July 31st: J.K. Rowling's Birthday!

Watch the video below to learn about the masterful author, J.K. Rowling. Ms. Rowling is the creator of the smashing Harry Potter series. Happy Birthday, J.K. Rowling!

Behind-the-Scenes Look at Harry Potter in Hidden Harry Potter with Steven Frenzel!

Who isn't bewitched by the magic of Harry Potter magical antics and mischievous way? Join us tonight at 7 pm in the Friends Meeting Room when educator Steven Frenzel showcases hidden tidbits and little known facts about the boy wizard himself in his program, Hidden Harry Potter.

You will be hypnotized by this 90-minute in-depth  behind-the-scenes glimpse into the phenomenon which is Harry Potter! This program is perfect for the entire family!



Watch Steven Frenzel as he brings Harry Potter to life! (Photo source: Marquee Movie Presentations)



Pretty Princesses and Dashing Pirates at the Library!

We had a grand time at our Pirate n' Princess Party last Thursday! The delightful affair drew beautiful princesses and dapper pirates from all around. We ate a hearty snack of Oreo cookies, created magnificent princess and pirate paper crafts, read marvelous tales, danced to a whimsical under the sea dance, and so much more.

The following are a few photos of the splendid festivities that took place during this fabulous party!

Pirate n' Princess Party Tuesday, July 19 from 2:30-3:30 pm

Ahoy mateys and fair princess from 2-6 years! You are invited to a magical and swashbuckling Pirate n' Princess Party on July, 19th from 2:30-3:30 pm. Guests will be dazzled by the melodious music, dashing dances, glorious games such as pirate bingo and pin the crown on the princess, bodacious books, and cute craft that awaits them at this whimsical event.

Registration is required.


Please call the Youth Services Desk to register at 630-368-7734 
or sign-up in person.

Let's Celebrate the Fourth of July!

What are you doing this Fourth of July? Having a picnic, watching the fireworks, or enjoying the sights and sounds of a patriotic parade? Here are a few ideas to get the kids excited about celebrating America's birthday. 

• Create your own parade! Make instruments out of pots and pans and other household utensils, blow up a few balloons, cut up construction paper to create confetti and play patriotic music as you march through your home. 
• Make a red, white and blue fruit salad. Cut strawberries and blueberries and add a whipped topping such as Kool-whip for a delicious and refreshing dessert. 
• Go on a red, white and blue scavenger hunt. Have your child point out all the items in your home which are red, white, and blue. 
• Design your own flag using construction paper. Use a piece of red construction paper as your base. Cut stripes out of white construction paper and evenly space and glue onto the red construction paper. Cut a a rectangular shape out of blue construction paper and glue onto the side of the flag. Use tin foil star stickers for the stars. Glue onto a paint stirrer and proudly wave your flag! 
• Blow bubbles and as they pop make crackling and popping noises like exploding fireworks. 
• Read one of the poems below to get into the holiday spirit!

Fourth of July Poetry

Celebrate!

It's a day for parades and for clowns who say "hi!"

For loud marching bands and balloons in the sky. 

It's a flag-waving day! Here's a flag just for you.

Hooray for parades and the red, white, and blue!

We love parades. 

Night Sparkle

Splintering, scattering, like stars that are shattering, dazzling fireworks flash. 

Echoing, thundering, like cannonballs rumbling, fireworks...

Crackle and crash! 

(Source: Come To My Party and Other Shape Poems by Heidi B. Roemer)

Wordless Wonders: Great Ways to Use Wordless Picture Books

Did you know that there are many wordless picture books which are sitting on library shelves just waiting to be opened by a curious preschooler, parent, or educator? You may think what can I possibly do with a book filled with pictures, but no words to describe the plot or main characters plight within the tale? The answer is plenty!

 Check out these suggestion for using wordless picture books to spice up your story times or lesson plans:

• Write your own story using the wonderfully descriptive illustrations that wordless picture books rely on to get their message across. Give the characters and place setting a name such as Humphrey the Hippo or Sleepy Willow Woods, use verbs to describe what is happening in the pictures etc. Have children become illustrators by letting them draw pictures of their retelling of the story. You can write the words to their stories  underneath their illustrations just like in "real" picture books.

• Create a flannel board or stick puppets from the images found within the story and retell the story.

• Have children look at the pages to describe details within the illustrations. Prompt children to count how many birds are in the trees?, make comparisons such as is the dog in the picture big or little?, bolster color recognition through questions such as can you find any yellow things in this picture? The possibilities are endless!

• Have children put on a play using the exciting adventures found within the book's pages. They can make up stories and dialogues surrounding the characters which they can act out in the classroom or in the den. Homemade instruments such as egg shakers (plastic Easter eggs filled with rice and sealed with duct tape) or drums made from empty oatmeal containers are perfect for creating sound effects within the story.

So come on down to the library and check out one of these or many other fabulous wordless picture books!

The Treasure Bath by Dan Andreasen

A wordless picture book in which a young boy explores a creature filled world beneath the bubbles in his bathtub.

Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman

In this wordless picture book a boy finds a mysterious key which leads him on an adventure one rainy day.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.

The Umbrella by Ingrid Schubert

 A little dog finds an umbrella in the garden on a windy day. The moment the dog picks up the umbrella, it catches the wind and pulls the dog skywards. This is the start to a fantastic journey around the world. The wind carries the umbrella and the dog all over the world.

Chalk by Bill Thomson

A wordless picture book about three children who go to a park on a rainy day, find some chalk, and draw pictures that come to life.

(Source of Summaries: SirsiDynix Symphony WorkFlows)

Blackbird Pie: Story time for 1 and 2 year olds Theme: Dragons

Dragons, Dragons everywhere! Today the Blackbird Pie Story time was mad about dragons. We sang dragon songs, read some "fiery" tales, and had loads of jolly fun. Join us each week from June 27-July 18th for a royally terrific song and dance-filled story time extravaganza. Registration is required.

Here's a look at some of the songs we sang and books we read.

Books


There's No Such Thing as A Dragon by Jack Kent
Baby Dragon by Amy Ehrlich


Songs


Fly Dragon Fly
(Tune: Skip To My Lou)

Fly, fly dragon fly, fly, fly dragon fly,

Fly, fly dragon fly, way up in the sky.

Hop, hop dragon hop, hop, hop, dragon hop

Hop, hop dragon hop, hop, hop, dragon stop


I'm A Dragon
(Tune: I'm A Little Teapot)


I'm a little dragon, strong and stout.
Here is my tail and here is my snout.
If you get me upset, you better watch out!

I'll give you something to shout about!

Fingerplay (Tip: This would be a very fun flannel/felt board for teaching mathematics concepts such as subtraction)


Five Green Dragons


Five green dragons making such a roar.
One danced away and then there were four.
Four green dragons dancing around a tree.
One danced away and then there were three.
Three green dragons dancing around you.
One danced away and then there were two
Two green dragons dancing in the sun.
One danced away and then there was one.
One green dragon having lots of fun
She danced away and then there were none.

Story times Begin Next Week!

By Royal Proclamation of the Oak Brook Public Library, we invite you to our many grand summer reading programs.


We are especially delighted to invite our littlest patrons to our stupendous story times beginning Monday,  June 13th! Our theme this year (A Midsummer Knight Read) features a wide array of smashing programs with topics ranging from beautiful princesses to dashing knights.


To learn more about our Story times please view the information below.


Blackbird Pie for tiny tots (1 and 2 year olds) (Begins Monday, June 13th!)
Mondays at 10 am.


This program is easy as pie! Bring your little princes and princesses to this royally delightful story time filled with bountiful stories songs, fingerplays and jolly dances. We will definitely be adding some lively whimsy with colorful scarves, breezy bubbles and egg shakers.


* No Program will be held on July 4 due to the holiday


Days of Knights and Castles for Kindergartners, First and Second Graders will group together on Mondays at 7 pm for 30-45 minutes. (Begins Monday, June 13th!)


Join us for tales about knights, dragons and damsels in distress. A story-inspired art project will follow.


* No Program will be held on July 4 due to the holiday.


The Magic Wand  for preschoolers meets Wednesdays at 4:30pm  or 7 pm for 30 minutes. (Begins Wednesday, June 15!)


Listen to stories, join in fingerplays and songs and have fun making crafts. All children must have celebrated their third birthday by June 1, 2011 to participate.


The Magic Wand's story time next week will be all about castles. We will create a sandcastle craft complete with brightly colored flags and turrets.


There are still spots available for these enchanting story times! Please stop by the Y.S. Desk or call us at 630-368-7734 to sign up for these programs.


The more the merrier!

Registration is Required

The Loopy Coop Hens by Janet Morgan Stoeke

I am currently in the process of revamping this blog. I am placing all my book reviews by date within the "Book Reviews" section of this site.

Please see the June 1, 2011 The Loopy Coop Hens post under the tab "Book Reviews".

Thank you for visiting the Oak Brook Public Library Blog!

A Midsummer Knight's Reading Club Starts June 1st!

Do you love to read during the hot months of summer vacation? Why not join our Midsummer's Knight's Read Summer Reading Club? 


You can read any genre from mystery to fantasy and receive great prizes just for the pleasure of enjoying a good book. These clubs were created for preschoolers to teens.


Stop by the Youth Services Reference Desk starting June 1st and sign-up for this ir-read-sistable reading club.


For more information call Youth Services at 630-368-7734 or see our previous blog post for reading club rules: http://oakbrookpubliclibraryblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/summer-reading-clubs-for-midsummer.html