Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Dragons, penguins and cats, oh my!

It's been a fun-filled summer here in the Children's Room and we wrapped up the season with our Family Crafternoon. Frogs, fish, bats, apples, planes, beach balls, photo albums and much, much more were available as families dropped in to make a variety of items from our treasure trove of crafts.

Check out the kids and their crafs:














With summer (unofficially) over, we're gearing up for fall. Our registration for Chess and Martial Arts started this week. Keep your eye on our newsletter for upcoming registration dates. Remember you can now register from home using your child's library card.




posted by Amy




Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Librarian's Holiday

Not long after the last dot was placed on the chart, the last prize given out and the last certificate presented to another successful summer reader, this librarian took off for a much anticipated vacation – 2 glorious weeks in Italy.
The first week was spent in the little mountain town of Villa Santa Maria in the Abruzzo region:








We were able to enjoy all the activities of the festa –processions, nightly concerts on the piazza, and dazzling fireworks. And the food, of course, was phenomenal. But most importantly, we enjoyed the warm and wonderful company of family, who always make us feel welcome and loved.


We even made a new friend:



Lily, the hotel dog




The second week, we went to Puglia (commonly referred to as the “heel” of Italy’s boot shape).
We stayed in a 250 year old trullo:






Don’t let the rustic exterior fool you, inside the accommodations are luxuriously comfortable.





We traveled around a bit, visiting Lecce with its beautiful Baroque architecture, Locorotundo, Fasano, Ostuni , the stunning beaches of Gallipoli, and the delightful trulli of Alberobello:







All were lovely, each with its own distinct character. On my last day, we visited the quaint, exquisite fishing village of Monopoli:









No vacation is complete without visiting at least one library and here I was not disappointed. In the Piazza Garibaldi, I stumbled upon the Biblioteca Communale of Monopoli, which is under renovation but still functioning. Although they were about to close, they graciously welcomed me in the children’s room to look around and take some photos:








I even came across some old friends:













A magnificent trip, but it’s always good to be back home.

Posted by Sue Ann

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

No Sleep Till Brooklyn (Book Festival 2011, That Is)

Our summer may be drawing to a close, but that doesn't mean our wonderful, story-filled world has too. As a matter of fact, with September comes New York City's largest free literary event, the annual Brooklyn Book Festival!

This year's festival is scheduled for September 15-18 and is a great way for children families to meet the many popular and emerging authors they've experienced only in library books. Many booths at the festival include family-friendly programs such as read-alouds, crafts, photo ops and book signings. This year's list of children's authors includes some of our (and your) all time favorites like...Jon Scieszka, Mo Williems, Jacqueline Woodson, and many many more!

Be sure to visit the official website for all the details. Who knows? You may even catch a glimpse of your friendly neighborhood librarians there as well. :-)

Happy Fall Festival-ing!











- posted by Nadine

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Where Did Summer Go?




It just felt like we packed away our winter boots and pulled out our flip flops. Where did Summer go?

Here at the Syosset Library children's room we have just completed our summer reading program. What a huge turnout we had!!!!

A total of 7013 books were read this summer.Good job to all of our Syosset Kids!!!!

To end our Summer reading program we finished with a great balloon show called "Goowin's Balloowins" on Saturday, August 6th. The kids did an outstanding job on stage.

Here are a few photos below to sum up the show.

Can't wait to start planning Summer Reading 2012!!!! (ten months to go)
















posted by Josephine

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Road trip across these Weird United States!

Ah, summer vacation. Time for lemonade, a run through the sprinkler and road trips!






But I am not here to talk to you about your typical road trips to national parks or nearby cities. While those road trips are truly great and highly recommended, I am here to talk up a book with some of the strangest destinations you could possibly think of visiting. The best part? These are all real places and things you can actually visit!






Here are a few suggestions from the book:



Destination # 1:


The World's Largest Basket in Newark Ohio.

Look to your right. That is actually an office building made to look like a giant basket!





This is no joke, renowned basket maker, Dave Longaberger began his career making regular size baskets. Soon Dave found he was thinking bigger. Longaberger created a 30 foot model of an apple basket which is located in Frazeyburg Ohio.


In 1999, prior to his death, Dave Longaberger designed his masterpiece, an exact copy of his company's trademark Longaberger Medium Basket 160 times the size of its model! This giant basket came in the form of a 7 story office building which employs a workplace of about 500 people!



How do you like them apples?





Destination # 2:


Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska

England a little too far of a plane trip to see the real Stone Henge? Not to worry, artist Jim Reinders with the help of his very kind family has recreated the ancient monument in Alliance, Nebraska using used automobiles!




38 cars were positioned, some partially buried in pits about 5 feet deep, in order to mirror the actual proportions of Stone Henge which lies outside of London England.




Carhenge is actually also a memorial to Reinder's father who once resided on the farmland where the sculpture stands today.





Destination # 3:




The Giant Duck in Flanders, New York on Long Island

I must confess, this destination is not actually in the Weird America book, however it is the easiest of its type to travel to as it is right in our very own backyard!




This 20 foot tall, 30 foot long bird was designed by a duck farmer named Martin Mauer in Riverhead New York. Mauer had been tickled pink when he had visited California and seen oddly shaped buildings such as a Giant Coffee Pot.




In 1931, Mauer built The Duck and began selling eggs and livestock out of it as a shop. To this day The Duck is a favorite of Long Island residents. Why not take a Sunday with the family drive out east, stop at a few farm stands and visit our very own roadside oddity?




Posted by Miss Jessikah