Starting this Thursday, September 1, Toddler and Preschool Storytimes will be presented every Thursday for a new season of fun. Our theme, “Across America,” will include flannel stories, finger plays, music, puppets and the best books in children’s literature. The Youth Team carefully plans age appropriate materials so consider which programs are best for your child: The Toddler Storytimes at 10:15 are for children ages 18 to 36 months. The Preschool Storytimes at 11:00 are for children 3 to 5 years old. In addition, Pajama Storytimes for families with children ages 3 and up are given on the last Tuesday evening of the month at 7:00. Don’t forget to wear your pajamas and bring your teddy bear!

Check the Kid’s Page of the Library’s website for updates and special events.

See you at Storytime!

 

Attention all babies!  Are you looking for some fun? Are you longing for some music, rhymes and stories to help prepare your brain for language and literacy? Would you love to meet other babies and maybe even set up a play date? Ask your parent, grandparent, caregiver or nanny to bring you to Baby and Me Rhymetime at the Monterey Public Library. Check the Kid’s Page of the Library’s website for the schedule of special guests who lead us in music and movement activities.  Your older siblings are invited too!  It’s held in the Library’s Community Room and this Fall, it’s at 10:30 on these Fridays: September 2, September 23, October 14, October 28, November 4, and November 18.

Come join the fun!

 

At Home by Bill Bryson

This book was written by American travel writer and college professor, Bill Bryson, who has lived in England more years of his life than he has lived in the U.S.  As he wrote this book, he and his family made their home in an old rectory in Sussex, built in the 1660s. Bryson uses the old house as map for this absorbing and sometimes amusing look at the history and evolution of private life.  He travels from room to room, talking about the kinds of things that either had or might have typically taken place in each room of the house, and then finds every possible opportunity to go off on a fascinating tangent, wherein the reader learns many bits of information, some not even remotely related to the house, but nevertheless interesting.  

When he’s in the bedroom, for example, he talks about bedroom furniture and bedding.  Did you know, for example, that In Shakespeare’s time beds were probably the most expensive items in a household?  And for that reason, the bed was often kept downstairs where visitor might be impressed by it.  There is discussion of all the things that take place in bed - birth, sex, sleep, illness, and even death - which leads to a discussion of disease, medicinal cures that were worse than the diseases, dying, mourning, funerals, graveyards, and cremation. 

You might say that Bill Bryson travels through the house observing it and reporting on it like a good travel writer should - with scrutiny, curiosity, bemusement, occasional horror, surprise and pleasure.   

There are also longer books on Tumblebooks.  Have you read Sea Dog yet?  It's a chapter book  in the Readalongs section.  Have you ever found anything almost as wonderful as a dog?  What if you found a dog that belonged to someone else first.  What would you do?  Have you ever had to figure out a compromise or a solution in a situation where no happy ending seemed possible?  What do you think of the ending of this book?  Please read the book online and comment here.  We want to hear what you think.

It's easy to have a book group with the Library's online book products.  We can all read the same book  and talk about it here.  Our first book will be a Tumblebook storybook for all ages, Jessie's Island by Sheryl McFarlane.  Find Tumblebooks at the bottom of the Kids Page, and then read about Jessie's cousin who writes about all the things there are to do in the city.  Thomas thinks Jessie's life on an island would be boring.  See what you think as they each tell about the things to see and do where they live.  Then click on comments here to say what you think.

We can talk about:
What did you think about this book?
Which place is more like Monterey?
Here in Monterey, have you seen any of the things that Jessie sees?
If you had to choose one, who would you rather visit - Thomas or Jessie?
What are your favorite things to see or do in Monterey?  What would you write about to a friend or cousin? 

Want to read ahead?  Next,  a short chapter book in Tumblebooks Readalongs, Sea Dog. 

Back-to-school spending can be a real hardship for some families.  That's why United Way Monterey County has set up Stuff the Bus barrels in many community locations, where people may donate school supplies including back packs, binders, paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons and all those items that kids need to keep up in the classroom.  The United Way will supply backpack fully stocked with of supplies to elementary and middle school students who are homeless, in foster care or are in great need based on family income. 

School starts soon, but there's still time to donate school supplies for the Stuff the Bus project, and there's a drop off bin right inside the back door of the Monterey Public Library.  United Way will be picking up the bins this Friday, August 5, so please come in before then and donate generously. For more information, visit the United Way Monterey County Web site.  Get on board and help stuff the bus!