March 21, 2008

Off the Shelf

Library offers programs for the young child

By Tim Collins
Adult Services Librarian

April marks the Month of the Young Child, a commemoration that’s always celebrated throughout the San José Public Library System. Here at Tully Library, two musical performers will be entertaining us, one on Apr. 5, the other on Apr. 29. But hey, here at the library, every day could be considered Day of the Young Child, what with the story times, craft times and game days we offer.

So for a change of pace, let’s work our way through Chase’s Calendar of Events over the next few weeks:

- Mar. 23-29: National Cleaning Week

- Mar. 30-Apr. 5: Root Canal Awareness Week

- Apr. 6-12: National Week of the Ocean

- Apr. 13-19: National Inspirational News Week - also National Library Week (same thing!)

- Apr. 20-26: Sky Awareness Week

This month while housecleaning, contemplating the earth, sea and sky, inspire yourself and come to the library. Oh, and floss, too!

Musical Programs for Month of the Young Child
Andrea's Musical Adventures visits Tully on Saturday, Apr. 5, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Andrea's energetic show incorporates singing, simple musical instruments, story-dances and more! Andrea is a Bay Area Parent Family Favorite Winner for Best Music Teacher and Best Party Entertainer. Come join the celebration in our Community Room for this fun-filled show!

David Sharpe graces Tully with his presence on Tuesday, Apr. 29, at 6:30 p.m. David's world is a place where imagination and music take you anywhere you want to go! Children, their parents and grandparents will laugh and sing along to the songs of David Sharpe, aka “PapaHugs.” The songs David writes, records and sings will go straight from his heart into yours. Enjoy!

San José Teen Idol
Hey, Andrea and David are great, but why let them get all the attention? It’s your turn to shine! Are you in your school choir? Taking singing lessons? Do you carry a good tune while in the shower? Maybe you can be the next San José Teen Idol! Sign up to compete in our regional event! First, second and third place winners will be awarded with cash prizes ranging from $10 to $50. The first place winner will be one of the finalists to compete at the final event and be crowned the 2008 San José Teen Idol. Please come to the library to register. We hope to see AND hear you there!

Be Prepared
San José’s Office of Emergency Services offers its free two-hour Home and Family Disaster Preparedness training. Learn about hazards you should prepare for in San José. Reduce risks of loss and injury before disaster strikes. Create a family disaster plan. Compose your personal and family disaster supply kit. Get involved and be prepared!

Emergency Services is offering this program at 18 different locations between March and September. Here at Tully, they are coming on Mar. 25 at 6 p.m. If you miss it, then catch the presentation when they come to Evergreen Library on Jun. 25, or the Evergreen Community Center on Sept. 13. But don’t be caught with your guard down in the meantime!

Parenting Workshops
- Eat Healthy: First 5, in partnership with Choices for Children, present three different sessions of the workshop “Five Keys to Raising Healthy Eaters:” Tuesdays Apr. 1 and 15, from 6:00 to 7:45 p.m; and Saturday Apr. 26 from 3:30 to 5:15 p.m. So whether your child is a finicky eater or eats like a…well, like a constantly hungry person……. this workshop may be just the thing for you! And him or her! Free childcare and a light meal will be provided. We will offer child enrichment activities during the program. Plus, the workshop will be presented in English and Spanish. We encourage folks to register in advance, calling either the library at 808-3030 or the presenter Hue Nguyen at 280-2346. ¡Salud!

- Free New Parent Kits: On Saturday, Apr. 5 at 12 noon, right after our regular Saturday Family story time, First 5 will offer a short presentation for new parents, followed by a giveaway of a New Parents Kit. Your child’s first years are very important. The Kit for New Parents is a resource for new and expecting parents, which includes practical information that you can incorporate into your daily life. The kit contains six DVDs, a parenting resource guide and a children’s book.

- Ages & Stages: Parents will develop a better understanding of the various stages of child development and learn more about the developmental milestones of children from ages zero to five. These free workshops will be presented in Spanish and Vietnamese on the following dates: Saturday, Apr. 19 in Spanish, and Saturday, Apr. 26 in Vietnamese. On both days, the program lasts from 10 a.m to 12 noon.

- Talking & Books: The importance of language in developing vocabulary for children is revealed in this parenting DVD. Through talking and books, parents will learn to help their children develop a richer vocabulary. This film will be shown on Apr. 17, from 11 a. m. to 12 noon, right after our regular Thursday “Toddler Time” story time.

Tully Book Club; Last Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The Mar. 26 offering is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon. This recent best-selling book is told from the point of view of Christopher Boone, an autistic teenager who is investigating the death of a neighbor’s dog. It’s a funny, moving book, and it does give you a different perspective than what you are probably accustomed to. Enjoy!

The Apr. 30 book will be Atonement by Iwan MacGregor. A fellow member of the book club highly recommended it, based on her viewing of the recent movie. I can’t say too much about it, but the library subject captions sure make it sound intriguing: Teenage girls, Country Life, Ex-Convicts, Sisters, Guilt, Psychological Fiction, England. Sounds like a good movie, but an even better read!

City-Wide Library Events
For a listing of all upcoming Tully events, pick up a calendar in English or Spanish next time you visit us. For library events citywide, including the Dr. King library downtown, check the Events section of the SJPL website www.sjlibrary.org.

Tim Collins is the Adult Services Librarian at the Tully Community Branch Library, 880 Tully Road, between McLaughlin and Senter. The Library’s phone number is 808-3030, and its email address is tu.sjpl@sjlibrary.org.