FDL Book Talk (for Kids) – Hedgehugs
Katelyn shares why she loves Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson in our latest book talk! Place your copy on hold at here and then follow the rest of the hedgehogs’ adventures!
FDL Reads: The Switch
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey
Genre: Romance
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Leena has a high-powered job in London. Leena’s grandmother, 79-year-old Eileen, lives in a village in Yorkshire – the same town where Leena’s mother lives. All three have suffered the tragic death of Leena’s sister, Carla, due to cancer. On the surface, perhaps, Leena is coping, but the reality is different. Following a disastrous, public meltdown with a client, Leena’s employers order her to take two months’ leave to get herself together. She retreats to her grandmother’s house in Yorkshire, where Leena finds that her recently divorced grandmother is also in need of a change. Leena comes up with the brilliant idea for the two to switch lives, even down to the switching of phones. So Grandma Eileen is off to London, while Leena rusticates in Yorkshire. Let the fun begin!
My Review: I loved the characters in this book! The main characters are funny, quirky, at times angry, and believable. The varied circle of friends in London and Yorkshire (from eccentric old age pensioners to best friends and roommates) add vibrancy and more humor to the switch. The family trio – Grandmother Eileen, Mother Marian, and Granddaughter Leena – are a wounded but determined trio. They find their way to beginning to heal with the support of their numerous friends. It’s a zany, bittersweet, heartwarming tale that you will be glad you read!
Three Words That Describe This Book: heartwarming, funny, cheering
Give This a Try if You Like…romance novels such as One Day in December by Josie Silver, I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella or Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
Story Time (Online) – Wishes
Welcome to story time. Today’s theme is all about wishes! Let’s get started with our Hello Song!
Hello Song: Clap and Sing Hello!
We clap and sing hello.
We clap and sing hello.
With our friends at story time.
We clap and sing hello!
(Wave and sing hello; stomp and sing hello.)
Fingerplay: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider
The itsy-bitsy spider,
Went up the water spout.
Down came the rain,
And washed the spider out.
Out came the sun,
And dried up all the rain.
And the itsy-bitsy spider,
Went up the spout again.
Flannel Board: Star Light Star Bright
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
Source: First School
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Book: Make a Wish Bear
Written by Greg Foley and published by Viking.
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Flannel Board: I Wish I Were
(sung to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
Oh, I wish I were a floating butterfly, (2 x)
I’d go flutter, flutter, fly in the bright blue sunny sky,
Oh, I wish I were a floating butterfly.
Oh, I wish I were a shiny little fish, (2 x)
I’d go swimmy, swimmy, glide in the big blue ocean tide,
Oh, I wish I were a shiny little fish.
Oh, I wish I were a silver airplane, (2 x)
I’d go soar, soar, soar as my engines loudly roar,
Oh, I wish I were a silver airplane.
Oh, I wish I were a tall, tall leafy tree, (2 x)
I’d be a place to rest for the birdies in their nest,
Oh, I wish I were a tall, tall leafy tree.
Oh, I wish I were a green and speckled frog, (2 x)
I’d go croaky, croaky, croak as I jump into the brook,
Oh, I wish I were a green and speckled frog.
Oh, I wish I were a bright and shining star, (2 x)
I’d go twinkle, twinkle, spark in the nighty nighttime dark,
Oh, I wish I were a bright and shining star.
Source: cfkidslibrarian
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Book: I Wish You More
Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld and published by Chronical Books.
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Flannel Board: Four Stars
Four little stars winking at me.
One shot off and then there were three!
Three little stars with nothing to do.
One shot off, and then there were two!
Two little stars afraid of the sun.
One shot off, and then there was one!
One little star alone is no fun.
It shot off, and then there was none!
Source: Storytime Katie
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Book: Something Extraordinary
Written by Ben Clanton and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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Flannel Board: A Tiny Little Star
There’s a tiny little star
Way up in the sky,
A tiny little star,
Up so very high.
She twinkles brightly
Through the night,
But during the day
She’s out of sight.
Source: Harford County Public Library
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Craft: Dandelion
Kit Supplies:
- white yarn
- green pipe cleaner
- folded index card
Home Supplies:
- scissors
Instructions:
- Use the folded index card or cut a rectangle shape out of the paper plate, approximately 2×3 inches. (I used about 1-1/2×3 inches)
- Wrap the white yarn around the rectangle 40 – 50 times. Snip the end. Length does not matter.
- Place the green pipe cleaner under the bunch of yarn. With one side of the pipe cleaner left longer than the other, twist the pipe cleaner 3 to 4 times very tightly around the bunch.
- Slide the bunch of yarn off the rectangle. Wrap the long side of the pipe cleaner around the base of the bunch of yarn and pinch it tightly so that it holds the yarn in place.
- Cut the loops. Trim the yarn to the desired length.
Source: In the Bag Kids’ Crafts
Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye like This
We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.
(Repeat)
– Kris, Youth Services Specialist
Story Time (Online) – New Books!
Good morning and welcome to story time. I’m Miss Sharon and today I’m going to read some of the new books we have gotten in the library. We always have a great selection!
Song: The More We Get Together
The more we get together, together, together,
the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.
Cause your friends are my friends,
and my friends are your friends,
the more we get together the happier we’ll be!
Source: Supersimple A Place To Learn and Grow
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Book: Not Quite Narwhal
Written and illustrated by Jessie Sima.
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Flannelboard: I Took My Frog to the Library
Adapted from the book I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel
I took my frog to the library, but he jumped on the checkout desk and scared the librarian!
I took my chicken to the library, but she laid an egg by the computers.
I took my pelican to the library, but he hid a book in his beak!
I took my snake to the library, but she shed her skin all over the picture books!
I took my giraffe to the library, but he tried to read over everybody’s shoulder.
I took my hyena to the library, but he laughed so hard during story time that nobody could hear the story!
I took my elephant to the library. She was very well behaved. She stacked her books neatly. She asked the librarian questions. She listened to the story and laughed in all the right places.
But my elephant is very big! SO BIG! She wrecked the library! The bookshelves fell over!
The librarian said, “You are always welcome at the library, but please leave your animals at home.”
So whenever I go to the library… my frog stays home, my chicken stays home, my pelican stays home, my snake stays home, my giraffe stays home, my hyena stays home, and my elephant reads to them!
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Book: What if Pig?
Written and illustrated by Linzie Hunter.
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Flannelboard: Five Little Books
Five little books at the library
Five little books as great as can be
Along comes (insert name) with their library card
To take one home and read
Four little books at the library
Four little books as great as can be
Along comes (insert name) with their library card
To take one home and read
Three little books at the library
Three little books as great as can be
Along comes (insert name) with their library card
To take one home and read
Two little books at the library
Two little books as great as can be
Along comes (insert name) with their library card
To take one home and read
One little book at the library
One little book as great as can be
Along comes (insert name) with their library card
To take one home and read
Credit: What Happens In Storytime
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Book: Llama Glamarama
Written by Simon James Green and illustrated by Garry Parsons.
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Song: Skinnamarink
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Put your left elbow in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to eye)
Love (Cross your arms over your heart)
You! (Point to audience)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left elbow in right hand)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to your eye)
Love (Cross arms in front of heart)
You! (Point to audience)
I love you in the morning (Cross arms above your head)
And in the afternoon (Cross arms around your chest)
I love you in the evening (Cross around your tummy)
And underneath the moon! (Cross arms above head again)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left arm in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky doo (Right arm in left hand, wave)
I (Point to your eye)
Love (Cross arms in front of heart)
You (Point to audience)
Too (Show two fingers)
Boo boop we doo! (Wave and kiss!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix_LyeuYbcI
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Craft: Craft Stick Picture Frame
Pick up a craft kit from the library while supplies last!
Included in kit:
- Template
- Craft sticks
- Glue dots
- Assorted fun foam shapes
- Magnet
Directions:
- Place two vertical sticks on the template.
- Glue 2 horizontal sticks on top of the vertical strips.
- Glue 2 more vertical sticks of top.
- Decorate with fun foam shape.
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Closing Song: Thanks for Coming
(Tune: Oh My Darling Clementine)
Thanks for sitting, thanks for listening,
Thanks for coming here today!
Now that story time is over
Hope you have a lovely day!
Source: Literary Hoots
– Miss Sharon, Youth Services Specialist
Fun with Emojis!
We love emojis here at FDL, especially in the Youth Services department, and we have a variety of resources to help you celebrate all things emoji! Start by checking out the infamous The Emoji Movie on DVD, or read these books by Cordelia Evans: The Emoji Encyclopedia and Break Out!. There’s also the TBH series by Lisa Greenwald, which is written in texting format and uses lots of emojis. Adults who don’t understand how to use emojis or why they’re so popular might want to read Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch. You can also scroll through the Emoji Timeline, which is a fun tool that teaches the history of emojis.
Plus, there are tons of emoji-inspired crafts you can do at home! Try making poop emoji rice crispy treats using Cocoa Krispies cereal or regular Rice Krispies mixed with cocoa powder or melted chocolate. Follow this recipe or improvise with what you have in your kitchen. You could also make perler bead emoji keychains or pins using the free templates from the Perler website. An even easier craft would be a no-sew emoji plush; all you need is felt, fabric glue, and something to stuff it with.
– Cindy, Youth Services
#FDL: Film Review
Title: Captive State
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Adult Services Assistant
Genre: Film (Science fiction)
Suggested Age: Adults
What is this film about? Aliens have invaded earth. The “Legislators” quickly took control of the planet with their advanced technology, but their best weapon was the complacency of the human political leadership who saw the writing on the wall. Now, walled off cities are governed by the Legislators through their human collaborators while everyone else is conscripted into manual labor. Gabriel, a survivor of the initial invasion, is one of the conscripted workers, but he is also brother to a revolutionary who committed acts of heroism against the alien oppressors. Of course, these acts of heroism were considered acts of terrorism by the Legislators and human collaborators who will stop at nothing to shut down their resistance cell. Will Gabriel follow into his brother’s footsteps or will he narc against his own species to save himself in this captive state?
My Review: Captive State is unlike any alien invasion movie in science fiction. Caught somewhere between sci-fi horror, detective noir, and espionage thriller, Captive State portrays a real world beholden to the same problems as before, but also an occupied world with exasperated terrors. What I like about this film is that it’s strategically subtle in its commentary on war and occupation. The world is not the same, and yet, there are some instances that may be all too recognizable. In conjunction with this, Captive State’s cinematic originality is nothing short of mesmerizing. The science fiction mechanics depict a creepy alien species that have multiple forms and ships that look more like floating asteroids. The Legislators’ weaponry, their ships, and their surveillance technology is truly alien as it is daunting. This thriller is a mind-blowing experience.
Three Words that Describe this film: gritty, noir, thriller
Give This A Try if You Like… Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Children of Men, Arrival, Prospect, Kin, District 9, Elysium, Chappie
Rating: 5/5
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
