July 4th Parade Sign-Up!

Starting on June 4th you can sign-up to walk with the Manlius Library at the July 4th parade!

Children and parents can walk or stroll in the parade, toss candy and wear Manlius Library apparel (free to the first 25 children).

You can sign up at the circulation desk or online through our Events Calendar

http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=g8p&lmx=262101

Memorial Day – May 28, 2012

Memorial Day is just a couple of days away. This national holiday occurs the last Monday in May. This holiday, originally, was a day to remember all the Union soldiers who had died during the Civil War, but over the years it has come to encompass those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The First Memorial Day-like remembrance and celebration was likely held in Charleston, South Carolina at the Washington Race Course on May 1, 1865. This was the site of a large Union soldier graveyard. Freed slaves held a parade, sang songs, and honored those that had died in order for them to be free. They then held races, picnics, and listened to speeches.

Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery

There are many official and unofficial traditions associated with Memorial Day. Many families visit cemeteries and gravesites of deceased family members. People visit local memorials and sites of remembrance. You often see the American flag at half-staff from dawn until noon. One of the biggest traditions, however, is attending local parades and then going to neighborhood or family barbeques.

Memorial Day is not only a day of remembrance, it is also the unofficial beginning of the summer vacation season. I hope that you have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend and that your summer is full of fun, family and friends!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Star Wars: The Anniversary

Did you know that on May 25, 1977, Star Wars: A New Hope, opened in theaters across the country? This year marks the 35th anniversary of one of the world’s favorite science fiction films’ debut!

Star Wars Logo

As most of you know, Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi are just three films right in the middle of a six (or nine, depending on your source) story epic created by George Lucas. On top of the movies, there are books, TV series, video games, and comic books. These have expanded and delved deeper into the world of Star Wars. Many little boys and girls dream of being a Jedi Knight and fighting with or against the Galatic Empire (depending on which side of the force they prefer – the light or the dark side).

On top of the original works, there have been many re-releases of the movies. As the improvements in CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and computer technologies in general have occurred, Lucas has revamped and altered his original films to meet both fans’ demands for more information, and to tell his stories how he originally wanted to.

Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. From Star Wars: A New Hope

Almost two decades after the original release of the first film, fans across the globe were ecstatic to learn that they would now get to view the first three films in the series. on May 19, 1999 Episode I: The Phantom Menance was released in theatres. Over the next 6 years Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith wowed fans with the origin stories of some of their favorite characters. The newest addition to this epic saga is Star Wars: Clone Wars which is both a movie and a TV series and the only animated movie in the franchise.

Lucas has gone through and, also, updated his cast. Everytime a new actor takes on a role of a character which spans across multiple movies (particularly the “original” movies and the “new” movies), he then goes through and updates the actor in the “originals.” For example, in the original Return of the Jedi, at the end of the movie during the celebration of the defeat of Vader with the Ewoks, Luke sees the images of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and his father, Anakin. In the original release Anakin was played by Sebastian Shaw. After Hayden Christensen took on the role of young Anakin, Lucas updated the image to be that of Hayden Christensen. Other characters have also gone through similar transformations.

Two Different Versions of Return of the Jedi

What makes this series stand the test of time? It has action, adventure, romance, humor, and a creative cast of characters. There is really something for everyone. Each fan of the series has their favorite characters (Han Solo, for me), their favorite scene (when Han is released from the carbonite), their favorite battle (Yoda kicking butt in Episode I), and their favorite quote (“Do or do not, there is no try.” ~Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back). It is a movie that has fantastic visual effects, even when you watch the original movies. Lucas did such a fantastic job with the technology at his disposal that even though you get a few “hokey” laser shots, they are seamless and were monumental feats at the time of the original release. It is a story that has captured the minds of generations and one that will continue on for years to come. I know I look forward to watching the movies with my daughter when she is older.

L. Frank Baum’s Birthday – May 15, 1856

In a couple days it will be the birthday of a great writer and imaginative mind, L. Frank Baum. We all know him for The Oz series (particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) but did you know that he was born in Chittenango, NY and was raised in Mattydale, NY? That he married Maud Gage, one of the daughters of Matilda Joslyn Gage, a local women’s rights activist and suffragette whose home in Fayetteville is a historical landmark? And that he also had an influence on future inventions and, also, on how children’s books should be written?

L. Frank Baum

L. Frank Baum

“A prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. I believe it.” ~L. Frank Baum

Born on May 15, 1856 in Chittenango, NY and raised on an estate in Mattydale, NY, Lyman Frank Baum was a daydreamer even as a boy. As he grew older Frank, as he preferred to be called, was always a roamer and constantly finding new and wonderful jobs to take on to gain money. He raised fancy poultry (chickens), sold fireworks, was a traveling salesman, wrote for newspapers, but his real love was theater. His father even built him his own theater in Richburg, NY. Baum wrote the plays, the songs, and was the lead actor from the opening of the theater until it burned down in 1882. He was also a spinner of tales, the children in his family loving nothing more than to hear him tell stories. The daydreamer never really grew up.

The Gage Family

Matilda Joslyn Gage

Maud was one of the daughter’s of Matilda Joslyn Gage from Fayetteville, NY. Maud married L. Frank Baum on November 9, 1882. The Gage’s were a large and loving family, Baum and his mother-in-law, Matilda, became fast friends from the start. She was always encouraging his writing and creativity. The first tales of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz were probably told out loud at the Gage household while the family gathered around the winter time fires. Baum loved to be theatrical and act out his stories for the children in the family. Matilda was probably a great influence both on the actual Oz stories and in their getting published.

Matilda’s influence was on the female characters of the Oz books, these character were unique for the time period. They were strong, decisive, and often time the leaders of the communities. In the second book of the series, The Marvelous Land of Oz, the girls and women revolt against the oppressor of Oz. Such a revolt would be right up the alley of Matilda Joslyn Gage who was a vocal activist in her own writings.

L. Frank Baum and His Influence

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The works of L. Frank Baum predicted some of the great inventions of our time. In his book The Master Key he came up with inventions similar to the television and laptop computers. Tik-Tok of Oz had the first wireless telephone. Baum’s imagination knew no bounds.

He was also an influence in the children’s literature of his time and of the future. Baum felt that children’s stories were filled with morals and too much violence and romance. Stories, of course, could teach children. But not every single story had to have a moral or a lesson at the end of it. Although his stories still contained violence, Baum uses the violence as a means to entertain the readers who like those type of elements in stories. He does not dwell on them or make them driving forces in his stories.

“When I was young I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now that I am getting old my first book is written to amuse children. For aside from my evident inability to do anything “great,” I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one’s heart and brings its own reward. ” ~L. Frank Baum

Pizza and Books

PIZZA AND BOOKS RESUMES FOR THE SUMMER ON JULY 10!

THE SCHEDULE WILL BE:

GIRLS: July 10 and 24 from 6pm-7:30pm in the Conference Room

BOYS: July 17 and 31 from 6pm-7:30pm in the Conference Room

 

The August schedule (August 7 and 14) will be mixed sessions (both girls and boys) and will be in the Conference Room from 6pm-8pm.

 

Click Here to Download or Print This Information 

 

Registration and a completed review form will still be required!

See you in the Summer!

 

Mother’s Day – May 13, 2012

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! On this day we celebrate those wonderful women who love us no matter what we do, our Mom’s! But do you know when Mother’s Day first began? Why? And the traditions associated with it? Read on to find out more!

When was the first Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day has been an “on and off” holiday. That is, there have been multiple attempts since the Civil War to create a day to honor Mother’s. The first official Mother’s Day was proclaimed on May 9, 1914 by Woodrow Wilson. The previous day, May 8, 1914, Congress had passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

The concept originally began as a way to reunite families who had fought against each other or who had been separated during the Civil War. It quickly become the holiday that it is today. In fact, the United States not only began the holiday, but has influenced other countries across the world to have their own Mother’s Day’s as well!

What are the traditions?

You probably know a lot of them!

The handmade gifts to give to your mother, grandmother, or those women in your life that you view as being “like a Mom.” It’s the little macaroni necklaces and “Coupons for Hugs” gifts that we make in grade school. As we get older, it is the “Mom” jewelry and the flowers.

Carnations are another big part of this holiday. Anna Jarvis, one of the women who advocated the creation of a Mother’s Day, delivered 500 of these flowers to the first celebration. Over time, florists helped to influence the wearing of the white carnation if your mother had passed away and the red carnation if your mother was still living.

Eating out. Did you know that Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year for Americans to dine at a restaurant? It appears that taking Mom to her favorite spot is a common gift at this time of year!

Books About Mom’s and Grandma’s

Here are some books you can find here, in the Manlius Children’s Library, that are about the relationships between Moms, Grandmas, and their favorite little people! I hope you all have a very Happy Mother’s Day!

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams (JE Williams)

A Special Day for Mommy by Dan Andreasen (JE Andreasen)

Before I Was Your Mother by Kathryn Lasky; illustrated by LeUyen Pham (JE Lasky)

Clifford’s Happy Mother’s Day by Norman Bridwell (JE Clifford)

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara M. Joosse; illustrated by Barbara Lavallee (JE Joosse)

Heaven is Having You by Giles Andreae; illustrated by Vanessa Cabban (JE Andreae)

If I Could by Susan Milord; illustrated by Christopher Denise (JE Milord)

Just For You by Mercer Mayer (JE Mayer)

Mama’s Day by Linda Ashman and Jar Ormerod (JE Ashman)

Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse; illustrated by Barbara Lavallee (JE Joosse)

Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich; illustrated by Kathryn Brown (JE Dotlich)

Mommy’s Best Kisses by Margaret Anastas; illustrated by Susan Winter (JE Anastas)

Mother You’re the Best (Sister, You’re a Pest!) by Diane DeGroat (JE DeGroat)

Mrs. Pepper’s Mother’s Day by Alice Wilder; illustrated by David Cutting (JE Blues Clues)

My Mom by Anthony Browne (JE Browne)

No Time for Mother’s Day by Laurie Halse Anderson; illustrated by Dorothy Donohue (JE Anderson)

Piglet and Mama by Margaret Wild; illustrated by Stephen Michael King (JE Wild)

Snug in Mama’s Arms by Angela Shelf Medearis; illustrated by John Sandford (JE Medearis)

The Grandma Book by Todd Parr (JE Parr)

The Mommy Book by Todd Parr (JE Parr)

The Mother’s Day Mice by Eve Bunting; illustrated by Jan Brett (JE Bunting)

What Grandmas Can’t Do by Douglas Wood; illustrated by Doug Cushman (JE Wood)

What Moms Can’t Do by Douglas Wood; illustrated by Doug Cushman (JE Wood)

Mother Goose Day – May 1, 2012

Mother Goose Day is on May 1. Created in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar it is a day to re-appreciate the old Mother Goose nursery rhymes and stories that we all grew up with. On a personal note, I’ve found that we’ve forgotten these fantastic tales and tongue twisters. I talk to more and more children every day who have absolutely no idea who Little Jack Horner is or Little Miss Muffet. These classic rhymes and stories have fallen out of use, but on May 1st let’s all remember and recite some of our favorites!

Mother Goose

 

Who Was Mother Goose?

There are a couple of different legends about who the real Mother Goose was. One possible Mother Goose was from France, the wife of King Robert II whom was nicknamed “Bertha the Spinner” or “Goose-Foot Bertha,” depending on accounts. Bertha was Robert’s second wife. She was born somewhere around 960. In French legends she is known as a spinner of tales, ones that captured the imaginations of the children at the French court.

Another possible Mother Goose, and one closer to home, is from Boston, Massachusetts. The wife of Isaac Goose (who would have been either Elizabeth Foster Goose or Mary Goose) lived in the 1660′s. After Mrs. Goose’s husband past, she went to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Thomas Fleet. Thomas was a publisher who lived on Pudding Lane. He is the one, supposedly, who first gathered together “Mother Goose’s” stories, songs and rhymes.

Mother Goose Booklist:

Here are some titles you can find here, at the Manlius Library. These are all the classic Mother Goose Rhymes. Hope you have fun sharing some of these stories with your family!

Here Comes Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie; illustrated by Rosemary Wells (J 398.8 HER)

Michael Forman’s Mother Goose by Michael Forman (J 398.8 MOT)

Mother Goose: A Collection of Nursery Rhymes selected and illustrated by Michael Hague (J 398.8 MOT)

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose by Leo and Diane Dillon (J 398.84 DIL)

Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand (J 398.8 HIL)

My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie; illustrated by Rosemary Wells (J 398.8 MY)

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists (J Graphic Nursery)

Pat-A-Cake and Other Play Rhymes by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson; illustrated by Alan Tiegreen (J 398.8 PAT)

Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Salley Mavor (J 398.8 POC)

Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose by Sylvia Long (J 398.8 MOT)

The Glorious Mother Goose selected by Cooper Evans with illustrations by the best artists of the past (J 398.8 MOT)

The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews (J 398.8 NEI)

The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright (J 398.8 MOT)

Tomie DePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie DePaola (J 398.8 MOT)

Wendy Watson’s Mother Goose by Wendy Watson (J 398.8 MOT)

Hear What Ma'am Goose Says!