If I Only Had a Book!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz exhibit: May 1st - July 31st

Summer Reading Club: May 6th - July 27th 

The St. Louis Public Library's Summer Reading Club kicked off today! This year's theme (If I Only Had a Book!) is inspired by the amazing exhibit at Central Library, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This summer, enjoy a visit (or many!) to Central and experience the classic adventure firsthand, including an opportunity to try on Dorothy's famous silver shoes. While there, check out some books to fill up your Summer Reading Club card for fun prizes, including Cardinals tickets! 

Check your child's backpack for Summer Reading Club cards, which go home this week. Extra cards are available in the library at school, or from any SLPL branch. A big thank you to Tonnya Joy, our children's librarian from Barr, who came to our assembly to tell us all about summer reading!

Family Read Night, Poetry Month Style

Family Read Night: Caroline Kennedy - Poems to Learn by Heart
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 7pm
St. Louis County Library - Headquarters
1640 S. Lindbergh (63131)
Early arrival strongly recommended. Seating is first come, first serve. 

April is National Poetry Month, and St. Louis is alive with poetry happenings for young and old alike. St. Louis County Library's 9th annual Family Read Night welcomes Caroline Kennedy tonight, with readings from her new book Poems to Learn by Heart (illustrated by Jon Muth). This collection of poems is a follow-up to the duo's 2005 book A Family of Poems, and is filled with poems that are meant for what the title says - to memorize, to carry with you always. It is a diverse collection, with poems ranging from two-liners to the Gettysburg Address, and accompanied by Muth's beautiful watercolor illustrations. Many of the poems in the collection were recommended by Kennedy's own children and the young members of DreamYard Art Center in South Bronx. Catch her interview with Don Marsh at the end of St. Louis on the Air (Apr. 3, 2013), or hear her read from the new book tonight at St. Louis County Library - Headquarters. Left Bank Books will have books for sale, with a book signing following the reading.

Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson!

Today is the birthday of one of our country's most celebrated poets. Emily Dickinson, the godmother of American poetry, was born on Dec. 10th, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusets. She led a quiet life, and though her poetry is known world-wide today, it was known only to a handful of friends and family during her lifetime. Her poetry, however, is far from quiet. As a poet, she experimented with expression and poetic form. Her constrained style pressed poems tight, like diamonds - beautiful and faceted. Her narrators were keenly observant, and often quite funny. That's right. Bashful, reclusive Emily Dickinson had a great sense of humor.

Children delight in reading poems, and it is important to share the classics with them, along with nursery rhymes and contemporary children's poets. Here are some good books for exploring Emily Dickinson with your young reader.

My Uncle Emily by Jane Yolen

Emily Dickinson's Letters to the World by Jeanette Winter

Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson

My Letter to the World and Other Poems by Emily Dickinson

Thank You for Another Great Book Fair!

We did it! Thanks to our wonderful community, we were able to reach our goals for this year's Book Fair! We received 79 book donations and raised $1335 in book credit for our library and classrooms! A huge, heartfelt thanks to Left Bank Books for their years of continued support. Without partners like them, we would not be able to do what we do. THANK YOU!

We also had a lovely visit with author & illustrator Oliver Jeffers, who graciously stopped by our Book Fair before his author event on Sunday to sign books and chat with families. Thank you Mr. Jeffers for hanging out with us! Signed copies of his books are now in our library collection, which friends promptly checked out last week after I read This Moose Belongs to Me at our November Birthday Book Assembly.

If you were unable to make it to the Book Fair, you can still participate! Click here to buy a book through our online Book Fair with Left Bank Books and 20% of your purchase will still be donated to the school!

Soulard School 6th Annual Book Fair

Saturday, Nov. 17th, 10am-6pm
Sunday, Nov. 18th. 11am-6pm

Left Bank Books, CWE
399 N. Euclid Ave.

Join us for The Soulard School's favorite book benefit and browse over 11,000 books, as Left Bank Books hosts our 6th Annual Book Fair! 20% of all designated purchases will be donated to the school as store credit to acquire books for the school library and classrooms. As our library's main fundraiser, this event allows us to continue developing our magnificent collection. It is a wonderful opportunity to support both our school and a cherished local bookstore, and we ask all families to attend sometime that weekend. Invite your friends and family to get some of their holiday shopping done and support our school at the same time!

This year's Book Fair has some exciting changes, and will include: 

• Book Fair author Meet-and-Greet with UK author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers (Sunday, 12:30pm-1pm)
• Sunday Storytime with Left Bank's own Miss Jonesey (2:30pm)
• Raffle and literary scavenger hunt
• Soulard School information table
• Free gift-wrapping station
• Soulard School reading recommendations
• Sweet treats
• Book Fair specials & prizes
• Classroom book wish list display