Paper Towns Movie!

Good news, John Green fans! Before The Fault in Our Stars has even officially come to the big screen, it's been announced that Paper Towns is being made into a movie too! Huffington Post has all the information here. I, for one, am so excited! Paper Towns is one of my very favorite books. Ever! I even learned about copyright traps from it.

If you've never read it, be sure to reserve a copy now.

National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month! National Nutrition Month is a campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It's designed to focus attention on the importance of developing good eating and physical activity habits. The Washington Post has 8 ideas to help you and your family celebrate! Here are some of those tips:

1. Keep healthful foods in the kitchen so they're available and easy to grab. Even bring some with you on the go!

2. Make an effort to fit in fruit and vegetables. Keep some in the car for when you get hungry or start your lunch off with some raw veggies before you eat your main dish. You can also sneak them into your meals, such as diced onions, raw squash, and zucchini in spicy barbecue chicken nachos, or spinach into pasta with tomato sauce.

3. Eat more at breakfast. Americans tend to eat a light breakfast or skip it, grab lunch on the run and eat the bulk of our calories from dinner on through the evening. Your body will stay energized longer with your largest meal earlier in the day, and then metabolize better with less food in the evening.

4. Fit physical activity in so you earn your calories: walk, run, go to a gym, play team sports, use fitness apps or videos and burn calories by taking stairs and parking farther from your destinations.

For The Washington Post's complete list, click here.

Or, for more ideas on nutrition and health, check out some of the books below:

Kids:

Body Talk: The Straight Facts on Fitness, Nutrition & Feeling Great About Yourself! by Ann Douglas and Julie Douglas

Yummy!: Good Food Makes Me Strong by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

Food by Celeste A. Peters

Eat Right!: How You Can Make Good Food Choices by Matt Doeden

The Food Pyramid by Christine Taylor-Butler

The Monster Health Book: A Guide to Eating Healthy, Being Active, & Feeling Great for Monsters & Kids! by Edward Miller

Teens:

Body Fuel: A Guide to Good Nutrition by Donna Shryer

Ask CosmoGirl! About Nutrition and Fitness from the editors of Cosmogirl

The Scoop on What To Eat: What You Should Know About Diet and Nutrition by Kathlyn Gay

Food Choices: The Ultimate Teen Guide by Robin F. Brancato

Food for Feeling Healthy by Carol Ballard

Food for Sports by Neil Morris

Love Your Pet Day!

Happy Love Your Pet Day! Today is a chance to show your cat, dog, tortoise, ferret, gerbil, bird, or goldfish how you really feel about them. It's a day for treats, pampering, maybe a belly rub, and all the the attention that the little guy or gal can handle!

I love my pet! This is my sweet but very playful, 3-year-old cat, Benjamin:

Do you like to read stories about pets? Today's the day! Here are a few suggestions:

Kids and middle grade readers:

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Everything For a Dog by  Ann M. Martin

The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens

The Chocolate Cat by Sue Stainton

Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco

Wings by William Loizeaux

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

Julia Gillian (And the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee

The Leanin' Dog  by K.A. Nuzum

The Desperate Adventures of Zeno and Alya by Jane Kelley

Teens:

Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

Straydog by Kathe Koja

Stray: A Novel by Stacey Goldblatt

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt

The Fault In Our Stars & This Star Won't Go Out

The Fault In Our Stars trailer, The Fault In Our Stars trailer, The Fault In Our Stars trailer!

If you haven't read The Fault In Our Stars, put a copy on hold before the movie comes out on June 6th!

In related news, This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl came out yesterday! According to TeenReads.com,  "This Star Won't Go Out chronicles the life of Esther Grace Earl. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age twelve, she lived with the disease for four years. During that time, she befriended her favorite young adult author, John Green, at a Harry Potter convention. Green’s cross-generational friendship with Esther motivated him to write his New York Times bestselling novel, The Fault In Our Stars, although the novel tells a far different story than Esther’s." Read more about the book on TeenReads.com.

Award Winners!

Today The American Library Association announced the 2014 awards for the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Coretta Scott King(s), and the Geisel Award.

And the big winners are as follows:

The winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature is:



Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Four Newbery Honor Books were also selected:

“Doll Bones,” by Holly Black

“The Year of Billy Miller,” by Kevin Henkes

“One Came Home,” by Amy Timberlake

“Paperboy,” written by Vince Vawter

The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children is:

“Locomotive,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca

Three Caldecott Honor Books also were also selected:

“Journey,” written and illustrated by Aaron Becker

“Flora and the Flamingo,” written and illustrated by Molly Idle

“Mr. Wuffles!” written and illustrated by David Wiesner

The winner of the Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults is:

“P.S. Be Eleven,” by Rita Williams-Garcia

Three Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books were also selected:

“March: Book One,” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

“Darius & Twig,” by Walter Dean Myers

“Words with Wings,” by Nikki Grimes


The winner of the Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award is:

“Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me,” illustrated by Bryan Collier and  written by Daniel Beaty

One Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book was also selected:

“Nelson Mandela,” illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson



The winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults is:

“Midwinterblood,” by Marcus Sedgwick

Four Printz Honor Books also were also selected:

“Eleanor & Park,” by Rainbow Rowell

“Maggot Moon,” by Sally Gardner

“Kingdom of Little Wounds” by Susann Cokal

“Navigating Early,” by Clare Vanderpool

The winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers is:

“The Watermelon Seed,” written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, is the Geisel Award winner.

Three Geisel Honor Books were also selected:

“Ball,” by Mary Sullivan

“A Big Guy Took My Ball!” by Mo Willems

“Penny and Her Marble,” by Kevin Henkes


For more information on the rest of the ALA youth media awards and notables (there are lots!), visit the ALA's Youth Media Awards official announcement.

Australia Day

Did you know that today is Australia Day? Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, like our Independence Day (July 4th). It's celebrated on the 26th of January every year and marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Sydney Cove. Today Australians celebrate with family and friends, by reflecting on Australian history, and with citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants to Australia.

Want to learn more about this wonderful country? Check out one or two of the following books on Australia:

Atlas of Australia by Karen Foster

Welcome to Australia by Mary Berendes

Australia by Dana Meachen Rau

Australia in Pictures by Ann Kerns

Spotlight on Australia by Bobbie Kalman

Explora Australia y Oceanía by Bobbie Kalman y Rebecca Sjonger

Or try one of these stories first published in Australia:

Noni the Pony by Alison Lester

Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod

The Biggest Frog in Australia by Susan Roth

Layla, Queen of Hearts by Glenda Millard


Moonrunner by Mark Thomason

The Warrior Sheep Down Under by Christine & Christopher Russell

Happy New Year!

Yesterday was the first day of the new year! If you, like many other people, are ready to make some new year's resolutions, we've got you set with all the books you need to help you improve yourself in 2014. Here are some ideas:

Get more exercise:

Yoga by Elizabeth Silas and Diane Goodney

The Girls' Yoga Book: Stretch Your Body, Open Your Mind & Have Fun! by Michaela Caldwell

365 Activities for Fitness, Food, and Fun for the Whole Family: Super Sports, Great Games, Exciting Experiments, and Nutrition Nuggets by Julia E. Sweet

Exercise and Rest by Sharon Dalgleish

Keeping Fit by Emily K. Green

Fitness For Young People by Simon Frost

Go green:

Waste and Recycling by Sally Hewitt

Recycling by Neil Morri

Max Goes to the Recycling Center by Adria F. Klein

The EARTH Book by Todd Parr

Recycle This Book: 100 Top Children's Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green edited by Dan Gutman

Gabby and Grandma Go Green by Monica Wellington

 Get better grades:

Get Organized Without Losing It by Janet S. Fox

Make the Grade: Everything You Need to Study Better, Stress Less, and Succeed in School by Lesley Schwartz Martin

Super Study Skills: The Ultimate Guide to Tests and Studying by Laurie Rozakis

Beat Stress!: The Exam Handbook by Anita Naik

Dr. Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids. Grades 6, 7, 8, 9 by Gary R. Gruber

Test Smart!: Ready-to-Use Test-Taking Strategies and Activities for Grades 5-12 by Gary W. Abbamont and Antoinette Brescher

Eat healthier:

Healthy Snacks by Mari C. Schuh

Healthy Eating by Emily K. Green

The Food Pyramid by Christine Taylor-Butler

The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls by Valorie Lee Schaefer

The Monster Health Book: A Guide to Eating Healthy, Being Active, & Feeling Great for Monsters & Kids! by Edward Miller

Yummy!: Good Food Makes Me Strong by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

Read more (with some of our most-asked-for books):

Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-so-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce

Goosebumps Books by R.L. Stine

The Adventures of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Winter Stories

Burrr-- did you know that Saturday is the first day of winter? Even though we've had snow a few times already, it's still technically autumn. To get you in the mood for the changing season, is a selection of favorite winter stories made by me and a few other librarians I work with:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Duck Skates by Lynne Berry

Mice on Ice by Rebecca Emberly and Ed Emberly

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel

Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin

Stop by your library soon to pick up one of these chilly stories-- or ask one of the librarians for their winter book recommendations!

Melvil Dewey's Birthday!

It's Melvil Dewey's birthday! He was born December 10th, 1851 in New York. That means, if he was still alive, he'd be 162 years old today! In 1874, Melvil Dewey earned his bachelor's degree and in 1877, he earned his master's. But he's famous for something you, as a library goer, use all the time-- the Dewey Decimal System! The Dewey Decimal System is a library classification system that uses a three-digit number for main classes (such as "Earth Science," or "Dogs") followed by decimals as expansions for more detail (such as "Volcanoes" or "Golden Retrievers"). We, as librarians, assign a Dewey Decimal number to every book so that it can be located in the library and then returned to its proper place. This system is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries around the world!

Melvil Dewey is also known for other, less popular, library-related innovations: (1) the idea of the state library controlling the school and public libraries within that state, (2) the creation of hanging vertical files, and (3) The Library Journal, which we librarians still use in our profession today. As far as his personality, it's said that Melvil Dewey was "difficult" to deal with, establishing a pattern of making enemies, although he had a handful of friends throughout is life and also got married twice. Melvil Dewey died on December 26th, 1931 in Lake Placid, Florida.

Here is The Dewey Decimal Rap, which features a modern Melvil character himself, who explains the Dewey Decimal System for you!


For more, try checking out a book on Melville Dewey. Here are two you can reserve right now:

Melvil Dewey: Library Genius by Jill Sherman

Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey by Wayne A. Wiegand

Weddings & Hawaii

First, I'm sorry about the lack of posts lately-- I have been busy planning my upcoming wedding! I'd also like to apologize in advance for the month of November. I am certain that, between the wedding itself (this weekend!) and my honeymoon (Hawaii!), this will be both the first and last blog post until December.

That being said, for purely self-centered related reasons, I'd like to highlight some books for kids and teens that feature both weddings and Hawaii! Enjoy!

Kids:

Katy Duck, Flower Girl by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Barbie Wedding Party! by Mary Man-Kong
Just Grace and the Flower Girl Power by Charise Mericle Harper
Amber Brown is Tickled Pink by Bruce Coville
Grandma's Wedding Album by Harriet Ziefert
Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes
Donovan's Big Day by Lesléa Newman
Mikale of Hawaii by Maya Angelou
Ollie & Moon: Aloha! by Diane Kredensor
Calvin Coconut: Rocket Ride by Graham Salisbury
Olvina Swims by Grace Lin

Teens:

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan
The Bridesmaid by Hailey Abbott
Strange Relations by Sonia Levitin
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton
Name Me Nobody by Lois-Ann Yamanaka

Check out one of the books above and think of me while you read!

The Fault In Our Stars Release Date

The very much-anticipated The Fault in Our Stars movie has gotten a release date! Mark your calendars: June 6, 2014!

The movie, based on John Green’s novel, tells the story of Hazel Grace and Augustus, two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love. This YA novel tackles life, death, and love with "the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion." (Seira Wilson, Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2012). Hazel is sixteen and has terminal cancer. She meets Augustus at her cancer support group and the two bond immediately and then they fall in love. They discuss questions about living and dying, honestly and deeply, giving all of us a chance to contemplate some big questions.

The film is currently still shooting on location in Pittsburgh and Amsterdam and, according to Moviefone, is one of the fastest page-to-screen adaptations in recent movie history.

You can read the Entertainment Weekly article on the release date here. And you can read the Moviefone article on the movie's production here.

Here's a picture from John Green's Twitter of him with three of the cast members, Shailene Woodley (playing Hazel), Ansel Elgort (playing Gus), and Nat Wolff (playing Isaac):

For more exciting cast and behind-the-scenes pictures, make sure to follow John Green on Twitter!

Remembering Bernard Waber on his Birthday

Today would have been the birthday of Bernard Waber, a classic and local (to me) children's book author/illustrator. He would have been 92 today if he had not died this past May. He's probably most known for Lyle the Crocodile but is also very well known for Ira Sleeps Over. All of his books were favorites of mine as a child. Here is a list of his work.

Bernard Waber introduced Lyle to readers in 1962 in The House on East 88th Street. This book was about Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Primm and their son, Joshua. One day, they find a young crocodile in the bathroom of their new house.

"They take the animal in and, for the next four decades, Lyle would take readers on adventures filled with life lessons on acceptance, inclusion and the importance of enjoying the journey. The covers of the books sometimes suggested they were best suited for ages 4 to 8, but Mr. Waber’s understated wit appealed to plenty of parents" (New York Times).

 Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile also inspired two different musical adaptations: an animated musical that was shown on HBO and a theatrical musical staged by Theatreworks USA.

To me, Bernard Waber's legacy will live forever in the form of the HBO animated musical, most particularly, in the scene shown below. This isn't my video (and is the only one I could find online) but I watched this so many times as a kid that I'll have a spot in my heart for it forever. Enjoy:



"I tried to smile, but darn you Lyle, I would never leave you."

Bernard Waber was born 92 years ago today in Philadelphia. He briefly studied accounting at the University of Pennsylvania before enlisting in the Army during World War II. After the war, he enrolled in the Philadelphia College of Art, and in the 50's, he moved to New York. He worked as a designer and illustrator for several magazines, including Life, where he worked for 20 years. Casually, he created his Lyle character, but when he pitched it early on, the concept was rejected by publishers. In 1961 he published his first book, “Lorenzo,” about the adventures of a young fish. This was when Lyle was finally given a chance! The House on East 88th Street was published on August 13, 1975.

"'I don’t know where the idea came from,' Mr. Waber told The Times in 1995. 'But I always loved drawing animals. I especially like to draw crocodiles. I like the way they walk, and I like their eyes and their teeth and everything about them'" (New York Times).

Why not celebrate Lyle at home? This page has everything you need to have a Lyle party for children ages 3 and up.

Or check out one of his many, wonderful books.

Roald Dahl Day!

It's officially Roald Dahl Day! This day takes place every year on September 13th, Roald Dahl's birthday. This year (today), Roald Dahl Day coincides with Friday 13th, making it the perfect excuse for even more mischief and mayhem than usual. So this year, the day celebrates all the tricky characters that fill Roald Dahl's books, including George and his medicine, the Witches, and Matilda's parent-scaring tricks.

Want to join the fun? Click here for all kinds of fun printable activities, like posters, games, and activity books!

And, remember to check out one of Roald Dahl's wonderful stories at the library!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... the movie.

There's news on the J.K. Rowling front! According to this New York Times article, a deal has been made with J.K. Rowling to create new movies! And for the first time, Rowling will become a screenwriter!

Her movie, planned to be the first in a new series, is an adaptation of the Hogwarts textbook "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," a book that extends the world of Harry Potter wizardry to a different character named Newt Scamander. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world," says J.K Rowling. "The laws and customs of hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt's story will start in New York, 70 years before Harry's gets underway."

But wait! There's more.

Warner Brothers studio (who's releasing this film and who also released all the Harry Potter films) said that the agreement would also allow them to create new attractions and initiatives connected with its existing Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios. Also, in television, the deal also makes Warner Brothers the global distributor of a BBC miniseries based on "The Casual Vacancy," J.K. Rowling's first (and, as of now, only) novel for adults.

To read the complete New York Times article, click here.

Back-to-School Reads

It's time. The school year is about to begin! If you've got the fir day jitters, we've got books for you! Here are some back-to-school books that might help ease your mind on your first day:

Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten by Toni Buzzeo

Butterflies in my Stomach and Other School Hazards by Serge Bloch

Billy and the Big New School by Laurence Anholt

Cam Jansen and the First Day of School Mystery by David A. Adler

Amanda Pig, Schoolgirl by Jean Van Leeuwen

Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School by Herman Parish

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Don't Eat the Teacher! by Nick Ward

Or come by the library and ask the librarian for another great, first-day-of-school book. We've got tons! Good luck this school year, everybody!

12 Cats Who Are Serious About Reading (from BuzzFeed)

I can't resist reposting this gem I found on BuzzFeed this morning. It's 12 Cats Who Are Serious About Reading and it's adorable!

To view this article (posted on August 2nd), click here and enjoy a giggle.

Happy Birthday, Ann M. Martin!

Today Ann M. Martin's birthday and she turns 58-years-old! In honor of this day, here are 5 fun Ann M. Martin facts:

1. When Ann was born, she was the biggest baby in the hospital.

2. When Ann was 11-years-old, she fell off of a ladder while climbing down from her treehouse and had to have her spleen removed.

3. Ann loves scary books, and Stephen King is one of her favorite authors.

4. One summer, when Ann was a kid, she and her friends set up a library in Ann's room with lots of books for the kids on Dodds Lane to check out. They had due dates and late fines, too.

5. Ann loved writing about Karen, Kristy's little sister. She thinks that Karen is her alter ego, the kind of girl she wished she could have been at the same age.

For the complete list of fun facts (29 of them), click here!

I read SO MANY Ann M. Martin books when I was younger (and not-so-young), but if you haven't and you're looking to start, here are a few recommendations:

The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea

A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray

A Corner Of The Universe

The Doll People

The Summer Before (The Baby-Sitters Club)

Main Street #1: Welcome to Camden Falls

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

Woohoo! The new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book cover has been revealed!

A brief synopsis of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck" from the publisher:

Greg Heffley's on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg's life destined to be just another hard-luck story?

The book is due to hit the shelves on November 5th of this year. Less than three months to go!

For more on "Hard Luck," click here!

Happy Birthday, J.K. Rowling

Today J.K. Rowling turns 48-years-old! And Harry Potter turns 33-years-old!

Joanne Rowling (J.K. Rowling) was born in July 1965 in England. In college, she earned her degree in both French and Classics, and then worked as a researcher at Amnesty International. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed train trip (Manchester to London King’s Cross), and during the next five years, she outlined the plots for each book and also began writing the first novel.

Joanne then moved to Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. In 1992 she got married and in 1993 she gave birth to a daughter (Jessica). When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was published under the name J.K. Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, was added at the request of her her publisher, who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the target audience of young boys.

Today, J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children. Her latest book is her first novel for adults! It's called The Casual Vacancy and was published in English in September 2012.

Check out J.K Rowling's website here!

Don’t Pigeonhole Me: Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook

By now, we're pretty much all familiar with the works of Mo Willems: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and the Elephant and Piggie series. But did you know that before all this fame, Mo Willems published a zine? Parts of it, as well as other early-days doodles and comics by Mo are available now in a book called Don’t Pigeonhole Me: Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook. Be sure to put a copy on hold today!

Unlike the books that made him famous, Don’t Pigeonhole Me: Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook is not necessarily for small children. According to Disney, this book “reveals the author/illustrator at his most truthful, most experimental, most grown-up. Most Mo.” Sounds awesome! Plus, bonus: It features a foreword by Eric Carle!

For more on the book and Mo Willems' zine days (mostly an interview with Mo!), click here.

Or, click here for an exciting preview from Mo Willems' Doodle Blog.