Children’s Programs

*Yoga Demo For Children — lions, tigers and bears, oh my! …and maybe some Cobras, Trees and Frogs too!

Kids and teens can be pretty stressed out and over-stimulated. Young people can benefit from yoga. While strengthening and stretching they can also develop concentration, focus and body awareness, and just feel good!

Karen Pierce, a Newtown resident, yoga instructor and the author of  YogaBear: Yoga for Youngsters, is offering a demo class on Friday, February 22, at 10 am for kids ages 4-7. Copies of her book will be available for purchase on the day of the program.  If you’ve got kids who could benefit from a little time unplugged from technology and plugged in to themselves, then you won’t want to miss this!

*Meet The Author & Illustrator:  Calling all story lovers and aspiring writers of all ages.

Meet the author Stepahnie Calmenson and the illustrator Bruce Degen, who will be at the library on Saturday, March 1, at 1 pm, to talk about their latest collaboration, Jazzmatazz! a children’s book inspired by a mouse.

Ms Calmenson is a former teacher who never planned on becoming a writer.  To date she has written more than 100 books.

Bruce Degen,  famed illustrator of the popular  Magic School Bus series,  created the illustrations  for Jazzmatazz!

Mark your calendars and don’t miss this opportunity to meet these two talented people and hear how they take an idea and make it into a book. Titles by both authors will be available for purchase on the day of the program, which is recommended for ages 5 to adult.

 Young Adult

*Battle of The Books 2008: Signups are open until March 10 for the fourth annual Battle of the Books trivia contest.  Students in grades 5-8 who either live in or attend school in Newtown may form a team of from three to five friends and test their knowledge of the four great books below. Homeschoolers are very welcome to participate. Each team will receive a complete information packet when they sign up.

This year’s procedure has been changed to a Jeopardy® style format with written answers.  First place team members will each win a $20 gift certificate to an area bookstore, plus other recognitions. Second place team members each win a $10 gift certificate to an area bookstore.

The books for this year’s competition are: The 7 Professors of the Far North by John Fardell, Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

Programs For Adults

*Book Discussions: Upcoming discussions will cover Girls of Tender Age by Mary Anne Tirrone Smith on Thursday, February 17, 7:30 pm, hosted by the Evening Book Discussion Group; and Russian Dance, hosted by the on-Fiction Book Group, on Tuesday, March 4, at 1 pm. Newcomers are always welcome by all of these groups.

*Searching For Shakespeare: February’s featured title in our ongoing Searching For Shakespeare series will be King Lear.

Please join us on a lecture by Dr Mark Schenker on Tuesday, February 26, at 7 pm; and/or a discussion of the play led by Professor Bill O’Connell on Thursday, February 28, at 7 pm.

*Independent Film Series: The next film in this series will be screened on Wednesday, February 27, at 7 pm.

Her Name Is Sabine is an intelligent, moving and beautiful portrait of Sabine, a 38-year old autistic woman, filmed by her sister, the famous French actress Sandrine Bonnaire.

*Book Nook: with the political season in full swing, read about the process of elections in this country and the men who have reached the top. The book nook has a great selection of history and biographies about Presidents and their times.

The library is open Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 9:30 am to 8 pm; Friday from 11 am to 5 pm; and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. The library, at 25 Main Street, can be reached at 426-4533 or visit CHBoothLibrary.org.