Author: Neena McBaer

Library News & Events

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with books

Reading challenge alert! Have you read a book by a Latinx or Hispanic author this Hispanic Heritage Month? Check out these materials in our collection, as suggested by members of our staff. Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 runs September 15 – October 15   Picture Book Suggestions: Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Sonia Sanchez Just Ask! : Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor ; illustrated by Rafael López (Also available digitally on Libby!) My Papi has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero ; illustrated by Zeke Peña Across the Bay written and illustrated by Carlos Aponte Freedom Soup  by Tami Charles ; illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara (Also available digitally on Hoopla!) Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle ; illustrated by Rafael López  (Also available digitally on Hoopla!) Te Quiero, Papa by Valenti Gubianas (Spanish language title) Islandborn by Junot Díaz ; illustrated by Leo Espinosa     Early and Middle Grade Chapter Books: Sofia Martinez Series including Lights out! by Jacqueline Jules ;...

Childrens' Programs

Unicorn Time!

Kits available for pickup, Do on your own or join us on Zoom for a story hour and craft instructions Live event on Zoom: Tuesday, 10/6, 10:00 – 10:30 am – Ages 2-5 years Calling all unicorn lovers! During this special two-in-one event, Ms. Neena will read a unicorn book, teach unicorn songs, and show preschoolers and caregivers how to put together their own unicorn lacing kit, which is also provided. Can’t make the class? Sign up for the kit and do the project offline with your preschooler! Registration is required–click here.

Childrens' Programs

Register for Fall Children’s Programs!

Fall Children’s Programs Registration starts 9/2  Programs run 9 weeks: 9/21-11/21 Children’s programs are back! And now that we’ve got a few seasons of virtual programming under our belt, we’re on a roll! Upcoming favorites include our Dogman Digital Escape Room, weekly Kindergarten readiness story hour, and our Grow a Reader Kits for babies and toddlers. Our schedule includes a variety of programs for children ages 0-10 years. We offer live Zoom programs, fully prepped activity kits you can use at home, and even some upcoming surprises! All our programming is free and education focused. To register or get more detailed information, including details about our new registration process and program policies, visit our Current Children’s Programs portal. 

Services

Gearing up for Remote Learning? Bookmark these research resources

  As students prepare to head back to school, whether in person or remotely, our library’s high quality student research resources may help! We pay the subscription, so you don’t have to. Below, you’ll find a list of just some of the research services you can access with your library card, including the revamped and improved Elementary research service, Gale In Context: Elementary. You’ll need your card number and pin number to access. Not sure what your pin is? Give us a call and we can help you reset or remember it over the phone: 845-855-3444. Gale in Context: Elementary: Does your child have an assignment on their favorite hero? Gale In Context: Elementary makes searching for credible information easy. With a new kid-friendly layout and content at a variety of reading levels, this service is stronger than ever before. Gale in Context: Middle School: This multimedia research site simplifies research for students in middle grades. Access on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints Covers today’s hottest social issues, from...

Library News & Events

REVEAL! Fantasy Olympics

To finish off the Imagine Your Story Summer Reading Program, we let Pawling choose the end of one more great adventure. This time around, Dragon Phil, Unicorn Carla, and Fairy Neena gathered to compete in the Fantasy Olympics. The event–who can find the hidden object in the pie fastest? Thanks to everyone who read and completed social distancing challenges this summer–we hope you enjoyed participating in our stories! Want to see the results of our other stories from this summer? Head to our Summer Reading page for a links to each week’s story.

Programs

REVEAL: Color Change Ms. Neena’s Hair

Colorella the color fairy paid a visit to our library this last week, and made sure that the kids and teens who voted in our Imagine Your Story Summer Reading Program had their wishes come true. In exchange for reading time and learning challenges, participants got to choose what color Colorella the fairy would magically change Ms. Neena’s hair to! And after all the votes were in…a color was chosen! Was it pink, purple, or blue? Visit our Facebook or our Instagram to see the winning color, and keep your eyes peeled for our final Imagine Your Story Summer Reading Challenge Reveal later in the week!    

Library News & Events

Have You Seen Our New Picture Book Labels?

Big News! Our picture book section has reopened for browsing. Plus, we have a new system of organizing them that we hope will help kids browse through them more easily and independently. Now, books are organized by their topics instead of alphabetically by author’s last name. Books featuring high interest topics, like DINOSAURS, SCHOOL, and PETS are now all together in one place! Parents and educators will love the sections devoted to areas of child development and learning, like EMOTION and MATH! The “Topic” spine labels even feature easy to identify icons kids will recognize, even if they are not yet able to read.   As with many changes, this one is sure to take a while to adjust to. If you need help figuring how to find a book on the shelf with our new system, check out the links to our infographics, which help explain how items can be found. You can also checkout our hint list, for frequently searched for topics. Found a Book in our catalog? Not sure How to read...

Programs

REVEAL! Donald’s Art

Did you know that Donald Partelow, our adult program coordinator, also illustrates books and creates wonderful art? Well, this last week, as part of our Imagine Your Story Summer Reading Challenge, we let Pawling decide what Donald would draw for our Community. The winning option: “At night I can turn into a monster”   Check out Donald’s take on this super theme below:   Want to vote for what should happen next? Visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/summer-reading-challenge/ to vote in this week’s choose your own adventure, where YOU decide what wild, bright color Ms. Neena, our Children’s Program Coordinator, should dye her hair! The options are bright blue, deep purple, and unicorn pink. YOU decide. By participating, you’ll also be entered in a raffle to win a gift certificate to The Imperial Castle Toy Shop.

Programs

REVEAL! Phil’s New Look

Wow! What a vote this week! Teen Coordinator, Phil Prout, let Pawling vote for what historical style he should use for his disguise as he heads back in time to visit his Pawling relatives from the 1800s.  Since there were two winning looks, Phil did them both! Check out our video to see Phil’s new look.   Want to vote for what should happen next? Visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/summer-reading-challenge/ to vote in this week’s choose your own adventure, where YOU decide what special and unique piece of art Donald Partelow creates. Donald serves as the Adult Program Coordinator at our library, and recently illustrated Claudine: A Fairy Tale for Exceptional Grown Ups. One lucky voter will also win a gift certificate to The Book Cove.  

Programs

REVEAL! Condiment Conundrum

We let Pawling decide what should be in the messy balloons that our mess monsters threw at Ms. Carla as part of our 2020 Imagine Your Story Summer Reading Program. The winner was… condiment filled balloons! So check out the mess as Ms. Carla gets pelted with eggs, sprinkles, jelly, and more! Want to vote for what should happen next? Visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/summer-reading-challenge/ to vote in this week’s choose your own adventure, where YOU decide how Teen Coordinator, Phil Prout, changes up his giant beard and mustache. One lucky voter will also win a gift certificate to Vinny’s Deli.