February 2013 Children's Story Time

Blooms & Branches

Reading new books and old favorites on February 3rd and 17th at 10:30am and Sunday, February 17th at 11:30am for a special Lunar New Year story time

Looking for a fun, free and easy-to-coordinate activity? Join us in our cozy children's book nook with comfy kid-sized cushions, a bevy of stuffed animals and lively readers. Afterward, families can enjoy a special docent-led children's tour of the Garden. Be sure to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. This event is suitable for children aged 4-8. Held on the first and third Sunday of every month at 10:30 a. m., Storytime lasts approximately 30 minutes. The tour leaves the Library at 11:00 a. m. The Library also has an excellent collection of books for children on plants, natural history, general science, and nature-related myths and stories.

Featured Book:

The Apple Pie Tree

Pies growing on trees? Not quite, but this simple and surprisingly engaging tale will satisfy your hunger for a good story. Two sisters eagerly wait for their beloved apple tree to produce the fruit they need to make an apple pie. From bare branch, to leaf, to bloom, to apple, we watch the apple tree change throughout the seasons and learn about the flower to fruit cycle. In the meantime the sisters watch a robin family make a nest in the apple tree, lay eggs, and raise their hatchlings. Illustrator Shari Helpern uses paper cuttings and textured materials to perfectly compliment the story and create a deep, rich reading experience. (Pre-readers)

(j) SB363 .H149 1996
The Apple Pie Tree. Hall, Zoe. New York: Blue Sky Press, 1996.

 

Cherry Tree. Bond, Ruskin. Honesdale, Pa: Caroline House, 1996.
In this story from India about life and growing older, a little girl plants a cherry seed and cares for the cherry tree through its difficult life. (Early readers)
(j) SB366 .B64 1996

City Leaves, City Trees. Gallob, Edward. New York: Scribner, 1972.
Brief text, photographs, and photograms introduce the characteristics of the leaves, flowers, and fruit of such commonly found city trees as the magnolia, basswood, beech, and cherry. (Advanced readers)
(j) QK649 .G137 1972

Dear Juno. McCarthy, Ralph F. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha International, 1993.
Juno, a Korean American boy, sends his grandmother in Seoul a leaf from a tree in his family's garden, after she sends him a flower from her persimmon garden. (Early readers)
(j) SB406 .P17 1999

Flamboyan. Adoff, Arnold. San Diego, Calif: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988
Flamboyan, a young girl named after the Delonix regia tree whose red blossoms are the same color as her hair, dreamily flies over her Caribbean island home. (Early readers)
(j) QK495.L521 D38 Ad71 1988

Grandfather Cherry Blossom. Pak, Soyung. New York: Viking, 1999.
This is a version of a Japanese folk fable illustrating greed and unselfishness in the natures of two neighbors. A tree motif recurs throughout the story. (Early readers)
(j) SB366 .M127 1993

Have You Seen Trees? Oppenheim, Joanne. New York: Scholastic, 1995.
A collection of poems which invite readers and listeners to experience the world of trees throughout the seasons. (Early readers)
(j)SD397.Ch8 J766 1993

The Old Man Who Made Trees Bloom. Jijii, Hanasaka. Union City, Calif.: Heian, 1985.
This Japanese folk fable illustrates greed and unselfishness in the natures of two neighbors. A tree motif recurs throughout the story. (Early readers)
(j) SB366 .J562 1985

Peach Blossom Spring. Bordewich, Fergus M. New York: Green Tiger Press, 1994.
In this retelling of a traditional Chinese tale, a grove of blossoming peach trees leads a fisherman to an earthly paradise. (Early readers)
(j) SB371 .B645 1994

Tree Flowers. Selsam, Millicent Ellis. New York; W. Morrow, 1984.
Text and drawings follow the growth cycle of twelve common flowering trees: pussywillow, white oak, sugar maple, elm, apple, horse chestnut, flowering dogwood, magnolia, witch hazel, black walnut, black locust, and tulip tree. (Advanced readers)
(j) QK653 .Se496 1984