New Magazines for the New Year!

 

I vividly remember sitting at the table as a child, completely absorbed in the back of the cereal box. Thinking back, I wonder what else I eagerly read during those early years. As our children learn to read, it’s fun to think beyond books—what other opportunities are there for them to explore words?

Here are some ideas to spark their reading curiosity:

• Grocery Lists: Let them be your shopping assistant! Have them read out the next item and cross it off as you go.
• Signs Everywhere: Road signs, store signs, amusement park signs—oh my! Ask your child to help navigate to the dairy aisle or spot where the bread is.
• Comic Books: My kids loved Calvin & Hobbes, and even now, they still laugh out loud rereading them.
• Graphic Novels: Perfect for reluctant readers—pictures and a great story make a winning combination!
• Magazines: Who doesn’t love flipping through colorful pages full of fun articles and activities?

Speaking of magazines, we’re thrilled to introduce new additions to our collection! Besides the three pictured, we’re also excited to bring you National Geographic Little Kids, ChickaDEE, Cobblestone, and Highlights High Five. There’s something for every young reader—stop by and check them out!

Engaging with Your Littles

 

We receive many emails here at work about children and their education. One I like is from The Ohio Family Engagement Center at Ohio State University. Take a look and subscribe to their newsletter.

Another great resource for engaging with your child is the Day by Day Ohio Family Literacy Calendar, which can be found here. Each day has a rhyme or song, book suggestions, and more!

Check out one of our newest magazines!

"The Week Junior" is a fantastic resource for children, offering digestible updates on current events. Segments like "Animal of the Week" make learning engaging, encouraging exploration of the natural world. This fosters a lifelong interest in learning.

Additionally, the Princess Peach game and March Madness brackets provide unique entertainment and engagement opportunities. Fans of either activity will appreciate the chance to participate and enjoy sharing their passion with others.

Won't you come by and check an issue out?

Maggie's Favorite 2023 Children and Teen Reads

 Since this was my first year of not being in school after graduating with my MLIS in December 2022, I set a reading goal for myself of 60 books; I have surpassed that by reading 120 books! This includes physical books, audiobooks, graphic novels, etc. 

To me, five star reads are books that:

• Made me cry

• Made me comprehensively or critically think

• Had great dialogue

• Informed me of a social justice issue I was not aware of

• Had memorable and engaging characters

• Basically anything that, 0.2 seconds after finishing the book, had me searching Amazon or my local independent bookstore to purchase it and add it to my collection. 

 

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Recommended ages: 14+

There are so many things to love about this book! About 0.2 seconds after I finished this book, I started following the author, Eunnie, on Instagram. This led to me buying a signed copy of this graphic novel and a piece of artwork from her; I also discovered that she created Spotify playlists for the two main characters, Momo and PG which, of course, I listened to. 

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich 

Recommmended Ages: 14+

Such a CHEESY romance… Sorry, you know I had to. But seriously! If you like graphic novels, romance, positive female friendships, AND/OR CHEESE, you will love The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich! First of all, everything from the characters (Gorgonzola, Feta, Princess Brie, Camembert, etc) and the kingdom of Fromage have cheese names. There is also such a beautiful relationship between “Count” Camembert and her ladies’ maid, Feta; even though Cam can kind of be a handful. The artwork throughout was so vivid and bold, but my favorite illustrations were any that dealt with fashion (No spoilers but the ENDING DRESSES… iykyk). 

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Recommended Ages: 11+

I had several months this year where I was dealing with some pretty debilitating health problems which were also affecting my mental health. Several of my friends had told me about the show and after seeing the heartwarming clip of Nick (depicted by Kit Connor) coming out to his mom (Olivia Colman) as bisexual, I knew that I had to give the show a go. Like the rest of the world, I fell in love with the absolute joy, audible “awww” moments and all of the quintessential angst that follows any sort of teen romance show. 

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks

Again, another super adorable graphic novel! You might recognize the artwork of Faith Erin Hicks from her collaborative graphic novel Pumpkinheads with author Rainbow Rowell.

In Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy, Alix is a high school hockey player with dreams of being invited to join the summer camp of Canada’s National Team. But when she gets into a physical altercation with her teammate and rival, Alix knows she has to get her anger under control so her invitational spot is in jeopardy. So, she enlists the help of Ezra, a popular theatre teen at her high school, who never seems to let anything get to him. Through this, they begin to learn and engage with each others’ interests which, in turn, increases their interest in each other. 

The progression in Alix and Exra’s relationship is so sweet, and will definitely have you rooting for the love story of hockey girl and drama boy! 

Recommended Ages: 14-18

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Iris Winnow’s main focus right now is to beat her arch rival, Roman Kitt, for the position of columnist at the Oath Gazette. But there are more pressing issues outside of the Oath Gazette doors which Iris knows all too well. The gods, Enva and Dacre, have woken from their centuries long sleep and have begun warring; Iris’ own brother is on the front lines, fighting for Enva. Though she does not know where he is, she writes him letters on a typewriter inherited from her grandmother and places them in her wardrobe. Unbeknownst to Iris, the letters appear in the wardrobe of Roman Kitt. Their letters forge a powerful connection and love between Iris and Kitt. However, in the midst of a war, there is no safe road to turn down.

Such a great story! The second book is actually coming out this month, December 2023, and I cannot wait to see how this series continues! 

Recommended Ages: 13-18

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, have been selected as Niveus prefects! While this is initially an accomplishment ful of excitement, it does not take long before an anonymous texter called Aces begins to reveal secrets about each of the new prefects to the entire school. Devon and Chiamaka decide to work together to find out who Aces is and bring them down. What is initially thought to be a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game. 

When I say the TWIST in this book is one that literally threw me for a loop! I usually have this uncann ability to tell who the bad guy is before the story is over but this one truly threw me! Such a great thriller, but also a fantastic social commentary regarding racism. 

Recommended ages: 14-18

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

I picked this book up after reading a blog post of books that the character, Toby, reads in the Heartstopper television series and this title was on it (same with Ace of Spades now that I think about it). Reasons to love this book: 1) It is such a quick read. 2) Not only does it address queer people of color, but also those who are striving on how to become better allies. 3) George’s grandmother, Nan! She is seriously the epitome of a classic Southern grandmother; sweet, loving, supportive, but also will give you the what-for when you need it. 4) This book details the LGBTQIA+ community and perception, brotherhood, sexual assault, gender identity, and many other important topics that need to be addressed. 

Recommended Ages: 16+

Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

Charlie is used to her family’s near constant moving due to her father being in the military. However, their family has decided to settle for good which means that Charlie has to make the ultimate first impression. When Charlie meets a group of Black girls who call themselves Curlfriends, Charlie learns that maybe her true character and personality is not something to hide from, but something to embrace! 

As you can see, I have been loving so many of the 2023 graphic novels that our Youth Services Department has received! This one just felt so laughably relatable to when I was a girl in middle and high school. I am sure that all of us wish we could go back and tell our younger selves that all of the opinions and judgement from our peers that we were so worried about literally means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now that I am grown up and have reflected on who I am, I am so excited to dress how I want to and not be worried about what other people might think of me. The Curlfriends are all so different but also remind me of my close friends now; you always have to have the super smart friend, the golden retriever friend, and the friend who tells us the hard things we need to hear. 

Recommended ages: 8-12 

I hope that all of you are going to strive to read more in 2024!

Baby Sensory Time

Hello everyone! I'm Melissa, a Children's Librarian at GMPL. I've been a librarian since 2015, but I've only worked at GMPL since November. I wanted to share a program I hosted recently: Baby Sensory Time!

This program was designed for our youngest patrons: babies aged 0-18 months. Babies and parents explored several stations throughout the room with different sensory activities. All of them would be very simple to do at home. 

Here is the layout of the room:

Everyone was able to move freely between the stations. Most of the babies and parents seemed to have a favorite station that they wanted to return to multiple times. Let me give you more information about each station:

Pouring Station

This was a plastic container of water with various cups, spoons and measuring cups. Babies enjoyed scooping up water and watching it pour back into the container. If you wanted, you could add some food coloring to make the water brighter and easier to see. If I were going to repeat this activity, I would have used a shallower container. Some babies had trouble reaching the cups in the water. This didn't seem to deter them from trying! I would also recommend putting down towels or a tarp, and having extra towels handy. 

Jello Play Dough

I made Jello play dough using the recipe found here a few days before the program. I stored it wrapped in parchment paper in an airtight container in the fridge until the morning of the program. This play dough is completely edible (the flour is even cooked to make it safe to eat), but it includes a lot of salt. I tried it myself; it tastes like very salty Jello. Not very pleasant to eat, but completely safe. It has a wonderful, soft texture and smells heavenly, too! Unfortunately I didn't managed to take a photo of the babies playing with it, but some of the parents asked for the recipe so they could make it themselves at home.

Rubber Band Toy Grab

This one is super simple: a bin with small toys inside, with rubber bands stretched around it. This made getting at the toys difficult, so babies really had to think to figure out how to get to the fun toys inside. Putting the toys back inside was also a fun challenge. 

Water Exploration

Another incredibly simple setup: baking sheets with water, placed on top of some towels to absorb any splashes. This is especially great for babies doing tummy time and working on developing back muscles. Babies had fun splashing the water and observing how the water moved around the pans. You will definitely want to have an extra towel handy for this activity.

Whisk Activity

I gathered some pompoms of various sizes together in trays with silicone whisks. The babies explored putting the pompoms between the wires and pulling them out again. This is a great activity for working on fine motor skills. You could use a metal whisk if that's what you have at home. I happened to have silicone whisks. Any small container would work for containing the pompoms. You could even do this while your baby is sitting in their high chair.

Sponge & Water Play

Another great water activity. I cut up new sponges into strips for easy gripping and put them in a shallow container of water. Babies loved feeling the textures of the wet sponges and squeezing out the water. Several babies wanted to put the sponges in their mouths, so definitely don't use dirty sponges for this activity. If you can, I would recommend using multiple colors of sponges. I was limited by what was available at the store that day. Also make sure to have towels nearby!

This last activity was definitely the favorite with both babies and parents:

Rainbow Spaghetti

I followed the instructions I found in the book Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids by Mandisa Watts to make the rainbow spaghetti. The basic instructions are: 

1. Boil the spaghetti as if you were preparing it to eat, but drain it a few minutes early. You want the spaghetti to be soft and pliable, but not mushy. 

2. Rinse the spaghetti with cold water. This stops the cooking and removes the starch so the spaghetti won't stick together so much.

3. Place the spaghetti in a gallon sized plastic bag with several drops of food coloring. I used gel food coloring, but regular will also work. Close the bag well and shake/massage the bag to help distribute the color. I had to reopen the bag to add more color a few times. Take it slow so you don't add too much. 

4. Once the spaghetti is the desired color, spread it out on a tray or baking sheet to dry for at least an hour. This helps the color adhere to the spaghetti, so it won't end up on your hands later. 

5. Once your spaghetti has dried, you can store it in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3-5 days. I made mine 3 days in advance and added it to a shallow bin the morning of the program.

Babies really liked grabbing the noodles out of the bin and feeling the texture in their hands. Parents loved putting the noodles on the babies' heads like hair! The spaghetti was surprisingly easy to clean up (it did end up all over the room!) and would be even easier once it dried, but I would definitely recommend having a tarp or hard floor underneath.

I hope this inspires you to try some fun sensory activities with your own little ones at home!