New MP3 Audiobooks-- Compatible with iPods!

Greenwich and Perrot library card holders can now listen to MP3 Audiobooks in addition to the wide selection of WMA Audiobooks and eBooks! This new format is compatible with the iPod®, iPhone™, the iPod Shuffle and nearly any MP3 player. Download these titles to your computer or portable device. Many Audiobook titles can be burned to CD for your listening pleasure anywhere, anytime!

Snow Reminder

As a reminder, please remember that there is a state law concerning the failure to remove snow and ice from vehicle roofs. “We have all seen snow and ice fly off from car and truck roofs while on the highway,” Governor Rell said. “These ice missiles are hazards that can break windshields and cause accidents." “This is more than a pet peeve for many Connecticut residents -- it is a significant safety hazard and it is entirely preventable,” the Governor said. “The bottom line is that it is each driver’s responsibility to clear snow and ice from his or her vehicle.”

-Wendy

Late Life and the Creative Imagination of Margaret Brassler Kane

Late Life and the Creative Imagination of Margaret Brassler Kane

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 7:30 PM in the Library

Creativity flourishes with age, and artistic talent does not end with physical decline. In many cases, artists in their later years are creating the best work of their lives.

Hear Kathleen Motes Bennewitz, Curator and Director of Exhibition and Programs for the Bush-Holley Historic Site, discuss Greenwich resident Margaret Kane’s longevity and creative pursuits, which have been well-documented in her personal papers and demonstrated by the artist herself, who actively worked into her 90s in her Cos Cob studio.

This lecture is based on the exhibit, Carved with Rasps and Chisels: The Sculpture of Margaret Brassler Kane (1909-2006), which is on view through March 15, 2009, at the Bush-Holley Historic Site.

We invite you to attend this free event, made possible by contributions from the members of the Perrot Memorial Library. We appreciate their support.

Very Apropos for Today!

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot's Picture Book Collection:

SNOW
By Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

What’s your favorite kind of snow? Is it “the snow that comes softly in the night, like a shy friend . . .?” With words that are as soft and soothing as the beautiful blue-lit illustrations that accompany them, Rylant delivers an important message: “the snow, while it is here, reminds us of this: that nothing lasts forever except memories.” A must-see addition to our collection.

Early Closing on Friday, December 19th

Due to the weather, the Library will close at 1 P.M. on Friday, December 19th, 2008.

Marcia Louis' Holiday Performance

Sunday afternoon saw nearly 90 Perrot friends and family of all ages gather in our beautiful Radcliffe Green to laugh, jump, and sing along with local legend, Marcia Louis (also known as "Beautiful Marcia"), as she treated them with many happy holiday songs and lots of seasonal silliness. See all the fun we had!

Happy Holidays to all of the wonderful families who make our work at Perrot such a pleasure!

P.S. This event was made possible by the generous donations of the members of the Perrot Memorial Library Association. Are you a member? THANK YOU!

Children's Program Registration Is Going on Now!

Registration for Youth Services' Winter/Spring 2009 Program Session is going on now through Sunday, January 11th, 2009. View the winter program schedule.

• Our program registration is by lottery
• You must have an active library card in good standing to register
• Obtain a registration postcard for the program of your choice from the Youth Services Circulation Desk
• Fill out ALL of the required information. Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Address the reverse of the card to yourself
• Affix a first-class stamp (42¢)
• Leave the card at the Youth Services Desk
• Registration postcards/lottery results will be mailed back to you within a week of the close of registration

Questions? Please give us a call at 203-637-8802, or comment on this post.

Great New Graphic Novels

Great new graphic novels in Youth Services... click each title to view and place a hold:

• Emiko Superstar: Emiko is a teenager on a quest to find herself who goes from suburban babysitter to eclectic urban performance artist.
• Warriors: Tigerstar & Sasha #1 : Into the Woods: The latest offshoot of the Warriors graphic novel adaptations.
• Into the Volcano: Two brothers are told they must travel to a volcanic island to help an aunt they have never met. When they arrive on the island, they are sent on an expedition that take them on a wild boat ride straight into an erupting volcano!
• Owly: Tiny Tales: The very latest in the series is a collection of unpublished and out-of-print Owly adventures.

Maxwell Eaton on Raising a Reluctant Reader

Words of advice from Maxwell Eaton, author of The Adventures of Max and Pinky series, on raising a reluctant reader.

See the full complement of positively punchy post-it note drawings at: http://wellreadchild.blogspot.com/2008/12/guest-post-by-author-maxwell-eaton.html



-Mrs. K.

Youth Services' Holiday Gift-Buying Guide 2008

It's here! Each year our Youth Services Librarians and Book Clubs put together a list of recommended books to buy for the holidays.

The list features picture books, books for middle graders, and books for ages 12 and up. Please take a look at our Youth Services Holiday Gift Buying Guide for 2008.

The list is also available at the Youth Services Desk in handy paper brochure format.

Please comment on this post with holiday gift ideas of your own!

Golden Y Award Winners 2008

CONGRATULATIONS to Team Take 5, the winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament!

They are the current holders of the coveted Wonderful Golden "Y" Award! (Yes, it looks like a lobster, but trust us, it’s also a wonderful golden ‘Y’-- stop by the Youth Services Department and see for yourself!).

The winning team: Caitlin, Alexa, Hannah, Catherine, and Sarah

That terrible man in the red suit

Scared of Santa at the Chicago Tribune

-the DVD Diva

Art/Shop/Eat Series

The Adult Department has just received the first of the 2008 updates of a series called Art/Shop/Eat. We have volumes on Paris and London, written by Delia Gray-Durant; a volume on Rome, by Daniel Nolan; and one on Barcelona, by Lucie Hayes. The books all follow a formula: first they list the top 10 things to do in each city, then the city gets divided into districts, and for each area, ideas are given in how to spend the day there. The main sights (and some quirky ones) are mentioned, along with the best places to eat or have a coffee, and the local shopping. These are great little guides, especially for those who are planning on just a short stay in a city.

-Linda

New York Times Notables Lists

The New York Times'...

• 10 Best Books of 2008
• 100 Notable Books of 2008
• Notable Children's Books of 2008

Notes from the New Bin

New to Perrot’s Youth Services picture book collection:

SOUTH
by Patrick McDonnell

As the last of the autumn leaves gently fall, Mooch the cat helps a lost little bird on a journey. This wordless tale of good-Samaritanism leaves readers feeling “warm and glowy,” says Kirkus Reviews. A perfect book to share on these last-leaf/first-flake days.

Book Recommendation: Take Back Your Family

Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America’s Parents, by Rev Run and Justine Simmons

This is a bit of a departure from my usual books. I had never been much of a reality show fan in the past, but one show I have enjoyed watching with my daughter, Christina, is “Run’s House” on MTV. It’s the story of Rev Run, a.k.a Joseph Simmons, originally of the hip-hop group Run DMC, and his family. He has broadened his business into more than just being a hip-hop star to include a line of clothing and sneakers, and his wife has a jewelry design business. His daughters have also branched out into design and publishing. They are not exactly a typical American family, but they certainly stand for family values and family time together. Having a family of six children, spread out from late teens down to an infant makes for a full range of potential problems, and they seem to confront things head on. Rev Run and Justine alternate segments of every chapter.

-Linda

New YS Book Recommendation Brochure

We have a brand-new Youth Services Book Recommendation Brochure, featuring picture book and Easy Reader mysteries.

When a child reads a mystery novel, or even looks through a mystery picture book, she is using higher order thinking skills like summarization, predication, and reading for detail—skills that will help her understand all types of literature in a critical way.

Take a look at our brochure to get started!

-Miriam

DVD Diva: It's that time of year again....

• Christmas With the Kranks: When only child Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora decide to book an cruise and skip Christmas altogether. Their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar.
• Deck the Halls: Two neighbors in a small New England town go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with a so many Christmas lights that they are visible from space!
• Fred Claus: Fred Claus has lived in his little brother's shadow for most of his life. Now Fred is in jail, and Nicholas bails him out on the condition that Fred help out at the North Pole to repay his debt.
• Surviving Christmas: Drew Latham is a wealthy executive leading an empty, shallow life. Facing another lonely Christmas ahead, Drew wants to revisit his old childhood home. But when he arrives, he finds that the house where he was raised is now no longer the home he grew up in. Owned by another family, Drew offers a nice financial reward that has the family all a buzz. But is Drew's generous cash offer only the beginning of an annoying visitor or will everyone be able to find the true holiday spirit?
• Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause: With another Christmas season fast approaching, Santa Claus/Scott Calvin is feeling even more pressure. Mrs. Claus is expecting a little Claus. She is also longing for the company of some "tall people." So Scott agrees to let her parents visit, as long as they believe that they're really in Canada rather than at the North Pole.

For more Christmas classics, take a look at last year's Christmas DVD post.

Mary Ann Hoberman at the Old Greenwich School Book Fair

Old Greenwich Elementary School

BOOK FAIR BLIZZARD

Presents

Mary Ann Hoberman

Children's Poet Laureate

Winner of the National Book Award
Award of Excellence in Poetry for Children

Book Reading and Signing

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

1:45 P.M.-2:45 P.M.

Mary Ann Hoberman's work has been described as "bursting with word-play" and "foot stomping rhythms," "slyly witty," a "rhyming romp" and "delightfully silly"!

Hoberman's popular titles include:

Seven Silly Eaters; The Llama Who Had No Pajama; A Fine Fat Pig; Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers; You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series; And to Think That We Thought We Would Never Be Friends; The Marvelous Mouseman; Whose Garden Is It?; I Like Old Clothes and A House Is a House for Me

************************************************

Book Fair Hours:

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008: 8 A.M.-4 P.M.

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008: 8 A.M.-7 P.M.

Thursday, December 11th, 2008: 8 A.M.-4 P.M.

Browse hundreds of books for adults and children of all ages-- from bestsellers to cookbooks and beyond.

All are welcome!

Don't Forget: Shakespeare Colloquy Tomorrow Night

Don't forget....

Anne Gilhuly is scheduled to lecture on Shakespeare's tragedy, Antony and Cleopatra, tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 3rd, at 7:30 P.M. in the Library.

The event will also feature dramatic readings from the work by players Florence Phillips and Dick Leonard.

Youth Services' Our Picks! for December

Take a look at Youth Services' brand-new Our Picks! list for December 2008-- it features winter-themed books our staff enjoyed.

And, here are a couple of bonus books about a certain wintertime meteorogical phenomenon:

• Who Likes the Snow? (J 551.578 KANER): Flaps open to provide information on the science of snow.
• Snow Is Falling (J 551.578 BRANL): Describes the qualities of snow, its usefulness to plants and animals, and the hazards it can cause.

The Tale of Despereaux Opens on December 19th

An animated movie version of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Award-winning book, The Tale of Despereaux, opens in theaters on December 19th.

We thought we'd remind you to read the book (or listen to the book on CD, the book on tape, or the Playaway) before you see the movie!