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, will offer a demo class on Monday, March 10, at 10 am, for kids ages 3-6. (Please note this is a new, rescheduled date. The program was originally planned for Friday, February 22, but was snowed out.)

Copies of her Ms Pierce’s 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 Russian Dance, hosted by the Non-Fiction Book Group, on Tuesday, March 4, at 1 pm. Newcomers are always welcome by all of these groups.

*Willa Cather — An American Voice: Was Willa Cather a great American novelist, or was she old hat?

A lesbian feminist or a pernicious right-winger?

Why has America’s literary establishment never been able to decide despite eighty years of trying?

The Connecticut Humanities Council will sponsor the series “Literature for A Lifetime Reading and Discussing,” featuring the American novelist Cather. The series will focus on Cather’s Prairie Trilogy. The first discussion will be on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 pm, and will concern O Pioneers! It will be led by Humanities Professor Julie Stern.

Multiple copies of each book will be available to borrow.

*Author Talk: Andree  Aelion Brooks will visit the library on Tuesday, March 11, at 1 pm to discuss her book, Russian Dance.

Andrée Aelion Brooks is a journalist, author and lecturer. For 18 years she was a contributing columnist and news writer for The New York Times where she covered personal finance, the women’s movement and real estate investment issues, among other topics.  Russian Dance is the personal story of a Bolshevik spy who was dedicated to the improvement of Jewish life through his involvement in the Russian Revolution.

Book Nook Notes: Rediscover the classics!

When was the last time you read novels by Mark Twain or Herman Hesse or the poetry of Robert Frost? These are just a few of the great classic authors you’ll find these days represented in The Book Nook.

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