There is something magical about being read to, 
which is why I absolutely love listening to audiobooks. The library offers many ways to listen to your favorite audiobooks, including audio CDs, downloadables on the Hoopla or Libby app and Playaways. Playaways are easy to use, preloaded audiobooks, and they are great for kids! They are durable and come with a lanyard, so kids can listen to them on the go. Playaways can be used with standard headphones or they can be plugged into external speakers and car adapters. I enjoy using Playaways when walking to class or completing chores.
We have a wide variety for every reader. Check out one of our newer playaways, “Short” by Holly Goldberg Sloan, or listen to a classic like “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams Bianco.
For a complete list of children’s Playaways available at our branches, click here.
How do you make a friend feel better when you accidentally eat their lollipop? You jump up and down, make silly faces and yell a funny phrase to make them laugh! Little Penguin needs our help doing just that. He accidentally ate Kenneth the seagull’s razzle dazzle seaweed lollipop and Kenneth is mad at him. What will it take for the seagull to forgive Little Penguin?
“Little Penguin and the Lollipop” by Tadgh Bentley is a delightful companion to “Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups.” Bentley’s simple and creative illustrations and quirky humor make this book a perfect read-aloud. The characters display many facial expressions, which can lead to great discussions with your kids about different emotions. Benltey’s book is also a gentle reminder to kids that everyone makes mistakes. Do you think penguin fixed his mistake? What would you do differently?
Everyone in my house (even my cats) enjoyed the “Little Penguin and the Lollipop.” I hope you do too!
Let’s be honest, parent to parent – getting your little ones out of the house during the winter is difficult, stressful and all-around inconvenient. The taking off and on of all the coats, hats, scarves and everything else is a pain. Do you almost wish there was a way to bring the library home with you?
You’re in luck! At DBRL, you can check out Play As Learning (PAL) kits and Little Red Reading Bag (LRRB) kits that come with books, DVDs, puppets, toys and much more. Each bag is equipped with everything your family needs for hours of fun and learning. All the kits center around themes such as family reading, language development or creativity. And with over twenty bags to choose from, ranging from ages 0-
5, your family will have plenty to do. You can even place them on hold to pick up at your library or bookmobile. Continue reading “Play As Learning Bags”
A passage in “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams Bianco never fails to bring tears to my eyes: “Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.” Even as an adult, I relate to Skin Horse at that moment because he is experiencing human emotions.
For most of us, childhood is when we learn to master feelings and emotions. And this can be challenging to say the least. Just ask any adult who has carried a screaming child out of a store.
According to an article in Psychology Today, reading to your child is one of the best ways to help them develop their emotional skill sets. Children realize they are not alone when they see fictional characters struggle to make sense of their emotions. They learn that it’s okay to have feelings that you don’t always understand and that working through them is just a part of growing up. Continue reading “Feelings Are Universal”
The main character of “The Bad Seed” is a bad seed. Everyone says so, even the seed himself. He admits to all sorts of naughty things, like not putting things back where they belong, being late to everything, not washing his hands (or feet) and he even cuts in line! Why is he so bad? Will he be bad forever?
Jory John (author of “Penguin Problems,” and “Goodnight Already!”) tells the story from the seed’s point of view. He describes the simple sunflower he lived in with his family (back when he was just a humble seed, living in an unremarkable field of sunflowers). Then some stuff happened — it’s all kind of a blur for our seed character — and now he is a bad seed. Not just any kind of bad seed, but a baaaaaaaaaad seed. Continue reading “Books We Love: The Bad Seed”
One little quirk about me is that I love PAW Patrol. The puppies are cute, and each episode has many important lessons about friendship, teamwork, sharing and being kind. Because I enjoy the TV show so much, I get giddy about new PAW Patrol books. When I first saw “Why Do Dogs Drool?” and “Hometown Heroes,” I knew I needed to check them out.
These PAW Patrol books are part of an easy-to-read nonfiction series that inserts small factoids or jokes on every page. The information is a great way to start discussions with your child. However, my favorite parts of the books are the jokes (aka, the puppy punchlines). What kind of book does a rabbit like to read? One with a hoppy ending!
Does your child love PAW Patrol like me? Click here for all the titles we have at our branches and bookmobiles.
“Auld Lang Syne” is a song that’s often a part of many New Year’s traditions. The term “auld lang syne” roughly translates to “days gone by” or “old times.” Even though the New Year is often focused on looking towards the future with intentions of self-improvement, this classic song asks us to reflect upon the past year(s) and be introspective about what has changed. Its lyrics help us think about all of the adventures we’ve experienced and the friendships that have come and gone. It’s a nice way to stay thankful, humble and mindful. Here are a few excerpts (translated):
“Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine.
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
So on this New Year’s, try to reflect on the past in addition to planning for the future. This opens up a whole lot of activities and exercises that can be done with kids. You can discuss fond memories or perhaps memories long forgotten. You can ask them whether they have become closer to anybody or if they have grown farther apart from someone and how that makes them feel.
It can also be an excellent time to look at some old pictures that were taken and talk about memories experienced together. This can improve not only memory but also imagination, storytelling and critical thinking skills. Plus, it’s always fun to reminisce on the past.
Happy New Year!
As 2017 comes to an end, the children’s staff at DBRL have been reminiscing about the fabulous new books that arrived on our shelves this year. While it’s hard to pick a favorite, there are some books that stood apart from the rest. Here are our favorite 20 favorite books for kids published in 2017.
“Around the World in a Bathtub: Bathing All Over the Globe” written by Wade Bradford and illustrated by Micha Archer
This book shows how everywhere in the world, parents have to coax children into the bath. In many different languages you hear “no, no” from children and “yes, yes” from parents, until it’s time to get out and the words reverse.
~Jerilyn
“Assassin’s Curse” by Kevin Sands
“Assassin’s Curse” is the third in the Blackthorn Key series and is just as compelling as the first two! Young Christopher Rowe travels to Paris with his friends Tom and Sally to crack the curse on the royal family and find the treasure of the Knights Templar. The book is very well written historical fiction with lots of puzzles, mystery, poison, ciphers and action. And the best part–it looks like there will be a number four!
~Mark
“Big Cat, Little Cat” by Elisha Cooper
Big Cat learns to live with new Little Cat, who doesn’t stay little forever. It’s a sweet story of friendship, life and death (without being sad).
~Katie Continue reading “Top 20 Children’s Books of 2017”
When it comes to road trips, summer may be number one, but winter is a close second. It seems like everyone is either driving to the snow or driving away from it! But while you may be thinking, “Getting there is half the fun!” your kids may not agree. Car seats and wiggles go together about as well as fire and ice. Those initial giggles of excitement all too rapidly evaporate into, “Are we there yet?!”
While modern technology offers a plethora of entertainments, from video games to movies, there’s something to be said for “old-fashioned” options that many of us remember when we were knee-high to grasshoppers. A favorite of mine was when my mother would sing silly rhymes with us while Dad tried to navigate with little more than an atlas and a prayer.
To help make your winter journeys a bit less stressful, so everyone can truly enjoy the ride, here are a few sing-songs to add to your repertoire.
Chubby Little Snowman
The chubby little snowman had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny looking for some lunch,
Ate the carrot nose…nibble, nibble CRUNCH!
Source: homemade-gifts-made-easy.com Continue reading “Winter Rhymes for Road Trip Times!”
