How to Clean DVDs

If a DVD you've checked out from the library does not play properly (and is not scratched) it may just need a quick cleaning. If you do decide to clean a DVD, please do so in the proper manner: How to Properly Clean a DVD.

Upcoming Event: Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! with Author Karen Tack

Perrot Library is pleased to host author Karen Tack on Saturday, March 31st, 2012, at 2:00 PM. Playing with your food has never been so much fun! Karen Tack, food stylist and best-selling co-author of Hello, Cupcake! and What's New, Cupcake? will be at Perrot applying an over-sized imagination not just to cupcakes but to cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats. With the easy-to-follow techniques in her new book, Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My!, even the most kitchen-challenged among us can create masterpieces using just a zipper lock bag and common candies and snack items. Come join the fun!

First Sunday Science: Free educational programs for children at Greenwich Point

The first Sunday of each month this year The Bruce Museum, and other non-profit organizations in the area, will be holding FREE fun educational programs for children and families at the Seaside Center at Greenwich Point! Check out the list below for the First Sunday Science activities for the next few months. If you would like more information on these programs, please call 203-413-6742.

Sunday, March 18th, 2012, 1:30 – 4:00 PM: Living on the Edge: Surviving the Intertidal Zone Family Day. Presented by the Bruce Museum and co-sponsored by Greenwich Shellfish Commission. Join us for an exciting hands-on day of activities at the Innis Arden Cottage. Spend some time at the marine touch tank, join in guided beach explorations, and create environmentally sustainable crafts! A presentation will be held at 3 p.m. by Dr. Frank Cantelmo of St. John’s University, Department of Biological Sciences. All activities are free and suitable for people of all abilities and ages. Remember to dress warmly: optional segments of the day will be held outside!

Sunday, April 1st, 2012, 1:30-3:00 PM: Earth Month Kick-off.
Greenwich launches Earth Month with an Open House at the Floren Family Environmental Center at Innis Arden Cottage in Greenwich Point Park. The official Earth Day proclamation by First Selectman Peter Tesei will be made at 2 pm. Stop by for an afternoon full of fun family activities and meet local environmental organizations such as the Greenwich Conservation Commission, Shellfish Commission, Bruce Museum and more.

Sunday, May 6th, 2012, 1:30 – 4:00 PM: Greenwich Point– an International Crossroads of Bird Migration
Join us at the Innis Arden Cottage and discover how many different types of songbirds, hawks, and waterbirds use the habitats of Greenwich Point for nesting, wintering, or a migration rest and refueling stop.

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012, 1:30-4:00 PM: Tag a Horsehoe Crab: Project Limulus
The day will be full of exciting opportunities to participate and learn more about Project Limulus, an ongoing study of the Horseshoe Crab. Don’t miss this opportunity to spot and tag Horseshoe Crabs on the Greenwich Point Beach, discuss the research project with people involved, and hear a presentation on the ecology of this often seen but not well known creature. There is a chance that participants will get wet during some segments of this program, please dress accordingly! We will be meeting at the Innis Arden Cottage, located on Greenwich Point. Presented by the Friends of Greenwich Point, Town of Greenwich, Sacred Heart University, and the Bruce Museum.

Perrot Newsletter

The Spring 2012 edition of Perrot's newsletter, Précis, is now available!

Watch for your copy in the mail, pick up a copy in the library, or read it online (in PDF format).

Upcoming Event: Have an Idea For a Website?: With Co-Founders of BabyNameWizard.com

BabyNameWizard.com Founders Laura Wattenberg and Jennie Baird

Perrot Library is pleased to host “Have an Idea for A Website?” on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012, at 7:30 PM. Find out how two moms turned a typical parenting conflict into a multi-platform media business, starting the popular baby naming website BabyNameWizard.com. Laura Wattenberg, best-selling author of The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby, and her business partner, Jennie Baird, will discuss the origins of their business, including tips and tactics for turning an idea into a successful website. Ms. Wattenberg is a writer, researcher, and software designer who developed the name analysis software after becoming frustrated in her search for names for her two daughters. Co-founder Jennie Baird spent 15 years as a digital media executive working for companies like Dow Jones, AOL and NBC.

52nd Annual Lions Club Pancake Fry- March 10th

The Old Greenwich Lion's Club is holding its 52nd Annual Pancake Fry on Saturday, March 10th, 2012 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Greenwich Civic Center at 90 Harding Road, Old Greenwich. Fun for the whole family! There will be door prizes, our delicious bake sale and entertainment for all. $7.00/per person in advance or $8.00 at the door, $1.00 discount for children ages 6-11 and FREE admission for kids 5 & under. Advance tickets can be purchase at Perrot, or call 203-918-8666 to inquire.

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot- New Book Recommendations from Our Reference Desk

ON CANAAN'S SIDE, BY SEBASTIAN BARRY
[Fiction] As the story opens, 89-year-old Lilly Beve sits in the guest cottage of a Bridgehampton estate, desolate after receiving the news that her grandson, Bill, is dead. She has nothing left to live for. Her life is over and lonely. She decides to end it all, but only after going back and looking at what brought her to this place. In Ireland, during "the troubles," Lilly’s father was identified as an informer with a price on his head. Together they fled to New York and then on to Chicago. The tale unfolds from this hopeful start. How beautifully written this book is. The language is so thick with Irish lyricism that it winds and weaves its way around the reader. Ultimately, we come to a rather surprising ending. Enjoy the fabulous prose and fascinating plot.

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!

Bargain Magazines

Beginning this week, we will be discarding all 2010 magazines. They will be available for sale for 25 cents each (please pay at the Adult Circulation Desk) on Perrot's For Sale shelf, located to the right of the bulletin board in the main building. We also have discarded books available for 25 cents; all other items are $1.00.

Youth Services Graphic Novel Picks

Chi's Sweet Home [ click here to place a hold on this book ] *****Staff Pick*****
This ongoing series chronicles the adventures of Chi, a michievous kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Separated from the warmth and protection of her mother, and overcome with loneliness, Chi breaks into tears in a large park, when she is suddenly rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada family apartment. . . where pets are strictly not permitted.

The Secret World of Arrietty [ place hold ] *****Staff Pick*****
Arrietty isn't your ordinary fourteen-year-old girl-- she's small enough to make her home under the floorboards of a typical house, “borrowing” what she and her family needs from the giants in whose shadows they live. A young boy named Sho befriends Arrietty, but when adults discover the Borrowers, Arritty and Sho must work together to save her family. This is the graphic novelization of the upcoming Hayao Miyazaki film, which is based on the classic book The Borrowers by Mary Norton.

Mal and Chad: Food Fight! [ place hold ] *****Staff Pick*****
Mal and Chad are back in a hilarious new adventure! When talking dog Chad begins having scary dreams, Mal, his kid genius friend builds a dream portal to defeat Chad's nightmare beast once and for all. Something goes wrong, though, and the beast follows Mal back to reality. Now Mal's not-so-secret crush Megan and her friends are in danger. . . but luckily Mal is there to come to the rescue.

Pandemonium [ place hold ] *****Staff Pick*****
Acclaimed author Chris Wooding's first graphic novel-- fun fantasy-adventure with a macabre twist! As captain of the local skullball team, Seifer Tombchewer is the envy of his peers. He's fast, he's strong, and he flies circles around the competition. But Seifer's always dreamed of more-- of leaving his tiny, remote village for a new life beyond the mountains. He just never dreamed it would happen like this. Knocked unconscious and abducted, Seifer awakens in the royal palace to learn that Prince Talon Pandemonium has gone missing. And since Seifer is a ringer for Talon, it's his duty to replace the missing royal in his roles of diplomat, warrior, and Lord Defender of the Realm. He might fool Talon's sisters. He might fool Talon's army. But Seifer has little hope of fooling Talon's enemies. . .

Have a graphic novel or manga you'd like to see at Perrot? Please comment on this post or e-mail webmaster@perrotlibrary.org !

Spaces Still Available in the Free Balloon Sculpting Workshop on 2/15!

Magician Ed Popielarczyk will be offering a balloon sculpting workshop for kids in grades 3 and up at Perrot on Wednesday, February 15th, from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM. We still have plenty of space available in this program! Call us today to sign up your child, 203-637-8802. Ed will bring enough balloons for everyone, and will cover balloon safety, the different balloons that can be used, how to tie a knot in the balloon, and how to make assorted balloon animals.

This workshop will follow Ed's magic show on 2/15, which starts at 2 PM. You may also still sign up for magic show tickets. The magic show is for families with children ages 3 and up.

Hope you can join us!

Take Your Child to the Library Day- Saturday, February 4th

Take Your Child to the Library Day

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

Stop by the Youth Services Wing all day!

Bookmarks, toys, and sweet treats! * Make a craft * Get a library card * Read a book about the library * Snuggle with our bears

 

A few months ago, Nadine Lipman, Waterford Public Library Children’s Librarian, saw an advertisement for “Take Your Child to the Bookstore Day,” and thought, “Why Not a ‘Take Your Child to the Library Day?’”? The idea multiplied and now the children’s departments of many public libraries in Connecticut, and some beyond, have decided to celebrate the first Saturday in February as Take Your Child to the Library Day!

In memoriam

Perrot Library staff warmly remember our beloved librarians, Kathy Krasniewicz and Kate McClelland, today on the eve of the third anniversary of their deaths.

An illustration of Kathy and Kate by award-winning children's author and illustrator Brian Selznick, which is displayed in Perrot's children's wing

2012 Children's Literary Award Winners

The winners of the 2012 major literary awards for children were recently announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Dallas.
[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]

Caldecott Medal Winner

A BALL FOR DAISY, illustrated by Chris Raschka

Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. This wordless picture book explores the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. 

Newbery Medal Winner

DEAD END IN NORVELT, by Jack Gantos

Twelve-year-old Jack's plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore-- typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative makes readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

 

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. It’s a story of discrimination and broken promises, determination and triumphs.


Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
UNDERGROUND: FINDING THE LIGHT TO FREEDOM, written and illustrated by Shane W. Evans
A pivotal moment in American history is shared with young readers by following a slave family's escape to the North by crawling on the ground, running barefoot through the woods, sleeping beneath bushes, and eventually reaching freedom.


Geisel Award Winner (for beginning readers)
TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS, written and illustrated by Josh Schneider
James is a very picky eater. His dad has to get creativ in order to get James to eat foods he thinks he doesn’t like. He presents James with a series of outlandish scenarios packed with fanciful and gross details-- like pre-chewed gum as an alternative to broccoli and lumpy oatmeal that grows so big it eats the dog-- in an effort to get James to eat. But it is eventually James himself who discovers that some foods are not so bad, after all, if you’re willing to give them a try.


Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction)
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Who invented the first balloons for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Melissa Sweet tells the story of Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America-- the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy's Parade.

For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the ALA website.

Greenwich Reads Together 2012: Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers

Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book. Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, is the book that has been chosen as the 2012 selection for Greenwich Reads Together. The Book Selection Committee, composed of Greenwich Library staff from across several departments, focused on selecting the one book that will span the community in appeal and will lend itself to engaging public programs.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. But, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. Eggers's riveting nonfiction book, three years in the making, explores Zeitoun's roots in Syria, his marriage to Kathy—an American who converted to Islam—and their children, and the surreal atmosphere (in New Orleans and the United States generally) in which what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun became possible.

 

Visit Greenwich Library's website for more information on the book.

Tax Forms Available at the Library

Perrot has copies of both federal and state income tax forms available (ask at the Reference Desk).

Or, you can get tax forms online here:

• Federal Tax Forms
• Connecticut State Tax Forms

Tax help and information:

• The Ernst and Young Tax Guide 2012 (book)
• Frequently Asked Questions at the IRS Website
• For live tax help from the IRS, call 1-800-829-1040, Monday through Friday, between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M.
• For in-person assistance, the closest IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center is located at 24 Belden Avenue in Norwalk. They provide these services. You must schedule an appointment in advance. Their telephone number is 203-840-4195.
• The IRS also offers free tax help for low- to moderate-income individuals, the elderly, and military personnel