Summer Reading ended Saturday, but lists can still be printed

The prizes and raffles ended Saturday, but you can still access your child's record to print out their list of books. Visit http://www.libraryinsight.net/rplogon.asp?jx=sf&rp=774&i=1 to get to summer reading!

Water Carnival Postponed to Thursday

Due to an uncertain weather forecast, the Water Carnival will now be this Thursday at 3 p.m. Hope to see you all there!

Last Week of Summer Reading

This is the last week of summer reading! Stop by this week to record any last minute books, receive the last prize of the week, or join us for the Water Carnival, Square Dancing, or Reader's Theatre. Please see the calendar for details.

Fall storytime and program schedule will be available soon!

What's going on this week?

Well, there's Summer Reading, of course! And Storytimes! 

Plus, special events for next week include:
Knitting on Monday at 3:00 p.m. Ages 7-12
Balloon Animals on Tuesday at 2 p.m. while supplies last.
Cinderella Party Wednesday at 3 p.m. Ages 3-9. (Waitlist only)
Read to Siena and Drago therapy dogs (Waitlist only)
Beading Workshop on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Ages 8-12. (Waitlist only)

See you soon!

Author Ryan San Angelo to Visit the Library

Meet children’s author Ryan San Angelo on Wednesday, August 3 at 3 p.m. in the Stratford Library’s Children’s Room.  Children ages 5 to 9 will enjoy Mr. San Angelo’s lively style and guitar playing as he talks about his book, Spaghetti Eddie. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and autographing. This program is sponsored by the Carol Pieper Memorial Fund. Registration is requested. To register or for further information, call the Stratford Library Children’s Department at 203.385.4165

Jay Reidy Magic Show - Time Change

The Jay Reidy magic show on July 20 will now take place at 1:30 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience. Sign ups are available for this show at 203.385.4165.

Animal Embassy - Summer Reading Kick off Event

Children ages 4 and up are invited to the Summer Reading kickoff event on Friday, July 1 at 11 a.m.  The kickoff event will be Animal Embassy with rescued and endangered animals from around the world. Space is limited and registration is required. To register, call 203.385.4165 or email childrens [at] stratfordlibrary.org        

Summer Reading!

Counting up all the beautiful flags on the wall, then losing count, and starting over again, we have ... well, a bunch of summer readers already! You can sign up for summer reading any time the Library is open!

Find out more about Summer Reading on our Website!

Summer Homework! Also, the Stratford Schools have posted their Summer Assignments for children K-12 on the Stratford Board of Education website.

Summer Reading starts June 1

We're very excited that you can sign up for summer reading at the Stratford Library beginning June 1st! Sign up any time the Library is open.  Any child can sign up for summer reading, birth to age 12 (and beyond; check out our teen and adult summer reading programs when you visit!).

You can visit our summer reading page for more information! http://www.slakids2011.blogspot.com/

Summer Reading is coming soon!

Get ready, get set, read! Summer reading is just around the corner.  In fact, it starts June 1. Sign up to belong to this summer's club, One World, Many Stories. All children are welcome to participate. Pick the club that's right for you!
- Read to Me club for children not yet reading independently. Complete 10 activities to receive an invitation to the party with singer Melissa Green. 

- Summer Reading club for children up to grade 7. Complete 5 books to receive an invitation to see funny man Keith Munslow.

See you starting June 1st for Summer Reading!

First Teen Volunteer Orientation this Saturday

The Children's Department is seeking responsible teens grades 8 to 12 who wish to help with this year's summer reading program. Interested teens should plan to attend one of the orientation sessions. At orientation, teens will learn about scheduling, summer reading, and other aspects of the program.

The 3 dates are:
Saturday, May 14, 10:30-12 p.m.
Wednesday, June 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 24, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Please register by calling 203.385.4165

Summer Reading Wrap Up

All the librarians in the Children's Department would like to congratulate our summer readers.  We are so proud of all of you for reading, setting goals, and working hard to accomplish them.  We know you will return to school smart and ready to go.

So, how did we do? Here are some fun facts from summer reading.
- 1104 children participated.  That's about 200 more kids than last year, which was our record high. Wow!
- 8800+ books were read.  I'm trying to picture a stack of books that high, and I just can't!
- 7600+ activities were completed.  That's a ton of reading done by parents and siblings, not to mention rhymes, songs, and other activities.
- 4500 raffle tickets were given out.  The fashion bag had the most entries.
- 1400 free books were given away to children.
- Next year's theme will be One World, Many Stories.  We're already planning raffle bags from every continent! If you have any coins from a foreign country we'd love to include them in next year's bags.

We also would like to thank our sponsors and invite you to visit them.
- Appleby's
- Bella Napoli
- Bridgeport Bluefish
- Quassy
- Stella's Restaurant
- Subway @ Walmart
- The Carol Pieper Memorial Fund

Summer Reading Parties

Congratulations to the over 1100 children who participated in Summer Reading.  If you're coming to one of the parties this week, here's what you should know:

Read to Me Party has been moved to Christ Church at 2000 Main Street.  You may park at the Library or on Academy Hill.  You will need a ticket to be admitted.

Summer Reading Party is at the Baldwin Center.  This party is completely full, so only children with tickets and their grown ups will be admitted.  Please make other arrangements for siblings. You may park at the Library; the Baldwin center is the building next to the Library (we share a parking lot).

We're so proud of all of you for your reading accomplishments.  Every day you made us laugh or taught us something.  So thank you to everyone who participated, and here's to another great year!

Jay Mankita comes Wednesday!

Are you ready for summer reading to kick off? Join us Wednesday at 11 a.m. for Splash Along Songs with singer Jay Mankita. All ages welcome; call 203.385.4165 to sign up.