We are working on number concepts during story time this month. Using a calendar is a great way to help children begin to recognize the numerals and also develop a sense of time. The children know we do the calendar first during story time. The other concept we are working on with the calendar is the days of the week. They are beginning to remember the day of the week that we have story time because that's always the first question I ask them. We are reading lots of counting books... This week we will read "The Mitten" ! We are going to count how many animals went into the mitten! Do you know??

We are finishing up the concept of rhyming and wordplay this week. Children who can hear and play with the sounds in words are more likely to become successful readers. Being able to hear how words rhyme can help children hear the sounds in words. All of these activities help your child develop good listening skills, which is crucial to learning to read. Come join us for storytime next week when we will read stories about manners, friendship and kindness. EEscuder

Rhyming and Wordplay

This week our Ready To Learn Storytime concept is rhyming and wordplay. We will be reading some rhyming books about things that go together like peanut butter and jelly. The idea is to have fun listening to and playing with the sounds of language. Our focus is on phonological awareness…the ability to break words down into parts. This early literacy skill is an important skill for learning to read. By reading rhyming books and sharing rhymes with your child, you help your child hear parts of words. Breaking words into smaller parts is a great tool for later when your child begins sounding out words when reading.

Ready to Learn Storytime at the Catawba County Libraries

The Ready to Learn program is based on the following beliefs: • Children need to develop certain skills before they can learn to read. • Parents and other significant caregivers are a child’s first and best teachers. They can help children develop early literacy skills so that they are ready to learn to read once they begin school. • During the Ready to Learn Storytime, library staff will provide parents and caregivers with strategies they can use to help children in the early years develop essential early literacy skills and get ready to read. Ready To Learn Storytime Schedule Newton • Tuesday 5 p.m. • Wednesday 10 a.m. • Thursday 10 a.m. Maiden • Thursday 9:30 a.m. (toddlers) • Thursday 10 a.m. Sherrills Ford • Wednesday 10 a.m. • Thursday 10 a.m. • Thursday 4 p.m. Saint Stephens • Tuesday 6 p.m. • Wednesday 10 a.m. • Thursday 10 a.m. Southwest • Wednesday 10 a.m. • Thursday 11 a.m.

Put ‘Battle’ books on your summer read list

The Catawba County Library’s Summer Reading program goes hand-in-hand with the Battle of the Books reading list.

The North Carolina Battle of the Books list has been released, and Catawba County Library System has them all available. Any of the titles would be excellent choices for children participating in the Summer Reading program, an incentive to keep young people reading when school is not in session.

Battle of the Books challenges kids to test knowledge of literature and help instill a love of reading. Kids in grades 5-8 prepare for the contest by reading from a pre-selected book list sponsored by the N.C. School Library Media Association. The reading list offers sound choices for kids. The titles are highly regarded children’s literature representing a cross-section of subjects and genres: biography, adventure, fantasy, examples of world cultures and so on.

This year’s list includes:

Grade 5
How Tia Lola Came to Stay by Julia Alvarez
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Cromer Byars
Dr. Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
Free Baseball by Sue Corbett
Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
A Strong Right Arm by Michelle Y. Green
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Blue by Joyce Hostetter
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

Grades 6-8:
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James. L. Swanson
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
Good Night, Mt. Tom by Michelle Magorian
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein
Mockingbird by Kathryne Erskine
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Road to Tater Hill by Edith M. Hemingway
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flame by Michael Scott
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Other half of my Heart by Sundee T. Frazier
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Roar by Emma Clayton
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Treasure Island (Complete & Unabridged)by Robert Louis Stevenson

Catawba County Library System will have multiple copies available on specially marked shelves. If you cannot find a title, be sure to ask a librarian.

Sign up on-line for Summer Reading

This year families can sign up for the annual Summer Reading program at Catawba County Library without leaving home.

For the first time ever, library system website allows parents to register their children on-line as well as download and/or print a reading record, coloring page, calendar of events and other resources.

To sign up, log on to http://www.catawbacountync.gov/library and click on the large green box at the center of the page.

Families may still sign up in person at any county library location.

Regardless of how one registers, there are a number of new on-line services available to help young readers add to their summer book tally. Among them are TumbleBooks, interactive books in audio/visual format, and e-books which can be downloaded to an e-Reader or personal computer.

Summer Reading is an annual initiative of the library system to encourage ages 0-18 to continue their reading habits while school is not in session. Studies show that keeping kids attuned to books during vacation helps them retain what they’ve learned which makes for a smoother adjustment when school begins in the fall.

This year’s Summer Reading themes are “One World, Many Stories” for children age 11 and younger and “You Are Here: Cultures around the World” for ages 12-18.

Summer Reading 2011

Summer Reading has started for 2011 at the Catawba County Library System.

This year’s Summer Reading themes are “One World, Many Stories” for children age 11 and younger and “You Are Here: Cultures around the World” for ages 12-18.

Summer Reading is an annual initiative of the library system to encourage ages 0-18 to continue their reading habits while school is not in session. Studies show that keeping kids attuned to books during vacation helps them retain what they’ve learned which makes for a smoother adjustment when school begins in the fall

The library has a great selection of children and teen books in print as well as audio and e-book form as well as online services such as Tumblebooks.

Families may sign up in person at any of the seven county library locations. Pick up a reading bag with your reading record and other fun stuff and start reading. Attendance at library programs is encouraged and we hope we will have fun and interesting crafts that reflect different countries.

All programs are free and open to anyone. Children’s programs should be suitable for any age. Please check with your local branch library for dates and times.