Thorndyke Thoughts: The Books are Gone!

January 13, 2016 | Thorndyke

 

Hey Kids,

You may have noticed my new chapeau, as well as my new location in front of the Children's Department. There's a lot going on over here. A lot of very loud sawing and jackhammering that makes it difficult to get settled into a relaxing hibernation. You can look at what's coming on the Patron Service Improvement Project page.

In the meantime, you may find there are some books you are looking for that didn't make it to the temporary location for Children's materials in the East Wing. I found myself facing this very problem just the other day when I came across a book by an author I really like:

Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

When little, twelve-year-old Molly arrives at Castle Hangnail to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the minions who dwell there have no choice but to give her the job and at first it seems she will be able to keep the castle open, but Molly has quite a few secrets that could cause trouble.

Thorndyke Thoughts: Can't Get Enough Smile?

November 30, 2015 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids!

It seems no one can get enough of Raina Telgemeier's awesome graphic style. I've read some other great realistic fiction graphic novels lately that I'd like to share. Use this list to check what's available, because they're all great stories! 

Bear Hugs,
Thorndyke

Smile by Raina Telgemeier — Or check out an electronic copy on OverDrive with your Canton Library Card.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier ; with color by Gurihiru ; [lettering by John Green] — Or check out the electronic copy on OverDrive with your Canton Library Card.

Thorndyke Thoughts: Leaping to Chapter Books

November 29, 2015 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids,

You may have noticed some new spots on our J READER collection. These colored dots should help you find books at similar reading levels. If you're reading the hardest Easy Readers (the ones with Blue Dots), you might be ready to find some easy chapter books in J FICTION or KIDS GRAPHIC NOVELS. Try some of these suggestions, many are part of a series. Happy Reading!

 

Bear Hugs,

 

Thorndyke

 

The princess in black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

 

Mercy Watson to the rescue by Kate DiCamillo ; illustrated by Chris van Dusen

Nate the Great on the Owl Express by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat ; illustrated by Martha Weston in the style of Marc Simont — There are also Nate the Great titles available as eBooks.

Thorndyke Thoughts: More Mo

November 16, 2015 | Thorndyke

The story of Diva and Flea by as told & shown by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi

Hey Kids,
I've always loved the storybook characters that live in the library with me. My fellow bears Winnie the Pooh and Paddington, along with Scaredy Squirrel, Olivia, Curious George, and so many others. But there's always been a special place in my heart for Elephant and Piggie and the Pigeon. 

Thorndyke Thoughts: Paddington on the Big Screen

January 6, 2015 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids,

I’m so excited to announce a dear friend of mine is coming to the big screen in January. On my birthday. Some of you may be familiar with my marmalade-loving buddy, Paddington, but if not, be sure to check him out here before seeing him in theaters. I’ve made some handy lists below of bear stories, some that are also available as movies. What are some of your favorite bear stories? You can tell me in the comments or stop by to chat the next time you’re in the library.
 

“Classic” Bears

A bear called Paddington by Michael Bond ; with drawings by Peggy Fortnum

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne ; with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard

Thorndyke Thoughts: History Mysteries

November 2, 2014 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids,

One of my librarian friends told me about an event where she heard Marc Aronson give a talk about history. That might sound boring, but he wasn’t just talking about names and dates. If you like mysteries, investigations, questions and answers, following clues, and challenging what other people think, then you might like to try some of his books. Usually he writes for upper elementary (4th and 5th grades) or for middle schoolers, but your parents might even like these.

Ain't nothing but a man: my quest to find the real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson — If you’ve heard of Paul Bunyan, maybe you’ve also heard of John Henry, the legendary man who beat a steam drill. Did you know he was a real person? In this story Scott Nelson tells about his discoveries of John Henry, the real man.

Thorndyke Thoughts

October 5, 2014 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids,

Because of my superior location near the New Book shelves, I get firstcrack at the new items that come in, including the chapter books, the picturebooks, even nonfiction and biographies. Did you know that a biography is a bookabout a real person? Today I snuck a new biography about Peter Roget, theperson who made Roget’s Thesaurus. Guess what? A thesaurus is not a dinosaur.It’s a list of words, and the ones that mean the same thing are all groupedtogether. Peter Roget always made lists of things, from when he was a verylittle boy, and one day those lists became his first thesaurus. 

You can even browse a version of Roget’s Thesaurus online.

The right word: Roget and his thesaurus by Jen Bryant, author ; Melissa Sweet, illustrator

Find other fascinating stories about real people in the J Biography sectionat the back of the Children’s Department, or ask a Children's Librarian.

Happy Grandparents Day

September 6, 2014 | Thorndyke

Hey Kids,
It was a back-to-school week for a lot of you, but before you get too caught up in the school routine, I thought I’d remind you about a holiday coming up tomorrow. National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, and a perfect time to show a little extra love to the people in your life who act as grandparents to you. My family is made up of bears and I’ve lost touch with many of my ancestors (it's a distant cousin in the photo), but don’t let that happen to you! 

Come to the library on Sunday, September 7 to make something for the grandparents in your life, or to take a picture with a grandparent. If you’re looking for a special story to share, you can also look up “Grandparents” as a subject or keyword in our catalog.

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