It's the Holiday Season!

There's nothing I love more than spending an evening at home with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate while the cold December winds blow outside. Even though I was born and raised in Chicago, I'm still not used to the chilly winters here in the Midwest! However, I don't mind braving the cold if it means I can have some wintery fun with loved ones. Luckily for me, Des Plaines has some wonderful family friendly activities planned for the month of December. Read on to find out more!

Friday, December 6 (today!) is Des Plaines' annual tree lighting event, Holiday on the Square. Located in downtown Des Plaines' Metropolitan Square, this festive gathering includes tree decorating, a visit from Santa, musical entertainment, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire! The fun begins at 4:00 pm. For more information on Holiday on the Square, click here.

The Des Plaines Park District will host their annual Winter Wonderland celebration at the Frisbie Senior Center on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. The free family festival features kids' crafts, bingo, face painting, model train displays, and much more. You can even catch a staff member from the Des Plaines Public Library at a very special storytime! For more information on Winter Wonderland, click here.

Looking for a way to give to others during the holiday season? The Des Plaines Public Library is here to help! The Mitten Tree Project collects new hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves for those in our community who are in need. Items will be collected at the Des Plaines Public Library through Friday, December 13. 

And last but certainly not least, don't forget to stop by the library! Our Winter Magic Show on Sunday, December 22 is sure to delight kids of all ages. Looking for a way to get crafty? Attend our Bling in the New Year program on Friday, December 27. We'll be making all kinds of holiday accessories, including hair clips and head bands. And whether you celebrate Kwanzaa or Christmas (or you just wrapped up your Hanukkah festivities), we have something for everyone in our special holiday book collection. Click here to browse some of my favorite winter reads.

Happy Holidays!

Eeek! Halloween is Coming!

It's so hard to believe it's already October 11th. Doesn't it just feel like kids just went back to school? Now as the weather is crisp and cold in the morning and leaves are changing color, that means it's time to turn our thoughts to our spookiest holiday, Halloween.

We have tons of materials at the library to get your ready for Halloween. We've got stories to put you in the spirit, how-to books on making your own costume or perfecting pumpkin carving, and DVDs of Halloween classics like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

This year we discovered something amazing. Are you familiar with Freegal? Freegal is our awesome digital music service. All you need is your Des Plaines Public Library card and you can get 3 free songs to download and keep each week. That's right--after you download them, they're yours forever! This year we discovered that Freegal has Halloween music--perfect to get those spooky sounds and tunes to help you set the atmosphere at your Halloween party at school or home. Once you're in Freegal, try searching for Halloween or Halloween sounds to get results, then explore from there.

Of course, we have Halloween CDs at the library too, but if you've come to the library at the last minute looking for these items before you know that they've all been checked out. Halloween (and holidays in general) move fast at the library, making Freegal a perfect option for you.

Feel free to stop by the Youth Services desk and ask us more about Freegal. Visit Freegal by clicking on the link here http://dppl.freegalmusic.com/homes/index or view some of the spooky selections.

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2013!

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, the longest and most important festival in the Chinese calendar begins this year on February 10, 2013 (or 4711 !)and lasts for 15 days until February 24th, the day of the Lantern Festival. An exciting parade with marching bands, Lion and Dragon dancers, floats, music and fireworks is a major part of the holiday for many Chinese communities. Chicago's Chinatown parade will be held on Saturday, February 17 at 1:00 pm.

Chinese New Year's customs could be compared to rolling Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's into one long celebration! It is a time for cleaning and decorating the home, for hosting family reunions with special meals, for giving thanks for the past year's safety and good fortune and then sending special good luck wishes to all for the coming year. On Chinese New Year's Eve, families will feast on pigs, ducks, chicken and sweets, grownups will give the children Li Shi, good luck money in little red envelopes, children will wish their parents Shou Shi, " Live long,"  and then everyone will welcome the New Year with firecrackers!

The Chinese calendar is represented by twelve animals of the zodiac chosen by Buddha, one for each year of 12 years, whose animal qualities or powers should be seen in the personalities of people born in matching years. 2012 was the Year of the Dragon; 2013 is the Year of the Water Snake. Chinese legend says the snake is a little dragon who fell from the skies, and cannot fly. If you were born in the Year of the Snake, you might be calm, shy, smart, generous and wise; or you could also be cunning, ambitious, likely to argue, not one to be fooled with.

If your family wishes to join in the spirit of the 2013 Chinese New Year, read a few holiday books together or visit the links above to learn more about the parade and the special  customs and history of this colorful festival.

Art Attack: Pinecones

If your child missed our first Art Attack program, have no fear.  You and your family can make a pine cone decoration at home.  All you need is ribbon, pins, and a styrofoam egg and you can make your house look festive for any holiday or decorate your child's bedroom with a fun accessory.  The best part is that your child can easily help with it all and you can have a lot of fun together for less than $10.

 

Art Attack is an ongoing program for 5th-8th graders here in the library.  Look for more fun Art Attack events going on throughout the year.  If you want to make a pinecone at home, just follow these directions here.

 

Have younger kids, but still want to have a fun day?  Try making snowflakes out of empty toilet paper rolls and plastic cups following the directions here.

Talking Turkey

This is the time of year when many of us are thinking about Meleagris gallopavo. It is probably more accurate to say that we are thinking about one specific turkey, the one that will be part of our Thanksgiving dinner. The library has many cookbooks to help prepare a holiday meal, but I especially liked Thanksgiving by Ellyn Sanna. This book includes information about the culture, history and traditions of Thanksgiving. The recipes are very traditional, including my family's secret (I thought) recipe for cranberry salad.

I think turkeys are fascinating, and I consider myself to be in good company. After all, Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our official bird instead of the bald eagle. He thought that the eagle had "bad moral character," and said, "The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America." The National Turkey Federation (NTF) includes that fact and many more on its website.

The NTF is the group that has presented the National Thanksgiving Turkey to the President each year since 1947. Of course, the President publicly pardons that turkey and sends it to live at Mt. Vernon.

Two of the library's databases are good sources of information about turkeys as well. PebbleGo Animals is a great resource for emergent readers. Your child can learn lots of fun facts, such as what a poult is. (It's a baby turkey.) Amazing Animals of the World is a database for older children. You can link to these databases through the library's website,  and can log in from home with your Des Plaines library card, even on Thanksgiving Day.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

The True Spirit of the Season

Last week, as I was casually glancing through the headlines showing on CNN, I noticed the name Irving Berlin.  Now, a quick history of my family will allow you to understand my infatuation with Irving Berlin, the composer of the songs from the movie/musical White Christmas.  My family celebrates Christmas, and the beginning of our Christmas season begins Thanksgiving night... with the viewing of and singing along with White Christmas.  Boys, girls, old, young... it doesn't matter.  The 36 of us - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents - sit and watch it together every year.  

This year is the first Christmas I will spend with my new husband, and we watched it last weekend (for the second time in just these few weeks).  My husband declared, "You don't have to celebrate Christmas to love this movie,"  and as someone who is celebrating his first Christmas this year (he's Jewish), he is right.  The next day I got texts from two cousins informing me that the movie was on AMC and the quoting texts ensued... "Mutual I'm sure" followed by a "Let's just say we're doing it for a pal in the Army". 

So, when I saw the article come up, I just had to read it... and was surprised to find that the first line of the article is: Who walks away from $10 million?  The answer - Irving Berlin.

Irving Berlin was a Jewish Immigrant who came to the United States from Russia when he was 5 years old.  Although many of the songs he is famous for are showcased in White Christmas (yes, you heard that right... a Jewish man wrote the song White Christmas), his most famous song is perhaps one you don't associate with him directly.  That song is God Bless America.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Diwali... the spirit of this time of year is giving, and Irving Berlin gave a whopper.  In 1938, he was asked to write a song for a CBS radio program, and he delivered with a song that provided an outlet for his love of America, and brought a nation on the brink of war to a patriotic high.  

Now, where does the $10 million come in?  As it turns out, when Berlin wrote the song, he wanted to make sure that because he wrote it for America, that America got the reward.  He set up a fund so that every penny earned from the song would be given to make America's future bright.  Every cent went to needy troops of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.  This would explain why God Bless America is on the list of Boy and Girl Scout songs.  Now, 73 years later, we are still reaping the benefits of this beautiful song... and hearing the message loud and clear.  This is the true meaning of the season.

You can read the initial article here, and for more information on Irving Berlin and the history behind God Bless America, click here.  We can learn a lot from Irving Berlin, the first lesson being that no matter what you celebrate, we can all celebrate this wonderful country we are blessed to call home.

A Little Holiday Cheer

Looking for a little holiday cheer?  The Des Plaines Park District and the City of Des Plaines are providing... in a big way.

The weekend of December 2, 3, and 4, the downtown area of Des Plaines will be brightened with the annual lighting of the holiday tree.  Beginning at 4pm on Friday, December 2nd, students from area schools will decorate trees.  From 4 - 6pm join in on the festivities including the arrival of Santa.  Immediately following the lighting, the Des Plaines Theater will be showing a family friendly holiday flick.  For more information on this event, check here.

If your family hasn't gotten enough holiday cheer, join the Des Plaines Park District is having their annual Winter Wonderland celebration on Saturday and Sunday, December 3rd and 4th.   In addition to taking a picture with Ronald McDonald, munching on roasted nuts, and watching Irish step dancers perform, you will catch a member of the Des Plaines Public Library staff reading books every 20 minutes throughout the day.  For more information on this event, check here.

If you have time in your busy weekend schedule, we also have programs running in the library.  On Sunday at 2pm, stop in to catch Sideswipe, an America's Got Talent finalist and exciting performance group.  They will keep your blood pumping as they use Martial Arts moves correographed to contemporary music to amaze you.

On Being Thankful...

We are living in hard times.

Recognizing that I state the obvious here, think about the things you may be thankful for during these hard times. Maybe it's your loving family, maybe it's that you've managed to keep your job when many around you are losing theirs. Maybe it's just that day after day you wake up and are part of the world.

I am especially thankful that I am an employee of the Des Plaines Public Library. This beautiful library with its friendly and welcoming staff have made my first year here delightful. The books, movies, music, games, and all else are offered in abundant variety and in a timely manner. There are plenty of places to be and things to do...there is something here for everyone.

During the holiday season, the library is an excellent place to take a break from the chaos, relax with a book, sit for a minute and regroup. As the madness of the holiday season escalates in the next few weeks, think of the library as your peaceful oasis. It's a place you can be thankful for a soft chair and a few moments of peace.

The Des Plaines Public Library will be closed on Thursday, November 24, 2011 in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, and will also be closed on Friday, November 25, 2011 as the entire staff of the Des Plaines Public Library takes a furlough day arranged to help the library meet its budget constraints during hard times. We hope you enjoy the time you spend with your family over the holiday and we look forward to seeing you back at the library starting Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. We'll save you a comfy chair.

Halloween

Looking for information on what is going on this Halloween?  Look here for information from the City of Des Plaines, their rules and regulations for trick-or-treating, and safety tips.  Don't forget to head to downtown Des Plaines this Saturday to check out the annual Halloween Hooplah celebration.  Not only will there be festivities and trick-or-treating with the businesses, the Des Plaines Park District is hosting a craft on the 2nd floor of the library from 1-3pm, and the library will finish off the entire celebration with Wild and Wacky Magic by Randy at 3pm in our first floor meeting rooms.

Don't miss out on all of the fun!

2 Weeks Till Halloween!

Halloween is only two weeks away! It's exciting to think that soon kids will be getting dressed up in their costumes, going trick or treat around the neighborhood, and telling each other spooky stories.

What if your child doesn't have a costume yet? Never fear, the library is here to rescue you! We have lots of good books to get your creative juices going and help you create an amazing costume for your child.

Ecocrafts: Creative Costumes had lots of great ideas and uses materials that most likely you have around the house. For instance you can make a mermaid costume out of plastic bags! Other cool creative ideas include a knight, dragon, and pirate.

Disney's Face-Painting and Costume Book has many different costume ideas. What I loved about a lot of these costumes was that they incorporated sweatshirts and sweatpants or a long t-shirt as the base of the costume. There are many cute ideas like Tiger, Cinderella, and Captain Hook. The book also gives detailed information about how to do the face painting for each costume as well as a close up picture of the face so you can clearly see what the final image is supposed to look like.

If your child thinks they just want their face painted for Halloween we have several videos for you to check out! The series Create Faces has several titles: Animal Faces, Halloween Horror, and Halloween Classics. Some face painting examples are vampire, mummy, zombie, alien, superhero, cat, monkey, and dog.

I've got some ideas for my Halloween costume! Come in to the library today and look for these books and movies, as well as others that we have on this topic.

Ecocrafts: Creative Costumes
Disney's Face-Painting and Costume Book
Create Faces: Animal Faces
Create Faces: Halloween Classics
Create Faces: Halloween Horror

Teaching Children about Holidays

The holiday season is upon us...Whether you celebrate or not it's impossible to avoid songs, decorations, and "season's greeting" that appear around this time of year.  Learning the stories and customs behind various holidays is an excellent activity for you and your children.  For holidays you do celebrate, this will strengthen your children's connection to their cultural or religious heritage.  For those you don't celebrate, it will help both you and your children to gain a better appreciation for the world we live in.

In addition to learning about diverse holidays, it's important for families to create their own rituals (whether they are religious in nature or not). If you would like to learn more about holidays and rituals we recommend checking out books in our diverse Holiday collection. Each book there has a sticker to correspond with the holiday.

Happy holidays to all of you!

4th of July Fun!

If your family is bummed by the fact that the downtown fireworks are no longer going to happen in Chicago AND Des Plaines isn't going to have them either, don't fret.  There are still tons of fun things to do right in the Des Plaines community.  Not only is Arlington Park hosting the July 2nd fireworks so you can enjoy some 'night-before-night-before' excitement (closer to home), but there are other communities hosting fireworks as well including Park Ridge and Mount Prospect.  

Here in Des Plaines, we also have our very own festivities going on.  The 4th of July parade will begin at 10am at Oakton and Center streets and follow the red, white, and blue stars to the history center.  Your family can sit anywhere along the parade route to catch a glimpse of your library staff dressed in their Summer Reading Club best (there is also candy involved!).

Looking for more great stuff to do?  Check out Arlington Heights' Frontier Days, and Park Ridge's Annual Celebration (fireworks on 3rd) or Mount Prospect's Village Fair (fireworks on 4th).

For a list of all local celebrations, look here.

April Fools Anyone?

How many of you woke up this morning with toothpaste all over your face?  How many came downstairs at what you thought was the right time only to find out the clocks had been moved forward an hour or two?  Anyone told by their children they saw the school bus go by before it actually did?

Today is April Fools Day, A day that dates back to 1582 in France.  King Charles IX introduced the Georgian Calendar, moving the New Year from March 25-April1 (new year's week) to January 1.  Because the mail and telephone system were non-existent in those times, news traveled slowly and some people didn't find out about the change for several years, and some refused to make the change, continuing to celebrate on April 1st.  Those who continued to celebrate were labeled "fools" and jokes were played on them; invitations to fake parties were sent, they were sent on "fool's errands", all kinds of practical jokes were played.

In that tradition, we still celebrate April Fool's Day in the united states, mostly with kids playing tricks on their parents.  More information can be found here about April Fool's Day and how it is celebrated in other countries, but we also have lots of joke books and April Fool's Day books in the collection.  Stop in and check one out, but be careful.... you don't want to give your kids ammunition for next year!

Love Your Library: just in time for Valentine's Day

We love our patrons. You are the reason we present programs. You are the reason we purchase materials. You are the reason we greet you at the reference desk and answer your questions.

How can you love us back this Valentine's Day (or any day for that matter)?

Let me count the ways:

Come to our programs. Bring your family. Invite a neighbor. The more people that attend our programs, the more likely we are to be able to bring you more programs in the future.

Check our materials out of the library. Take them home and share them with your family. The more materials you check out of the library, the more likely it is that we are able to provide you with more materials in the future.

Think you have too many books at home as it is? Get some fresh ones by visiting the library and checking out some great NEW books. And as for the books that you've had enough of?...bring them to the Friends of the Library to be sold in their book sales. Those funds then directly help the library bring you exciting programs and services like our big holiday extravaganza programs and Friends & Family Sundays.

Can't find what you're looking for or don't know where to start? Ask your librarian a question. Encourage your children to get to know us and feel comfortable approaching us. The more questions you ask, the more we know about what you're looking for and why. We can then better serve you by providing you with the most useful materials and tools.

We love the library and we know you do too. Spread the word...and the LOVE!

Black History Month

Every year, the month of February is devoted Black History Month. Help your children to understand how the history of African Americans is a part of American history. If you are wondering how February became Black History Month and who created it, stop by the YS desk and we can help you find a book about Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian who created what would become Black History Month in 1920 (then it was known as Negro Week).  African American didn't have the right to vote at the time, and lynching and other inhumane treatments were not uncommon, so Dr. Woodson began Black History Month because the contributions of African American were not well-known enough or not known at all. He chose February for the celebration because it is the birth month of Frederick Douglass (well known black social reformer, writer, and orator) and President Abraham Lincoln.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Monday, January 17, 2011 is the 25th anniversary of the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance. Signed into law by President Ronald Regan in 1983 and first observed in 1986, the day is encouraged as a day of service to others in recognition and in honor of Rev. Dr. King's contributions to community action.

So many wonderful books for children have been written about Martin Luther King, Jr. Some standouts you won't want to miss are


Martin's Big Words: the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport




and My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal organization that offers suggestions for individuals, groups, or families looking for service opportunities. Check out their web page that focuses specifically on service projects for MLK Day at MLKDay.gov.

Always Open @ www.dppl.org

The Youth Services Department staff is very much looking forward to spending some time with family and friends this holiday season. Even though our doors may be closed for a day or two, you can access the library's web resources 24 hours a day at http://www.dppl.org/.

The library will be closed on the following days:

Friday, December 24, 2010

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy Holidays to all from the Youth Services Department staff of the Des Plaines Public Library.

Make Your Holiday Magic

After you have hung the lights and trimmed the tree at home, why not light up your winter holidays with a trip to the zoo?

Brookfield Zoo is celebrating its 29th annual Holiday Magic Festival of Lights nightly December 26-31 and January 1 from 4:00-9:00 pm.

Costumed characters meet you at the gates, dancers, choirs, and musicians entertain you in the Holly Jolly Theater, and you can watch ice carvers work their special magic. As you walk the mall past hundreds of decorated trees, you will see an amazing animated light display of penguins, giraffes, and even the Abominable Snowman. In addition, you can sing carols to the bison and big cats, see swimming polar bears and grizzlies, check out model trains, take a train ride, or enjoy a Dolphin show !

Most animal buildings, including the new Great Bear Wilderness, will be open each evening, as will the Children's Zoo where you can have your picture taken with a real reindeer, and the Hamill Family Play Zoo where you can make a holiday craft. Of course there are also gift shops for last minute purchases, and yummy holiday treats like cookies, hot chocolate, cider and more at the zoo's many restaurants and food stands.

For more information and a daily schedule of events call (708) 688-8000 or go online to Brookfield Zoo's website

25 Days of Christmas

No matter what holiday you celebrate in December, you cannot ignore the overwhelming presence and cheer of the people celebrating Christmas.  This is never more present than the days leading up to the holiday itself.

Growing up, my sister and I spent many a night in December watching our favorite holiday films.  They were easy enough to find.  We would go through the TV Guide, mark the days on the calendar when our favorite movies were playing and mark it down in the square: Dec 17, 7pm Santa Clause is Comin' to Town.  Now, ABC Family has made it even easier with their '25 Days of Christmas'.  This has been running for several years now, but if your family is not familiar with it, you can visit www.abcfamily.com/25days  to look at the line-up and see what it is all about.

In case your family doesn't have cable, or you miss your favorite movie, we have plenty of copies of your favorites here at the library.  Stop by and check out a few for your family, and while you are in, take out a book on your favorite December holiday as well.  Grab a bowl of popcorn and all the blankets you can find... I guarantee your family will have a great time!

Eight Nights of Light

Over the years some wonderful books about the holiday of Hanukkah (also spelled Hanukah, Chanukah) have passed through my hands. Hanukkah will be arriving this year at sunset on Wednesday, December 1 and continue through December 9 so take a minute before, during, or after one of the eight nights to share a story or learn a little more about this upcoming Festival of Lights.
This is the Dreidel, a cumulative story with delightful illustrations, is a great introduction to the vocabulary of Hanukkah. Though this story doesn't go into much detail about the history of the festival or the deeper meaning behind the symbols, it does introduce the basics. And it's great fun to read.

If you are a fan of The Gingerbread Man, don't miss The Runaway Latkes. Three big latkes (that's potato pancakes to you and me), crisp and brown, jump out of the pan and roll off to see the town. You'll love the participatory aspect of the story, and there's a recipe for latkes on the last page!

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, published in 1989 and a prestigious Caldecott Award Honor Book in 1990, is now considered a classic of children's literature and a favorite of the season. Hershel of Ostropol, a trickster character, must save a village from the goblins who prevent the villagers from lighting their holiday candles and enjoying the seasonal festivities.

In addition to these wonderful stories, we also have in the library plenty of books that will help you learn more about the meaning and significance of Hanukkah itself. Please visit our holiday display of books for some suggestions. Happy Hanukkah!