BY BRANDY GOODWIN
Chowan County Librarian
The Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library is pleased to announce that we have been nominated by a kind anonymous party to be the recipient of a Rootle “Discovery Corner” in partnership with PBS Kids!
As a young child who did not have cable television, I was raised on the wholesome educational programming that PBS Kids had to provide which I am sure a lot of you can relate to. Launched in 1999, PBS Kids has been going strong for almost thirty years stressing the importance of learning through their “ready-to-learn” initiative with the United States Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I can honestly say that growing up with this type of programming helped mold me into the librarian I am today as I value the power of learning and strive to share that with the young people I encounter on a daily basis.
While we are anxiously awaiting the delivery of our Discovery Corner, I thought I would share with you what exactly one is so you can get as excited as we are! A Rootle “Discover Corner” is an interactive, educational space that was carefully designed for children and families in mind. The corner houses a shelving unit packed with teaching resources like vocabulary flash cards and STEM-inspired activity kits that can be utilized while in the library. Those who engage with these resources are able to learn through play which is meant to inspire curiosity, creativity, and active critical thinking which we think is pretty cool!
Parents are also able to benefit from the Discovery Corner as they can gain easy access to a variety of educational tools that allow them to monitor their children’s learning progress as they explore, learn, and connect with the provided materials that closely align with PBS Kids educational content. I had the pleasure of speaking with PBS Kids’ Engagement Program Manager Jewel Lowe this past week to chat about our library and the resources we currently have to offer families and she was pleased with what she heard.
Lowe stated that this Discovery Corner will act as a wonderful supplemental aid to our ever-growing children’s cache and this filled me with pride as the staff has worked for years to cultivate a collection that encourages our young people to become life-long learners. We invite you and your household to stop by the library and see what we have to offer!
If you venture upstairs to our multipurpose room, you will be greeted with a beautiful sight! We have a plethora of educational games, themed learning kits, puzzles, and other manipulatives that you take home to build on the learning experiences the Discovery Corner brought forth. Lee Lolkema, or Miss Lee as our regulars call her, has done a tremendous job in researching and working with the library staff to bring in popular pedagogic items for circulation purposes and she deserves a huge round of applause for what she has done for this library.
Looking for more to do with your children than just checking out learning-based materials? Make plans to stop by Wednesday’s at 11 AM and attend our weekly storytime session for babies and toddlers with Miss Lee! Captivating stories, catchy songs, silly dances, and fun crafts are rolled into one jam-packed hour and you definitely do not want to miss out! Be on the lookout for programs we also host with our local SmartStartorganization! We hope to seeing see you at the library! A special thank you to Rootle, PBS Kids, and our lovely anonymous advocate for bestowing upon us such an honor. Thank you for reading!
DVDs:
Anora
Large Print Fiction:
The Star and the Shamrock – Jean Grainger
The World Starts Anew – Jean Grainger
The Emerald Horizon – Jean Grainger
Lost and Found in Lavender Bay – Michele Brouder
The Inn at Lavender Bay – Michele Brouder
New Beginnings in Lavender Bay – Michele Brouder
25 Alive – James Patterson
The Lights of Sugarberry Cove – Heather Webber
Adult Fiction:
The Book Club for Troublesome Women – Marie Bostwick
25 Alive – James Patterson
The Murder Machine – Heather Graham
A Cut Above – Kianna Alexander
A Mind of Her Own – Danielle Steel
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store – Laurie Gilmore
The Devil Wears Scrubs – Freida McFadden
Murder by Cheesecake – Rachel Ekstrom Courage
The Pumpkin Spice Café – Laurie Gilmore
The Education of Dixie Dupree – Donna Everhart
How to Seal Your Own Fate – Kristin Perrin
Broken Country – Clare Leslie Hall
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here – Geneva Rose
Home is Where the Bodies Are – Jeneva Rose
Night Watch – Jayne Anne Phillips
The Rest of Her Life – Laura Moriarty
The Hitchcock Hotel – Stephanie Wrobel
Non-Fiction:
The Harder I Fight the More I Love You – Neko Case
Liliana’s Invincible Summer – Christina Rivera Garza
The JFK Conspiracy – Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
Poor – Katriona O’Sullivan
The Bumpy Road – Quentin F. Veit
Graphic Novel/Comic Books:
Press Start – Thomas Flintham
Baby Sitters Little Sister – Shauna J Grant
YA Fiction/Nonfiction:
Five Nights at Freddy’s Escape the PizzaPlex – Scott Cawthon
Rebel Witch – Kristin Ciccarelli
The Family I’m In – Sharon G. Flake
Juvenile Easy Fiction:
Orris and Timble Lost and Found – Kate DiCamillo
Easy Picture Books:
The Pout-Pout Fish and the Mad, Mad Day – Deborah Diesen
Moo – Britta Teckentrup
The Wonder You See – Joanna Gaines
The Girl Who was Too Big for the Page – Geena Davis
Jumanji – Chris Van Allsburg
The Wind and the Clover – Audrey Helen Weber
Just Try One Bite – Mike Boldt
Sprout Branches Out – Jessica Von Innerbener