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Ages 5-11

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Blog Post

PreK Bits - "M" is for MOON

by ryanikoglu

This week at Malletts Creek Branch Ms. Rachel and Ms. Allison introduced stories "under the moon".
SLEEPYHEADS is a story of where to find all of the sleepyheads ...
For action and music with Ms. Banjo Betsy we played "Wake Up You Sleepyheads and Go and find the cattle!". It's a fast and slow action musical game.
JUST RIGHT For TWO is a sweet story of a new friendship.

For more stories with the moon in them:
OWL BABIES … When will Mama be home ?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOON … Phases of the moon with little Moon Bear.
IF YOU WERE THE MOON … What would you do?
LITTLE WOLF’s FIRST HOWLING … Watch for this one. It is on-order and has not arrived yet.
MOONCAKES …a story of Chinese Moon Festival.
The MOON INSIDE … Ella overcomes darkness at night.
ARMSTRONG:The Adventurous Journey Of A Mouse To The Moon … A long time ago a mouse learned to fly.
The MOON’s ALMOST HERE … Creatures make their ways home as the day is ending.
SUN And MOON … be careful what you wish for.
YOU BELONG HERE … A rhyming bedtime story pace with all things in their places and “You belong here with me.”
FULL MOON LORE ... each month described by a phrase based on the full moon. Lovely illustrations too!

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Blog Post

2017 “Write On!” Short Story Contest Winners!

by krayla

Congratulations to all of the writers in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade who participated in this year’s “Write On!” Contest. The judges enjoyed reading all of your stories- here are some of their comments:


“Color me impressed!”
“This has been so fun!! I loved reading all of them.”
“It was a pleasure to read these stories!”


This year’s contest results were announced today at the Final Celebration event featuring guest author Mark Crilley. Winners accepted their prizes and everyone received a certificate of participation. If you are a writer who couldn’t join us today, AADL will send your prize/certificate in the mail.

Thank you to all of this year’s writers, friends, family, and educators! Please email Kayla at youngwrite@aadl.org with any contest questions. Keep an eye out for next year’s writing contest, and as always, happy writing!

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Blog Post

PreK Bits - "R" is for ROYAL

by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel and Banjo Betsy brought Royal Friends to Storytime this week at Malletts Creek.
First Ms. Rachel cut out the Queen of Hearts while she told the story of the Queen's heart-shaped tarts.
We performed ”The Princess, The Frog And The Little Bird” ... an oral tradition passed from AADL storyteller to storyteller. It is told using only sound effects.
We marched up and down the mountain with "The Grand Old duke of York". You can march with the same song on Youth CD WHERE IS THUMBKIN? and Youth CD STORYTIME.
The MOST WONDERFUL EGG IN The WORLD causes a dilemma for three chickens and the Queen. It is decided ... Whoever lays “The Most Wonderful Egg” will be made a Princess !

For more stories with ROYAL characters try these favorites:
KING BIDGOOD’s In The BATHTUB … and he won’t come out !
QUEEN Of The FROGS … does a crown make “a Royal”?.
The BIG PRINCESS and The TINY KING … "large" and "small" stories by Taor Miura.
DARING PRINCE DASHING … a daredevil prince story.
The DUCHESS Of WHIMSY … is known to have “esoteric tastes” …
The PAPER BAG PRINCESS … a classic by Robert Munsch.
QUEEN VICTORIA’s BATHING MACHINE … a real Queen and a True Victorian Story.
The PRINCE’S BEDTIME … a Royal Bedtime story.
For a participation and action adventure check out KLIPPITY KLOP. Prince Krispin, and his horse Dumpling, discover a Dragon ! YIKES !! You can order this title through MelCat with your AADL card. A Library that still owns a copy will send it. Then ... right up close... YOU can study the adorable small intricate line drawings by Ed Emberley ... and repeat (as many times as you like !) the walking adventure of Prince Krispin and Dumpling.

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Blog Post

NEW Themes !! - Stories-To-Go 2017

by ryanikoglu

NEW SETS are ready for check-out !
There are 11 new Stories To Go THEMES, 4 sets of each theme ... added in 2017.
Each Themed set includes 5-7 books, 1-2 DVDs, perhaps a CD ... especially for use with kids ages 2-7 years old.
These sets are for easy "Grab and CheckOut" by Parents, Grandparents, Child Care Providers, and Teachers.
Every SET includes an Activity Folder with songs, fingerplays and activities to extend the theme with your children.

The NEW 2017 themes are as follows:
ALPHABET ABC-XYZ ... Reading Readiness.
COUNTING ... especially beyond 10. Math Readiness.
NIGHT TIME ... what's going on while I am in bed? Early Science.
UNDER your FEET ... what's going on underground? Early Science.
SEQUENCING & PATTERNS ... Math Readiness.
SHAPES & COLORS ... School Readiness.
GOOD MANNERS ... Early Social Skills.
HEALTHY HABITS ... food, activity, teeth, hygiene. Early Science.
BUGS ... small living things. Early Science.
MOVING DAY ... when you are moving to a different place it is a Big Change. Social Skills.
RECYCLING/ GARBAGE ... Reduce ... ReUse ... Recycle. Early Social, Science and Ecology.

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Blog Post

PreK Bits - "A" is for AFRICAN Stories

by ryanikoglu

“We Were In Deepest Africa” and Ms. Rachel rumbled with jungle stories in Storytime.
HEAD, BODY, LEGS: A Story From Liberia by the author/illustrator team Won-Ldy Paye & Margaret Lippert ... a story of how the final body design came to be.
We found our own body parts and did the "Hokey Pokey" to "Shake it all about".
LEOPARD’S DRUM: An Ashanti Tale From West Africa is a story of jealousy, sharing and problem-solving ... in the jungle.

Keep on rumbling in the jungle with more of Ms. Rachel’s favorite tales (and music) from Africa:
Zzzng ! Zzzng ! Zzzng !: A Yoruba Tale.
The HATSELLER And The MONKEYS with wonderful illustrations by Baba Wague Diakite.
ANANSI And The TALKING MELON and more by Janet Stevens.
WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE’S EARS in book format. Here is the same story on DVD narrated by James Earl Jones.
MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS in book format. Here is the same story on DVD by Reading Rainbow.
Putumayo recordings like the CD KID’S WORLD PARTY add wonderful African soundtracks to listen and dance.
The CD GIFT Of The TORTOISE offers more wonderful African music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

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Blog Post

PreK Bits - "Qu" is for QUESTIONS

by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel and Ms. Betsy used "Qu" for questions throughout Storytime.
DUCK! RABBIT! …"What is it?" There are two opinions.
We participated in the action rhythm "A Quooty Qua" ... to repeat our "Qu" sound.
... We changed the sound from the action rhyme "A Tooty Ta". "What does 'Quooty qua' mean?"
TOO MUCH NOISE ... "What can I do about all this noise?" Peter asks the Wise Person.

For answers to more questions, try these favorites:
WHEN The WORLD Is DREAMING ... "What do little animals dream?"
CAN ONE BALLOON MAKE An ANIMAL FLY? ... and more questions asked at the zoo.
WHO DONE IT? ... follow visual clues to find an answer.
AH-HA to ZIG-ZAG ... If you were starting an Art Museum, what would you put in it ? Here is an "Artful" Alphabet.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...? ... things are lost?

So MANY questions !
So little TIME !

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Blog Post

Graphic Novel Biographies

by potterbee

Graphic novels are great vehicle to illustrate the story of a life. If you haven't explored the genre of graphic novels you might like to start with reading a biography or memoir from our collection. Patrons of the Westgate branch will find a dedicated biography section within the graphic novels, however, these items are shelved collectively within the graphic novel sections at each branch. For a general catalog search to peruse our collection, search by keyword using the terms "graphic novel biography". Also, be sure to check out the Public Lists for more suggestions! Listed below are selections ranging from youth to adult to get you started!

Primates by Jim Ottaviani Grades 7-Up This engaging graphic novel introduces readers to three unique women whose different personalities and lives intersected because of their love of primates. They would never have met without the guidance of Louis Leakey, an anthropologist who believed that women were better at studying animals in their native environment because they were more patient and perceptive than men.

The strongest man in the world by Nicolas Debon Grades 3-5 The story of turn-of-the-20th-century strongman Louis Cyr's life is told through his imagined voice as he shares the details with his young daughter. Children familiar with modern strongman competitions on ESPN will easily recognize the seeds of such outlandishly fascinating contests here, as burly fellows lift draft horses off the ground and bend iron poles into pretzels.

The Arab of the future by Riad Sattouf Grades 10-up Sattouf recreates his childhood in France, Libya, and Syria with a French mother and a Sunni father. The narrative is honest and wandering, with insights coming from the portrayal of his proud, temperamental father's views on politics and Arab life.

Andre the Giant by Box Brown Few professional wrestlers transcended their field like "The Eighth Wonder of the World," Andre Roussimoff (1946-93). Ignatz Award-winning artist Brown brings readers Roussimoff's story from the French farm of his boyhood through worldwide wrestling stardom and his fondly remembered movie role as the giant Fezzik in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. Highly recommended for pro wrestling fans, pop culture historians, and readers who enjoy outsider biographies.

Woody Guthrie and the dust bowl ballads by Nick Hayes This graphic novel offers a hard look at the world that made Woody Guthrie (1912-67) the visionary he became. A powerful exploration of Guthrie's roots, providing a mesmerizing take on the socioeconomic situation of 1930s America and a prescient commentary on how the challenges of that time continue to shape our identity as a nation.

The Zen of Steve Jobs a "A Forbes and Jess3 production" This innovative graphic novel unveils a less publicized part of Jobs: his flirtation with Zen Buddhism and friendship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, and how Jobs' tinge of Zenitude affected Apple products. The story moves back and forward in time, from the 1970s to 2011, but centers on the period after Jobs's exile from Apple in 1985 when he took up intensive study with Kobun. Their time together was integral to the big leaps that Apple took later on with its product design and business strategy.

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It's Not Too Early to Think about Summer Camp!

by Beth Manuel

Do you know a young person who would be interested in having a camp experience this summer? If so, now is the time to complete a campership application on behalf of a child who has dreamed of the opportunity to go away to camp. The Washtenaw County Camp Placement Association believes that attending a summer resident camp is a unique life experience that provides children an opportunity for growth in social, emotional and physical well-being. Their mission is to connect at-risk youth to camps through community support. WCPA is the only camping program that accepts referrals from teachers and counselors in all Washtenaw county schools, as well as human service agencies throughout the county. Applicants must be entering Grades 5 through 12 in the fall following camp. WCPA takes referrals and applications from now and throughout the summer-please keep this opportunity in mind for kids who could use it.

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Blog Post

PreK Bits - Stories-To-Go Kits 2016

by ryanikoglu

Preschool Kits launched in March 2016!
There are 10 new STORIES-TO-GO themes for 2016 that have been added to the Library Collections.
These kits have a pre-selected set of books and media especially for families, childcare centers, preschools, classrooms, home schools with kids ages 2-7 years old.
Every kit has an Activity Folder which includes songs, fingerplays and activities to extend the theme with our children.

The 2016 themes are as follows:
BIG MACHINES ... Diggers, Pushers, and more working machines.
OUTER SPACE ... Stars, Planets and space travel.
BABY SIGNS ... Nursery songs and DVDs for building signing vocabulary with your baby.
ANN ARBOR ... Books that link with major themes in our home town ... Ann Arbor, Michigan.
FAIRIES ... For all fans of fairy lore.
FEELINGS ... Stories about working with strong feelings.
LIBRARIES ... What goes on at the Library?
MONSTERS ... Friendly Monsters and monster fantasy.
SIZE & MEASUREMENT: Math Readiness ... How do you know sizes?
SEEDS to PLANTS ... What plants need and how they grow.

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PreK Bits - "D" is for DOG

by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel and Ms. Betsy brought all dog songs and stories to Storytime.
Stuffed dogs acted-out the story and the audience barked along with the dogs in DOGGIES by Sandra Boynton.
We sang “B-I-N-G-O” ... which can be found on youth CDs SONGS & STORIES For KIDS, BABY BOOST: 48 Interactive Sing-a-longs For Your Little One and LITTLE PEOPLE: Songs From The Farm.
In the story KATIE LOVES the KITTENS ... it is hard to stop bouncing and barking and the kittens keep running away.

For more famous DOG stories try the following favorites:
RAGWEED’S FARM DOG HANDBOOK by Anne Vittur Kennedy ... Learn From The Best!
HARRY The DIRTY DOG and NO ROSES For HARRY ... old dog classics by Gene Zion.
BUDDY And EARL and BUDDY And Earl And The GREAT BIG BABY ... new dog classics by Maureen Fergus.
MISS MOON: Wise Words From A Dog Governess by Janet Hill ... wise words for All with beautiful illustrations!
ZORRO GETS AN OUTFIT and MR BUD WEARS The CONE by Carter Goodrich ... a pitch-perfect dog point-of-view.
BARK GEORGE by Jules Feiffer... a dog fantasy.
The DOGHOUSE ... critters go in but they don't come out. Surprise?
For screen-time try the DVD BARK GEORGE And More Doggie Tails by Weston Woods Studios.
WOOF! ... snooff snurff ... doggie treat, Please.
... pant ... pant ...
Woof.