Kids ages 5 up are invited to join us on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. for a fun, hands-on workshop with local poets Elizabeth Rees and Rosanne Singer. Liz and Rosanne will lead participants in using movement, brainstorming, writing and art to find interesting ways of thinking and describing themselves. Some participants might imagine the animal they act like, or the dessert that says something about their personality, or the color that captures their spirit. At the end of the workshop, participants will create a piece that combines words and art to address the question, “Who am I?” Registration is required; to register, please go to Library Program Registration - Takoma Park Maryland Library
Kids: don’t worry about finding the money to buy holiday gifts for family, friends and teachers! Instead, come on Monday Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and make some one-of-a-kind gifts for the special people in your life. We have supplies for several gifts you can make, as well everything you need to create some special holiday cards. This program is best for ages 3 up. Space is limited, so registration is required. To register, go to: Library Program Registration - Takoma Park Maryland Library
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we've put out a selection of books for kids -- and adults -- about various Washington, D.C. tourist attractions. We've got books about the White House, Washington Monument, etc. that will give kids more information about all the sights in our capital city. The books are on display on the far fiction shelves in the Children's Room; ask a librarian if you need help locating them.
Madame Marie, who leads our twice-monthly French Circle Time, was the special guest performer today at Circle Time. Children's Librarian Karen MacPherson has laryngitis, so Madame Marie filled in for her. Playing her guitar, and accompanied by her two-year-old grandson Lucas, Madame Marie led the two Circle Time crowds in singing songs in French and English. Madame Marie, a former preschool teacher, regularly leads our French Circle Time on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, from 10:30-11 a.m. She'll be leading a French Circle Time this Saturday, Nov. 27, at 10:30 a.m. and all are welcome!
There will be no French Circle Time this Saturday, Nov. 13, as Madame Marie is out of town. But she will offer French Circle Time on each of the following Saturdays -- Nov. 20 and Nov. 27 -- at 10:30 a.m. No registration required -- just come and have fun singing les chansons en francais! Perfect for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their grown-ups.
Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday. The Library is closed, so there is no Spanish Circle Time. Senora Geiza will return next Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
The hottest children's book at our Library right now -- at least until the new Wimpy Kid is released next Tuesday -- is The Lost Hero, the first book in a new series by Rick Riordan. He's the same author who brought kids the five-book Percy Jackson series, beginning with The Lightning Thief. The Lost Hero is the first in the Heroes of Olympus series, which Riordan says will eventually number five volumes. Riordan (whose last name is pronounced Rye-Or-Dan), also began another new series this year, The Kane Chronicles.. The first book in that new series, focused on Egyptian mythology, is The Red Pyramid , which was published last spring.
To read more about Riordan and his children's books, check out this column that I wrote for Scripps Howard News Service. My column goes out to more than 200 newspapers each week, and here's the Riordan one as published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today: Children's Corner: Rick Riordan's new book mixes in mythology