Earth Friendly and Money Smart

In its May 8th issue, in an article entitled "Earth Friendly, Money Smart" Family Circle magazine recommends that you...

". . . GET A LIBRARY CARD
Enjoy books, CDs and DVDs from your local library. . . access expensive or unusual items without having to buy or maintain them."

This Is National Library Week!

April 13th-19th, 2008 is National Library Week-- be sure to stop in and see us! :)

Magician Jonathan Jacques: An Encore Visit to Perrot

Jonathan Jacques is an award-winning teenage magician who has amazed audiences of all ages with his delightful stage presence and incredible natural ability. Jonathan is a bright rising star in the magic community and has been performing since the age of six.

Jonathan performed at Perrot (for the second time) on April 9th, 2008. Click here to see photos of the event.

"The Library Helped Me Start My Business"

Woman's Day magazine and the American Library Association introduce you to four women entrepreneurs who got so much more from the library than books.

Read the entire article here (in PDF format).

Overprogrammed? Overstimulated? Overloaded?

This week, the Greenwich Time ran a feature encouraging "Family Slowdowns," which reminded families of how important it is to find the time to unplug electronic babysitters (TV, videos, video games, computers, etc.). Promoting free play and first-hand experience through crafts, games, and neighborhood field trips-- even if that’s just a walk around the block, taking note of the birds and the buds-- may be just what your children (and you!) need to recharge their very own batteries.

A visit to Perrot’s Youth Services Department might be just the thing! Select a book and sit in our beautiful space-- indoors or outdoors-- to savor it. Take a look at our crafts books (J 745) and birdwatching guides (J 598) to get started on a new interest, or ask us for a suggestion! We’d be happy to help you UNPLUG!

More Movies in the Park This Summer

Perrot will be showing two movies in Binney Park over the summer. The Last Emperor will be Saturday, July 12th, 2008, and Chariots of Fire will be shown on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008.

Watch for more info here on our blog!

Author Annping Chin to Speak at Perrot

Author and Yale History professor Annping Chin will speak at Perrot on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008, at 7:30 P.M.

Chin currently teaches in the History Department at Yale University, where her fields of study include Confucianism, Taoism, and the Chinese intellectual tradition. She recently wrote The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics, which describes the political and social climate of Confucius' time. Chin is the author of three previous books: Children of China: Voices from Recent Years, Tai Chen on Mencius, and Four Sisters of Hofei. She has also coauthored, with Jonathan Spence, The Chinese Century: A Photographic History of the Last Hundred Years.

Watch our blog for more information about this program!

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Overheard at New York Sports Club:

"I won’t be at class on Wednesday . . . I’m taking the kids to the magic show at Perrot Library!" :)

Charlton Heston, 1923-2008

Charlton Heston, who won an Oscar for his role in Ben Hur, died over the weekend. Internet Movie Database has this to say:

"With features chiseled in stone, who else but Charlton Heston could you picture as Michelangelo, as Ben-Hur, as Moses? Heston's movie career took off with The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and reached light speed with Ben-Hur (1959). Although he played a pantheon of larger-than-life roles, he usually prefers to talk about the day-to-day daily grind of the movie business, and especially credits the writers and directors he has worked for much of his success."

For more biographical information go to http://imdb.com/name/nm0000032/bio.

Although we are saddened by his death, Perrot is happy that we have some of his films to remember him by:

• Ben-Hur
• Soylent Green
• Ten Commandments
• Planet of the Apes
• Major Dundee
• Tombstone
• Touch of Evil

So Long and Thanks for All the Songs!

Today was the last Sing With Me sing-a-long program with Mr. Kantor.

Here's a picture of today's happy attendees!:

[click on the image to see a larger version]

The First of the Last

Well, guys, this is it --- the first of the last games ever to be played at the REAL Yankee Stadium (and at Shea, for that matter), have been played. This is the last season that you’ll be able to watch the boys play in the House that Ruth Built. This is the last season that you’ll be able to picture yourself in the stands, shedding a tear or two as Lou Gehrig delivered his heart-rending speech of farewell. This is the last season that you’ll be able to see Yogi in the Yankees dugout. Thurman. Reggie. Scooter.

If you can’t get tickets to a game during this once-in-a-lifetime season, perhaps one of our great baseball books will have to satisfy. Try one of these from our Youth Services Department:

• BASEBALL TREASURES, by Stephen Wong (J 796.357 WONG)


• HEY BATTA BATTA SWING!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball, by Sally Cook and James Charlton (J 796.357 COOK)


• HOW BASEBALL WORKS, by Keltie Thomas (J 796.357 THOMA)


• WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball, by Kadir Nelson J 796.357 NELSO


• PROMISES TO KEEP: How Jackie Robinson Changed America, by Sharon Robinson (J B ROBIN)

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Tuesday’s Greenwich Time ran a feature entitled "Ha, Ha, Ha! Laughter is the Best Medicine." Did you know that some of the healthful consequences of a good giggle are reduced stress, increased oxygen intake, a boost in immune function, and the release of endorphins, the body’s feel-good hormones? Did you?

Check out a cheerful, chuckle-full book on your next visit to Perrot’s Youth Services Department. You’ll find jokes and gags a-plenty in our non-fiction collection at J 793.7, silly songs at J 784.6, poems with punchlines in J 811, and lots of laughs in our picture book and juvenile fiction collection, including The Dumb Bunnies series by Dav Pilkey (writing as Sue Denim-- get it??), about a family of bird-brained bunnies who do the most outrageous things, and Mo Willems’s Pigeon books, featuring a fine feathered friend with a funny streak. Let us help you find one that tickles your funny bone!

Fishway Open House

The Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission will be conducting an open house at the Mianus Pond Fishway*, this Saturday, April 5th, at 10 A.M. All interested residents are invited to attend the open house and tour the fishway. As part of the open house, a short presentation will be given on the history of the fishway, the fishes that utilize it, and how it is operated. Conservation staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and lead the tours. Local residents, fishing groups, environmental organizations, watershed associations, and town employees are encouraged to attend.

*Located at 125 River Road Extension in Cos Cob

For more information, contact Brian Eltz, Conservation Assistant, at 203-622-6461.

Shakespeare Colloquy: Julius Caesar

Anne Gilhuly is scheduled to lecture on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, which portrays the conspiracy against the Roman ruler, his assassination, and its aftermath. The event will also feature dramatic readings from the work by players Florence Phillips and Dick Leonard. This event will take place in the library, on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008, at 7:30 P.M.

Julius Caesar is also this year's Shakespeare on the Sound selection. The play will be performed at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, July 4th-13th, following performances at Pinkney Park in Rowayton from June 12th-28th.

Keep a Poem in Your Pocket on April 17th

April is National Poetry Month, and Thursday, April 17th is the first-ever Poem in Your Pocket Day. On the 17th, write down a poem you love, then fold it up and put it in your pocket! Pull that piece of paper out throughout the day to share your favorite poem with friends and family.

Check out our J 811 section for some ideas, or-- take a look at Youth Services' Our Picks! list for April, which features the staff's favorite poetry books.