January is National Soup Month! Soup makes a great meal to warm your belly on a cold winter day. And, soup is a great, versatile dish that can please everyone's taste buds. Soup is a mainly liquid food that is usually served warm or hot; however, there are cold varieties as well. It is generally made by combining ingredients of meat and/or vegetables with a liquid base. Celebrate soup this month with a soup dinner or add it to your meal as a side dish.
Want to celebrate National Soup Month? Check out one of these books and get cooking!
Our Discovery Kits collection is now available! Earlier this year, we received a grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) - Region 4. This grant allowed us to create circulating kits with materials for hands on learning.
The Discovery Kits include materials for learning on the topics of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The purpose of this collection is to be a starting point for discovery and education. They will provide engaging learning experiences for patrons both inside and outside of the library. These kits can only be checked out at the Eager Free Public Library, and they can be checked out for two weeks at a time. Renewals are allowed if no holds exist for the item.
You can search for these items in the SHARE catalog using the search terms of "discovery kit." Here is a list of our currently available kits:
littleBits
Optics
Qubits
Ozobots
Snap Circuits Jr.
Makey Makey Classic
Meeper Bots
Bird City
3D Doodler
Simple Machines
KEVA Planks
Magna-Tiles
Makey Makey Go
Snap Circuits
Creek and Pond Life
More kits will be added in the next couple of months including a microscope, a telescope, a robot bee, and more!
App Name: Toca Hair Salon
Developer: Toca Boca
Cost: $3.99
Available on iOS and Google Play
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 2
This is the first app in a trio of hair salon fun by Toca Boca. Children will play hair dresser to a cast of six different characters. They can cut, color, comb, shave, and blow dry to create different hairstyles. It's a very creative and kid friendly app that can be appreciated alone or in small groups.
This app also comes with an excellent "grown ups" section with background information about the app design and recommendations about using the app with children.
App Name: Toca Pet Doctor
Developer: Toca Boca
Cost: $3.99
Available on iOS and Google Play
Recommended for Preschool - Grade 2
Like all of Toca Boca's apps, this app centers on play and imagination. In Pet Doctor, children to play veterinarian to a group of adorable animals. Each animal is injured or sick and needs to be taken care of. There are a wide range of treatments including bandaging, applying medicine, and more.
This app also comes with an excellent "grown ups" section with background information about the app design and recommendations about using the app with children.
App Name: Toca Store
Developer: Toca Boca
Cost: $3.99
Available on iOS and Google Play
Recommended for Preschoolers - Grade 2
Toca Store is designed to encourage dramatic play. It's best played with a friend or caregiver. One person takes the role of the shop keeper and the other takes the role of the customer. Children will practice taking turns and basic math skills like counting.
This app also comes with an excellent "grown ups" section with background information about the app design and recommendations about using the app with children.
App Name: Jigsaw
Developer: Nosy Crow
Cost: Free with in app purchases
Available on iOS
Recommended for preschoolers and older
This app is all about puzzles! When you download the app, you get to select 5 free puzzles. There are over 300 puzzles to choose from that are all created with artwork from other Nosy Crow apps - most of which are book and story related. You can purchase more puzzles (10 more for $0.99) and make jigsaw puzzles from your own photos. You also automatically receive any jigsaws from other Nosy Crow apps that you already own.
The best part about this app is that you can change difficulty of each puzzle from 4 to 300 pieces. You can also set the rotation of the pieces to make the puzzles more or less challenging. Both of these settings can be adjusted at any time.
We like this app because puzzles are great ways for kids to practice building strategies and setting goals. They can work together or with others to complete the puzzles in this app. While working on puzzles kids use their memories and find ways to solve problems.
Puzzles also provide some early literacy skill practice. For example, when searching for the right piece children sometimes look to identify shapes. Practicing shape recognition is important because it helps with letter recognition and reading later on. This app also involves quite a bit of hand eye coordination and fine motor skills to move and rotate the pieces into the right spot. This practice helps with the physical process of writing.
Winter in Wisconsin can be a pretty long season. Whether you love or hate the cold months, you have a few still ahead of you. If you are already wishing for spring, then you may want to try some of these activities to help you through the rest of the winter season.
And, you can always visit your local library! Whether you want to stop in to check out materials or attend a program, we'd love to see you. This winter we have added a couple of new collections to our library: Discovery Kits and early literacy apps.
The first phase of our Discovery Kits are now available for check out. These kits include materials for hands on learning on the topics of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Some of the kits currently available include Snap Circuits, Ozobots, and KEVA planks. These kits were made possible through a grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Our early literacy app collection is up and running. We have 3 iPads set up in the children's room that will feature different apps throughout the year. This station will allow you to try new apps and learn about how the apps can be used to develop early literacy skills.
New Year's Day is just around the corner! This means it is time to start planning your resolutions for 2019. This week's blog entry will focus on some of the most popular resolutions, and it will provide suggestions on how to get started. Each topic will have a list of traditional library materials as well as online class options. We offer access to Gale Courses and Lynda.com through our library website. All you need is a library card to use these resources!
Healthy Eating Healthy eating doesn't mean you have to give up everything you are currently eating. It might mean making small changes to your diet or completely revamping it.
Gale Courses on Healthy Eating: Luscious Low-Fat, Lightening Quick Meals; Certificate in Food, Nutrition, and Health; Lose Weight and Keep It Off.
Saving Money
Whether you want to save for a specific purchase or just want to create better spending habits, there are many ways you can work at saving more money.
Gale Courses: Where Does All My Money Go; Personal Finance
Lynda.com: Stay Ahead in Personal Finance; Financial Wellness for Couples & Families
Read More
Reading more can mean reading one book, setting a monthly goal, or trying to read more of a specific genre or topic. If you want to read more, the library is the perfect place to start!
Gale Courses: Merrill Ream Speed Reading
Resources for Book Recommendations: NoveList; EFPL Blog; SHARE's Favorite Author Club
Other: Check out a wide variety of reading material from all of our collections or utilize our apps for e-books and e-audiobooks (Hoopla, Libby, and BiblioBoard). Learning a New Skill or Hobby
Learning a new skill or hobby can be a lot of fun. You can learn something new from a friend or family member, or you can try something on your own.
Gale Courses: Introduction to Photoshop CC; Designing Effective Websites; How to Get Started in Game Development; Drawing for Absolute Beginners; Genealogy Basics; Discover Digital Photography
Lynda.com: Leading with Purpose; Motion Graphic Design; Composition
This week we are debuting our new Early Literacy App Collection! This is a collection of apps for young children and beginner readers selected for their high quality content. These apps provide children the opportunity to practice early literacy skills like reading and writing, introduce science and math topics, and involve creative and interactive play. You can use the apps at the library in our Children's Room. Detailed reviews of our selected apps will be available here on this blog under the tag "apps".
App Name: Peek a Zoo Developer: Duck Duck Moose Cost: Free Available on iOS and Android Recommended for toddlers and preschoolers Duck Duck Moose has built a large range of education apps for kids and thanks to their partnership with Khan Academy they are all available for free! This app is adorably designed. Kids will enjoy the variety of cute animals as they play the seek and find game. Answering prompts like "Who is crying?" or "Who is having a birthday" give kids a fun way to practice emotional literacy as they look for emotions on the animals' faces and for context clues to help them figure out the answer. This app reminds us of the picture book Who's Hiding by Satoru Onishi. Check this out and see which version of this game your family enjoys more!
This week we are debuting our new Early Literacy App Collection! This is a collection of apps for young children and beginner readers selected for their high quality content. These apps provide children the opportunity to practice early literacy skills like reading and writing, introduce science and math topics, and involve creative and interactive play. You can use the apps at the library in our Children's Room. Detailed reviews of our selected apps will be available here on this blog under the tag "apps".
App Name: Don't Wake Up Tiger Developer: nosy crow Cost: $0.99 Available on iOS Recommended for toddlers and preschoolers This app is based on the book of the same title by Britta Treckentrup. You can find the original hard copy of the book in SHARE, too! The story is read out loud in the app and includes fun interactive elements like scratching the tiger's nose to keep him asleep, blowing on balloons to help the animals float by, and more. Young readers will enjoy participating in the story as it goes along. The app also includes a video of "Happy Birthday" sung aloud for the tiger and two games: a matching game and a spot the difference games. The games can be enjoyed alone or with a friend or caregiver.
This week we are debuting our new Early Literacy App Collection! This is a collection of apps for young children and beginner readers selected for their high quality content. These apps provide children the opportunity to practice early literacy skills like reading and writing, introduce science and math topics, and involve creative and interactive play. You can use the apps at the library in our Children's Room. Detailed reviews of our selected apps will be available here on this blog under the tag "apps".
App Name: Red in Bed Developer: Pop Pop Pop LLC Cost: $0.99 Available on iOS and Google Play Recommended for toddlers and preschoolers
This app is an interactive version of the book, Red in Bed by Josh On. The story follows the colors of the rainbow as they go about their day coloring the world, except today red is not feeling well. The other colors try to help red out, but instead end up mixing everything up! The cute story is accented by musical notes that correspond to each color and reflect the moods of the characters and story action.
Picture spread from the story
The story text can be displayed in 5 different languages (English, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Hungarian). The text is not read aloud, so this app is best shared by a child and caregiver who can read the story to the child.
This story is enhanced through the interactive features developed into the app. Young readers will enjoy sharing this with a caregiver as they practice color recognition and predicting what will happen next.
The December pick for our book club is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Louisa May Alcott is an American novelist best known for the novel Little Women. This book tells the story of the four March sisters as they grow up in New England during the 1800s. Little Women has been adapted into a variety of formats including television, stage, and film.
Want more of the March sisters? Give one of these novels a try!
The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick - When the mothers of four 6th grade girls form a book club, the girls are obligated to join too. Together they read and discuss Little Women and learn that they have more in common than they had thought.
Littler Women: A Modern Retelling by Laura Schaefer - This retelling of Little Women follows the March sisters as they make new friends, attend school dances, and develop first crushes.
Little Women and Werewolves by Porter Grand - This retelling of the classic, imagines a story in which Laurie is a werewolf.
The Spring Girls by Anna Todd - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy live on a military base in this retelling of a modern day version of Little Women.
The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly - This novel explores the lives of Jo March's descendants. The adventures of Emma, Sophie, and Lulu create a contemporary family story that reflects the sisterly bond found in Little Women. Little Woman in Blue by Jeannine Atkins - This is the story of May Alcott, Louisa's sister. May dreams of painting a masterpiece and finding love too. When she reads her sister's popular novel, Little Women, she is hurt by Louisa's portrayal of her as the Amy character. She decides to prove her talent and moves away from her home to make a new life for herself. Can she succeed in achieving her dreams?
Happy belated Thanksgiving! As the holiday season continues, many of our celebrations involve sharing meals with families and friends. So, here's a look at some of the newest cookbooks in our collection to inspire your next feast!
These are books for readers who are beginning to read independently. Some of the books contain practice with phonics and sight words. Others provide practice with story structure and comprehension. The books in this collection range from simple texts with only a handful of words to more complex beginner chapter books. As beginner readers develop their reading skills, they are able to use a variety strategies to predict words and confirm comprehension with pictures and context clues. You can learn more about the stages of reading development from Reading Rockets.
Publishers of easy readers often provide levels to gauge the difficulty of a text. Generally, these go from Level 1 (simple sentence structure and vocabulary) to Level 4 (more complex sentences and vocabulary). Each publisher uses different scales and guidelines to judge the level of a book, so we recommend opening up the book and trying out the 5 word test - have your child read the page, if there are 5 words they don't recognize, the book might be too challenging. Kids are often motivated to read above their level if it's a book they love or are very interested in. So, we recommend letting your kids select books when they come to the library.
Our easy readers are organized alphabetically by author's name and series title. So, you'll find stand alone books such as I Like Stars by Margaret Wise Brown in the "B's" after the Biscuit series, but before the Cliffordseries.
There is something for everyone in the easy readers collection! Here are a few of our staff favorites to check out.
Biscuit - This series about an adorable puppy by Alyssa Satin Capucilli is an excellent one for kids just starting to use the easy reader collection.
Elephant & Piggie - this pair is the creation of author Mo Willems. They are funny, silly, and enjoyable to read.
The Giggle Gang - Jan Thomas is the author of this new series. These brightly illustrated books are eye catching. The stories inside are just as good!
We Both Read - this series is designed to be read by beginner readers and fluent readers together. Spending time reading together is a great way to motivate children learning to read.
Puppy Mudge - This is a series by prolific author Cynthia Rylant. As kids become more confident readers and move into the First Chapter Book collection, they'll find the classic stories of Henry and Mudge featuring a more grown up Mudge.
Hello, Ms. Alison here! Do you know about the Library of Congress Letters About Literature program? This is a writing contest for students in grades 4-12 happening now! Winners will earn prizes of $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for honorable mentions. There are different grade levels for the competition and you can find out more here. Entries are due January 11, 2019.
The main idea is to write a letter to an author - living or dead - explaining how his or her work changed your view of yourself and your world. In honor of the contest, I thought I'd share 5 authors whose work has influenced my life.
Chrysanthemum was my all time favorite book as a little kid. I love Kevin Henkes' writing style and illustrations. Something about seeing those adorable little mice deal with anxiety (looking at you, Wemberly!), big events (hello, Lilly!), and self esteem (hi, Chrysanthemum) hit home for me as a young reader and it continues to resonate as an adult.
“Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be better”
Oh, Kate DiCamillo, every book you write makes me cry and I love it. I appreciate her philosophy that kids' book should be a little sad. The littmus lozenges from Because of Winn Dixie introduced to me to the word melancholy and gave me the words to capture the sweetness and sadness of growing up. When I read this as a 12 year old, it rocked my world. It still does.
“I lay there and thought how life was like a Littmus Lozenge, how the sweet and the sad were all mixed up together and how hard it was to separate them out. It was confusing.”
Growing up when I did, I don't think I could overlook the impact of Harry Potter on my life. Harry turned 11 and got his letter to Hogwarts the same eyar I turned 11 (still waiting for my letter though). No other book has been worth waiting in a line at midnight to buy my copy and spending the weekend of my high school graduation frantically reading between celebrations to find out how it all would end the way that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did.
“Because that’s what Hermione does,” said Ron, shrugging. “When in doubt, go to the library.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
I read House of the Spirits in one of my favorite classes in college. That class, and that book, opened by eyes to the world outside of my own bubble. It sparked my interest in learning about other places in the world through reading and travel.
There have been so many great books that I've read recently in my adult life, but one that I keep remembering is The Hate U Give. This book (the author's first!) forced me to imagine being in someone else's shoes and to examine my own inner biases and prejudices.
“What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
That's my list! I hope you start thinking of authors who have influenced you and consider entering this writing contest!
Here at the library, we have spent the last few months gearing up to move into our new addition! After moving everything over during two weeks in October, we are now open in our new space. You can find out more about our expansion project and timeline on our website or by following us on Facebook @eagerfreepubliclibrary.
In honor of our big move, here are some books for families to help their little ones navigate a move of their own - whether it's to a new house down the street or to a whole new country.
A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
A hermit crab outgrows his shell and must find a bigger one to be his new home.
Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborarh Underwood
Moving can be an emotional roller coaster with ups and downs.
Florette by Anna Walkter
May moves from the country to the city and has to find a new way to enjoy her favorite hobby: gardening.
Moving by Caitlin McAneney
A non-fiction text to help kids know what to expect when moving.
Malaika's Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn
A young girl moves from the Caribbean to Canada and must adjust to a whole new community and climate.
Ella Who? by Linda Ashman
A busy moving day is interrupted by a surprise visitor, an elephant!
Double Happiness by Nancy Tupper Ling
A loving grandmother helps a young pair of siblings through the big change of moving.
Yard Sale by Eve Bunting
Saying goodbye to people, places, and things can be challenging as Callie finds out when her family moves from a house an an apartment.
Lenny and Lucy by Philip Christian Stead
Moving to to a new place often means making new friends as a young boy Peter discovers in this story.
But What If by Sue Graves
Worries plague Daisy when her family moves, but her grandfather helps her cope.
Tim's Big Move by Anke Wagner
Tim's stuffed dog is very nervous about moving, but making new friends helps.
It's time for Halloween! We see a lot of horror films, haunted houses, and other scary items during the month of October. To join in on the horror of the month, here is a blog full of horror novels.
Horror is a genre of fiction that tries to frighten or scare its readers. Oftentimes, the reader will be left with an eerie or creepy feeling. While often supernatural in content, it does not have to be. Below you fill find a list of some horror novels including classic works of horror.
The MLB postseason is here, and this year, the Milwaukee Brewers have made it to the National League Championship Series! The Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs to win the National League Central Division. They then went on to beat the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series. They will be facing LA Dodgers for a chance to play in the World Series. We wish them the best of luck as they continue their postseason journey!
To help you cheer on the Brew Crew, here are a few books on baseball and/or the Brewers.
In honor of our new addition, I thought it would be fun to list some books that feature libraries in their stories. We will be closed October 8-21 to move into the new addition, and these books can help you get your library fix while we are closed.
On October 22, the Antemeridians Book Club will meet to discuss The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis. Fiona Davis is the author of three novels, her most recent work was published in August 2018.
The Dollhouse - This novel takes place in the 1950s at the Barbizon Hotel for Women located in New York City. The hotel was a place for aspiring young women to live while they pursued careers as models, secretaries, and editors. Darby McLaughlin is one of the women living at the hotel during this time while she attends secretarial school. Years later, the Barbizon Hotel is turned into a condo. Rose Lewin is one of the residents of at the condo as is Darby. Rose learns about a rumor regarding a deadly incident with a hotel maid and Darby back in the 1950s. As Rose investigates the story, neither she nor Darby will remain untouched as the truth comes to light.
The Address - This book alternates between the 1880s and 1980s. After a failed apprenticeship, Sara Smythe has a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the new apartment house in New York: The Dakota. This encounter leads Sara to a job as the female manager of the building. We also meet Bailey Camden, Theodore's granddaughter, as she tries to start over after her stay in rehab. Bailey's cousin offers to let her oversee the renovation of one of the apartments of the Dakota, the room where Theodore Camden had lived and died after suffering multiple stab wounds. Eventually, Bailey will discover information that could change everything she thought she knew about her grandfather and the woman who killed him.
The Masterpiece - This work takes place in New York City at the Grand Central Terminal. In the late 1920s, Clara Darden is teaching at the Grand Central School of Art; she is a talented illustrator, but she lives in a time when the public does not approve of women artists. However, no one is prepared for the Great Depression and its power to destroy the art scene. About fifty years later, the terminal has fallen into decline, and it is at the center of a lawsuit. Should this building be saved and preserved, or torn down? While this is going on, Virginia Clay takes a job at the information booth and encounters the abandoned art school inside the terminal. She sets out to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece found hidden under dust, and finds herself drawn into the battle to save Grand Central and to learn more about Clara Darden.
If you are a fan of Fiona Davis' work, then you may also like one of these novels:
This list is a celebration of Oktoberfest, the annual festival held in Munich Germany during the end of September until the first weekend in October. Munich's Oktoberfest is the largest volksfest, or beer festival and travelling funfair, in the world and has been held annually since 1810. You can learn more about the history of the festival on its Wikipedia page.
Cities around the world, including Evansville!, celebrate their own versions of Oktoberfest as well. Get into the Bavarian spirit with this list of music and books! Music
Check out a variety of traditional German music on Hoopla where you can stream music for free with your library card!
