Announcing the 2013 Children's Book Award Winners!

It's official!  The winners of our second annual Watertown Free Public Library Children's Book Award have been determined!

Drumroll please!

Best Fiction of 2012: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school -- until now.  He's about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be.  The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face.  But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Best Nonfiction of 2012: Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City by Hadley Dyer

From high school students to high-rise dwellers all around the world, people - including Michelle Obama - are discovering innovative ways to grow fresh, healthy, and delicious fruit and vegetables at home, in community gardens, and at school.  Potatoes on Rooftops is the perfect book to get you thinking about ways you, too, can grow food in the city.

Best Picture Book of 2012: Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots.  And he can take the fattest, crispiest carrots from Crackenhopper Field anytime he wants.  That is, until they start following him home...

These winners were chosen from among all of the books published in 2012.  Want to read them?  All of our award-winners are marked with a special sticker!  Come on in and look for the sticker, or click on the links above to request the books.

Happy Reading!  And congratulations to our winners!

Adorable Reading Practice: Dog B.O.N.E.S.!

Who wouldn't want to read to this cutie?  On Saturday AND Sunday, starting at 2:00 p.m., kids in grades K-5 can have their chance!

Our Dog B.O.N.E.S. program gives young readers the chance to hone their skills by reading to a therapy dog.  The dogs listen patiently and provide soothing, adorable reinforcement while the children read aloud to them.  Kids gain great benefits practicing in this environment, including increased confidence and reading fluency.

Interested?  There's still space for you to register for a fifteen-minute time slot just for you!  Stop in or give us a call at 617-972-6435 to sign up.

Get Ready for Library Mini Golf!

What does the library look like after hours?  Well, on Saturday, March 9, it'll look like a golf course!

Join us for our Second Annual Library Mini Golf!  The fun starts at 6:00 p.m. (on Saturday, March 9), after the library's closed for regular business.  We'll open our doors for you to enjoy this extra special event where you can try your hand at sending your golf ball through the stacks, down the stairs, through a loop-the-loop, and more!

In addition to having an awesome time, you'll be helping to support the library!  Admission for this event will be $8 for adults and $5 for children, and proceeds will go the Library Building Committee.  They help us put on the great programs we offer here at the library, and the money we raise will help us put on even more!

And don't forget, just like last year we'll have games, raffle prizes, and face-painting!  Our very own Red Leaf Cafe will even stay open for the event.

So be sure to mark your calendars now for Saturday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m.  It'll be fun for the whole family!

**Hey, local business owners!**

Looking for a way to advertise where lots of Watertown families will see it?  Why not sponsor a hole at Library Mini Golf?  We'll also include you in our Mini Golf publicity!  The Watertown Free Public Library serves over 21,000 cardholders, so your business will be noticed by tons of new potential customers!  Find out more at http://www.watertownlib.org/sponsors.

We Have Wii U Games!

If you've got one of the new Wii U gaming consoles, then we've got great news for you!  We just started carrying Wii U games!

You'll find them in our video game section, with the other types of Wii games.  Look for the special WiiU logo on the top of the game's spine (or on the white sticker we use at the bottom of the spine) to make sure it's for WiiU.

Curious about which games we have?  You can do a quick keyword search in our catalog for Wii U and you'll see a whole bunch of them!

And come in quick, because these games will go fast!