What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in September

September 2, 2015August 28, 2015 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Did you know that September is Library Card Sign-up Month? A time to remind parents and children that a library card is the most important school supply of all. While you don’t need a library card to participate in our great programs, there are a lot of great things your library card can do for you, so don’t miss out!

On our program roster this month:

Mindfulness Workshop for Kids

Thursdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, October 1, 8, 15, 22 at 4:00 pm.

Children are leading an increasingly busy life with school, sports events, music lessons and more. So they also experience that rushed pace. Mindfulness techniques train you to pay attention to those things in the present moment in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner. This gives children the opportunity to stop and choose a response thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively. Parents/caregivers will be participating in this 8-week program as well through mindfulness exercises with your child and through a book discussion. The book Mindful Parenting by Dr. Kristen Race will be used to discuss techniques for mindful parenting. Register on our website beginning August 15.

SAT Preparation Seminar

Tuesday Sep 8, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Prominent language arts tutor, Ellis Ratner, will present this free SAT Preparation Seminar. This program will address all aspects of the Reading and Writing Sections, including sentence completion, reading comprehension, grammar and essay writing. Attendees will also receive, free of charge, an SAT Preparation Primer authored by Mr. Ratner. Please register on our website.

Bouncing Babies

Mondays at 10:00 AM

This new drop-in program is a special time to interact with stories, songs, rhymes, and lap bounces. This fun and interactive time features music, repetition, rhymes, puppets, instruments, and felt boards. A must-do for babies and toddlers! Ages birth to 2 years.Drop-in, no registration required.

Curious George Curiosity Day

Thursday Sep 17, 2015, 6:00 – 6:45 PM

Each year fun-filled, family-friendly “Curiosity Day” celebrations occur in cities around the country celebrating everyone’s favorite monkey, Curious George. Come join the Cheshire Public Library Curiosity Celebration full of stories and songs, and a snack even Curious George would love. This program is a family friendly program, best for kids ages 2 and up. (REGISTRATION?)

Fab Film Saturday: Disney’s Cinderella

Saturday Sep 19, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Come enjoy some great box office kids’ movies with Fab Film Saturdays at Cheshire Public Library!

Disney’s CINDERELLA (2015). Celebrate Disney’s CINDERELLA, a modern classic that shines with beauty, imagination… and magic! Despite being bulled by her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, a spirited Ella (Lily James) resolves to take charge of her fate. Add a royal ball, a Fairy Godmother (Helenal Bonham-Carter) and a glass slipper, and suddenly — magic becomes reality! Running Time 2 hours, 24 minutes. Rated PG. No registration required. Feel free to bring your own snacks!

Cigar Box Purse Craft Class

Thursday Sep 24, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Please join Vanessa Fasanella as she teaches how to make cigar box purse in this adult crafting class. Design purse and handles; transform a recycled cigar box into a usable purse. This adult only class is free and all materials will be provided. Registration required as space is limited so register early. Registration on our website.

Town-Wide Photo Scavenger Hunt

Saturday Sep 26, 2015, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Grab your friends, family, and mobile device for a scavenger hunt that will take you all around Cheshire! To participate, form a team that will fit in one vehicle, pick up a list of clues from Cheshire Library on the morning of the hunt, and drive around town solving each clue. Post a photo of each clue to Instagram and use the tag #cheshirehunt2015, then return to the Library in the afternoon for refreshments and prizes. Prizes will be chosen across several categories, such as creativity and number of clues solved, and by random drawing.

Pre-registration of teams is required. One team and one Instagram account per vehicle.

9:30-11:00 am – Clue pick-up in Baldwin Room (Instagram help will be available)

10:00 am – Donuts with Grownups Storytime on the Third Floor

3:30 pm – Post-hunt party in Baldwin Room
Please register on our website.

Donuts with Grownups Storytime

Saturday Sep 26, 2015, 10:00 AM

Donuts with Grownups Storytime is designed especially for working families with children ages 3 and up who can’t make it to our regularly schedule storytimes during the week. Enjoy crafts, activities, music, stories and of course Donuts as a family! This program is designed as a family event to give bonding time. Each session will also have a literacy building station to help young ones start building necessary pre-literacy skills or enhance those skills for older children. Best suited for children age 3-8. No Registration Required. This program will meet on the Third Floor of the Library.

Help, I’m Addicted to Sugar! (and white flour)

Monday Sep 28, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Are afternoon and evening munchies getting the better of you? Do chips, cookies and breads call your name – even though your good intentions and knowledge try to push them away? Getting over these uncontrollable eating urges can be a lot easier than you think, and it doesn’t even have much to do with willpower at all. This is a highly motivational presentation showing exactly why this “vicious cookie cycle” occurs – and most importantly, what to do about it. Seating for this event is limited. Please register online or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

‘Who Was’ Book Club: HELEN KELLER

Wednesday Sep 30, 2015, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

If you love reading books from the ‘Who Was’ series, than this is the book club for you! At the meeting, we’ll chat about what we discovered in the book and do one or more fun activities inspired by that persons life. No need to register – all fans of the series are welcome! Copies of Who Was Helen Keller? will be available to borrow from the Children’s Room.

Colonial Goodwife

Wednesday Sep 30, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

The “Not-So-Good Life of The Colonial Goodwife” not only makes audience members laugh and grimace, but it also honors our foremothers. It’s not about quilting bees and spinning wheels – it’s an interactive presentation about the little-known issues faced by New England’s colonial women.Enjoy a complimentary cup of organic herbal Women’s Tonic Tea as author Velya Jancz-Urban shares tidbits about issues faced by everyday 18th-century New England women. Seating for this event is limited. Please register online or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in August

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

The dog days of summer are upon us. Beat the heat and maybe even learn something new with our August lineup of programs!

Storytime at Cheshire Park

Wednesday Aug 5, 12, 19 2015, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Meet us at the Cheshire Park this summer for a special program in the park! Bring your lunch and we will read stories and have fun with our parachute. Look for our Cheshire Public Library banner. If it’s raining, we will see you on the next sunny Wednesday! All ages welcomed, but stories will be best for kids ages 3 and up. Drop-in, no registration required.

Builders Brigade

Wednesday Aug 12 and 26 2015, 4:00 PM

Kids have the opportunity to use their best creativity to design buildings, creatures, and more using LEGO and Mega Bloks. They can work alone, or in a team with peers. A different theme is picked for each session and kids can build on that theme or build a creation of their own. At the end of each session, we will put photos of all projects on display on our Builders Brigade Blog! Children ages 7 and under must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required.

S.T.E.A.M. Punks

Friday Aug 14, 2015, 3:00 – 4:30 PM

This program will feature a variety of STEAM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Math): mainly robotics, circuits & simple electronics, food science, zendoodle, tool box jewelry… you name it- you’ll just have to show up to find out what we’ll be doing! For grades 6 through 12- no registration required. The more the merrier- bring your friends, learn some cool stuff, and have a ball at the library!

Music For Kids

Monday Aug 17, 2015, 4:00 PM

Join Buzz Gordo (aka Gary Mezzi) & Tom Smith at a music program just for for kids and their folks. Buzz strums guitar and ukulele, while Tom keeps a beat that makes it easy for kids to dance around.Throw in some storytelling (Buzz has been a children’s librarian for years) and lots of movement and participation, and kids from 3-10, and maybe even their older siblings, will have a rockin’ time. No registration required.

Summer Fab Films: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Wednesday Aug 19, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Come enjoy some great box office movies with Summer Fab Film evenings at Cheshire Public Library! This month we’re showing Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Running Time 2 hours, 1 minute. Rated PG-13.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Feel free to bring your own snacks!

‘Who Was’ Book Club: STAN LEE

Thursday Aug 20, 2015, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

If you love reading books from the ‘Who Was’ series, than this is the book club for you! Our August book is Who Is Stan Lee? For all of those super hero fans out there, we’ll talk about the man who launched a comic book empire and have some “super” fun along the way. No registration required – all fans of the series are welcome!

Summer Reading Finale at ARTSPLACE

Monday Aug 24, 2015, 6:00 PM

Join us for our Summer Reading Finale hosted at Artsplace, 1220 Waterbury Road in Cheshire. Express your inner artist and learn new art techniques with Artsplace artists, play with art robots, and use our green screen to make funny pictures and videos. Light refreshments will be served during our Summer Reading Raffle. All Ages, no registration required.

PLEASE NOTE: this program is not at the library. It is located at Artsplace: 1220 Waterbury Road in Cheshire. CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS.

Apps in the Afternoon

Wednesday Aug 26, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Beat the summer heat with an interactive hour of apps! Bring your smartphone or tablet, and share your favorite apps while discovering new fun and practical downloads. Please register on our website.

Tech Open House

Thursday Aug 27, 2015, 1:30 – 2:30 PM

Do you have questions about your computer, smartphone, or iPad? Do you need help navigating Facebook or downloading an ebook? Let our tech gurus help! Bring your technology-related questions and curiosities to Cheshire Public Library’s Tech Open House. Our knowledgeable staff will be available to answer your questions and solve your technology-related problems. No registration required.
NOTE: If you are coming for assistance with your own electronic device, please be sure it is fully charged beforehand. In the event your question or issue is more involved, we may ask you to schedule an appointment and come back for one-on-one help.

Leather Craft Class

Thursday Aug 27, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Please join Vanessa Fasanella as she teaches how to make a wallet or bracelet, or other project of your choice, out of high quality leather in this adult crafting class . This adult only class is free and all materials will be provided. Space is limited, so please register on our website or call 203-272-2245 ext. 4.

Book Club Picks – Literary Fiction

June 29, 2015June 1, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

A selection of great fiction for your book club to enjoy.

A Spool of Thread – Anne Tyler – “It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon. . .” This is how Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate togetherness: an indefinable, enviable kind of specialness. But they are also like all families, in that the stories they tell themselves reveal only part of the picture. Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets. From Red’s father and mother, newly arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to Abby and Red’s grandchildren carrying the family legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, here are four generations of Whitshanks, their lives unfolding in and around the sprawling, lovingly worn Baltimore house that has always been their anchor.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay – Elean Ferrante – In this third Neapolitan novel, Elena and Lila, the two girls whom readers first met in My Brilliant Friend, have become women. Lila married at sixteen and has a young son; she has left her husband and the comforts her marriage brought and now works as a common laborer. Elena has left the neighborhood, earned her college degree, and published a successful novel, all of which has opened the doors to a world of learned interlocutors and richly furnished salons. Both women have attempted are pushing against the walls of a prison that would have seen them living a life of misery, ignorance and submission. They are afloat on the great sea of opportunities that opened up during the nineteen-seventies. Yet they are still very much bound to each other by a strong, unbreakable bond.

Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger – Looking back at a tragic event that occurred during his thirteenth year, Frank Drum explores how a complicated web of secrets, adultery, and betrayal shattered his Methodist family and their small 1961 Minnesota community.

Lila – Marilynne Robinson – Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church–the only available shelter from the rain–and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound security.

When I Found You – Catherine Ryan Hyde – While duck hunting one morning, childless, middle-aged Nathan McCann finds a newborn abandoned in the woods. To his shock, the child—wrapped in a sweater and wearing a tiny knitted hat—is still alive. To his wife’s shock, Nathan wants to adopt the boy…but the child’s grandmother steps in. Nathan makes her promise, however, that one day she’ll bring the boy to meet him so he can reveal that he was the one who rescued him.

Fifteen years later, the widowered Nathan discovers the child abandoned once again—this time at his doorstep. Named Nat, the teenager has grown into a sullen delinquent whose grandmother can no longer tolerate him. Nathan agrees to care for Nat, and the two engage in a battle of wills that spans years. Still, the older man repeatedly assures the youngster that, unlike the rest of the world, he will never abandon him—not even when Nat suffers a trauma that changes both of their lives forever.

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in June

June 1, 2015May 31, 2015 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

There’s lots going on at CPL in June: including our new hours and the start of summer reading! Take a look:

Just in time for summer – NEW HOURS!

Beginning June 1st, the library will be open 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM Monday – Thursday, and 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Friday and Saturday (Saturdays 9-1 in July & August).

Volunteer Vacations

Tuesday Jun 2, 2015, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Don’t just take a vacation, immerse yourself in vacations that give back & make a difference! Join Sheryl Kayne, author of several books including Immersion Travel USA, awarded The Society of American Travel Writers Foundations award for Best Travel Guidebook, as she shares with you amazing trips all over the US. Please register online or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

Is This Thing On? with Abby Stokes

Thursday Jun 4, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

The digital divide widens with the rapid pace of new innovations and gadgets. What is out there and how it might benefit you can be lost in all the tech talk. Should you buy a tablet or a computer? Stick with your PC or move onto an Apple? How do you maximize your searches and why on earth do people want to share on Facebook? Abby helps you understand what everyone is talking about and how to decide what might work best for you. Please register online or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

Online Marketing: Email Campaigns, LinkedIn for Business, Social Media Time Savers

Tuesday Jun 9, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

This presentation will be a practical look at best practices, tips, and tools for marketing with email campaigns, LinkedIn, and social media. Attendees will come away from this 90 minute session with concrete “to-do” actions that will help them be more effective online marketers. Please register online or call 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

Fab Film Saturday: Song of the Sea

Saturday Jun 20, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

From the writer and director of the Academy Award-nominated The Secret of Kells comes an enchanting fable about loss, magic and the love of family. Featuring the voices of Brendan Gleeson (Braveheart) and Fionnula Flanagan (The Others), The Song of the Sea is a “delightful piece of magical animation” (Mark Adams, Screen International)! Running Time 1 hour, 33 minutes. Rated PG. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Feel free to bring your own snacks!

Summer Reading Signup

Monday Jun 22, 2015

Summer reading has never been easier! Keep up your reading log when you’re at home and when you’re on vacation. Don’t worry about losing your reading record—just print it out when you’re done! See the Kids Page of our website for details!

Plant Science

Monday Jun 22, 2015, 2 sessions, 2:00 and 3:15 PM

Explore the growth, reproduction, special features and uses of plants through fun hands-on activities with local naturalist Eric Nelson. Please register online beginning June 1.

Toddler Dance Party

Thursday Jun 25, 2015, 2 sessions, 10:00 and 11:00 AM

Enjoy music and movement in this high energy program. Songs help children develop listening skills and pay attention to the rhythms and rhymes of spoken language. Clapping along to rhythms helps children hear the syllables in words and helps them improve motor skills. The 10:00 session is for ages 1-2, the 11:00 session is for ages 2-3. Children must be accompanied by a care giver. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Local Author Talk: America, Freedom and Enlightenment

Thursday Jun 25, 2015, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Cheshire author John White discusses his new book, America, Freedom and Enlightenment: An Open Letter to Americans About Patriotism and Global Society. Join Mr. White and your fellow citizens for a lively discussion about the founding principles of our nation, where our country is today, and what it means to be an American. Please register online.

Bedtime Math’s Crazy 8s Club

Friday Jun 26, 2015, 10:00 AM

Crazy 8s is an over-the-top fun math club that helps kids appreciate the math that’s all around them! Each session focuses on a math topic with an engaging activity: like glow in the dark geometry, toliet paper olympics, bouncy dice explosion, and a zip line zoo. The activities are designed for kids entering kindergarten through grade 2. Crazy 8s is funded by the Bedtime Math Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to putting the fun and discovery back into learning math. This club runs for 8 weeks. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED, but we will build on math skills week to week, so come to as many sessions as you can! Kids must be accompanied by a caregiver.

LEGO® Brunch at the Library

Saturday Jun 27, 2015, 11:00 AM

Enjoy donuts, coffee, juice and more in this special LEGO® storytime. We will start with a short storytime focused around building. Kids will then have an opportunity to use their best creativity to design buildings, creatures, and more using LEGO® . ALL AGES, NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Night Skies Planetarium

Monday Jun 29, 201, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Night Skies is a program featuring Mike Francis using Starlab, the inflatable planetarium dome and projector system. A remarkably realistic night sky awaits groups of up to 30. There is no need to worry about the weather, time of day or travel. The experience of entering the giant bubble fascinates. The excitement of being able to identify that bright red star from last night’s sky or locating an elusive constellation sparks the imagination.

Family Drum Circle with Garden of Beats

Tuesday Jun 30, 2015, 10:00 – 10:45 AM

Join us as we create a lively “Garden of Beats” with drum circle leader Conga J. With hand drums of every size and lots of shaky and percussion toys we introduce the world of rhythm to people of all ages. Drumming encourages creativity, community, individuality, working together, culture, self confidence, and coordination (to name a few). All ages, kids must be accompanied by a caregiver. Space is limited; register on our website beginning June 1.

Book Club Picks for Middle Grade Readers

April 17, 2015April 11, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Book clubs are starting to pop up in libraries and schools for readers of all ages. While book clubs are a great way to encourage reading and picking up books outside a reader’s comfort zone, they are about much more than the books being read. Book clubs are about fostering a sense of community, creating or strengthening relationships, and shared experiences.

If your middle grade reader is interested in joining, or starting a club of their own (or perhaps a parent and child book club is more your speed) they might be at a loss as to what books the group will read next. It is a common issue with adult book groups, so I am sure it happens with younger readers as well. Here are some suggested titles to add to the list of possibilities. Some are tried and true titles that you might have enjoyed at their age, and others are newer books that are simply wonderful. your selections will bcpaperboy depend quite a bit on the interests and maturity of those in your group, but this can help get the selection process started.

Paperboy by Vince Vawter
Taking over a friend’s newspaper route in 1959 Memphis, an 11-year-old baseball enthusiast struggles with a speech disability while attempting to communicate with customers, a situation that turns dangerous when he has a confrontation with a thieving local junkma bcgrimm n.

A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm, #1) by Adam Gidwitz
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering witches, devils, warlocks, kindly strangers, and other helpful folk as they take charge of their own happily ever after.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein bclibrary

Twelve-year-old Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of 12 children chosen to stay in the new town library–designed by his hero, the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello–for an overnight of fun, food and games, but in the morning, the kids find all the doors still locked and must work together to solve secret puzzles in order to discover the hidden escape route.Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
When a father runs out to buy milk for his children’s breakfast cereal, the last thing he expects is to be abducted by aliens, and he soon finds himself transported through time and space on an extraordinary adventure, where the fate of the universe depends on him and the milk–but will his children believe his wild story?

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Still looking for more ideas, or some great middle grade novels to read? Here are even more:The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Inkheart (Inkworld, #1) by Cornelia Funke, One For The Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Matilda by Roald Dahl, A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L’Engle, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1) by Roald Dahl, Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, The Giver by Lois Lowry, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall, Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff, Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff, The Mysterious Benedict Society (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #1) by Trenton Lee Stewart, Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton, My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath, Doll Bones by Holly Black, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate,Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee,The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald, The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1) by Jeanne DuPrau, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling, One Crazy Summer (Gaither Sisters, #1) by Rita Williams-Garcia, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.