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.