The Many Hats of Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, 1957 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dr. Seuss’ birthday was this past Saturday, March 2. He’s the author of The Cat in the Hat, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, and Green Eggs and Ham (and in that, Sam wears a hat), and many more. Did you know that Dr. Seuss himself loved hats? He had an enormous collection of hats, and that collection is going to be touring the Unites States over the next few months. You can find dates here, as well as some awesome pictures of his hat collection.On Saturday, March 9 at 11AM we’ll have a few different craft projects based on some of Dr. Seuss’ most famous stories, and we’ll have a raffle for a few fun Dr. Seuss-themed prizes. Projects will be aimed at elementary school-aged children. Children ages 5 and under will need an adult helper for all crafts.  We hope to see you here!

Get Ready for National Polar Bear Day

For being our shortest month, February is not short on special days! February 27th is one of the most special of all. It is National Polar Bear Day. What a good time to think about those amazing animals and how lucky we are to have them in our world.

You can always check out the polar bear cam at the San Diego Zoo to see polar bears in action. While you’re there, you can also learn more about the three polar bears that live at the zoo.

And don’t forget to come into the library to find some great books about polar bears. A few good ones to check out are:

Written by Susan Rodriquez

Paul O. Zelinsky’s Birthday!

Paul O. Zelinsky, children’s book illustrator, celebrates his birthday today. He was born in 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, but grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. Zelinsky loved to draw even as a young child, but never thought he would grow up to be an illustrator. In 1998, he won the Caldecott Award for his beautifully illustrated retelling of Rapunzel. Zelinsky also did the illustrations for Dear Mr. Henshaw, Awful Ogre’s Awful Day, Toys Go Out and Dust Devil among many others. Zelinsky’s most recent book is Z is for Moose, which was published last year. To learn more about Zelinsky and his books, visit his website, where you can take a peek inside Knick-Knack Paddywhack, a fun and funny moving parts book. Be sure to celebrate today by sharing Zelinsky’s wonderful illustrations with a friend!

Happy Birthday E.L. Konigsburg!

E.L. (Elaine Lobl) Konigsburg was born on this day in 1930 in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the 1968 Newbery Medal winner From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. That same year, Konigsburg also received an Honor Award for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, making her the only author to have won a Newbery Medal and an Honor Award in the same year. In 1997, Konigsburg again received the Newbery Medal, this time for The View From Saturday. She is one of only five authors to win two Newbery Medals. Be sure and share one of her books with someone special today!

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Birthday!

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on this day in 1867 north of the village of Pepin in Wisconsin. She was the second of five children, and lived in several different states during the course of her life, including Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota. Wilder is famous for the series of Little House books, which began publishing in 1931 with Little House in the Big Woods.

Find out more about Wilder’s books and the characters in her stories, play games, get recipes and more from HarperCollins.

Be sure and celebrate the day by sharing your favorite Little House book with a friend!

Happy Birthday Judith Viorst!

Judith Viorst, born on this day in 1931, is probably best known for her children’s book series about a little boy named Alexander, modeled after her youngest son. First published in 1972, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has since sold over 2 million copies. Celebrate today by sharing a story about Alexander!

Black History Month

Black History Month began in 1926 as a week-long celebration of African-American cultural and societal contributions. Carter G. Woodson, who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), chose a week in February that honored the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the week-long celebration was expanded to the entire month of February. Celebrate this month with a good book!

When her Grandmama is booked for a singing tour of the south, Belle gets a chance to travel outside of Pecan Flats for the first time in her life. But she finds out that even in the city, segregation is the rule. There are “Whites Only” signs all over town just as there were in Pecan Flats. Even famous black entertainers like Ella Fitzgerald have to stay in hotels that are just for black people. Grandmama doesn’t want Belle to live in a world where black people and white people are kept apart, but how can Grandmama’s singing possibly make a difference? Margaree King Mitchell tells the story of a woman filled with hope and determination, made all the more real by James E. Ransome’s beautiful watercolor illustrations.

Larry Doby was the first African-American player to hit a home run in the World Series. He broke the color barrier in 1947, along with Jackie Robinson, when he became the first black player to integrate the American Leaugue. Doby played center field for the Cleveland Indians and helped them win the 1948 World Series. Read all about Doby and his amazing career in this new book by Chris Crowe and Mike Benny.