It's beginning to look like Christmas around our library.
Yesterday we finished putting out the Christmas book displays and are still working on the lighted cases.
Several staff members have contributed to the display in the cases...a little metal Christmas tree with dangly ornaments, a soft fuzzy white bear with his matching moose friend, a Santa in his red suit, blue flowers, items of silver, lots of glittery things...and with more to come. Our signs say "Give More Love, Give More Hope, Give More Joy." Great words to remember all year round.
Our front lobby foyer table has a Christmas tree decked out with small red balls and ribbon streamers. The tree and decorations were contributed by Johnnie and the bow-making was compliments of Ann, who has a talent we now know about! The tree skirt (also from Johnnie) is red plaid and everything sits on a green plaid tablecloth. All around the tree are Christmas books, colorful as a string of bright lights.
Our bookcase next to the circulation counter has a sign that says, "Weather Frightful? Books Delightful!" and the shelves hold a 12-pack collection of Christmas books, good for any-time-weather reading.
As you can see, we have out our seasonal books. The "'Tis the Season" table in front of the nonfiction stacks holds holiday books to enjoy. Aileen has offered a brochure titled "'Tis the Season" with a list of great holiday readings and their reviews. Some of the books listed encourage me to take a couple home..."Naughty or Nice" by Eric Jerome..."The Diva Cooks a Goose" by Krista Davis..."Cat Deck the Halls: A Joe Grey Mystery" by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. So many to read; so little time!
Be sure to look at the books we've placed on top of the front lobby cases...such books as "Christmas Around the World," "Christmas Cheer," and "The Family Christmas." In a week or two we will include the Christmas cookbooks, unless they are all checked out!
We don't want to forget the picture in the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library either. This time we've place a lovely picture of "Washington Crossing the Delawre, 1851" by artist Emanuel Leutz (1816-1868). The snow and ice will make you glad you're in the warm South. We've also included a list of questions that will tempt you in your search for the answers about the picture.
We're going to be open for business as usual until December 19. So, come on in and get in the spirit of Christmas. And watch for our Christmas additions.... There's bound to be more to come.
Showing posts with label Christmas books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas books. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Grinch is gone
I kicked him out yesterday. Him and Scrooge, too.
You see, we decorated the library yesterday. Pulled out all the Christmas decorations and had a ball!
It really started with our director, Melody, hanging huge, curly, red and green paper stars over the circulation counter. I mean they are HUGE! And they are so pretty. They hang from the ceiling and were no easy job for her and our janitor, Mitchell. But with a regular-size ladder and a short wooden stool, Mitchell, who must stand at least six feet, was able to put those long pieces of string up on the ceiling tile carriers. And the stars hung over the library.
Next, Johnnie and I worked on the two lighted cases in the main foyer. She brought in her porcelain Christmas ornaments, the Norman Rockwell kind, in red and pearl white. We placed them on top of sparkling white felt, bunched up like clouds (actually scrunched over stacks of books), and added huge, debugged pine cones and glistening greenery. In one case, Aileen's chubby Santa sat in the center; in the other case, Melody's antique-y Christmas tree with tiny decorations. After we were finished, everything sparkled in the lighted cases and the festive feeling began to float through the building.
But we weren't finished! For months Melody had been talking about making a Christmas tree out of books for the foyer table. While Johnnie and I worked on the cabinets, behind us Melody was stacking huge green books on the round table covered with a green tablecloth. As she neared the top of the tree, the books became smaller and smaller, until a tiny one sat at the top. And on top of that little book, she placed a three-dimensional, yellow paper star. Then in all the little crevices of the books, she added tiny, wooden toy decorations. It's a sight to behold. What a clever idea for a library, huh? Books! Just love them!
But we didn't stop there! On top of the lighted cabinets, we put books about making Christmas crafts, like ornaments, stockings, trees...books all the way from Martha Stewart to Leslie Linsley. Our table near the nonfiction bookshelves have Christmas books, too...'Tis the Season for Frosty Good Stories...and Johnnie's little cloth Christmas tree her sister made. We even placed Christmas books on our bookcase at the circulation counter. I mean, you won't be able to read fast enough to read all the great Christmas stories we have for you.
But let me tell you what really chased the Grinch and Scrooge away.
Today Corlis White's little Day Care tiny tots came to sing for us. Five little 3-to-4 year-olds, dressed in their Christmas shirts (one little girl had on a long green dress and brown boots). They had their Santa hats on their heads, too. They sang "Holly, Jolly Christmas" and kissed each other profusely. They sang "Jingle Bells" and rang bells as big as their ears. They sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and watched us all sing with them. Then as "Frosty, the Snowman" played on the CD player, they tossed Frosty up and down in a multi-colored parachute they all held. Believe me, their giggles were the delight of the event! They put good cheer in all of us and we are definitely in the holiday season mood.
Now you know why the Grinch is gone! Don't expect me to talk about him (or Scrooge) again.
In fact, I still have the December calendar to put up in the lighted case just outside the door. And while I do it, I think I'll sing along with the Christmas songs I have playing on my computer. I'm in the mood! It's December! And Christmas is coming!
We are ready to bring you good cheer. Drop by and soak up some Christmas atmosphere.
You see, we decorated the library yesterday. Pulled out all the Christmas decorations and had a ball!
It really started with our director, Melody, hanging huge, curly, red and green paper stars over the circulation counter. I mean they are HUGE! And they are so pretty. They hang from the ceiling and were no easy job for her and our janitor, Mitchell. But with a regular-size ladder and a short wooden stool, Mitchell, who must stand at least six feet, was able to put those long pieces of string up on the ceiling tile carriers. And the stars hung over the library.
Next, Johnnie and I worked on the two lighted cases in the main foyer. She brought in her porcelain Christmas ornaments, the Norman Rockwell kind, in red and pearl white. We placed them on top of sparkling white felt, bunched up like clouds (actually scrunched over stacks of books), and added huge, debugged pine cones and glistening greenery. In one case, Aileen's chubby Santa sat in the center; in the other case, Melody's antique-y Christmas tree with tiny decorations. After we were finished, everything sparkled in the lighted cases and the festive feeling began to float through the building.
But we weren't finished! For months Melody had been talking about making a Christmas tree out of books for the foyer table. While Johnnie and I worked on the cabinets, behind us Melody was stacking huge green books on the round table covered with a green tablecloth. As she neared the top of the tree, the books became smaller and smaller, until a tiny one sat at the top. And on top of that little book, she placed a three-dimensional, yellow paper star. Then in all the little crevices of the books, she added tiny, wooden toy decorations. It's a sight to behold. What a clever idea for a library, huh? Books! Just love them!
But we didn't stop there! On top of the lighted cabinets, we put books about making Christmas crafts, like ornaments, stockings, trees...books all the way from Martha Stewart to Leslie Linsley. Our table near the nonfiction bookshelves have Christmas books, too...'Tis the Season for Frosty Good Stories...and Johnnie's little cloth Christmas tree her sister made. We even placed Christmas books on our bookcase at the circulation counter. I mean, you won't be able to read fast enough to read all the great Christmas stories we have for you.
But let me tell you what really chased the Grinch and Scrooge away.
Today Corlis White's little Day Care tiny tots came to sing for us. Five little 3-to-4 year-olds, dressed in their Christmas shirts (one little girl had on a long green dress and brown boots). They had their Santa hats on their heads, too. They sang "Holly, Jolly Christmas" and kissed each other profusely. They sang "Jingle Bells" and rang bells as big as their ears. They sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and watched us all sing with them. Then as "Frosty, the Snowman" played on the CD player, they tossed Frosty up and down in a multi-colored parachute they all held. Believe me, their giggles were the delight of the event! They put good cheer in all of us and we are definitely in the holiday season mood.
Now you know why the Grinch is gone! Don't expect me to talk about him (or Scrooge) again.
In fact, I still have the December calendar to put up in the lighted case just outside the door. And while I do it, I think I'll sing along with the Christmas songs I have playing on my computer. I'm in the mood! It's December! And Christmas is coming!
We are ready to bring you good cheer. Drop by and soak up some Christmas atmosphere.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Our Children's Book Pick Of The Month Is...
The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book TAKE JOY! It's songs, stories, poems and things to do for a family Christmas.
I've been a collector of Tasha Tudor books for years and have seventeen in my personal library. My joy in collecting her books has been the search in Goodwill stores, at yard sales, and even at Christmas events. So, when Miss Norma, our Children's Librarian, selected TAKE JOY! as her December book pick, I was thrilled. And to think, it's a book I don't have in my library!
TAKE JOY! is a beautiful book from Tasha Tudor to everyone who loves Christmas. From a wide range of sources, this famous and beloved artist has chosen a richly varied collection of poems, carols, stories, legends, and even Christmas receipts (as she called recipes) and decorations.
The many full-color and black-and-white pictures in this book are aglow with the tenderness, reverence, and beauty for which Tasha Tudor's work is known. It's truly a book for all members of the
family.
Many people across our nation were saddened when Tasha Tudor died this year at the age of 92. She had been declared one of our National Treasures. She was a children's illustrator, whose pastel watercolors and delicately penciled lines depited an idyllic, old-fashioned vision of the 19th-century way of life she famously pursued -- including weaving, spinning, gathering eggs, and milking goats.
She frequently said that she was the reincarnation of a sea captain's wife who lived from 1800 to 1840 or 1842, and that it was this earlier life she was replicating by living so ardently in the past.
She lived in such a manner that she fascinated most people. She wore kerchiefs, hand-knitted sweaters, fitted bodices and flowing skirts, and often in the summer went barefoot. She reared her four children in a home without electricity or running water until her youngest turned five. She raised her own farm animals; turned flax she had grown into clothing; and lived by homespun wisdom: sow root crops on a waning moon, above-ground plants on a waxing one.
Named Starling Burgess, she later legally changed her names to Tasha Tudor. Her mother was a portrait painter and her father was a yacht and airplane designer. Her father nicknamed her Natasha after Tolstoy's heroine in War and Peace. This she shortened to Tasha. After her parents divorced when she was nine, she adopted her mother's last name of Tudor.
A cottage industry grew out of Tasha's art, which has illustrated nearly 100 books. Her drawings, particularly the early ones, often illustrated the almost equally memorable stories she herself wrote. Her family sells greeting cards, prints, plates, aprons, dolls, and more, all in a sentimental, rustic, but still refined style resembling that of Beatrix Potter.
For 70 years her illustrations elicited wide admiration. Two of her books were named Caldecott Honor Books: Mother Goose (1944) and 1 is One (1956). She often said her favorite of all her books was Corgiville Fair, one of several she wrote about the Welsh corgi dogs she kept as pets, sometimes 13 or 14 at once.
I'll continue to hunt for her books in strange places. But you can see the front cover of TAKE JOY! with a brief summary of the book in our lighted calendar case. Who knows...maybe you'll become a collector of her books also.
I've been a collector of Tasha Tudor books for years and have seventeen in my personal library. My joy in collecting her books has been the search in Goodwill stores, at yard sales, and even at Christmas events. So, when Miss Norma, our Children's Librarian, selected TAKE JOY! as her December book pick, I was thrilled. And to think, it's a book I don't have in my library!
TAKE JOY! is a beautiful book from Tasha Tudor to everyone who loves Christmas. From a wide range of sources, this famous and beloved artist has chosen a richly varied collection of poems, carols, stories, legends, and even Christmas receipts (as she called recipes) and decorations.
The many full-color and black-and-white pictures in this book are aglow with the tenderness, reverence, and beauty for which Tasha Tudor's work is known. It's truly a book for all members of the
family.
Many people across our nation were saddened when Tasha Tudor died this year at the age of 92. She had been declared one of our National Treasures. She was a children's illustrator, whose pastel watercolors and delicately penciled lines depited an idyllic, old-fashioned vision of the 19th-century way of life she famously pursued -- including weaving, spinning, gathering eggs, and milking goats.
She frequently said that she was the reincarnation of a sea captain's wife who lived from 1800 to 1840 or 1842, and that it was this earlier life she was replicating by living so ardently in the past.
She lived in such a manner that she fascinated most people. She wore kerchiefs, hand-knitted sweaters, fitted bodices and flowing skirts, and often in the summer went barefoot. She reared her four children in a home without electricity or running water until her youngest turned five. She raised her own farm animals; turned flax she had grown into clothing; and lived by homespun wisdom: sow root crops on a waning moon, above-ground plants on a waxing one.
Named Starling Burgess, she later legally changed her names to Tasha Tudor. Her mother was a portrait painter and her father was a yacht and airplane designer. Her father nicknamed her Natasha after Tolstoy's heroine in War and Peace. This she shortened to Tasha. After her parents divorced when she was nine, she adopted her mother's last name of Tudor.
A cottage industry grew out of Tasha's art, which has illustrated nearly 100 books. Her drawings, particularly the early ones, often illustrated the almost equally memorable stories she herself wrote. Her family sells greeting cards, prints, plates, aprons, dolls, and more, all in a sentimental, rustic, but still refined style resembling that of Beatrix Potter.
For 70 years her illustrations elicited wide admiration. Two of her books were named Caldecott Honor Books: Mother Goose (1944) and 1 is One (1956). She often said her favorite of all her books was Corgiville Fair, one of several she wrote about the Welsh corgi dogs she kept as pets, sometimes 13 or 14 at once.
I'll continue to hunt for her books in strange places. But you can see the front cover of TAKE JOY! with a brief summary of the book in our lighted calendar case. Who knows...maybe you'll become a collector of her books also.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Interesting Facts About Reading
I read an interesting survey the other day. It was an AP (Associated Press) poll that gave the reading habits of Americans in 2006. There were 1,003 adults interviewed by phone. (Amazing, but the Gallup Poll in 2005 found similar results.) Some of the AP poll's facts were:
- Among those who read in 2006, the average respondent read 7 books.
- 25% of the adults polled said they didn't read any books.
- The typical person read 4 books - half read fewer, half read more.
Who are the 25% of people the AP poll found had not read a single book in 2006?
- Nearly a third of men and one-fourth of women tend to be older, less educated, lower income, minorities, from rural areas, and less religious.
- Put another way, avid readers in current and past studies were found to be elderly, female, southern, religious, and educated.
- Southerners who do read, however, tend to read more books, mostly religious and romance novels, than people from other regions.
- Women read more of every category of books than men, except for history and biography.
- The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories.
- Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all sited to be about half, while one in five read romance novels.
- Every other genre - including politics, poetry and classical literature - were named by fewer than 5% of the readers.
I was surprised to find myself in this poll, although I wasn't interviewed. Are you there too? And how many books have you read this year? After all, the year is nearly over. I know the next few weeks will be extremely busy, what with Christmas events coming up, but you still have time to read a little in between the cracks. Come on by the library and pick up a small book to read.
Miss Edna at the Circulation Desk recommends the following:
- Santa Cruise (a holiday mystery at sea) and The Christmas Thief (mystery) by Mary Higgins Clark
- Fresh Elastic for Stretched Out Moms (inspirational) by Barbara Johnson
- Glad Tidings, When Christmas Comes, and Christmas Letters (fiction) by Debbie Macomber
- The Choice (fiction) by Nicholas Sparks
- Skipping Christmas (fiction) by John Grisham.
Don't forget to bring your library card. And remember, reading IS a stress-buster!!!
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