WHAT DO THESE WILDLY POPULAR CHILDREN’S BOOKS HAVE IN COMMON?

The Amazing Bone
Where the Wild Things Are
Strega Nona
Where’s Waldo?
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Because of Winn Dixie
Charlotte’s Web
Holes
Winnie the Pooh
The Wind in the Willows

They have all been challenged and/or banned!

REALLY?

Read more about it at:
Forbidden Library

University of Illinois
American Library Association ...

in honor of Banned Books Week, September 27th-October 4th

Paul Newman, 1925-2008

As many of you are aware, Connecticut’s own Paul Newman passed away over the weekend. He will be greatly missed by all. His movies were enjoyable to watch but what defined him more was his charitable work-- Newman founded Newman's Own, a successful food company he built from the ground up, which gives 100% of its proceeds to charity. Newman also started The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, an organization for terminally ill children. Although nominated many times for an Oscar, he finally won Best Actor for The Color of Money in 1987.


Here is a list of Newman's movies which are available at Perrot:

• The Color Of Money


• The Towering Inferno
  
• Slap Shot


• Cool Hand Luke


• Exodus


• Road To Perdition


• The Hustler


• The Sting


• The Verdict


• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (on order)


• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (on order)
  

More on Paul Newman:

• New York Times Obituary


• "He left his mark on all he touched": an article about Newman's philanthropy in the Stamford Advocate


• A video tribute to Paul Newman on YouTube

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot's Youth Services Collection:

ALPHABET ANIMALS: A Slide-and-Peek Adventure
By Suse MacDonald (E MACDO)

Animated alphabet letters play peek-a-boo in this colorful creation of a book. Each page is a pocket that conceals the solution to a terrific guessing game for little guys-- AND their grownups. Come on in and check it out!

Our Picks! for October: Fall and Halloween

Check out Youth Services' brand-new Our Picks! list for October 2008-- it features books about fall and Halloween.

Plus, here are a few bonus books about everyone's favorite seasonal squash-- the pumpkin!:

• From Seed to Pumpkin: How does a tiny seed turn into a BIG pumpkin? Find out all about what a pumpkin needs to make it grow.


• The Pumpkin Book: Describes how pumpkins come in different shapes and sizes, how they grow, and their traditional uses and cultural significance.


• Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden: Rhyming text and photographs follow a pumpkin patch as it grows and changes, from seeds to plants to pumpkins ready to harvest, to jack-o-lanterns and then to seeds again.


• In a Pumpkin Shell: Over 20 Pumpkin Projects for Kids: Provides instructions for a variety of projects involving pumpkins, including growing them, using them in recipes, and making things out of them.

Clean Out Your Books: Byram Book Sale Seeking Donations

The Friends of the Byram Shubert Library are currently seeking donations of books, CDs, DVDs, videos, audiobooks, and artwork for their Fall Book & Media Sale to be held on November 7th-9th, 2008.

The next official donation drop-off date will be on Saturday, October 11th, from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. at Byram Shubert Library’s temporary space, in the back of St. Paul Lutheran Church on William Street in Greenwich. All donations are tax deductible.

To schedule FREE PICK-UP SERVICE, or if you have questions about donations or the book sale, please call the sale chairperson at 203-570-8527, or the Byram Shubert Library at 203-531-0426.

SPOTLIGHT ON MRS. KENNEDY!

Perrot's very own STAR, Mrs. Kennedy (of Stuff & Nonsense, Spotlight, and PJs at Perrot fame) was featured on the front page of today's USA Today Life section!

View the online version of the article, or take a look at scans (part 1 / part 2) from the newspaper.

And when you see Mrs. Kennedy next, be sure to ask for her autograph! ;)

Storytime in Chinese at Perrot!

The Language Exchange of Cos Cob will be presenting Storytime in Chinese at Perrot! The storytimes will be bilingual language learning programs, presented in both English and Mandarin Chinese.

This FREE series will run for 8 weeks, on Fridays from October 3rd, 2008 through November 21st, 2008.

• Group 1 is for children below age three and their caregivers: it meets on Fridays (beginning October 3rd) from 1 P.M.-1:30 P.M.
• Group 2 is for children ages 3-5, and it meets on Fridays (beginning October 3rd) from 1:45 P.M.-2:15 P.M. (children attend independently, but caregivers must remain in the Children's Department)

Sign up now at the Youth Services Desk-- space is limited!

New Green Titles

If you’re cleaning out your house or looking to reduce your carbon footprint, it’s great to go green!

We have a selection of books for going green in many areas: cleaning products, alternative fuels, green construction, and the everyday greening of our lives.

Here are a couple of new titles:

Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care, by Dr. Alan Greene (that’s his real name!). The book describes the best green baby products, from baby bottles to baby sheets and cleansers.

How to Live a Low-Carbon Life: the Individual’s Guide to Stopping Climate Change, by Chris Goodall, tells us how to start lowering our carbon output.

These and other titles can be found in the adult non-fiction area on the second floor. Come see what a little greening can do for you and your family.

Book Recommendation: The Road Home

The Road Home, by Rose Tremain

Olev, known as Lev, is a 42-year-old widower who has come to London from an unnamed Eastern European country. He has arrived with little or nothing and is searching for work to support his mother and beloved daughter. Fortunate in the friends he makes, but intensely homesick, he is determined to overcome all difficulties. Because of Lev's essential goodness and likeability you will find yourself pulling for him through all his ups and downs. An extremely memorable character in a very moving and beautifully written novel by this award-winning author.

-The Reference Librarians

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot’s Youth Services Collection:

FREDERICK FINCH, LOUDMOUTH!
by Tess Weaver, pictures by Debbie Tilley


Frederick loves everything about the annual State Fair, and his favorite part is the contests. Turkey-calling (he’s too shrill), checkers (he can’t keep quiet), even the country music contest (he’s loudly off-key)-- Frederick has tried them all-- but without success. Frederick is a persistent little guy, though, determined to find the contest that will suit his hooting, hollering, big-mouth booming best. And he does. . . :)

Sign up now for Nightmares tickets!

Sign up now for NIGHTMARES

our annual festival of fright...

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

7 o'clock at night

Free tickets are available at the Youth Services Desk

For little monsters in Grades 2 and up

NO GROWN-UPS ALLOWED

Awesome Tree Contest

The Greenwich Tree Conservancy and the Town of Greenwich is sponsoring an "Awesome Tree Contest" in collaboration with Garden Education Center, Bruce Museum, the Greenwich Libraries, Audubon Greenwich, and Greenwich Land Trust.

Residents can nominate their favorite tree in the following categories:

• Tallest Tree
• Widest Tree
• Picture Perfect Tree
• Weirdest Tree
• Tree with a Great Story
  

Entries are due on Friday, October 24th, 2008, and prizes will be awarded at a celebration at the Bruce Museum on Sunday, November 16th, 2008!

Join in the fun and take the kids, grandparents and the whole family out for a fall walk in search of the most Awesome Trees in Greenwich. Perhaps the winner is right in your own yard!

Entry forms are available in the Library, or online at http://www.greenwichtreeconservancy.org/

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot’s Youth Services Collection:

HERE A FACE, THERE A FACE by Arlene Alda (E ALDA)

See that funny faucet face?
You can find faces in unusual places– IF you have your eyes and your mind open! Take a peek at the fabulous faces that noted photographer, Arlene Alda, has found: in fried eggs, in rocks– even in a motorcycle! Then go out and find your own faces. And if you take a picture, we’d love to see it. :)

Finalists Announced for the Connecticut Book Awards

The Seventh Annual Connecticut Book Awards will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, September 21st, 2008 in the atrium of Hartford Public Library. This celebration recognizes the rich history and present vibrancy of literature in Connecticut by honoring authors, illustrators and book designers who have ties to the state. The Awards program is free and open to the public.

View the complete list of Connecticut Book Award Finalists at the Connecticut Center for the Book website.

DVD Diva: Christopher Walken

Christopher Walken, a prolific actor who has spent more than 50 years on stage and screen, has appeared in over 100 movie and television roles. Many of his films are available at Perrot. Here is a small sampling:

The Deer Hunter

Tracks a group of steelworker pals from a Pennsylvania blast furnace, to the coal hunting grounds of the Alleghenies, to the lethal cauldron of Vietnam. It is a drama of friendship and courage, and of what happens to these qualities under stress. Also starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

True Romance

The story of two unlikely lovers (Christain Slater and Patricia Arquette) who find themselves in possession of a suitcase full of valuable mob contraband, which they plan to take from Detroit to Los Angeles, sell, and begin a new life. Christopher Walken plays the role of Vincenzo Coccotti, a crazed mob enforcer.

Blast From the Past

Walken plays an eccentric nuclear physicist whose fears of a nuclear war lead him to build an enormous fallout shelter beneath his suburban home. He and his family (Sissy Spacek and Brendan Fraser as his son) live in the shelter for 35 years before realizing that the nuclear holocaust never happened.

Who Am I This Time?

In this American Playhouse film from 1982, adapted from a Kurt Vonnegut short story, Walken stars opposite Susan Sarandon as the shy leading man in a community theater’s productions.

KateMcClelland on YCC: The BookBrowse Interview

BookBrowse.com (a website that recommends the best recently published books through independent reviews and well-crafted reading lists) recently interviewed Kate McClelland (aka Mrs Mac) about Perrot Library's long-standing, popular Young Critics' Club.

Featured Book Club: Perrot Memorial Library's Young Critics' Club

Perrot YS is a great place to study! :)

[click to view a larger version]

Sunday Hours

Just a reminder that Perrot will now be open on Sundays, starting this Sunday, September 7th. Our Sunday hours are 1 P.M. to 5 P.M.

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot’s Picture Book Collection:

ME HUNGRY!
written and illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

Boy: Me hungry!
Big, hairy dad: Me busy!
Frazzled mom: Me busy!
Boy: Me hunt!
But the animals have a different idea . . .
Rabbit: Me hide!
Porcupine: Me sharp!
Tiger: Me mean!

What’s a hungry cavekid to do?
You read!

Rosemary Wells to Speak at Perrot

Author Rosemary Wells will speak at Perrot on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, at 7 P.M. She will be discussing what she learned about Abraham Lincoln while researching her forthcoming book Lincoln and His Boys (publication date January 2009). Please note that this event is intended for adults and young adults.

Historians claim him as one of America’s most revered presidents. But to his rambunctious sons, Abraham Lincoln was above all a playful and loving father. Here is Lincoln as seen by two of his boys: Willie, thrilled to be on his first train trip when Lincoln was deciding to run for president; Willie and Tad barging into Cabinet meetings to lift Lincoln’s spirits in the early days of the Civil War, Tad accompanying him to Richmond just after the South’s defeat. With the war raging and the Union under siege, we see history unfolding through Willie’s eyes and then through Tad’s-- and we see Lincoln rising above his own inborn sadness and personal tragedy through his devotion to his sons. With evocative and engaging illustrations by P.J. Lynch, Rosemary Wells offers a carefully researched biography that gives us a Lincoln not frozen in time but accessible and utterly real.

Rosemary Wells is an author and illustrator of picture books and has written many novels and nonfiction books for young readers. While researching a historical novel about the Civil War, she came upon a two-hundred-word fragment by Willie Lincoln about a trip taken with his father, and the idea for Lincoln and His Sons was born. She lives in Connecticut.

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month

Today, parents make sure their kids have the gear they need for all of their activities. Kids have uniforms for soccer, safety helmets for bike riding and new backpacks and binders for a new school year. However, they might have overlooked the most important supply of all. . .

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, the perfect time to make sure kids are equipped with a library card. A library card can give kids access to free homework help, materials to research their papers or information for their next book report. It can also help make life after school more fun, with free access to music, DVDs, the Internet and more.

Of course, library cards are not just for kids. According to a recent household survey by the American Library Association, 44% of parents report that they bring their children to the library because it gives them something to do together. Parents can help their children explore new interests and, at the same time, enjoy a family program or pick out a best seller for themselves. Best of all, family time at the library won’t break the bank. The library and its resources are free with a library card.

This month, make sure your kids gear up for school by signing up for a library card. No matter how crammed the backpack or a family’s schedule, there’s always room for the smartest card of all, a library card.



Use your Library Card at the Youth Services Desk this month and you will receive a sweet treat!