Storytime Favorites
26 Apr 2012 Comments Off
in Collection, Storytime
Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett
Blue Chameleon is lonely and desperately wants a friend. He attempts to find a friend by imitating objects and other animals by changing his shape and color. He turns yellow like a banana, brown like a cowboy boot and swirly like a snail, but no one seems interested, until the end when a very colorful voice says “hi!” and blue chameleon finally meets the perfect friend. The beautiful color pencil illustrations are a crowd pleaser with children and parents alike and the simplicity of each page shows the talent and the humor of the illustrator/author. This is age appropriate for the very small, but appreciated by all ages!
Hogwash! By Karma Wilson and Illustrated by Jim McMullan
If you like humor, rhyming and clever illustrations, this is the book for you! Farmer wants to clean all of his animals on the farm and everything is going well until he gets to the hogs! “No Hogwash for us today. Pigs love dirt so go away!” is the sign they leave the farmer. Just when the farmer comes up with a great idea – flying over the pigpen with sudsy ammunition, the farmer runs out of gas and crashes – into the mud! Suddenly the farmer realizes how much fun mud is and decides hogs don’t need to bathe!
Extending the Reading Fun!
17 Apr 2012 Comments Off
Here at the Library, we’re always excited to hear about all the ways that families share their love of reading. That’s why we were tickled pink when a Mom shared the awesome story themed lunches she makes for her son. Check out the amazingly creative ways that she extends the reading fun all week long:
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Celebrate National Library Week!
11 Apr 2012 Comments Off
Celebrate National Library Week at the Cedar Park Public Library!
This week, to celebrate National Library Week, the Kids Division will be presenting puppet shows during Toddler, Preschool, and Family Storytimes, as well as Explorer’s Club. We also have a fun activity set up in the Library where kids can test their knowledge of children’s book covers. Come and see how many you can guess!
Every day across the country, libraries open their doors to everyone: students, parents, seniors, teachers, writers, artists, job seekers, entrepreneurs, readers, gamers, movie lovers and travel buffs. National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use.
Storytime Favorites!
20 Mar 2012 Comments Off
in Collection
Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet by Kelly DiPucchio
Gilbert has everything a fish could hope for; a castle, a treasure chest of gold and food flakes that magically appear every morning! However, there is one thing that Gilbert dreams of – a pet of his very own. Why would a pet fish want a pet? To care for and love of course! Watch as Gilbert’s dream comes true when a dog appears, however, a dog may not be the best pet for a fish, especially a thirsty one! A mouse comes near, but only because he thinks Gilbert is a piece of cheese, then runs off. Even a fly gets close before being smashed by a fly swatter. Poor Gilbert! When he thinks he will never have anyone to love, a silhouette of a head and whiskers can be seen. Is it friend or is it foe? Read to the end to find out the surprise. Bob Shea beautifully illustrates this story with striking colors which delight the child in all of us.
Can’t Sleep Without Sheep by Susanna Leonard Hill
Ava has to count sheep every night to help her sleep, but what would happen if the sheep you have been counting every night suddenly quit their job from exhaustion? That’s what happens to a little girl named Ava, and now the sheep are interviewing other animals for the job. Horses are nice, but they are too pretty and chickens are just too silly trying to jump a fence. Watch as different animals line up for the job, but can any of them fill in for the sheep and get the job done? Not likely. The charming illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka make the story come to life for children with expressive faces on all of the animals. This is sure to be a bedtime favorite in many households.
Spring Break @ Your Library
06 Mar 2012 Comments Off
Wondering what to do on Spring Break? The library has a number of fun programs planned for the week of March 12-16th!
Call 401-5600 for more information!
Storytime Favorites!
29 Feb 2012 Comments Off
Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley
Dog is suddenly inspired to try new footwear after reading the book “Puss in Boots.” Although the different styles have some wonderful uses, they become cumbersome when he tries to do something else, like digging, scratching, or swimming. Dog keeps taking back his new purchase for a different pair until the shop keeper points out that Dog has the perfect footwear for a dog – furry paws! Roberta Angaramo’s full page illustrations are sure to delight the eyes of children and adults alike.
Bark, George! By Jules Feiffer
A mother dog tells her son George to bark, but instead he meows, quacks, oinks and moos without even one little “arf.” Something is wrong with George, so his mother takes him to a veterinarian to see what is wrong. The vet puts on a latex glove and proceeds to pull out each of the animals from George, a cat, a duck, a pig and a cow. The simple illustrated expressions on each of the animals, as well as, the mother are hilarious and children enjoy the all the sounds of each animal. Not only do the children enjoy the surprise ending, grown-ups will laugh out loud too!
The Cedar Park Public Library Foundation has been selected as a Dell Powering the Possible partner in the United States
16 Feb 2012 Comments Off
The Cedar Park Public Library Foundation is proud to have been chosen as one of the Dell Powering the Possible partners in the US. Dell Powering the Possible focuses on four areas of giving including learning, pediatric cancer research, disaster relief and social entrepreneurship. Dell Powering the Possible is designed to give others the power to do more through a combination of Dell donated technology & solutions, resources and know-how. For learning, Dell helps bridge the gap between those who have access to technology and those who haven’t, by placing Dell technology into underserved communities and working with non-profit organizations to teach information and communication technology skills.
Grant funds will be used to establish the Launch Pad program, an initiative to reach out to the Cedar Park community and hold technology classes for youth. The Library will partner with local non-profits and work with the general public to provide classes using the latest in Dell products.
Dell announced in September 2011 a $3 million investment to expand its giving efforts in the U.S. A total of twenty-four organizations based in the United States have been selected to partner with Dell to power new possibilities for youth. More than 20,000 young people in Texas, Washington DC, California, Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Georgia and Florida will soon have access to state-of-the-art technology.
Library director, Pauline Lam is excited about this opportunity: “The Cedar Park Public Library Foundation is pleased and grateful to have received the Dell YouthConnect grant. The Library and the Library Foundation have been partnering with Dell for the last 10 years. The Dell YouthConnect Grant adds value to our programs. The Library will reach out to the youths in our community by providing them an opportunity to learn and explore technology using the Dell products so they can compete and be successful in this increasingly globalized digital world.”
Dell will provide the organization with grant funding as well as its latest technology. As importantly, a local Dell Champion will manage the deployment and upkeep of Dell systems, and local team members will have the possibility to volunteer their time to support our needs.
To learn more about the Dell program, visit www.dell.com/giving
Storytime Favorites
03 Feb 2012 Comments Off
Huck Runs Amuck by Sean Taylor
Huck, a mountain goat, will eat anything, but flowers are what he wants most! Join this zany google-eyed goat on his adventures to eat some flowers that keep eluding him. Everytime he is about to get his flowers, something happpens! “Uh Oh, He’s not going to eat Mr. Watson’s flowers is he? Yes! He can’t resist!” The prompts in this book keep the children involved throughout the story and the repetition and rhythm keep the book flowing to the end. Illustrator Peter Reynolds captures the humor of each situation Huck ends up in and the children are pleasantly pleased with the outcome!
Zoomer’s Summer Snowstorm by Ned Young
Zoomer, a tan and black puppy, gets permission to make a snow cone on a very hot day as long as he cleans up the kitchen afterwards. When the snow cone machine doesn’t stop making snow, Zoomer opens the window and lets the snow cover the hot summer day. Zoomer immediately begins creating a winter wonderland from ice creatures to a snow train. Zoomer’s twin brothers don’t appreciate the interuption to their baseball practice until Zoomer creates a ice amusement park to their delight. Ned Young does a brilliant job creating the vivid imagination of Zoomer’s world.
Caldecott and Newbery Winners Announced this Week!
25 Jan 2012 Comments Off
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At the American Library Association’s Annual Conference, the winners of the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Award were announced. And the winners are (drumroll, please):
Caldecott Medal, for the most distinguished American picture book for children: “A Ball for Daisy” illustrated and written by Chris Raschka
The Caldecott Honor Books were:
“Blackout” illustrated and written by John Rocco
“Grandpa Green” illustrated and written by Lane Smith
“Me…Jane” illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell
Newbery Award, for the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children: “Dead End in Norvelt,” written by Jack Gantos
The Newbery Honor Books were:
“Inside Out & Back Again” written by Thanhha Lai
“Breaking Stalin’s Nose” written by Eugene Yelchin
The ALA also announced several other awards. These include:
The Batchelder Award, for the most outstanding of book originally published in a language other than English: “Soldier Bear” written by Bibi Dumon Tak
The Belpré Medal, awarded to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience: Illustrator Award –”Diego Rivera: His World and Ours” written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh; Author Award — “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred” illustrated by Rafael López, written by Samantha R. Vamos
The Coretta Scott King Award, recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults: Author Award — Kadir Nelson, for “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans,”; Illustrator Award — Shane W. Evans, for “Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom”
The Geisel Medal, for the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books: “Tales for Very Picky Eaters” written and illustrated by Josh Schneider
The Sibert Medal, for the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book: “Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade” written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
For the full list of awards and honor books, you can visit the American Library Association press release.
The Library has most of these titles available for check-out or hold, and we’ve placed any title that we don’t have on order, so come check one out!
Storytime Favorites!
29 Dec 2011 Comments Off
in Collection, Storytime
Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile
by Won-Ldy Paye
In this African folktale, Mrs. Chicken gets caught by Mrs. Crocodile who is very hungry. However, Mrs. Chicken has a plan to save herself and that plan begins by convincing Mrs. Crocodile that she is her sister and eating her would be a bad idea. How will she achieve that? The quick witted Mrs. Chicken comes up with a clever plan that children will love! The gouache artwork by Julie Paschkis is playful and appealing to the young.
Shhhhh! Everybody’s Sleeping
by Julie Markes
This soothing bedtime story shows that everybody has to go to sleep. What makes this book so much fun for kids is that it shows all of these people sleeping in the surroundings that we are accustomed to seeing them in. Firemen sleep at the fire department, zoo keepers at the zoo, and a librarian at the library! Some little ones do believe that is where these community helpers stay 24/7. David Parkins captures perfectly the images perceived by children with vivid colors. A great read for bedtime.
