Take Your Child to....

There are many 'take your child to' days throughout the year such as the most famous of them all, Take Your Child to Work Day.  Saturday, December 1st is national Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.  While the perception of libraries and bookstores is that we are in constant competition with each other, you might be surprised to know that there is a lot of collaboration between us.  As a library, we are excited and encouraged by the amount of literacy initiatives being brought forth by both local and big chain bookstores.  

On weekdays and nights, you can catch a storytime here at the library, but perhaps on a weekend you can head to your local bookstore to listen to the 'story lady' read as well.  Any and all actions on the part of parents to foster a love of books in their child is wonderful and highly encouraged by all of us here at the library.

Many bookstores which participate in the day are providing entertainment and activities for children.  We highly encourage you to participate in any and all of them that you can.  Then, head to calendar.dppl.org to check out the fun things going on here in the library.  Remember, almost all of the programs here in the library are free, so feel free to check them out!  While there is a specific day in the year for Take Your Child to the Library Day, we feel that every day can be celebrated with a visit to the library or the bookstore.  Share a book with your child and get them on the right path to literacy!

Stay (Library) Informed

Did you know you can receive a weekly e-mail straight to your inbox that will keep you informed of the goings-on around the library? Des Plaines Public Library's e-newsletter, eForward, gives you the week's library news in a nutshell. You will know about current and coming library events, learn about new products available to you either in the library or at home via your library card, be informed of things like holiday closings and special hours, and much more. Bonus...you will also be among the first to know about exciting library happenings such as the news that Des Plaines Public Library has been named a *star library* by Library Journal!

Take a look at the most current issue of eForward here. You can see that it previews some of our upcoming programs, and allows you to register on-the-spot for programs that interest you and may require registration. It is also a quick one-stop-shopping place to see all of the library's blogs and social media outlets. Finished reading Kidding Around? Check out PlainTalk with just a click of the mouse.

Enter your e-mail address and follow the instructions to become part of the eForward mailing list here. You'll be glad you did!

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!

MEET THE DOG - Dog Safety for Children

                                           

Is there a right way or wrong way for children to meet a dog, to pet a dog,to play with a dog?

You and your children, ages 3-8, could find out the answers to these questions and many more by attending a very special program tomorrow, November 10th from 11:00-Noon in 1st floor meeting  Room B. Youth Services has invited safety experts and dog therapy teams from Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy of Morton Grove to demonstrate to you how to interact safely with dogs. (Registration is not required, but you must accompany your child to the program.)

Watching and meeting these gentle, obedient therapy dogs could lessen your child's fear of dogs, increase his/her coping skills when approaching new or strange dogs, and might even lead your family to considering having a dog of your very own.

After the program, (or if you cannot attend) I'd like to recommend a shared family read of some of our newest books from the pet nonfiction section (J 636.7). By all means start with the classic dog safety book, May I Pet Your Dog, as well as the cautionary tale for toddlers, Be Gentle With the Dog, Dear! Next, read a few books that satisfy your child's curiosity about doggy behavior, that is, why dogs do what they do, such as It's a Dog's Life. If your family already has a dog, you can also read several great books like 101 Fun Things to Do With Your Dog that have lots of easy games to play with your dog, that can train him to be a smarter, better behaved dog too! Finally, if you are deciding whether to get a new family dog, and need to learn about many breed of dogs, and what it takes to care for a dog, head for the J 636.7's - WOOF! WOOF!

Celebrate Native American History Month

Every  November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month  to honor the first Americans on this continent. Various organizations that connect to the heritage  provide many special programs, such as lectures, powwows, seminars and some other fun activites.  Trickster Gallery in Schaumburg,  the only Native American operated fine-arts institution in Illinois  presents a wealth of programs. On Sunday, November 4,  2012, at 2 p.m., we have our own program, Spirit of the Eagle Presentations, by Jonathan Jordan who is  part of the Lakota Indian heritage.  Through the program, we will learn about the nomadic lifestyle of the Lakota Sioux, focusing on music, artifacts, teepee etiquette and more. Please join us for this celebration.