reading

World Book Night US: April 23, 2014

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.

-Phillip Pullman

 

Applications to participate in World Book Night are now open! This is very exciting, as I have participated in WBN for the last two years and loved it. The first year, though I wasn’t an official giver, I helped a friend hand out The Kite Runner at homeless shelters around the Kansas City Area. This last year, I handed out Good Omens to library patrons, homeless patrons and hospital patients. I made little notes on the books…

Hey, I just met you. And this crazy! But take me home and read me, maybe?

 

I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of a great read…

 

You should spend the weekend curled up with me.

 

…and I also printed off a little blurb about what World Book Night is, how they can get involved and where they can mail a review of the book! I was able to hand out all but two of the books. The last two I stuck on our “Free Book Shelf” in the library. The shelf is utilized by members of the community, as well as the patients of the hospital. 

The books chosen for 2014 are all fantastic! I’m super excited that Where’d You Go, Bernadette? is on the list, since I LOVED that book. They even have Spanish language, large print and juvenile/YA books to choose from. My top three picks were:

  1. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
  2. Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim
  3. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Any of those would be fabulous books to hand out, and if I had a choice I would have taken a bunch of different titles to hand out! 

So think of this post as a reminder if you have participated in WBN, an introduction to WBN if you have never heard of it, or a plea to donate if you can’t hand out books. 

Robot, Zombie, Frankenstein Story Time

I really need to update this more, we do so many fun things at the library and I should document them! I have been so busy though! We lost one of our part-time employees and have been training a second, very time consuming.

In the midst of training, however, we had a wonderful story time featuring Robot Zombie Frankenstein by Annette Simon. I paired the book with The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara and If You’re A Monster and You Know It… by Ed Emberley. All three books were really great and the kids loved them, of course. I always know that any book about pirates, ninjas, robots, monsters (especially zombies) and aliens will do well at story time!

We started off story time by reading Robot Zombie Frankenstein. The kids really listened to this book. I think the combination of bright, vivid illustrations and easy to follow dialogue helped. We talked about what kinds of robots they would build if they had a chance and then I handed out an amazing activity pack from Annette Simon’s website.

Robot Zombie Fridge
“Mine can fly AND jump really high!” – Creator

The kids enjoyed doing the packets while I set up for the robot building craft. I had them sit at the table and read them The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot. They were a little wound up, but eventually calmed down enough to where they were listening well. I then gave them scrap paper (from past projects) and let them create a their own robot/monster/whatevers.

Robot Zombie Florist

When they had finished their craft, we rounded out the story time by dancing to If You’re a Monster and You Know It… and singing along. Fabulous story time, with fabulous books, by fabulous authors!

Robot Zombie War Machine
The book his robot is holding is titled “The Ancient War”

Attack of the Robots!