Children's Room

Native American Heritage Month

2010-11-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

The November Afterschool Program for Kindergarten and First Grade was all about Native Americans. The children listened to the story Coyote Steals the Blanket, A Ute Tale retold and illustrated by Janet Stevens. We played a game (Ms. Nancy won) and enjoyed juice and popcorn. We also stenciled shapes onto brown bags imitating Native American decoration.

A big thank you to Stop & Shop Grocery Store for their donation of the bags.

To the right are a few of the many picture books that retell Native American stories.

Joseph Bruchac works, with his son James, to preserve the culture and stories of Native Americans especially from the northeast. Joseph also has written fiction books for older readers about Native Americans.

Gerald McDermott has recorded and illustrated folktales from different cultures. He has won the Caldecott Medal for Arrow to the Sun, a Pueblo myth and the Caldecott Honor for Anansi the Spider a tale from Africa.

The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin is an Algonquin Indian version of the Cinderella story. A child's mother recently read it to a second grade class and received a positive response from the children.

Look through the library's catalog and try something Native American.
Somerville Library Catalog

Knuffle Bunny Free

2010-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

The last book about Knuffle Bunny is here!

Poor Trixie. Knuffle Bunny is lost again. Will Trixie be able to enjoy her visit to Oma and Opa in Holland with Knuffle Bunny gone?

Somerville Public Library Catalog

Celebration!

2010-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the end of Summer Reading and the start of Library Card Sign-Up Month on Thursday, September 9.

The children did a great job reading and reporting their reading to the library.
The younger readers (Reading Together) read 2,330 books and the Reading-By-Myself Readers read for 1,229 hours.

Here are a few pictures from the Magic Show.

Sponge Bob Squarepants was at the show too!

Mark Dolson with three helpers.

Showing off our library cards and reading certificates.

New Book

2010-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is the first book in a new series by Andrew Clements and it is great! The story is a mystery set in a New England seaside town where the old school is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a theme park. At first, Ben doesn't think too much about the change. Ben does begin to have second thoughts when the school's janitor dies shortly after giving him a gold coin with a strange inscription. Ben's friend, Jill, joins him in his quest to save the school. Sailing is an important hobby for Ben in the story and the author does a good job of explaining the sailing terms. Line drawing provide breaks in the text. An fun read for a 4th or 5th grader.

We the Children by Andrew Clements.

Book 1 of the Keepers of the School series.

Undersea Worlds

2010-08-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, we made undersea worlds using various odds and ends.

"The Throne Room"

"Julia's Underwater Castle"

For inspiration we read the book "Atlantis: The Legend of the Lost City" by Christina Balit.

Find it in the library's catalog at http://librarycatalog.lmxac.org/uhtbin/cgisirsi/slD19UgoTA/LMXAC/299890029/

The Somerville Library is closed on Sunday and Monday, but will reopen on Tuesday at 10:00 AM. An Evening Story Time will be held on Tuesday, August 24 at 6:30 PM for children ages 3-6.

Summer Reading Update

2010-08-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of August! How did that happen?

Quite a few children have visited the library for their required reading assignments this past week and some books may not be in available. Someone has borrowed the book you wanted, but there's no need to be upset! Books can still be borrowed from other libraries and delivered to the Somerville Library. (Thank you for telling your state representatives this service is important to you.) Just remember to give yourself enough time when requesting what you would like to read. It does take a few days for something to travel from another library.

One of the raffle prizes available for Reading By Myself Readers

The Summer Reading Program in the Children's Room is going pretty well. We need only 8 more children to register and we will make our goal of 232. There are two more weeks to read and collect prizes. Saturday, August 28, 2010 will be the last day to record reading and collect prizes. On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 31, raffle prizes winners will be announced.

The Somerville Library is open until 5:30 PM on Saturday. We are closed on Sunday and Monday, but reopen at 10:00 AM on Tuesday.

Hawaiian Fun @ the Library.

2010-08-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Last night, Gail Mahealani Small presented a program for children about the Hawaiian Islands and its culture.

We learned many things from Ms. Gail. We learned that leis can be made with things other than flowers. We saw leis made with shells, and one made with nuts.

Many of our participants became shy when it was time to learn hand motions for the Hula. Below are a few brave girls learning the hand motion for fish.

It was fun to hold musical instruments Hula dancers use.

Information about Gail Mahealani Small's programs can be found at:

www.hawaiianislandlectures.com

Summer Reading Update

2010-07-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest numbers for the Summer Reading Program in the Children's Room.

As of yesterday, there were 199 children registered. This means we need 33 registrations to meet our goal of 232. With 4 more weeks of Summer Reading, we may do it.

Come see our line of rowboats sailing across the library!

The library's August calendar has been published and is available in the library. Events for August should appear on the website soon.

On Wednesday, August 4 at 7:00 PM, Hawaiian Fun for Kids will be presented. Gail Small will read a story about Hawaii, teach the children a few Hawaiian words and hand motions for the Hula. Everyone will also perform a Hula dance. Children ages 4-8 are invited to participate. The program should run about 40 minutes.

Hope to see you there!

Summer Reading Update

2010-07-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

So far, there are 170 children registered for Summer Reading at the library. Last summer, 232 children signed up for Summer Reading. Our goal is to reach the same number as last summer or even more. Tell your friends. Better yet, bring your friends with you to the library!

Children are beginning to record their reading and to receive prizes. Reading Together Readers have read 270 books and Reading-By-Myself Readers have read for 170 hours. Keep reading and help the two sea serpents on the bulletin board grow!

2010-07-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Wacky Waves

On Thursday, June 24, the Children's Department hosted a science program about water and its properties.

We learned about density. We also tried to remove oil from water, just like people are trying to do in the Gulf of Mexico.

It was hard to use only use cotton balls, cotton swabs, and pipettes.

It did not help that Hurricane Dan stirred up the water from time to time.
Wacky Waves was presented by Mad Science of West New Jersey.

Summer Reading Prizes

2010-06-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading will begin very soon. We're thrilled to inform you that we have two great prizes!

The Children's Room has received coupons for free "Kid Italian Ice" from Rita's and two gift certificates from The Only Game in Town for $20.00 each. Wonderful donations! We thank Steve Zampella from Rita's and Eric from The Only Game in Town.

Registration for Summer Reading begins Monday, June 14.

See you then.

Summer Reading

2010-06-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading for children, ages 2-10 years of age, will begin on Monday, June 14, 2010.

This year's theme is:

As in the past, there will be two ways children can participate in summer reading. Reading Together, for non-readers and beginning readers, and Reading-By-Myself, for older and more confident readers.

A new feature of Summer Reading will be the ability to post book reviews on the library's web page after your child registers.

Visit https://nj.evanced.info/somerville/sr/homepage.asp to take a peek at the log in screen.

Community Day- 2010

2010-04-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 10, 2010 turned out to be a beautiful day for the Library's Community Day.

There was music, food, gifts, and plenty of people.
It was a great way to begin National Library Week and spotlight the library's place in the community.

Who can count the number of times their child was in the Sponge Bob Jumping House?

Somerville's Emergency Services displayed

their equipment, knowledge, and community spirit.

People of all ages tried to stump"Chessmaster Bill."

Thank you to the library staff, Friends of the Library, and of course the people of Somerville for creating a happy and fun day.

Friends of the Library

2010-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 21, 2010, The Courier News published a letter from Betty Sommerville, Book and Bake Committee Chairwoman of the Somerville Library's Friends Group. In her letter, Betty wrote how the fundraising efforts of the "Friends" benefits the library's programming.

Monies raised by the "Friends" has funded magic, music, and science programs in the Children's Room as well as the annual Summer Reading Program for many years. The value of the "Friends" generosity could never begin to be tallied because the "Friends" money has been used for so many things.

Please support the Friends of the Library in whatever way you can. Become a member, support the Silpada Jewelry sale on Saturday, May 1, or attend the next Book and Bake Sale scheduled for

June 9-12, 2010.

Thank you "Friends"!

Zippy Preschool Reading "Cub" Program

2010-04-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

A gentle reminder that this year's Zippy Preschool Reading "Cub" Program is coming to an end. Saturday, May 1, 2010 is the last day to return your child's book sheets to receive either a certificate (25 library books read) or a stuffed tiger cub (50 library books read).

We hope to give away more Zippy Cubs in the next two weeks! :)

Reading to your preschooler helps them aquire the skills needed for their early elementary school work. By reading to your child, you are increasing their vocabulary and helping them to understand the connection between letter sounds and their written symbols.

Happy Reading!

Lollipop Contest Winners

2010-04-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

We have two winners for our Lollipop Contest!

There were 31 lollipops in the jar and two children guessed that exact amount. Each winner will receive 15 lollipops. The last lollipop was given to our Library Director, Melissa Banks. She was very happy!

Enjoy!

Pennies for Peace Update

2010-03-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

The pennies, and a few other coins, have been counted! The Children's Room collected $14.04 and the Adult Room collected $19.92. A last minute donation of $1.04 brought the total to $35.00. Our donation to the Pennies for Peace Campaign is on its way to the NJ State Library.

New Jersey State Library in Trenton.

One Somerville family decorated a jar and displayed it at a family member's birthday party. This was great way to spread the word about Pennies for Peace and the Somerville Public Library. Quite a few pennies were collected this way.

Thank you again to everyone who donated their pennies and a few other types of U.S. currency, to help build school libraries in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pennies for Peace Campaign

2010-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

The last day to bring in your pennies is Monday, March 29. There is a collection jar at the adult and children's check-out desks. Please don't miss out on your chance to help build school libraries in another part of the world.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their pennies. The Somerville Public Library appreciates your support.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2010-03-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 21 was a beautiful day for a parade. The Teen Advisory Council along with The Friends of the Library marched in the parade on Main Street. Reference Librarian, Jim Sommerville helped the teens hand out bookmarks and free library keychain coupons. The Manville High School Band was directly behind our group and provided great music for the walk.

If you received a coupon for a free keychain, hurry in because supplies are limited. This offer expires on Saturday, March 27.

By the way, Ms. Carlyn will hold a Candy Sushi program on Saturday, March 27 between 2:00-3:00 PM. Chess will begin at 3:00 PM in the Children's Room.

Read Across America Day

2010-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ms. Nancy visited VanDerveer School today to help celebrate Read Across America Day with a third grade class. Everyone enjoyed the books; The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Wait! No Paint!, Playhouse, and The Secret Science Project That Ate the School. In the last story, the third grade teacher does get eaten by the slimmy science project, but there is a happy ending for the teacher. All of these stories can be found at the library.

The Somerville Library also recieved a large number of bookmarks from the school's "Reading is Wild" contest. The winning bookmark entries for grades Kindergarten through 5th grade were printed and we have them for everyone to see and take home. Thank you to NJEA Pride and Somerville Education Association for making this possible.

Science Fair was mentioned a few lines ago and the Children's Room has a number of books on the topic set aside for kids to browse through. If you still need an idea for a project, stop by and see what we have.