New Picture Book Section

We've just added a new color-coded section in our picture books! Books with orange labels are part of our new TODDLER section, which features simple books that are great for sharing with your baby or toddler.

Upcoming Event: Book Discussion on Forty Autumns, by Nina Willner

Greenwich Pen Women/Perrot Memorial Library Book Discussion Group
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall, by Nina Willner
Facilitated by Kathleen DiGiovanna of Greenwich Pen Women
Monday, January 29th, 2018, at 7 PM (Snow Date: Monday, February 5th, 2018)
The Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library

PRE-REGISTER NOW AT THE ADULT CIRCULATION DESK AND GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK- SEATING IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 REGISTRANTS!

Forty Autumns is the true story of a family separated during the Cold War by the authoritarian government of Easy Germany. The Soviets took control of East Germany after World War II and established a repressive communist satellite state. When the Berlin Wall went up in 1961, a subversive government trapped an entire country, turning neighbor against neighbor and completely eliminating any contact with the outside world.

This is the story of one family member who escaped into Berlin and eventually into the United States. It took her 40 years to go back and see her family, and by then the effects of starvation and deprivation had taken their toll on her parents, brothers, and sisters.

Nina Willner's voice in retelling her story is a lesson in courage and frustration. The inability to find out where her family was and the fear of the secret police penalizing her family because of Nina's freedom are the essence of her journey.

This is not simply a story, but a true history of what happened to a country that was divided and repressed to a degree that hopefully will never be seen again.

History is rewritten and relived over and over. This is a narrative that is recent and true and frames a family you will never forget.

Children's Program Registration Is Going on Now!

Registration for Youth Services' Winter/Spring 2018 Program Session is going on now through Sunday, January 7th, 2018. [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 7th
• 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!

Building Maintenance Alert

The project to replace the 90-year-old slate roof on the Adult Wing of the library is scheduled to begin this Wednesday, December 6th. A scaffolding company will enclose the exterior completely around the building with protected openings for our public entrances and book drop. Several parking spaces will be cordoned off, and the bicycle rack will be temporarily relocated to the grass area near the mailbox. Please use caution around work areas. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for the inconvenience!

Upcoming Event: A Connecticut Christmas, with Photographer Caryn B. Davis

A Connecticut Christmas: 
Celebrating the Holiday in Classic New England Style 

with Photographer Caryn B. Davis

Sunday, December 10th, 2017

2:00 PM

The Rand Room- Perrot Library

Perrot Library invites you to celebrate the season with acclaimed photographer Caryn B. Davis. Her book, A Connecticut Christmas, recently featured in The New York Times and on NPR, is a photographic journey celebrating the classic New England traditions, beauty, spirit, and community surrounding the holiday. From light displays to decorated churches and inns, spectacular private homes, festivals, carolers, town greens, and picturesque villages, this beautiful book takes readers on a magical holiday tour through the Nutmeg State. Greenwich's own McArdle's Florists and Garden Center is featured. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament

Winners of the Semi-Annual Y2C2 Jeopardy Tournament

Golden Y Award Winners, Fall 2017

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

The winning team, The Golden Lobsters (L-R):  Ashley, Brooke, Leighton, and Susie (back row)

Sophia and Margaux (front row)

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!)

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.

The fruit is fresh off the truck from Texas and available for purchase at Perrot!

Pricing for grapefruit and oranges is the same this year:
$24 per carton, $12 for ½ carton, $47 for two cartons

Inquire at the Adult Circulation Desk

Make It! @ Perrot in November

Join us in November for Make It! @ Perrot, our drop-in art & craft program. 

Make It! is a drop-in program for kids in Grades 1-5. 

It is limited to the first 20 kids to sign in before each program. 

Make It! will be held on the following Wednesdays at 4 PM:

November 1st

November 8th

November 15th

Upcoming Event: The Classical American House

Upcoming Event: 

The Classical American House

Wednesday, November 8th, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Author Phillip James Dodd will speak about his new book, The Classical American House, and the influence of classically inspired design in residential architecture across the United States today. He will be joined by architect Charles (Chuck) Hilton. Chuck’s firm, Charles Hilton Architects, is featured in the book and he will discuss his firm’s approach using classical design principles to create new classic homes today.

Perrot Library Community Survey: Please help!

We need your help! Perrot Memorial Library is in the process of developing a new Long Range Plan to ensure that the Library is able to continue to provide the services, programs, and collections that inspire and strengthen our community. Your thoughts and ideas are invaluable as we plan for the future. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey: Perrot Memorial Library Community Survey

Your opinion matters.  Thank you!

Upcoming Event: Family Storytelling Concert featuring Bill Harley

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 and musician Bill Harley will be joining us for this special annual family event, which will be held in Perrot's Children's Wing on Sunday, November 5th, 2017, at 2 PM.

A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities and an NPR commentator, Bill’s songs and stories paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. Bill’s work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity, and challenges us to be our best selves.

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

For more info on Bill Harley, please visit his website: http://www.billharley.com

Upcoming Event: Sargent's Women, with Author Donna M. Lucey

Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas, with Author Donna M. Lucey

Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Radcliffe Children's Wing

Join us for an enchanting evening of art and history with author Donna M. Lucey, as she discusses her newest book, Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas. In this rich and multi-layered biography, based on original letters and diaries, Lucey illuminates four extraordinary women painted by the iconic high-society portraitist John Singer Sargent. Learn about Elsie Palmer, Sally Fairchild, Elizabeth Chanler, and the iron-willed Isabella Stewart Gardner, who scandalized Boston society and became Sargent's greatest patron. All four women challenged society's restrictions, risking public shame and ostracism.

Upcoming Event: The Woodland Indians of Connecticut: A Family Program

The Woodland Indians of Connecticut: A Program for School-Age Children and Their Caregivers

A Greenwich Reads Together 2017 Community Event

Sunday, October 29th, 2017

Two identical sessions: 2 PM-2:45 PM and 3:15 PM-4 PM

Advance registration is required; space is limited to 25 participants in each session

Sign up today at the Adult Circulation Desk

News of the World, The Ransom of Mercy Carter, and The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, the three Greenwich Reads Together 2017 book selections, all explore aspects of Native American culture. Please join us for this presentation by the Bruce Museum, which will shed light on the shelter, transportation, food, games, and ceremonies of the Native Americans of Southwestern Connecticut, including those who lived in the area now known as Greenwich. This is a hands-on program-- through an examination of replica artifacts, participants will be able to characterize the relationship between the Woodland Indians and their surrounding environment.  

Youth Services Fall Program Registration Is Going on Now!

Registration for Fall 2017 programs in Youth Services is going on now through Friday, September 1st, 2017. View the Fall 2017 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, 2017
• 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 (47¢)
• Drop the registration card(s) off at the Youth Services desk by 6 PM on Friday, September 1st
• Registration cards received after September 1st 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? Give us a call at 203-637-8802.

Summer Reading Wrap-up

Thanks to everyone who participated in Youth Services's 2017 summer reading program and weekly contests! This year's theme was "BUILD A BETTER WORLD."

Please take a look at the four happy winners of our weekly contests! They had to guess how many candies were in the jar each week.

It was a great year for summer reading-- 351 kids signed up and read 1,144 books in total!

This year, Perrot will make a donation based on each book read by our summer readers to Habitat for Humanity of Lower Fairfield County. Habitat's work in Fairfield County includes more than just building homes for families-- they are a construction company with a green focus, a family services agency, a non-profit financial institution, an affordable housing advocate and a community service project provider for thousands of people each year. They also operate a ReStore in Stratford, CT-- a nonprofit home improvement and donation center that sells quality new and used furniture, appliances, home accessories and building materials to the public at low cost.

If you were one of our very special signer-uppers, you can still keep track of the books you read, even though our "official" program has ended! You can either take your reading record home with you, or leave it here in the library. We will also continue to give out prizes for books read (while supplies last, so HURRY!).

We'd also like to give a special mention our teen volunteers, who helped record books for our reading program participants. This year we had 62 volunteers, who together worked 585 hours staffing our summer reading table. Thanks, guys!

And remember, we still have another month of summer left, so please KEEP READING!

Countdown to Kindergarten Storytime

It's that time of year again... time for our annual Countdown to Kindergarten Storytime-- featuring 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 2017 ONLY. Children attend independently, but parents and caregivers should remain in the Library.

Parents! While your child participates in the storytime, please join us for a Q&A with retired Greenwich Public Schools psychologist, Dr. Linnea Stenberg, who will discuss how you can help your child with this important transition. 

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017 at 1 PM in the Children's Program Room

Sign up now at the Youth Services Desk

Upcoming Event: Book Discussion on The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal

Greenwich Pen Women/Perrot Memorial Library Book Discussion Group

PRE-REGISTER NOW AT THE ADULT CIRCULATION DESK AND GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK- SEATING IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 REGISTRANTS!

THE HARE WITH AMBER EYES: A HIDDEN INHERITANCE, by Edmund de Waal
Theme: Art, Emotion, and Memory
Facilitated by Sarah Darer Littman of Greenwich Pen Women
Monday, September 11th, 2017, at 7 PM
The Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library

For nearly a century, the Ephrussi family controlled a business empire in Europe, massing wealth and objets d'art. A Parisian Ephrussi, Charles, who was a patron of the Impressionists, and inspiration for Marcel Proust's Charles Swann, purchased a collection of 264 tiny Japanese carvings called netsuke, including a hare with amber eyes.

In 1899, Charles sent the collection as a wedding present to his cousin, Viktor Ephrussi, in Vienna.

When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, they confiscated the Ephrussi's business interests, and their extensive art collection. The netsuke escaped their clutches, hidden in the mattress of a loyal maid, Anna, for the duration of the war.

Edmund de Waal, a noted ceramicist, inherited the netsuke from his uncle Ignace, who had left for America before the war and served in U.S. Army Intelligence. The collection provides a thread weaving together this fascinating memoir of art, history, and family.

Upcoming Event: The Great American Total Solar Eclipse- A Talk with Paul Alimena

Upcoming Event:

The Great American Total Solar Eclipse- A Talk with Paul Alimena

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017, at 7:30 PM

Paul Alimena, a member of the Westchester Amateur Astronomers and friend of the Astronomical Society of Greenwich, will give a presentation about the upcoming solar eclipse that will occur on August 21st, 2017. This will be the first time totality will contact the lower 48 United States since 1979, and the first coast-to-coast path of totality since 1918. Mr. Alimena will share his photos, videos, and experiences viewing two previous total eclipses, and will explain what will be visible in our area. Special Eclipse Viewing Glasses will be distributed.

Movies in the Park: La La Land

Perrot is pleased to present our eleventh annual series of Movies in the Park in Binney Park. 

Bring your picnic, your chairs, and enjoy the show!

LA LA LAND (2016, Rated PG-13, 128 minutes)

Saturday, July 15th, 2017 at 8:30 PM

[No Rain Date]

Winner of 6 Academy Awards® including Best Director for writer/director Damien Chazelle, and winner of a record-breaking 7 Golden Globe® Awards, LA LA LAND is the story of Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart. (Plot summary from IMDb.com)

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 21st, through July 28th. Our Summer Reading theme this year is BUILD A BETTER WORLD.

To sign up for our summer reading club, simply visit 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 Habitat for Humanity of Lower Fairfield County.

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, we will have a new jar of candy at the desk each week. Guess how many candies are in the jar, and fill out a guess slip. Whoever's guess is closest wins the whole jar! (If more than one person guesses correctly, we will draw randomly from among all correct answers.)

Register Now for Summer Programs in Youth Services

Registration for Youth Services' Summer 2017 Program Session is going on NOW through Sunday, June 11th. [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
• 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 (47¢)
• Drop off your card at the Youth Services Desk by June 11th
• 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.

Greenwich Reads Together 2017: News of the World, by Paulette Jiles

News of the World, by Paulette Jiles, has been chosen as the Greenwich Reads Together selection for 2017. 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.

About the book:
In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence. In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna's parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows. Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act "civilized." Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land. Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember-- strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become-- in the eyes of the law-- a kidnapper himself.

About the author:
Paulette Jiles was born in Salem, Missouri, in the Missouri Ozarks. Raised in small towns in both south and central Missouri, she attended three different high schools, an exhausting process of social dislocation and fashion wobbles, and with relief graduated from the University of Missouri (KC) with a degree in Romance Languages. After graduation, she worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto and in the far north of Ontario and in the Quebec Arctic, helping to set up village one-watt FM radio stations in the native language, Anishinabe and Inuktitut. Jiles taught at David Thompson University in Nelson, BC and grew to love the British Columbian ecosystems and general zaniness. She spent one year as a writer-in-residence at Philips Andover in Massachusetts and then returned to the United States permanently when she married Jim Johnson, a Texan, and has lived in Texas since 1995.

Companion Selections for Children:
For middle grade readers: The Ransom of Mercy Carter, by Caroline B. Cooney
For younger readers: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, by Paul Goble

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information on Greenwich Reads Together.

Upcoming Event: What a Fish Knows, with Biologist and Author Jonathan Balcombe

Upcoming Event:

What a Fish Knows, with Biologist and Author Jonathan Balcombe

Wednesday, May 24th, 2017, at 7:30 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Do fishes think? Do they really have three-second memories? And can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? Find out the answers to these questions when Perrot welcomes biologist Jonathan Balcome for a discussion of his best-selling and award-winning book, What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins. The Director of Animal Sentience at the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy in Washington, D.C., Balcombe will take us under the sea, through streams and estuaries, and to the other side of the aquarium glass to reveal the surprising capabilities of fishes.

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 21st to July 28th, 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 us at 203-637-8802.

Upcoming Event: Whassup? James Joyce Got Culture- with Joyce Scholar Jesse Meyers

Upcoming Event:

Whassup? James Joyce Got Culture- with Joyce Collector and Scholar Jesse Meyers Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Join us as James Joyce collector and scholar Jesse Meyers leads an examination of Joyce's global impact on literature, music, art, theater, tattoos, and more. Mr. Meyers has been teaching and lecturing on Joyce in the U.S. and Ireland, France, Italy, and Switzerland since 2003. His most memorable teaching moments took place at a retirement community-- 11 students, ages 65-92, attended an introductory class on ULYSSES. Happily, Meyers reports, "several fell asleep, but no one died."

Young Critics' Club's Favorite Books of the Year

Breaking News! YCC, Perrot's book club for 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders, has voted on its favorite books of 2016-2017... and the winner is.... KINGDOM OF ASH AND BRIARS by Hannah West! Be sure to check out the entire list for some great middle school book picks.

Y2C2's Favorite Books of the Year!

This just in! Y2C2, Perrot's book club for 4th- and 5th-graders, has voted on its favorite books of 2016-2017... and the winner is.... FRAMED! A T.O.A.S.T. Mystery by James Ponti! Be sure to check out the entire list for some great book picks.

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 Whatchamacallit Whales

(L-R) Maggie, Amrutha, Ellie B., Cindy, Charlotte, and Rohan

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.')

Upcoming Event: Talk with Thomas McQuillan, Director of Sustainability at Baldor Foods

Upcoming Event: Eliminating Food Waste: Changing Culutural Norms to Solve an Age-Old Dilemma, A Talk with Thomas McQuillan, Director of Sustainability at Baldor Foods

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017, at 7:30 PM
Perrot Memorial Library

In honor of Earth Day, Perrot presents a talk with Greenwich resident Thomas McQuillan, Director of Sustainability at Baldor Foods, one of the largest produce distributors in the northeast. At Baldor, McQuillan created an initiative called "SparCs" (scraps spelled backwards) to reinvent the way people feel about unused food. McQuillan eliminated food waste from Baldor's facilities, and his revolutionary program has served as a template for other corporations across the country. An influential voice in the sustainability movement, he has presented his work at Harvard, NYU, Stanford, and even the White House. Come hear about McQuillan's transformative work, and learn how you, too, can help eliminate food waste.

Upcoming Event: Book Discussion on AN OWL ON EVERY POST

Perrot Memorial Library and the Greenwich Pen Women present a book discussion on An Owl on Every Post, by Sanora Babb

Facilitated by Joanne Dearcopp of Greenwich Pen Women

Monday, May 8th, 2017, 7-8:30 PM 

Radcliffe Program Room, Perrot Memorial Library

PRE-REGISTER NOW AT THE ADULT CIRCULATION DESK AND GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK- SEATING LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 REGISTRANTS

"An unsung masterpiece-- I was completely blown away. It offers an unforgettable picture of life as seen through the eyes of a sensitive, courageous young girl growing up in the drought-ravaged Great Plains. Her ageless story deserves a permanent place in our nation's literature." --Arnold Rampersad

Sanora Babb learned to read from newspapers on the dirt walls of her family's dugout, and went on to write the dust bowl classic, Whose Names Are Unknown, a book many consider a rival to The Grapes of Wrath. During her early years of hardship and survival she wrote and published poems, short stories, and journalism. She was published alongside other young journalists such as Hemingway, Dreiser, and Bradbury. Sanora's hardscrabble years are in sharp contrast to her later life, when she was married to Oscar-winning cinematographer, James Wong Howe. On location, she spent days with film stars such as Paul Newman and Sean Connery, but she continued to pursue her passion for writing for more than 50 years.

This discussion will be led by a close friend of Ms. Babb, who is spearheading the rediscovery of her work.

For more info on the author: http://www.sanorababb.com/

Upcoming Event: Learning to Look- Family Art Program on Landscape Painting

Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Landscape Painting

Saturday, April 1st, 2017 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 an afternoon of art. This program will help us welcome spring by focusing on landscape painting and the Bruce Museum's current exhibit Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): Impressionist Master. Ms. Coleman will bring the Sisley exhibit to life in the context of landscape art. Children will be invited to create their own Sisley-inspired pastel painting after the program.

More info on the Bruce Museum's Sisley exhibit: https://brucemuseum.org/site/exhibitions_detail/alfred-sisley-1839-1899-impressionist-master

Learning to Look, an art history and appreciation program for students from kindergarten through high school, was created by 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.

Upcoming Event: Overview, with author Benjamin Grant

Upcoming Event: 

Overview, with author Benjamin Grant

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017, at 7:30 PM

Benjamin Grant started his Daily Overview account on Instagram in December 2013 with the lofty goal to change the way we see our planet. Three years later, the project was turned into a best-selling book, and today his satellite images of Earth are shared with more than half a million people. Join us to get the behind-the-scenes story of how Daily Overview grew from a viral Instagram account into a best-selling book and a multi-faceted business.

Upcoming Event: Masterpiece Dialogues, with art historian Kathryn Calley Galitz

Upcoming Event:

Masterpiece Dialogues, with art historian Kathryn Calley Galitz

Wednesday, April 5th, 2017, at 7:30 PM

Perrot Library invites you on a grand tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection with art historian Kathryn Calley Galitz. As a scholar, curator, and lecturer with the Met, Galitz is the perfect guide as she discusses her latest book, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings, which explores 500 works of art spanning 5,000 years. This is the first large, general survey to celebrate the greatest and most iconic paintings of one of the largest museums in the world.

Upcoming Event: Gothic Romance Tales by Candlelight

Upcoming Event at Perrot:

GOTHIC ROMANCE TALES BY CANDLELIGHT

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017, at 7:30 PM

Mysterious stories of love, revenge, death, and betrayal by Emily Bronte, Kate Chopin, and Louisa May Alcott-- performed by Rita Parisi from Waterfall Productions

Make It! @ Perrot in March

Join us in March for Make It! @ Perrot, our drop-in art & craft program. 

Make It! is a drop-in program for kids in grades 2 and up. 

It is limited to the first 20 kids to sign in before each program. 

Make It! will be held on the following Wednesdays at 4 PM:

March 1st

March 15th

March 22nd

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

Junior League of Greenwich will present the panel discussion,

"No Parent Left Behind: What's Really on the Minds of Middle School Girls?"

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017

7:30 PM-9:00 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Experts in the field of counseling and social media held full-day sessions with over 400 girls ages 11 and 12 concerning friendship, self-esteem, morality, decision-making, and social media. Hear what the girls had to say, and learn how you can partner with your middle-schooler as she embarks upon a new, and sometimes challenging, phase in her life. 

Featuring:

Yajaira Gonzalez

Domestic Abuse Services at the YWCA

Sara Rawson

OTR/L, IMC Occupational Therapist

Beth O'Malley

LCSW/Psychotherapist

Jenny Byxbee

Greenwich Youth Services Bureau Coordinator

This event is part of the Junior League of Greenwich’s project, "Positively More," which aims to give preteen girls the tools to avoid questionable situations, lessen the consequences of potential conflicts, and identify lessons learned by those challenges.

For more info, visit: 

http://www.jlgreenwich.org/

Upcoming Event: A Symphony Program for the Family

A Symphony Program for the Family 

Sunday, March 5th, 2017, at 2 PM

Perrot Library Children's Wing

Perrot invites families on a world music tour, featuring a string quartet from the Greenwich Symphony and narration by Edward Pleasant. 

Edward Pleasant is a professional singer with national and international credits. Critically acclaimed in both opera, musical theater and recordings, he has distinguished himself as a gifted actor with brilliant comic timing and a luscious baritone voice. A native of Midland, Texas, Pleasant holds a B.Mus and M.A. in Vocal Performance from the Texas Tech School of Music.  

Upcoming Event: Saturday Afternoon Movie at Perrot- The Young Victoria

Cozy up on a winter Saturday afternoon at the library and enjoy a movie! 

English tea and refreshments will be served. 

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009)

Rated PG, 105 minutes

Saturday, February 25th, 2017 

2 PM in the Children's Program Room
Perrot Memorial Library

Dominated by her possessive mother and her bullying consort, Conroy, since childhood, teen-aged Victoria (Emily Blunt) refuses to allow them the power of acting as her regent in the last days of her uncle, William IV's rule. Her German cousin Albert (Rupert Friend) is encouraged to court her for solely political motives but, following her accession at age eighteen, finds he is falling for her and is dismayed at her reliance on Prime Minister Melbourne (Paul Bettany). Victoria is impressed by Albert's philanthropy, which is akin to her own desire to help her subjects. However, her loyalty to Melbourne, perceived as a self-seeker, almost causes a constitutional crisis, and it is Albert who helps restore her self-confidence. She proposes and they marry, Albert proving himself not only a devoted spouse, prepared to take an assassin's bullet for her, but an agent of much-needed reform, finally endorsed by an admiring Melbourne. (Summary from imdb.com)

Upcoming Event: Family Music Event- Joannas 'n Bananas

Join us for musical duo Joannas 'n Bananas in the Children's Wing! Show is for families with kids of all ages- no tickets required!

Tuesday, February 14th, 2017 

11 AM - 11:45 AM

"On the Green" in the Children's Wing

Perrot Memorial Library

Joannas 'n Bananas (Joanna and Rob "Bobby Bananaz" Levine-Pawlings) are musicians and music educators based in NYC/Westchester.

An active singer-songwriter and musician, Joanna has taught guitar and ukulele lessons and lead children's sing-alongs and music classes throughout Manhattan, Brookyn, Queens, Westchester and Connecticut over the past 6+ years.

Rob (Bananas!) has a Masters in music (MM) in Jazz studies, focus on double bass and studied under Dennis Irwin, Kermit Driscoll, Doug Weiss & Todd Coolman. He plays alongside many nyc musical outfits and teaches bass, guitar and banjo.

The two love to play for young audiences as the duo, Joannas 'n Bananas, and also for adult audiences with their americana and blues-rock band, Pinkwing.

Submit your suggestion for the next Greenwich Reads Together Title!

Greenwich Library is now accepting suggestions for Greenwich Reads Together, the community-wide reading experience which will engage all of Greenwich in exploring a single book.

In order to be selected, the book should be of literary quality, reflective of universal issues and capable of generating thought-provoking discussions. It should lend itself to engaging public programs and appeal to a diverse population. It must also be currently in print and available in large quantities and in multiple formats, including paperback, ebook, audiobook and large print. In addition, the author must be living and available to speak in Greenwich.

Suggestions will be accepted through February 24. They will be evaluated by a committee that includes Library staff and community members. The chosen book will be announced later this spring. Greenwich Reads Together 2017 will take place in the fall.

Review the selection criteria and submit your suggestion here: http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/greenwich-reads-together/

Upcoming Events: Greenwich Pen Women/PML Book Discussion Group

NEW!

The Greenwich Pen Women/Perrot Memorial Library Book Discussion Group

These discussion groups are open to all patrons of the Perrot Memorial Library.  

Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited to the first 20 registrants.  

Please sign up and get your copy of the book to be discussed at the Adult Circulation Desk.

Vinegar Girl, by Anne Tyler

Theme: Contemporary Fiction Meets Shakespeare

Facilitated by Greenwich Pen Woman Jean P. Moore

Monday, March 6th, 2017, 7-8:30 PM 

(Snow Date: Monday, March 13th)

The Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library

Vinegar Girl, by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Anne Tyler, is a retelling of Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew. The novel, one in a series from the Hogarth Shakespeare project, is described by the project’s editors as “an inspired, witty and irresistible contemporary take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies.”

About the Book: 

Kate Battista feels stuck. At 29, she is still at home, keeping house for her obsessive scientist father and her pampered younger sister, Bunny. Things can only get worse when her father hatches a plan: Kate should marry his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, who is soon to be deported. Kate furiously rejects the idea—at first—but will her father and her suitor wear down her resistance?

About the Project: 

The Hogarth Shakespeare Project presents the Bard’s works through imaginative retellings by some of the world’s most esteemed novelists. Launched in 2015, books are planned through 2021. Current plans include publication in 20 countries. (See http://hogarthshakespeare.com for further details.)

PRE-REGISTER NOW AT THE ADULT CIRCULATION DESK FOR THIS DISCUSSION!

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

Watch for more info on these two discussions, coming later in the year:

An Owl on Every Post, by Sanora Babb

Theme: Rediscovery of a Fascinating Writer

Facilitated by Greenwich Pen Woman Joanne Dearcopp

Monday, May 8th, 2017 7-8:30 PM

The Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance, by Edmund de Waal

Theme: Art, Emotion, and Memory

Facilitated by Greenwich Pen Woman Sarah Darer Littman

Monday, September 11th, 2017, 7-8:30 PM

The Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library

New Premium Museum Passes

Perrot is now offering three new premium museum passes to our patrons:  the Museum of Modern Art, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum. These passes, which circulate for 3 days, offer free admission for the cardholder (and, in some cases, guests) and discounted rates for parking, dining, and gift shop purchases. In order to check out one of these passes, you must be a registered library patron in good standing.  The new passes will circulate from the Adult Circulation Desk. 

While at the Library, be sure to check out our children- and family-friendly museum passes, which circulate from the Youth Services Desk. 

Children's Winter/Spring Program Lottery/Program Openings

Registration cards for our Winter/Spring 2017 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 Fun for 4s and 5s, Stuff & Nonsense (for Kindergarten and 1st-graders) and Spotlight programs (for 2nd- and 3rd-graders). Please call us if you are interested in signing up!

Upcoming Event- Sunday Afternoon Movie at Perrot: Jane Eyre

Sunday Afternoon Movie at Perrot

JANE EYRE (2011)

Rated PG-13, 120 minutes

Sunday, January 29th, 2017

2 PM 

Cozy up on a winter Sunday afternoon at the library and enjoy a movie in celebration of Charlotte Bronte's 200th birthday! English tea and refreshments will be served.

Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender star in the romantic drama based on the classic novel, from acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga. As governess Jane Eyre flees Thornfield House-- where she works for wealthy Edward Rochester-- she reflects upon the people and emotions that have defined her. It is clear that the isolated and imposing residence (and Mr. Rochester's coldness) have sorely tested the young woman's resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. She must now act decisively to secure her own future and come to terms with the past that haunts her-- and the terrible secret that Mr. Rochester is hiding and that she has uncovered.

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

Learning to Look: Family Art Program on Portraiture

Saturday, January 28th, 2017 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 portraiture, particularly the art of John Singer Sargent. After the presentation, children will have the opportunity to create their own portrait on paper. This program is recommended for families with children ages 5 and up (but adults, too, are welcome). This event is a wonderful introduction or follow-up to the exhibit, John Singer Sargent's Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children at the Jewish Museum in New York City.

Learning to Look, an art history and appreciation program for students from kindergarten through high school, was created by 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.