Tell us what you enjoyed most about Bookmarked! 2012

We're thrilled with the ten days of fun and learning that Bookmarked! 2012 brought to Wake County children and their families.

Our celebrity-hero readers--from WRAL anchor Gerald Owens (pictured at top) to pastry chef Daniel Benjamin, actor and filmmaker Paul Paliyenko, deputy fire marshal Ronald Campbell and U.S. Army's Scott P. Matkosky and Lorie R. Doby--shared terrific Lucy's Book Club titles with their enthusiastic young audiences at our public readings (as well as a number of private locations including WakeMed and several Community in Schools locations). Featured author Audrey Penn (pictured at center) shared her Chester Raccoon stories (The Kissing Hand, A Pocket Full of Kisses, and others) at special readings throughout the week and also brought a little pirate swagger for older kids with two Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove readings. Her warmth and insight made her appearances particularly enjoyable. We capped the week of fun with our second Family Fun Concert, which brought the musical bliss of the Sandbox band (pictured at bottom) together with the "wow" factor of ballerina Elice McKinley and Triangle stage legend Ira David Wood III.

And if you took advantage of our Lucy's Book Club Book Fair, you might even be the proud owner of an autographed copy of The Kissing Hand!

All that, while raising money to help Triangle children and their families achieve their potential through our award-winning mental health programs. What more could we ask for?

Well, one more thing: your help! 

In order to gauge the success of Bookmarked! as a public outreach event, we need feedback from attendees. If you enjoyed a reading, bought some books from Quail Ridge, or got your groove on with Sandbox at the concert, please tell us about your experiences! Use the "Comment" function below, and be sure to include which event you attended. Thank you so much!

Thanks also to our Bookmarked! 2012 sponsors, particularly event sponsor Wells Fargo and platinum sponsor Time Warner Cable.

Bookmarked! 2012 featured author talks about what writing means to her

With Lucy's Book Club, we spend a lot of time talking about the value of reading with your kids: how stories can help them understand their world, their feelings, and their relationships. But have you ever thought about how writing can help them in many of the same ways?

Bestselling children's writer and Bookmarked! 2012 featured author Audrey Penn visited the Center in February and talked about what first inspired her to put pen to paper and write stories as a child--and how it feels today to live with the characters she has created. Click on the thumbprint below to view the clip.

If you're intrigued by Audrey's thoughts on writing and storytelling, please join us for Audrey Penn's workshop for parents and educators, taking place at the Center this Thursday, May 3, from 1:30-2:30. Her topic will be the power of books. Seats are still available but registration is required.

Have you ever encouraged your child to write stories? How can it be a powerful way for him or her to feel heard? Please share, using the "Comment" function below.

Bookmarked! 2012 workshop with Audrey Penn, May 3

We hope that you have all marked your calendars for our third annual Bookmarked! 2012 festival, April 27-May 6!

As part of this festival, we invite parents and educators to join us for a very special workshop with Bookmarked! 2012's featured author Audrey Penn, taking place May 3 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Lucy Daniels Center on Weston Parkway in Cary. The cost is $12 per person, but it will be well worth it! Here's what Audrey has shared with us about her topic of discussion for the workshop:

I learned as a child that the moment I opened a book, or the instant the magic of a story was read out loud, I was with friends I could revisit any time I liked for the rest of my life. That is what I try to instill in the children I meet.

Too many children in this country have unfortunately followed the sounds of the Cyber Pied Piper, losing sight of essential language skills. With both parents working in most households, very often there’s no time for visits to the library or book reading at night. The problem, however, is that very young children who are not read to, or who do not participate in or hear a good amount of parental conversation, enter school with fifty-nine million words less than children who are surrounded by words. Telling stories to children, and listening to the stories that they tell, is an integral part of developing the processes of language skills, social interaction, and creative thinking—to name a few. 

In our Bookmarked! 2012 workshop for educators, we will discuss the value of being surrounded by words, written and spoken; where stories come from; ways to encourage storytelling; and early childhood games to facilitate transitions and ease anxiety. --Audrey Penn

This workshop has been approved for 1 hour of childcare credit by the N.C. Division of Child Development.

Audrey Penn is the author of the beloved Chester Raccoon stories including The Kissing Hand and A Pocket Full of Kisses as well as 12 other picture books for children. More recently she has authored a series of chapter books about Blackbeard the Pirate for older children.

However, she didn’t start her professional life as a writer: she was first a ballerina for the New York City Ballet, Danny Diamond Dance Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, and the National Ballet. She was also a choreographer for the U.S. Figure Skating Team for the Pan American Games and the 1976 Olympic Gymnastics Team. In 1980, after developing juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Penn was unable to continue dancing and returned to her childhood love of writing stories. To learn more about Audrey Penn, visit her website: www.audreypenn.com.

Signed copies of Ms. Penn's books will be available for purchase at the workshop and through our Lucy's Book Club book fair at Quail Ridge Books.

We hope that you all will be able to join us for our workshop with Audrey Penn, and as well for one or more of our "celebrity-hero" readings through the week. In addition to Ms. Penn, readers include a fire marshal, a military captain, a pastry chef, a majorette from N.C. State University, and many more.

If you would like to join us for the workshop with Audrey Penn, click here to register online, or call Patti Wilt at 919.459.1611 to register by phone

Click here to download or print a flyer about this workshop.

What are Lucy's Book Club and Bookmarked! REALLY about?

If you're already a member of Lucy's Book Club (LBC), or if you've seen our displays and bookmarks around Wake County locations such as public libraries, pediatricians' offices, and early childhood centers, chances are you know that the program's goal is to help parents wade through the piles and piles of children's literature out there to find quality books that focus on important social and emotional themes, such as dealing with change, understanding their feelings, developing self-help skills, and engaging with the natural world around them. Developing a child's ability to communicate, develop relationships, resolve conflicts, and cope with the challenges of everyday life takes time, practice, and patience. Reading together is one way parents can help their children in this process.

At its heart, LBC is about bonds--specifically, the bond that develops between parents and their children when they make a habit of snuggling up together, reading these books, and then talking about the important subjects they have explored together. In talking about these topics--even in a general way, or from the safe distance created by fictional events that happen to fictional characters--parents and children establish good communication, trust, and a pathway to maintaining both as the child grows and thrives.

Of course, reading together does a lot of other wonderful things as well, including promoting literacy and a love of reading in children. But LBC is not a literacy program (even though we're often mistaken for one!): Lucy Daniels Center staff and LBC panel members view it as our signature community outreach program and our primary prevention initiative, because it is aimed at helping families get their young children on the road to solid social and emotional health.

Yes, books are that powerful! We need look no further than Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand, which has been used by millions of parents to help ease their children through the difficulty of separation, such as starting school for the first time. One Center staff member still remembers watching her daughter climb on the school bus, headed to kindergarten, and seeing her turn to press her hand to her cheek, just like Chester Raccoon does when he leaves his mother to go to school. Such a simple concept, but so meaningfull!

Enjoy this clip of Ms. Penn reading this wonderful book to students at the Center--then check out our LBC reading lists for more titles to share with your child.

We are thrilled to have Ms. Penn as the featured author for Bookmarked! 2012, April 27-May 6. Our slate of local "celebrity-hero" readers will join her in sharing LBC titles with children all over Wake County as we celebrate through public readings the special joys that come from reading with children. We hope you'll join us!

Meet local author at reading March 31

North Carolina children's author Dolly Dozier will introduce children and their families to her spirited new character, Peggy Noodle, at a special reading coming up March 31. Join Ms. Dozier at Raleigh's NOFO at the Pig on Saturday, March 31, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. There will be a free hula hoop contest, prizes, and refreshments. Books and hula hoops will be available for purchase.

Recommended for readers ages 6-9, Peggy Noodle, Hula Hoop Queen is the story of how a tall-but-awkward 12-year old girl, new to town, finds the courage to move past an embarrassing defeat in a basketball game to master the hula hoop and find a new friend--learning a little along the way about resilience and self-esteem.

Have you read Peggy Noodle? Let us know what you think about it, using the "Comment" function, below!

Cast your vote for the NC Children's Book Award by March 31!

Wake County Public Libraries want you and your child to help in the selection of the North Carolina Children's Book Award winner for 2012. From their website:

Kids, vote for your favorite picture book!

Each year children throughout North Carolina recommend recent books for the North Carolina Children’s Book Awards. Here’s how you can help pick the 2012 winner:

Read at least 5 of the following picture books, then vote for your favorite at a local library during the month of March.

Be sure to let us know which ones you like best, using the "Comment" function below!

If your child is reading longer books and wants to get in on the selection for junior books, visit the website for that list as well.

Audrey Penn's visit to the Lucy Daniels Center

Audrey Penn Visits the Lucy Daniels Center

What a treat! Audrey Penn, this year’s featured author for Bookmarked!, made a special visit to the Lucy Daniels Center last Wednesday where she read two of her books to students. Ms. Penn shared her “secret” behind the writing of “The Kissing Hand” and how she actually first got the idea for the character Chester Raccoon. Children listened as she also read her new book (one that is not yet released) which includes a very carefully designed color game - one that may actually reduce blood pressure! It was an exciting morning – the children had opportunities to ask lots of questions and spend time with the author of some of their favorite books!

  Audrey Penn with Chester Raccoon

Explore the world of Kevin Henkes--then meet him!

Caldecott Award-winning author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, creator of such beloved children's books as Chrysanthemum, Owen, and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, uses his books to create a world in which youngsters (often depicted as charming white mice) work through social and emotional challenges including being teased, feeling pressured to "grow up," and having to say they're sorry, with the support of loving parents and other kind and understanding adults.

It's a world members of the LBC reading panel have repeatedly embraced as they have developed our recommended reading lists, including Henkes titles on lists for themes such as "Feeling Strong on My Own" (Shelia Rae, The Brave), "Becoming a Big Brother or Sister" (Julius, The Baby of the World), and "Knowing My Feelings" (Wemberly Worried). Sharing these wonderful books with young children can help open up conversations about their own experiences with these challenges and provide a safe, reassuring way for them to share their feelings.

The main characters also reflect qualities many of us would like to encourage in our little ones. Their struggles and successes can illustrate, in a very concrete way, the positive outcomes that can emerge from working through typical childhood problems and possibly help your child define what kind of "mouse" he or she would like to be. According to Henkes, here are his favorite traits of each of his well-known characters:

Learn more about Kevin Henkes, his books, and his inspirations on his website, http://www.kevinhenkes.com.

Then join staff and families from the Lucy Daniels Center next Wednesday, March 14, at 4:30 p.m. when we attend his children's book reading at Quail Ridge Books! We want to let Mr. Henkes know how much we value his books and want him to join us for a future Bookmarked! festival!

Upcoming fun at Quail Ridge Books

March is a big month at Raleigh's Quail Ridge Books! Mark your calendar and bring your kids to these two great readings!

TUESDAY, March 13 @ 4:30 p.m. - SHANA COREY
Shana Corey visits with Here Come the Girl Scouts! The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure. Find out how "Daisy" was not like most girls of the Victorian era. It's a picture book of her life, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. For ages 5 and up.

WEDNESDAY, March 14 @ 4:30 p.m. - KEVIN HENKES
Kevin Henkes, the beloved author of Chrysanthemum, Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, and more (and a frequent author of books on LBC reading lists!) returns to Quail Ridge with Penny and Her Song. Catch these new stories for beginning readers, from the Newbery and Caldecott Medal recipient. For ages 4-8.

Explore the current LBC reading list, "Relationship with the Earth"

We've had quite a wild ride with Mother Nature in the last month or so, with so many unseasonably balmy days, an interesting prognostication from resident groundhog Sir Walter Wally, and now, after a warm and sunny weekend, some unexpected snow. What a great time to share with your child some of the books on our latest reading list, Relationship with the Earth.

This topic explores our planet, the environment, and some of the ways humans impact the earth. For younger children, we have selected books that illustrate an appreciation for the earth and its inhabitants, while the books for older children explore ways to care for the environment such as recycling and reusing. All of these books are available at Wake County Public Libraries, so you can grab a few and snuggle up with your child to share this great topic--rain, snow, or shine!

Make your reading even more meaningful by following it up with a hands-on project or real-world experience that you and your child will enjoy doing together. Take a walk to look for some of the flora and fauna you read about, or have your child help you sort items in your recycling bin as you count the ways your family is helping to protect the environment.

Then tell us what you did! Use the "Comment" function below to tell us which book(s) you read and what kind of discussion or activities you and your child engaged in.