Wedding Excitement!

One of our own is getting married! Today our Preschool Liaison librarian, Courtney, is tying the knot. While she's been excited about getting married for a while now, one of the things she might be happiest about is having her two nieces play flower girl.

Are your children going to be standing up in a wedding or attending a wedding this summer? Consider checking out some of the following titles to help them get used to what they can expect during the big day!

The Reluctant Flower Girl by Lynne Barasch
Flower Girl by Kathy Furgang
Flower Girl Butterflies by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
The Ring Bear: A Rascally Wedding Adventure by David Michael Slater
Snapshots from the Wedding by Gary Soto
Lettice: The Flower Girl by Mandy Stanley
Milly's Wedding by Kate Summers

New Parenting Books

Baby Signing 1-2-3
The easy-to-use illustrated guide for every stage and every age.
J Parent Collection 419.7 CAD

Practical Behavior Management Solutions for Children and Teens with Autism

Outlines a framework for behavior intervention. Includes many practical examples and useful tips.
J Parent Collection 618.9285882 MIL

Better Food for Kids
Information and a essential guide to nutrition for all children from age 2 to 10.
J Parent Collection 641.5622 SAA

Active Parenting of Teens

Provides the guidance and support you need to turn the challenges of raising a teenager into opportunities for growth.

J Parent Collection 649.125 POP

The Way of Boys

The ideal book for parents eager to understand what is going on in the mind and bodies of their young sons.

J Parent Collection 649.132 RAO

Toilet Training In Less Than A Day

A tested method for teaching your child quickly and happily!

J Parent Collection 649.62 AZR

How to Photograph Your Baby

This book is for people who want to create stunning photographs of the babies they love with a minimum of effort and fancy equipment.

J Parent Collection 778.925 KEL

Looking for Something? Try a Garage Sale

Between the dismal economy and the focus on being green, Garage Sales are the perfect solution to your summer fun.  Instead of spending countless weekends driving around aimlessly, take time to visit the many garage sales in the Community Wide Garage Sale. Next weekend, Friday - Sunday (May 13 - 15), many homes in zip code 60016 will be participating in the garage sale, and for those in zip code 60018, it will be the next weekend (May 20 - 22).

Don't have a garage?  On May 14, the Mountain View Adventure Center on Algonquin Road is opening up their parking lot for one huge garage sale; spaces are $25 to rent and are the size of an actual parking space.  From 8:30am - 2:00pm, hundreds of families and visitors will be able to shop at your tables (just make sure to bring a table to put your items on).

Hopefully the weather will hold so you can get out there and have some fun walking around. Take your kids to pick out their 'new' toys and games from someone's outgrown items. Is there a child soon to be arriving? Look for those expensive baby items that might be able to be reused from someone else.

Looking for a map of the garage sales? Look no further than the City of Des Plaines webpage. The map will be up on May 12.

Tornado Safety

With the recent outbreak of devastating tornadoes that hit the South, your children might be wondering about tornadoes: how do they form, could this happen here, and what they should do during a tornado.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), here are some facts about tornadoes:

• Peak season in the southern states is March to May
• Peak season for northern states is late spring to early summer
• Average speed is 30 MPH, but can vary between 0 and 70 MPH
• The path of a tornado can reach over a mile wide and 50 miles longs
• Come from strong, powerful thunderstorms
• It's possible for every state to be affected by tornadoes

They also have information on their website about what to do before and during a tornado.

BEFORE

• Pay attention to weather signs that indicate dangerous weather
• Dark, usually greenish sky
• Large hail
• Large, dark, low-lying cloud
• Loud roar (like a train)
• Listen to radio or news--if they mention storms approaching be prepared to act fast. Have a plan in place so your children know what to do (There's a reason we practice tornado and fire drills.)

DURING

The FEMA website lists what to do depending on what you're in at the time. If you're in a building, go to the lowest level like a basement. If a basement isn't available go to an inside room on the lowest possible level. Stay away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Get under a table and protect your head and neck with your arms.

If you're outside or in a vehicle, try to get into the nearest building. If that's not possible lie flat in the lowest possible area around, like a ditch. Don't seek shelter under an overpass or bridge.

FEMA has more information available on their site about what to do after a disaster and helping a child coping with distress. Even children who haven't lived through the experience but seen it on TV might experience distress.

If your child would like to learn more about tornadoes, check out these books at our library:

• Violent Weather: Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Hurricanes by Andrew Collins
• Tornado! The Story Behind These Twisting, Turning, Spinning, and Spiraling Storms by Judith Bloom Fradin
• Tornadoes by Mari C. Schuh
• Tornadoes: The Science Behind Terrible Twisters by Alvin Silverstein

Have Your Teen Volunteer This Summer!

Is your child in 7th-12th grade? Are they friendly and enjoy working with others? Then they might enjoy being a volunteer for our Summer Reading Club!

One of the reasons our Summer Reading Club is so successful is because of our wonderful teen volunteers. They help sign up children into the Club, hand out prizes, get supplies ready, and help out at programs.

In return they get a head start on their volunteer hours for the school year, a super cute volunteer t-shirt, chances to win prizes with the weekly raffle, and a volunteer party at the end of the Summer Reading Club!

Our Summer Reading Club Volunteer Applications just went out. If your teen is interested, please encourage them to come into the library and pick up an application to fill out. Applications are due by May 16th. We'd love for them to be part of our team!

Great Shakeout 2011

Earthquakes in Japan have been in the news lately, but did you know that April is Earthquake Preparedness Month here in Illinois? You have probably heard the saying "Stop, Drop and Roll" for fire, but for earthquakes you are supposed to "Drop, Cover and Hold On". This slogan is a reminder to "Drop" down to the floor, take "Cover" under a sturdy desk, table, or other furniture, and "Hold On" to the furniture item and be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops.

Next Thursday, April 28 at 10:15 a.m. is the 2011 Shakeout Drill. You and your family can plan what you will do now to prepare, so that if you are ever in an earthquake you will be able to protect yourself and then recover quickly.

When you register to participate in the drill at www.shakeout.org/centralus you can receive additional information about the drill and earthquake preparedness. For example, you can find a link to play Beat the Quake. (I didn't do so well, but it was fun to play.)

Young children might enjoy reading Earthquakes by Mari Schuh.

Earthquakes: The Science Behind Seismic Shocks and Tsunamis is an interesting book for older children.

Remembering the Early Days of Des Plaines

Who was here before we were here? As part of our "Work, Learn, Play, Remember" theme, we will be hosting a joint program with the Des Plaines History Center this Saturday, April 23. Register at the Youth Services desk or at dppl.org. We'll hear stories, learn a bit of history, AND make a mess fashioning our own arrowheads out of all natural materials!