Keep looking at the sky.  You may discover something new.

Chilly the Penguin arrived at our library last week. Unfortunately he had a small tear in his fluffy feathers so we shipped him back up to the Artic Circle. After the penguin doctors stitch him up, they’ll send him right back down to Chelsea. Keep an eye out for Chilly’s return so you can be sure to give him a big welcome-home hug!

Lions, tigers, and bears Oh My! Also snake-necked turtles, Senegal bushbabies, and Arctic foxes. This morning second graders from North Creek Elementary came to the library to do reseach on a whole zoo of animals. Teachers Ms. Cole and Ms. Baker, Librarians Miss Karen and Miss Robin, and several parents helped the students use library books to find information about what their animals eat, how they protect themselves, who their predators are, and other interesting facts. Now our animal books are back on our shelves waiting for the next batch of curious students to come in and take them home.

Chilly the Penguin is on his way to the Chelsea Library from the Arctic Circle.  We expect him to be waddling through our door in 10 days.  You can help us prepare for Chilly’s arrival by coming into the library to make a penguin craft, checking out some penguin books, and coloring some penguin coloring sheets. Then come back January 17 to meet Chilly, our new library penguin, in person.  Chilly enjoys fish, books, hugs, and raquette ball and he’s looking forward to meeting all of you!

3…2…1   Happy New Year!  Soon we will be welcoming 2012.   You can celebrate the new year by making your own wall calender.   It’s a perfect New Years Eve craft project for your and your friends to do while waiting for the clock to strick MIDNIGHT! 

1. Ask your parents to download a free printable calender from vertex.com
2. Use construction paper, crayons, magazine cutouts, and photographs to decorate a picture for each month
3. Put the calender together by pasting each printout month to the back of the picture for the month before it.  In other words, paste the printout for February to the back of your picture for January, past the printout for  March to the back of your picture for Feburary, paste the printout April to the back of your picture for March, and so on. (You can use an old calender to make sure you’ve got it right.)
4. When you have all your months in order, you can make a binding by using a hole puncher to punch three holes in the top of each page, then using yarn to tie the pages together.
5. Hang you calender proudly on your wall!

Happy New Year!!!

The Early Reader books have a new home in the Chelsea Library Youth Department.  This popular collection used to be in the far back corner of the department but is now front and center, next to the Picture Book collection.  The Media Kits, which contain Picture Books and Read-Along CD’s, are now located in the back right corner of the library where the Early Readers use to live.  Thanks to all those who helped with the shifting and moving.  The Youth Department is very excited about this new arrangement.  Come on in and check it out!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the original Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song. Enjoy.

Put on your red sweaters and Santa hats and head to Downtown Chelsea for Hometown Holidays December 2-4.  Special events include a ginger bread house making workshop at the Chelsea First United Methodist Church, a Teddy Bear Run at the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company, a Holiday Concert by the Chelsea Chamber Players,  a teen/tween gift making program at the Chelsea District Library, and much more.  Plus there will be a special guest apperence by, that’s right…….Miss Robin of the Chelsea District Library Youth Department!!!  She will be reading Christmas Stories at the Chelsea Farmer Supply, Friday night from 6:30-8:00.  Oh yeah, and Santa will be there too.   See you there. 

For event details, dates, times, and locations click on this link to Chelsea Festivals.com.

During a special Thanksgiving storytime with Miss Karen last Tuesday, kids listened to Thanksgiving stories, sang Thanksgiving songs, made a turkey craft, and got to meet a real live turkey!
Thank you to Kevin Doll of the Back Forty Acres Farm for bringing in the turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!