Celebrate This Week!

 Join us each weekend for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

  A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

  1.  Book Awards Time . . . 

I've been watching the countdown clock at the American Library Awards Youth Media Page!  Currently it's less than one day until the book awards will be announced - hurray!  To be precise 22 hours, 5 minutes, and 25 seconds (as of this writing)!  Here's the announcement I posted on our school website this past week:

Mock Newbery Club Results

Our after school book club voted on Tuesday for our choice (from the 7 titles selected by the King County Library System children's librarians) for this year's Newbery Award.  Our voting was very close with Rain Reign by Ann Martin in first place, followed closely by The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, and The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Sovern. 

Some book awards are beginning to be announced in advance of next Monday's announcement at the ALA meeting in Chicago. 

2015 NCTE Children's Book Awards Announced

The 2015 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children goes to The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming, Schwartz & Wade publishers, and the 2015 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children goes to Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin, Feiwel and Friends publishers. The links in blue will take you to a list of the honor and recommended books for each award.  

I will keep you posted as the awards are announced.  Why not drop by the library to check out an award winning 2015 title?  If it's not available, you can place a hold and be next in line. 

2.  The Magical Snow Garden by Tracey Corderoy and illustrated by Jane Chapman . . .

I picked up this picture book several weeks ago at the library, entranced by Wellington, the happy-go-lucky penguin on the cover.  I liked him even better when I discovered these words on the first page - "Wellington loved...sharing books with his very best friend."  And when I turned to the next page, I discovered that Percy, my poetry loving penguin friend, was one of Wellington's friends.  On the final page, Wellington's friend, Ivan, shares these wise words:  "You were right!  You never know what you can do until you try."  If you're looking for a fun winter book with a message about what you can accomplish with the help of your friends, pick up a copy of The Magical Snow Garden.

3.  Time to turn the calendar page . . . 

I love calendars and I love new months.  There's something that's so exciting when you turn the page and see a whole new month of daily possibilities for growth.  Goodbye January, Hello February!