It's the return of the Boys Book Club and the Girls Book Club!

The Boys Book Club and the Girls Book Club will each meet on Wednesday, March 17th at 6:30 in the Children's Library. 

The boys will be discussing The Switch by Anthony Horowitz, a supernatural crime drama about a boy trapped in a carnival world.  The girls will be discussing The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, a spine-tingling tale about a boy raised by ghosts.  After separate discussions, the boys and girls will meet up to work together on a fun activity related to the horror theme of both books. 

If you are between the ages of 9 to 12 and like to read, discuss books, and eat pizza, please join us!  No registration is required. 

Dates for  Boys & Girls Book Club Meetings:

Wednesday, March 17th (boys discussing The Switch, girls discussing The Graveyard Book)

Wednesday, April 21st (books TBA)

Wednesday, May 12th (books TBA)

March is Women's History Month- when we recognize the acheivements of great women throughout history and honor women who are making history every day.

If you are looking for a great book about history-making women, check out this year's Sibert Medal winner.  Given for the most distinguished work of non-fiction for children, this year's Sibert Medal was awarded to Tanya Lee Stone's Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream.   The book chronicles the experiences and efforts of thirteen women who worked throughout the 1950's and 1960's to become astronauts in NASA.  (One women, Jerrie Cobb, had more flying time than the legendary pilot and astronaut, John Glenn!)  Forced to undergo extreme testing that the men were not required to endure, they women proved time and again that they had "the right stuff."  Despite their qualifications, the women were met with strong opposition, prejudice, and unfair restrictions.  But that didn't stop them from persuing their dreams and paving the way for future female astronauts like Sally Ride.  Complete with photos, primary documents, and interviews with the subjects, Stone's book is in turns fascinating and infuriating but, ultimately, inspiring.  

New Moon Girls magazine also has a terrific online exhibit on famous women, with videos, photos,and brief biographies.

For more information and books about famous women throughout history, check out the books we tagged as "Women's History Month for Kids."  If you are working on reports and projects related to Women's History Month, you can also find great biographies in our Biography Resource Center database. 

Growing Good Kids: Resource Roundtable

Wednesday, March 17 at 10 AM

Parents and Caregivers are invited to join us for an informal dialogue on parenting topics with Lauren Pote from the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut.

Parents' Film Series: Speaking in Tongues

Monday, March 15 at 10 AM and Thursday, March 18 at 7 PM

This 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival Audience Award Winner explores the subject of bilingual education in the United States. Before the screening you will have the opportunity to learn about a new committee exploring foreign language options for the Darien Elementary Schools.

To view the trailer, click on the left-hand image.

Looking for picture books in another languange that you can actually understand? Here are some of our BILINGUAL books in Spanish and English. Check them out!

photo by Flickr user miheco

It's a BLIZZARD!

For the brave souls who venture out into the snow storm today, we will have Snowflake Stations and crafts available in the Children's Library. Kids can help us decorate the library with their snowflake creations. Our regularly scheduled programs are cancelled for the day, but there is always something to do in the Children's Library!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user San Jose Library

I am always looking for good, current research about how young children use technology. There is a lot of studies that have been done on teenagers, but research with younger children is not nearly as common. I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite websites, Read Write Web is undergoing a big survey which aims to find out how children under the age of 12 use web technology. Are any of you parents out there interested in taking part? Click here to participate in the survey.

February is National Black History Month, when we take time to remember and celebrate important and influential African-Americans throughout our history. 

We have tagged many of our favorite biographies, non-fiction books, and historical fiction books as "Black History Month for Kids."  Click the link to see our booklist. 

There have been several excellent books for children written this year that focus on important, but previously untold stories, about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States:

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, is the story of a young girl who stood up for her rights in the face of harrowing opposition and prejudice.  She is a figure that should be as well-known as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, but whose story had remained untold until very recently.  This new biography about her life and contribution to the Civil Rights Movement recently won a Newbery Honor. 

Antother wonderful and recently published book about the Civil Rights Movement is Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children, and Don't You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge.  Unlike other books on similar topics, Marching is distinguished in that it focuses on the contributions of children and teenagers in the history of the Civil Rights Movement.  If you are looking for an inspiring story that demonstrates the power that children have to change their world for the better, check out this moving and well-researched book. 

For other great books about famous African-Americans throughout history, check out our list!

Monday marks the beginning of No Name-Calling Week, an annual effort to stamp out all forms of name-calling within our communities. The Darien Library's Roots and Shoots Team wanted to spread the word among children by creating posters which urge kids to address bullying and name-calling in their schools. Visit the Children's Library this week to view these powerful messages.

Last year the Children's Library addressed the issue of bullying, and created a booklist for this timely topic.

Our monthly Stories on the Spectrum program, a sensory-based storytime for children on the autistic spectrum between the ages of 3 and 8, will continue throughout this winter. 

Children with autism or other sensory-integration disorders, and their families, are invited to join us this Saturday, January 23rd at 11:00am in the Children's Library for some songs, a story, and a sensory activity. 

Please pre-register by phone or email: you can call the Children's Library at (203)669-5243 or email Kiera Parrott at kparrott@darienlibrary.org.

Winter Dates (program begins at 11:00am):

Saturday, January 23rd

Saturday, February 27th

Saturday, March 20th

Saturday, April 10th