Families

Three for Thanksgiving

Wed, 11/18/2009 - 15:47 | Virginia Johnson
in

Our libraries will be closed on Thanksgiving and the day after, so now's the time to pick up some reading to take you through the holiday. We have many cookbooks to help plan the feast, but of our other collections these three books tell stories especially true to life and true to the heart to help make your holiday a warm one.

Donating School Supplies

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 10:14 | Virginia Johnson
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It's time to stand in line and complain about the high cost of school supplies. Parents groan, whip out their pieces of plastic, gnash their teeth, and pay up. It's what we do every year. Even after checking for the best sales and rebates, the total is still hard to take. But this is what we have to do. And yet, have you ever considered that you are lucky to be able to do it at all?
Read on for ways you can help less fortunate kids get the supplies they need.

Frank McCourt: The Man Himself

Mon, 08/24/2009 - 15:14 | Virginia Johnson
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When Frank McCourt passed last month, he left behind memoirs filled with anguish, love, and dark merriment.  Personal experiences are what this Irish-American author took and shaped into works of sorrowful beauty.

Storytime Fun

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:56 | Caroline Parr
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   At a recent library storytime, the children, parents, caregivers and I had lots of fun reading new picture books, but I was reminded yet again about the power of old favorites. 
“Yum, Yum, What Fun” by Mara Bergman starts out with two friends and their little dog Harry baking bread, when who should come clomping in through the window but a crocodile! 

Christmas Around the World

Wed, 08/12/2009 - 11:23 | Shelly Chick-Gravel
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If it's December, it's time for that familiar topic for reports: Christmas Customs Around the World. Fortunately, the library has a number of resources to help you.

August Is National Parks Month

Mon, 08/10/2009 - 13:30 | Virginia Johnson
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Camping, fishing, hiking, history, grand vistas, and horseback riding--there are so many possibilities in our national parks.

Saving Summer in a Jar: Preserving the Fruits of the Season

Thu, 08/06/2009 - 10:22 | Virginia Johnson
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This is the time of year when delicious fruits and vegetables fill the homegrown gardens and bins at farmers' markets. An abundance of heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and sweeter peaches make August the right time to practice the very rewarding work of preserving.

Beverly Cleary: The Girl from Yamhill

Thu, 07/30/2009 - 11:13 | Virginia Johnson
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Beverly thought she had the greatest life. Things were exciting on the family farm for a little girl, and her mom and dad were working too hard to keep their dark-haired daughter from having fun. On glorious days filled with sunshine, she helped bring the lazy cows in from the pasture, picked armfuls of wild flowers, and learned the names of the trees and the birds from her father as they rode in the wagon across the field to gather firewood.

Family Stories with Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Mon, 07/27/2009 - 12:50 | Virginia Johnson
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Elizabeth Fitzgerald was born December 28, 1927 in Baltimore. Her family was filled with successful, professional people who formed a loving and uplifting environment for Elizabeth. She had a great childhood filled with wonderful memories of taking The Train to Lulu's with only her sister for company to see her relatives further south.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Tells Great Stories

Mon, 07/27/2009 - 11:47 | Virginia Johnson
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When Phyllis Reynolds was in first grade, she had a hard time making sense of the stories her teacher wrote on the blackboard. Those little, squiggly characters danced crazily across the open space and didn't mean a thing to her. One day, her teacher asked her to read a story out loud. Phyllis didn't hesitate for a second. She plunged into an exciting story-- her own story-- about a cat and a tree and an autumn day. The teacher shook her head sadly at Phyllis. No, she hadn't gotten it. But she had gotten it-- the desire to tell stories. In time, she did learn to read, and soon she was writing her own books on notebook paper. Phyllis had found a love for writing that she has never lost through the tough times and the good.