It’s July! Which means it’s the perfect time to sit poolside and read some awesome new books from your library. Here are a few of my favorites that have recently come out. Enjoy!
Picture Books
“It Took Two Wishes” written by Edwina Wyatt and illustrated by Irena Freitas
Do you remember the excitement of waiting for your birthday party? The main character in this book has been looking forward to her birthday for “twelve moons” and measures the time it took to make the invitations in hours, smudges and sandwiches consumed. This book is full of surprising measurements, which is a great way to reinforce numbers with little ones. As the family heads to the park for the birthday party, the event is tragically rained out. But on their way home they find a lost dog, and search through the park until they find the owner. The grateful owner invites the birthday girl to their house, and their party supplies and birthday cake get to be enjoyed after all. This sweet and delightful book models staying positive even when dealing with disappointment. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: July Favorites 2021”
Would you like to sew an animal friend and take them on an adventure? If so, I have included patterns and directions on how to sew a bunny and a sloth. Choose one or sew them both!
1) Choose which animal you are going to make. Cut out the paper patternfor the basic body, including the arms (long ones for the sloth and short for the bunny) and the eyes. The next set of patterns are specific for either the bunny or the sloth. Cut out the ones for the animal you have chosen. Continue reading “Sew a Sloth (or Bunny!)”
July 10th is National Kitten Day, so, in honor of this cutest of holidays, and as a complement to our Virtual Activity Bundle on pets from a few weeks ago, I want to specifically focus on my favorite pets — cats! Cats were first domesticated around 7500 BC (which is actually thousands of years later than dogs) and in ancient Egypt they were regarded as sacred and depicted in art representing justice, fertility and power. In the 15th and 16th century, cats made their way to America on cargo ships, tagging along with Christopher Columbus and then later with the settlers at Jamestown and on the Mayflower. By the end of the 19th century they became popular here not only as expert mouse catchers but as household companions, and they continue to be the second most-owned pet in America after fish. So here are some books, songs, videos and a craft activity to help celebrate our wonderful feline friends. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Cats”
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Callaway County Youth Poetry Contest! In April of this year, the Callaway County Public Library and the Auxvasse Creative Arts Program invited students between the ages of 5 and 18 who reside or attend school in Callaway County to enter a poetry contest. This year’s theme was “We all need connection.” The pandemic made social distancing necessary in our world this past year, but we all need connection. Students were encouraged to write a poem about being connected with their community — about their class, family, a team, neighborhood or town. Many students chose to write about their connection to nature. Winning poems were selected by judge and author Daren Dean.Continue reading “2021 Callaway County Youth Poetry Contest Winners”
Do you have an extra room in your heart (and house) for some teeny tiny creatures?
How could you not love a face as cute as this!
If the answer is yes, then it’s time to celebrate, because kitten season is here! Kitten season is when all of the “feral,” or wild, cats have lots and lots of kittens. Kittens born in the wild only have a 50% chance of surviving to their first year, and then only half of those will make it to two years old. This is one of many reasons why I foster kittens for a local animal organization! Continue reading “Saving the World, One Kitten at a Time”
In the book “I’m Not Using the Potty” by author Laura Gelh, Peep is excited. “Today is the day!” Peep said. “Time to start using the potty!” But to Egg, the potty is too slippery to sit on, the toilet paper is too tangly and the flushing noise is too loud!
Encouraging a child to try something new is often challenging. But when it comes to potty training, there are also so many questions. Is my child ready? Am I ready? What’s the best method or approach? How long will this take? Additionally, there’s a plethora of advice from well-meaning family and friends, each with their own stories, proven techniques and absolute dos and don’ts.
One of my sons has a snake for a pet. (I’m not a fan of snakes!) Fortunately my son is all grown up, so he and his snake don’t live with me. My other son has raised ferrets and kittens. But personally, I’m a dog fan. My children grew up playing with and taking care of dogs, learning responsibility along the way. There are lots of animals that make good pets—you can explore some pet choices by checking out the resources and activities below. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Pets”
For this month’s favorites, we’ve got elephants and dogs and bears—oh my! I couldn’t resist all the animal books for our “Tails and Tales” Summer Reading theme this year, but I did throw in a few others as well. Enjoy!
Have you ever noticed that the word “underpants” is somehow funnier than “underwear”? Try saying it out loud to compare. Now get ready to say “underpants” approximately 34 more times, because this book has a lot of hilarious repetition! It is possible you’ll get tired of saying this word, but I assure you, your kids won’t get tired of listening to it. One morning Bear Cub wakes up and notices a pair of underpants hanging outside his cave. They’re not labelled, and Bear Cub is determined to find their owner, so no one will have to go underpants-less. As he asks each of his friends, they all show off their own undies and demonstrate why the tighty whities in question can’t be theirs. Of course the mystery is solved in the end! This is a perfect book for this year’s Summer Reading theme of “Tails and Tales,” as readers will get a delightful tour of the tail-ends of various forest animals. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: June Favorites 2021”
June is upon us, and Pride is on the horizon! To celebrate Pride Month, the Mid-Missouri LGBT Coalition Event will be celebrating again this year with Mid-Missouri PrideFest. They have decided to ring in Pride a little bit later, on August 28th and 29th. For us, we thought we’d kick off Pride in June with our new booklist, “LGBTQIA+ Educational Resources for All Ages.”
When teachers come to the library and ask LGBTQIA+ related questions, they usually have three very specific questions:
How can I introduce this material to my students?
How can I learn more about this community to understand better?
What can I recommend as resources for parents, family members, etc.?
“It Took Two Wishes” written by Edwina Wyatt and illustrated by Irena Freitas
July 10th is National Kitten Day, so, in honor of this cutest of holidays, and as a complement to our 
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Callaway County Youth Poetry Contest! In April of this year, the 
June is upon us, and Pride is on the horizon! To celebrate Pride Month, the Mid-Missouri LGBT Coalition Event will be celebrating again this year with