Vote for "Tales of the Starlight Drive-in"

Vote for "Tales of the Starlight Drive-in" for best Graphic Novel of 2008

Vote Here

Sure the competition is tough when you're up against a guy whose graphic novel was made into a movie (The Watchmen), but local South Amherst author Michael San Giacomo is looking for your vote to help push him into the record books."Tales of the Starlight Drive-in" tells the stories of five people whose lives are linked by a drive-in theater. This mosaic novel contains 31 stories spanning more than 50 years in the life of the drive-in itself. Take a minute to support this local author. Registration is required to vote and look for "Tales" under "Favorite Graphic Novel of the Year".

Check your favorite library to see if it's on the shelf.

Worm Farmers Unite

Our Earth Day activity on Thursday, April 16, from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., is just one small window of opportunity to learn more about what you can do as kids to learn about sustainability and recycling. Look around you. You probably have something you can recycle into a planter to start your seeds now for a garden this summer.

Eggshells, cups, cans, even milk cartons can be made into seed starters. And don't forget the farmer's helper. Did you know there are over 1000 species of earthworms. Darwin studied earthworms extensively and deemed them essential to agriculture and human existance. Pretty deep.

To make your own worm farm, cut off the top of a two liter plastic bottle, about right at the top of the soda label. I poked a few holes in the bottom for drainage and added a bit of sand, soil, and some strips of newspaper I had soaked in water and squeezed out the excess water from.

Add worms, a piece of lettuce or other vegetable scraps, and keep moist. Worms love the dark so I used black paper taped to form a cylinder to keep the worms in the dark. Feed them often and keep the soil moist. After a few days you'll be able to see the worm tracks and castings as they recycle their food! Add the soil to your garden.

Set a Deadline for Read Ohio!

Imagine what you would do if you found out you had only one year to live? For Ben Wolf, a high school senior, this was reality and what he chose to do changed the way he saw his family, his friends, and even uncovered some secrets about his small hometown of Trout, Idaho.

Ben chose to keep his eminent death a secret from his friends and even from his brother, Cody. The fear of our personal mortality keeps us all on a sort of moral leash, but undone from this boundry of fear of the unknown, Ben was able to question everything from his history teacher's blessed text book to understanding how his own death would impact those he loved. Chris Crutcher’s books always take readers on an emotional journey, and DEADLINE is no exception.

The goal of "Choose to Read Ohio", sponsored by the State Library of Ohio, is to encourage the reading of books written by Ohio authors together across Ohio communities. The library encourages Ohioans to Read Together, Read Ohio, and Read for Life.

For more information on "Choose to Read Ohio" visit their website for a full list of titles for children, teens, and adults. Find Deadline by Chris Crutcher (2007, Harper) at the Amherst Public Library in our Young Adult section (call number YA CRU).

EARTH DAY ACTIVITY

Plant a seed and read!

Celebrate upcoming Earth Day when you drop in for our Make-it Take-it Activitiy available Thursday, April 16, between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. This Earth friendly fun takes about 20 minutes to complete. Take our Earth Day Quiz while you're here.
Of course it's free.

Look for more creative garden projects coming up this summer at the library
Check out what my friends are doing at Veggie U in Milan, Ohio, to educate kids about sustainability.

Firelands Classroom Designs Library Ads

Students in Sandra Fee's fourth grade classroom at Firelands Elementary School took part in the "Design an Ad" program sponsored by the Elyria Chronicle Telegram. All the ads are on display on the second floor of the Amherst Public Library.

The library staff voted on the ad they thought would best represent the library in the upcoming April 8 special issue of the Chronicle. Sarah Slack's design was chosen as the winner and she was presented with a framed copy of her ad recently when Robin Wood, director of the Amherst Public Library, visited her classroom.

But everybody's a winner when they take part in any library activity. Stop by and view the ads on display on the second floor by the reference desk.