Babies need books too!

I was just catching up on my blog reading, and this post on Book Moot reminded me of one of the most important pieces of furniture in an infant's room: book shelves! Baby showers are a great opportunity to help a loved one start a library for their little one(s), and board books are the way to go. Board books often have just the right high-contrast pictures and minimal, rhythmic text to support very early literacy, and their thick, sturdy pages are perfect for the gooey fingers of little people who are just beginning to develop fine motor skills. So, give your babies books! And make sure they are on a low shelf, a crate, or even a basket for easy access once independent mobility ensues.

Get Gaming

Family getting bored? Escape after-holiday dreariness with a trip to the library. Monday, December 28, bring the whole crew to our Family Game Fest from 2-4 p.m. in the Community Room. Do a little Dance, Dance, Revolution, or maybe bowl a few games on the Wii, or enjoy a good old-fashioned board game. Definitely fun and completely free.

Blessing's Bead

I love stories that span multiple generations. This one starts in the early 20th century in a remote Eskimo village and is from the point of view of a young girl, Nutaaq. She is saying goodbye to her older sister, and the one thing she has to hang on to is a lovely blue bead. The bead was a gift to her sister from her new Siberian husband, which her sister has now given to Nutaaq to keep until they meet again. But a plague rages through the land and Nutaaq is one of the few survivors, not knowing whether her sister survived or not.

Fast forward two generations, and Nutaaq's great-great-granddaughter, Blessing, happens upon the blue bead when going through her grandmother's things. Blessing has just been sent to live with her grandmother, who she hardly knows, while her mother is in rehab. The bead becomes sort of a security item for Blessing, and her grandmother does not know she has it. As she comes to terms with some losses in her life, she also gains understanding of her Inupiaq Eskimo heritage.

I don't feel like my short summary really does the book justice, but I LOVED this book. It is in our Young Adult collection, but I also think it is appropriate for upper elementary-aged kids.

Huichol Yarn Art

Join us for our Weekend Adventure, Huichol Yarn Art in the Puett Room from 1:30 to 2:30 on Saturday, Dec. 19. This is one of my favorite crafts I've done in a long time, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

All-ages Animanga

Looking for something to do with your kiddos during the break? Join us for All-ages Animanga on Wednesday, December 23 from 4-6 p.m. in the Community Room. We will be watching Kiki's Delivery Service, another great film from Studio Ghibli. We'll also play some Nintendo Wii, snack on Japanese treats and have some film-related games and prizes. 'Tis a jolly good time for the whole family!

How Do You Say...?

If you're like me you studied a language in high school or college. Now, I'm lucky if I can remember a few words, much less grammar, sentences and verbs. 

Maybe you want to learn Italian for trip, or Spanish for work. Maybe your youngster has asked about other languages and wants to try it out.

You're in luck because the library now offers Mango Languages. With twelve languages to choose from, you'll learn grammar, vocabulary, and verbs through listening and written exercises.  Best of all...it's free (we've already paid for it!). You can even create an account to track your progress over time.

Mango Languages is one of the online resources brought to you through Washington County Cooperative Library Services.

Mitten Weather

Our Mitten Tree moved into the Puett Room last week and is already blossoming with mitten donations. All month you and yours can bring donations of mittens, scarves and other warm things to our tree and we, in turn, will deliver these to the Good Neighbor Center. 

Here are a couple of mitten stories in honor of our tree.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London. As adorable as ever, Froggy decides that he needs to play in the snow (even though frogs sleep through winter). He attempts to get outside and play, but keeps forgetting to put on all of his clothes. Lots of fun sounds and a fantastic punch line.

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Stoeke.  Minerva wants to explore outside, but it's a little cold. This is a great story for audience participation, with plenty of misunderstandings to laugh at.

Knitty Kitty by David Elliott. Knitty Kitty knits warm things for her little kittens. Beautiful rhyming text and an "Ahhh" ending.

Help Others and Help Yourself With Our Food-for-Fines Drive

by candibusiness

Guess what! Thanks to last year's resounding success, we're holding our second Food-for-Fines drive Sunday, Dec. 6 through Saturday, Dec. 12. Food collected will be donated to a Tigard food pantry to be distributed to local families in need.

The Library initiated the Food for Fines program last year to assist patrons and others hit hard by the recession. Library users donated 2,493 pounds of food while the Library waived nearly $1,000 in fines.

Here's what you need to know if you want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity: Every two non-perishable food items donated will equal $1 in fines. A maximum of $10 per account may be waived with food donations, but patrons may contribute as many food items as they wish. The library will also accept cash donations to the food pantry (but these won't count against your library fines). Donated food will be used only toward payment of fines—not for damaged or lost items, or accounts that have been sent to collections.

Acceptable donations include:

• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon etc.)
• Canned and box meals (chili, soup, macaroni and cheese etc.)
• Peanut butter
• Pasta, rice, cereal
• Canned fruits
• 100% fruit juice

It's important to remember that the Library will not accept unlabeled or rusty cans, homemade, perishable or open items.

If you've got any questions don't hesitate to call us at 503-684-6537 or log onto our main website at www.tigard-or.gov/library