Summer Reading Club Ends

All good things must come to an end and St. Louis County Library's Summer Reading Club is no different.

All clubs end on Saturday, August 1. Make sure to collect your prizes before August 8.

Thanks for reading over the summer and let's do it again next year!

Staff Review: "Zar and the Broken Spaceship" by Dinosaur O'Dell

One seemingly normal day. a group of children find a friendly alien who needs help fixing his ship. Through movements and silly space alien phrases, the friends send Zar back to his home planet. This lyrical book with repetitive phrases is perfect for preschoolers. It could be as interactive as you want; the children could all stand up and act out the story, or it could be a nice read for a gentle one on one share. I especially enjoyed the space alien-English glossary in the back to brush up on your alien terms!  The author knows what appeals to the younger ones and throws in a few jokes for older kids, too, making this a great family read.  

This is Dinosaur O'Dell's first book, but he has been "tricking children into learning since 2003" through his music. He's been a summer reading club performer and taught song writing workshops for the library.  I can't wait to see what he does next!

--Angie RH, Headquarters

Kids Music Friday: "Thank You" by Vered

Here's a sweet little video of a family performing acts of kindness while learning the ASL signs for please and thank you. If you're not careful, you'll be humming the tune right along with the music! If you like "Thank You" by Vered, check out her album "Good Morning My Love."

--Andrea W., Headquarters

New Middle Grade Series Alert! "The Dungeoneers" by John David Anderson

"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach him to steal, though, and he won't have to eat fish every day for the rest of his life."

Are you looking to get into an exciting new series this summer, one full of adventure, danger, and humor? Seek no longer, adventurers, but pick up "The Dungeoneers" by John David Anderson. If you loved Harry Potter or N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials, you will most likely enjoy romping through dungeons with Colm and his friends.

Colm Candorly knows what it's like to be poor. With eight daughters and one son, Colm's dad works his fingers to the bone fixing shoes in their small town, but there never seems to be enough to go around. With eight torturous sisters, Colm has learned the art of sneaking and stealing to keep his sanity. One day, he gets fed up with his lot in life and decides to put his skills to use by pick-pocketing in the town square. While he brings in a haul, Colm also brings down judgement on himself, and he has the choice to either lose his hand or join The Dungeoneers Guild, leave his family, and hone his lock-picking skills at a school for thieves of all sorts. Filled with friendship, adventure, and hard choices to make, "The Dungeoneers" will keep you reading late into the night, and when you finish, you won't be able to wait for Colm's next adventure to begin. Appropriate for fourth to seventh grade. Request a copy today by clicking on the link above.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Explosive Fun at Headquarters

This July at our monthly Discovery Club meeting, my friends and I exploded a watermelon by placing over 250 wide rubber bands around the middle. It was hard work and took around half an hour, but we were finally rewarded by a grand explosion. If you look closely, you can see the watermelon begin to split open like a flower before finally popping all the way. Join the fun every third Wednesday at 4:30. Click the link to register. Discovery Club is for all scientists ages 7-11.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Spotlight on FLIP: "Press Here" by Herve Tullet

Have you noticed the black bags with blue or green labels at your local St. Louis County Library branch? Those bags are part of an awesome program called FLIP (Family Literacy Involvement Program). FLIP was developed by the Houston Children’s Museum in partnership with the Houston Public Library. SLCL received a grant to create a limited number of kits for six branches in 2011. The kits proved to be so popular we had to create more! Now FLIP kits are in all 20 SLCL branches. And we are creating more every year!

FLIP kits contain everything needed for parent and child to have a great shared literacy experience. Each kit contains a book, activity sheet and supplies.

FLIP KIT: Press Here by Herve Tullet

Ages: PRESCHOOL (3-5 years)

This kit contains the book “Press Here” by Herve Tullet. After reading the book with your child use the activity sheet to get ideas for creating his/her own 'magic' book. The kit also contains a small notebook, dot stickers and pencils/crayons to help your child create their own book to keep for themselves.

Book Trailer: "Counting Crows" by Kathi Appelt

We are not talking about the nineties-tastic band when we talk about "Counting Crows." We're talking about a picture book by the always fantastic Kathi Appelt. If you like the trailer below, click on the link to reserve a copy today, and get counting!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Octopus Ahoy!: Exloring the Ocean with "The Octopus Scientists" by Sy Montgomery

If you don't know anything about octopuses, you really should fix that. Right now. They are a brilliant and little-studied mollusk that has captured the imaginations of people everywhere for centuries. Now you have a chance to look in-depth at what it's like to hunt down octopuses in the ocean for study. Did you know that octopus scientists administer personality tests? Or that an octopus is colorblind, but can change it's skin color to blend in wherever they are? So amazing! You can read all about it in "The Octopus Scientists" by Sy Montgomery. Follow a group of scientists as they hunt down and research some eight-legged oceanic wonders. With beautiful photographs along the way, you'll feel like you're right there with them. Best for third grade readers on up.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Kids Music Friday: "Robot Dance" by the Pop Ups

Having a bad day? Here's a video from the Pops Ups that's guaranteed to make you smile . . . and dance! "Robot Dance" may be the catchiest version of a freeze dance that I've ever heard. Be careful, or you just might split your pants! If you love it, you can check out their album "Appetite for Construction" and listen to it everywhere!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Dewey Discoveries: "Edible Numbers" by Jennifer Vogel Bass

Have you ever taken a minute to think about how beautiful vegetables are? If you haven't, you now have a great opportunity to not only admire the variety and beauty of vegetables, but to count them as well. Check out "Edible Numbers" by Jennifer Vogel Bass and get counting with your young one, then pick out your favorite veggie and cook something delicious! Appropriate for preschoolers to grade one.

Dewey Number: 513.2



--Andrea W., Headquarters

Summer Science: Explore Missouri's Geography!

Summer is the perfect time to explore and learn fun new things about the world around us! Take advantage of the longer days and (hopefully!) more free time to get outside with the kids in your life and celebrate science.

Geography is so much more than memorizing states and capitals, and Missouri is full of interesting geography. With a plethora of rivers, hills, and even some canyons, our state has plenty to see and learn about. So get out a map and go exploring with your little ones this summer! Check out the books below to help you get started on your journey.

"Maps and Geography" by Ken Jennings

This is a fun and kid-friendly geography guide to get you started

"Geography: a visual encyclopedia" by John Woodward

With beautiful photographs, this book covers all things geography related.

"60 Hikes within 60 Miles: St. Louis" by Steve Henry

Grab your compass and this guide book and go find geography off the page!








Happy exploring!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Celebrating African American Children's Literature: Bryan Collier

Bryan Collier is a master storyteller and artist and each of his works represents children’s literature at its best. His very first book, “Uptown”, won two prestigious awards -- the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. “Uptown” feels like a school field trip to Harlem with the young narrator as our guide. 

A handful of my favorite Collier books includes two biographies: “Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, and Slave”, the story of an artist who lived in the mid-1800’s and “Rosa”,a biography of Rosa Parks.

“I,Too, Am America” celebrates the poem of Langston Hughes.  

“Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream For Me”, is an emotional and heartfelt story of a young boy’s longing for his father who has been unexpectedly imprisoned.

Bryan Collier continues to create meaningful, tender, beautiful books that are enjoyed by readers of all ages.

--Teresa R., Sachs