“Weeds gone wild, refusing to be tamed. I hope more people start to rethink why some plants are considered weeds and start to see the beauty in their resilience.” – SJ Okemow
You’re probably thinking “Megan, why are you writing about dandelions in the winter?” Don’t worry this book takes place across all the seasons, so you’ll get a taste of winter. “Dear Dandelion” by SJ Okemow follows the life cycle of the dandelion all year long. According to the author’s note, it was made as a part of the Animating Our Stories Program at Banff Centre of Arts and Creativity. Okemow uses Cree words throughout the book and has translations at the end of the book.
This book goes through the life cycle of a dandelion in such a beautiful way. Most people see dandelions as weeds, but they are often seen as a symbol of resilience and overcoming adversity. Dandelions come back year after year in our yards and sometimes through cracks in the concrete, and a wise woman told me recently they are a reminder to look for beauty in unexpected places. And that’s exactly what this book is about — finding joy in the small things like making a flower crown in the summer or making wishes on a mud pie. So even though it’s cold and dreary, I challenge you to pick up this sunny book about dandelions and look for a bit of joy in the world around you.
While we’re really sad that we can’t host story times for you right now, we’re happy to announce that you can enjoy story time from outer space! Say what?! That’s right, you read correctly.
Thanks to this super cool website, storytimefromspace.com, you can watch astronauts aboard the International Space Station read books for all to enjoy. There are currently 21 books to choose from. Some are even read in Arabic and Japanese!
¡Hola mis amigos de la biblioteca! Hello my friends of the library!
Monday through Friday, our children’s team crew hosts events such as Family Story Time, Discovery Time and STEAM Story Time for a variety of audiences. Often we focus our range of entertainment from birth to 5 years of age. However, once in a while, we release the reins to some of our favorite guest story tellers: members of the MU Voz Latina and presenters of the Confucius Institute of the University of Missouri.
What’s so special about these guest presenters we host here at the library? Their performance is like our traditional story times—with dancing, songs, activities, and stories—but they perform both in English and in another language!
If you want to introduce your early learner to some new words in Spanish, we definitely recommend Spanish Story Time. For the MU Voz Latina members, they perform a variety of stories and songs in Spanish for young audiences at our Spanish Story Time/Hora de cuentos en familia. Feel free to pop in and sing in Spanish with us!
If you’re looking to explore Chinese with your child, then we definitely recommend Children’s Chinese with the Confucius Institute of the University of Missouri. Their group usually visits us on weekends, making this a fun weekend activity for your little learners! The age range for Children’s Chinese is also a little higher, from ages 4 to 7, so it may be an opportunity for an older sibling to come enjoy story time!
If you’ve come to story times at the Columbia Public Library, then you’ve probably heard one of our favorite songs: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. Usually we blast off to the moon in our rocket ships after this rhyme, but my awesome coworker has created new lyrics for our patrons who celebrate Halloween.
Broom, Broom, Broom — Happy Halloween!
Broom, broom, broom, we’re going to the moon.
Broom, broom, broom, we’re going to the moon.
If you want to be a witch, climb aboard my little switch.
Broom, broom, broom, we’re going to the moon
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy Halloween!
-Megan Durham, DBRL
Have fun singing this not-so-spooky song with your little ones!
I absolutely love hosting story times here at the library. I enjoy reading, singing and playing with little ones, and over the years I’ve discovered several stories that allow me to combine all of these things. Below are some books where you can mix singing and reading while even adding in motions and fun! These are some of my favorite story time picks and are sure to have your little ones demanding an encore.
Eight years ago to this very month, Bookmobile, Jr. started traversing the streets of Mid-Missouri. You might be surprised to see how much this little guy scoots around town. Read on to find out where our wondering Bookmobile, Jr. tends to travel.
Child Care Centers
Did you know that Bookmobile, Jr. visits more than 25 child care centers every month in rural areas in Boone and Callaway Counties? He visits centers both big and small, bringing books right to the front door! Teachers and kids can check out books, and DBRL staff entertain with fun story times. Over the eight years that Bookmobile, Jr. has been in service, we have done over 2,800 story times; that’s a LOT of stories!
Special Events
If there is anything Bookmobile, Jr. loves, it’s getting out into the community. On a typical day, Jr. will get back from a childcare center and then immediately head out to a community event that very same night! Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to be invited to some incredible community events, including Family Fun Fest, Tons of Trucks, Ashland Fall Festival and so much more. Continue reading “Go, Bookmobile, Jr! Go!”
It’s one thing to know that Daniel Boone Regional Library offers fantastic events and services. It’s another thing to know what makes them so special. Let me share a story with you.
5-month-old Rebekah, Nathana and Mitch Clay
My wife and I had just moved to Columbia, MO with our 5-month-old daughter. We had loved the libraries where we moved from and knew that we needed to check out DBRL whenever we had the chance. Our daughter had an attachment to books as soon as she made acquaintance with the world.
A random evening opened up for us, so we brought the whole family to a baby story time. That night, Paula (that evening’s story time leader) focused a theme around “noisy sounds.” We had a blast listening to the books and singing library classics such as “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” and “Webster Waddles.” But then Paula got out some toys and everything changed. Continue reading “Why We Bring Our Children to Story Time”
Meet Evie (EE-vee) the fox–our new Baby, Oh, Baby and Toddler Time mascot at the Columbia Public Library.
Evie loves to scurry and sprint near Webster’s pond. She saw how much fun he had during story time, so she decided to join us! Webster the duck will be passing the torch to Evie at the end of December and will be collecting his retirement package. (He’s taking a lump sum–largely in bills.)
Starting Thursday, January 4, Evie will be working full-time at the library, and she even has a new song! Below are the lyrics. Feel free to practice them with your little one at home.
Today, I get to head out of the library to entertain some preschoolers with a short story time about soup! It’s the perfect time of year for this warm and cozy theme, so I thought I would my favorite book and song about soup with you too.
So, whip up some soup, snuggle up with your little one and give these a try!
First, read “Mean Soup” by Betsy Everitt. It follows a young boy named Horace who has had a bad day. Luckily, his mom knows just what to do when he gets home–make soup! Together, they yell into the soup and stick their tongues, venting their frustrations into the boiling pot. Will Horace’s day turn around? Check out the book to find out.
Next, sing this call and repeat song adapted from Jbrary’s “I Am Hungry”
I am hungry.
What should I eat?
I think I’ll have pizza soup.
Without any meat!
I am hungry.
What should I eat?
I think I’ll have tomato soup.
With lots of heat!
I am hungry.
What should I eat?
I think I’ll have chocolate soup
Cold and sweet!
I love sharing my favorite books with others, especially when they make me laugh! I found a great one last week, and not only did I make my co-workers read it right then and there, but I also just had to write a blog about it!
The book is “The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors” by Drew Daywalt and Adam Rex. The story opens in “The Kingdom of Backyard,” where the great warrior Rock is unsatisfied with his conquests; there are no opponents who present enough of a challenge for him. In other distant lands (“Empire of Mom’s Home Office” and “Ream of Kitchen”) Scissors and Paper are facing similar problems. All three venture to “The Great Cavern of Two-Car Garage” in search of worthy challengers. When they meet, an epic three-way battle begins, one that is still going on today. (Don’t worry, no one gets hurt.) The text is laugh-out-loud funny, and the illustrations are mesmerizing. Continue reading “Laughing in the Library”
While we’re really sad that we can’t host story times for you right now, we’re happy to announce that you can enjoy story time from outer space! Say what?! That’s right, you read correctly.
¡Hola mis amigos de la biblioteca! Hello my friends of the library!
If you’ve come to story times at the Columbia Public Library, then you’ve probably heard one of our favorite songs: 
and DBRL staff entertain with fun story times. Over the eight years that Bookmobile, Jr. has been in service, we have done over 2,800 story times; that’s a LOT of stories!
Meet Evie (EE-vee) the fox–our new 
