1000 Books for the New Year

In October we officially launched our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program.  We just want to remind you that this program is ongoing throughout the year and you may sign up for it at any time.  Additionally, if you have already signed up, don't forget to bring in your reading logs.  Every time you complete a reading log you get a prize!

Here are the numbers so far:

6 children have reached 
50 Books!

2 children have reached 
100 Books!

and 1 child has completed 300 Books!

Keep up the good work!

Recommended books are marked with a special sticker, but you can read any book you want!  Just be sure to mark it down and bring in your log so you can get your prize!  Check out the display in the front window of the Children's Department at the library to browse through our selection of books.

If you do not know what 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is, keep reading to find out how the program works!

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What is 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten?

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It is a free reading program that promotes early literacy.  The concept is simple. Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track of how many you read. The goal is simply to have read 1,000 books before your child starts kindergarten.

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Is it possible to read 1,000 books that quickly?

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Absolutely! If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think!

The library will facilitate the program by helping you to keep track of how many books you have read and by handing out prizes as you reach different milestones in the program.

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Why should I participate?

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Good question!  Early literacy is an important part of your child’s early education.  Reading together each day will help them to prepare for kindergarten and the educational demands they must eventually meet.  

Dewey's Number of the Week: Greek Mythology

Dewey's Number of the Week is...

292.13
OR
GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Did you guess Greek Mythology?  If you did, you got it right!

Follow this link for 10 Facts about the Ancient Greeks, from National Geographic for Kids

OR 

follow this link to learn all about the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece!

OR

Come to the library and check out any of these awesome books!

Click this link to get our printable list of books about 
Greek Mythology!

  

Commenting

We have adjusted our settings so that people may comment on posts.  Please post in our comment sections!  We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
The Children's Department  

Dewey's Number of the Week

Dewey's Number of the Week is...

292.13

Tell us what topic you think this number covers in the comments section below and check back next week to find out what the answer is!  
We'll have a fact sheet and list of books related to the subject available.

Good luck!

Hint: If you're stuck, don't just look it up online, come in to the library and check out our non-fiction section!  Or ask a librarian for help!

FAQs About the Dewey Decimal System

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Who is Dewey?

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Melvil Dewey was a librarian who lived from 1851 to 1931.  He was so unhappy with the way the books were NOT organized in his library that he created the Dewey Decimal System.  This system is still used today in libraries.

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What is the Dewey Decimal System?

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It's a system that breaks the non-fiction books up into different subjects, assigning a range of numbers to specific subjects.  Each book is labelled with a specific call number according to its subject, so when items are put on the shelves in Dewey Decimal order, all the books on one subject will be together.  This makes it easier for us to organize the shelves and for you to find individual books when you need them.  If you want a book about dinosaurs, you will find all the books about dinosaurs in the same area on the shelves, regardless of who the author is.

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What is a Dewey Decimal Number?

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A Dewey Decimal Number always has three numbers to the left of the decimal point.  There is no limit to how many numbers can be after the decimal point.  The more numbers that are added after the decimal, the more specific the subject.  For example, a book with the number 567.9 will be about dinosaurs in general, but a book with 567.91290228 is about a specific dinosaur.


Source: http://library.barrie.ca/children/library/dewey.htm

The Polar Express

On Monday the Children's Department shared movie time with the adults!  Everyone watched the Polar Express together and had a blast.  Children received their very own Golden Ticket and hopped on the train with our conductor to follow the tracks that went throughout the library!  Check out some images of the event below and follow the link to see more!

View more images here: 
https://goo.gl/photos/wPmNXpCAxuwZsTAw7

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS OF EVENTS TO US!

We will share any photos submitted!

Email: bayportbluepointlibrary@gmail.com
(Email Subject: ATTN Emma Soper, Photos for Blog)

Search Box

New to our blog is a search box which you will see on the right hand side of the screen at the top of our side bar.  You can now use this feature to search for anything of interest on the blog!

Be sure to check out other blog features such as our printable calendars, which you can access by clicking on the tab above, or scroll down to read more interesting blog posts!

Thank you for visiting our blog!

Sincerely,
The Children's Department

Reading in a Winter Wonderland

On this first day of winter, December 21^st, we bring you a list of books about winter for children!

Let’s embrace the wintertime this year and read together.  Explore our list of children's winter reads below and uncover some new books you've never read before.  We have so many gems on our shelves waiting for you to check them out just in time for the cold to being in earnest.  Be sure to have a book ready for the first time it snows, so click on the links to find out if they are currently available in the library!

The list is also in a printable format (see below) so you can print it out and bring it with you!

1. The Mitten by Jan Brett
2. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
3. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
4. Snow by Uri Shulevitz
5. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs
6. Snowballs by Lois Ehlert 
7. Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II andJean Stoick
8. Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner
9. My Little Polar Bear By Claudia Rueda
10. The Snow Day By Komako Sakai
11. 365 Penguins By Jean-Luc Fromental
12. Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli
13. The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever by Rebecca Rule
14. The Kids’Winter Fun Book: Homespun Adventures for Family Fun by Claire Gillman & Sam Martin
15. Little Dog Lost: The Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic by Mônica Carnesi
16. Me Too! By Valeri Gorbachev
17. Over and Under the Snow By Kate Messner
18. Red Sled By Lita Judge
19. The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder By Mark Cassino
20. Winter Is for Snow By Robert Neubecker
21. Bear Snores On byKarma Wilson
22. Clifford's First Snow Day by Norman Bridwell
23. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
24. It's Winter! by Linda Glaser
25. LittlePolar Bear by Hans de Beer
26. Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
27. Penguins by Liz Pichon
28. Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson
29. Snow Bear by Piers Harper

Click on the link for the printable version: 

http://goo.gl/btvpUQ

Gingerbread Houses

There was so much fun to be had at our Gingerbread program last week!  Lots of families participated and went home with a creative house to display!  See pictures of the event here and by following the link provided.

  

Share some of your favorite parts of the program with us below in the comments section!

Click this Link for More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/qkiP3fUEjP4CXTUY8

Be sure to check out our printable calendars (see the tab above) or our newsletter to find out what events we have coming up in January and February.  

Be the first to sign up for programming in the new year.

Registration will be on Saturday, January 3 at 11:00am.

Tropical Reef Paradise

On Monday, November 17th we invited art instructor and naturalist (Jan Porinchak) to the library!  Jan spoke to the class about tropical fish and their coral reef habitats.  He also taught them how to create realistic sculptures of the fish and assisted the children in making 3D artwork of the tropical fish, coral and other sea creatures.

(Source: http://www.natureworks-illustration.com/about-us.html)

Check out some of the 3D creations below!  Using a variety of mediums, and photographs for inspiration, students put together these very colorful underwater seascapes.  

November is Picture Book Month!

 “…Picture Books can be great art and great art makes for a great people and a great society.”

– Tomie dePaola from his Picture Book Month essay

“Picture books open a safe, beautiful path to other worlds, when read and explained in the voice of loved ones.” 

– Rosemary Wells from her Picture Book Month Essay

The month of November is Picture Book Month!  Celebrate with us by coming to the library to check out a picture book.

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November.   Visit www.picturebookmonth.com to explore!  Every day in November, there will be a new post from a picture book champion explaining why he/she thinks picture books are important.  In this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love.  And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.

We have a printable bibliography of 100 Picture Books!

Follow this link to go to the full, printable version: http://goo.gl/TuC1rc

Join the celebration and party with a picture book!

If you have a child who is not yet in kindergarten, you may want to consider signing up for our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program.  This early literacy reading program encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before they enter kindergarten.  Prizes will be awarded as you complete different milestones in the program.  Call or visit the Children's Reference Desk for more information.

Tell us which picture book is your favorite in the comments section below!