KIDS AND PARENTS:

A WORD FROM YOUTH SERVICES

 
When a favorite toy is well-loved after a few years it really shows the wear.   The Children’s Room is a little bit the same.  It’s been a favorite place for generations of children, and now there are definite signs of wear.   The worn teddy bear can go in the wash, but the Children’s Room needs something special.  Here’s where the Friends of the Library step in.

The Friends are raising funds this fall for an exciting make-over, one that preserves the Room’s classic look.   In the plans are a more inviting picture book section, cozy seating by the fireplace, and more open floor space for those overcrowded children’s programs.    New carpeting, lights and paint   -  all badly needed  -  will brighten us up considerably.   

Curious how things might look?   A design proposal is on display in the Children’s Room.  The project goes hand-in-hand with the separately funded Building of Character campaign, which aims to upgrade the entire building

You can help the Friends achieve their goal.   Be on the lookout for a number of fundraisers this fall.  And you are warmly invited to become a Friend too.  You’ll be joining a group vital to the support of children’s programs.

What’s the most popular book this summer?  It’s probably the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney.  The Wimpy Kid series attracts readers with its underdog hero and comic take on the humiliations of middle school life.   The handwritten diary format  ---  with cartoons, notes, lists and homework  ---  attracts even the “don’t like to read” crowd.   

When kids finish the Wimpy Kid series they clamor for more that are “just like it.”   Youth Services has a new booklist that will lead them to more books with the same appeal.  Reader’s will discover  series like Dear Dumb Diary, Franny K. Stein Mad Scientist,  Rufus the Scrub, Amelia’s Diaries, and My Weird School Daze.

An exciting family literacy program is coming to Youth Services this winter.   A team of four Muskegon educators and librarians attended a training workshop this summer.  The Prime Time Family Reading Time will target families who don’t use the Library, yet.   Parents and children will meet weekly to talk about books they’ve read together.   The open-ended discussions let people see how books relate to their own family values.    Prime Time is funded through the Michigan Humanities Council  and the National Endowment for the Humanities.