“I mean, just children surviving childhood is my obsessive theme and my life’s concern.” – Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak, illustrator and author of Where the Wild Things Are and many other stories running whimsical to dark, died Tuesday, May 8 at the age of 83. Though his stories are occasionally controversial, they also reflect a deep respect for the fears and difficulties of childhood, perhaps because his own was difficult.

What’s your favorite Sendak book or illustration? I like Where the Wild Things Are for the rumpus and the warm resolution, and the thorny facial expressions of Alligators All Around make me smile.

To learn more about Sendak, click to reserve a copy of his biography. Check out some commentary, too.

You can make one on Saturday, May 12; 2:00pm at our next Dance Around the World . . . Stories and Art, Too! as we visit Bulgaria. 

Here are some examples:

You’ll also hear the story of “Baba Marta” (related to the martenitza); plus you’ll see the Children’s Youth Ensemble from the Bulgarian Center in West Homestead.

Everyone welcome!

a musical puppet show

Will donkey, dog, cat and rooster make it to Bremen?
Come along on the adventure as they follow their
dream to form a band!

To see a calendar of the dates/times, click here

To register, click here

Miss Janina reads a book in English and Spanish to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day.)

What book is she reading? Click on the picture to find out!

We enjoyed stories together

Janina showed us how to make pinatas

We made pinatas together.

El Dia de los Niños/El Dia de los Libros = Children’s Day/Book Day

Bubbling, oozing, gooshing dry ice will descend like a ghostly cloud here Saturday at 11:00 a.m. If you’re between 8 and 12-years-old, don’t miss it. A scientist will show how it works and demonstrate experiments. Then you get to try out –it’s an experience too cool to miss. Come to Children’s at Main, Oakland  and make magic out of science.

Author, illustrator, and LIBRARIAN Anne Lee presented her new book, When You Are Camping here in the Children’s Department on Sunday.

She also brought camping items, including fossils, maps, wooly socks, and giant pinecones.

Please click here to request your copies of Anne’s books.

If you think you or a loved one may be autistic, we have many resources to help you. We show a few here:

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Or if you are autistic,  wondering what it may be like to have autism, live with or know  someone who does, you may want to read:

Our Inclusive Storytime which is for children who may not feel comfortable in other programs will resume on Sundays, this fall. Check our Events Calendar for dates and times.

                                                                                               Glorious Read

Inspired by Studio 360′s Significant Objects project, the members of the Show; Don’t Tell writing workshop wrote and shared the stories of an array of things yesterday.