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Are you a fan of Captain Underpants?  Do you like Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot books?  Is Dav Pilkey one of your favorite authors?  Then I've got a website for you.  You need to check out Dav Pilkey's Extra Crunchy Website o' Fun.  You can find out all about Dav's books, read a cartoon biography of the author, play groovy games, and all kinds of fun stuff.

This is just one of the cool websites for kids on our Cool Sites web page.  Check it out.

Do you have a favorite website that you think other kids would like?  Send us a comment and let us know about it.  We're always looking for fun and excellent websites.

Do you have any good princess books?  Do you have any easy books about horses?  Do you have any picture books about trains?  Where are your counting books?  Got any dragon stories with pictures?  Here at the library we get questions like this all the time.

In order to help you find picture books on some of the more popular topics, we have posted a Picture Book Finder on our website.  Here you will find a list of popular topics along with various concepts like numbers, letters, colors, etc.  The titles are linked to our catalog so you can see if a book is available at your nearest library, and you can also place a hold on any title.

So the next time you are looking for a picture book about fairies or books about a new baby in the family, check out our Picture Book Finder.  We hope you will find this to be a useful resource.

President Barack Obama promised his daughters they could get a puppy after the Presidential campaign was over.  Many people have weighed in on what kind of dog they think would be best for the first family.  If it were up to you, what kind of dog would you choose for Sasha and Malia?

There is a long history of pets in the White House.  The Bushes had two Scottish terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley and a cat nicknamed Willie.  Chelsea Clinton had a cat named Socks when her dad was President.  But not all Presidential pets have been so conventional.  Did you know Thomas Jefferson kept two grizzily bear cubs on the White House grounds?  John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the East Room.  Abraham Lincoln's son had a pet turkey, and Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon named Rebecca.

You can read all about the different pets that have resided in the White House in the book Wackiest White House Pets by Gibbs Davis.  Yes, even Presidents love their pets.

The winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal has been announced, and the winner is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  The winner of the 2009 Caldecott Medal is The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson.

Here is the complete list of award winners and honor books:

Newbery Medal Winner
     The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Newbery Honor Books
     The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
     The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle
     Savvy by Ingrid Law
     After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal Winner
     The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth
     Krommes

Caldecott Honor Books
     A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written and illustrated by Marla
     Frazee
     How I Learn Geography written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
     A River of Words by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
     We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books
     The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas
     Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith
     Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
     The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books
     We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated
     by Kadir Nelson
     Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by
     Sean Qualls
     The Moon Over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Pura Belpre Author Award Winner
     The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita
     Engle

Pura Belpre Author Honor Books
     Just in Case by Yuyi Morales
     Reaching Out by Francisco Jimenez
     The Storyteller's Candle/La Velita de los Cuentos by Lucia Gonzalez

Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Winner
     Just in Case written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Books
     Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
     The Storyteller's Candle by Jucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Julu Delacre
     What Can You Do with a Rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla, illustrated by Amy
     Cordova

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner
     Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books
     Chicken Said, "Cluck!" by Judyann Ackerman Grant
     One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
     Stinky by Eleanor Davis
     Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell

We finally made it to the end! The 900s let you travel the world from the comfort of your home. Go back in time and learn about mummies and pyramids. Return to the days of knights and castles. Explore shipwrecks, search for buried treasure, but watch out for the pirates! Travel around the world and learn about how people live in India, or check out a book about Kansas and learn about your own backyard. Here's a breakdown of everything you'll find in the 900s.

900 - Geography & History
910 - Explorers & Atlases
920 - Flags
930 - Archaeology & Ancient Civilizations
940 - Knights, Castles, World War I & II, European Countries
950 - Asian & Middle Eastern Countries
960 - African Countries
970 - North & Central American Countries, American History, States
980 - South American Countries
990 - Pacific Islands, Australia

 

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Every January the Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished children's book of the year.  It is sort of like the Oscar award of children's literature.  It has become a kind of tradition for people across the country to gather and hold "mock" Newbery discussions before the winner is announced.  They discuss some of their favorite books of the year and try to guess which one might be the year's award winner.

Earlier this week I attended one of these mock Newbery gatherings with a group of librarians to discuss which book we would like to see win this prestigous award in 2009.  We discussed about a dozen different titles and ended up with one winner and two honor books.  Here are the results:

The winner:  Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

The honors (runners-up):  The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
                                       Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor 

Do you have a favorite book you hope will win this year's Newbery medal?  The actual winner will be announced on Monday, January 26.  Stay tuned to find out which outstanding book is this year's winner.

Do you know what you will find in the 800s in the library? I'll give you a hint.

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

The 800s are where you will find literature and poetry, including The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore.

Did you know that if all of the books in the library were put in order using the Dewey Decimal System, the fiction books would actually be in the 800s? That's right, The Adventures of Captain Underpants would be right there under the number 813! We have so many fiction books though, that we make it easier for you to find what you're looking for by pulling them out of the Dewey Decimal section and giving them their own section.

Usually when people come into the library looking for the 800s they're wanting a book of poetry. Do you like Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein? It's right there under 811.54, along with many other wonderful books of poetry.

You will also find plays in the 800s, so if you're wanting to read some Shakespeare, look under 822. Or perhaps you're interested in auditioning for a play yourself. The 800s are also where you will books of monologues, perfect for auditions!

There are many great books in the 800s section. Take a look the next time you come visit us!

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Have you read the Newbery medal-winning novel The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo?  This delightful book tells the story of a small mouse with big ears, the princess that he loves, a servant girl who longs to be a princess, and the devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.  And now this wonderful story has been made into a movie featuring the talents of such actors as Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson and Kevin Kline.  It opens December 19 at a theater near you.

This would be a great book to read together as a family either before or after seeing the movie.  It's always fun to compare the book with the movie.  Stop by the library and check out a copy, or get on the waiting list if all copies are checked out.  This is a great book worth waiting for!

It's that time of year again when the Children's staff at the Olathe Main Library and the Indian Creek Branch Library pick some of our favorite books of the year.  We compile our list of Holiday Staff Picks and put these books on display at both libraries.  The books will be on display starting Friday, November 28, and will be up through the end of the year.  So if you are looking for some gift ideas for the young book lovers on your holiday shopping list, stop by the library and check out our display.  You can also view our list of picks by clicking this link:  Holiday Staff Picks.  Happy holidays and happy reading!

What do skyscrapers and skateboarding have in common? They can both be found in the 700s! Books about skyscrapers are in the 720s with architecture, and skateboarding books are in the 790s with recreational and performing arts. Here's a list of what subjects you will find in the 700s section at the library.

 

700 - Arts
710 - Landscaping & Area Planning
720 - Architecture
730 - Sculpture, Ceramics & Metalwork
740 - Drawing
750 - Painting
760 - Graphic Arts
770 - Photography & Computer Art
780 - Music
790 - Sports, Games & Entertainment

The drawing and sports books are particularly popular in the 700s, but did you know this is also where you will find Where's Waldo books? They're right there in the 790s!

If you are interested in either of the books pictured on this post, you will find Leonardo's Horse in the 730s (sculpture) and Boredom Blasters in the 790s (entertainment).

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