Summer Hours In Effect

Booth Library is now closed on Sundays for the summer season. Sunday hours will resume on Sunday, September 12. July 4 Holiday Hours: The library will be open Saturday, July 3, from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Closed Sunday, July 4 and Monday, July 5.

Currently On View

Artisan Mike Agius has very kindly lent the library a beautiful collection of wooden bowls he carved from locally sourced wood. Our thanks go to Mike for sharing the results of his expertise with library patrons.

Curator Mary Thomas would like to invite other residents of Newtown to share their collections with library patrons for display on a temporary basis. Call the library if you are interested in sharing your special interest with others.

Children’s Programs

*Summer Reading Kick-Off and Children’s Book Sale: Summer reading will continue until August 14.

Children ages 4 through grade 5 can still sign up to participate. Children receive incentives for every five books read during the eight weeks of summer break, and we have lots of great incentives this year including free passes to Westerners Baseball games, The Sports Center in Shelton, and Golf Quest in Brookfield, pizza from My Place Restaurant, or a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Children read books they choose and stop by the library at their convenience to discuss the books with a young adult volunteer and collect their prizes.

*Monday Crafts: Marie Walker will conduct 45-minute Monday craft programs for children ages 6–9. The craft for July 12 is a felt puppet.

Registration needs to be done in person at the children’s circulation desk. A $3 material fee is due upon registration. Programs will begin at 3:30.

*Express Yourself — Art Experiences With Randi Rote: Artist and art educator Randi Rote will explore the collage techniques of Hans Arp and Matisse through workshops for different age groups.

Ages 4–6 are invited to join Randi on Thursday, July 8, from 3:30 to 4:30, and ages 7–10 can work with her the following week, on Thursday, July 15, during the same timeframe.

Registration can be done at the children’s circulation desk.

*Stories With Curtis: Curtis Urbina will bring his own brand of humor to a drop-in story time for children ages 4–6 on Mondays, July 12 to August 2, at 10 am.

Registration is not needed, just meet in the Story Time Room in the children’s department.

*PJ Story Time: This popular summer pajama story time begins on Tuesday, July 13, at 6:30 pm, in the library meeting room.

Children ages 3–7 and their parents or guardians will engage in silly songs, rhymes, stories and a puppet show. No registration required.

PJ’s are optional, but highly recommended.            

*Under the Mystic Sea: After a successful career as a folk singer, Maria Sangiolo began recording children’s music in 2000. Her most current release, Under the Mystic Sea, encourages respect for the environment and our ocean animal friends.

Maria will perform for ages 4 and up on Friday, July 16, at 3:30 pm, in the library meeting room. Sign up online for this musical adventure.

*Water Wizards: Educator, Bonnie Shugrue will conduct a series of hands-on science workshops for children ages 7–10 that will focus on one of our most precious natural resources, water. All classes will meet in the children’s story hour room on Tuesday afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Sign up online for each of the following workshops: Tuesday July 13: It’s Too Salty! Learn how to distill water. July 20: Get the Oil Out! Experiment with ways to remove oil from water. July 27: How Low Can You Go? Building a model aquifer. August 3: Filtering H20: Making an effective water filter. August 10: Who Needs Wetlands? Building a model of a wetland.

C.H. Booth Library is at 25 Main Street in Newtown. Call 203-426-4533 or visit CHBoothLibrary.org to register for any of the above listings, and for information on additional programs and offerings.