Enoch Pratt Free Library

April 22, 2010 is the 40^th Earth Day! 

What can YOU do to make a difference to Mother Earth?

You don’t have to plant a tree to celebrate Earth Day.  Try a tomato.  And you don’t even need a big yard, with the new hanging tomatoes you can grow on a balcony. 

Earth Day crafts are a good way to observe the day, too, as well as recycling and helping to keep your neighborhood clean.

Your local library has books about Earth Day in the children’s collection, so check some out.   Make Earth Day a family event.  Help save the planet. 

Make every day Earth Day.

 Suggested Titles

Earth Day Crafts by Carol Gnojewski

Earth Day : Keeping our Planet Clean by Elaine Landau

Earth Day by Willma Willis Gore

Celebrating Earth Day : a Sourcebook of Activities and Experiments by Robert Gardner

Earth Day by Linda Lowery

Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!  The Royal Children of the Kingdom of Canton are invited to the Fairy Tale Fest.  It will be held at the Canton Branch Library on Saturday, April 24^th, starting at 10:30. 

Wear your finest attire to try on Cinderella’s slipper or enjoy the dancing, parading, and stories at the Fest. Three to five year old royals will enjoy making crafts, too.  There will be a play area for the tiniest members of the royal family, age birth to two.

Take home refreshments will be provided.

Make YOUR mark for Summer Reading at the Pratt!

Enter the Second Annual Summer Reading Program Bookmark Contest.  Entry forms are at every branch.  Get yours now.  Entries must be returned to your branch by Saturday, April 3, 2010.

All artwork must be done in black ink and be drawn inside the block on the entry form.

This year’s themes are Make a Splash – Read! for Preschool to Grade 5 readers and Make Waves at Your Library for Middle and High School aged readers.

Enter NOW!  Enter OFTEN!!  but you must ENTER by April 3^rd.

Winning entries will be printed on bookmarks and distributed to every library, like these winners from 2009.

It’s been a winter wonderland for us so far in Baltimore.  Here are some picks for winter reading when it’s too cold and the snow’s too wild to really enjoy being outside.  Curl up with a good book and enjoy watching the snow from the inside!

Picture Books

Over in the Arctic Where the Cold Winds Blow is a beautifully illustrated rhyming story that can be sung to the tune of “Over in the Meadow”.  Marianne Berkes’ text and Jill Dubin’s pictures complement each other as they display the Arctic inhabitants – polar bears, Arctic hares, walruses, seals, snowy owls, and others.  This book is an enchanting look at winter.

Who’s Been Here? A Tale in the Tracks is Fran Hodgkins' story of Willy the dog, who identifies the tracks of other animals who have roamed through the woods and town.  Water color illustrations by Karel Hayes.

Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day won the Caldecott Medal for its inventive telling of Peter’s adventures in the snow.  Read it and find out if you’ve had the same fun!  Available in book, audio book, and VHS formats.

First Snow in the Woods, by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick, is beautifully illustrated with photographs.  The animals in the woods are getting ready for an early winter.

Chapter Books 

Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater, is a great read- aloud book about a house painter and his family of penguins.

The Long Winter, Newbery Honor Book in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, retells events of a winter that was so severe the Ingalls family moved into town to survive.  Blizzard after blizzard hit.  Food became scarce when the railroad could no longer keep the tracks clear and supplies were not available.  Courageous efforts by Almanzo Wilder and Cap Garland saved everyone from starvation.  Available in book and audio book formats.

Non-Fiction

Explore Winter! By Maxine Anderson provides 25 projects, experiments, and activities that will help you understand winter weather.

Winter Trees is the story of a boy and his dog taking a walk through the winter woods.  Told through poetry and lovely illustration, Carole Gerber and Leslie Evans show how the pair identifies the trees around them.  Information about the trees is given at the end of the story.

These and many other books for a snowy day are at the Canton Branch for you to check out and enjoy!

 Spike Jonze’ much anticipated film version of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are opens October 16^th in theaters nationwide.  But the book is at your local library right now.  That is - if your best friend hasn’t already checked it out! 

The controversial book won the 1964 Caldecott Medal, which is awarded by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American Picture Book published each year.

 The controversy about the book, in part, is its central theme – the presentation of a child’s anger.  Another concern was sending a child to bed without supper.  Controversy aside, the images that are presented during the “wild rumpus” are among the most distinctive and immediately identifiable in children’s literature.  They rival Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations for Alice in Wonderland for being recognizable.

The highly regarded work was embraced by libraries throughout the country.  Two neighboring libraries in Southeast Baltimore have art installations of images taken from the book.  The wall art, above, is at the Canton Branch.  The outdoor planter box, below, is at the Patterson Park Branch.

Other books by Maurice Sendak that you might also enjoy include Outside over There and In the Night Kitchen.   Collections of his illustrations are found in Selma G. Lane's The Art of Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner's The Art of Maurice Sendak : 1980 to the present.

Art installation photographs by Willie Johnson, Jr.

The Canton reading community got together on Saturday, August 8th for the annual Summer Reading Club party.  Sixty children, parents, and grandparents joined us for the afternoon.  Cupcakes, ice cream, and beverages were served.   

Tickets to the citywide party at the National Aquarium were awarded to the three top readers in each age group.  Special thanks to those who provide financial support for the Summer Reading Club program and its special events.  Again this year, a drawing was held for packages of tickets to an Orioles game.  Thanks to the Orioles organization for supporting reading in our city.

Congratulations from Miss Gloria and all the Canton staff to all the children who read with us this summer and to the parents, friends, caregivers, and others who read with them and to them.  Your extraordinary efforts put Canton in 5^th place citywide, for the second year in a row, for the number of books read during the program.  The grand total was 3,454 books! 108 children completed the program.  Hurray!!

A special award was earned by a Canton reader, Joshua Schuler.  Five-year old Joshua and his mom read 855 books during the summer.  With that accomplishment, Joshua was the citywide high reader.  Way to go Joshua and Mom!

Miss Gloria and I also thank Mary Jurkiewicz, President of the Canton Friends of the Library, for her enthusiastic help at the party.

Nada Brahma filled the Canton Branch with a world-wind of unique sounding music on June 18. The afternoon thunderstorm could not and would not drown out the incredible music made by Tim Gregory and Tracey Eldridge. In Sanskrit, Nada Brahma means “the world is sound.” These gifted, self-taught musicians entertained our audience playing shakers made from goat toenails, a charango made from an armadillo, and a metal rub board with pancake whisk. The entire library resonated with the sound of a 5,000 year old copper trumpet that was nearly 10 feet long. Blowing into a large conch seashell made an unforgettable sound, too.

The children especially loved the lively rendition of “What does a didgeridoo, do do?” They were fascinated by Tim playing a Polynesian flute with his nose and using his palms to do a lively hand-bone song on his legs. This was a truly international concert with instruments and songs from Asia, Africa, Australia, Ireland, South America, and New Orleans. The entire audience delighted in a traveling cultural journey. It was fun joining Nada Brahma singing, dancing, and making music. Participants even got to learn a few new words while showing respect or tupendane (too pen don nay) for each other.  

It’s SUMMER!! the great time of year when many Pratt Library staff members focus on the Summer Reading Club – registering children ages birth through high school for the program, helping them find the next books to read; making sure everyone gets the incentives they’ve earned. It’s exciting, fast paced, and it’s happening NOW!

Registration Kick-Off was Saturday, June 6th, but any day can be your day to join. Just fill out a 3x5 card and you’re done! You’ll get a reading log to keep track of the books you’ve read. Read 8 books and you’ve completed the program! You’ll get a Certificate, a great T-Shirt, and an invitation to your Branch’s party. Also, high readers from each branch will receive invitations to a party at the National Aquarium. The program ends August 1st.

At Canton, Club members are following the themes "Be Creative at Your Library" (birth through Grade 5) and "Express Yourself at Your Library" (Grades 6-12) by creating a mural. It’s wrapped around the Circulation Desk. There are stickers, markers, and crayons to use for the project. We hope you’ll join the club, read during the summer, and add to the mural. Don’t forget your Popsicle for signing up!

An additional contest this summer is for 6-12 year olds. Please help us choose a name for the new Children’s Library Website! Get an entry form at your local library or print one from the Summer Reading Club page. The winner will receive a special prize and a certificate.

Special programs will be held for children and young adults throughout the City. Look for the ones at libraries close to you. Have a great summer at YOUR library!

The Royal Children of the neighboring kingdoms of Canton and Highlandtown are invited to the Preschool Ball to be held at the Southeast Anchor Library on Thursday, April 30th, at 10:30 a.m.  Young royals, ages three to five, will have a fun-filled morning of stories, crafts, and dancing to the festive beat of a marimba band. 

There will be a special activity area for the tiniest members of the royal family, ages birth to two.

Registration required:  Call 410-396-8548

Looking for a good time to share with your 3-5 year old?  Enjoy Preschool Story Time with Miss Gloria!  Hosted every Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., the program includes stories, songs, activities -- and occasional take home crafts.  Stop by the Canton Branch Program Room.