Tag Archives: fun

Day Seventy One of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Aarne-Thompson-Uther
Classification of Folk Tales

“There are many different folk tales in the world, but many tales are variations on a limited number of themes. The classification system originally designed by Aarne, and later revised first by Thompson and later by Uther, is intended to bring out the similarities between tales by grouping variants of the same tale under the same ATU category.”

This is a great tool to use as you are looking for all kinds of folk tales and fairy tales! You can use this yourself, or as a very handy Reader’s Advisory tool.

And if you like such genres, you can see it applied in an entirely fiction setting in the Seanan McGuire Indexing series! Fairy tales come to life, in dark and dangerous ways. I looove both of these books, and am anxiously waiting for a third! (I have them in audio format from Audible.com, and suggest that format; but electronic book or paper would be fine if they are more accessible.)

Indexing, by Seanan McGuire

“For most people, the story of their lives is just that: the accumulation of time, encounters, and actions into a cohesive whole. But for an unfortunate few, that day-to-day existence is affected—perhaps infected is a better word—by memetic incursion: where fairy tale narratives become reality, often with disastrous results.

That’s where the ATI Management Bureau steps in, an organization tasked with protecting the world from fairy tales, even while most of their agents are struggling to keep their own fantastic archetypes from taking over their lives. When you’re dealing with storybook narratives in the real world, it doesn’t matter if you’re Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or the Wicked Queen: no one gets a happily ever after.”

Indexing: Reflections, by Seanan McGuire

“The struggle against not-so-charming storybook narratives isn’t the only complicating factor in Henrietta “Henry” Marchen’s life. As part of the ATI Management Bureau team protecting the world from fairy tales gone awry, she’s juggling her unwanted new status as a Snow White, dealing with a potentially dangerous Pied Piper, and wrangling a most troublesome wicked stepsister—along with a budding relationship with Jeff, her teammate.

But when a twisted, vicious Cinderella breaks out of prison and wreaks havoc, things go from disenchanted to deadly. And once Henry realizes someone is trying to use her to destroy the world, her story becomes far from over—and this one might not have a happily ever after.”

Day Fifty One of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

LibraryBookReturnDropBox2

You do not have to work for long in a library before you find some unusual items in your return box, or in the books themselves. Look through some of the materials identified in this article and laugh, or cringe, in our shared experiences!

The Most Bizarre Things Librarians Have Found in Returned Books

by Ariel Zeitlin

“As a librarian I usually agree that most things do go better with a book, especially meals, baths, and country picnics. Apparently many people agree—and they take it quite a bit further than I ever would! Here are some things that have been found in library books (not necessarily by me or my colleagues). Let’s break it down by categories:

Financial

Apparently valuables also make great bookmarks. We’re talking crisp $100 bills, credit cards, lottery tickets, Broadway show tickets, and even live paychecks (not a receipt of direct deposit). These are the habits of people who are good at saving money (Hint: They probably don’t leave their paychecks in library books).

Natural

Books seem to make great keepsakes for products of nature. Librarians have opened returned books to find pressed flowers, four-leaf clovers, dandelions gone to seed, and whole marijuana leaves. (No one got arrested, that we know of.)

Unmentionable

What you do in your private reading time sometimes ends up in public. Imagine picking up a returned book and having one of these fall out: tampons (thankfully unused), unrolled condoms (ditto), a home pregnancy test (positive!), and a glass vial labeled “smallpox sample.”

Dangerous

Sharp objects and books should probably not go together, and yet librarians have found scissors, knives, a cheese slicer, and even a small hatchet.

Theoretically edible

Eating and reading are a natural combo, which is why snacks are a popular bookmark. We’re talking Cheetos (mostly crumbled), a pickle slice, a Pop-Tart, a Kraft Single (still wrapped), and even whole strips of bacon (both cooked and raw). If you’re going to read and munch, try these healthy snacks.”

Day Forty Two of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

the first book in the increasingly-inaccurately-named trilogy of (at last count) six books


In honor of this special day – Day 42 of the Summer Library Tour – the focus really has to be on Douglas Adams!

Not familiar with why this number is forever associated with Douglas Adams? You can read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to find out (which I, of course, recommend in any case!). Or, you can watch a clip from the movie:

 

Description of the book:

“Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide (“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have”) and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod’s girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don’t forget to bring a towel!”

 

Check out all this cool stuff you can buy on Etsy with Douglas Adams quotes!

Have you asked Google “What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?” Not only does it know, it will happily tell you!

 

Keep up your celebration of all things Douglas Adams, and celebrate Towel Day! “Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe carry a towel in his honour. “

Let’s have dinner and library talk!

Do you want to eat dinner and chat about libraries?

We do too!!

Based on a recent poll, this will be a dinner event.

Thursday, July 20th
5:30 pm
The White Horse
809 West Saint Germain, St Cloud, MN 56301

The White Horse Restaurant and Bar doesn’t take reservations so CMLE staff will arrive a little early to hold a table or two.

We have really enjoyed having our social events in the winter and spring; and are looking forward to hearing from you guys about your summer work, any plans you are making for upcoming programs, and any other interesting library things you want to share! (And it’s ALL interesting when it comes to library stuff!!)

So join us on Thursday July 20th and we’ll have some happy library conversation and enjoy some good food! Email us with any questions, and we hope to see you there! 🙂

Please RSVP if you can; we are looking forward to seeing you!

Are you attending Thurs 7/20?

 

This Kindergarten Class Threw A “Millionaire Bash” To Celebrate Reading 1 Million Words In A Year

 

(From Buzzfeed.com, by Julia Reinstein)

They even rolled up in a limo and signed autographs for their “fans.”

This is Breyden Suragh, 6, a kindergartener in Columbus, Georgia.

On Wednesday, Breyden and his classmates turned up in style at the “Millionaire Bash,” a class party celebrating every student for reading 1 million words that year.

 They even rolled up in a limousine!

Breyden's mom, Denetta Suragh, told BuzzFeed News the school estimated 1 million words was equal to 250 books, which they kept track of with reading logs. This year, the entire class met the goal, Suragh said."Breyden was really on me about it," she said. "He was like, ‘I want a limousine ride so we have to turn in all our reading logs!’ It encourages every child to want to read even more."

Breyden’s mom, Denetta Suragh, told BuzzFeed News the school estimated 1 million words was equal to 250 books, which they kept track of with reading logs.

This year, the entire class met the goal, Suragh said.

“Breyden was really on me about it,” she said. “He was like, ‘I want a limousine ride so we have to turn in all our reading logs!’ It encourages every child to want to read even more.”

When they got to the classroom, each student walked the red carpet as their parents cheered them on.

"They make them feel like a celebrity," said Suragh. "They call their name out, and they have us there as their fans. So while they step out on their little red carpet, we’re screaming and congratulating them."

“They make them feel like a celebrity,” said Suragh. “They call their name out, and they have us there as their fans. So while they step out on their little red carpet, we’re screaming and congratulating them.”

Of course, they donned their most dapper duds and signed autographs for their adoring fans.

Suragh said her son was "all smiles" at the party, and especially loved riding in the limo."It was the most exciting thing to him," she said.

Suragh said her son was “all smiles” at the party, and especially loved riding in the limo.

“It was the most exciting thing to him,” she said.”

Suragh said she’s so proud of how far her son has come as a reader this year.

"When he first started kindergarten, he wasn’t a great reader," she said. "But because of the program that they did to encourage him to read more, he’s almost on a second-grade level of reading."And because of Breyden's newfound love of reading, his 4-year-old brother wants to learn to read too."His little brother is looking up to him, so that’s something he wants to do," she said. "He wants to get in a limousine, and he wants to read something."

“When he first started kindergarten, he wasn’t a great reader,” she said. “But because of the program that they did to encourage him to read more, he’s almost on a second-grade level of reading.”

And because of Breyden’s newfound love of reading, his 4-year-old brother wants to learn to read too.

“His little brother is looking up to him, so that’s something he wants to do,” she said. “He wants to get in a limousine, and he wants to read something.”

“You push your children, and you want the best for them,” said Suragh.

"For him to actually accomplish that just makes me proud as his mom, to see him so happy about reading," she said.

“For him to actually accomplish that just makes me proud as his mom, to see him so happy about reading,” she said.

(Read this entire article here, and admire even more adorable photos!)