Trick-or-Treaters
-Carry a flashlight
-Stay on sidewalks, if there's not one walk on the left side of the road facing traffic
-Stay in familiar areas and don't pet animals you don't know
-Avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house
-Carry only flexible knives, swords or other props
-Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape
-Approach only houses that are lit
Parents
-Children should carry a phone so they can call home and know the number to reach you
-Young children of any age should be accompanied by an adult
-If they go on their own, have them wear a watch they can read in the dark and know where they are going
-Buy a costume made from flame retardant material
-Tell children to bring their candy home to be inspected before eating any
-Look at wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspicious
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A Chilling Ghost Story
The Old Willis place place is a decaying Victorian Mansion in the woods. Diana and her brother have been living behind it for what seems like forever. They aren't allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. They've seen caretakers come and go, but the new one and his daughter seem different. Lonely for a friend, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules to reveal herself so she can meet the young girl. Author Mary Downing Hahn serves up intriguing characters, frightening secrets, and plot twists that will surprise you. After this tale, readers are not likely to think of ghosts in the same way.
GIVE WILDLIFE A BRAKE WEEK !!!! OCTOBER 29- NOVEMBER 3
As daylight savings time ends, it's time to "Give Wildlife a Brake"! At this time of year, many of us are now driving to and from work in near darkness, just as large animals such as deer are entering mating season, and others are active in preparing for the long winter ahead. Scan the road as you drive, watching the edges for wildlife about to cross. Not only will this help you avoid killing harmless wildlife, but it will also make you aware of other hazards such as bicyclists, children at play and slow-moving vehicles. BE ALERT!
Carve out a new tradition
Try something new (not to mention easier) while decorating your pumpkins this year. Cut out your face shapes from craft foam and pin them to your pumpkin. You can add big wiggly eyes, use yarn for hair, get as creative as you want. No more breaking knives while cutting, scooping out the goo or cleaning up the mess.
The Devil of Great Island by Emerson Baker
The Devil of Great Island: A Story of Witchcraft in Early New England examines a witchcraft accusation which occured ten years before the well-known outbreak of accusations of the historic Salem witchcraft trials. The book also illuminates colonial society and dismantles assumptions on how and why the accusations take place.
Was it witchcraft . . . or was it politics?
AL GORE, RECENT NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER
On October 12, Albert (Al) Gore Jr was chosen co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize because of his efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change. The Albert Lea Public Library has four of his books,three for adults and one for children. In addition, the DVD movie of his top seller book, An Inconvenient Truth, is available at the library. Click below to see these items as they are shown on our card catalog.
Earth in the Balance: ecology and the human spirit, 1992
The Assault of Reason, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth: the plantary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it, 2006
An Inconvenient Truth: the crisis of global warming Children's Version
Look Me in the Eye
Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robinson is a memoir of his life with Asperger's Syndrome.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family - an alcoholic father and a mentally disturbed mother - John did not have it easy. Making it harder, was his undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome which some people interpreted as mental illness and even sociopathy. As a teen, he found refuge repairing audio-visual equipment at the urging of a teacher. He was able to develop his skills and discover his talent - later working for Milton-Bradley designing computerized toys and even putting his talents to use designing pyrotechnic guitars for the band Kiss.
Robinson advocates understanding and encouragement for people who have Aspergers. He believes it is not a disease and his telling of his story may offer hope and optimism to those who are challenged by the condition.
Manners for the little ones
Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra
In this hilarious fairy tale, the Big Bad Wolf receives a lesson on manners. He is invited to a tea party by the children's Librarian. His best friend, a toothsome crocodile, warns him that he will have to mind his manners. Wolf sets off for the library with a list of reminders. He remembers to say please and thank you, but gets a little mixed up about what to do when you have to burp. Kids will delight in the humor and the references to some familiar stories.
Please Say Please! by Margery Cuyler
This guide to manners may not tame wild young beasts, but it will have preschoolers giggling to see bears, chimps and giraffes with terrible table manners. The playful text asks reader to consider their conduct, and Penguin always steers his guests in the right direction.
Halloween Bat Decoration
Here is an easy craft you can make with your own two hands. Use craft foam or construction paper to create this bat. Trace your hands to make wings and cut them out. Draw a bat face and cut out that shape. Make a mouth from some white scrap, and add 2 wiggly eyes and a small pom-pom for the nose. To make it extra fun, glue the wings to a clothes pin and then the face to the wings. Now you can clip it anywhere in the house to spook your parents!
Chester by Melanie Watt
Chester by Melanie Watt is a playful, delightfully illustrated story about a mouse - until the cat Chester takes control with his red marker and rewrites the story. Children and adults will laugh at the illustrations as Chester tries to recreate his perfect world while fighting with the author to see who's boss.
Reading about the Supernatural in the Midwest & Beyond
In the mood for getting spooked? Read regional tales of hauntings and the paranormal. A few titles are:
Haunted Lakes II: More Great Lakes Ghost Stories (133.1 Sto)
The Minnesota Road Guide to Haunted Locations (133.8 Lew)
Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from the Atlantic Paranormal Society (133.1 Haw)
Patrons may also view A Haunting - a Discovery Channel documentary series - several titles are available in the nonfiction library in the 133 section of the nonfiction DVDs.
Deceptively Delicious
As a parent, one of the first hurdles to overcome at supper time is having enough time to get supper, any supper, on the table in time. Accomplish that and you're half way there. But for many parents this is where the battle begins as kids resist the healthy food that the parent has struggled to put in front of them.
Jessica Seinfeld addresses the mealtime vegetable wars with "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food." She introduces recipes that slyly sneak vegetables past the children's eagle-eyes with cunning tricks, such as adding pureed cauliflower to mac and cheese.
Parents will breathe a sigh of relief when they can give up the battle and win the war.
ROBIN ROBERTS, CO-ANCHOR OF GOOD MORNING AMERICA
What a wonderful, insightful book I just finished reading!! From the Heart: seven rules to live by Robin Roberts shows not only her warmth, values and wisdom on how "you can be your best self", but also, I learned about her loving family, that she was a college basketball star, an ESPN sport commentator for fifteen years and a reporter for the Olympics....leading up to co-anchor at Good Morning America.
