Word Salad

Storytime Review

2012-01-26T08:00:00.005-07:00

Welcome Home @ your Library

This week our Story time classes learned about houses and homes. We started off looking a pictures of different houses; beehives, birds nests, barns, burrows and even a pink house with a Hello Kitty motif. It was fun to guess who or what lived there. Then we read Baby's House by Gelolo McHugh, Knock Knock by Anna-Clara Tidholm, The Crooked Little House by Margaret Wild, The Three Little Pigs by Maggie Moore, and Purple Little Bird by Greg Foley.

Our craft followed the theme set in Purple Little Bird. I gave each child a copy of a picture of a house, then I gave them house parts in different colors to make the house just right for them. Some children liked to make their houses all one color and some like to make them as wild as possible, they all turned out pretty fun. I liked pink roofs with purple doors and lavender windows, it made me think of the house made of candy in Hansel and Gretel.

In our older classes we did a fun activity where we stuck labels on things in our classroom. Door, window, wall, carpet etc. There was even a label that said Teacher :)

Next week: Underwear!

Michele, Children's Librarian

Update on the tax forms

2012-01-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

If you think you might make it through life without having to do your taxes online, then you live in another place and time than the here and now. The State of Utah decided to go paperless this year so they did not send out forms or instruction booklets to anyone including the library. If you want a paper copy, you'll need to print it yourself from the Internet. Some people still haven't gotten this message.

The deadline for filing your taxes has been moved to Tuesday, April 17th because April 15th falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Monday, April 16th. According to federal law, District of Columbia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file this year. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until October 15th to file their 2012 tax returns.

If you need help doing your taxes and earn under $50,000 a year, there is no longer free help for you in Brigham City. Due to lack of volunteers, the VITA program is not coming to our area. If you want help, you will need to call 211 to schedule an appointment either in Logan or Ogden. I tried this number today and was on hold for a very long time. I also checked with H&R Block about their advertisement for free help to anyone doing a 1040EZ and there are no strings attached to this service - they will help you for free. However, it will cost $39 for the State electronic filing fee if you have them do that.

If you need information about what is new this year on the federal taxes, check out the IRS site at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/index.html?portlet=107M where they have a list of all the latest news. Remember that library employees are not trained tax preparers and we do not have the training to help you with your taxes. We can help you get to Internet sites and print forms or direct you to a book, but we don't know the answer to tax questions.

Susan

Marie Higgins presents - Love is in the Air: Bring Your Story to Life with a Little Romance

2012-01-24T13:10:00.004-07:00

7 Feb 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Love is in the Air: Bringing Your Story to Life with a Little Romance presented by Marie Higgins

There is love in everything! Even if you're not a lover or romance novels, Marie will show you why it is important to add a little to your story...and walk you through how to do it. She'll help you bring your story to life because - "Love Is In The Air".

Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who make your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. She's been writing for 17 years, and never gets bored! Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com.

Book signing to follow.

Marie will have copies of her new book "Secrets After Dark" available for anyone who would like to purchase a copy.

Winning Mr. Wrong
By Higgins, Marie
2010-07 - Walnut Springs Press
9781935217763 CHECK CATALOG

Whoever said the quest for love wasn't comical never met Charlene Randall. Charley is looking for a man who wants to start a family, a man who will take her to the temple. Problem is, she has never dated a man for longer than three months. When she reads an internet article called "Ten Ways to Win Your Man," she decides to try it on her new coworker, Maxwell Harrington. Max was her crush in high school, but the superstar sports anchorman doesn't even remember her. Enter ladies' man Damien Giovianni, Charley's handsome neighbor, who agrees to help her win Max over. What follows is a hilarious tale of mishaps and misunderstandings where Charley learns that what she really needs may be right in front of her. …More

Forsaken World

2012-01-21T16:50:00.001-07:00

Forsaken World was listed as Library Journal's Best Free-to-Play MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role playing game). The reviewer says it is the only "free to play" game that is truly free to play. Gamers get most of the content at no cost - only a few extra items and cosmetic upgrades are for purchase. Add to this very sweet morsel the rich design of characters and locales, the fast-paced combat and questing (no need to spend hours leveling up your characters here), and the supremely balanced and forgiving difficulty curve and you've got a game that is approachable and democratic in all the right ways.

Find the site at https://register.perfectworld.com/fwad4

New Audiobooks

2012-01-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Barrayar
By Bujold, Lois McMaster
Read by Gardner, Grover
2009-12 - Blackstone Audiobooks
9781433231988 CHECK CATALOG

Cordelia Naismith has deserted her own home planet to marry the leader of the enemy Barrayarans, Aral Vorkosigan. Together, they struggle to establish stability on a planet threatened by civil war. …More

Deadly Descent
By Hinger, Charlotte
2009-09 - Poisoned Pen Press
9781590586457 CHECK CATALOG

In historian Lottie Albright's Western Kansas community, false accusations threaten senatorial candidate Brian Hadley's political career, secrets whispered to her as editor of the county history books spur a personal search for his aunt's murderer. Ignoring warnings from her twin sister, Josie, that she is in over her head, Lottie dons a badge to have access to information. She delves into a horrifying "cold case" to prove her merits as a deputy and impresses Sheriff Sam Abbot with her ability to combine historical research methods and police procedure. To help her sister, Josie adds her expertise in untangling the web of families bound by a lethal legacy of prideful secrets. Soon Lottie is stalked by a clever killer threatened by the twins' ability to connect the dots. Blindsided by her protective husband's disapproval of new job, and aghast at a bizarre attempt to sabotage her academic credentials, Lottie knows her obsession is destroying her marriage and her reputation. …More

Death Comes to Pemberley
By James, P. D.
Read by Landor, Rosalyn
2011-12 - Random House Audio
9780449011157 CHECK CATALOG

A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen's beloved novel "Pride and Prejudice" into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem. Pemberley is thrown into chaos after Elizabeth Bennett's disgraced sister Lydia arrives and announces that her husband Wickham has been murdered. …More

Death of a Celebrity
By Beaton, M. C.
Read by Malcolm, Graeme
2003-04 - Sound Library
9780792727842 CHECK CATALOG

Glamorous BBC reporter Crystal French blows into Lochdubh and is promptly given a speeding ticket by Constable Hamish Macbeth. For revenge, her show targets Hamish with a humilating report on policing in the Highlands. She then rakes up old local scandals, outraging the entire village. When Crystal turns up dead, everyone becomes suspect. …More

Dragongirl
By McCaffrey, Todd J.
Performed by Durante, Emily
2010-07 - Brilliance Corporation
9781423373353 CHECK CATALOG

In this sequel to the bestselling "Dragonheart," Fiona must learn to balance responsibility and ambition, help a friend discover her own place among the dragonriders, and solve the mystery of the illness that threatens the very survival of Pern. …More

Dragon's Time
By McCaffrey, Anne
Author McCaffrey, Todd J.
2011-06 - Del Rey Books
9780345500892 CHECK CATALOG

For the first time in more than three years, bestselling authors Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey, mother and son, have teamed up again to do what they do best: add a fresh chapter to the most beloved science fiction series of all time, the Dragonriders of Pern. …More

Familyhood
By Reiser, Paul
Performed by Reiser, Paul
2011-05 - Brilliance Corporation
9781455806386 CHECK CATALOG

Fueled by his experiences of raising two young sons, ages 10 and 15, with his wife of 22 years, this new audio book by the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Couplehood" and "Babyhood" examines the funny truths, heartbreaks, and small victories of being a family today. …More

A Farewell to Arms
By Hemingway, Ernest
1995-06 - Scribner Book Company
9780684801469 CHECK CATALOG

By turns romantic and harshly realistic, Hemingway's story of a tragic romance set against the brutality and confusion of World War I cemented his fame as a stylist and as a writer of extraordinary literary power. A volunteer ambulance driver and a beautiful English nurse fall in love when he is wounded on the Italian front. …More

First Family: Abigail & John Adams
By Ellis, Joseph J.
Read by Farr, Kimberly
2010-10 - Random House Audio
9780739368749 CHECK CATALOG

The Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of "Founding Brothers" and "His Excellency" brings America's preeminent first couple to life in a moving and illuminating narrative that unfolds in the context of America's birth as a nation. …More

The Flint Heart
By Paterson, Katherine
Author Paterson, John
Author Katherine Paterson and John Paterson
2011-09 - Candlewick on Brilliance Audio
9781455822423 CHECK CATALOG

An ambitious Stone Age man demands a talisman that will harden his heart, allowing him to take control of his tribe. Against better judgment, the tribe's magic man creates the Flint Heart, but the cruelly of it causes the destruction of the tribe. Thousands of years later, the talisman reemerges to corrupt first a boy's father, an innocent fairy creature, and a familial badger. Can Charles and his sister Unity, who have consulted with fairies such as the mysterious Zagabog, wisest creature in the universe, find a way to rescue humans, fairies, and animals alike from the dark influence of the Flint Heart? This humorous, hearty, utterly delightful fairy tale is the sort for an entire family to savor together or an adventurous youngster to devour. …More

Great Bear Lake
By Hunter, Erin
2010-01 - HarperCollins
9780060871277 CHECK CATALOG

Separated from her family, polar bear cub Kallik trusts her intuition to lead her on a path traveled by many bears before her. At last the four cubs meet at the sacred Great Bear Lake, a place of peace and healing where bears gather to celebrate the longest day. …More

Gun Games: A Decker/Lazarus Novel
By Kellerman, Faye
2012-01 - William Morrow & Company
9780062064325 CHECK CATALOG

In the next exciting installment of Kellerman's "New York Times"-bestselling series, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus face off against psychopath Chris Donatti and his son, Gabe. …More

Jane Eyre
By Bronte, Charlotte
Afterword by Clements, Marcelle
Introduction by Jong, Erica
2008-04 - Signet Classics
9780451530912 CHECK CATALOG

An unconventional love story that broadened the scope of romantic fiction, "Jane Eyre" is ultimately the tale of one woman's fight to claim her independence and self-respect in a society that has no place for her. Revised reissue. …More

Private: #1 Suspect
By Patterson, James
Author Paetro, Maxine
2012-01 - Little Brown and Company
9780316097406 CHECK CATALOG

Since former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm. Private's investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world--and they always uncover the truth. When his former lover is found murdered in Jack's bed, he is instantly the number-one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. …More

Raylan
By Leonard, Elmore
2012-01 - William Morrow & Company
9780062119469 CHECK CATALOG

"New York Times"-bestselling author Leonard brings his trademark style and wit to this new novel featuring U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, hero of the hit FX series "Justified." …More

Rebecca [With Headphones]
By du Maurier, Daphne
Narrated by Massey, Anna
2007-11 - Playaway
9781602528598 CHECK CATALOG

Rebecca, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, is Daphne du Mauriers best-loved work and was named Best Novel of the 20th Century at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. After a whirlwind romance and a honeymoon in Italy, the innocent young heroine and the dashing Maxim de Winter return to his country estate, Manderley. But the unsettling memory of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter, still lingers within. The timid bride must overcome her husbands oppressive silences and the sullen hostility of the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, to confront the emotional horror of the past. …More

Rusty Nail: A Jacqueline
By Konrath, J. A.
Read by Breck and Dick Hill, Susie
2011-09 - Brilliance Corporation
9781455839391 CHECK CATALOG

BookPage Notable Title
Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she's up to her Armani in murder. Someone is sending her snuff videos, and the victims all were involved in one of her previous cases. Jack follows the trail of death on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she's ever known. …More

Sleepwalker
By Robards, Karen
Performed by Rudd, Kate
2011-12 - Brilliance Corporation
9781441843135 CHECK CATALOG

New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards? new thrilling contemporary suspense novel features the electric attraction between a cop and thief. …More

Son of Holmes
By Lescroart, John
Performed by Baltz, Tim
2011-05 - Brilliance Audio
9781611063882 CHECK CATALOG

The "New York Times" bestselling author's chip-off-the-old Sherlock is back in print. …More

The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing
By Morrell, David
Performed by Lawlor, Patrick Girard
2011-03 - Brilliance Corporation
9781611061963 CHECK CATALOG

David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Fifth Profession, distills more than fifty years of writing and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction.
Morrell covers:
- Plot
- Character
- Research
- Structure
- Viewpoint
- Description
- Dialogue
- Succeeding in publishing
- And much more
The Successful Novelist reveals the truth about writing, providing the perspective authors need to write successful fiction that sells. …More

Trial by Fire
By Blackstock, Terri
2000-09 - Zondervan Publishing Company
9780310217602 CHECK CATALOG

Book four in the Newpointe 911 series in which a church building burns to the ground, and a young man is found dead of a gunshot wound. The mystery is just being ignited as God uses disaster to bring about his will. …More

Storytime Review

2012-01-19T08:00:00.019-07:00

Warning: Naked Mole Rats in Story Time!

A new session of our popular Preschool and Toddler Storytime classes began this week. Our first lesson was about clothes and getting dressed. We started out with a matching game where I would hold up a color and the children would look at their clothes and see if they could find that color. Some children had on lots of colors and some had only a few. One little girl had only one color on, can you guess which color she was wearing from head to toe? Pink, of course, and I hadn't even made a pink star to hold up!

Our stories this week included for the younger class Bear Gets Dressed by Harriet Hiefert, Under My Hood I have a Hat by Karla Kuskin, and Black Dog gets Dressed by Lizi Boyd. Our older class read The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Nietzel, Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch and Naked Mole Rat gets Dressed by Mo Willems.

We played a game with a clothes line that I strung up on the bulletin board. I had laminated pictures of different items of clothing and cut them out. I put these in a basket along with some pictures of items that you would never wear like a cat or a window. The children took turns drawing out a picture and deciding if it was something you could wear. Then we would either discard it or hang it on the clothes line. My favorite item was the picture of the space suit. The children had to think that one through a bit but most decided that it was something that you would wear, especially if you were in space! We sang and giggled alone with the song I Like my Hat from the Stinky Cake CD by Carole Peterson.

I used the die cut machine to cut out paper dolls and we pasted on hats and coats and colored in some pants and shoes. A couple of glue on eyes and the doll was complete. In one of the classes we talked about the concept of being naked because of the "naked" mole rats. One little girl from this class said, "Oh, I am so glad that my doll isn't naked any more!" We did discuss the advantages of wearing clothes so hopefully none of them decide to go home and be like a naked mole rat.

Next week: Houses and Homes
Michele, Children's Librarian

Book Discussion with Vicki Ramirez Tonight at 7 p.m.

2012-01-17T09:46:00.002-07:00

Vintage Crime, 1992, c1966.

17 January 2012 at 7 p.m. @ the library Writing Group

Join Victoria Ramirez, PhD, Weber State University, in a writing discussion of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. Vicki uses this book in her creative writing classes at Weber State University, where her specialty is the novel.

If you've attended classes with her in the past you'll probably remember her referring to this title. So now we can all read it and learn from it's pages and the discussion Vicki will lead of it. Get a copy to start reading today!

The Big Sleep
By Chandler, Raymond
1988-07 - Vintage Books USA
9780394758282 CHECK CATALOG

When a dying millionaire hires Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.

Copies are available through the writing group. You can get one at any writing group meeting or by asking at the library for the writing group discussion title. For more information please call Elizabeth, 435-723-5850.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth

2012-01-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Two new books at the library this week are biographies about the royal family "Elizabeth the Queen" and "Prince Philip". Of course, Queen Elizabeth's book is twice the size of Prince Philip's but maybe that is because it only covers his "turbulent early life".

Goodreads.com gives this review of the books:

"Prince Philip: The Turbulent early life of the man who married Queen Elizabeth II" by Philip Eade:

Before he met the young girl who became Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip had a tumultuous upbringing in Greece, France, Nazi Germany, and Britain. His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was born deaf; she was committed to a psychiatric clinic when Philip was eight. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece, already traumatized by his exile from his home country, promptly shut up the family home and went off to live with his mistress, effectively leaving his young son an orphan.
Remarkably, Philip emerged from his difficult childhood a character of singular vitality and dash—self-confident, opinionated, and devastatingly handsome. Girls fell at his feet, and the princess who would become his wife was smitten from the age of thirteen. Yet alongside his considerable charm and intelligence, the young prince was also prone to volcanic outbursts, which would have profound consequences for his family and the future of the monarchy.

In this authoritative and wonderfully compelling book, acclaimed biographer Philip Eade brings to vivid life the storm-tossed early years of one of the most fascinating and mysterious members of the royal family.

"Elizabeth the Queen: the life of a modern Monarch" by Sally Bedell Smith:

From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has been the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well do we really know the world’s most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace.
In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines—the “red boxes” of documents she reviews each day, the weekly meetings she has had with twelve prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the press—as well as her personal relationships: with Prince Philip, her husband of sixty-four years and the love of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends.
Compulsively readable and scrupulously researched, Elizabeth the Queen is a close-up view of a woman we’ve known only from a distance, illuminating the lively personality, sense of humor, and canny intelligence with which she meets the most demanding work and family obligations. It is also a fascinating window into life at the center of the last great monarchy

Kristen Hannah on her book "Winter Garden"

2012-01-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Winter Garden
By Hannah, Kristin
2011-01 - St. Martin's Griffin
9780312663155 CHECK CATALOG

From the author of the bestsellers "Firefly Lane" and "True Colors" comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past. …More

New Audiobooks

2012-01-06T13:18:00.002-07:00

The Mistaken Masterpiece
By Beil, Michael D.
Read by Ricci, Tai Alexandra
2011-06 - Listening Library
9780307915795 CHECK CATALOG

Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are back in an all-new Red Blazer Girls caper. In the third installment, Sophie is nose-to-fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. …More

Wrapped
By Bradbury, Jennifer
2011-05 - Atheneum Books
9781416990079 CHECK CATALOG

Agnes Wilkins has attracted the attention of one of 19th-century England's most eligible men. When Agnes unwittingly pockets an Egyptian artifact during a mummy unwrapping party, her action sets off a chain of events that bring out dangerous characters--and true love. …More

Vigilante
By Cannell, Stephen J.
Performed by Brick, Scott
2011-12 - Brilliance Corporation
9781441893307 CHECK CATALOG

Lita Mendez was a thorn in the LAPD's side. An aggressive police critic and gang activist, she?d filed countless complaints against the department. So when she's found dead in her home, Detective Scully and his partner Hitchens fear the worst: that there's a killer in their ranks.Outside the crime scene, Nixon Nash and his television crew have set up shop. Nash is the charismatic host of a hit reality show called "Vigilante TV," dedicated to beating the cops at their own game: solving murders before they can. Now he has the murder of Lita Mendez in his sights. He presents the detectives with a choice: either join his team, or prepare for a public takedown.But Scully knows that Nash isn't the folk-hero he seems. He will do anything in the name of self-promotion. If a detective got in his way, would he be prepared to kill? In this new novel, Scully will have to risk everything save himself and the job he loves. …More

Locked on
By Clancy, Tom
With Greaney, Mark
2011-12 - Putnam Adult
9780399157318 CHECK CATALOG

Tom Clancy's All-Star lineup is back. Jack Ryan, his son, Jack Jr., John Clark Ding Chavez and the rest of the Campus team are facing their greatest challenge ever. …More

The Highland Witch
By Fletcher, Susan
Read by Landor, Rosalyn
2011-11 - Blackstone Audiobooks
9781455117178 CHECK CATALOG

In 1692, Corrag, an orphaned herbalist, is imprisoned in the Scottish highlands, suspected of witchcraft and murder. Awaiting her death, she tells her story to Charles Leslie, an Irish propagandist seeking information to condemn the Protestant King William. …More

Thief of Hearts
By Gerritsen, Tess
Performed by Barber, Nicola
2011-08 - Brilliance Corporation
9781441875907 CHECK CATALOG

Reformed cat burglar Clea Rice has witnessed enough crimes to put her on the straight and narrow. But little does she suspect that her search for justice will land her in the arms of wealthy English gentleman Jordan Tavistock. As their attraction grows, so does the danger. Now their biggest concern isna (TM)t whether a proper
gentleman and a cat burglar can find happiness...ita (TM)s whether theya (TM)ll survive long enough to find out.
a oeMs. Gerritsen is a master!a a "Romantic Times BOOKreviews …More

Covert Warriors
By Griffin, W. E. B.
Author Butterworth, William E., IV
2011-12 - G. P. Putnam's Sons
9780399157806 CHECK CATALOG

The thrilling new novel in the #1 "New York Times"- bestselling series.
There's an uneasy and unholy alliance building across the Caribbean. Few in the U.S. government want to believe that a Third World country and its chest-thumping leader could pose a credible threat-but then why are the Chinese helping to train its special forces? Why are the Russians helping to build a nuclear power plant?
Charley Castillo and his men go in to investigate, but they have no idea what they have just gotten themselves into. By the time they finish connecting the dots, they will be on the hit lists of the Kremlin, the Cubans, the Venezuelans, and the drug cartels-and totally out on their own. Whatever happens next, they'll have to do it by themselves. …More

Home Improvement: Undead Edition: All-New Tales of Haunted Home Repair and Surreal Estates
By Harris, Charlaine
Editor Kelner, Toni L. P.
Performed by Ronconi, Amanda
2011-08 - Brilliance Audio
9781455820757 CHECK CATALOG

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story! There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherworldly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself. Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes. …More

Sookie Stackhouse Companion
By Harris, Charlaine
2011-08 - Recorded Books
9781449850777 CHECK CATALOG

Fans of Charlaine Harris' #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels will find much to enjoy in this companion to the immensely popular series. Included are a never-before-published novella and an exclusive interview with Alan Ball, creator of HBO's True Blood. Sookie herself guides listeners on a behind-the-scenes tour of Bon Temps, a peek at the werewolf and were-panther communities, a glimpse through the racks of her best friend Tara's dress shop, and a look at Merlotte's—the bar where Sookie earns her living. …More

How to Knit a Heart Back Home
By Herron, Rachael
Read by MacDuffie, Carrington
2011-09 - Blackstone Audiobooks
9781455116607 CHECK CATALOG

Lucy Harrison, a volunteer firefighter, has life under controluntil bad-boy ex-cop Owen Bancroft comes back to town. Thrown together by the discovery of the lost work of a local legend, both must face their fears and decide what they will risk for love. …More

Christmas with Tucker
By Kincaid, Greg
Read by Bramhall, Mark
2010-11 - Blackstone Audiobooks
9781441765642 CHECK CATALOG

In this heartwarming novel, Greg Kincaid, the bestselling author of, revisits the early life of one of that book's protagonists and brings us a holiday tale of redemption, hope and forgiveness. …More

Comfort and Joy
By Knight, India
2011-09 - Penguin Books
9780143119814 CHECK CATALOG

If Bridget Jones had two ex-husbands, three children, and invited her entire extended family over for Christmas...
It's December 23, and Clara Dunphy is running around Oxford Street like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pick up "a few last- minute bits and bobs." Despite the frenzy, the twice-divorced mother of three loves Christmas and always wants to make it perfect. A challenge even in the best of times, but particularly when "family" means an extended network of in-laws, out-laws, ex-stepfathers, and hangers-on, totaling sixteen. Is the madness of Christmas really worth it? Clara is a witty, blackly funny everywoman who will win over anyone who has ever longed to shut out the holidays with "a giant martini . . . and some olives." …More

77 Shadow Street
By Koontz, Dean R.
Performed by Berkrot, Peter
2011-12 - Brilliance Corporation
9781441818478 CHECK CATALOG

The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon's dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its re-christening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. But now it has awakened. …More

Holidays in Heck
By O'Rourke, P. J.
2011-11 - Atlantic Monthly Press
9780802119858 CHECK CATALOG

O'Rourke embarks on supposedly more comfortable and allegedly less dangerous travels--often with family in tow--which mostly leave him wishing he were under artillery fire again. The result is a hilarious and often moving portrait of life in the fast lane--only this time as a husband and father. 288 pp. …More

Dearly, Departed: A Zombie Novel
By Habel, Lia
2011-10 - Del Rey Books
9780345523310 CHECK CATALOG

A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country's political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible--until she's nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. 496 pp. 75,000 print. …More

Unleashed
By Holder, Nancy
Author Viguie, Debbie
Read by Sands, Tara
2011-11 - Listening Library
9780307942159 CHECK CATALOG

The "New York Times"-bestselling authors of the Wicked series have created an entirely new trilogy with the passion of "Twilight" and the grandeur of "Fallen." The Wolf Springs Chronicles introduces readers to a town of secrets and the new girl who's about to start believing in werewolves. …More

Always a Witch
By MacCullough, Carolyn
2012-08 - Graphia Books
9780547721972 CHECK CATALOG

In the satisfying conclusion to the story begun in "Once a Witch," Tamsin is forced to follow enemy Alistair Knight back to Victorian-era New York in order to save her family, and finds herself at the center of the fray as the evil Knight family and her own square off in a thrilling display of action and magic. …More

The Black
By MacHale, D. J.
Performed by Podehl, Nick
2011-04 - Brilliance Corporation
9781423397809 CHECK CATALOG

Cooper Foley, who has a knack for getting into trouble, ends up in the middleof a border war between the worlds of the living and the dead, trying to findout about the mysterious Morpheus Road. …More

Once a Witch
By MacCullough, Carolyn
2009-09 - Clarion Books
9780547223995 CHECK CATALOG

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search--and the stranger--will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant. …More

Troubletwisters
By Nix, Garth
Author Williams, Sean
Performed by Margolyes, Miriam
2011-05 - Brilliance Corporation
9781455808502 CHECK CATALOG

Jaide and Jack Shield's lives are changing in a very, very strange way. The weather is turning against them. Magical disasters occur when they?re around. And a mysterious explosion has just destroyed their house . . . from the inside.Without knowing why, the twins are stolen away to live with Grandma X ? a relative they?ve never, ever met. At Grandma X's house, things are even stranger. Weather vanes point in the opposite direction of the wind. Doors appear and disappear. Cats talk.Jaide and Jack Shield don?t know the reason behind all this strangeness. They don?t know that they?re troubletwisters, and that they must defend the world against a dark, evil force. The time has come for them to discover the truth ? and the powers that come with the truth.Are they ready? …More

Three Quarters Dead
By Peck, Richard
Read by Meyers, Ariadne
2010-11 - Listening Library
9780307745811 CHECK CATALOG

The latest audiobook by a Newbery Medalist. Kerry is chosen by the coolest clique in school and so she thinks life has finally begun. But then it seems all over when three of her friends are killed in a shocking car accident. Or are they? …More

Moon Over Manifest
By Vanderpool, Clare
2011-12 - Yearling Books
9780375858291 CHECK CATALOG

The winner of the 2011 Newbery Medal, "Moon Over Manifest" is a story of loss and redemption, powerful in its simplicity, featuring Abilene Tucker who, while searching for clues about her father's boyhood, uncovers the long-held secrets of a town suffering in silence. …More

No Buddy Left Behind: Bringing U.S. Troops' Dogs and Cats Safely Home from the Combat Zone
By Crisp, Terri
With Hurn, Cynthia
2011-10 - Lyons Press
9780762773862 CHECK CATALOG

No Buddy Left Behind" is an animal book with a difference. It is not only about rescued dogs and cats, but also about U.S. soldiers trying to survive the horrors of war and readjust to life back home. It unveils the life-altering relationships American troops serving in the Middle East share with the stray dogs and cats they rescue from the brutalities of war. 288 pp. 25,000 print. …More

Storytime Registration

2012-01-05T20:33:00.001-07:00

We will have registration for our next session of Preschool Story Time and Toddler Story Time on January 10th at 10:30 a.m.

For those who have registered before you may notice that this is 30 minutes later than our usual time. On registration day last time Mayor Fife happened to drive by the library while all the mothers and their children were standing in line waiting for us to open. Concerned he called the library to find out why women and small children were standing out in the cold weather.

This has been a concern of mine for many years and I had tried to think of a way to fix the problem without coming up with a solution. The clerk working that morning said to me, "Why don't you just start later, that way they can line up inside to wait." I say that she is a genius and I owe her many thanks for thinking outside the box. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees when you have thought about a problem for so long, it takes someone with a new perspective to get the solution that has been staring you in the face. I do hope that this works and the line won't form so early before we open.

Free Reading Time session

Remember that classes fill up quickly so make sure you are here to get in line before 10:30! Classes available are Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. for 2-3 year olds and Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. for 3-5 year olds. Classes will begin on January 17th and run for 6 weeks. Cost of registration is a $1.00 donation. If you don't get in we have drop in classes on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. No need to register for the free drop in classes.

We will see you all on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.! Don't be late!
Michele, Children's Librarian

Great Web Sites for Kids

2012-01-04T20:03:00.001-07:00

The American Library Association has updated their site "Great Websites for Kids" since I looked at it awhile ago. There is a wealth of information here and its easy to use. You can look under subject tabs such as history and biography, science, mathematics, arts, etc. Or, you can check out the sites by most popular, site of the week, or top rated.

Great Websites for Kids is a compilation of exemplary websites geared to children from birth to age 14. Suggested sites are evaluated by the Great Websites for Kids Committee using established selection criteria. The committee is made up of members of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

Newly evaluated and accepted sites are added to the database three times a year. The committee also reviews all sites within the database twice a year to guarantee sites are still relevant, appropriate and accessible. You can also suggest websites for their consideration.

Find the site at http://gws.ala.org/

Hone Your Writing With Tips and Techniques from the Discusison with Vicki Ramirez, PhD on the 17th!

2012-01-04T11:05:00.001-07:00

Vintage Crime, 1992, c1966

17 January 2012 at 7 p.m. @ the library Writing Group

The Big Sleep
By Chandler, Raymond
1988-07 - Vintage Books USA
9780394758282 CHECK CATALOG

Green New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Time again to think about those New Year's Resolutions. The top resolutions usually have to do with trying to be more healthy and organizing ourselves. This year why don't we make some "green" resolutions to help the planet. The Huffington post suggests these resolutions for the New Year and I think they are some good ones we could all accomplish though the last two are going to take more than just you and me. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/27/green-new-years-resolutions_n_1171036.html

1. Buy less bottled water
2. Drive less

3. Only use reusable shopping bags

4. Shorten your shower time

5. Eat less meat

6. Recycle paper

7. Use Earth friendly cleaners

8. Compost

9. Stop dependency on fossil fuels

10. Use wind energy

If you want a list of more conventional goals try the Goal Guy's site at http://www.goalsguy.com/events/n_top-ten-resolutions.html

Rural Libraries and their Communities

2011-12-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Although we are only 30 miles from a mid-sized city, Brigham City is considered a rural community and as such we have a unique, and some say, enviable lifestyle. The library in a small town is a gathering place and activity center, going beyond just circulating books. Here are some interesting things about smaller libraries that you may not know:

1. Each small town library is unique. Whether it is architecture, hours of operation, types of patrons or personality of the staff, no two libraries are the same. Even those old-fashioned Carnegie building are individualistic.

2. Patrons are flocking to their local libraries to use the Internet. Whether for homework or genealogy research, social media or even job hunting, the use of library computers has exploded. People who have not visited a library in a while will be surprised to see numerous computers in use by patrons.

3. Job seekers are using the library to find employment, build resumes and even learn job skills. Online classes and databases are available to use for those seeking to learn new skills.

4. There are after-school issues and opportunities. In some libraries, after-school time is inspiring. Students come in ready to do homework and research. But in some communities libraries are used as day care centers. Teens who have no adult supervision after school have been known to arrive shortly after school and stay until closing time.

5. Libraries are becoming more involved in their communities. Libraries are going out to nursing homes, day care centers and even jails to offer all types of reading and learning programs. Books on wheels programs offer library books to those who are shut in and not able to visit.

6. Community rooms are being used by the community. In rural communities the two “community” places are churches and libraries. Libraries offer their rooms for civic club meetings and other gatherings of a community nature.

7. The personality of the librarian and staff is important. People come to know and respect the librarian who has recommended books or taught them in a community education class. A librarian becomes a resource for parents and a friend to children who visit.

8. Many elected officials and other funders do not have library cards. Libraries rely on funding from many sources, not the least of which is often the small town or county in which they are located. If these policy makers are not library users and advocates they may not understand the role the library plays in the community.

9. Technology has made a dramatic change in libraries. In 1996, only 28 percent of libraries offered Internet access. Today almost every library offers this service. Consider the implications of e-books, e-readers and online services in general and the impact it is making in the way people get information.

10. Libraries are safe places. Libraries are places where nobody asks why a patron checks out a certain book or needs a certain service.

Gone are the days when a person went to the local library to do nothing more than check out a book and return it or renew it later. Small town libraries have become a provider of numerous services to their communities. Their future will be one of expanding those services even more. The communities that support those services will have a more vibrant, educated and engaged population.

Michele, Children's Librarian

New Audiobooks at Brigham, Library

2011-12-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Audiobooks: Not Enough Time To Read? Listen To A New Book!

Zanna's Gift: A Life in Christmases
By Richards, Scott
2004-11 - Forge
9780765312372 CHECK CATALOG

From the pen of a masterful storyteller comes a touching and inspirational story of love, loss, and the true meaning of Christmas that is sure to become a timeless classic that will be passed from generation to generation. …More

Death Benefit
By Cook, Robin
2011-12 - Putnam Adult
9780399157462 CHECK CATALOG

The "New York Times"-bestselling author and master of the medical thriller returns with another crackling tale of unchecked greed and medical malfeasance.
Behind the prim gates of the Greenwich, Connecticut, McMansions, Wall Street whizzes turn their attentions from mortgages to another possible profit source: the $25 trillion life-insurance industry. By securitizing the policies of the old and sick, they hope to make another financial killing.
At the same time, Natalie Savondnik and Ronald Goodall-two exceptional yet aloof medical residents-are working closely with their medical center's premier scientist on cutting-edge diabetes research. When their mentor dies suddenly, they launch a quiet investigation. As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that the scientist's death was not from natural causes. Is it possible someone is manipulating private life insurance information to allow investors to benefit from the deaths of others? …More

The Detachment
By Eisler, Barry
Read by Eisler, Barry
2011-10 - Thomas & Mercer
9781612181554 CHECK CATALOG

…More

In Their Footsteps
By Gerritsen, Tess
Performed by Barber, Nicola
2011-05 - Brilliance Corporation
9781441875853 CHECK CATALOG

?Ms. Gerritsen is a master! Romantic Times BOOKreviewsThe quiet scandal surrounding her parents? deaths has always haunted Beryl Tavistock. Now she's asking dangerous questions and the answers are proving that the past does not die easily. Pulled into a world of espionage, Beryl quickly discovers that she needs help, and former CIA agent Richard Wolf is her only hope. But in a world where trust is a double-edged sword, friends become enemies and enemies are killers.... …More

The Sisters
By Jensen, Nancy
2011-11 - Blackstone Audiobooks
9781455117109 CHECK CATALOG

The Sisters is a novel about how a choice made in desperate haste separates a pair of loving sisters and how their powerful feelings of loss, betrayal, longing, and regret reverberate through three generations. …More

A Turn in the Road
By Macomber, Debbie
Performed by Bean, Joyce
2011-04 - Brilliance Corporation
9781423347880 CHECK CATALOG

From Seattle's Blossom Street to the other end of the country "A Turn in the Road" chronicles a trip that could change the lives of three women. …More

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (8)
By McCall Smith, Alexander
2011-12 - Pantheon Books
9780307379184 CHECK CATALOG

Isabel and her fianc know who they are and where they come from. But not everybody is so fortunate, and some, like Jane, a visiting Australian philosopher on sabbatical in Edinburgh, have more questions than answers. …More

Spells & Sleeping Bags
By Mlynowski, Sarah
2008-04 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
9780385733885 CHECK CATALOG

At long last, Rachel's powers have arrived and she's a bona fide witch. And it's happened just in time. No Manhattan for her this summer--she's spending her vacation at Camp Wood Lake. But she's having some serious issues, in the latest Magic in Manhattan book. …More

Assumed Identity
By Morrell, David
Performed by Gigante, Phil
2011-06 - Brilliance Corporation
9781611061727 CHECK CATALOG

Filled with nonstop suspense and stunning psychological insight, this is the story of Brendan Buchanan, undercover intelligence operative and master of over two hundred false identities: a man force to assume the most elusive and treacherous identity of all a " his own. Tracking the most devastating conspiracy he has ever encountered, trapped by his love for two enigmatic, beautiful women, he will race through a sinister labyrinth of intrigue to a shattering rendezvous with fatea ]in a novel that not only offers a brilliant, action-packed plot and fascinating characters, but asks daring, provocative questions about our own identities as well. …More

A World Without Heroes
By Mull, Brandon
2011-03 - Aladdin Paperbacks
9781416997924 CHECK CATALOG

Jason Walker falls through a tunnel at the zoo and ends up in a new, utterly foreign world, a world with no heroes and no hope. Jason finds himself faced with the prospect of becoming the hero he never imagined he could be. …More

Witch & Wizard: The Fire
By Patterson, James
Author Dembowski, Jill
Read by Wood, Elijah
2011-12 - Hachette Audio
9781611139853 CHECK CATALOG

Torn from their family and slammed into prison, a brother and sister must rediscover their supernatural powers in order to save themselves, their parents, and the world. …More

The Tragedy of Arthur
By Phillips, Arthur
2011-04 - Random House
9781400066476 CHECK CATALOG

From the acclaimed author of "The Song Is You" comes an emotional and cerebral tour de force that features a lost play by William Shakespeare: "The Tragedy of Arthur." …More

The Indigo Notebook
By Resau, Laura
Read by Eyre, Justine
2009-10 - Listening Library
9780307579799 CHECK CATALOG

The first in an exciting new series by the acclaimed author of "Red Glass" follows Zeeta and her free-spirited mother, Layla, as they move from country to country. This summer they're in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. …More

Heroes of Olympus, The, Book Two: The Son of Neptune
By Riordan, Rick
2011-10 - Hyperion Books
9781423140597 CHECK CATALOG

Three demigods named Jason, Piper, and Leo made their first visit to Camp Half-Blood, where they inherited a quest. But who are the other four mentioned in the prophesy? The answer may lie in another camp miles away, where a new camper has shown up and appears to be the son of Neptune, god of the sea. 384 pp. (Children's - Young Adult) …More

Hotel Vendome
By Steel, Danielle
Read by Stella, Fred
2011-11 - Brilliance Corporation
9781423388326 CHECK CATALOG

After his wife leaves him for another man, Hugues Martin's life revolves solely around two things ? the celebrated five-star hotel he owns and manages in New York City and his daughter Heloise. At four, Heloise becomes the only woman in her father's life; by seven, she is the undisputed queen of the Hotel Vendome. And as the years pass, despite her mother's abandonment, she basks in her father's love, the devotion of the hotel's staff, and the affection of its guests. But their little world is transformed forever when Heloise moves to France for hotel school and Hugues meets his match in Natalie Peterson, a woman who understands him and his love for the Vendome. Is there room in their lives for Natalie, or will her intrusion ruin their special bond? A novel about second chances and learning to trust again, Hotel Vendome is Danielle Steel at her best. …More

Promises to Keep
By Tatlock, Ann
2011-02 - Bethany House Publishers
9780764208096 CHECK CATALOG

In the face of difficulty, new acquaintances must overcome their differences to help and protect each other in this contemporary story from an award-winning author …More

The Athena Project: A Thriller
By Thor, Brad
Read by Marvel, Elizabeth
2010-11 - Simon & Schuster Audio
9781442335806 CHECK CATALOG

Tucked away in a remote corner of North Carolina's Fort Bragg, behind rows of razor wire and heavily armed guards, lies the headquarters of the nation's most elite counter-terrorism unit--the United States Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta. Here, a brilliant new approach to combating terrorism has just been born. Its codename: The Athena Project. …More

Snowfall at Willow Lake
By Wiggs, Susan
Read by Bean, Joyce
2009-01 - Brilliance Corporation
9781423351849 CHECK CATALOG

International lawyer Sophie Bellamy has dedicated her life to helping people in war-torn countries. But when she survives a hostage situation, she remembers what matters most - the children she loves back home. Haunted by regrets, she returns to the idyllic Catskills village of Avalon on the shores of Willow Lake, determined to repair the bonds with her family.
There Sophie discovers the surprising rewards of small-town life - including an unexpected passion for Noah Shepherd, the local veterinarian. Noah has a healing touch for anything with four legs, but hea (TM)s never had any luck with women - until Sophie.
Snowfall at Willow Lake speaks from the heart about all the loves that fill a womana (TM)s life, and all the ways that love is tested and made to grow. Ita (TM)s the story of what comes after a woman survives an unspeakable horror and finds her way home, to healing and redemption and a new chance at happiness. …More

D.C. Dead
By Woods, Stuart
2011-12 - Putnam Adult
9780399157660 CHECK CATALOG

After a shocking loss, Stone Barrington is at loose ends, unsure if he wants to stay in New York and continue his work as a partner at Woodman & Weld. It comes as a welcome relief when he's summoned to Washington, D.C., by President Will Lee. The president has a special operation that calls for Stone's unique skill set, and it's a mission that will reunite him with his former partner in bed and in crime, Holly Barker. …More

People Magazine Top Ten Books

2011-12-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes, (RH/Knopf)
Bossypants, Tina Fey, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Hachette Audio)
Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe, (Macmillan/Holt; Macmillan Audio)
The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson (HarperCollins/Ecco)
Then Again, Diane Keaton, (RH/Random House; RH Audio)
The Stranger’s Child, Alan Hollinghurst, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio)
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson, (S&S; S&S Audio; Large print, Thorndike; Spanish Edition, RH/Vintage Books)
State of Wonder, Ann Patchett (Harper; Recorded Books; HarperLuxe; HarperAudio)
In Zanesville, Jo Ann Beard, (Hachette/Little, Brown; Audio, Dreamscape)
The Paris Wife, Paula McLain (RH/Ballantine; Audio; Random House and Books On Tape)

Storytime Review

2011-12-15T08:00:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas to All!

Many thanks to all our Story time students from this session, they have been fun to teach. Our final week we talked about Christmas and Santa Claus. There are so many fun Christmas books in our collection I had a hard time settling on the ones that I wanted to use, but here are the few that made the cut. Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood, Counting Christmas by Karen Katz, The Three Bears Christmas by Kathy Duval, Merry Christmas Splat! by Rob Scotton and Where's Prancer? by Syd Hoff. My favorite of the bunch was The Three Bears Christmas because all of the children know the original and it is a fun twist on that classic. I also really like the author of Where's Prancer, Syd Hoff, he is a classic children's author whose books always bring a smile.

We sang a fun song about Santa to the tune of London Bridge:
Guess who's beard is long and white.
Long and white
Guess who's beard is long and white.
Dear old Santa!
(alternate verses about boots, shiny and black, tummy that is big and fat, hat is pointy and red, eyes are sparkly bright and many others) We did actions to match the words of each verse.

We also sang Jingle Bells and each child got to hold and ring their own bell. We also used the bells to do the dance, Ring those Bells from the CD, H.U.M All Year by Carole Peterson. We played a game similar to Duck Duck Goose called Santa put the present down! I wrapped an empty box to use with this game and the children would take turns playing Santa. We would chant Santa, Santa walk around, put that present down! The child who was Santa would then set the "present" down behind one of the children in the circle and they would run around the circle to see who would have to be Santa next. Some of the children had played this type of game before but for many it was a new concept so we had to have lots of parent help. Thanks to our moms and grandmas for jumping in to help us play! The older classes also played a guessing game where we shook a gift box and tried to guess what the present inside could be. I had some fun guesses from snowman to snowballs. We hid things in there like toy cars or mini frisbees. Once I put a rock in the box and we talked about what would be a good gift and what would not be a good gift.

We made some cute paper plate Santa masks using red paper triangles for hats and decorated with cotton balls. This was our final class of the session and will now have a short break for Christmas and New Year's then we will register for our next session on January 10th at 10:30 a.m.

Michele, Children's Librarian

Most popular Young People's book?

2011-12-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

The book lovers’ social network site, Good Reads, polled their users for the Goodreads Choice Awards. The YA dystopian novel, Divergent by Veronica Roth, HarperCollins/Katherine Tegan, is the Favorite Book of 2011, with over 10,000 votes. That must be good news to Summit, the studio currently developing it for the big screen (a rundown of the many dystopian books to movies in the works is available at http://www.nextmovie.com/ A sequel, Insurgent, is coming in May.

Giving In A Season Of Giving.

2011-12-09T00:12:00.001-07:00

Giving in a season of giving

Thank a Worker

The invisible ones.

The guys who pick up your garbage. The custodian who cleans up the school. The bus driver. The kid who gathers the grocery carts. Your mail carrier.

I got this idea from another blogger that I follow. Thanks, Lyric!

What ideas do you have for ways to thank them. I'm thinking of standing out when our garbage truck driver comes through and handing him a gift. They drive by in the big robot trucks so the driver doesn't usually get out of the truck... I'd have to get his attention some how.

It's so much fun to see them think of little ideas they can do to make someone feel better. My husband is a teacher. He gets little Christmas gifts from his students. What about giving a little gift to the secretaries, the custodian, the woman who copies for all the teachers. Don't these workers need a little lift at this season of giving, just as much as the teachers.

Join me and try to give a kind word, a compliment, or a small gift to say thank you to someone who usually is not thanked in this season of giving.

Storytime Review

2011-12-08T08:00:00.012-07:00

It's Still Snowing in the Library!

Our second week using a snow theme was as fun as our first. Our topic leaned more toward snowmen this week as we read, Snowball Soup by Mercer Mayer, Penelope in Winter by Anne Gutman, There was a Cold Lady who Swallowed some Snow! by Lucille Colandro, Hello Snow by Hope Vestergaard and Snow by Roy McKie. We created a paper plate snowman using accessories like scarves, pom pom ear muffs and paper carrot noses. Twisted chenille stems made the "stick" arms for our snowmen. My favorite part was the faces drawn on by the kids, not only were they cute but made each snowman unique.

One of the best activities this week was the magic snowman who changes color. We would recite the following:

I'm a little snowman

Short and fat
I can change color
When you clap!
I used a manila mailing envelope and cut out a snowman shape then laminated over the cutout. I added about 8 sheets of colored paper behind the cutout, inside the envelope. Starting with white we repeated the poem and when the children clapped I would pull out the top sheet, making the snowman change color. This was a hit! The kids liked guessing what color the snowman would be next. When the snowman turned yellow one of the boys said in a most serious voice, "You shouldn't eat the yellow snow!". This caused many chuckles from the parents at the back of the room. I included the snowman in the photo this week so you can see how easy it was to make. I added the details like the hat and carrot nose and buttons from a clip art snowman.

We sang I'm a little snowman to the tune of I'm a little teapot and Hat, Whiskers, Belt and Boots to the tune of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. The older class also played a game with a snowflake and a sun stick puppet. I would say an activity and we would hold up either the snowflake or the sun depending which season you would do the activity in. Skiing, Sledding, and Ice Skating were all examples of things to do in winter. Visiting the beach, going barefoot, and running through the sprinkler were examples of things to do when it is warmer. Some things like going to the library, riding in the car, and watching TV were examples of things you do in both types of weather.

Next week: Christmas

Michele, Children's Librarian

1940 Census

2011-12-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Archives.com has joined in partnership with the National Archives of the United States to provide the public with free digital access to the 1940 Federal Population Census beginning on April 2, 2012. In close collaboration with the National Archives, Archives.com will build a website for researchers to browse, view, and download images from the 1940 Census, the most important collection of newly released U.S. genealogy records in a decade.

Archives.com is pleased to contribute to this momentous project, allowing researchers to digitally access the latest release of the U.S. Federal Population Census, the ultimate resource for family historians, at no cost. Census day occurred April 1, 1940 and due to the 72-year privacy restriction these records will be available to the public for the first time in 2012.

The 1940 Census will be available to the public April 2, 2012 at 9:00 AM (Eastern Daylight Time) on a new website created in collaboration between Archives.com and the National Archives. The collection will consist of 3.8 million images that the National Archives scanned from over four thousand rolls of microfilm. Public access to the images will not require payment or registration, and will be available to any person with Internet access. The name and web address of the website will be announced at a later date.

Learn more about the project at http://www.archives.com/1940census

A Rule of Law : Our Annual Adult Book Discussion Group.

2011-12-06T12:17:00.001-07:00

RULE OF LAW

Join university professors as they lead class discussions on these timely books which discuss the Constitution of the United States and the workings of the American court system. These classes are free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 7 p.m. A Time to Kill: a Novel by John Grisham. Led by: Dr. Sally Shigley, WSU

Because he's lived in Oxford, Mississippi, Grisham gets compared to Faulkner, but he's really got the lean style and fierce folk moralism of John Steinbeck. This addictive tale of a young lawyer defending a black Vietnam War hero who kills the white druggies who raped his child in tiny Clanton, Mississippi, is John Grisham's first novel, and his favorite of his first six. He polished it for three years and every detail shines like pebbles at the bottom of a swift, sunlit stream. Grisham is a born legal storyteller and his dialogue is pitched perfect.

Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 7 p.m. John Marshall: Definer of a Nation by Jean Edward Smith. Led by: Dr. Kathryn MacKay, WSU

The most famous chief justice of the U. S. has been dead for 161 years, but his life and work continue to fascinate legal scholars, political scientists and biographers. Smith, a University of Toronto political scientist, is the most recent devotee. His endnotes and bibliography mention at least a dozen previous books about Marshall. Smith's version of the life is both respectful and a revision of the revisionism. He acknowledges his debt to the Marshall Papers, just as Hobson alerted readers to Smith's upcoming tome. While Hobson focused on Marshall's mind, Smith focuses on the externals of Marshall's life.

Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 7 p.m. Our Secret Constitution: How Lincoln Redefined American Democracy by George P. Fletcher. Led by: Dr. Peter McNarara, USU

By carefully analyzing the words and deeds of Abraham Lincoln, Fletcher (law, Columbia Univ.) successfully portrays the birth of a new constitutional order that emerged from the blood and bullets of the Civil War. This new spirit of cohesion reflected Lincoln's zest for bringing together the interrelated elements of a political entity toward the goal of a common good and a higher order. The values of nationhood, equality, and democracy complement and support one another, and the Gettysburg Address brings these concepts together in a way that crystallizes the proposed new scheme of things. Juxtaposing themes also common to the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as two Inaugural Addresses, and an element of spirituality intrinsic to the Declaration of Independence, the author chronicles the ups and downs of Lincoln's attempt to establish a cornerstone for progress for the post-Civil War era. Fletcher probes the extent to which the universal principles so revered by Lincoln and so inherent in the 13th and 14th Amendments would emerge in the coming years and would indeed influence the outcome of struggles between the banal interests of state legislatures and the notion of a legal order of a higher magnitude, akin to the English common law, in shaping the nature of citizenship, the rights of minorities and women, and, most recently, the rights of voters to select a president.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 - 7 p.m. America’s First Woman Lawyer: The Biography of Myra Bradwell by Jane M. Friedman. Led by: Dr. Kathryn MacKay, WSU

After she applied to practice law in 1869 in her home state of Illinois and was denied, Myra Bradwell (1831-1894) instead became a legal journalist, publishing and editing the influential Chicago Legal News. In this heavily footnoted and prodigiously researched study, Wayne State University law professor Friedman posits that Bradwell's achievements have been overlooked because her disagreements with feminist Susan B. Anthony led Anthony to exclude Bradwell from her definitive History of Woman Suffrage. Using her journal as a forum, Bradwell successfully agitated for judicial reform and women's rights, particularly the right of married women to enter the professions. She and her husband James, an attorney, obtained the release of Mary Todd Lincoln, who had been committed to an insane asylum by her son.

Thursday, May 3, 2012 - 7 p.m. War Law: Understanding International Law and Armed Conflict by Michael Byers. Led by: Dr. Brandon Little, WSU

When President Bush insists our military forces have acted in accordance with international law, many other nations disagree. This happens so often that observers may wonder: exactly what laws are they arguing about? To readers willing to put in the work, this dense book provides the answers. According to Byers (The Role of Law in International Politics), laws governing war have existed since the 19th century, but nations freely disregarded them until the adoption of the U.N. Charter in 1945. The charter itself, however, is still subject to interpretation. When Israeli planes bombed an Iraqi nuclear facility in 1981, for example, the U.S. insisted that pre-emptive self-defense was not sanctioned. By 2003, America had changed its mind. Byers devotes three chapters to the complicated issue of self-defense, and another three to the equally contentious issue of humanitarian intervention: i.e., whether it's okay to invade a nation to stop it from committing unspeakable acts, such as genocide, or to bring democracy to its people.

Thursday, June 7, 2012 - 7 p.m.

The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong. Led by: Dr. Kathryn MacKay, WSU

The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices -- maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising and making decisions that affect every major area of American life.

Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 7 p.m. Vietnam War on Trial by Michal R. Belknap. Led by: Dr. Brandon Little, WSU

Belknap's extraordinary analysis of the My Lai story skillfully explores the atrocities, the cover-up, and the political manipulation of the affair, and takes us beyond contemporary journalism to the complex history of what happened - and why. Stanley Kutler, Author of the Wars of Watergate; “I thought I'd overdosed on books about Vietnam years ago, but this one is terrific. It somehow manages to maintain its balance without losing its power to mesmerize. Vietnam junkies and novices alike cannot help but be affected by it.” John Hart Ely, Author: Of War and Responsibility: Constitutional Lessons of Vietnam And Its Aftermath.

Thursday, August 2, 2012 - 7 p.m. cby Anthony Lewis. Led by: Dr. Thom Kuehls, WSU

How One Lonely Man, a Poor Prisoner, Took His Case to The Supreme Court - and Changed the Law of the United States. A history of the landmark case of James Earl Gideon's fight for the right to legal counsel.

Thursday, October 4, 2012 - 7 p.m. Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice by Joan Biskupic. Led by: Dr. Sally Shigley, WSU

Before Sandra Day O'Connor's recent retirement, she was considered the most powerful woman in the U.S., exerting enormous influence as she operated from the center among the justices of the Supreme Court for a quarter of a century. Acclaimed as the first woman on the Court, O'Connor has nonetheless defied easy labels, leaving observers to wonder if she was the nonthreatening matron she appeared to be or as calculating as her colleagues. Biskupic, who has covered the Supreme Court since 1989, draws on once-private Court documents and hundreds of interviews to offer an absorbing portrait of a woman who remains somewhat enigmatic. Biskupic traces O'Connor's early lonely years on the Lazy B Ranch and her years as wife, mother, and Republican state legislator in Arizona. She helped her Stanford University Law School classmate and friend, William Rehnquist, prepare for his nomination and was herself nominated in 1981 by President Reagan. She quickly achieved celebrity status and found herself navigating between conservatives and liberals, activists and strict constructionists.

Thursday, November 1, 2012 - 7 p.m. A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law by Antonin Scalia. Led by: Dr. Thom Kuehls, WSU

Supreme Court Justice Scalia posits his views of how statutes and the Constitution should be interpreted; a noted historian and three distinguished legal scholars respond. Scalia, whom journalistic shorthand often renders the intellectual leader of the Court's right wing, sets forth the principles of what he calls “textualism” and others call “original intent.”

Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 7 p.m. Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View by Steven Breyer. Led by: Dr. Peter McNamara, USU

The Supreme Court is one of the most extraordinary institutions in our system of government. Charged with the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution, the nine unelected justices of the Court have the awesome power to strike down laws enacted by our elected representatives. Why does the public accept the Court’s decisions as legitimate and follow them, even when those decisions are highly unpopular.

Story time Review

2011-12-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

It's snowing at the Brigham City Library!

Well, it looks like snow but it was really white glitter. I usually avoid the sparkly stuff since it is so messy but what would a snowflake crown be without a little sparkle? We had a great time in our Story time classes this week learning all about snow and snowflakes. We played a match the snow flakes game with snowflakes made from different types of wrapping paper. We had red snowflakes and green ones and polka dots and stripes too! The children liked seeing all the different types of snowflakes we had. We danced to the Snowflake pokey and Snowflake, Snowflake from the CD H.U.M. All Year by Carole Peterson. The older classes also played another matching game to see if they could find matching objects, like pennies, inside plastic eggs. We talked a bit about "the same" and "different", some objects were the same color, some were made out of the same thing like plastic, and some sounded the same when shook inside the eggs.

We read a lot of fun books about winter and snow, Snowy, Blowy Winter by Bob Raczka, Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser, Snow by Cynthia Rylant, A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann, and my personal favorite is Dream Snow by Eric Carle.

Originally I had planned to make a snowflake ornament using wooden craft sticks then gluing on the gems and glitter. I was supposed to get 150 sticks painted but the weather was never warm enough and I didn't get them painted earlier in November when the weather was nicer. So at the last minute I decided on snowflake crowns, which were beautiful and easy since I have a snowflake pattern for our die cut machine. I had a bit of trouble finding the right kind of glitter. I wanted some that was really white and since my shopping options here in town are very limited I had to travel 30 minutes to Logan to the Michael's store to get what I wanted. Of course, the only day I had to get there was on Veteran's Day, when I had a day off. Our Walmart only had white glitter in a kit, and I didn't want to buy and entire kit just to use one color because like I said I usually avoid the messy sparkly stuff. I hope our janitor can get it all up with the vacuum!

Next week: Snowmen
Michele, Children's Librarian

Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-30T13:40:00.001-07:00

The author of the enduringly popular Dragonriders of Pern series died on Monday at her home outside of Dublin at 85, after suffering a stroke. Born in Cambridge Mass., she moved to Ireland in 1970 after the Irish government began a program to allow novelists to live there free of income tax. Her 23rd novel, Dragon’s Time, written with her son, was published in June. The next in the series, Sky Dragons, is set for publication next year.

Hone Your Creative Writing Talents in the New Year!

2011-11-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

Vintage Crime 1992, c1966

17 January 2012 at 7 p.m. @ the library Writing Group

The Big Sleep
By Chandler, Raymond
1988-07 - Vintage Books USA
9780394758282 CHECK CATALOG

Storytime Review

2011-11-24T08:00:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Our classes had a fun time this week talking turkey and reading Thanksgiving themed books. We read 5 Silly Turkeys by Salina Yoon, I am a Turkey by Jim Arnosky, It's Thanksgiving Day by Mary Packard and The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed. We also enjoyed Thanksgiving themed music including The Turkey Hop from the CD, H.U.M. All Year by Carole Peterson, Musical Spoons by Hunk-ta-Bunk-ta from the CD Funsies I. We couldn't leave out the classic "If you're Thankful and you know it" so we sang that too.

We pasted together some fun turkeys using toilet paper tubes, paper plates and feathers. Feathers and elmer's glue are not so good combined with 2-5 year olds but we did get them all completed thanks to help from the parents. Also, thanks to the library staff for collecting all those toilet paper tubes, we couldn't have done it without you.

The most fun we had all week was playing the "Catch the Turkeys" game. I had a basket filled with small bouncy balls. The children would count to three and then "call" the turkeys by yelling Gobble, gobble! I would toss all the balls into the air and they would bounce everywhere, then the children would hunt them, catch them and bring them back to the turkey pen(basket). It is amazing how much squealing and laughter we had while hunting our turkeys. Some of the staff wanted to know what we had been doing because it sure did sound like fun.

Next week: Snowflakes
Michele, Children's Librarian

Storytime Review

2011-11-17T08:00:00.005-07:00

We are Thankful for Veggies!
This week our theme for Story Time classes was Vegetables. We started the class looking at some unusual veggies and fruits like artichokes, persimmons, tomatillos, pomegranates and jicama. Most of these were new to the children, although a few knew what they were, except for the persimmon, some of the moms didn't know that one. I guess since they don't grow around here they aren't a popular thing with Utahns.

We read Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayers, Potato Joe by Keith Baker, Vegetables by Honor Head, Olivers Vegetables by Vivian French and Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann. I also told the story "The Turnip" using the flannel board.

We had a fun time doing some relay games with potatoes. Who knew that three year olds would be so cute trying to walk with a potato between their knees. I tried using the song "Please Pass the Peas" from Carole Peterson's CD, H.U.M.-Highly Usable Music but the concept was too hard for the preschoolers who could pass their "pea" or could accept a "pea" from their neighbor but couldn't do both at the same time. By Wednesday classes I had scrapped this game, in favor of more potato relay variations.

We made Indian Corn using crumpled tissue paper as kernels, they turned out bright and colorful. At the end of the day we sang our "goodbye" song. I love the fact that so many parents are coming to class now. A few years ago, they seemed to stay upstairs during class time and missed all of the cute and funny things that happen when you get a dozen preschoolers together. I think it's more fun when they watch and then join in at craft time. Many of them are also very helpful and will pitch in to clean up tables and chairs, for which I am grateful.

Next week: Turkeys and Thanksgiving, of course!
Michele, Children's Librarian

Holiday Books and NieNieDialogues.blogspot.com

2011-11-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

It is such a fun season to purchase new books because there are so many out there now on crafts, decorating, entertaining, and cooking for the holidays. Who has time to do all those things? It is great to look through all the ideas and think you might accomplish it; I am sure some people do (but not me).
Today I put a book into the collection "Holiday" written with Matthew Mead and one of the chapters includes crafts and recipes from Stephanie Nielson of Utah. Some of you might know her from her blog http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ Stephanie and her husband were involved in a near-fatal airplane crash in 2008 which burned 80% of her body. Her blog enabled her friends and family to follow her long journey back to recovery. Her scars may never heal, but Stephanie says it gets a little easier every day. Despite constant physical pain, she still manages to make lunches, bathe her children and celebrate life and love (and work as contributing lifestyle editor for "Holiday"). Take a look at a few of the wonderful craft ideas and recipes she shares in this book.

You might also want to check out Matthew Mead's website for patterns suggested in this book http://www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com/

Susan

2012 Computer Classes

2011-11-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's time for us to start thinking about what computer classes we should schedule for the new year and we'd like your input.

We have a poll on the sidebar of our blog if you'd like to give us an idea of what you'd like to see taught. You may choose as many topics as you'd like.

If there's anything you're interested seeing on our list of classes that is not currently there, please put your suggestion in a comment to this post. We'd love to hear from you!

Native American Languages

2011-11-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

OUR MOTHER TONGUES
http://ourmothertongues.org/Home.aspx

- LANGUAGE MAP: Explore Native American language programs from Alaska to North Carolina.
- VOICES: Meet heroic American Indian first-language speakers and teachers, and hear from dedicated second-language learners.
- SEND ePOSTCARD: Send an e-greeting in a Native American language to entertain friends and raise awareness about America's indigenous languages and the people striving to save them.
- VIDEO CLIPS: View additional footage from We Still Live Here; learn about cultural clues embedded in languages, and hear from American Indian leaders about the importance of learning
one's mother tongue.
- BLOG: Read stories and share your own.

Storytime Review

2011-11-10T08:00:00.002-07:00

This week we talked about scarecrows in our preschool Story Time classes. This topic seemed like a good idea at the time I was writing lesson plans. I found enough stories about scarecrows and they were both easy to read and nicely illustrated. The problem I found, on Tuesday morning, was that 2-3 year olds don't really know what a scarecrow is. The older class got it a little better but I still had to explain that a scarecrow is like a big doll stuffed with hay and that a farmer hangs it outside to protect his crop. I have honestly never had this problem before. The next problem was that none of the children knew what a crow is. I spent several minutes showing a picture of a crow, talking about what they like to eat and then teaching the children that a crow says, "Caw, caw!" This seemed ridiculous but was necessary if we were to be successful in following through with our theme. Which really at that point I had no choice because what does one do if the audience doesn't get it. No time to rethink, the books are already pulled, the craft supplies already purchased and the finger plays already practiced.

So after our short tutorial we read the following: At the End of the Garden by Penny Dolan, The Shy Scarecrow by Mary Packer, The Lazy Scarecrow by Jillian Powell, Scarecrows New Clothes by Lisa Thiesing, The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown and Crow by Leo Timmers. This last book I added after the first class because it shows a crow and is a nice funny story about a crow that hopefully the children could at least understand.

Since the scarecrows often had a hat in the stories we read, we also sang the song, I Like My Hat by Carole Peterson. This activity was the hit of the day as the children did the actions and I placed a large sombrero in locations other than my head as sung in the song. The favorites were the hat on my face and on my bottom. Both of which caused gales of laughter.

We made a cute paper bag puppet of a scarecrow complete with "straw" sticking out. We also sang the song, 5 Black Shiny Crows, which is a take off on the classic 5 Green Speckled Frogs.

Ironically, as I drove home for lunch after the final class I spied a murder of about 40 crows along the roadside.

Next week: Vegetables, which hopefully the children are all familiar with!

Michele, Children's Librarian

Intermountain Indian School Continued

2011-11-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Continued from the thesis "The Intermountain Indian School" by Lewis A. Williams 1991

Watkins proposed to transform the abandoned Bushnell hospital in to a Navajo boarding school for 4,000. "A 2,000 student facility was subsequently accepted. By May, 1949, Congress approved $3,750,000 for remodeling.

January 1950, the "world's largest boarding school" opened to 520 pupils. Because most of these first students had little or no education and spoke no English, the curriculum reflected these most pressing needs. Vocational training became the second strongest emphasis. The major goal, however,was to educate the Indians to participate in American life and offer tools for success.

The Intermountain School operated as a Navajo boarding school until the early 1970's. The Navajo Nation made several threats to close the school and retain the federal expenditures to educate students on the reservation. At the same time Brigham City officials fought to keep the school viable and against the Navajo's wishes offered to open enrollment to all tribes.

In August, 1974, members of 27 different tribes, including Navajos, were in attendance. Trouble erupted. For three consecutive nights in February, 1975, rioting occurred between Navajo and non-Navajo students. The situation quieted, but the school's status was never secure after this incident. Enrollment decreased. These difficulties coincided with the inception of a new governmental policy for Native peoples: Self-determination. Under the administration of President Richard Nixon, this policy removed federal controls and allowed Indians to govern and control their own destinies. The trouble with this policy at Intermountain Inter-Tribal School was that all 27 tribes vied for power and self-interest. Mistrust flourished in this atmosphere, as did fiscal and administrative problems. The school closed its doors for good on May 17, 1984."

Lost Dr. Seuss Stories

2011-11-03T08:00:00.004-06:00

Today I received a copy of The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss. A collection of stories originally published in magazines in 1950 and 1951. This collection of lost stories was compiled by Charles D. Cohen, the world's foremost scholar and collector of all things Seussian.

An introduction at the beginning of the book is most educational about Seuss and his early career as a writer of children's stories. For example, I didn't know that one of my favorite books, A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer was written by Ted Giesel's first wife. She based her story on one he had published early in his career, Gustav, the Goldfish (included in the new book).

Did you know that Ted Geisel also had careers as a political cartoonist, in the US Army and as a animator and screen writer. Before WWII, Dr. Seuss did not consider writing children's books particularly important. But after seeing German and Japanese children grow up reading war propaganda literature, which he said was the worst educational crime in the history of the world, he developed a new philosophy about educating children through reading. A chance encounter in Salt Lake City with a toddler who could recite word for word the book, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose changed how Ted looked at the rhyme and cadence of his work. Since this small child could not read Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose he had learned the story by how it sounded as it was read to him. After his visit to Utah he had a new appreciation for the way his work sounded.

The stories included in this volume are some of the stories that Ted wrote as a way to promote reading by how the book sounded when read aloud. The illustrations whose color has been enhanced far beyond the limitations of the magazines in which they first appeared are a beautiful addition to the text and purely Seussical. Want to know more about this great cache of Seuss stories? Go to http://www.seussville.com/ and visit the video tab where there is an interview with Cohen and how this book came to be published by Random House. While you are visiting Seussville have fun with your children playing the fun interactive games there.

Michele, Children's Librarian

Intermountain Indian School

2011-11-02T19:05:00.000-06:00

For a little town, Brigham City has a lot of unique history. We get the most questions about the Bushnell Hospital and the Intermountain Indian School. Unfortunately, there wasn't much written about either one and when they left, they took their history with them. I was reading through a thesis given to us by Lewis A. Williams, written in 1991, called "The Intermountain Indian School" and he gave a short history of both. Here is a short excerpt:

"The Intermountain Indian School began as Bushnell Hospital, serving injured American service during World War II. Activated August 21, 1942 as a 3,377 bed infirmary, Bushnell also contained a prisoner of war camp. German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners served as "employees" in non-critical roles to maintain the hospital.

By January, 1945, capacity increased to 4,591 beds, a staff of well over a thousand, and admissions in 1945 alone above 10,000. Then to the surprise of Brigham City, government officials in Washington, D.C. decided to close and declare surplus the entire facility in June 1946.

Local businessmen and the Chamber of Commerce fought the decision vehemently. This four year old, fourteen million dollar facility was discarded by a decision to form a Veterans Hospital and subsequent medical school on the grounds of the University of Utah in Salt Lake.

What this 300 acre site had to offer was incredible. Three thousand-plus beds, over one hundred buildings, a new pool, a three hundred seat theatre, four bowling alleys, two gymnasiums, four tennis courts. four baseball diamonds, and a small golf course, combined to present an enticing package to prospective buyers.

However, repeated efforts to reopen or find other tenants failed and Bushnell remained closed. In 1948, Colonel Joseph Hill was finalizing plans to transform the facility into a coeducational military academy for youth. Apparently out of nowhere, Republican Senator Arthur Watkins of Utah, the "terminationist," entered the situation and "stole" the grounds from Hill a week before he was to seal the deal."

Stay tuned for more....

Susan

Registration for Children's Classes

2011-10-29T08:00:00.007-06:00

Free Reading Time

Don't forget that we will hold registration for our popular children's classes beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 1st. We will have 2 classes for Toddlers and a parent held on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Our Preschool classes will be held Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. All classes are just $1.00 for the entire 6 week session! Many parents have said that it is the best deal in town, what else can you get for a measly dollar these days. That dollar buys stories, poems, songs, fingerplays, games, crafts and much more at the library. Classes will run from November 8th through December 14th. Topics for our classes this session are: Scarecrows, Vegetables, Thanksgiving/Turkeys, Snowmen, Snowflakes/Winter and Christmas.

Don't want to deal with registration? You could join us at one of our popular drop-in classes. We hold them Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join us for 30 minutes of fun stories, songs and fingerplays. This ongoing series will be held throughout the school year, except for the week following Christmas on December 28th and 29th.

Did you know that you don't need a library card to take advantage of our storytime classes? So come in and join us. If you want to register for classes on November 1st, come early, classes fill up very quickly.

Michele, Children's Librarian

More Halloween Pictures

2011-10-27T10:59:00.000-06:00

Costumes included a wizard, Dora the Explorer, Pochahantas, A Cowboy and Horse, a Bear, a Princess Snowma, a Tiger, a Jack-o-Lantern and a Unicorn.

A princess, a Green Wood Fairy, The Green Lantern, Sleeping Beauty, Count Dracula, a Pink Fairy, Rapunzel, a Knight, Spiderman, Snow White and Bob the Builder.

A Cowboy, a witch, a Monkey, a Spider, a witch, a cowgirl Jessie, Sleeping Beauty, a Fairy, a Pumpkin, a Tiger, Sleeping Beauty and Sleeping Beauty.

A Cheerleader, a Princess, a Race Car, a princess, a Witch.

Storytime Review

2011-10-27T10:41:00.000-06:00

Celebrating Halloween at the Library!

Our sixth and final week of this Story Time session was spent reading Halloween stories and playing fun Halloween games. The children wore their Halloween costumes, which were adorable and very creative. The books we read this week included, Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach, The Little old Lady who was not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, Shake dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa, In a Dark Dark Wood by David A. Carter, and There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro.

We used egg shakers to make the bones shaking sounds during the rythmic Shake dem Halloween Bones book. This book features children dressed up as different fairy tale characters, some of who the children weren't too familiar with like Tom Thumb and Puss in Boots.

It was fun to watch the children roll a miniture pumpkin across the floor using a stick. Some children found that they could make it go farther if they just rolled it like a bowling ball. We also built a skeleton using a large poster sized picture of a skeleton that I had cut into puzzle pieces. We played a Halloween "Bingo" game where I gave the children a picture of a Halloween haunted house and they placed markers of different parts of the picture as I called out words like cat, bat or ghost.

Next week: Registration for our new session!

Michele, Children's Librarian

Hope Fox Eccles Health Library

2011-10-26T11:20:00.000-06:00

Do you have a health concern that you would like more information about? Have you had trouble finding resources or reliable answers to medical issues? You can get help finding those answers through The Hope Fox Eccles Health Library located off the University of Utah's hospital's main lobby. If you are in Salt Lake, you can stop by in person or you can call 801-581-4685, E-mail at healthlibrary@lists.utah.edu, or chat online using the Ask a Question feature at http://healthcare.utah.edu/hospital/library/

All patients at the hospital, their families, and the general community can now have convenient access to FREE health information, as well as the services of a professional librarian and trained staff. The library is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Author of the Sadie Hoffmiller Mysteries, Josi Kilpack, to Speak at Book Festival

2011-10-24T15:00:00.004-06:00

Join us on Tuesday, October 25th 2011 at 7 p.m. to meet author Josi Kilpack. In her presentation titled "Series, Sequels, and Serials, Oh My!" Josi will discuss books with more than one volume in a group of related novels as she talks about series, sequels and serials. Find out which is which, the pros and cons of each type, and which option might work best for you.

Josi Kilpack was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated from Olympus high school and attended Salt Lake Community College. In her early twenties, a voracious love of reading transitioned to the writing of her first novel, opening up an entire world of possibility she didn't know was there. Since then she has published 13 novels, the most recent being part of the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah where she and her husband try to keep up with their four children and life in general.

This event is part of the Brigham City Book Festival in partnership with the Utah Humanities Book Festival, a program of the Utah Center for the Book, a Library of Congress affiliate. This program has received funding from the Utah Humanities Council. The Utah Humanities Council promotes understanding of diverse traditions, values, and ideas through informed public discussion.

The Brigham City Library is located at 26 E. Forest Street. For more information about this program or other festival programs in Brigham City please call Elizabeth at 435-723-5850.