Libraries save you cash
Recently many librarians have reported a sizable increase in circulation. That's good to hear. For a multitude of reasons, libraries are one of our nation's most important assets. Here's one to think about.
Children should be read aloud to every day. With the average price of a children's book at $17, if you purchased one book for every day of the year, you'd be forking out more than $6,000 every year.
OK, many kids like to read books several times. Even if you chopped that figure in half, $3,000 is more than most budgets can withstand.
It's important that children have books of their own. Purchasing books and having them available to read anytime sends strong signals about the value and fun of reading. But purchasing that many books isn't realistic.
The cost of borrowing books from the library?
Free.
That's a word that sounds better and better these days, doesn't it?
The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"Duck at the Door"</B> written and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic; HarperCollins; 32 pages; read aloud: age 4 and older; read yourself: age 7 to 8.Irene lived in a house full of all kinds of animals. Late one night when everyone was fast asleep, the animals awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Who could it be? The animals were frightened, but when Irene answered the door, they all saw that it was a duck, standing cold and shivering in the snow.Irene brought the duck inside. He introduced himself as Max, and explained that when his flock flew south for the winter, he decided not to join them. He thought that winter would be fun. Now, Max was just cold and lonely, and Irene invited him to stay. Little did Irene and the other animals know what they were getting into¿Hilarious from start to finish, this wonderful tale is sure to delight children of many ages.
<B>Library:</B> Mars Public Library, 107 Grand Ave., Mars<B>Library Director:</B> Heather Love<B>Children's Librarian:</B> Joyce Pappert<B>Choices this week:</B> <B>"Dem Bones"</B> by Bob Barner; <B>"Camp Confidential"</B> series by Melissa Morgan; <B>"The Secret of the Attic"</B> by Sheri Cooper Sinykin
The following books are available from favorite booksellers.<B>"This is Your Life Cycle"</B> by Heather Lynn Miller; illustrated by Michael Chesworth; Clarion, 2008; 32 pages; $16 hardcover; read aloud: age 7 and older; read yourself: age 8 and older."Good evening, larvae, nymphs, and insects! This is Bob Beetle, welcoming you to another episode of THIS IS YOUR LIFE CYCLE — the show that follows the life cycle of everybody's favorite class of animals, the insects!"So begins this exceptionally hilarious book that teaches readers a lot about the life cycle of the dragonfly (who, in this book, is named Dahlia). Similar to the old TV show, "This is Your Life," Dahlia the dragonfly is the special guest. She is on the brink of adulthood, and the audience (a cast of bugs) learn all about how she was born, how she survived from predators, how fast she flies (up to 50 mph), and much more.Prepare to learn and laugh simultaneously — "This is Your Life Cycle" is extraordinarily creative, funny, and first rate!<B>"Earthquakes and Volcanoes FYI"</B> by Melissa Stewart; various photo credits; Smithsonian/HarperCollins, 2008; 80 pages; $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 8 and older; read yourself: age 9 and older.HarperCollins and the Smithsonian Institution have partnered to create an 80-page picture book about earthquakes and volcanoes.Fun, accessible, and packed with information and remarkable photographs, readers learn about the powerful forces of these destructive phenomena and how they can change the shape of the world.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.
