Welcome Fall!

Today is the first day of fall--have you noticed the leaves changing colors?  Some are already in full color, and some are just barely turning, but it looks like fall is going to be beautiful this year.

There's so many ways to enjoy this season--and of course, books to enjoy while you enjoy it!  Here's some great selections.  Just click on the title name to place a hold via InfoSoup.

1. Do get the cooking bug when the weather turns cool?  Try Homemade Harvest, published by Gooseberry Patch.  Inside you'll find inviting recipes, harvest crafts, and a bushel of ideas to cozy your harvest home.
2. Want to get your home spruced up for this beautiful season of color?  Try Autumn from the Heart of the Home, by Susan Branch.  She gives decorating suggestions, including an illustrated guide with tips on celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving.
3. Everyone loves to look at the colorful fall leaves.  Check out The Great Wisconsin Touring Book, by Gary Knowles, for car trips to see the beautiful fall colors.
4. How about involving the kids?  Crafts to make in the Fall, by Kathy Ross, is a book with twenty nine easy to make craft projects with autumn themes.  
5. Having a hard time explaining why the leaves change?  Read Why Do Leaves Change Color, by Betsy Maestro.  Your kids will love the illustrations, and you'll learn something, too!
6. We can't forget football--one of the best parts of fall!  Read up on our Green Bay Packers in Green Bay Packers: A Complete Illustrated History, by Don Gulbrandsen.  
7. Have a hunter in the family?  Be sure to check out The Everything Wild Game Cookbook, by Karen Eagle.  You'll find everything from the basics to desserts in this cookbook--you'll be able to cook up everything your hunter brings home.
8. Do you love gardening?  Learn how to have a beautiful fall garden with the book Fallscaping, by Nancy Ondra.  
9. Halloween and Thanksgiving are the two biggest fall holidays.  Read about them with your kids in the books The Story of Halloween and Thanksgiving.
10. Don't forget to get your home ready for winter--with Home Maintenance for Dummies, you'll be ready for the long winter ahead.  

How do you celebrate fall?

Book Club

Book Clubs are very popular these days.  There's tons of people out there, meeting and discussing books.  But in these busy times, it's hard to meet together, isn't it?

That's why we'd like to start a Book Club right here on this blog.  After selecting a book, we'll meet here once a month.  We'll blog some questions for discussion, and then you can discuss the book in the comments.  Before we start, though, we have two questions:

1. Are you interested in participating in this book club?
2. What kind of book would you like to read?  Is there a book out there you've been dying to read and/or discuss with someone?

Let us know in the comments--we can't wait to get started!

Talking to your kids about 9/11

 The tenth anniversary of the day that changed America forever, September 11, 2001, is looming before us.  On Sunday, the country will take time to stop and remember.  Until then, the media is showing many images of that terrible day, images that your children may see and ask you questions about.  Here's how to talk to your kids about 9/11, taken from this website:

• Consider your child's point of view:  Young children tend to tie everything in to how it relates to them.  So it's likely that they could be afraid that something like this would happen to them in the future.  They may also be picking up on your sadness or anger, and it can be scary for them to know that parents have these feelings.
• Find the silver lining: Talk about the heroes that day--the policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses and other workers that did their best to help.
• Reassure your child's fears:  Above all else, your child wants to know that she (and her family) are going to be unharmed.  Let her know that is something you want as well.  Say something like,"Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  But not all the time and not to you. I will always do my best to keep you safe."
• Encourage your child to come to you:  If you suspect your child has questions that he isn't asking, seek him out instead.  Let him know that he can ask you anything and you will give him an honest answer.
• Limit what your child watches:  We see a report on the news about September 11 and we know that the newscaster is just talking about an event from years ago.  Your child won't necessarily understand that.  They may either think it is happening right now, or in the instance of something being shown repeatedly, that it is happening over and over again.
  

Some parents decide to keep the television off on September 11 altogether, not wanting to expose them to images that they could find troubling.  No matter what your children may ask that day, it's important to listen and to reassure them that no matter what, as a parent, it's your job to keep them safe.

Some books to help in your September 11th discussions: (Click on the title to place a hold via InfoSoup)

  9-11:  the world's finest comic book writers and artists tell stories to remember.

  September 11, 2001

  The 9/11 Terror Attacks

God Bless America.

A month full of special dates...

It's the first day of September!  It's always fun to look forward on the calendar at the special dates coming up, so here's a list of some important dates in the month of September. (Click on the book titles to reserve via InfoSoup.)

• Labor Day- September 5th:  A day set aside to honor the American worker.  Read about it in the book Labor Day.
• Grandparent's Day and Patriot Day- September 11th: Honor your Grandparents on Grandparent's Day!  Read about it in the book Our Grandparents: A Global Album.  Patriot Day is the national remembrance of 9/11.  Read about it in the book The 9/11 Terror Attacks.
• Constitution Day- September 17th:  Commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution.  Read about it in the book Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?.
• First Day of Autumn- September 23rd:  Read about it in the book A is for Autumn.
• Johnny Appleseed's Birthday- September 26th: Read about it in the book Johnny Appleseed.
• Rosh Hashanah- September 28th: The Jewish new year.  Read about it in the book Rosh Hashanah.

Have a wonderful September!  And look forward to this being a feature in the months yet to come...be sure to come back and read all about it!