Gollie stole my heart

We just got a new book at the library: Best Friends Forever.  It is the third easy reader book featuring Bink & Gollie.  My son has fallen in love with these books.  Each book has three parts featuring the adventures of these two friends.  Their personalities are hilarious and loveable — the illustrations perfectly capture their emotions.  I really love the vocabulary that they use, as well.  My son learned a couple of new words in each book.  Perhaps your family will like these books as much as mine does?

The original Bink & Gollie title won the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award for most distinguished book for beginning readers in 2011.

Come to the Cherry Blossom Festival!

Come to the Main Library TODAY for the Cherry Blossom Festival. There is so much going on… and most of it is FREE! We will have some “make-and-take” crafts in the Children’s Services department for the kids, including Cherry Blossom Sticker Art, Chopstick Fun, and Samurai Helmets.

We’ll also have lots of books on Japan, Japanese culture, and folktales from Japan waiting for you to check out and read at home.

Some of the other activities going on include:

• Fort   Wayne Taiko, from the Fort Wayne Dance Collective       
• Minyo Japanese Folk Dancers, from Indianapolis
• Yoko Reikano Kimura,  Japanese Koto
• Hikaru Tamaki, Cello
• The Fort Wayne Guitar Quartet, lead player Dan Quinn
• Dorothy Kittaka, Soprano
• Janice Furtner, Soprano
• Irene Ator, Piano accompanist
• Suzuki Strings, conducted by Debra Graham
• Mrs. Shie Otani, Japanese Tea Ceremony
• Zentai Martial Arts, Decatur Mudokwan and Indianapolis Kendo Club
• Mike Schmid and Janice Furtner, Origami demonstration and hands-on origami activities
• Karaoke, for the public

There will also be an Arts and Crafts of Japan Marketplace featuring:

• Bethany Lee – Paper arts
• DCB Discount Comics  – Manga comics
• Hida Shashiko – Japanese embroidery
• JapaneseSaturdaySchool – Accessories, crafts and Japanese souvenir items
• Paul Griswold –Japanese-themed T-shirts
• Rei Kihara – Japanese fabric dresses, cosplay costumes, art prints, “cherry blossom” accessories
• Ronia Marie Krieg – Shibori Silk Scarves

And there will be a Taste of Japan:

• Toyko Seoul Restaurant, Sushi.
• West Coast Grill, Yakitori
• Woo’s Oriental Grocery & Mart, Japanese candies, drinks, ice cream, crackers etc.

When: Sunday, May 19, Noon to 5 p.m.

Where:  Allen County Public Library, Main Library (downtown)

Cost:   Most events are free for the public  

CLICK HERE to view or print the festival brochure that includes a complete listing of events with times, performers, vendors, and sponsors. The festival begins at noon on the library plaza. We’ll see you at the Library this afternoon!

Lego Man in Space!

Have you ever thought about sending a Lego minifig as high into the atmosphere as you could? Would you take photos of the journey? Would you plan it out, buy the materials, put it all together, and really do it? Two teens from Canada did all of that! Read the book written about the adventure (Lego Man in Space), and watch this awesome video:

If you love Legos, join us at one of the regular Lego clubs we have at our libraries.  See the schedule here.