Please Excuse the Mess. . .

. . . while the original 1930 windows in our rotunda are removed one by one for repairs.

Book Donations

While you're doing spring cleaning, remember that the Friends of the Byram Shubert Library are accepting donations of books and other materials for their spring book sale. Donations are tax-deductible.

They accept. . .

• Books
• CDs
• DVDs
• VHS tapes
• CD-ROMs
• artwork
• bookends
• blank journals and photo albums
• educational materials

They even offer FREE PICK-UP SERVICE! To schedule a pick-up, please call the sale chairperson at 203-570-8527. For general questions, contact the Byram Shubert Library directly at 203-531-0426.

Picky Eaters, Dinosaurs, and New Babies. . .

. . .what do they all have in common? Each of them is a subject of a Perrot Youth Services Book Brochure! We have a bunch to choose from, and we just can't seem to stop making more!

Hard copies of our thematic book recommendation brochures are available at the Youth Services Desk, but you can look online at all of them, too:

• Books About Bedtime
• Books About Cars
• Books About Counting
• Books About Dinosaurs
• Books About Feelings
• Books About Firefighting
• Books About Picky Eaters
• Books About Pirates
• Books About Sports
• Books About Teeth
• Books About the ABCs
• Books About the Beach
• Books About Trains
• Books About Trucks
• Books About Welcoming a New Baby

If you can think of a topic you'd like to see made into a recommendations brochure, please comment on this post.

Sneaker Recycling

Dig those smelly sneakers out of the back of your closet and put them to good use! The Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board is running the third annual Used Sneaker Collection, going on now through April 26th.

All types of sneakers will be accepted for recycling (but no cleats). Take laces out of shoes before recycling.

The sneakers will be recycled through Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe Program. Your old shoes will be ground up to create athletic courts and fields, running tracks, and playgrounds for young people around the world!

Collection bins may be found at:

• Old Greenwich, Cos Cob, Greenwich, Byram, and Glenville fire stations
• Holly Hill Recycling Center
• Old Greenwich Tennis Academy
• Greenwich Green & Clean Office in Pemberwick Park
• One-day collection in the Greenwich High School parking lot on Saturday, April 26th

DVD Diva: Political Movies

With all the political fervor and verbal sparring taking place in anticipation of the upcoming Presidential election, here are some well-known political movies that you may find of interest– some serious, some humorous, and some a bit frightening.

[Click on each title to view that item in the catalog and to place a hold.]

• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: An idealistic, small town senator heads to Washington and suddenly finds himself single-handedly battling ruthless politicians who are out to destroy him. [More at the Internet Movie Database]
• All the President’s Men: Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation. [More at IMDb]
• The Manchurian Candidate: (1962) A former Korean War POW is brainwashed by Communists into becoming a political assassin. But another former prisoner may know how to save him. [More at IMDb]
• All the King's Men: A political demagogue governor of a Southern State believes that every man has his price and that the end justifies the means. [More at IMDb]
• Primary Colors: Jack Stanton is a virtually unknown Southern governor on a quest for the White House. Running against the odds, Stanton needs all the help he can get from his extremely colorful political team. [More at IMDb]
• The Candidate: While Richard Nixon is on his way to re-election by a landslide, a young, honest, idealistic lawyer begins to learn the truth about running for office. [More at IMDb]
• JFK: The story of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, whose investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy became an obsession. [More at IMDb]
• The Contender: As soon as a woman is nominated to replace the deceased vice president of the U.S.A., her political enemies search her private life for ways to bring her down. [More at IMDb]
• The American President: Andrew Shepherd is a consummate politician and a man of integrity, who also happens to be a widower. He is swept off his feet by a lobbyist, Sydney Ellen Wade. Now all that stands between true love and re-election is the approval of the American public. [More at IMDb]
• Dave: Kevin Kline stars as an off-the-wall, temporary replacement for the missing president. [More at IMDb]
• Bulworth: Believing his career is over, Senator Jay Bulworth takes out an enormous insurance policy and a contract on his own life. His impending death fills him with an outrageous desire to break the rules and tell it like it is. [More at IMDb]
• Wag the Dog: When the President is caught in a sex scandal less than two weeks before the election, "Mr. Fix-it" decides they need a war to distract the public and he calls on Hollywood's top producer to create it. [More at IMDb]

Tickets Still Available for Our Magic Show!

Young magician Jonathan Jacques is an award-winning teenage magician who has amazed audiences of all ages with his delightful stage presence and incredible natural ability. Jonathan is a bright rising star in the magic community and has been performing since the age of six.

Shows are always fun and exciting with a variety of new and innovative magic and lots of light-hearted audience participation. Audience members are thrilled as they watch friends and family become the "Stars of the Show" and help miraculously make objects appear and disappear.

Jonathan will perform at Perrot on
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008, at 4 P.M.

The show is geared toward kids in grades K through 5, and children may attend independently. The show will be approximately 45 minutes in length.

Free tickets are still available at the Youth Services Desk! Sign up today!

New Travel Series

Those of us who love travel just LOVE the DK guides. One of Dorling Kindersley’s newest series is done in conjunction with Travel + Leisure magazine. We just received Unexpected France and Unexpected Italy, and if you know this publisher’s products as well as we do, then you did expect a great book!

The pictures are just fantastic and they actually found some unknowns in two countries that are arguably among the best known by those who travel abroad.

The areas covered are at once broad in view, yet highly selective for quality that is representative of the countryside and of urban and coastal areas in France and Italy. There are some destinations you expect to see, yet, through Travel + Leisure’s coverage, they do uncover some unknown hideaways and less-traveled byways.

If you’re not traveling any time soon, it’s still wonderful to check these out. Armchair travelers will also certainly enjoy the beautiful photographs.

Bon Voyage from Perrot Library!

-The Reference Librarians

P.S. Our latest installment of Great Reads from the Reference Librarians is available here.

Notable Children's Videos 2008

Perrot's own Director of Youth Services, Kathy Krasniewicz, was chair of the 2008 American Library Association Notable Videos Committee.

Perrot is lucky enough to have many of of these outstanding videos in its collection-- click on each title to view it in the catalog and place a hold:

• Big Brown Bear Stories: Big Brown Bear and his friend Rat enjoy many adventures in this three-part program based on David McPhail's popular books. For ages 2-6.
• Dooby Dooby Moo: Duck steals the show when Farmer Brown's stable of precocious animals compete in a talent show in this animated version of the book by Doreen Cronin. For ages 3-8.
• Finding Daddy: A Story of the Great Depression: When the impact of the Great Depression forces her daddy to seek work far from home, Bonnie overcomes her shyness to find a solution that reunites her family. For ages 5-10.
• Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Andy Warhol: An animated Andy Warhol tells us all about his life in this DVD adapted from the book series by Mike Venezia. For ages 8-14.
• I Hate English!: Mei Mei moves to New York with her family and hates to speak the new language! She won't say a word until a new friend shows her how much fun she can have- in English! Based on the book by Ellen Levine. For ages 5-9.
• John, Paul, George & Ben: This humorous and factual history of five lads who grew up to become Founding Fathers brings the early days of American history to life. Based on the book by Lane Smith and narrated by James Earl Jones. For ages 6-10.
• Just Yell Fire: Empowering Girls to Protect Themselves: Brutally honest, this gripping instructional video focuses on teaching young girls self-defense; features various attack scenarious and helpful tips on avoiding predators. For ages 11-19.
• Leonardo, the Terrible Monster: Being a monster doesn’t come naturally to Leonardo. After all his attempts to frighten Sam fail, he decides that being a wonderful friend is better than being a terrible monster. Narrated by the author, Mo Willems. For ages 3-8.
• The Librarian from the Black Lagoon: Oh no, not a trip to the scary and terrible library, where frightening child-laminating monsters lurk! Based on the book by Mike Thaler. For ages 5-8.
• Max’s Words: When his brothers won’t share their collections of stamps and coins, Max starts a collection of his own, made up of words. Based on the book by Kate Banks. For ages 4-9.
• Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin: A profile of Benjamin Franklin, American thinker, inventor and patriot, and his inventions-- which include bifocals and Daylight Saving Time. Based on the book by Gene Barretta. For ages 8-12.
• Rosa: The brave actions of Rosa Parks are brought to life in this video version of Nikki Giovanni’s highly-honored picture book. For ages 5-10.
• Seven Blind Mice: It takes seven blind mice seven days to figure out what the curious “something” is that inhabits their world. Each mouse has a single perspective, and only when the seventh mouse puts together all of their ideas is the mystery revealed. Based on the book by Ed Young. For ages 4-8.
• A Very Brave Witch: A brave little witch dares to participate in the human holiday of Halloween despite reading off-putting information about scary humans. Playful animation adds a humorously creepy tone to this adaptation of the book written by Alison McGhee. For ages 3-8.
• Wallace's Lists: Devoted to making lists about everything in his life, Wallace the mouse discovers the joys of spontaneity and adventure when he becomes friends with his neighbor Albert. Based on the book by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik. For ages 4-8.
• Water Detectives: School children in Matamoros, Mexico changed how the people in their town used water, and lowered their water consumption to nearly 20% in just one year. Students concerned about the environment will be inspired by the children’s proactive exploration of their local river. For ages 8-14.

You can view the entire list of 2008 notable videos here.

Our Picks!: March-themed Books

The Youth Services' Our Picks! list for March 2008 is up-- we have a bit of a grab bag this month; our list features books about St. Patrick's Day, being green, lions and lambs, wind. . . and one book about a family by the name of March!.

You can view the full list here.

No Cookies in the Library

Couldn't resist posting this one...

Spaces Available in Spotlight

Spotlight, our after school story and crafts program for 2nd and 3rd graders, still has spaces available!

The theme this program session is Spotlight on Magic. The program meets Wednesdays at 4 P.M. on March 19th, March 26th, and April 2nd. Participants also receive tickets to our magic show on April 9th (which is also at 4 P.M.).

Sign up your 2nd or 3rd grader at our Youth Services Desk!

Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing!

Our songbirds are back! Keep your eyes open for dark-eyed juncos, white-throated sparrows, and woodpeckers, along with our faithful cardinal, tufted titmouse, and black-capped chickadee. Don’t know one from the others? Get out your binoculars (what a great addition to an Easter basket!) and grab a guide from Perrot’s Youth Services collection.

Here are a few to try:
Crinkleroot’s 25 Birds Every Child Should Know, EASY J 598 ARNOS
The Feather Book, J 598.2 OCONN
National Audubon Society First Field Guide, J 598 WEIDE

St. Patrick's Day Parade This Weekend

Erin Go Bragh! Greenwich’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place this Sunday, March 9th, beginning at 2 P.M. at Town Hall, and continuing down Greenwich Avenue. May the sun shine warm upon the faces of all!

Spring Has Sprung at Perrot

Perrot Is on the Air!

Listen for Perrot's 60-second radio clips, airing on local AM station WGCH 1490. Linda White, Head of Reference, is doing spots about new library services, books, and programs. And Wendy Epstein, our DVD Diva, will be talking about (what else...) DVDs.

Comment on this post if you hear us!