Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Award Season Is Here!


Yes, it's that time of year.  Award Season!  The Golden Globes, Grammys and Oscars; the Newbery and Caldecott Awards; and, of course, the Watertown Children's Book Award!

The 2013 Newbery Medal was just announced yesterday, and goes to Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo.  This is an exciting tale about a squirrel who get sucked up into a vacuum and has a near-death experience, from which he emerges with super powers!  Flora, the girl who revived him with squirrel CPR, utilizes her immense knowledge of comic books to help him navigate his new-found abilities.

The 2013 Caldecott Medal is awarded to Locomotive, by Brian Floca.  Train-lovers will adore this book about a cross-country train ride set in 1869.  The Caldecott Medal is an award for fantastic illustrations, and this book has certainly earned it!

These national awards are wonderful, but what about what you think here in Watertown?  Never fear, we are continuing our annual WFPL Children's Book Award!

There are just a few days left to let us know what you think!  Stop in and look for our big, orange display.  Write your name or initials next to the picture of your favorite book, or write a title/author that's not up there yet.

And keep an eye out, because very soon we'll make the announcement about our big winner!  We'll have a winner for fiction (chapter books), nonfiction (informational books), and picture books!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Lego Labs 2014 Starts on Wednesday!


Last year we introduced our Lego Labs: Simple Machines program, and it was a huge hit!  We utilize Lego kits over four weeks with first and second graders and learn about all sorts of simple machines.  The program was so popular that we're offering it again!  And it starts this Wednesday!

We will run this as a four-week class for kids in grades 1 and 2 on Wednesdays, January 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 3:30pm.  Interested kids should commit to coming to all of the sessions of the program.  Lego Lab does require registration, but a few spots are still left!  Call 617-972-6435 or stop in to reserve your spot today!