Tweens get soaked at MPL

Hello Tweens,

Had a great time at the WaterWorld Games held July 16 at the Read House. Some of you were VERY persistent in getting me soaked with the water balloons and water guns. Next year I am going to make this event bigger and better. About 400 water balloons were depleted within 15 minutes. It was great fun! Below is an article I wrote about the day with pictures that I sent out to various newspapers. Hope it gets published. Some of the pictures will soon be placed on the library Facebook page. Stay cool like Mrs. V.

Tweens soak up the sun at library

MENTOR-Taking a defensive position while standing back to back upon the lawn strewn with balloon fragments, sisters Kristen and Kerri Halick were ready to soak the nearest boy in their vicinity. After depleting their supply of water balloons, each sister was equipped with a fully loaded water gun and they knew how to use them. Someone was going to get wet.
More than 30 tweens attended the Mentor Public Library WaterWorld Games July 16 held at the neighboring Read House. Hundreds of water balloons and water guns were used in an hour-long skirmish.
“It was really fun getting soaked in the hot sun,” Venkat Suru said.
Craig Vandemark also agreed the above 80-degree day made for perfect conditions to soak his opponents.
“It was really fun and I liked the water balloons,” he said.Suru and Vandemark had to constantly look over the backs for one sneaky challenger, Raghav Malik.
“I came here to soak everyone,” Malik said. “The water balloons were the best. They worked really well because water guns only do a little damage.”
By the end of the program, the Halick sisters were able to achieve their common goal.
“We came here to get very wet,” said Kristen.

Trend Alert!!!!

Hello Tweens,
Some of you already know this….but the Silly Bandz craze has hit Lake County. For the past three weeks I have seen a huge increase of kids coming into the Children’s Department with multiple rubber bands in different colors strung out along their forearms. Then to my surprise they take these rubber bands off and they immediately revert back into a shape.
According to my Google research efforts Silly Bandz is a brand of silicone rubber bands formed to make shapes of animals, objects and letters. They are worn as “tight, tight” bracelets by elementary, middle school and high school students. These “bracelets” come in different shapes, colors and themes and can be found in most drugstores.
Several kids that have come to visit me have worn their whole collection of Silly Bandz along their arms like sleeves. Apparently they are becoming collectible and many kids are trading with other kids for Silly Bandz they don’t have.
I had a conversation with MPL patrons and sisters Anna and Patricia Hadzinski about why they are riding this trend.
“I like them because there are different shapes and sizes and they are really COOL,” said Anna.
Patricia likes to trade some of her Silly Bandz to get “better ones.” One she will not give up is her elephant-shaped Silly Bandz. Anna’s favorites are her cowboy and horse Silly Bandz.
Silly Bandz was first sold online in November 2009 then gained in popularity in Alabama. They moved east that same year. As of April 2010, Silly Bandz sold the bracelets to 8,000 U.S. stores and now they are here gaining popularity.
Well, I see why you like them…let me know if you can find any Silly Bandz that are in the shape of a hamster. Fuzzy might like it.

Checking Out,
Mrs. V

A Little Mouse with a Big Heart

A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole
(written for children in grades 3 through 5)

A lonely little mouse living a dull life, weaving baskets within a musty hole, inside a 17th century New Orleans plantation begins an adventure of a lifetime. She meets the famous naturalist painter John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851), who is a guest of the plantation owner. From the shirt pocket of Audubon’s thirteen-year-old assistant Joseph Mason, Celeste watches as Audubon kills, paints, catalogues and describes the birds of North America.
The book cover advertises “A Nest for Celeste” as a story about art, inspiration and the meaning of home. However, I believe this story is about perseverance, friendship, and the importance of possessing a compassionate heart. For such a little creature, Celeste makes a big impact on her wildlife neighbors and humans alike.
There are several parallels to Celeste and Joseph’s stories: Celeste lost her family when the crops were harvested and Joseph, a lonely, young boy, leaves his family far behind for two years to travel the country with Audubon. His job is to learn how to paint the backdrops for Audubon’s pictures and learn a trade. After a house cat narrowly misses killing Celeste she finds a temporary home in Joseph’s boot; he later relocates her to his shirt pocket. From this pocket, Celeste witnesses Man’s impact on wildlife: shooting down hundreds of Passenger Pigeons, the killing of other fowl for Audubon’s pictures. Both Joseph and Celeste take these killings to heart and both try to influence Audubon’s methods of painting the perfect picture by suggesting alternatives that end up saving lives.
In one scene in the book, Joseph, drums up some courage and confronts Audubon on his methods. An Ivory-billed woodpecker was shot in the wing by Audubon two days before and dies of his wounds and a broken heart. Joseph is upset when Audubon asks him for pins to secure the woodpecker’s carcass onto a board.
“This doesn’t seem right…” said Joseph.
“What doesn’t,” said Audubon.
“I don’t know…the way we’re doing this, the paintings?” said Joseph. “You are looking to capture its life on paper, but by killing it first? By pinning it to a board? It was so majestic up in that enormous cypress tree…”
Audubon argues that there were plenty of woodpeckers where that one came from and questions Joseph on would he rather hold a live woodpecker while it pecked at his hand during the painting process.
“I am preserving their beauty forever. If I could paint their portraits as well another way I would.” Audubon states.
Joseph leaves the room thinking about his lonely moments since he left his family and wonders if all the other woodpeckers were killed off but one, how lonely would that one woodpecker be flying along the river valley “on an endless and futile search up and down the valley, looking to find another ivory-billed woodpecker?”

Read this thought-provoking book full of many wildlife characters captured within the author’s quaint illustrations and find out how Joseph and Celeste face the challenges of being alone in the world and how their friendship brings love, courage, freedom and...the wonder of “how love can start with something as simple as the gift of a peanut.”
Checking Out,
Mrs. V

Pretty little liars and their dirty little secrets

I must say I am totally in love with Pretty Little Liars right now. Okay, so I haven’t even finished the first one yet, but I can tell already I’m completely hooked. By the way it starts, with an omniscient voice saying how this perfect setting she’s describing isn’t really so perfect, it kind of reminds me of Desperate Housewives—for teens. And I should warn you this is definitely for the older teen crowd, what with the mature situations, mild drug use, and sexual situations. But it’s the mystery that keeps this so addicting. In seventh grade, five girls are best friends and the most popular in their upper class private school. Then one of the girls--the girl who knows every dirty little secret about the other four—goes missing. Flash forward to 11th grade and the four remaining friends have grown apart. Then they start getting messages from someone reminding them of all their secrets. Who could it be? What should they do? Which designer bag should they buy next? Each question more revealing than the next (except maybe that last one). It’s Beverly Hills 90210 in book form, with a mysterious twist (I’m referring to the original 90210, I must admit I have not seen the remake). Oh! And there’s a show coming out! Check out a copy before you’re the last girl who doesn’t know what’s going on!
~Amanda D.

Puppy to arrive at Mrs. V's house

At the end of May, my family will be picking up an 8-week-old, male, yellow, Labrador Retriever in the Pilot Dog program in Columbus. My 17-year-old son signed on to be a puppy raiser for a school community service project. The dog will eventually, at 1 year or 14 months old, be turned over to Pilot Dogs so the dog can get more formal training to become a guide dog for the blind.
It has been two years since we last had a dog in the house, so the family is very excited about hearing the patter of little paws in the house again. This is a huge responsibility for my son. He needs to take the puppy to an obedience course when the puppy is 4 to 5 months old. The puppy also needs to socialize with animals, people and be exposed to traffic conditions and other environments.

Once the dog is returned to Pilot Dogs, it begins formal training with professional trainers/instructors. This training typically lasts about five months. As the dogs advance, the training schedules are changed so that the dogs begin training in the streets of Columbus where they learn how to navigate buses, revolving doors, escalators, elevators, and all other conditions the blind may encounter once returned home with their pilot dogs.

The blind student and their dog train together for four weeks and learn to navigate their way through the largest department stores, on and off buses, and across the busiest thoroughfares by themselves.

My son will receive a picture of the dog and his new owner when the dog has graduated from the program. We know that letting go of our new puppy within a year will be very hard, but we are expecting a great experience and many stories to tell. Will keep you updated on the puppy’s progress and any advice on how to raise a puppy is welcome.

Meanwhile, check out our link (just click on the picture) to all the wonderful books we have in our collection regarding guide dogs. I recommend reading Gertrude Chandler Warners’ fiction book “The Guide Dog Mystery”; Stephanie Calmenson’s picture book “May I pet your dog?: the how-to guide for kids meeting dogs (and dogs meeting kids)”; and Glenna Lang’s picture book “Looking Out for Sarah.”

Checking Out,
Mrs. V

Newer Vampire Books

So you have read the twilight series a dozen times and gone through the list that MPL gave out last year. What Now!?
Well in honor of our New Moon screening on Tuesday, March 23rd, we have compiled a list. Of What?...of the vampire books that were published in late 2009 and early 2010, of course.

(The standard disclaimer applies. Some of the books are good and some are bad. Sometimes it’s just your opinion.)

And now the list:

New Books: (might even be the first in a series)
• Never bite a boy on the first date by Tamara Summers
• Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
• Bad Blood by Marianne Mancusi
• I kissed a zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
• Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
• Eternal Kiss edited by Trisha Telep
• Vamped by Lucienne Diver
• Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
• Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fanaskey

Latest in the Series:
• Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De LA Cruz (Blue Bloods Series)
• Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladmir Todd)
• Hourglass by Claudia Grey (Evernight Series)
• Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith (Reprints) (Vampire Diaries: The Return)
• Thirst Series by Christopher Pike (Reprints)
• Fade Out by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire Series)
• Betrayals by Lili St. Crow (Strange Angels Series)
• Royal Blood by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses Series)

See you at the screening!!

Amy W.

The Love of a Dog

I miss my dog. I miss her a lot. Though she passed away two years ago at the age of 12 ½ years old, I sometimes still look for her face pasted against the front door window when I pull into the driveway. Sometimes at night I will get out of bed and do a shuffling step to determine where she is laying by my bed so I do not trip. Then I realize she won’t be there and there is no need to be careful.

I have owned dogs all of my life. I presume I will continue to have them until I am too old to take care of them. Life seems easier to handle with a dog by your side. Sometimes I prefer to hang out with a dog than some people I know. They are good company. Dogs do not live very long, but I believe the wonderful, funny memories and the unconditional love they give you far outweigh the heartache of their loss. The lessons they teach are invaluable. I recently watched one of our newest DVD releases we have at the library, “Hachi, a dog’s tale.” The movie is adapted from a true story of a dog born in Japan named Hachiko. Children’s author Pamela S. Turner wrote the story “Hachiko, the true story of a loyal dog” after her visit in Tokyo. The true story is about a dog that waited for his deceased master to arrive at the train station for 10 years.
The film Hachi touches on many elements of Turner‘s story, but the setting takes place in a small NY community. Nevertheless, the story moved me. The devotion and love between a dog and his owner is beautifully portrayed in the film. I have no doubt that the love between Hachiko and his owner was so strong that it was the impetus for a dog to meet the train for 10 years in the hope his owner would be there. Get ready to get the Kleenex out for the children’s book and the film…tears will fall. The story of Hachi brought back some wonderful memories of all the dogs that have passed through my life. Their love I will cherish always in my heart. Yes, I really miss the company of my old dog Babe.