The Daily Grin

Families: please fill out our brief five-question survey about free kid’s movies at CPL.  Thanks for helping us serve you better.

Join us for a different family-friendly movie on Tuesday nights this summer. Movies begin at 6:30, are free to the public, and no registration is required. Here’s what’s playing:

JULY 27 - “Muppet Treasure Island” rated G, (1 hr. 39 min.)

AUG 3 - “Finding Nemo” rated G, (1 hr. 40 min.)

AUG 10 - “Free Willy” rated PG, (1 hr. 52 min.)

AUG 24 - “The Princess and the Frog” rated G, (1 hr. 37 min.)

One of our favorite children’s music performers, Dan Zanes, just won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award for his new album 76 Trombones.

And, bonus, he’s performing a free concert on the New Haven Green Saturday, June 26 at 7pm!  The concert is free and open to the public.  Visit the International Festival of Arts and Ideas for more information.

Check this link to see the Dan Zanes albums we own at CPL.

CPL’s Teen and Children’s Departments are getting excited for summer!  We’ve already started posting many of our summer offerings on our Event Calendar.

One new program this summer will be our Monday Madness activities from 3:00-4:00pm Monday afternoons in July & August.  You can help us get ready by cleaning out those closets!

The Children’s Department will gladly take donations off your hands.  We’re looking for simple Legos (no fancy sets, please), for our Lego Building Afternoon: Mon. August 2nd.  Also, wading pools and bubble wands (or fly swatters, badminton rackets, etc.) for our Bubble Bonanza: Mon. July 26th.  Contact Megan at mhegna @ cheshirelibrary.org or call the Children’s Department 203-272-2245 and press “3″ or ext. 3003.

Books make great gifts. Check out our children’s page for some fantastic lists  created by Connecticut youth librarians with recommended new books for kids and teens.  Courtesy of the Connecticut Library Consortium.

More Festive Fun…

Craft and decorating ideas at FamilyFun (This link is for the Christmas page, but use the search bar for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa for other great ideas).

Kaboose also has some great activities for Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa.

Stop into the children’s department to see our wonderful holiday books, you won’t be disappointed!

Kids ages ten and up are invited to join us for a book discussion on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning The Graveyard Book in the old St. Bridget’s Cemetery.

The event is scheduled for Monday, October 19th from 4-5pm.  If the weather doesn’t cooperate we will meet on Monday, November 2nd instead.  We’ll talk a bit about the book, look for a “ghoul gate”, and try some grave rubbings.  To join the fun register in the Children’s Department.  Copies of the book are available and waiting at the circulation desk.

… to bring your baby to the library.

Come and join us on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am for Baby Lap-Sit in the Children’s Room.  Infants up to 12 months old with a parent or caregiver are invited to bounce, rhyme, sing and play with us.  Registration is required but spots are still available for September.  Call or stop in to the Children’s Room for more details.

Come to talk to other adults with young children, to learn some new ways to play with your baby, and to give your baby positive experiences around books and the library.

Learn more about getting your baby ready to learn and read at this fantastic Zero to Three site, Early Language & Literacy.  And, as always, feel free to ask the children’s librarians for book recommendations– we’re happy to share our favorites for even the littlest ones.

Critter Caravan, originally scheduled for July 29th, has been postponed.

Thankfully, magician Chick Kelman was available to join us.  Everyone is welcome to attend the show at 1:00pm on Wednesday, July 29th!  No registration is required.

Here our some of our favorite summer vacation books for kids.
Great for reading on vacation (or sitting on the couch and wishing you were on vacation)!

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
JE Frazee

Friends James and Eamon enjoy a wonderful week at the home of Eamon’s grandparents during summer vacation.

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Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins

JE Perkins

Given a camera that takes and prints tiny pictures just before leaving for the family farm in Canada, a young girl records a vacation that gets off to a slow start, but winds up being a family reunion filled with good memories.

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On My Trip: The Sound of “Tr” by Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyed

J RE Klingel

Simple text about a summer vacation and repetition of the letters “tr” help readers learn how to use this sound.

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Fudge-a-mania by Judy Blume

J Fiction Blume, J PBK Blume, J Spoken CD Blume

Pete describes the family vacation in Maine with the Tubmans, highlighted by the antics of his younger brother Fudge.

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The Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman

J Fiction Gutman

Summer vacation in their small Maine town does not look too promising until twelve-year-old Gina and four of her friends make a pact to become millionaires before school starts in September.

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Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha! by Barbara Park

J Fiction Park, J Series PBK Junie B. Jones

Excitable Junie B. Jones manages to find trouble both before and during a trip to Hawaii and records each incident in a photo journal given to her by her teacher.

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Made You Look by Diane Roberts

J Fiction Roberts, J PBK Roberts

Twelve-year-old Jason’s dream of being a contestant on a cool game show is jeopardized by his family’s trip to California–a cross-country nightmare in an embarrassing camper with annoying siblings and a copycat nemesis.

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The Penderwicks : a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy by Jeanne Birdsall

J Fiction Birdsall, J PBK Birdsall

While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.

Feeling the itch to get outside? Registration for The Great Park Pursuit opens on March 30th and runs through April 25, 2009.

During Saturdays in May and June, participating families get in free to the designated park on event day. Which means no parking fees, and no entrance fees from 9am-3pm.

“The Great Park Pursuit is a seven-week contest that will have you decoding clues, discovering parks, forests, historic sites and recreation areas across the state and participating in fun activities and challenges — all for a chance to win cool prizes.”

And don’t forget the library has year-round free and discounted admission passes to parks and museums. We even have a State Parks pass which gets you free parking in any State Park (including the beaches) from April until October.

Feel free to learn about our other great passes from our website. Who says family fun has to cost a lot of money?