Our Fall Reading Challenge is back! Our library wide goal this year is to read 20,000 pages and you can help! Just come by the Pearl Public Library and sign up to read your 500 pages! The last day to register is October 15th, so hurry in!!

Family Night @ The Pearl Public Library

Marshall Ramsey will be here talking to us about his newest book and maybe even drawing a thing or two, too! Come join us Thursday, September 19th @ 5:00 for refreshments and a fun time!

Florence: Diggin' Summer Reading!

 Summer Reading At Florence                                                                        Last Monday, June 3rd, some burrowing animals came with the Zoo Mobile to visit Florence Public Library and kick off Summer Reading 2013!  Here Lincoln holds the ferret, Sneakers as he tried very hard to get close to the children!  He really wanted to play.  We also saw a frog from Africa, a snake and a really, Really, REALLY BIG cockroach!  Wow! Who knew so many different kinds of critters lived underground!

Preschoolers' Summer Reading

The Florence preschoolers decided to get something all together different from under the ground.

We read stories about seeds growing into plants. Sang songs and then made our own flower pots that we called "Face Pots".

 We then went outside where even the youngest could get their hands dirty and planted seeds in our "face pots" to take home and watch grow.  That was not enough for this zealous group though, so we also planted seeds in hanging pots for the Library entrance so that everyone could enjoy some of what comes to us from under the ground!  Happy Summer Reading!

Summer Reading in Sebastopol

Summer reading kicked off at the Sebastopol Public Library yesterday with a bang. We were entertained and educated by the Zoo Mobile.  We got to not only meet many interesting animals, but also get up close and personal with them as we learned all about their lifestyle. If you missed it, check out our online calendar to see where the Zoo Mobile will be next.  And don't forget to join us next Tuesday afternoon for our movie day! 

"Dig Into Reading" Summer Reading Fun in Here!

Every Thursday at 2:00 for K-6th grade.
June 6  - Fire Department talking about fire safety.
   Then you can splash around in the water, so bring a towel.
June 13 - CMRLS Puppets
June 20 - Under the Earth - learn about underground animals.
June 27 - Dorian La Chance, Illusionist
July 4 - Closed for July 4th.
July 11 - Dig It! Craft Day - Make a flower pot and suncatchers.
July 18 - DigaSaurus Store

Tell all your friends where the fun is this summer - The Raleigh Public Library!

Registration time in Lake

Do you know what is missing in this picture?  It could be you or your child's name.  It's time now to register for the summer reading programs at the Lake Public Library.  The programs begin on June 6th, but you can register and pick up your registration packet now, so that you will be all ready to go and won't miss a minute of our puppet show next week.  You can come by the library to sign up or click here to take you to the link online.  It only takes a minute and you don't have to wait in line.  I hope to see your name on our underground wall soon!

Calling all Pearl Pirates!

Kids, did you know The Pearl Library has lots books all about pirates for all you Pearl Pirates out there? Well, we do! Here are just a few we have available for you to check out!!


Charlotte Jane is a little pirate with lots of energy! She is too busy with her many adventures to even think about bedtime, but what happens when Charlotte Jane decides she doesn't need sleep at all? 


In Shiver Me Letters- A Pirate ABC, a group of swashbuckling pirates are ordered by their captain to capture every letter! Can they do it, even X, Y, and Z?


Why did pirate ships smell so bad? Did pirates have wooden legs? Which pirate pair were famous for their beards? Find out the answers to all these questions and many, many more in I Wonder Why Pirates Wore Earrings!


In No Bath, No Cake a little girl invites a group of pirates to her birthday party! Does she like her pirates sparkling and clean with new clothes or smelly and stinky with rags? Come check out our newest pirate book to find out!


Coming soon to the Pearl Library is No Pirates Allowed Said Library Lou and we're excited about this one! Shiver me timbers, there's treasure hidden in the Seabreezy Library, but before Pirate Pete can get help from the librarian he must learn a few things first!

We hope to see all of you Pearl Pirates here at The Pearl Library soon!!

Puzzled by Pink Party!

Next week is National Library Week, so lets have a party!
On Tuesday, April 16th from 5:00-6:00 join us at The Pearl Public Library for a Puzzled by Pink Party! Mississippi's own Sarah Frances Hardy will be here reading and discussing her book, Puzzled by Pink. This is a book about two very different sisters--one who loves pink, tutus, and fairy wings, and one who loves ghosts and goblins and scary things and is completely mystified by the pink. Come in your favorite party attire--whether it's your own fairy wings and tutu, your spookiest costume, or just jeans and a t-shirt!

Come and enjoy the book, refreshments, and friends! We hope to see all of you there!!

Happy Hallo-Weenie!

Our Preschool friends had a great time at story time today! We read stories, sang songs, and had a Halloween party. We even had a very special visit from the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile! All of our friends got to see inside the Weinermobile and left with fun stickers and their very own Weenie Whistle!

To follow the Weinermobile's adventures click here.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

For more information on children's and family events at the Brandon Public Library, call 601-825-2672.

Brandon's Annual Pumpkin Contest!

Every year we have a pumpkin contest where patrons can vote on their favorite pumpkin by donating change. The proceeds benefit the Friends of the Brandon Public Library. This year's contest raised $71.80 for our friends! Thank you to everyone who entered and voted! Take a look at this year's great entries.

Click on image to enlarge.

For more information on how you can help the library,

call 601-825-2672!

Fall Family FUN Fest...



Wear your non-scary costume and come prepared for CANDY!



Come one, come all to the Fall Family FUN Fest! 

We will have a Bean Bag Toss, candy, Bowling, candy,

Little Debbie Walks, candy, the D.A.R.E. Car, candy, and much more!

Oh, and did I mention that you can win CANDY at the games?

You and your adults may wear your non-scary costumes 

or even come as yourself.

We hope to see you here!

Fall Family FUN Fest

Thursday, October 25th, 4:30 to 6:30 PM

Florence Public Library  



After School Activities @ Brandon

One of our 5th graders with
her original art work!

Our friends in Kid Corner and Creative Connection had a great time making their one of a kind "Resist Art" on Tuesday! We hope you can join us on Tuesdays @ 3:30 for Kid Corner (K-2nd) and Tuesdays @ 5:00 for Creative Connection (3rd-6th).

Next Week's Craft: Tuesday October 16th- Bring a pumpkin and we'll supply the paint! You can make whatever kind of pumpkin you want and even enter it in our Annual Pumpkin Contest!

Ask your librarians for more info, 601-825-2672.

Fall Reading Challenge @ Pearl!

It's time for the fourth annual Fall Reading Challenge at Pearl! Kids grades K-5 are invited to join us.  You have eight weeks (starting TODAY) to read 500 pages and win prizes! Everyone that reaches this goal will be rewarded with a celebratory meal (donated by subway!) and will be entered to win our GRAND PRIZE!  Read all about it on the flyer below and come by the Pearl Library to register!! The sooner you register, the sooner you can get reading!

Obert Skye @ Pearl Upper!

The lucky students at Pearl Upper Elementary had another awesome author visit them this week! The Pearl Public Library coordinated with the teachers and librarian at the school and also Lemuria Books in Jackson to bring him in.  The Quest students got the chance to speak with Obert Skye, author of the Leven Thumps series and also a new series, The Creature in my Closet.  The students, teachers and this librarian had a great time!  Thank you for coming Mr. Skye!

Happy Campers!

Thank you, Mrs. Seale from Lake Elementary for helping us reward all our readers from this summer!  Every student that participated in the summer reading programs at the library and received their reading certificate was rewarded by getting to leave school to come to see a movie at the library today.  The movie that was shown was The Lorax.  We are so proud of all the students that earned their ticket to the movie and hope we see a lot more of them throughout the school year. 

Shannon Hale Event @ Pearl Upper Elementary

This past Wednesday, the Pearl Public Library got to be part of a very special event.  Our staff coordinated with Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson and Pearl Upper Elementary to bring Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale to speak to the students at Pearl Upper.

All the kids at the school were very excited about hearing Mrs. Hale speak! Pearl Upper is a fourth and fifth grade school, and the books that Mrs. Hale was coming to promote were perfect for this age level:

Princess Academy and Princess Academy: Palace of Stone.



Mrs. Hale talked about her childhood, and how she had always loved to read and write. She told these kids that just because they didn't like a particular book, that didn't mean they didn't like reading. She said: ""If you read a book and it's boring, it's not your fault, it's the book's fault! It shouldn't have been so boring!" She reminded these kids that if they've ever read a single book that they liked, their librarian or bookseller can help them find another one. Just ask us!





Mrs. Hale was hilarious and the kids had a great time! Here they are answering questions and laughing at her jokes.

 







These kids even got to help Mrs. Hale act out a story! They retold Little Red Riding Hood--but they set it in Antarctica!



She graciously answered all of our questions!

This was such a fun event and all of the students that went had a blast.  Ask your teacher or librarian about maybe having an author come to your school! You can find Shannon Hale's books at the Pearl Public Library. And don't forget to ask at the librarian for a book that you won't think is boring!



Puppet Shows @ Brandon



Baby and Me



We had so much fun celebrating the end of Summer Reading with the CMRLS Puppeteers. Click on the pictures to see a larger image. For information on upcoming events call Brandon Public Library, 601-825-2672!



Preschool Story Time



K-6





Family Night Fun @ Brandon Library!

Jan Neal Patrick, Storyteller



Jackson ZooMobile



We've had so much fun these last few weeks at Brandon! Check out our family night pictures from our storyteller, Jan Neal Patrick, our visit from the Jackson ZooMobile, and our Family Game Night!

We hope you can join us this Thursday, July 12 @ 6:00 as we end Summer Reading with a bang! We will have a carnival complete with games, snacks and a visit from Yogi the Bear himself! For more information call the Brandon Public Library, 601-825-2672!



Family Game Night

(Click on the pictures to enlarge!)

Summer Reading @ Pearl Library!

Come to the Pearl Library THIS THURSDAY at 6:00 for our summer reading finale event! We will have all kinds of fun things for the whole family to do, and we'll also be drawing names for our GRAND PRIZE WINNERS! Remember, you MUST turn in your reading log this week to be eligible for grand prize drawing. See you Thursday!

Summer Reading @ the Pearl Library!

Relax after your July 4th fun with a family campfire night on Thursday! Storyteller Jan Neal Patrick will be present to tell us stories around the campfire. And remember to turn in your reading logs while you're here!

Summer Reading at Florence







Meet Sally Ann and Shadow!



We really like Summer Reading here at the Florence Public Library!  Our friend Sally Ann likes it so much she moved her bedroom into the library!  We have tried to explain to Sally Ann that Summer Reading at the Library doesn't mean you live at the 'library' all 'summer' while you 'read'!  Sally Ann doesn't agree though, she just keeps saying, "Well, it is called Summer Reading at the Library, after all!"  Shadow agrees with Sally Ann!  He has been right beside her ever since she moved in and started reading!  Lots of children have been to visit them too! We invite you to come by and visit as well.  Summer Reading for kindergarten to 6th graders is Mondays at 2 PM and for preschoolers it is on Wednesdays at 10AM.  Sally Ann and Shadow will be right here!  Hope to see you soon (just please leave your bedrooms at home)!

Summer Reading @ the Pearl Library!

Come and join us at the Pearl Public Library this Thursday June 28th at 6:00 to make crafts that the whole family can enjoy! We hope to see you there!

Summer Reading @ Pearl Library!

Come join us THIS THURSDAY at the Pearl Public Library at 6:00 PM! The Zoo Mobile from the Jackson Zoo will be here sharing with us about nocturnal animals--you won't want to miss this! Tell your friends and join us!

Summer Reading @ the Pearl Library!

Join us at the Pearl Library this Thursday for a CMRLS puppet show!! While you're here, be sure to register for the Summer Reading program...we have lots of great prizes to give away including Braves tickets, Mac and Bones passes, and a super cool telescope! See you Thursday!

Summer Reading @ Pearl!

Come enjoy a magic show at the Pearl Library THIS THURSDAY at 6pm! Ages K-6 invited. All summer reading programs are free.

Our New Friends!



Home Sweet Home!

 I had fun hunting for caterpillar eggs this weekend and I brought some to the library! We now have 5 caterpillars and one more egg that will hatch any day now. Stop by the library over the next few weeks to see how they change and grow. We will watch them go from an egg to a chrysalis to a beautiful Monarch butterfly!

This little guy just hatched this morning!

Here are some activities you can do at home with your little ones to teach them about butterflies, brought to you by PBS Kids!

This one had already hatched when I
found him and my how he's grown!



Click here to find books at your CMRLS library about butterflies or whatever suits your fancy!

Paws to Read @ Brandon Public Library

A dog in the library! Can it be? Yes! Clancy is a big, lovable, sweet and cuddly golden retriever who loves to make new friends, be petted and hear stories! He would love to meet you Saturday, April 28th! He'll be here from 10:00-12:00, you can come and go, so please stop by!

Paws to Read is a program that is ideal for new and/or struggling readers. The idea is that having an animal to read to is soothing to a struggling reader and eases the anxiety associated with reading aloud. Your child may read to Clancy(he's a great listener!) or simply pet him while they both enjoy a story read by Clancy's mom, Mrs. Wylyn. Clancy is a therapy dog registered with Delta Society. Click here for more information on the Delta Society and their mission.

For more information, please call Brandon Public Library, 601-665-7648, and ask to speak with the Children's Department!

George to Visit Raleigh Library

Hope to see you there!

Come see CURIOUS GEORGE and the Man in the Yellow Hat! 

When? Tuesday, March 20  
Where? Raleigh Public Library  
Time? 3:30 p.m.

There will be fun with stories and music! Parents, bring your camera to take pictures with George and the Man in the Yellow Hat!

Curious George Visits CMRLS!

Curious George arrives for visit!

Curious George, that cute little monkey has arrived for his visit! George will visit CMRLS Libraries next week to share stories, songs, and his love of reading. He has many adventures that you can have fun reading about in his stories.  George knows a lot of songs, too. He even knows a song about five little MONKEYS that like to jump on the bed. They soon learn their lesson; monkeys should not jump on beds!

George is greeted by Miss Kathy.

Curious George and his best friend, the Man with the Yellow Hat, will visit at these CMRLS libraries:

Monday, March 19

• Florence - 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 20

•  Pearl - 9:30 a.m.
• Raleigh - 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 21

• Richland Library - 10:30 a.m.
• Mendenhall Library - 1:00 p.m.
• Magee Library - 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 22

• Morton Library - 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 24

• Brandon Library - 10:30 a.m. 

Curious George also wants everyone to know about the current exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art. It's "Curious George Saves the Day!" You can have fun learning all about George and his creators, H. A. and Margret Rey.

So, come by any of the libraries listed above to say hello to that cute, lovable monkey, Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat who follows George on his adventures!

Curious George is coming to Brandon!

Saturday, March 3rd @ 1:00

We are so excited to announce that we are partnering with Mississippi Museum of Art to celebrate their upcoming exhibit, Curious George Saves the Day. We will kick off the festivities with the Curious George movie on March 3rd @ 1:00. The Friends of the Brandon Library will be selling popcorn for .25. You may bring drinks.

Come see me!
Saturday, March 24th @ 10:30!





March 24th @ 10:30 our mascot, Acorn, is bringing his friends Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat for a special story time! You won't want to miss this! For more information call Brandon Public Library, 601-825-2672. We hope to see you there!

To learn more about our favorite monkey and his creators, check out Mississippi Museum of Art's exhibit,
Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey!