Learn to Knit! UPDATE!!

We know you want to learn how to knit and just haven't had the chance. But now your chance has come! We are offering a three-week workshop to learn the basics of knitting and start and complete an easy project. Space is limited so please sign up ASAP to hold your space! Ages 10 and up only, please.

NEW Dates: Thursdays 2/18, 2/25, 3/4 *There is still space, sign up now!!
Time: 4-5:30
(Please note that if you sign-up you are committing to ALL THREE WEEKS).


*Yarn will be provided but you'll need to bring either straight or circular #8 needles (yes, the size is important). You can find these at any craft store like Michael's or Ben Franklin. If you don't have a chance to pick them up the instructor will have them available to purchase the first day of the workshop.

Calling all Watertown Oompah Loompahs

Thursday is going to be the most scrumpdiddleumptious day the library's ever seen. We're celebrating a classic and favorite- Charlie and the Choclate Factory by Roald Dahl. If you've read it, seen it, know the story, or just want to have fun come join us for this month's book celebration. In honor of the candy maker extraordinaire we will make sweet cake pops and have some other fun activities. Space is limited so stop by or call to sign up.

...doopity doo!

Photographs

We've seen you here, taking photographs of your lovely children reading our books! Yes you! And we love it when you do.

Because we love seeing your smiling faces, we'd love it if you shared your wonderful photos too!

Just go to our Flickr album to add your own photos from story times, programs or just a quiet morning at the library.

Who wants to knit?

Due to the large popularity of the Adult Services sponsored knitting workshop we're considering a Child and their Grown-Up beginners workshop. It would be for children 10 and older with a parent/caregiver/grandparent etc. and the session would last for roughly 7 weeks. Are you interested? If so, what time would work best for you: 4,5,or 6pm? Post your answers in the comments section.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

Today was our celebration of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and we had a blast! The story's classic appeal brought new and old appreciators alike to listen to the story and create Kings, Queens and Wild Things right here at the WFPL. Thanks for a great time! If you had fun today keep up with our monthly schedule for more book celebrations.

October Programs

We have a lot in store for our October programs. Here are the highlights:

Both James Lepler and Ed Morgan will be returning with their fabulous musical shows. James will be here on Friday the 2nd at 11am and Ed will perform on Saturday the 17th at 11am. Joining us for the first time will be the music of the Flannery Brothers on Saturday October 10th.

We're celebrating Halloween in style this year, with programs for all ages. Tweens (grades 3-5) can join us in decorating their own pumpkins on Wednesday the 28th at 4pm. Sign up will be required for this program. We'll also have Susie Magoozy on Friday the 30th at 11am and on the big day of Halloween, we'll have a Pumpkin Craft from 10 to 12!

There's much more in store in the children's room - check out our calendar for the rest of our programs!!

Well done, children of Watertown!

Summer Reading has reached its conclusion and it was a great success! Jenny and I were so impressed with the hard work we saw throughout the past six weeks. We are always happy to see everyone having fun at our programs, but we can't help but be a little proud to see our friends working so hard with their reading.

If you haven't done so yet, stop by the Children's Department to pick up your prize. We have a little something to let you know we're proud of your job well done.

And finally...




and




are the winners of our bike raffle. Congratulations!

Now, we rest for a few weeks; there are no programs until the first week of September. But, we'll still be around. Stop in and say hi!

Busy, busy...

I'm late this week, but in case you don't know here's what is still to come:

Today at 3 pm in the Watertown Savings Bank Room we welcome Animal Adventures. Do you like animals? Furry creatures? Do you like to pet them? Then come on down. We'll have live animals to learn about and even touch!

Thursday are Tween Workshops. If are going into 3rd, 4th or 5th grade, if you have lots of stories in your head, if you've got an imagination then you need to be here at 4pm for Creative Writing with Beth Galloway. There is still space so sign up today!

Friday fun games for all from 2-4pm!

Saturday toddlers can tumble in our Toddler Tumble from 10am-2pm.

Be there or be square.

We're off!

Summer Reading started on Monday and we're having a great time! Watertown is full of enthusiastic readers and we have proof. So far our readers have clocked in 36 hours and this is before the first week is even over. Keep up the hard work and get us to the moon!

We had a great turn out for Pumpernickle Puppets on Wednesday and are excited for Animal Adventures next Wednesday. Little live creatures will make an appearance, so be sure to mark July 15 at 3 o'clock on your calendars.

If you have nothing to do this afternoon stop in for some fun Wii gaming at 2pm.

Summer Reading Begins!

Monday, July 6 the fun begins.

Here's what is happening this week.

Monday-Open Craft from 11-1 in the Children's Program Room: Make your own Kaleidoscope.

Tuesday- Story time at 10 am in the Watertown Savings Bank Room.

Wednesday-Special Performance at 3pm in the Watertown Savings Bank Room: Pumpernickel Puppets.

Thursday-Tween Workshop (grades 3-5) at 4 pm in the Children's Program Room: Button Making. Registration required.

Friday- All Ages Gaming from 2-5 in the Children's Program Room (we're bringing out the Wii).


Come join us for the fun!

Children's Reading Chair

A great big thank you to Dawn Scaltreto and the Watertown Middle School Mural Club for donating a beautiful reading chair for the children of Watertown.

The chair has paintings on it from such pictures books as Curious George, Madeline, Where the Wild Things Are, and more!

Stop by the children's room to see this beautiful piece of art!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret review by Addie

I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and at the beginning it was a little sad because Hugo's father died...

It is a cool book because it is a really big book and it has a lot of pictures that are unique in a way.

I would recommend this book to people because I think everyone would think the pictures are amazing.

Summer Reading 09

We've had loads of people asking about Summer Reading so I just wanted to give a quick post about what will be going on.

Here's the lowdown:

When? It begins Monday, July 6 and runs through Friday, August 14.

Who? The children's department serves children from birth through fifth grade (or roughly age 11) and all who fall in that category are welcome to participate.

What? READ! For every hour you read you can enter your name into a raffle. First prize is a $100 gift card to Farina's Bicycles in Watertown and second prize is $50 to Belmont Wheelworks.

This year's statewide theme is Starship Adventure. So, we want to see if the reading children of Watertown can get us to the moon. In addition to entering your name in the bike raffle for every hour you read, we also want you to come in, write your name on a rocket ship, and post it on our reading solar system. Each rocket ship represents about 100 miles to the moon. If everyone reads about ten hours we can make the 238,000 miles to the moon. Help us get there!

What else? We know you'll need a break from all that reading, so we have programs to give you that break.

Mondays-open craft
Tuesdays-stories and music for under-fives
Wednesday-special programs
Thursday-tween (3rd-5th grade) workshops
Friday- games (we'll bring out the wii a few times)
Saturday-Toddler Tumble.


Anything more? Yes! We have a guessing jar with weekly prizes, discount museum passes, swag to get you started, and some cheerful librarians to help you along.


For more details stop by the children's department or go to our website.

DogEared: A book blog for kids, written by kids

Here's another way to find some good book recommendations from kids just like you! National Geographic's children's book blog, DogEared, has bloggers from age eight to eleven reviewing books and starting discussions on your favorite stories and topics. Check it out for a lead on your next book, to hear what books you might want to stay away from, or to find out what other book lovers like you are checking out.

Beacon Street Girls - Worst Enemies/Best Friends review by Addie, Grade 3

I am reading Beacon Street Girls - Worst Enemies/Best Friends and I think it is good because all the girls become friends after a sleepovera dn the most funniest part is when a rat comes in a girls hair.

I would recommend this book to people because it is funny and there are not so good days.

-Addie, Grade 3

Video Book Review

Check out our first video book review! This is a review of the Edge Chronicles by Kirsten. Check out the calendar for your own opportunity to do your own video book review!

Should my child be reading this?

As librarians we often get asked if a book or dvd is appropriate for their child. We love to talk about what we think about books and other materials, but the problem with the question of appropriateness is that what is appropriate for one child may not be for another and in that this issue becomes a conundrum. Because of this we recommend checking out Common Sense Media, "a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, provid[ing] trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume." If you have questions about what your child is reading or viewing please take a look at this website; it will help you make a decision that is right for your child.

Great work, Julia!

We'd like to take a moment to congratulate one of our regular library patrons, Julia.

Julia LOVES books, and wanted to find a way to take her love and give back to the community in some way. She saw a sign at the local Starbucks saying that they were looking for volunteers, and when she asked if she could read books to kids younger than her, they couldn't refuse. They even told her that she could get free chocolate milk, since she was too young to drink coffee!

Starbucks was so thrilled with the success of Julia's storytimes that they asked her to return once a month. Now, you can see her storytimes on the first Monday of every month from 4-5pm. Starbucks provides chocolate milk and cookies to all the kids, and we're quite certain Julia picks nothing but the best when it comes to the books!

What kinds of things are you doing for your community?

a new kind of children's book

If you can't make it to the library but are looking for a great book, check out the icdL - the International Children's Digital Library. The ICDL has books for kids ages 3-13, and you can search by types of books, types of characters, cover colors, age groups, length of the book, language of the book and so on.

Read a great book today on your own computer!

Showcase Your Collection!

Do you have a collection of ancient dinosaur fossils? Rare jewels? Pirate dubloons? Maybe not. But chances are you have a cool Pokemon collection like our March collector, David, an adorable array of cats like our April collector, Annie, or something else just as cool. If you've been through the library in the last few months you've had the chance to see some of Watertown's funnest children's collections. We want to continue this tradition so consider signing up. Just ask one of your friendly neighborhood Children's librarians for more information.

Kid Books - Zoe, Age 9

Kid Books is a way to let your voice be heard! If you've read a book you like and want to write a review, just give us a copy at the children's desk and we'll put it on the blog.

A big thanks to Zoe for being the first reviewer!!

"I think 'Secret of the Sirens' is a great book. The author is very good at describing feelings, thoughts and the way some characters in the book can sense things.
I like all of the mythical creatures mentioned in this book. In every book I have read that has dragons in it has described them differently. But my favorite description yet has been in this really good book. I also like Connie. I just like her because she has great strength of mind, and she really seems like a kid (in the way that she just doesn't know everything).
I really think that 'Secret of the Sirens' is a wonderful book and I can't wait to read the next book in the series." - Zoe (age 9)

Looking for a good book to read? Start with Novelist

Have you ever finished an amazing book and had no idea what to read next?

This happens to me all the time! I ask for suggestions from friends, but a lot of times I want to find a new book myself.

Novelist is a library database that is packed with great resources to help you find a great book.

From our website, scroll over the "research" tab and click on "databases". Scroll down to "Novelist" or "Home Access to Novelist". If you are at home, use your library card to log on!

One way to get started is to type in a book that you liked into the "find" bar and hit "search"...

OR you can scroll down to your age level and click on one of the lists!

Talk to one of the librarians if you'd like to have a quick demo!