Have you ever dreamed of playing with endless Legos? Here’s your chance! Instructors from Play-Well Teknologies will be at the Montclair branch with tubs full of Legos and techniques for making wild and crazy things this Wednesday, April 4, from 3-4:30pm.
Posted by: montclairlibrary | April 1, 2012
Legos at the library
Posted by: montclairlibrary | April 1, 2012
Food for Fiction
Have you ever wondered what your favorite author liked to eat? Head on over to the Paper & Salt blog, where you can find recipes for things like Louisa May Alcott’s Apple Slump and Zora Neale Hurston’s Chicken Consommé. The blog attempts to “recreate the dishes that iconic authors discuss in their letters, diaries, essays, and fiction.”
Maybe a slice of Walt Whitman’s Cranberry Coffee Cake is in order to celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month — more on that later.
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: authors, blogs
Posted by: montclairlibrary | March 28, 2012
Library closed Saturday 3/31
All OPL branches, including Montclair, will be closed this Saturday, March 31st, for a cost-cutting mandatory business shutdown. The branch will be open Friday, March 30th, though, when many local schools are closed for Cesar Chavez Day. The library is a great place to pass some time on a rainy school holiday!
While you’re there, you can look for these children’s books about Chávez:
- Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez by Monica Brown (age 7-9)
- A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez by David A. Adler and Michael S. Adler (age 8-10)
- Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull (age 8-12)
- Farmworker’s Friend: The Story of Cesar Chavez by David R. Collins (age 10 and up)
- César Chávez: A Voice for Farmworkers by Bárbara C. Cruz (age 12 and up)
Posted by: montclairlibrary | March 22, 2012
Escape to the library!
Your library card: A ticket to a peaceful getaway? Old OPL library card image from OPL website.
On our awesome local parenting resource, Berkeley Parents Network, someone posted recently wondering where she could go to relax when she had time off from hectic family life. “Where can I sit comfortably and quietly for an extended period of time, preferably with wireless access?” she wondered. Out of the 14 responses, nine of them suggested the public library. Great idea! Like all OPL branches, the Montclair library offers free wi-fi, and can be a cozy place to curl up with a book or your laptop. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, just watch out for Thursday mornings (home of our popular and boisterous Baby Bounce and Toddler Storytime sessions), Saturday mornings (Family Storytime) and the after-school hours. But most days the library is a peaceful refuge until about 3pm.
Posted in Just for Fun
Posted by: montclairlibrary | March 20, 2012
Beautiful Bookends!
Wednesday March 21st from 3-4pm come celebrate National Craft Month — and put some style in your home library — by decorating bookends to take home. For ages 3 and up. For more information, contact the Children’s Librarian, 510-482-7810.
Posted in Events | Tags: arts & crafts, children, Events
Posted by: montclairlibrary | March 16, 2012
Friday sweetness
Photo by Alison Yin Photography
Today I happened upon this sweet wedding photo, taken in front of the Montclair branch by Alison Yin Photography. This couple got married at the Montclair Women’s Club across the street from the library and posed for some photos with the library’s unique storybook architecture as a backdrop.
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: storybook architecture
Posted by: montclairlibrary | March 12, 2012
Duct Tape Wallets!
This Friday, March 16, from 3:30-5:00pm, teens ages 12 to 18 can make their very own wallet out of duct tape! Sign up in advance with the Children’s Librarian to make sure you get a spot.
Also on this week:
– Lawyers in the Library, Tuesday 6-8pm
– Toddler Storytime, Thursday 10:15-10:45am
– Baby Bounce, Thursday 11:30-11:45am
– Family Storytime, Saturday 10:15am
Posted in Events, Programs | Tags: arts & crafts, teens
Posted by: montclairlibrary | February 21, 2012
Presidential Birthdays, Part 2
All branch libraries are closed today for Presidents’ Day, but here are some George Washington-themed books at the Montclair branch to get you started when it reopens tomorrow, Wednesday, from 10am-5:30pm:
- John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith (age 3 and up)
- George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra (age 4 and up)
- Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Treehouse series) (age 5 and up)
- George Washington by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (age 5 and up)
- A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler (age 6 and up)
- Oh Say, I Can’t See by Jon Scieszka (Time Warp Trio) (grades 2-5)
- The Crossing: How George Washington Saved the American Revolution by Jim Murphy (grade 3 and up)
- George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer (grade 4 and up)
- His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis (grown-ups)
- The Unexpected George Washington: His Private Life by Harlow Giles Unger (grown-ups)
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: books, hours
Posted by: montclairlibrary | February 12, 2012
Happy birthday, Mr. President
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Lincoln was an avid reader and also the inspiration for lots of interesting books. The library has been closed the last few days for Lincoln’s birthday and budget cuts, but why not check out one of these titles when the branch opens up again Tuesday, February 14? Many of them are at other branches, but they’re easy to request online or at the library.
For kids:
- A. Lincoln And Me by Louise Borden (Preschool and up)
- Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters (Grade K-2)
- Abe Lincoln’s Hat (Step into Reading) by Martha Brenner (Grade K and up – easy reader)
- Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers by Karen Winnick (Grade K and up)
- Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman (K and up)
- Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (Grade K and up – A Caldecott Medal Book)
- Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln at Last! by Mary Pope Osborne (Grade 2 and up) (not available at OPL)
- Lincoln’s Legacy (Blast to the Past) by Stacia Deutsch & Rhody Cohon (Grade 3 and up) (not available at OPL)
- Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport (Grade 3–6)
For grown-ups:
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith – “While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years.”
- The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage by Daniel Mark Epstein
- The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: An A-Z Compendium of Quotes from the Most Eloquent of American Presidents by Alex Ayres (Editor)
- With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: books
Posted by: montclairlibrary | February 8, 2012
Make Valentine buttons
Tuesday, February 14th from 3-4:30pm, design and create Valentine’s Day buttons to share with your family and friends! For ages 5 and up.
P.S. – Don’t forget The Montclair branch will be closed Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 for budget cuts and Lincoln’s birthday, and Tuesday, Feb. 21 for Presidents’ Day. Plan ahead!
Posted in Events | Tags: arts & crafts, children, Events
Friends of Montclair Library 