March 6
Celebrating Dr. Seuss

Just last Tuesday, March the Two, was Dr. Seuss' birthday,
which our librarian knew.

If he was still with us now, he'd be one hundred six,
and we would say "Wow." 

So what better thing could we do,
than to read from his books, and not just a few.

So at ten o'clock sharp the reading started.
Reading was not for people faint-hearted,

with so many children gathered to hear,
listen with care and then give out a cheer. 

All in all it was quite a session,
with readers coming in endless procession. 

     First Anna,
          then Andi,
               then Cheryl, Phill, Lynn. 

      With so many books,
               where to begin?

Then John had a turn,
          and when he was done,
we found in the kitchen
          there was even more fun. 

It seemed that while the reading went on,
two cakes were baked - Thing Two and Thing One.

Certainly then, it was time for a break,
so all could taste some birthday cake.

But enough with eating,
and on with the reading. 
So then came Dawn, and Barbara was next,
each of them reading the Dr. Seuss text. 

Then before you knew it, people went home,
and the books again were left all alone.

March 4
Laura Waterman Visits the Library

As part of the Local Authors Series, Laura Waterman came to the Library on Thursday, March 4, to read from her book Losing the Garden - The Story of a Marriage.

Laura and her late husband, Guy, homesteaded for nearly thirty years in Corinth.  They were known for their love of the mountains and respect of the wilderness.  Guy struggled with chronic depression and chose to end his life in the mountains in the winter of 2000.  Laura's book shares the details of their lives together and how she has carried on in the years since Guy's death.

More than a dozen people showed up for the opportunity to meet Laura and discuss her book.

Chinese New Year at the Library

Jeanny Collins, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to the US when she was four years old, visited the library on February 6 to share Chinese New Year with eleven excited little kids.  She told about many of the customs surrounding New Year, including bringing gifts of fruit, making steamed cakes and giving gifts of money in small red envelopes.  She also told about the Chinese astrological signs - 2010 is the year of the tiger!

Then the children got to experience what they had learned.  They colored pictures of the astrological animal of the year they were born, sampled mandarin oranges and steamed cake, and then they each received a small red envelope.  The envelope contained "Vershire Dollars" which they could spend at a special book sale in the library.

Thursday, January 28
Aaron Hoopes Visits the Library

As the first event of this winter's series of visits from local authors, Aaron Hoopes author of several books, discussed his book Breathe Smart: The Secret to Happiness, Health and Long Life.  Afterwards he led the nine people who attended in some gentle breathing exercises.

Before Aaron's discussion, everyone enjoyed a cup of tea and a bowl of homemade soup.

Wednesday, September 16
Catherine Tudish Visits Library Book Group

Eight avid readers showed up to talk with Strafford resident, Catherine Tudish who visited the Book Group to discuss and read from her book, American Cream on September 16.  Howard Frank Mosher has high praise for Catherine's writing: "In the tradition of Wallace Stegner, Thornton Wilder, and Kent Haruf, Catherine Tudish explores small-town and rural life in America with clear-eyed honesty, loving care, and great wisdom. American Cream is the story of Virginia Rownd, a remarkable woman who, in midlife, returns to her hometown in western Pennsylvania. Virginia discovers, as we all must, that 'one person can't live two lives.' Written with quiet elegance, American Cream is a masterful novel, alive with fine characters, surprising scenes, and insightful observations that come only with deep life experience and deep compassion for one's fellow men and women."  All who attended the event enjoyed it immensely.

September 12
Janet Hayward Burnham Visits Library

Janet Hayward Burnham, from Bethel, VT, visited the Library on September 12.  She is a long time author who first began to see her work in print in 1970 in Vermont Life magazine.  She talked to the children about writing and illustrating children's books and she is shown below reading from her recent book, A Week Ago Cat.

August 27
Grand International Party

This summer's Passport to the World reading program provided every child who wanted one, with his or her own "passport."  As they read books about other countries, they got a stamp in the passport for each country "visited."  More than 75 passports were handed out.  The culmination of the program was a celebration of exploring the world through food and games.  On August 27, close to 20 children, along with parents and grandparents, came to have fun playing games and sampling food from around the world.

Mexican Bingo	Hitting the Piñata
Gathering the piñata treasures	Sampling the food