Second graders at Old Trail School were inspired to create their own “Peaceable Kingdoms and Queendoms” by reading Common Ground by Molly Bang and Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. They were also influenced by the painting  The Peaceable Kingdom  by Edward Hicks.  The art will be on display in the Children’s Library through the end of May.

The Rainbow Catcher

The Rainbow thrower

Squints his eye

And hurls his colors

‘Cross the sky

While far beyond

Horizon’s gate

The rainbow catcher

Sits and waits.

For more poetry fun with Shel Silverstein, check his website at www.shelsilverstein.com.

As of 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting that 1 in 88  children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder.  In an editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal by Laurie Cramer, director of the Greater Akron Autism Society of Ohio, it indicates that this is a 23 percent increase since 2009and a 78 percent increase since a decade ago!  That means that across society, we need to support these children and families.  We need to learn more about the disorder and how to include individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in our schools, libraries and activities.

There is an excellent blog entry on why to invite children with autism to social events and what to think about when inviting that child to a birthday party or other social event at Good Friend, Inc.:

A few hints:

1. Ask what triggers the child has, such as flash photography or singing the Happy Birthday song.  Perhaps the child can step into another room at that point.

2. Create a visual schedule that includes the activities of the day such as playing games, eating and blowing out the candles.

3. Put the menu on the invitation to alert the parent to any allergy risks or sensitivities.

4. Realize that all children have their limits.  Don’t feel bad if the child on the autism spectrum comes late and leaves early, don’t feel bad.  His/her attendance is a victory for all of you.

Source: http://goodfriendinc.com.

Other good websites include:

Autism Society of Ohio at http://www.autismohio.org

Autism Society of Ohio, Greater Akron Office at http://www.autismsocietygreaterakron.org

Milestones Autism Organization has a calendar of Northeast Ohio Events at http://www.milestones.org/news_events.htm

Did you know that J.K. Rowlings’ new website and online Harry Potter world called Pottermore is open for business?  According to their introductory page,

“Pottermore is the place for Harry Potter fans to share and participate in the stories, showcase their own Potter-related creativity, and discover additional information about the world of Harry Potter from the author herself.”

At launch, the site allows visitors to experience and explore the first Harry Potter story, with subsequent stories unveiled over time. Pottermore is available to users in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish (Castilian).”

This is also the only place to purchase the Harry Potter ebooks as they become available.

You will need to register and then remember your password.  Let the magic begin!

www.pottermore.com

The Children’s Library is springing into the season with a special program featuring activities created by local Master Gardeners and members of the Gardeners of Greater Akron.  How Does Your Garden Grow? will be held in the Children’s Library at 2 pm Saturday, April 21.  To get children into the gardening spirit, here are just a few of the many books on this topic in the library’s collection.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss.  (JEasy, JBig Book)

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting   (JEasy, JToddler & JBig Book)

Helped by her father, a young girl prepares a flower garden as a birthday surprise for her mother.

How Does a Seed Grow? by Sue Kim   (JToddler)

Watch seeds grow right before your eyes! Readers can follow the fun clues and guess what delicious fruits will grow from each seed. With a lift of each foldout flap, kids can watch the seeds take root in the soil, sprout from the ground, and finally, make the fruits we love to eat!

My Garden by Kevin Henkes   (JEasy)

After helping her mother weed, water, and chase the rabbits from their garden, a young girl imagines her dream garden complete with jellybean bushes, chocolate rabbits, and tomatoes the size of beach balls.

Do you know a child who would rather play with the box than the item inside?  Then this book is for you.  Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is a simple book about the imaginative play that can take place with just a box.  It is dedicated “To children everywhere sitting in cardboard boxes.”  Just one line of text per double-page spread asks what Rabbit is doing with a box.  Rabbit keeps replying, “It’s not a box.”  You need to look at the pictures to see what Rabbit is imagining.  This book was a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book as an outstanding beginning reader. 

A companion book is Not a Stick.  Piglet keeps getting warned to be careful with that stick, but responds, ‘It’s not a stick.” 

Three picture books by Sebastien Braun for young children also celebrate imaginative play.  Meeow is a little black cat who plays with common objects from around the house.  In Meeow and the Little Chairs, Meeow and her friends make a train out of chairs, in Meeow and the Pots and Pans, she and her friends make a rhythm band out of pots and pans and in Meeow and the Big Box, she has fun with a big box.

Maybe these books will inspire imaginative play at your house!

Did you know that play helps young children learn skills needed for reading and writing? 

What skills are needed before kids learn to read and write?

Reading:

• Paying attention with their eyes
• Following objects with their eyes
• Turning pages
• Remembering things seen
• Following shape and color patterns
• Putting events in order

Writing:

• Eye-hand coordination
• Developing left or right handedness
• Matching
• Following left to right
• Following top to bottom
• Proper holding of utensils

Join us during April at a variety of play events, including:

“A Time to Play” Tuesdays in April, 10:30-11:30 in the Children’s Library

A time for children and adults to make friends, share stories, create and play together.  Hands-on, age-appropriate play experiences and materials will be available to children and their caregivers.  Recommended for young children and their caregiver.

For more play programs and other activities in the Children’s Library, click on this link for our e-flyer.  

Rabbit’s Good News by Ruth Lercher Bornstein tells of young Rabbit who wakes before anyone else in her family and peeks out of their hole.  The soft, pastel illustrations help convey the soft colors of dawn and brighter colors as the sun rises.  Rabbit can hear something, but she doesn’t know what it is. She explores the meadow and greets other small creatures until she finally discovers something wonderful that she must share with her family. 

Listen carefully as you drive along and you may hear spring peepers chirping from a pond or marsh, but what is making that sound?  In Peeping and Sleeping by Fran Manushkin, young Barry hears the peeping outside his bedroom window and asks his dad what it is.  His dad tells him to put on his slippers and they walk down the path in the dark to the pond.  When they finally turn on the flashlight, they find tiny frogs peeping in the night. 

What are some of your favorite books about spring?

Although he has been publishing books since 1994, French illustrator Hervé Tullet has burst onto the American children’s book scene in the last year or so. His first book published in America was Press Here.  Known as “The Prince of Preschool,” his books combine play with the book form. The publisher introduces the book like this: “Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next!”

Another creative book by Hervé Tullet is The Book with a Hole.  There is actually a hole in the middle of the book with black and white drawings that encourage children to use their imagination to fill that hole.

A recent addition to our Toddler collection is The Game of Let’s Go! Follow the fuzzy, green line and see where your imagination takes you!

These and other books by Hervé Tullet are available at the library.  Click on the hot links above to get to the library catalog.

Here are a few books to get you in the mood:

Catch the Wind! All About Kites by Gail Gibbons tells about two children who visit Ike’s Kite Shop and learn about kites and how to fly them.

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand is a simple story about friends making a diamond kite and taking it for a flight on a fine day, only to run into stormy weather.

Kite Flying by Grace Lin describeshow a family makes and flies a Chinese dragon kite.