Live Ducks at Storytime!

Over 40 children and their parents gathered today for our Ducks Like Rain and Storytime!

Neither the ducks nor the children were afraid to get up close during this visit and fun was held by all.

A great thanks to Blackie, Samer and Peeps for having hands all over them and still staying calm and to their owner Elise for bringing them to visit! We can't wait for their next visit - in the meantime, check out some pictures from today.

 Children listened to just a few stories before the ducks made their appearance. Everyone was excited!

Children came up close to pet our friends Blackie, Samer, and Peeps!

Owner Elise holds one duck for mom and girls to see. 

Massachusetts Children Book Award 2011

Massachusetts Children Book Award has been announced for 2011!

Come in to the Children's Room to check them out and view the complete list of winners for past years.

Winner:

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Amanda and Leo, best friends with the same birthday, had a falling out on their tenth birthday and have not spoken since, but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their eleventh birthday repeats itself again and again.

Honor Books:

No Talking! by Andrew Clements

"Boys vs. girls" : The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Savvy: by Ingid Law

Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows

Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Moly, her own lost twin, and brings her to the present day

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

Born in the eighteenth year of Enclosure, ten-year-old Honor lives in a highly regulated colony with her defiant parents, but when they have an illegal second child and are taken away, it is up to Honor and her friend Helix, another "unpredictable," to uncover a terrible secret about their island and the corporation that runs everything.

Mother's Day Storytime and Craft

This year in the Children's Room we'll be celebrating Mother's Day (and Father's Day in June). Join us on May 7, at 11am to listen to stories honoring mothers and make a craft for the mother, grandmother, or special person in your life.

You can find more information here.

No registration necessary, all ages are welcome!

Spring Eggs Contest Winners

Congratulations to

Harry, age 3

and

Julie, age 9

Winners of the Hamilton-Wenham Library’s 

Children’s Room

Spring Eggs Guessing Contest

There were 410 jelly beans! 

Museum of Science Rocket Program Almost Full!

Our Rockets: There and Back Again program, being brought to you by the Museum of Science is nearly full. There are still a few spots available, but if interested you must come to the Children's Room and pre-register in person. Don't miss out on this great program!

If you are not able to attend this: make sure you check out Kite Day on Thursday, April 21. All ages are welcome and no registration is necessary - just stop by!

Ducks Like Rain and Storytime!

Don't miss our special program Thursday, April 28 at 11:00 a.m for a chance to meet our special guests - the ducks! Peeps, Blackie, and Samer will be joining us with their owner Elise D'Ambrosio. There will be stories, songs and lots of time to meet our friends.

You can find more information about it here.

April Vacation Events

We have some great events planned for April Vacation. On Wednesday, April 20 the Museum of Science is presenting a fantastic program "Rockets: There and Back Again". Space for this event is limited and you must register in person in the Children's Room. More information can be found here or by clicking the Rockets Tab Link above.

On Thursday, April 21, don't miss our Kite Day with Archie Stewart! You can come and build a Kite from 1-3 in the Meeting Room and the fly and watch a great demonstration of kite tricks from 3-4 in the Recreation Center Gymnasium. You can find more information on that here or by clicking the Kite Day link above.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

LEGO Zip-Line Fun! - More next week!

This Wednesday concluded our Legomania for our 1st - 2nd graders for the Winter Session. To celebrate we created two zip-lines for the kids to run creations on. While some enjoyed seeing their creations smash as I "chucked" them down the zip line other children decided to catch theirs at the bottom. All had fun and we'll be doing it again next week for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders!

 Getting ready to let a lego creation fly from our larger zip-line.

This smaller zip-line let children put their creations on themselves and watch them fly!

Know a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader? Join us next Wednesday, March 23 at 3pm for more zip-line fun!

Part of the fun this week and can't wait to return? Sign ups for our Spring Session begin April 11, in person in the Children's Room. 

Storytelling Fun for All!

On Wednesday March 2 we had What's the Story? In this story program, Fred Mills came and shared stories with children of all ages and their parents. The stories were fun, interesting, new and enjoyed by all. If you missed this performance, join us at What's the Story? Fred will be performing three more times for the library. Don't miss him! March 20, April13, and April 27! For our flyer, click the links tabbed labeled What's the Story or simply click here.

What's the Story? - New Library Program!

Join us March 2 and March 16 at 6:30pm in the Children's Room Program Room for an exciting new story program! 

Families and children of all ages are invited to come and enjoy an evening with local storyteller Fred Mills as he share tales and poems that will excite and entertain.  Fred brings years of storytelling expertise that inform and stir the imagination of every listener, and bring out the storyteller in all of us.

Click here for our informational flyer. 

We can't wait to see you there! 

Health and Happiness @ Your Library - February 23

Don't miss this exciting new event at the Hamilton-Wenham Library! 

On Wednesday, February 23, 2011 from 1:30 - 4PM join us for some laughs, moves and snacks! 

First join Robert Rivest, comic mime, as he presents Laughter is the Best Medicine from 2 - 3 PM. Robert's programs are great for any age and have been called "amazing, silly, hysterical and magical". 

Then the fun continues from 3 - 4 PM with The Joy of Movement. Here you'll be able to see local movement specialists showing off their elements. Everyone is encouraged to participate and you can move from each demonstration as you please. Martial Arts, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Dance will all be part of the fun! This will take place in the Hamilton-Wenham Recreation Department's Gymnasium. 

And throughout the whole event, stop by the Children's Room Program Room at our Snack Creation Station. Enjoy smoothies by grassyroots of Wenham. You can also make Ants on a Log and Eagle's Eye. 1:30 - 4 PM. 

All of these events are free and open to the public. Stop into the Children's Room for a flyer and more information or click here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

St. Patrick's Day Story Time and Craft!

Today we held our Valentine's Day Story Time and Craft and great fun was held by all. If you missed it - don't worry, you can come to our St. Patrick's Day equivalent! 

On March 12 at 11am, come to the Children's Room to hear a few stories before completing a craft to take home with you!

Want more information? Click here

Snowball Guessing Contest Winners!

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Will, 11 and Phoebe, 5

WINNERS OF

 THE HAMILTON-WENHAM LIBRARY’S

2011 SNOWBALL GUESSING CONTEST

 

There were 763 "snowballs" 

 

Thanks to everyone that participated. We had a lot of great guesses this year! 

 

Valentine's Day Drop-In Story Time and Craft

Don't Miss our Valentine's Day Drop-In Story Time and Craft on Saturday February 12 at 11am.

Come and enjoy a few Valentine's Day stories before making a craft to take home.

You can find more information on it here.

Also - don't miss Dads and Donuts this Saturday February 5 at 11am.

No registration is necessary for either event. Both are free and open to the public.

Come join us!

Legomania began today - check out the fun we had!

Legomania for Grades 1-2 started today and we had a great session full of new and old faces. These kids were so creative, here are just a couple pictures to share with you.

Would you like the join the fun? Legomania Grades 1-2 has limited opening.

Legomania Grades 3-5 still has plenty of space available. Come into the Library Children's Room to sign up!

Follow us on Twitter!

We (the children's room) now have our own twitter. We'll use this to keep you updated about story times, registrations, and all other events happening. Follow us to be the first to have all the details!

Click here to view the page and follow us!

Winter Storytime Schedule

The winter storytime schedule is now available. Sign ups will NOT be until January 18th, but you can view the schedule as well as a description of the storytimes now to find the best program that suits your child's age and ability.

Baby Bookworms, Music and Movement, Terrific Twos and Threes and LegoMania will all be returning for weekly programs that must be registered for. Don't miss the new program Rhythm and Rhyme lead by Xenda Laramie too!

You can also save the date for special events, Dads and Donuts, Chess for Kids, Holiday Storytimes and Health & Happiness at your Library.

To view more on these programs, click the link for Children's Seasonal Programs or stop in to the Children's Room for a flyer.

Story Writing Contest Winners!

Congrats to all who participated in our story writing contest this November! We had a great number of entries and our judges had a hard time deciding just who would take the places.

The stories are available in the children's room for viewing and reading.

And next time you see one of these folks - make sure to give them a big congratulations!

1^ST- 3^RD GRADE

1^st PLACE

: “Ariel’s Bear Goes to Hebrew School” by Ariel G.

2^nd PLACE

: “Beatrice and Olive at the Country Fair” by Annabelle S.

3^rd PLACE

: “My Little Brother” by Caralyn C.

4^th-6^th GRADE

1^st PLACE

: “Joe and the Unusual Friend” by Davey W.

2^nd PLACE

: “Mr. Frog’s Adventures” by John M.

3^rd PLACE

: “A Summer Trip to Remember” by Shayne B.

Honorable Mentions: (In No Particular Order)

 1^st-3^rd GRADE:

“Fire People” by Alexis D.

“Cristal the Unicorn” by Ella P.

“When the Cablebox Strikes” by Scott J.

“Mars vs. Neptune” by Connor R.

“The Tale of the Helping Pandas” by Alexander T.

“Dinosaurs in the Forest” by Elijah S.

“The White and Black Loons and the Orange-Beaked Seagull” by Tess C.

“The Blob of HJ City” by Leo G.

4^th-6^th GRADE:

“Big Scary Werewolf Mystery” by Robby D.

“A Little Bit of Magic” by Lily S.

“Orian’s Quest” by Sarah M.

“Sunset Hill” by Porter D.

“The Trip to Freedom” by Nina D.

“Secret Revealed” by Katie R.

“The Unknown Queen” by Bryn S.

“The Mysterious Goose” by Amy T.

“The Land in the Box” by Emily M.

“The Power of Good and Evil” by Michelle M.

“The Christmas Kitten” by Rose W.

“Tracy’s Adventure” by Liam S.

“The Lonely Tree” by Emma C.

Many thanks to our esteemed panel of judges:

Sarah Lauderdale, Head of Reference, H-W Library

Emily Redinbo, Local Author and Teacher

Sandra Trapani, Editor, Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle

and to Pat Purdy, Owner of the Banbury Cross Bookshop of Wenham, for the generous donation of all of the wonderful prizes!

Congratulations to Our Pumpkin Winners!

This year brought some creative and colorful pumpkins! Congratulations to our winners!!

Melissa, age 5, won Most Royal

Lucy, age 2, won Best Smile

Natalia, age 10 won Best Hair

Kaitlyn, age 5, won Best Feline

Vanessa, age 5, won Most Colorful

Isabella, age 3, won Best Mixed Media

Gabe, age 7, won Most Prehistoric

Oscar, age 7, won Best Extra Terrestrial

Millie, age 5, won Most “Feather-ful”

Alex, age 8, won Best Western Theme

Andrea, age 5, won Most Splendid Rodent

Story Writing Contest this November!

November is a great month to celebrate literacy in so many ways!

November is not only Massachusetts's Family Literacy Month, but also National Novel Writing Month. The library is celebrating these events with a community read and discussion of Tinker wish author and 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Harding and by hosting Write-Ins. See below for more information.

A novel might be a little hard for your little one to write so we've shortened the requirements for our Story Writing Contest. Children grades 1st - 6th can work on their stories throughout the month of November and turn them into the children's room. Prizes will be given in two groups: 1st - 3rd and 4th - 6th. Everyone receives a token of appreciation for helping us celebrate this great month.


Read about all the guidelines here!


For more information on the Tinker Community Read -click here!