Camping Fun!

Wondering what to do during the holidays? Well,look no further, if you want some great ideas, this is the book for you. Calling all nature lovers and fans of the great outdoors, pick up this book and let it take you on a wonderful adventure. Meet the 2 heroes of this story, James and Eamon who soon become known as 'Jamon' as they do everything together! James and Eamon are spending time at Jamon's grandparents' house which is near the beach during the summer holidays. In the daytime, they attend nature camp which they think is a drag. They nickname is "sit-around-camp" and "sweat-alot camp".

The real fun is the time they spend with each other inside, playing video games, eating banana waffles with maple syrup, and jumping around on their blown-up mattress in the basement. Jamon's grandfather is a huge fan of Antartica but everything he suggests going to see the "Penguin Exhibit", 'Jamon' rejects his idea. Finally, the end of the holidays are drawing near, and the foursome decide to have a popcorn party. Unfortunately, Bill and Pam, the grandparents, fall into a deep and noisy slumber. 'Jamon' decide to go outside to enjoy the very last day of camp. Looking up into the sky and out at the ocean, 'Jamon' cannot think of anything to do. But as the sun goes down, and the stars come out, they get real busy creating the best thing of the best week ever. Wondering what that "best thing" is? I'm not going to give it away! If you want to know, borrow this fantastic book today!

I really loved this book. The text is witty and enjoyable. Unlike other books where the humor is of the slapstick kind, the words and pictures in this one, forces you to pay close attention to the action that is going on. The illustrations are simple and beautiful. You will adore the pages where 'Jamon' is sitting outdoors at sunset and the night-time scene. The hues capture the vivid yet transient sunset and a slivery, star-lit night-sky. Most of all, this book reminds us of the miracle of nature as well as that of a happy childhood captured in a summer.

New picture books in the library 2011

One of the many good things of being a librarian is getting our hands on the new arrivals in the library. So here's sharing with you some new picture books that I personally like:

 A boy grumbles to his mother about having to make his bed even after doing his other chores. His mothers tells him a story in a story of his ancestors, way back to the prehistoric times, complaining about the same thing. Mothers featured throughout the times all have the same answer for them. Humorous and will be enjoyed by preschoolers and early primary schoolers alike.

[NLB Searchplus]

This is an easy one because I already love the book 'Ella Kazoo will not brush her hair' published in 2006 by the same author and illustrator. Ella, as the title suggests, refuses to go to bed. Instead she plays hide-and-seek, asks for water,chooses yet another book to be read to and basically behaves like some preschoolers I know (read:my daughters). Finally, some pajama-wearing pirates that Ella thought up advises her that sleeping makes her healthy and smart and Ella gets down to bed to get her rest.

[NLB Searchplus]

Beautifully illustrated in watercolour, this picture book is based on Jane Goodall's childhood and her interest for nature and animals. It even tells of Jane's early adventures of hiding in a chicken coop to see for herself where eggs came from. Definitely a book I will read to my daughters as it highlights children's natural curiosity for the world around them.

[NLB Searchplus]




Enjoy the stories,
Raihana

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them --Arnold Lobel

ASK! Who? Librarian?

A question in mind

If you have a question in mind, what will you do? You may decide intuitively to search for the answers using Google search engine. You click on several links only to find out that the ‘answers’ are not useful. You decide to change the keywords, hoping that the results will be different. Definitely the results returned by Google will be different.

1. 
   
   Nevertheless, are those results relevant?


2. 
   
   Do the links lead you to the answers that you are seeking?

You may continue to perform another 1 – 2 hours of search. In the end, the search may remain a wild-goose chase.

What should you do to answer the questions that you have in mind (if you had spent hours searching in vain for the answers via Google)?

You may want to visit the advisory counters at any of the regional libraries (Woodlands, Jurong, and Tampines).

Why? What can you expect?

ASK! service

We (librarians) might be able to save you time and let you focus on using the information. We will search from reliable and authoritative library resources or other external sources. We will provide answers or point you in the right direction to get what you need.

Replies would be sent within 3 days.

Give the ASK! service a try. Submit your question to the ASK! service now.

Link to ASK! service: http://www.pl.sg/page/PlJustAskContent/Ask&_nfls=false

What questions can you ask?

Just about anything. Think you have a "wacky" question? Just ASK! As you may have suspected, we do handle a number of general questions about the library such as “What time does the library close”, “How many books can I borrow” and “Where is the toilet”. On the other hand, we do receive many interesting questions that really put our knowledge of the library collections (children, young people and adult) to the test.

If you are wondering what types of questions that librarians receive from library users, you may want to visit our ASK! Blog (http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/ask/).

Below is a reply from our librarian (Ms Chen Wanying) to the question “Is the panda a bear”.

Well, that depends on the type of pandas! The giant panda, otherwise scientifically known as the Ailuropoda melanoleuca, is a bear! Physically, the giant panda does resemble a bear, with its stubby tail and bulky physique. It has “black and white fur and feeds on bamboo forests at high altitudes in western China”. Also, it can be found in the Himalayas as well.

However, the other type of panda, known as the red or lesser panda, the Ailurus fulgens , has “thick reddish brown fur”, “white face markings and a long ringed tail.” The lesser panda belongs to the raccoon family and unlike the giant panda which is a solitary animal, the lesser panda prefers to “live in pairs or small groups in bamboo forests.”

Sources: 1) Brittancia Online Reference Center: Giant Panda-Ailuropoda melanoleuca 2) Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia:Panda 3) Kids Infobits: Pandas

So what should you do if Google doesn’t miraculously provide you links to answers that you are seeking for your questions?

Do not hesitate further … Visit us at any of the regional libraries and ASK! ; )

p.s. For anyone who wishes to join the NLB Family (as a public librarian), it would be good to find out more about rest of the library services provided by Public Libraries Singapore.

1. http://www.pl.sg/page/PlJustBrowseContentBook2/ChildrenLibrarianServices&_parent=ChildrenLibrarianServices


2. http://www.pl.sg/page/PlJustBrowseContentBook2/TeensLibrarianServices&_parent=TeensLibrarianServices&_nfls=false


3. http://www.pl.sg/page/PlJustBrowseContentBook2/AdultsLibrarianServices&_parent=AdultsLibrarianServices&_nfls=false

p.p.s. Have a nice day. (Wei Meng)

Author Highlight: Diana Wynne Jones

Editor's note:

My colleague Jude shared with us on the passing of a British fantasy author, Diana Wynne Jones, recently and it led to me picking up some of her books. If you like magic - you might just like this one. Below is the article from Jude - posted with her permission of course ;).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diana Wynne Jones
The Departure of British Author of Fantasy

(1934 – 2011) 

The world of fantasy has lost one of its beloved authors, British writer Diana Wynne Jones, who succumbed to cancer on 26 March 2011 at the age of 76, leaving behind her husband, John A. Burrow, a Professor of English at Bristol University, her three sons and five grandchildren, as well as the many fans of her writings which include the Chrestomanci series and the Dalemark Quartet series.

Born in London on 16 August 1934, Jones had an unsettling childhood partly due to growing up during the World War II period. As good reads were hard to come by during those difficult times, she kept herself occupied by writing her own stories instead and sharing them with her sisters. It was then that she decided she wanted to be a writer when she grew up.

Jones was educated at Oxford where she met her husband-to-be and it was at Oxford that she had the privilege of attending lectures by the esteemed C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

To entertain her sons when they were growing up and beginning to read, Jones tried her hand at writing fantasy stories because that was what her children wanted to read, and so the journey began for her as she weaved magic and mythology into her 40-odd books that have captivated the imaginative minds of both children and young adults. She also wrote for the adults.

In 1977, Jones won the Guardian Award for Children’s Books for Charmed Life, the first book in the Chrestomanci series. In 1999, she was recognised for having made a significant impact on fantasy and was awarded the Mythopeic Award in the States and the Karl Edward Wagner Award in the UK, and in 2007, she was honoured with the Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Organization.

Despite her illness, Jones continued writing during her last days and has left us her final legacy, Earwig and the Witch, which will be published in 2011 / 2012.



By Jude, Children's Librarian

Our recommended reads:

Look here for resources at your fingertips

When looking for information, many of us instinctively use Google. Why not? It is easily accessible even from our mobiles and provide us with quick information right at our fingertips.

As a librarian, however, we try our best to expose the public to more authoritative sources of information - and they are not found only in books either.

If you have not already heard of our eResources, now is a good place as any. Let me give you an example:

I was manning the ASK service in recent weeks when I received an enquiry from students belonging to a certain junior college in Singapore. They were looking for resources to complete their project based on revolutions in history. Rather than pointing them only to books, I encouraged them to use the database 'Modern World History Online' found in our eResources. There, they will be able to locate not only resources in text format but also images, videos, maps and charts.

And if you think this site will not be applicable to the young ones, you may very well be surprised! Introducing TumbleBooks - where picture books are read out for your young ones. As a mother myself, I say this beats watching cartoons anytime. (Note to mummys: You might also enjoy looking at the parenting eMagazines while the little one takes her afternoon nap.)

I highly recommend you to try it. And should you need help finding the appropriate database to suit your needs, you could always ASK us!

After all, we are just a call or a click away.


Cheers from
Raihana

Fun with Tots

Librarians in public libraries lead a hectic life and children's librarians spend a considerable amount of time conducting programmes for children and sometimes parents as well!

One of the more challenging programmes to conduct is "Fun with Tots". It's a 30 min programme for parents & their toddlers of 3 or younger. We pack it with stories, songs & rhymes to help parents teach early literacy skills to their little tikes. It takes energy to interact with curious, "hyperactive" toddlers and also communicate intellectual tips to parents. From time to time, there'll be this one kid who has just learned to run and insists on demonstrating his skill to everyone! It's always a joy though and we have many parents who come back for more. You can find out more about our programmes by visiting http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg/

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like...

A great thing about local kids is that most of them come to the libraries when school's out and the activities organised by us can be enjoyed. Most of them could be taking advantage of the DEAR promotion to double up on their borrowing too- it feels good to see parents and children come with their big carrier bags to stock up and ensure they have enough reading materials ready for "winter". It's also heart-warming to see families spending quality time together in the cafes attached to our branches. It's the 'feel good' season and I tried to add to the year-end celebrations with some activites in my branch. While there are crowds galore thronging the streets of Orchard Road, "jingle bells" pervading the aisle of NTUCs, and rain whipping down the heartlands, one can enjoy some (relative) quiet time and some festive cheer in the library too. It's nice and toasty inside as compared to the torrential downpour outdoors, and, children love being surrounded by so many other kids inside the children's section.

While there is no snow in Singapore, that does not stop many folks from artificially creating some to add to the mood. I got a spraycan from 'Art Friend' and decorated the publicity stand with it. I could not resist adding 2 santa bears to the stand as well as they looked so cute in their red hats and scarfs. They were also quite cheap at about $3 each. I did up a poster and voila, presto, my stand was set. Now all I could do was hope for some "bites". Later I added a santa hat to the top of the stand but I regretted it a little because I had to snip a small hole at the side of said hat to do so. But I still loved it overall and it served it's function to announce to programmes to the kids. Another thing I did to decorate the 3rd level was request paintings from Minds Towner Gardens. As I did storytelling sessions there before, I once received a token of appreciation in the form of an artwork, and was impressed by the talent shown. The school very kindly loaned me 7 a3 sized paintings and here you can see one of them. I also spraypainted the glass walkways with my left over "snow". I wanted to create something special to promote the J Specials that would be taking place.

Three stories & crafts were done for December and they included: Gingerbread man Ornament, Snowflake Bookmark, and Snowman Card. These are enjoyable yet simple art activities that cater to the very young kids (about 4 years onwards) up to those around 9 or 10 years old. For the Gingerbread man Ornament craft, I was thinking of how much kids love that ageless classic about the cheeky gingerbread man who comes to live but is eaten up in the end. There is also something charming about creating your own creature and pretending it becomes real! Not to mention the fact that I found Jonathan Allen's 'Gingerbread Bunny' to read to them. I love having them guess the surprise behind the flaps! Something was baking in the oven over here, and out popped many versions of "franken-gingerbread" men and women. You can trust kids to create the funniest things. I was joking with one of the boys that he created "gingee shiva" because his' creature had three eyes. Another boy created a 'man' that resembled himself in gingerbread man form. And a very cute small girl came up with a depressed looking gingerbread man. I was very amused. Check out the artwork!

Now, I am gearing up for the next school holiday in June 2011- Something tells me a couple of us will be having the best month ever. Cockle art anyone?

The Accidental Librarian

Honestly, I never wanted to be a librarian. When I was young, at about 8 or 9, I wanted to be a lawyer. Yes, the fight for justice really appeals to me. And look, 18 years later. I am a librarian!

After graduating from NUS, my first aim was to get a job that is stable. It didn’t really matter to me what the job will be like or where it will be.

I still remember visiting the NLB website and looking under the career search and then I chanced upon, ‘Associate Librarian’.

I read the job scope and I didn’t understand a word of it. Still, I applied anyway and I went for the interview. Amazingly, I was accepted. I didn’t expect them to hire me as I was a fresh graduate and I didn’t have any experience. However, I did inform them that I have the passion and the determination to learn whatever is needed out of me.

You will ask, passion? Why will you have passion for something that you don’t want in the first place? Well, my answer is, I have always love reading. Although reading is not really part of my job now, being around books and the desire to interact and talk to people drives me on.

My first day in this job was on 6th October 2008. I will never forget that day. It was so quiet. I was directed to my own table and there, I sat, not knowing what to do. I felt so lost as I waited for the manager to arrive. After talking to the manager, I was as clueless as ever.

I was introduced to so many things and aspects of my job. The programmes (Storytelling, J Specials, Fun With Tots), the advisory counters and of course ASK! There were also class visits and outreaches. It was a quite a pile of work and yes, I did started to doubt myself. I started to ask if this is really what I want, if this job is really suitable for me.

I am not a confident person though many people think I am judging from my happy-go-lucky image. As this job requires a lot of presentation, I wasn’t sure at all.

But something in me tells me that I have to keep on trying and keep on working hard. Then, I realize that this feeling is what they say ‘passion’.

Now, 2 years and 3 months later, I am very happy to say that I LOVE MY JOB!

From a job that I barely knew and wanted, to a job that I am determine to make it worthwhile. I don’t aspire to be the best librarian or the best worker. I aspire to be a real and honest worker. I don’t have many goals and neither do I have lofty aims. But what I do want is for me to continue contributing to NLB. As long as I am still wanted, I am and will be very much happy.

It always makes me smile and makes my day when the children say hi to me or when parents take the time to ask my whereabouts when they have not seen me conducting the sessions. At least they cared and at least they bother. Where else can you find a job that is very fulfilling?

I have a great job and great colleagues so what else can I wish for?

So, at first, it’s accidental. Now, I can safely say that I choose to be a librarian.

Love,
Aslin

The Accidental Librarian

The King has left the building...

Dick King-Smith, popular British children’s book author, died on 4 January 2011 at the age of 88.

Who's Dick King-Smith? He's perhaps best remembered for the 1995 animated film, Babe that was nominated for seven academy awards, including best picture. It was based on Dick King-Smith's book, Babe - The Gallant Pig.

Before the film, many people probably loved pigs like they loved ham sandwiches. But the film, about an adorable pig who tries his best to be a sheep-dog or rather a sheep-pig, changed all that. For some time, many of my friends swore they'd never eat pork again.


Many of us grumble from time to time, "Oh I'd like to do _______ but I'm too old." But Dick King-Smith started writing his first book, The Fox Busters at 54. It was only published 2 years later. And he went on to write over 130 books, which have sold 15 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages.

Nowadays, one often hears the catchphrase that change is the only constant. Dick King-Smith is perhaps the epitome of one who adapted and adapted, and then found his niche. As someone who adored animals he went into farming after graduation. But his love of animals did not translate into good financial or business sense. So two decades later, he was forced to sell everything and give up his passion.

A few jobs later, he became a primary school teacher. He worked at it for seven years. It was during these seven years, in the school holidays that he found time to pen an idea he had for a children's story. And two years later, his first book was published. Eventually, he became a full-time writer.

Dick wrote mostly about animals and farmyard fantasy. He liked to write about pigs, his favourite animal. During the period of 1983-1988, Dick met a television producer and appeared regularly on television in “Rub-A-Dub-Tub”, “Pob’s Programme” and “Tumbledown Farm” and became very famous.

Dick was voted Children’s Author of the Year at the 1992 British Book Awards and was widely referred to as Roald Dahl’s successor in children’s literature. In 1995, he won the Red House Children’s Book Award for his book Harriet’s Hare.In 2010, Dick was recognized for his distinguished contributions to children’s literature and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Throughout his career, Dick loved writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they enjoyed his stories. Dick is survived by his second wife, his three children, 14 grandchildren, four great grandchildren and a great, great grandchild.

His books can be found in the public libraries at JS KIN and J KIN. To find out more about his life, read All about Dick King-Smith by Victoria Parker (Call number: J 823 PAR).

Is Reading Boring?

For parents who have not stepped into any of the public libraries for quite a number of years, perhaps it is time to step into the one nearest to your home.

Image: English Corner Publishing Pte Ltd.

Libraries nowadays have magazines and audio-visual items that are meant for children. For instance, you may want to pick up this magazine titled ‘The young scientists. Level 1’ that is published by Young Scientists Pte Ltd. Each issue of the children magazine contains short Science comic strips that appeal to children, thereby encouraging them to read the written contents. There are also nuggets of facts about Science stated at the bottom of most pages. This allows children to increase their knowledge about Science while they enjoy reading the Science comic strips.

If you wish to view a Young Scientist Level 1 Sample, refer to the links (via website of English Corner Publishing Pte Ltd) as follows:
Level 1 (Pri 1-2): englishcorner.sg/samples/young_scientists_level_1.pdf
Level 2 (Pri 3-4): englishcorner.sg/samples/young_scientists_level_2.pdf
Level 3 (Pri 5-6): englishcorner.sg/samples/young_scientists_level_3.pdf

Note: Links were last accessed on 15 Jan 2011.

Does it mean that there are no interesting books in the libraries?

Let us put it to a test.

Image: New York : Scholastic, c2010.

Hit the shelves and look for this rebus book titled “The peculiar pumpkin thief” written by Geronimo Stilton. In fact there are many more titles under the same series titled “Geronimo Stilton”. But wait … what are rebus books? Basically these are books which have pictures in place of some of the words. They can be fun for beginning readers to explore with little assistance.

That’s not all. What about reading books about superheroes? Yes, I am talking about fiction books, and not comic books. Your nearest library should have a couple of these children fiction titles about superheroes if you search the library catalogue using search term such as “Superheroes Fiction”. One example of fiction titles about superheroes is “The shrinking city” written by Michael Dahl.

Summary (“The shrinking city”)

Thirty years ago, Brainiac shrank the city of Kandor and sealed it inside an unbreakable glass container. The evil supercomputer is still exploring the universe, collecting cities from hundreds of planets. Superman must stop Brainiac from bottling up Metropolis, and then save Kandor the last remnant of his home planet, Krypton.

Image: Minneapolis, Minn. : Millbrook Press, c2008.

Last but not least, you may want to introduce your child to books about riddles and jokes. The book titled “The laugh stand : adventures in humor” (author: Brian P. Cleary) allows children to increase their vocabulary through plays on words. I personally like the chapters as follows: “Anagram Crackers” (pp.4); “Poetry of Notes” (pp.26); and “Use Your Headlines” (pp.40).

So why hesitate any longer? Bring your child to the library in your neighbourhood NOW and ask the librarian for some interesting reads!

Posted by Wei Meng.

p.s. Have a nice day. = )

Diorama Making Workshop @ Cheng San Public Library

Kids….they have bundles of energy and parents often have tough time to keep them entertained. Well, this is one thing that you might want to try with your kids …Diorama making

Cheng San Public Library had " Diorama Making Workshop" conducted by one of our volunteers, Ms Lea. I felt that this is one of the many interesting programmes that we can do with the young ones.

It's fun, easy to do, stimulates creativity, promotes development of some of the five senses and helps family to bond together.

Our diorama making was based on folklores/fairytales. One of the books that we have used was

Attack of the swordfish and other Singapore tales / text by Charlotte Lim which is available at many of our libraries.

These are the items that were used.

Shoebox, paint brushes, poster/acrylic paint, plasticine of various colors, coloured paper, markers and glue.

Take a look at these final products created by our very own participants. Really fantastic right? We, adults, didn't really have to help them much. We only provided them with the books and materials. This activity really let their creativity flow :)

March school holidays coming up soon! Keep any shoebox you have at home and start creating your own diorama.

Let's Party in the Library...

After weeks of publicity and anticipation by our faithful young followers, IT was finally here. On the 16th of October 2010, Bedok Public Library celebrated an "Out of This World!" Birthday Bash to commemorate our 25th anniversary for children aged 5-12 years old. By simply borrowing 6 items from our library between the period of 27 September-16 October2010 , the child could register him or herself at our Customer Service Counter to secure a place in the biggest party of the year at their fantastic neighborhood library. The one and only uniquely community library of the easternly shores, the Bedok Public Library!

On that Saturday, 30 children arrived bright and early at the opening hour of 10am, raring for the Mercury Room. Yi Fei and Lionel who were number 1 and 2 to turn up were greeted by the friendly children's librarian and told to help themselves to the mountain of candies of the table. Digging into the M&Ms, Mars Bars, and Lollipops was the start of a good day for the 2 young men. It also helped them to wait patiently for the rest of their peers to come in. Some other early birds were out of their minds with excitement as they waited for the rest of their friends to settle down, as they danced energetically to the tunes of Spice Girls early hits of the 90's. Children had to be told to "stop right now thank you very much" on more than a few occasions when the librarian wanted to commence the start of the games.

When the 30 kids had all gathered, the librarian explained the very first game, the Moon Rock Hunt! Hidden in several completely unexpected places of the Mercury Room were 12 alien creature eggs. These eggs which were wrapped in newspapers to protect them from the unknown harmful vapors emitted by this strange new planet Earth were seeking owners to bring them back home to be looked after and cared for. The pet aliens bore a faint resemblance to animals such as ducks and bees. The lucky children were thrilled to find them and they were stuffed into bulging pockets where they jiggled noisily.

The next activity was the modelling contest. The children were told that they could come dressed as any space creature, planet, or astronaut they wanted. And boy did some of us arrive to shock. Two of the competitiors who were a brother and sister pair led the pack with their carefully conceived get-up. The first to run the catwalk was the "female alien" who announced that her outfit was spontaneously created and the reason for using rubber gloves, a plastic bag, and frilly frills was as yet unknown. Her brother was second to make his debut down the runway. Dressed up as Darth Vader, he confessed a love for Star Wars and anything to do with the 'darkside'. It was a brave show and the children expressed their appreciation at being entertained when they clapped for their "chosen one"- the winner of the modelling show-Darth Vader! Behind them, I think I saw their father and wardrobe designer, choking back a tear, as "Darth" was presented with his prize, a jigsaw puzzle of Space Lightyear from your nearby Toys "R US". And moving on.. the kids were told to stand up! We were going to play 3 games which were so strenuous only the toughest could survive.

'Newspaper Twin' was up next. Each team consisted of 2 players who were told to dance by the side of their newspapers but get onto it when the music stopped. The catch? The piece of newspaper would be folded into half for every subsequent round. Everyone started off comfortably. However as the game progressed some "twins" could be seen to be creeping nearer to the sides of the room where a pillar was located. One group was disqualified for not only hiding behind the pillar but also holding onto it so as to keep their balance. The librarian-moi- made it increasingly difficult by taking away more than 1 newspaper as the game got closer to the finish. The collective round of groans and sighs reverbrated the room as I did so with pleasure. Nobody could have foreseen that the reigning champions of this game would be the brother and sister duo. There were some shouts of "How come they always win! No fair!" To which the librarian shouted back at the sore losers to "Try harder!" The prizes were 2 "clapping hands" which they could use to decorate their bedrooms with.

And then, it was the game of 'Musical Newspapers'. The objective was to make sure you landed onto a newspaper when the music ended as at each turn the librarian would take away 1 of the newspapers. Every player was alone in fighting for supremacy. The game started off with 18 newspapers and ended with only 1. It was quite a fierce fight but at last it was down to 4 boys and 2 newspapers. And then 2 boys and 1 newspaper. Boy in red who was slightly bigger dominated the scene and tuesday's edition of the classified ads as he positioned his body overarching the blameless newspaper. When the music stopped boy in red tumbled onto the newspaper and boy in green tumbled onto boy in red. The newspaper was discarded into the black garbage bag glad to begin its' third life as a recycled material and not a little traumatised by its' second run. Boy in red was presented with a set of spades and pail which he could use should he decide to make a day of the beach. This was followed by a short-break of cooling ribena.

After drinking their fill of the red beverage, the children were back in action and ready to rumble. It is interesting to note that at this point, the thirty or thirsty kids finished up 7.5 litres of the ribena I had concocted for them in the morning at the pantry with my bottle of syrup, cold water, and ice. I silently congratulated myself on making this ingenious drink saturated with sugars which the children not only enjoyed but that would revive their flagging spirits and add an extra bounce to each step they took and a higher decibel to every high-pitched excited squeal which would escape their lips.

They were ready to get down to business and the next game meant war for the prizes. Over the chaotic din, I told the kids to line up in 2 straight lines in front of me. In spite of arguments over who would be the leader and stand at the very front of the 2 lines, we eventually had our 2 team: "Smartie Team" and "Universe Team". In this relay race named the "Black Hole Toss" where each side had 9 players, the person who was at the front of the line at the moment, would have a small ball in hand. He was to run to the post 3 feet away where he/she had to move around it 3 times to disorientate himself. Then he would run to where the volunteer was holding a dartboard made out of velcros and take aim with the ball. After the instructions for the game was repeated only 3 times, the children were off! Some made the mistake of only passing the post while others forgot to take the ball back after shooting it at the dartboard. Players could only compete when they had that ball in hand. The two teams were neck to neck, but at the end only one emerged victoriously. The winning team was "Universe Team!" Their prize included a box of colorful erasers courtesy of Bedok Library which would enable them to work harder when they attempted their school homework.

At 11.00am sharp, the kids were ravenous from an hour long of running, screaming, and dancing. Hunger pangs were imminent. I announced the end of games and the start of the outerspace feast! Hot breaths pressed me on as I unravelled the delectable treats for the day. In dish number one were 60 fishballs from old chang kee. In dish number two were 32 pies from pie kia. These came in different types such as roast chicken, ham and cheese, and mushroom chicken pies. And in 4 boxes lay our sweetest treats for the day- 36 of our birthday cupcakes! On to the crown of 2 special cupcakes did I place my candles each bearing a different number of "2" and "5" respectively. As the lights went out and the whole room was cloaked in darkness, I could faintly make out the silhouettes of the children who although ragged with all the activites of that day, displayed a child-like wonder at the magnificence of several lines of cream-filled, rainbow icing topped cupcakes. At the cue of the librarian, the whole room sang in unison to that familiar song. I asked a small girl to help me blow out the 2 candles when we were done to which she obliged happily. A faceless voice in the background asked me if he could bring home the candles as well. Well, my reply was in the negative. Once more the light was turned on and the children, their parents, and myself tucked into the spread before us. It was a lovely afternoon to spend in the children's section of our library. This librarian was glad to see that every morsel of food disappear.

With stomaches contented, I asked the children who were still up for it, to take part in a dance-off. With my trusty Spice Girls CD which I had bought back in the days, I told the would-be contenders to get ready for it at the "stage" or empty space at the Neptune side of the room. After all that running about and movement, 5 children between the ages of 7-12 positioned themselves for the challenge. There were 4 boys and 1 girl who were to dance to 10 different Spice Girls' songs. As the DJ for this event, I could change a song mid-way if I wanted to surprise them. Nurin, who was one of the regular patrons of storytelling and stories & crafts' session, and extremely extroverted by nature, managed to conjure up different moves at every turn. I was impressed by her exuberance! The crowd agreed that she deserved to win for best dancing and I presented her with the prize, a classic doodle etch a sketch from Toys "R us".

With that our party for that day concluded. I can say that I enjoyed the party thoroughly. The beautiful thing about working with kids is that it takes so little to make them so happy. I in turn hope that years from now, when they grow up, they will still remember that day in the library.In a quiet nook, there are books, fun, imagination and excitement when you look close enough and know where to find it.

2011 and new beginnings

Isn't it wonderful how a new year ushers in the possibilities for fresh starts and new beginnings?

Well then, welcome to the all new J Librarians blog, y'all! You may be wondering what the letter "J" stands for. Jovial, you say? Jazzy? Jumpy? None of the above. Here in Singapore, J Librarians is a term coined to refer to Children's Librarians. Our work mostly involves working with children and promoting children's programmes and services in the library. 

I did a little googling (yes, we google) to see if the term is being used anywhere else in the world and my preliminary search did not surface any hits. So yes, you could say that we are unique and made here right in Sg.

We hope that the stories that we will be sharing with you along the way will be as delightful and beneficial to you as much as it will to us...and will get you coming back for more.

So here's to the new year and happy reading!

Posted by
Raihana (on behalf of the J Librarians)