Alphabet Awww.....

Want to help your child learn the alphabet? And see the most adorable pictures of baby animals - like this one - while doing it? Check out this web page, Baby Animal Alphabet! (Thanks to the blog bb-blog for the link.)

Of course, the library has a lot of wonderful alphabet books, too. One of my all-time favorites is Arnold Lobel's On Market Street, which you can reserve by clicking here.

When should children learn the alphabet? Here's a good article on the Family Parenting web site with lots of information and tips from experts and other parents.

Sing Me a Story!

How fun! Watch the author of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? read (and sing!) his book. Henry Holt Publishers now has a channel on YouTube, and this is one of its offerings. (Thanks to children's librarian and blogger Fuse # 8 for this link.) Click on the book title to reserve the book for yourself.

Program Friday (Upcoming Programs for July 20-26)

Hi everyone!
As usual, we have some great programs coming up this week...
*Our Wacky Wednesday program on July 23 will take place at Mitchell Park Library at 3:30pm, and will feature Python Ron and his menagerie of reptiles! This all-ages program features creatures such as 18-foot pythons and 4-foot long lizards. The brave ones in the audience will even be able to touch some of the creatures! Please plan to join us for this educational and entertaining program. And don't forget your picnic blanket or beach towel to sit on- this program will take place on the lawn outside the south entrance to Mitchell Park Library.
*The summer Baby Storytime session is going strong at Downtown Library. This program, for ages 6-18 months, takes place on Tuesday mornings at 11am through August 19th. Join us for lap bounces, rhymes, songs, books, and a lot of fun!
* Also on the calendar are our regular storytimes at Children's Library and Mitchell Park. The schedule is as follows:
- Toddler Storytimes: at Children's Mondays at 10am OR 11am and at Mitchell Fridays at 10am.
- Preschool Storytimes: at Children's Tuesdays at 10am and at Mitchell Fridays at 11am.

We hope to see YOU at one or more of our exciting programs. And don't forget to keep adding books to your Summer Reading logs! Prizes can be claimed starting August 1st.

Weird Wednesday!

It's only a few weeks now until the 2008 Summer Olympics get underway in Beijing (August 8-24). To prepare for the upcoming excitement, I want to share with you a new book called Gold Medal for Weird by Kevin Sylvester.

Mr. Sylvester is a reporter and radio sports host who decided there have been enough books written about the super-athletes. He wanted to write a book about the other athletes- the clumsy, the goofy, and the cheaters. This book is full of funny short stories and silly little facts about the lesser known athletes and seldom told stories in Olympic history.

One of my favorite stories from the book tells about the strange competition of pistol dueling at the 1906 Athens Games. Rather than shooting at one another, the duelers shot at elegant dummies wearing frock coats and big bull's-eyes on their chests!

Another story tells of Speedskater Paul Enock who competed in the 1962 Olympics. Up until that time, speedskaters had competed in warn, heavy clothes. Mr. Enock decided to try skating in his wife's panty hose because they were lighter and smoother, and he broke the world record!

To read all of these stories and more, check out Gold Medal for the Weird!

Spotlight on: Camping!

Having just returned from a camping trip myself, I know that camping is great fun for the whole family. Below, I'd like to highlight a few of my favorite camping books- check them out!

*To learn the facts about camping:

Follow the Trail: A Young Person's Guide to the Great Outdoors by Jessica Loy

Learn about packing, safety, and what to do if it rains!

*To learn some camping poems:

Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems by Kristine O'Connell George

Some great poems to read together around the campfire.

*For the independent reader:

4B Goes Wild by Jamie Gilson

Join Hobie Hanson and his friends from the book Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub for a few exciting days of Outdoor Education at Camp Trotter!

*For the younger ones:

Good night, Animals by Lena Arro

Bubble and Pearl make some furry new friends when they camp out in this cute picture book.

Programs and More

What's the buzz at the library, you ask? For starters, The Center For Ecosystem Survival will present an exciting program at Main Library next Wednesday at 3:30 pm on the front lawn. This will be an opportunity for children to learn about the rainforest, how insects affect the ecosystem and maybe, just maybe, get to hold a live walking stick! Most importantly, the kids will learn how they can participate in ways that will contribute to saving tropical rainforests or coral reefs. Everybody is invited but school age children will benefit the most from this presentation.


Try these two books for a little background:




Antonio's Rainforest




The Great Kapok Tree

Staying Cool!

We're having another heat wave, so here are some books with ideas to beat the heat. (You can check on the title to reserve the book).

Make something cool and wonderful to eat! Check out Cool Sweets & Treats to Eat, with recipes for things like Campfire-free S'mores, No-bake Energy Bars and Dilly and Chilly Dips for Veggies. Yum!

While we're on the subject of treats, summertime is always ice cream time. Besides getting some to eat, how about reading about the history and production of ice cream? For the "inside scoop" take a look at Paul Fleisher's Ice Cream Treats.

Swimming's a great way to keep cool. The Library has a number of children's books on learning to swim or working on your technique. One is Crossingham's and Walker's Swimming in Action. Need the pool hours at Rinconada? Here you go.

When the weather's hot, just being near water is great. How about hanging out at Boronda Lake at our own Foothills Park? You can go fishing in the lake (with a license). Here's more information about the beautiful park, which is open to Palo Alto residents and their guests. Need to learn how to catch more fish? We've got some great books, of course. Try this one - Kids Gone Fishing.