Tickets Available for Lion's Club Pancake Fry

This year's Lion's Club Pancake Fry will take place on Saturday, March 10th, 2007, from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center (located at the corner of Forest Avenue and Harding Road).

Enjoy a hearty meal of pancakes, syrup, sausages, coffee, tea, orange juice and milk. Tickets are only $6 per adult and $5 per child (ages 6-11). Kids ages 5 and younger get in free!

Get your advance tickets today at Perrot's Adult Circulation Desk.

Questions? Please call 203-637-3888.

Book Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See

Every now and then a book comes along that is so special that it makes an indelible mark on our lives. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which takes place in the Hunan province in 19th century China, is such a book. From the first sentence, this intimate story about two women and their secret language will draw you in. Snow Flower and Lily's friendship as sworn sisters begins with the ancient tradition of foot binding, and continues through the ordeals of arranged marriages as well as the joys and tragedies of motherhood. A testament to the strength of female friendships, this story is universal and unusual. -Esther Bushell

Book Review: Ender's Game

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards
Ender is a tortured genius, deliberately isolated from his peers by cunning military officers. He is forced to use his gifts to defeat others in a series of increasingly difficult war games - if they can indeed be called games. To Ender, the game is all there is, for he is a child, taken from his home to plan Earth’s defense against an impending alien invasion. This novel was written for adults, and is intensely brutal. It opens with Ender facing a gang of bullies. He knew that if he beat one in a fair fight now, the others would come after him later. So, he beats the leader half to death (the author reveals later that the boy, Stilson, was in fact unwittingly killed by Ender) not out of malice, but in order to win the "war" against the other boys. Their fear would keep him safe in the future. Is this how the mind of a six year boy works? Some adults may have trouble accepting Ender and the other children as real, believable characters. For young adults, these characters will seem much more real, as they still live a school environment. Battle School, as harsh as it seems, reflects the all too real mindset of adolescent angst. Readers will either love Ender’s Game, or hate it -perhaps a little of both. One way or the other, this novel will reach readers of all ages. -Adult Circulation Staff

DVD Diva: Controversial Movies by Deepa Mehta

There’s more to Bollywood than just singing. Take a look at these controversial movies by Deepa Mehta.

This Toronto-based director of Bollywood/Hollywood has earned international attention with her films. She is considered by many to be one of the finest new directors on the horizon. With films like the Fire/Earth/Water Trilogy, she is quickly becoming the voice of a new India.


Fire
In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage and falls into the supple embrace of Radha. More information at Internet Movie Database (IMDb)





Earth
A romantic drama set in 1947 in Lahore (before India and Pakistan became independent), where Hindus, Sikhs, Parsees, and Muslims share a peaceful co-existence. Events are seen from the point of view of eight-year-old Lenny, a girl from an affluent Parsee family. Lenny's nanny, Shantya, is involved with the Muslim masseur. When a train of Muslims arrives at the local depot and all the passengers are found murdered, the various sects turn against each other, and the city is soon aflame. More at IMDb



Water
Chuyia, an Indian girl who has already been married and widowed at just eight years old, is sent away to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. Her feisty presence affects the other residents, forcing each to confront their faith, as well as society's prejudices. More at IMDb

Book Review: Deep Storm

Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child

[Fiction] Lincoln Child’s latest novel is a wonderfully engaging Techo-Thriller. Dr. Peter Crane, a former naval medical officer and submariner, is summoned under a veil of secrecy and deception to the North Sea, and the oil rig Deep Storm. Upon his arrival, Crane is taken to a highly classified military base resting on the ocean floor, where he is led to believe Atlantis has been found. His mission is to discover the cause of a strange sickness that has been affecting the crew and causing a myriad of seemingly unconnected symptoms. As Crane investigates, he begins to uncover the real truth behind the dig, and a classic thriller ensues. This is a great story, with confrontations between scientists searching for truth and the need-to-know classified arm of military intelligence. A saboteur is loose on the base and will stop at nothing to halt the dig. What exactly is buried beneath the ocean floor? The fate of the solar system may very well hang in the balance. This is just an all-around good read. -Nick

Our First Meebo Reference Question

We received and answered our first Reference question via our Meebo chat service yesterday! It was a local history question, and our Reference Librarian was able to provide the user with the needed information from the Greenwich Time, as well as info on the paper's microfilm (stored at Greenwich Library), in case they wanted to see the actual newspaper.

Our Meebo service has only been available for about a week, and we're so excited that it's already being utilized by our patrons! It's an easy way to get general Reference questions answered, but it's also a great way for anyone in the world to get quick local history information about the Old Greenwich/Riverside area.

And remember, if we're not online, you can always leave us a message (just type your question in the box and click send, and be sure to include a way to contact you), and we will receive and respond to your question the next time we are online!

Announcing Live Chat Service

Have a reference question? Need to renew books? Have a question about a children's program? No need to leave your computer!

You can now chat with us live through Meebo, a free web-based chat service. No downloads are required. Simply ask us a question by typing into the chat box on our Ask Perrot webpage. Take a look at it here.

Please reply to this post with questions or comments about our newest service!

Winter Weather Delays and Closings

There are several ways you can find out about a weather-related delayed opening or closure at Perrot:

• Call us at 203-637-1066, to hear a recording listing a delay or closure
• Check Channel 12 News on TV, or look at their website
• Listen to AM Station WSTC 1400 or WGCH 1490

Remember that our delayed openings and closures are not necessarily concurrent with those of the Greenwich Public School system.

Here is our Cancellation Policy for our Youth Services Programs:

• For Preschool storytimes at 10 A.M., 11 A.M., and 1 P.M.: Programs are cancelled if the Greenwich Public Schools are closed due to weather conditions. Programs will be held if the Greenwich Public Schools have a delayed opening due to weather conditions. 1 P.M. programs will be cancelled if the Greenwich Public Schools are released early due to weather conditions.
• For School-Age storytimes at 4 P.M.: Please call the library in the late afternoon to find out if programs will be held.
• For PJs at Perrot: PJs will be cancelled if Greenwich Public Schools are closed or released early due to weather conditions.

Librarians on YouTube

A couple of funny clips from YouTube:

March of the Librarians

"Didn't you wonder where your librarians disappeared to in January? Ten thousand of them were in Seattle for an American Library Association convention, and I was there to capture the bizarre congregation on video."

Beauty is Nothing Without Brains

A Book Recommendation from the Young Young Critics' Club

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret will transport you to Paris in the early 1900s. The story is a mystery about a boy (he's an orphan, of course, because all children in books today either have one parent or no parents) who becomes involved with a director of early black and white movies. The story will keep you interested and guessing right to the very end. But the best part of the book is the way it is told. The story unfolds in words and in pictures. Unlike a traditional story, where the pictures enhance the words, in Hugo Cabret, the pictures are part of the story-- that is, the author includes series of black and white drawings, which tell parts of the story. It's a film-- I mean a book-- you'll want to stay with to the end! I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. -Annie

More on Brian Selznick and The Invention of Hugo Cabret:

• An Interview with Brian Selznick, at Borders.com
• Getting Personal with Brian Selznick, at Borders.com
• Brian Selznick on National Public Radio: Listen to an interview, and to Selznick reading excerpts from the book
• Video Clip: Scene from Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Voyage to the Moon), the film that helped inspire Selznick to write the book
• Just for fun... Video Clip: A music video from the band Smashing Pumpkins, which was also inspired by Le Voyage Dans La Lune, at YouTube

Tax Time

It's that time again...

Perrot has copies of both the federal and state (Connecticut and New York) tax forms available at the Reference Desk.

Or, you can get them online here:

• Federal Tax Forms
• Connecticut State Tax Forms
• New York State Tax Forms

Tax help and information:

• The Ernst and Young Tax Guide (book)
• The TurboTax Income Tax Handbook (book)
• Frequently Asked Questions at the IRS Website
• Yahoo! Tax Center
• MSN Money: Tax Center
• For live tax help from the IRS, call 1-800-829-1040, Monday through Friday, between 7 A.M. and 10 P.M.
• The closest IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center is located at 24 Belden Avenue in Norwalk. They provide these services. You must schedule an appointment in advance. Their telephone number is 203-840-4195.

Perrot Newsletter

The Winter/Spring 2007 edition of Perrot's newsletter, Précis, is now available. Watch for your copy in the mail, pick up a copy in the library, or read it online here.

Movie Recommendation: Knuffle Bunny

Knuffle Bunny
Named a Notable Children’s Video for 2007 and awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video!

Mo Willems and his young daughter, Trixie, give voice to this video version of his 2005 Caldecott-honor-winning picture book. Their take on the innovatively-illustrated tale of a stuffed lovey lost is charming, made even more endearing by the inclusion of a sweet daddy-and-daughter prelude that puts the viewer right in the rocking chair to read along with them. Willems, six-time Emmy Award–winning writer and former animator for Sesame Street, puts all his talents to work here, as Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat (where something goes terribly awry!). An inspired original jazz score by Robert Reynolds and Scotty Huff is perfect accompaniment. Don’t miss this one! View a short clip here, or click on the DVD cover to request it. -Mrs. K.

Check out more of Mrs. K's favorites from the 2007 Notable Videos on our Our Picks! page for February.

Another Passport Day at Perrot

The Old Greenwich Post Office is sponsoring a second U.S. Passport Day at Perrot on Saturday, March, 3rd 2007, from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.

File the paperwork to get your U.S. Passport. Photo services will also be available at the event, for $15. Bring your checkbook (Passport Fees are $82 for children under 16, and $97 for Adults), and your identification (you will need a previous passport or your birth certificate, as well as a photo ID).

If you'd like more information about Passport Day at Perrot, please call the Old Greenwich Post Office for more info at 203-637-1405.

Remember, according to new passport regulations, you must now show your passport upon your return from Canada, Mexico, or the Carribean. You can read more about these new requirements here. For other general information about obtaining a U.S. Passport, visit the U.S. Department of State's Passport Page.

Hot Items at Perrot Library

Perrot Library has been busy! We love hearing about what you are all interested in and want to see in your library. We’re always happy to provide patrons with the latest DVDs and books as fast as we can– just stop by and see what we have. If it’s not there today, you can be sure we’ll have a copy for you soon. Even now, we are ordering more copies of the hottest items for the community to make sure you can get your materials faster. Here’s the latest:

Little Miss Sunshine is in high demand! We currently have 163 holds on that DVD, but the Greenwich Library system has 9 copies to keep up. Please be patient with us!

The Da Vinci Code still has its place among our most popular DVDs. The system has 12 copies circulating, and 113 holds.

Among our books, James Patterson’s Step on a Crack has a top billing. Even though there are 46 holds, the Greenwich Library system has 32 copies – things will speed up considerably with these resources!

What else would you like to see in our collection? Any ideas for a great novel or DVD to share? What’s that title that you’ve heard so much about and can’t wait to get your hands on? Stop by and let our Circulation staff know, or comment on this post, and we’ll do all we can to have it to you as fast as we can.

Open call for reviews!

Enough about us-- what about you? Perrot want to read reviews from our patrons! Please send us your brief reviews of books, CDs, audiobooks, or movies, to be posted right here, on Perrot's blog.

Here are the details:

• Please keep submissions to approximately one paragraph in length
• We cannot publish all submissions
• We may edit your submission for content and grammar
• E-mail your reviews (or questions) to webmaster@perrotlibrary.org

We look forward to hearing from you!

Book Review: Find Me

Find Me, by Carol O’Connell

[Mystery] If you have followed the story of the NYPD’s Kathy Mallory, then you know her history as a feral child in Grand Central Station, rescued by an NYC detective. Now, Mallory, as she prefers to be called, sets out on the trail of a serial killer whose specialty is snatching and murdering young girls. Mallory follows Route 66 from Chicago, using letters written by her long-lost father, who loved that historic road. A convoluted series of events brings her into a caravan of parents, searching and mourning their own lost children. This is a powerful and moving mystery. -The Reference Librarians

Great Web Sites for Kids at ALA

The American Library Association has a wonderful website called "Great Web Sites for Kids," which lists fun and useful websites for kids by category. Each recommended site also has an icon next to it denoting whether it is appropriate for Pre-K, Elementary, or Middle School-aged kids. There is even an icon for useful Parent/Teacher sites. It's a great resource for homework and research help, and just for entertainment.


Here is a random sampling of some of the sites you'll find recommended at Great Web Sites for Kids:

• Go West Across America with Lewis and Clark: An interactive journey with Lewis and Clark, at National Geographic.


• Inventors and Inventions: Learn about who invented what, and when! Find out about the inventions of everything from adhesive tape to tea bags, sliced bread to kaleidoscopes.


• The Official Roald Dahl Website: News, information, book recommendations, games, and more. Site features fun animated Quentin Blake illustrations.


• PianoNanny: Free online piano lessons! Put your piano keyboard by your mouse keyboard and start learning!


• The Yuckiest Site on the Internet: Learn about gross bodily functions like earwax, earthworms, and roaches!
  

You can also view a guide to exploring the Internet with kids here.

Book Review: The Echo Maker

The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers

[Fiction] I gave up on this National Book Award-winning book approximately halfway through its 451 pages. Mark is a young Nebraskan hick, who flips over his pick-up truck on a deserted road one night. The circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but Mark ends up badly battered and in a coma. His older sister, Karin, arrives shortly thereafter to be his nursemaid. When Mark wakes up, he suffers from disturbing delusions-- that his sister, for instance, is not really his sister, but some other random individual who conspirators have quietly inserted into his life to pose as his sister. Obviously, since Karin has quit her job to move back out to Nebraska to take care of Mark (both of their parents are dead) she is rather chagrined by Mark's delusions, especially since they only seem to apply to the things that are closest to him-- i.e., Karin, his house, and his dog. Eventually, a cognitive neurologist, Gerald Weber (who is a fictional person, though borrowed a little too obviously from the real-life Oliver Sacks), is called in to investigate Mark's case. He accomplishes essentially nothing besides giving a name to Mark's delusion (Capgras syndrome), and then goes back home. Karin is left to take care of Mark. She still doesn't know what caused his accident, although she suspects it has something to do with Mark's hooligan friends. This is when I stopped reading. I realized I could not stand a single character in the book, and that was why it was taking me so long to finish. All the characters were flat, almost caricatures of themselves, bearing only one or two pertinent and irritating characteristics. After the accident, Mark's personality is of course intolerable, but he is described before the accident as an aimless, immature, and arrogant guy, who worked as a mechanic in a slaughterhouse, was obsessed with his pickup truck, and still had cheesecake posters of girls on his wall, despite being in his late 20's. Karin, on the other hand, is pale and bland both inside and out, working as a soulless office drone at her job in another state. She seemed not to have had a life outside of work, and when she returns to Nebraska, she rather lazily takes up with an old boyfriend from high school (now a sensitive ornithologist), we presume mostly because he makes her feel better about herself and also, conveniently, provides her with a place to live. The neurologist is distracted and somewhat arrogant, and halfway through the book you still have no idea why he was introduced (and then removed from the plot). So, after it sat in my nightstand half-finished for about a month, I made the decision to just give up. I guess I never will know the "truth of [what happened] that evening" and how it "will change the lives of all three [characters] beyond recognition," nor, I suppose, will I be privy to why exactly Powers won the National Book Award. -Vicky

Last Harry Potter Book out on July 21st

J.K. Rowling has announced the release date for the final Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: July 21st, 2007.

2007 is the 10th anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book. The books have sold over 325 million copies worldwide.