Library News
What brings readers together to read the same book, attend discussions, reader’s theatre, graphic artist workshops, wizard parties and more? The Big Read! “Travel to Earthsea with fantasy readers from Downeast Maine! Join us for the Big Read community events built around themes from A Wizard of Earthsea, the fantasy classic by Ursula LeGuin. In 1968, LeGuin published A Wizard of Earthsea, creating a fantasy world that rings true with issues meaningful to us today. Topics to explore include the hidden power of a man’s name, what it means to be a wizard, and the importance of home. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment of the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.” (The Big Read Brochure)The Calais Free Library will be hosting two discussion groups on Thursday, October 30th. One in the morning running from 10 am to 11:30 and the other in the evening scheduled from 7 pm to 8:30. This will give readers a chance to talk about the various themes in the book. Maybe you haven’t read a book in some time or haven’t found something that seems interesting. I hope you will join us for one or many of the sponsored events happening locally.
If Wiggling and Giggling on Fridays at 10:30 in the morning is not enough joyful movement, the library is hosting a brand new program earlier in the week affectionately called Tap Your Toes Tuesdays which runs every week (on Tuesdays!) and begins at 10:30 am. This is a great time for babies, toddlers, preschoolers to sing and to dance. We know that singing and dancing are not only good for little bodies but they also enrich vocabulary which lays the way toward reading success. Studies show that children who are read to enter school with a vocabulary of close to 25, 000 words and children who are not exposed to stories and songs enter school with a vocabulary of around 5,000 words. We encourage parents to take home lots of storybooks to share with youngsters.
This is a great time to choose some fun Halloween stories. Remember The Hallo-wiener by Dave Pilkey? The picture book is about a little dachshund dog that has big plans for his Halloween costume and ends up dressing up again as a hotdog. His friends make fun of him until his costume becomes a very handy flotation device. This is a silly story about friendship and about kindness and is another fun way to enjoy the holiday.
Have you ever wondered what kind of creeeepy craaawlies live under your bed? Elementary school kids can find out just that through music, stories, crafts, shadow puppets, and much more. Join us if you dare! The Creepy Crawler Club will be meeting on Wednesdays October 8, 15, 22, and 29th from 3 pm- 4.