Thursday, December 10, 2015

Upcoming Event: Writer and Conservationist Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel



Upcoming Event: Writer and Conservationist Carl Safina,
Wednesday, January 27th, 2016
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

About the Talk
Carl Safina worked with researchers who’ve spent decades studying particular families of wild elephants, wolves, and killer whales. He got to know these free-living creatures as individuals, along with their children and grandchildren. In this talk he tells us of amazing strategies and judgment calls these actual wild creatures have made to ensure their families’ survival in times of crisis.

Safina will explore similarities in our consciousness, self-awareness, empathy, non-verbal communication, imitation, teaching, and a surprisingly capacity for grief widespread among elephants, wolves, whales, and even certain birds.

The main thing that Safina will show is that animals think and feel a lot like people do—because after all, people are animals. He’ll show that their lives and their minds aren’t really too different from ours. They know who their friends are. They know who their enemies are. They have ambitions for status, and their lives follow the arc of a career. Relationships define them, as relationships define us.



About Carl Safina
Carl Safina explores how the ocean is changing, and what those changes mean for wildlife and for people. His writing conveys the scientific dimensions as well as moral and social implications of our relationship with nature.

His earlier work focused on seabird ecology, then on policy. In the 1990s, he helped lead campaigns to ban high-seas driftnets, re-write U. S. federal fisheries law, work toward international conservation of tunas, sharks, and other fishes, and achieve passage of a United Nations global fisheries treaty. Carl founded Blue Ocean Institute in 2003. The conservation non-profit recently changed its name to The Safina Center at Stony Brook University.

Carl, whose PhD in ecology is from Rutgers University, is author of six books, and more than a hundred scientific and popular publications on ecology and oceans, including featured work in National Geographic and The New York Times, and a new Foreword to Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us.

His first book, Song for the Blue Ocean, was chosen a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction selection, and a Library Journal Best Science Book selection; it won him the Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction.

His second book, Eye of the Albatross, won the John Burroughs Medal for nature writing and was chosen by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine as the year’s best book for communicating science.  Carl is also author of Voyage of the Turtle, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, Nina Delmar: The Great Whale Rescue, a children’s chapter book, and The View from Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World, also a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Released in 2011 was Safina’s latest book, A Sea in Flames: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Blowout. And in 2013, his PBS television series, Saving the Ocean with Carl Safina, was broadcast to over 90 million households.

He has been profiled on Nightline and twice in the New York Times; named among “100 Notable Conservationists of the 20th Century” by Audubon Magazine; and featured on the Bill Moyers PBS special Earth on Edge. Safina has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize.
Carl has honorary doctorates from Long Island University and the State University of New York. He is the inaugural holder of the Carl Safina Endowed Research Professorship for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University ‘s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Carl co-chairs and teaches in the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at SBU.

Carl is a MacArthur Fellow, has been an elected member of The Explorers Club and a World Wildlife Fund Senior Fellow, is a recipient of the Pew Scholar’s Award in Conservation and the Environment, and a recipient of Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo’s Rabb Medal, among other honors.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament


CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Semi-Annual Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2) Jeopardy Tournament!




The Winning Team, The Tap Dancing Santas 
(L-R) Henry, Leo, Amrutha, Ellie, Benjamin, and Jacob


They are the current holders of the coveted Wonderful Golden "Y" Award! The winners have demonstrated their mastery of trivia questions related to the books that the Young Young Critics' Club (our book club for 4th- and 5th-graders) has read during the past year. (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!)

Monday, December 07, 2015

Children's Program Registration Is Going on Now!

Registration for Youth Services' Winter/Spring 2016 Program Session is going on now through Sunday, January 10th, 2016. [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(s) of your choice from the Youth Services 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 (49¢)
  • Drop off your card at the Youth Services Desk by January 10th
  • Registration cards will be mailed back to you within a week of the close of registration

Questions? Please give us a call at 203-637-8802!

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Upcoming Event: Local a cappella group, The Bows

Perrot is pleased to host host a musical performance of holiday tunes 
by local women's a cappella group, The Bows. 


Sunday, December 5th, 2015
4:00 PM
Perrot Library Children's Wing

Monday, November 30, 2015

Youth Services 2015 Gift Buying Guide

Each year our Youth Services Librarian puts together a list of books that make great holiday gifts!

The list features books for the youngest, for beginning readers, for middle graders, and for grades 6 and up.

See our brochure online-- Youth Services Holiday Gift Buying Guide for 2015 -- or pick up a paper copy in Youth Services.

Annual Appeal for the Perrot Memorial Library Association

Now is the time to join Perrot- and here are some of the many reasons why:

  • Perrot is your neighborhood library. We share resources with Greenwich Library, but we are an independent institution funded by membership donations
  • All of Perrot's fabulous programs for children and adults are free and supported entirely by membership contributions 
  • Perrot's building and grounds are owned by the Perrot Memorial Library Association and are largely maintained with membership funds 
  • Where you are renewing your membership or joining for the first time, we appreciate your contribution at any level. We depend on your generosity!


Watch for our Annual Appeal brochure in the mail, or donate online today: 



Online payments will be processed via PayPal. A PayPal account is not required to donate.

Thank you for your support!

Annual Lions Club Grapefruit Sale


The Old Greenwich Lions Club is running its annual sale of grapefruits and oranges, as part of its fund-raising efforts to fight blindness worldwide.

Fruit is available for purchase at Perrot-- please ask at the Adult Circulation Desk.

Pricing:
Grapefruit: $20 per case,  $10 per ½ case
Oranges: $20 per case,  $10 per ½ case
Case of ½ grapefruit and ½ oranges: $20


Friday, October 30, 2015

Tellabration! 2015: An International Celebration of Story

Throughout the world, the week before Thanksgiving is set aside as a time to celebrate the time-honored art of storytelling and story listening. Join the thousands of people, young and old, around the world who will spend a unique and magical hour rediscovering the laughter, the tears and the power of the story, at this year's TELLABRATION!

Featured at the Cos Cob Library on Friday, November 6th, 2015, at 7 PM, will be local storytellers Lauren Mendoza and Bill Wright. For more information, contact Wendy Silver 203-622-6883, wsilver@greenwichlibrary.org.

Check out the rest of the local Tellabration events.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Upcoming Event: Family Storytelling Concert featuring Willy Claflin

Perrot Memorial Library is proud to present an afternoon of storytelling in memory of our beloved Children's Librarians, Kate McClelland ("Mrs. Mac") and Kathy Krasniewicz ("Mrs. K"). Those who knew Kate and Kathy know how much storytelling was a part of their lives and how they used it to enchant and educate the youth of our community.

We are delighted that storyteller Willy Claflin will be joining us for this special annual family event, which will be held in Perrot's Children's Wing.

Sunday, November 1st, 2015, at 2 PM in the Children's Wing

Willy Claflin is a one-man festival! He spins humorous stories of childhood misadventures, as well as folktales from around the world, accompanied by his guitar and a menagerie of puppet characters, including his famous sidekick, Maynard Moose.

This free family event is recommended for ages 5 and up. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more info on Willy Claflin, please visit his website: http://www.willyclaflin.com/

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Come to NIGHTMARES...If You Dare!

NIGHTMARES
Wednesday, October 28th, 2015, at 7:00 PM
The Youth Services wing is tranformed into a cavern of horrors for this yearly event, featuring terrifying tales from unpleasant local ghouls! 

For brave kids in grades 2 and up ONLY. No grownups allowed. 

Free tickets available NOW at the Youth Services Desk!

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Energy Conservation Exhibit in Youth Services

The Youth Services Department is excited to host a traveling exhibit from The Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The interactive exhibit is called "Conservation Quest" and features quick, hands-on activities to teach families about energy use and the best ways to conserve energy.

For more information, stop by the exhibit (it will be at Perrot through September 29th!) or check out the museum's Traveling Exhibit webpage.

We also have a limited number of passes for FREE ADMISSION to Stepping Stones. Get them while they last!

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Perrot Will be Closed Labor Day Weekend

The library will be closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, September 5th, 6th, and 7th, for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Our Sunday hours will resume on Sunday, September 13th, 2015.

In the meantime, get inspired by these books about the American labor movement:

There is Power in a Union, by Philip Dray
331.8809 DRAY

There Is Power in A Union : the Epic Story of Labor in America

331.8809 EARLY

Civil Wars in U.S. Labor

331.8809 HILLS

Workers Unite!


Upcoming Event: Greenwich Reads Together Book Discussion

Greenwich Reads TogetherThe Perrot Memorial Library will host a discussion of the Greenwich Reads Together 2015 book, Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Wednesday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. 

The discussion will be led by Marcia Hamilton and Joyce French of Greenwich Pen Women. 

Learn about the book and read interviews with the author on Greenwich Library's Greenwich Reads Together page, here.

For more information, please call (203) 637-1066. 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Upcoming Event: Our Old Stones: A Talk with Andrew Pighills

Our Old Stones: Walls, Buildings, and Tombstones in Eastern Greenwich: A Talk with Andrew Pighills
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015, at 7:30 PM
First Congregational Church, 108 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT

Back by popular demand, Andrew Pighills, an accomplished stone artisan, gardener, and horticulturalist, will give a talk on old stone walls, accompanied by photographs of walls in and around Eastern Greenwich. He will draw comparisons of building styles and techniques, and follow the evolution of stone walls and structures from colonial times to the present day. 

Mr. Pighills received his formal horticulture training with The Royal Horticultural Society. He has spent over 30 years creating gardens and building dry stone walls in his native England, in and around the spectacular Yorkshire Dales and the English Lake District.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Scheduled Circulation Update, Thursday, August 27th, 2015

Due to a scheduled software update, our online circulation system will be down tomorrow, August 27th, 2015.

The library will be open during its regular Thursday hours, from 9 am to 8 pm, but minimal circulation services will be available. We expect normal service to return on Friday, August 28th.

Patrons will be able to return and check out books (with a valid library card only, not a driver's license), but cannot renew items, create library cards, or pay fines. Please call us with any questions.

We appreciate your patience!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Youth Services Fall Program Registration Is Going on Now!

Registration for Fall 2015 programs is going on now through Friday, September 4th, 2015. View the Fall 2015 Program Schedule.

Program registration is by lottery. Here's how to register:
  • Pick up a registration postcard for the program(s) of your choice at the Youth Services Desk
  • Please fill out ALL of the required information. Incomplete applications will not be considered
  • For preschool-age programs, your child must be the appropriate age for the program by October 1st, 2015
  • Twins may apply on the same registration card. Siblings who do not share a birthday must use separate registration cards, even if they are signing up for the same program
  • Address the reverse of the card to yourself
  • Affix a first-class stamp (49¢)
  • Drop the registration card(s) off at the Youth Services desk by 6 PM on Friday, September 4th, 2015
  • Registration cards received after September 4th will automatically be placed on the waiting list
  • Registration postcards will be mailed back to you shortly after the close of registration with your status (enrolled in a program or on the waiting list)
  • Please call us if you do not receive your card back in the mail within a few days of the close of registration
Questions? Comment here or give us a call at 203-637-8802.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Back to the Future in Binney Park--this Saturday!



Movies in the Park--this Saturday!  Bring your blankets, a picnic, and lawn chairs and enjoy the show!


BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985, Rated PG, 117 minutes)
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015, 8:30 PM
[Rain Date: Sunday, August 23rd, 2015, 8:30 PM

In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the 1950s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents (Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson), and must make sure that they fall in love or he'll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.

Thursday, August 06, 2015

Countdown to Kindergarten Storytime!

Perrot is again offering a special Countdown to Kindergarten Storytime--  with stories, songs, and a craft to help your child get ready for the first day of Kindergarten! This program is for children entering Kindergarten in Fall 2015 ONLY. Children attend independently, but parents and caregivers should remain in the Library.
Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 at 1 PM

Sign up now at the Youth Services Desk!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk




What We're Reading at Perrot:

Little Black Lies[Fiction] This haunting novel is told by three people: Catrin, Callum and Rachel.  Young children are going missing from a little village located on one of the Falkland Islands. Catrin lost her two young sons in a freak car accident three years ago. The accident took place when Catrin’s best friend, Rachel, left them alone while she ran into her house for just something quick. The car went over the cliff and into the sea in the blink of an eye. Catrin becomes insular. She shuts Rachel out of her life. Ben, her husband, left her and remarried. Callum, a PTSD sufferer as a result of the carnage caused during the Falkland War, still loves her and tries to bring her back to life. In the search for the latest two missing boys, all of their lives change. I thought I had this figured out, but the last paragraph in the book changed everything!  Great book!





Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Comic Mime Robert Rivest--July 30th at Perrot!


See Innovative Performer Robert Rivest

"Reading is Out of This World!"

Thursday, July 30th 
3:30 pm
On the Green in the Youth Services Department




Comic Mime Robert Rivest leads family audiences on a fun, upbeat journey through the joys of reading. Everyone gets to move, play and laugh in this exciting participatory program.

For families with children ages 5 and up

Stop by the Youth Services Desk now
for your FREE TICKETS!

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Movies in the Park 2015

Perrot is pleased to present our ninth annual series of Movies in the Park in Binney Park! This year we are featuring Ice Age and Back to the Future. Bring your picnic, your chairs, and enjoy the show!




ICE AGE (2002, Rated PG, 81 minutes)
Saturday, July 25th, 2015, 8:30 PM
[No Rain Date]

Twenty-thousand years ago, Earth is a wondrous, prehistoric world filled with great danger, not the least of which is the beginning of the Ice Age. To avoid a really bad frostbite, the planet's majestic creatures-- and a few small, slothful ones-- begin migrating south. This animated tale follows a woolly mammoth, a saber-toothed tiger, a sloth, and a prehistoric combination of a squirrel and rat, as they unite to return a human baby to his tribe.

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

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985, Rated PG, 117 minutes)
Saturday, August 22nd, 2015, 8:30 PM
[Rain Date: Sunday, August 23rd, 2015, 8:30 PM

In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the 1950s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents (Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson), and must make sure that they fall in love or he'll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.



Monday, June 22, 2015

Children's Summer Program Openings

We still have spaces available in our Stuff & Nonsense and Spotlight programs during the summer!

Stuff & Nonsense is for kids entering Grade 1, and will meet Mondays at 4 PM on July 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th.

Spotlight (on One World, Many Stories) is for kids entering Grades 2, 3, and 4, and will meet Wednesdays at 4 PM on July 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th.

Please call us (203-637-8802) if you would like to sign up your child for either of these programs.

Perrot's Summer Reading Club and Contest for Kids

Summer is here-- and that means it's time to sign up for Perrot's summer reading club! You can participate (and win prizes for reading!) starting today, June 22nd, through July 31st. Our Summer Reading theme this year is READING IS OUT OF THIS WORLD!

To sign up for our summer reading club, simply go to our volunteer table by the computers in Youth Services. Our friendly teen volunteers will sign you up, tell you the rules and start a reading record for you. You'll also get to put your name up on our bulletin board! We'll keep your reading record here in the library. When you've read a book, tell a volunteer next time you're in the library and they'll write it in your reading record. After you read your first, third, and fifth books, you get a prize! Also, this year, for each book you read, Perrot will make a donation to American Museum of Natural History, to help fund free museum and planetarium visits for NYC school kids. 

Parents, you can take home a reading record for children who are not yet reading independently. We have special sheets to record books you have read aloud with your child. Children get a sticker for each book they've read with a grown-up.

We're also having a contest this summer. During the last 4 weeks in July, you will have to guess which author wrote the book our bears are reading! Each week, we will post a photo at the desk of our bears reading a book. Pick the name of the author of the book and fill out a guess slip. We will have a random drawing from all our correct guess slips each week. We have 4 great tote bags full of prizes to give away, each which contains books as well as outer-space themed prizes!


Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Barbara McSpadden

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Barbara McSpadden, former Perrot Reference Librarian and former member of the Perrot Board of Directors. Our thoughts and love are with Barbara's family at this difficult time.


BARBARA MCSPADDEN
On May 25, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Barbara Dodds McSpadden passed away with grace and courage after battling cancer.

She is missed terribly by those whose lives she touched, especially by her husband Peter, sons Douglas, David, Peter C. and grandchildren Kevin, Sean, Liam, and Rhea.

Barbara Dodds McSpadden was born on November 15, 1931 in Oak Park, Illinois and with her family moved to California. During her early years, the Dodds family moved to Garden City, NY where she grew up. Barbara attended Smith College graduating in 1953. She went to work at the National Broadcasting Company as an associate to the Fashion Editor on the "Home Show", then the daytime part of the "Today-Home-Tonight" NBC television programming package. Later, she moved on to become Director of Female Personnel at the America Fore Insurance Group.

In 1956, while working and living in New York, Barbara met Peter McSpadden After a brief romance, they married in June of that year and, like many young couples, lived happily in New York City. Two years later, the couple moved to Riverside, Connecticut their home for the next 57 years. They had many very close Riverside/Old Greenwich friends and they participated actively at the Riverside Yacht Club.

Barbara always loved books and was a voracious reader. She followed her dream and obtained an MBA degree In Library Sciences in 1976, She then worked as Head Librarian at Greenwich Country Day School and as Reference Librarian at Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, CT.
Barbara was an outgoing, sparkling, bright person who always reached out to help others. She developed a very special relationship with a Stamford 7th grader who she mentored through High School and into Iona College. That lady now has a successful finance career and they remain close friends. She also encouraged and supported a young summer visitor who now has a family and has remained a friend for many years.

Community volunteer work was always a priority. She was an early Co-Director/Founder of Community Answers, Trustee/Chair of Greenwich Stamford Literacy Volunteers where she tutored many individuals helping with language and social adjustment issues. She also worked with Call for Action, was President of the MarvelWood School Parents Association, co-Chaired the Eastern Middle School PTA, and was Vice President of the Greenwich Junior League.

One of Barbara's favorite places was her second home in Rockport, Maine where life is different and quieter. She golfed with many friends at the Megunticook Golf Club, boated around Penobscot Bay and enjoyed looking East to early sunrises. Many close friends were made in her 34 years on the shore of Penobscot Bay. A favorite place became the Farnsworth Art Museum where she connected as a member and supporter of the Education Committee.

She didn't waste time with her travel back and forth from Maine to Connecticut. Along the way she visited the interesting small businesses that in earlier days dotted her route. These visits became the source of her fun to read book titled "Bargain Hunting Along the Coast of Maine

All in all, a wonderful and varied life. As she said before leaving, "I've been so blessed". So have we just for her being with us.

Barbara was an Elder of The First Presbyterian Church, Greenwich and a Memorial Service will be held there at 2:00pm on June 13, 2015.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to: Stamford/Greenwich Literacy Volunteers of America, 66 Palmer Hill Rd. Stamford, CT 06902 or to the Farnsworth Art Museum.

-Published in the Greenwich Time, May 27th, 2015

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

School Visit Books-- Get some great recommendations!

During the month of May 2015, our Youth Services librarian, Mrs. Jarombek, visited 4th- and 5th-grade classes at local elementary schools to talk about new and exciting books and to promote our summer reading program and book clubs for kids.

Check out the full list for some great book recommendations!

Register Now for Summer Programs in Youth Services

Registration for Youth Services' Summer 2015 Program Session is going on now through Saturday, June 20th. [View the summer program schedule]

Our preschool programs are drop-in during the summer, but registration is still required for our Stuff & Nonsense (for kids entering 1st grade), and Spotlight (for kids entering 2nd/3rd/4th grade) programs, as well as our special Code a Story program (for kids entering 4th/5th/6th grade).
  • 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 (49¢)
  • Drop off your card at the Youth Services Desk by June 20th
  • Registration cards will be mailed back to you a few days after the close of registration with your registration status


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

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Greenwich Reads Together 2015: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has been chosen as the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2015. Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book, culminating in a month-long series of special events and programs in the fall.

Americanah is a powerful, tender story of race and identity, unfolding across three continents.Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information.

Friday, May 01, 2015

Teens: Looking for a summer volunteer opportunity?

. . .Perrot needs you! Perrot is looking for teen volunteers for its Youth Services department to help run the summer reading program for kids.

Who can be a Perrot Library Summer Teen Volunteer?
Anyone who is going into Grades 7 and up, and who can volunteer at least 5 hours during the summer.

When do volunteers work?
From June 22nd to July 31st, whenever the library is open. You can set your own schedule and sign up for shifts during mornings, afternoons, or evenings.

Why volunteer?
• To help others
• To learn job skills
• To earn community service hours
• To meet other teens and have fun!

How do I become a Summer Teen Volunteer?
Easy! Just pick up an application at the Youth Services Desk (or download one here- PDF), have a parent or guardian sign it, and drop it off.

How do I learn what to do?
All volunteers must attend a 30-minute training session in June where we’ll teach you everything you need to know. (Even if you volunteered last summer, you must attend this year's training session.)

Have more questions?
Please call Kathy Jarombek, Director of Youth Services, at 203-637-8802.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Upcoming Event: You Wrote a Book-- Now What? (Rescheduled date)

Upcoming Event: You Wrote a Book-- Now What?
Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing



Get an insider's view of book publishing with literary agent Jan L. Kardys, and award-winning self-published author, Jeanne E. Rogers. They will share their years of experience on such topics as developing a concept, writing a manuscript, editing, finding a literary agent, negotiating a publishing agreement, permissions, royalties, special sales, and subsidiary rights and marketing. They will also discuss how to utilize the most cutting-edge technologies and social media services to increase visibility to literary agents, publishers, and readers alike.

Upcoming Event: Courtney Maum, Author of I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN HERE WITHOUT YOU

Upcoming Event: 
Courtney Maum, author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing



In Courtney Maum's sensuous, funny, and honest novel, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, a failed monogamist attempts to earn his wife's forgiveness, while ultimately seeking to answer the question: Is it really possible to fall back in love with your spouse? Skillfully balancing biting wit with deep emotional undercurrent, Maum, a Greenwich Academy alumnus, has created the perfect portrait of an imperfect family-- and a sophisticated, stunning ready for men and women alike.


For more about Ms. Maum, who used to study at Perrot Library as a child, check out this Greenwich Post article: Debut novel leads writer to a familiar spot

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Upcoming Event: No Parent Left Behind- What's Really on the Minds of Greenwich Middle School Girls?

The Junior League of Greenwich and Perrot Memorial Library 
present the discussion panel:

NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND: WHAT'S REALLY ON THE MINDS OF GREENWICH MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS?
Wednesday, April 29th, 2015
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Perrot Memorial Library

Experts in the field of counseling and social media held full-day sessions with over 200 girls ages 11 and 12 years old on friendships, self-esteem, morality, decision-making, and social media. Hear what the girls had to say and learn how you can partner with them as they embark upon a new and sometimes challenging phase in their lives. 


Panel discussion featuring:
Meredith Gold, Domestic Abuse Services, YWCA
Tori Aiello, Coach/Trainer at the Speech Improvement Company, Inc.
Sara W. Rawson, Occupational Therapist
Beth O'Malley, Licensed Clinical Social Worker 
Jenny Byxbee, Youth Services Coordinator at the United Way

Youth Services Summer Program Schedule Now Available

The Youth Services Summer 2015 Program Schedule is now available!

Please note that during our summer program session, all of our preschool programs are DROP-IN, and most are limited to the first 20 children and their caregivers to sign in before each program. Our Stuff & Nonsense, Spotlight, and new Code a Story programs will be by registration only.

Pick up a registration postcard for the program of your choice from the Youth Services Circulation Desk, beginning on Tuesday, May 26th, 2015. Don't forget to bring a stamp! The registration period closes at 5 PM on Saturday, June 20th, 2014. Our programs are selected by lottery. You may view our complete registration instructions online and see descriptions of our program offerings.

If you have questions about our programs or registration process, please comment on this post, or give us a call at 203-637-8802.

Monday, April 27, 2015

YCC's Favorite Book of 2014/2015 Is...

The Young Critics' Club (YCC), Perrot's book club for 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders, has declared that its favorite book of 2014/2015 is....


WHEN
by Victoria Laurie
Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie to realize that these numbers are actually death dates. Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she is unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie. Soon, she is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

See the rest of YCC's favorite books from 2014/2015!

Friday, April 24, 2015

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

FAMILY LIFE, BY AKHIL SHARMA
[Fiction] Akhil Sharma’s small but powerful novel is the semi-autobiographical story of a family who emigrates from India to Queens, N.Y. Filled with dreams of a better life and opportunities for their two young sons, the parents are hard-working and self-sacrificing. When tragedy strikes the older son, the impact on everyone in the family is enormous. We experience first-hand the pain of the parents as well as the emotional yearning of the other brother, whose efforts to secure his parents’ attention go unheeded. Told through the eyes of this younger son, Family Life is a universal story of love, loss, and survival.

See the rest of our list of recommendations!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Y2C2's Favorite Book of 2014/2015 Is...


The Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2), Perrot's book club for 4th- and 5th-graders, has declared that its favorite book of 2014/2015 is...

THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY, by Jaleigh Johnson

Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields. The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories and that she's protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect-- everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible. Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, if she can manage to survive the journey.


See the rest of Y2C2's favorite books for some great picks!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament

Golden Y Award Winners, Spring 2015

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Semi-Annual Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2) Jeopardy Tournament!





The winning team, The Books 2.0 (L-R):  Pip, Alexis, Simon, and Tristan

They are the current holders of the coveted Wonderful Golden "Y" Award! The winners have demonstrated their mastery of trivia questions related to the books that the Young Young Critics' Club (our book club for 4th- and 5th-graders) has read during the past year. (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!)

Thursday, April 09, 2015

Upcoming Family Event: Nappy's Puppets presents Father Goose's Tales


Nappy's Puppets Presents: Father Goose's Tales
Tuesday, April 14th, 2015, at 2 PM
For families with children ages 2 and up
FREE TICKETS REQUIRED- SIGN UP NOW AT THE YOUTH SERVICES DESK!

Mother Goose has taken the day off and Father Goose must do all her chores, including the storytelling! Try as he might, Father Goose just can't get the stories right. Father Goose's Tales is a modern retelling of nursery rhymes, stories and children's songs, featuring the ancient art of shadow puppets, that will entertain the whole family.

Jim Napolitano, or "Uncle Nappy" to his fans, is a native of Milford, Connecticut, and a graduate of the University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program. After completion of his degree, Jim worked with Bits 'N' Pieces Puppet Theatre of Tampa Bay, Florida, performing around the country and around the world.


Jim's puppetry work can be seen on the PBS show Between The Lions. Other television credits include: The Book Of Pooh, The Weinerville Chanukah Special, A Show of Hands, and Stick Stickly. Jim has also worked on programs for Scholastic Home Video and HBO Pictures.

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Upcoming Event: Perrot Poetry Slam

Upcoming Event: Perrot Library Poetry Slam
Sunday, April 26th, 2015
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

Join us in celebrating National Poetry Month at the Perrot Library Poetry Slam! Bring a poem of your own, or a favorite written by someone else, to read at our open mike. All ages welcome.

Upcoming Event: The European Painting Curator's Profession: An Inside View, with Maryan W. Ainsworth


Upcoming Event: The European Painting Curator's Profession: 
An Inside View, with Maryan W. Ainsworth
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

From acquisitions, to exhibitions, to special projects-- such as serving on the expert's committee for the restoration of Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece-- come along and "shadow" Maryan Ainsworth as she discusses what is in a day's work in her role as Curator of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For more about Ms. Ainsworth, an Old Greenwich resident, take a look at this 2011 interview from the Greenwich Time: The curator: Old Greenwich resident Maryan Ainsworth sure knows how to put on a show

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Upcoming Event: Stacy Finz, Author of the Nugget Romance Series

Upcoming Event: Stacy Finz, Author of the Nugget Romance Series
Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

After more than seventeen years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars, and weird Western towns for the San Francisco Chronicle, award-winning journalist Stacy Finz figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. In 2012, Finz won the Daphne du Maurier Award for unpublished single-title mystery/suspense. Her first book, GOING HOME, was published in 2014, and is part of her Nugget Romance series about a small mountain town that has a strange way of giving people unexpected reasons to start over-- and find the most irresistible chances to fall in love. The second book in the series, FINDING HOPE, was released earlier this year.

Monday, February 23, 2015

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

NOT MY FATHER'S SON: A MEMOIR, BY ALAN CUMMING

[Non-Fiction] In 2010, Broadway, television, and film star Alan Cumming was approached by the producers of the British-- now also American-- celebrity television show Who Do You Think You Are? and asked to be the subject of an upcoming program. He agreed, allowing full access to family papers and information, because he was anxious to solve a longstanding family mystery: What ever happened to his maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, who disappeared in the Far East after World War II? Cumming wanted to do this for his mother, who was only eight years old the last time she saw her father. We accompany Alan on this journey of discovery as he prepares for the broadcast and learns the fascinating truth about his grandfather. But the journey takes an unexpected turn when Alex Cumming, Alan’s father, reveals his own secret shortly before the show airs. With all the suspense and tension of a good thriller-- or an episode of Cumming’s hit series, The Good Wife--Alan’s family’s secrets are revealed. The audiobook version of Not My Father’s Son is particularly recommended, since the story is told by Cumming himself, a bonus for the listener given the actor’s natural gift for narration and his lilting Scottish accent.

See the rest of our latest list of recommendations!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Upcoming Event: Laura Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION

Upcoming Event: Laurie Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION
Wednesday, February 25th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Merritt Parkway, Laurie Heiss and Jill Smyth, authors of the book, THE MERRITT PARKWAY: THE ROAD THAT SHAPED A REGION, will relate the history of the Parkway's conception and design, the politics and activists involved, and ultimately the transformation of Fairfield County from a land of farms and country estates to one of the wealthiest counties in the nation.

Upcoming Event: Sundays at Perrot with Jane Austen- Two Movie Screenings



Cozy up on a cold, winter Sunday afternoon at the library, and enjoy a movie based on novels by Jane Austen. Tea and scones will be served.

EMMA (1996)
Rated PG, 121 minutes
Sunday, February 22nd, 2015, at 2 PM
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, James Cosmo, Greta Scacchi, Alan Cumming, and Denys Hawthorne
This delightfully fun and lighthearted comedy is based on Jane Austen's classic novel. Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Emma, a mischievous young beauty who sets up her single friends. Funny thing is. . . she's not very good at it! So when Emma tries to find a man for Harriet, she makes a hilariously tangled mess of everyone's lives. You'll enjoy all the coming confusion. . . until Emma herself falls in love, finally freeing everyone from her outrageously misguided attempts at matchmaking.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)
Rated PG, 131 minutes
Sunday, March 1st, 2015, at 2 PM
Starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant
The recipient of seven Oscar nominations, this film version of Jane Austen's classic 1811 novel stars Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood. Based on Jane Austen's classic novel, Sense and Sensibility tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne (Winslet), whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. Rickman, Grant, and Greg Wise co-star as the well-intentioned suitors who are trapped by the strict rules of society and the conflicting laws of desire.

Friday, February 06, 2015

Free Tax Assistance

Free tax assistance is being offered by the AARP Foundation at both Greenwich Library and Greenwich Town Hall. Everyone is welcome to take advantage of this service, not just AARP eligible members.

Tax assistance from AARP will be offered every Saturday at Greenwich Library, from 9 AM until 4 PM, on the first floor Peterson Wing near the Foundation Center. Please bring a photo ID, along with all income information, any W-2s, and last year’s tax return.

The AARP Foundation will also offer tax assistance on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM in the Hayton Room on the third floor of Greenwich Town Hall.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Upcoming Event: Nina Sankovitch, Author of SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: CELEBRATING THE JOYS OF LETTER WRITING


Upcoming Event at Perrot: Nina Sankovitch, Author of Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing
Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing


After discovering a trove of one hundred year old, hand-written letters from a college freshman to his mother, just as her own son was leaving home, acclaimed author Nina Sankovitch was inspired to go on a quest through the history of letter writing. Just what qualities make letter-writing so special? Witty, moving, enlightening, and inspiring, her book, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing, reminds us that letters offer proof and legacy of what is most important in life: love and connection.

Upcoming Event: Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Cubism

Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Cubism
Saturday, February 7th, 2015, at 2 PM 
Perrot's Children's Wing




Perrot Library is pleased to welcome back Alice Scovell Coleman, a lecturer with the Learning to Look program, for another afternoon of art. This program will focus on Cubism, one of the most important art movements of the 20th century. After the presentation, children will have the opportunity to make their own geometric pictures based on what they have learned. This program is recommended for families with children ages 5 and up. This event is a wonderful introduction or follow-up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibit, Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection [http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/cubism-leonard-a-lauder-collection], on view until February 16th, 2015.

Learning to Look, an art history and appreciation program for students from kindergarten through high school, was created buy Greenwich residents Diane Darst and Sue Ann Williamson. It has been taught by Learning to Look-trained teachers to over 75,000 students at nearly 100 schools in the tri-state area alone.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Children's Winter/Spring Program Lottery/Program Openings

Registration cards for our Winter/Spring 2015 children's programs were mailed back today! If you don't receive your card in the next few days, please call us (203-637-8802)

Also, we still have room in our Stuff & Nonsense (for Kindergarten and 1st-graders) and Spotlight programs (for 2nd- and 3rd-graders). Please call us if you are interested in signing your child up for one of these programs.

Friday, January 09, 2015

You Wrote a Book, Now What?-- EVENT CANCELLED

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the upcoming Perrot event, You Wrote a Book, Now What?, will NOT be held this coming Wednesday, January 14th. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thursday, January 08, 2015

Upcoming Event: Joel Klein, Author of LESSONS OF HOPE: HOW TO FIX OUR SCHOOLS

Upcoming Event at Perrot: Joel Klein, Former chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and author of Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools
Wednesday, January 28th, 2015
7:30 PM
Radcliffe Children's Wing

Joel Klein served as chancellor of the New York City Department of Education from 2002 to 2011, and is the author of Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools. He will share the revealing and provocative behind-the-scenes story of the dramatic campaign to turn around public education in New York City, as well as provide a blueprint for national education reform. His critics argued, "You'll never fix education until you fix poverty." Mr. Klein, on the other hand, believes: "We'll never fix poverty until we fix education." This is sure to be an enlightening and informative evening for anyone concerned with improving education in the United States.

Monday, January 05, 2015

Upcoming Event: Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Matisse's Cut-Outs

Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Matisse's Cut-Outs
Saturday, January 10th, 2015, at 2 PM 
Perrot's Children's Wing



Perrot invites families to join Alice Scovell Coleman, a lecturer with the Learning to Look program, for a fun afternoon of art. This program will feature a presentation about artist Henri Matisse and his colorful compositions from cut paper. After the presentation, children will have the opportunity to make their own collages based on what they have learned. This program is recommended for families with children ages 5 and up. This event is a wonderful introduction or follow-up to the Museum of Modern Art's exhibit, Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs [http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1469], on view until February 10th, 2015.

Learning to Look, an art history and appreciation program for students from kindergarten through high school, was created buy Greenwich residents Diane Darst and Sue Ann Williamson. It has been taught by Learning to Look-trained teachers to over 75,000 students at nearly 100 schools in the tri-state area alone.