From the Shelf to the Stage

The lineup of children's theatre in Chicagoland this fall includes a couple of children’s literature greatest hits. If you love theatre and reading you’re in luck. Two theatre companies are taking on stage adaptations of Walk Two Moons and Goodnight Moon. Before you check out these upcoming productions on stage, stop by River Forest Public Library to check out the books!

Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech

In this Newbery Award winning book, friends Sal and Phoebe must deal with mothers who have left home. Sal and her grandparents retrace her mother’s path to discover the truth about her absence. Sal recounts their cross country journey to Phoebe as Phoebe learns why her mother has left.

Find this book at RFPL

See it on stage at Adventure Stage, November 5 - December 8, 2011

Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrations by Clement Hurd

Goodnight Moon has been a children’s bedtime mainstay for decades. In this rhyming picture book, a child bunny says goodnight to the things around its room.

Find this book at RFPL

See it on stage at Chicago Children’s Theater, October 27 - December 23, 2011

Two Great Biographies

Two of America's great artistic icons of the later part of the 20th century are profiled in these outstanding children's biographies. Even if you think you know about Andy Warhol or Bob Dylan, check these books out and share them with the whole family.

In Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol by Bonnie Christensen you learn about Andy Warhola's childhood and the development of his unique and ground-breaking approach to art. He comes alive in these pages as something more than just a celebrity with kind of crazy hair.

When Bob Met Woody by Gary Golio chronicles folk artist Bob Dylan from his childhood till the early part of his career when he travels to New York and meets his hero, an ailing Woody Guthrie. The illustrations and quotes from Dylan's songs and poems make this a great read.

Rockin' Out

These recent additions to our CD collection are for kids who like to ROCK!

Billy Kelly's new album The Family Garden offers a refreshing, peppy mix of pop music fun. This is happy music you can jump around to! With plenty of originals, Kelly also does a cover of the B-52's classic "Rock Lobster" that should make parents smile too.

 

Grandkid Rock by Daddy A Go Go features driving electric guitar and drums on most tracks and makes you want to roll down the windows and let your hair down! With a sound reminiscent of Mellencamp and maybe even a little Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but lyrics in tune with kids, this album definitely rocks.

 

Rock & Roll Playground is another great compilation release from Putumayo Kids. Kids' music all stars like Peter Himmelman and Dan Zanes deliver upbeat songs in a rock 'n' roll style on this CD.

Choose some rockin' music at RFPL to kick off the new school year!

Not Your Average Audiobooks

We have some impressive new audiobooks. What makes these two special? Not only are these engaging stories, but they are read by award winning actors! Here are reviews of two hot new titles that explain just how amazing they are. Come check them out @ the library!

The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex

read by Bahni Turpin

Get ready to laugh out loud while enjoying a rollicking road trip starring a wisecracking alien and an eighth-grader with attitude who join forces to save the world. Twelve year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is assigned to write an essay that explains the significance of the day that aliens took over earth. She tells about rescuing her mother, kidnapped by space-invading extraterrestrials (the Booy), and reluctantly joining a renegade alien named J.Lo. Turpin channels Tip's sassy sparkle, conjuring the youngster's personality and natural tweenspeak style, sending Tip's voice right into your ear buds. But wait! Without a pause, Turpin miraculously morphs into mangled alien-accented English, complete with an oddball cadence of throat tics and tongue clicks, to bring forth J.Lo's fidgety self right into your brain. The result is pure entertainment, as Tip and J.Lo banter back and forth in stereo, taking listeners along for the ride. - Mary Burkey

The Emerald Atlas
by John Stephens

read by Jim Dale

Wizards, dwarfs, enemies, witches, and more appear in this fantasy story, impressively read by Dale, well-known to listeners as the impeccable voice of the Harry Potter titles. Fourteen-year-old Kate and her younger siblings, Emma and Michael, have grown up in a series of horrible orphanages. But after they find a mysterious book, in which Michael tucks a historic photo, the children are transported 15 years in the past. In a quest to save the town, which is held captive by an evil witch, the children embark on a dangerous journey that tests their courage and resolve. Not surprisingly Dale's British-laced reading is masterful. He handles a multitude of characters with skillful panache, altering accents, pitch, and vocal texture, with seamless consistency. Dale's facility at differentiating characters allows listeners to easily follow the complex plot and shifts in time and place. With Dale reading this satisfying first title in a proposed fantasy series, expect high demand. -Lynn Rutan

Fresh From The Farm

Do you know where your food comes from? The farm of course! River Forest Public Library has some great new books that focus on letting kids know how the food we eat gets to our plate.

An Edible Alphabet: 26 Reasons to Love the Farm by Carol Watterson | Illustrated by Michela Sorrentino

This book tackles the ABC's of farming on two levels. The author gives the reader a great farm themed word for each letter while also providing in depth farming information on each page. This approach makes An Edible Alphabet a great read for kids young and old. Sorrentino’s mixed media collage illustrations are very appealing and compliment the text beautifully.

To Market, To Market
by Nikki McClure

This picture book begins at the farmers market. As our main character shops for food, the author shows us how each food item is grown and prepared for the market. To Market, To Market concludes with the farmer’s market finds being made into a family dinner. McClure’s illustrations have a cutting edge feel that makes this book a great read for older children and adults.

Folk Music for the Whole Family

Check out some of our music offerings for your late summer car trip. Classic children's songs and new rendtions in the folk tradition are wonderful ways to connect with our own cultural heritage and to expand our musical horizons. Smithsonian Folkways, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institute, releases older folk tunes by the likes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and new artists offering a fresh take on cherished American songs. Two of my favorites are Smithsonian Folkways Childrens's Music Collection and You are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell.

Closer to home the Old Town School of Folk Music continues to educate and entertain little people and their families with their Wiggleworms program of music and movement. Check out Wiggleworms Director Laura Doherty's CD, Kids in the City for really cool folksy Chicago themed songs. See if you can resist her kid-friendly super-fun version of Sweet Home Chicago or her song about Chicago's famous hot dog (no ketchup, please!) Songs for Wiggleworms is a newer CD with 38 classic songs like Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and You are My Sunshine. Everyone should learn and enjoy these songs!

Around the World

As part of our "One World, Many Stories" summer reading program, we circled the globe through stories and games. Our travels of the imagination took us to China, Mexico, Kenya,and Australia. Our last trip of the summer was to India. We learned about the Hindu festival of Diwali and heard the stories The Blind Men and the Elephant and One Grain of Rice. We also had special presenters--thank you to the Patel family for sharing your culture and traditions with us! Thanks also to Maison Suzanne for sharing the beautiful Indian textiles.