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!

We Now Have Sesame Street E-Books!

That's right, we said Sesame Street!  Does your child love Elmo, Big Bird, Abby, and the rest of the gang?  Then you should give our newest ebook service a try!

Tons and tons of Sesame Street ebooks are now available for you to view from home or in the library!  You'll find them in the database section of our website, and on the desktops of all our the PCs in the Children's Room.

Once you open the service, click on any of the pictures of book covers to read the ebook.  The site will open an ebook reader, and you'll have the choice between Auto Play (where pages turn automatically) and Manual Play (where you and your child turn the pages at your own pace).  Then you can read the story!

So be sure to check it out today!  And as always, you can contact us here in the Children's Department if you have any questions by stopping in or by calling 617-972-6435.

Paper Roller Coaster Video!

Hey kids!  Get excited!  Here's an extreme example of a paper roller coaster.  On Thursday, January 17, we'll be using these exact same elements and paper pieces to make our own roller coaster!

There's still space in next week's Science is Everywhere: Paper Roller Coasters program!  It's for kids in grades 3-5.  We'll be learning about physics, forces, gravity, and inertia while working together to create our own roller coaster to take a marble on a wild ride.

Registration is required, so make sure you stop in or call 617-972-6435 to let us know you'd like to come.  It's a great opportunity for kids to get some STEM education, and it'll be a ton of fun!

P.S.  You can check out more videos of impressive roller coasters at http://www.paperrollercoasters.com/videos.htm.

This is part of our Science is Everywhere grant, which is administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Library Services and Technology Act, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Science is Everywhere: Paper Roller Coasters!

Registration has begun for our second Science is Everywhere program!  This month we'll be doing Paper Roller Coasters!

Can you build a roller coaster for a marble using only paper?  Will it hold?  There's only one way to find out!  Come give it a try on Thursday, January 17th at 3:30 p.m.!

Kids in grades 3-5 can participate in this program where they'll work together to design a roller coaster using only paper and tape!  They'll be learning about physics and engineering, while also having an awesome time! They won't want to miss this fun - and educational - opportunity!

Registration is required and begins TODAY!  So stop in or give us a call at 617-972-6435 to sign-up!

This is part of our Science is Everywhere grant, which is administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Library Services and Technology Act, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.