Storytime at The Blue Bunny

I'm sitting on a Sunday afternoon, preparing for our 4th storytime event in eight days! What a wonderful and integral part of The Blue Bunny these gatherings have become. So many Blue Bunny friendships, with caregivers and kids, have been made through our regular storytime program. We've been doing our Monday morning 10:30 a.m. storytimes for years now, and have watched dozens of kids grow through toddlerhood and head out for preschool, only to welcome in dozens more, including the baby siblings of some of our graduates.

This winter we have been successful with our once-a-month Friday evening Storytimes. And this past Friday, we were so happy to share the stage with Joy Surprenant, whose non-profit group "Catching Joy" teaches young children the joy of giving by providing opportunities for them to share their gifts with others. Friday's storytime was a benefit for the Pajama Program (www.pajamaprogram.org), which collects new pajamas for kids living in shelters. Our crowd of kids and their parents donated 20 new pairs of pajamas, and after our "pajama stories" (Llama Llama Red Pajama was a fave!) they happily and busily decorated paper teddy bear cards to be given along with the pjs to kids who may need a little extra love.

We'll be doing more bedtime storytimes in the upcoming weeks. Look for news on our website about one on April 16th, and another special one on April 23rd, when we welcome Meena Kothandaraman as she shares her message of intercultural acceptance and respect among children with her book Can you say my name? We'll have a cool intercultural project to go along with that one!

Check out www.catchingjoy.org to learn more about Joy and her upcoming events. And join us any Monday morning.

Alaskan Author Debbie Miller Visits

What a treat it was to have Alaskan children's wildlife author Debbie Miller visit The Blue Bunny last weekend. Celebrating the publication of her latest book, Survival at 40 Below, Debbie was so gracious to us and the children we had visiting. She gave a great lesson to some very young listeners about the animals in Alaska and how they survive the intense cold during the winter. She also entertained us with her very authentic-sounding ptarmigan "calls" and wood frog "quacking."

Debbie's teaching skills were obvious in her attentiveness and patience in explaining the fascinating wildlife in her home state. Two thumbs up!

Witch & Wizard Review Isabelle Gilman

Which Witch & Wizard?
by Isabelle Gilman

Witch & Wizard by James Patterson
Brother and sister Wisty (Wisteria) & Whit (Whitford) Allgood never thought that there would be anything different about them. Living in the Overworld, life seems normal. The New Order (N.O.) is getting more powerful, and people start disappearing. Wisty and Whit don’t have time to think about the N.O., nor do they care about it. Life is complicated enough in high school, until one night. The night the workers for the N.O. burst into the Allgood house and claim Wisty and Whit are a Witch and a Wizard. About to be taken away, Wisty bursts into flames, not knowing how to control it. Once the fire dies down, they were taken away forever, or at least until they are executed, unless there is a way to escape. With the New Order against them will they be able to live, or will they never see their parents again?
James Patterson writes a suspenseful story, where you never know what is coming next. I like how each chapter changes perspective between Whit and Wisty. This story keeps you biting your nails, each time you turn the page. Although written in a current time, it is interesting learning about a completely different place, people, and government. This book would be great for anyone who likes mystery, fantasy, suspense, and excitement! This story is a good read and it is hard to put the book down!

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

The National Book Award for Young People was recently awarded to Phillip Hoose for his book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Colvin was a 15-year-old African-American girl in Montgomery, Alabama, who wouldn't give up her seat on the bus on March 2, 1955--a year before Rosa Parks' historic refusal. Watch Hoose's acceptance speech and get an emotional excerpt from the book. There is also a great short piece on YouTube that features Colvin.

A great local connection to this book: The book's editor, Melanie Kroupa King, is an active resident of Dedham, supporter of The Blue Bunny, and board member of the Dedham Square Circle. Congratulations Melanie!

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2009_ypl_hoose.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZOpqtdd8nw&feature=player_embedded

Goddess Girls Review by one of our Bunny helpers, Isabella, Age 10

Have you herd the names Athena and Persephone before? If you have you would know that they are two Greek Goddesses. If you have not heard of them then now you know who they are. Goddess Girls is two books in one. The story about Athena is called Athena the Brain. Athena finds out that when tough times come, friends can lead the way. The book about Persephone is called Persephone the Phony. This one is about how Persephone learns that friends won't get mad if you say your real opinion. You also learn about Athena and Persephone's family. The book are bout problems and how to fix them. Mount Olympus Academy is a lot like regular school. Although it does not have the same classes as we do it is a regular school is different ways. There is a bully, friends, and the people you take classes with.

That is all I can tell you about this book. You will find out more when you read it. I really liked Goddess Girls and highly recommend it.

by
Isabella
Age 10

These books are available Spring of 2010 for ages 8-12years.

Happy Birthday Blue Bunny

The Blue Bunny just celebrated its 6th birthday! A warm thank you to all of our super fantastic wonderful friends for your support over these years.

Recommending Grace Lin

While I am a long time fan of Grace Lin's beautiful picture books, her recent visit to The Blue Bunny (Oct. 17, 2009) prompted me to sit down this week and read her children's novel The Year of the Dog. What a treat for young readers! Written from the point of view of a young Chinese-American girl growing up in New York State, the book perfectly captures the day to day musings of an American childhood with an Asian twist. Partnered by small illustrations throughout the text, the book should appeal to young fans of Judy Moody, Ivy and Bean, and Beverly Cleary's Ramona.
Lin is a treasure, and her latest book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, has just been chosen as Al Roker's Kids' Book Club pick for December.