Super Surprise Books

I've been having a blast putting together youth surprise books!  The books are shelved between Easy Readers and Junior Nonfiction:

• Board Books are in blue bags.
• Picture Books are in red bags.
• Junior Fiction Books are wrapped in white paper.

Young Adult surprise books are on top of the YA stacks.  
If you're like me and not the best with surprises, give the Junior Fiction and Young Adult books a try.  The opening line(s) from the book are on top of the wrapped book!

Summer reading kicks off this Monday, June 1, and surprise books are great ways to add to your summer reading log.

See you in the library!

Madeline Jarvis
Youth Services Librarian

Summer Reading sneak peak

Even the books are getting excited for this year's Summer Reads theme!  Here's a sneak peak of some of the books dressed up in the Junior Fiction section:

Of course, these books can still be checked out!

Did I miss a favorite hero?  Let me know!

-Madeline Jarvis
Youth Services Librarian

Star Wars Day

Visit the library, you will...

Have you seen the Star Wars material at the library?  Ranging from board books to cookbooks, DVDs to dictionaries, we have you covered!  It's tough to narrow down such a variety for a blog post, but I think the force is especially strong in these titles:


I was laughing out loud at Prairie Lights when I first saw this book!  What if "Luke, I am your father" was just a loving dad trying to keep a mischievous son in line?  The fun continues in Vader's Little Princess and Good Night, Darth Vader.


I think I'll make some Crazy Cantina Chili for supper this week... or should I go for Boba Fett-uccine?  This cookbook is fun for any aged chef!


This won't surprise anyone who played with our poetry bricks last month, but we are Lego lovers at the library!  I love this guide to the Lego interpretation of Star Wars.  (Big siblings be warned -- as I flipped through this book, I could practically hear the sounds of my little brothers digging through their Lego bins early Saturday mornings!)


Of course, the film that started it all. Even if you are not a sci fi fan, the tale of an ambitious farmhand on a galaxy-saving mission will have your heart pumping in overdrive.

Interested in finding other titles?  Search the subjects "Star Wars films" or "Star Wars fiction," or keywords "Star Wars" (be warned -- a keyword search will not be as specific as a subject search, so it will turn up other great materials that are not affiliated with a galaxy far, far, away).  Or, ask a librarian for help!

May the Fourth be with you!

Madeline Jarvis
Youth Services Librarian

Thank You Ely!

Thank you to everyone who donated books, set up the book sale, baked cinnamon rolls, put out the garage sale signs, advertised the city wide sales, worked the used book sale and cleaned up after the book sale! (I hope I am not forgetting anyone!)  We had beautiful weather and great sales!

National Children's Book Week

National Children’s Book Week is coming up, starting on May 4th!  Here at the Ely Public Library, we are able to celebrate our favorite children’s books at our weekly story times, but here are some of my personal favorites we have not read together yet:

You Are A Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo is a great way to get kids moving.   The author holds an MFA, so her vibrant illustrations are clear to follow.  You and your child will have a blast slithering and stretching together!

We just added Coming Home by Greg Ruth to our collection.  In this story, we meet a little boy who is finally at the airport ready to welcome his favorite soldier home.  The anticipation builds throughout the book; everyone else is reuniting with their loved ones, now when is it his turn?  This book made me tear up the first time I read it; this sweet book is a great read together for any child.

After trying out some of our wordless books, check out The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak.  This book may only have words, but it is far from boring!  When I read this book out loud, it had me say ridiculous things such as “my head is made of blueberry pizza” -- which I promise is not true!  This silly book is a great choice for a child who likes to be in charge and hear their caregiver say funny things!

One of my favorite books from childhood is The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson.  In this classic, we meet a gentle bull named Ferdinand who would rather smell flowers under the cork tree than participate in the bull fights.  What does it take to make Ferdinand fierce?  This is a fun book to revisit with parents and grandparents who could have grown up loving Ferdinand as well!

If you would like any other suggestions for books, please let me or another librarian know!

Madeline Jarvis

Youth Services Librarian

Morse Code Day

Happy Morse Code Day!

Samuel Morse (1791-1872) developed a code of dots and dashes to represent the letters of the English alphabet.  This code could then be used to transmit messages through the telegraph.  It was the first means for long-distance communication. 

My Morse Code message to you is:  .-. . .- -.. .-.-.-

                                                                                                                Read.
~Sarah

Teach Your Children to Save Day

Today has three interesting celebrations.   

1) Pig in a Blanket Day 

2) Teach Your Children to Save Day 

 3) Hairball Awareness Day

I am sure there are more, depending upon your selected web source.   Since it is Smart Money Week (April 18-25), I thought it would be good to highlight #2 - Teach Your Children to Save Day.

 This day was set up as a way to help encourage kids to develop good savings habits, at an early age, to hopefully instill this as a lifelong skill.   This day was established by the American Bankers Association.

Check with your kids.  Ask them what they know.  Teach them.  The more they hear this important lesson, the better prepared they will be in the long run.

While you are at it, enjoy some pigs in a blanket for supper and watch out for those hairballs....

~Sarah