Adriana Puckett

Of the world's 2,700 languages, the English language is the richest. How many words? Come and find out as we explore fun methods of increasing our students' vocabularies. If you are a preschool teacher, aide, or daycare provider, you may be interested in attending this LEEP workshop on March 16, 2010.

Green eggs and ham is the order of the day on March 2. This is the day we celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, the beloved author who brought us such favorite characters as the Grinch, Horton, and the Cat in the Hat. 

Here are some activities to do to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday:

-Of course, read Dr. Seuss books!

-Download the Cat in the Hat audiobook from NetLibrary and listen to it with your family.

-Play games online at Seussville (there are things to print out too)

-Make one of the Dr. Seuss crafts or play a game from About.com

-Make green eggs and ham for dinner, or another recipe from the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook (here for samples).

-Have a contest to see who can speak in rhyme the longest.

And remember, you can celebrate Dr. Seuss any day. "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one!"

Beginning in March the U.S. Census Bureau once again undertakes the task of counting the entire population of the United States. Recognizing how census data collected every 10 years affect federal dollars allocated to education, transportation, and health care, CRRL supports the effort to make sure everyone in our jurisdictions gets counted to ensure that our community receives its fair share of federal funding.

It's being touted as one of the shortest forms in history, with just 10 questions that will take less than 10 minutes to fill out. Although the form cannot be completed online, you can see exactly which questions are included through the interactive form site here. 

Last month I blogged about Leviathan, an awesome new book by Scott Westerfeld in the steampunk tradition. The trailer below illustrates the Leviathan plot and setting. For fans of the first book - you'll be thrilled to hear that the second book in the series is called Behemoth and will be published in October 2010.

Experience a minute in the Forest of Hands and Teeth:

 Heart pounding yet? The Forest of Hands and Teeth, a novel by Carrie Ryan, is about a young woman named Mary and her life in her village. Sounds bucolic, doesn't it? Until you learn that the village is guarded by a high fence, which is surrounded by hordes of mindless, flesh-eating zombies called the Unconsecrated. Mary can hear their moaning all day and night, and she doesn't dare get too close to the fence, for the infection that turns you into an Unconsecrated is passed by a single bite.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors, at their December 15, 2009, meeting awarded the CRRL a proclamation commending the library's recognition as a national Star Library.

Porter Book Bunch kids recently shared their thoughts about the importance of the library. Have you thought about what the library means to you?

Mass-produced holiday cards first appeared in Europe with the early printing presses, hundreds of years ago. As early as 1467, the Christ child appeared on a card in Germany wishing the receiver a good and happy year.

In older times and in other countries, New Year's was a time to give little presents, sometimes food, sometimes jewelry, sometimes money. In some countries, they still prefer to send New Year's cards to Christmas cards.

Bored? Nothing to do? Jump into a cozy picture book on a winter night. Troublesome trolls and a beauty's Beast! Helpful hedgehogs and polite polar bears! Whether you find yourself surrounded by swirling snowflakes or a chilly blue twilight, there are no better companions for winter's frozen brightness than Jan Brett's tales from the European tradition. Read our author profile for more.

The 2009 National Book Awards have been announced. The winners are:

Fiction

Winner: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

Finalists: Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite
Marcel Theroux, Far North