Balloon artist Lynnae Weller, owner of Bend Out A Shape Balloons, needs your help searching for clues in a series of strange events as you travel together through well-loved children’s books such as “Sheep in a Jeep” by Nancy Shaw; “Llama, Llama, Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney; and “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.  Ages 3 and up.

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 11 a.m., Thunderbolt Library
Tuesday, Sept. 4, 4 p.m., Oglethorpe Mall Library
Wednesday, Sept. 5, 11 a.m., West Broad Library
Wednesday, Sept. 5, 4:30 p.m., Rincon Library
Thursday, Sept. 6, 10:30 a.m., Pooler Library
Thursday, Sept. 6, 4:30 p.m., Springfield Library
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m., Tybee Library
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 4:30 p.m., Islands Library
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 10:30 a.m., Bull St. Library
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 4:30 p.m., W. W. Law Library
Thursday, Sept. 13, 10:30 a.m., Hinesville Library
Thursday, Sept. 13, 4:30 p.m., Southwest Chatham Library

Lynnae Weller, owner of Bend Out A Shape Balloons, has been doing children’s birthday parties for over 6 years with many happy clients.

Birthday party package: Each birthday child gets a large, unique balloon sculpture that is tailored to your theme. Every child at the party will get the chance to “Stump the Balloon Artist” by requesting their own individual creation.  There are always plenty of games and fun with a party from Bend Out A Shape Balloons.

If you want to have crazy amounts of fun at your next birthday party, please contact Lynnae with Bend Out A Shape Balloons at 912-228-3024 or e-mail bendoutashape@gmail.com, www.bendoutashape.com/

Like Bend Out A Shape Balloons on Facebook here.

Bend Out A Shape Balloons at 912-228-3024 or e-mail bendoutashape@gmail.com, www.bendoutashape.com/ Bend Out A Shape Balloons is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Congratulations to the Live Oak Public Libraries 2012 Summer Reading Program prize winners!
Grand Prize Winner of a trip to Disney World:
Springfield — Alyssa Smith, 6!!!!!!
Branch Prize Winners of a $30 Barnes and Noble gift card:
Bull Street — Isaiah Clark
Carnegie — Chloe Screen
Forest City — Nia Wilkerson
Hinesville — Kayla Williams
Islands — Sarah Panhorst
Midway — Aaron Jachens
Oglethorpe Mall — Owen Elkin
Ola Wyeth — Katelyn Mundy
Pooler — Chloe McNew
Port City — JaQuez Johnson.
Port Wentworth — Jerry Mells
Rincon — Jonathan Cody
Southwest Chatham — Suradeth Ducharme
Springfield — Brian Sparks
Thunderbolt — Maylayshia Stevens
Tybee — Aliza Sanchez
West Broad — Zaria Gaines
WWLaw — Unique Dickinson

We are loving the online reading logs that are new to Live Oak Public Libraries Summer Reading Program.
Kids create a quick online profile – which can include their photo – and keep track of the book titles they’ve read this summer – which they will need to get their free book from Barnes & Noble. Just go to the Dream Big Zone here.

If you haven’t signed up your kids for the library’s Dream Big: Read! Summer Reading Program, be sure to do so. This year’s grand prize is a trip to Disney World for a family of four, including Amtrak gift card and hotel! Stop by any library to sign up and start reading!

If Disney isn’t incentive enough to sign up, how about the chance to win college savings?

The Path2College 529 Plan will award one Georgia student, 16 years and under, who participates in the Summer Reading Program with $5,529 toward a Path2College 529 Plan account.
Entries must be submitted online by July 31, 2012. Details about the sweepstakes, including the official rules and the online entry form can be found at http://www.path2college529.com/news/reading.shtml .

The Kumon Math and Reading Center of Savannah will host a summer book club. Seating is limited. To participate, call the Center at (912) 920-8899 to signup.

Girls Summer Book Club
Rising 3rd to 5th graders
Goddess Girls Book Series
Authored by Johan Holub & Suzanne Williams
June 23rd – Athena the Brain
July 21st – Persephone the Phony
August 11th – Aphrodite the Beauty
Saturdays 1pm to 3pm
Book Discussions
Activities
Refreshments

Boys Summer Book Club
Rising 4th to 6th Graders
June 23rd – Encyclopedia Brown, Shows the Way by Donald Sobol
July 21st – Holes by Louis Sachar
August 11th – Frindle by Andrew Clements
Saturdays 1pm to 3pm
Book Discussions
Activities
Refreshments

(Side note unrelated to the Book Clubs: Don’t forget, the Kumon Math & Reading Center, Savannah, is offering free registration, free placement tests from now until July 15 2012. More info here.)

Kumon Math and Reading Center of Savannah, www.kumon.com/savannah , open on Mondays and Thursdays from 3-7 PM, 10010 Abercorn Ave. in Savannah. For more info or to schedule a complimentary placement test, call owner and instructor, Janese Cooper at (912) 920-8899. Kumon of Savannah is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

We love when our Savannah moms have something to celebrate. And Nancy Brandon – Savannah mother of two and English professor – definitely does. Nancy recently published her first novel “Dunaway’s Crossing.” Congratulations, Nancy!

Nancy Brandon grew up in middle Georgia, and she graduated from the University of Georgia. She has taught college English for the past twenty years in Savannah, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Here’s a sample of what Nancy’s novel is about:

“Savannah newlywed Bea Dot Ferguson has it all: breathtaking beauty, a lavish home, and a wealthy husband—who bears her nothing but contempt. When his brutality results in the loss of her baby, she realizes she must break away from him. But how can she do so without opening a Pandora’s box of shameful secrets? For peace of mind until she figures out her next step, Bea Dot travels to sleepy Pineview, Georgia to visit her cousin. But upon arrival, she learns the rural town is beset with Spanish influenza. And Bea Dot finds herself fighting for survival, not only from her cruel husband, but from an invisible foe, the deadliest the world has ever seen.”

Currently, Dunaway’s Crossing is available via Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats. Signed paperbacks are available via www.nancybrandon.com .

In a few weeks, the book should be available through Barnes and Noble and is now available at at E. Shaver Bookseller at 326 Bull Street in Savannah. All copies of Dunaway’s Crossing at E. Shaver are signed by Nancy Brandon.

Our favorite annual kids’ event – the Savannah Children’s Book Festival – will be Nov. 10, 2012 in Forsyth Park. A fun way for kids to get excited about the festival is to have them partake in the festival poster contest. This would also be a great art project for school art classes.

Deadline to design a poster for the 2012 Savannah Children’s Book Festival is Wed. April 25, 2012. For contest details see the image above this post! More details here.

Trying to figure out how to teach your kids about Savannah native Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts this year? Check out these new kids’ books on the Girl Scouts & their visionary founder.

1. The robust 400-page biography “Juliette Gordon Low; the Remarkable Founder of the Girl Scouts” (Viking, 2012) by Stacy A Cordery, Ph.D. details how Low started the Girl Scouts after meeting Gen. Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the British Army hero who founded the Boy Scouts in England. She appreciated Baden-Powell’s belief that scouting should be fun and formed her own group of “Girl Guides”—Girl Scouts’ original name—near her Scotland home, before starting the Girl Scouts in the United States in 1912.

2. A children’s book that makes the history of the Girls Scouts fun is “Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette ‘Daisy’ Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure” (Scholastic Press, 2012 ) by Shana Corey. The book shows how “Daisy” was not like the prim and proper girls of her Victoria era, but the loved the outdoors and adventure. For ages 4 and older.

3. In the well-illustrated youth biography “First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low” (Clarion Books, 2012), author Ginger Wadsworth uses letters, diaries, news articles and more to introduce middle-grade readers to the feisty, non-traditional, ground-breaking leader. The account includes details about Low’s hearing loss, her failed marriage and the lesser-known fact that Low was buried in her Girl Scout uniform, with a telegram from a dear friend in the pocket that read: “You are not only the first Girl Scout but the best Girl Scout of them all.” For ages 9-12.

Here is a great place to find used $1 kids’ books (and adult books, too): the Book Sale at Southwest Chatham Library that starts Wed March 7 through Sunday March 11. The library is at 14097 Abercorn St. (behind Target at Savannah Mall). 912.925.8305

Regular Sale
$1 for everything (except speciality items)
Wed March 7 10 AM-5 PM
Thurs. March 8 3-7 PM
Fri. March 9 10 AM – 5 PM
Sat. March 10 10 AM-5 PM

Bag Sale
$5 per bag (Everything must go)
Sun. March 11 2:30-5:30 PM

For kids’ storytimes at various Live Oak Public Library branches, click here.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Friday March 2 is Dr. Seuss’ BD! (which, along with the Friday opening of “The Lorax” movie, explains why Bull Street library is running really low on Seuss favorites this week)

Live Oak public libraries offers various FREE ways to celebrate it this month including a free The Cat in the Hat magic & clown show happening at branches next week March 5-9 2012.

For details on next week’s The Cat in Hat magic & clown show, click here.

Today & next week some branches are also hosting free Make It & Take It crafts where kids can make a Cat in the Hat hand puppet. For details on the puppet craft times & days click here.

You can have a say about the plans for new libraries.

Live Oak Public Libraries officials are asking the public for input as they unveil preliminary plans for two new libraries at two upcoming public meetings.

They are scheduled as follows:

Community input session for Westside Library
Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m. at City Hall in the new Garden City Town Center

Community input session for Islands Library
Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the existing Islands Library, 125 Wilmington Island Rd.

In the preliminary designs, both libraries will have the same design and square footage with several unique features that reflect the individual communities. Estimated completion of the libraries is summer 2013.

You’re always looking for good books for your kids. Check out these recent Newbery, Caldecott winners:

“Dead End in Norvelt” by Jack Gantos won the John Newbery Medal for the best children’s book of 2011. Chris Raschka’s “A Ball for Daisy” won the Randolph Caldecott award for best illustrated story.

The Newbery and Caldecott prizes, the most prestigious in children’s literature, were announced earlier this year by the American Library Association. Previous winners include Louis Sachar’s “Holes” and Brian Selznick’s “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film “Hugo.”

Kadir Nelson’s “Heart and Soul,” won the Coretta Scott King Book Award 2011 for best African-American story. The King prize for best illustrated book went to Shane W. Evans’ “Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom.”

Here’s a list of children’s books on astronomy provided by Live Oak Public Libraries & distributed by the Oglethorpe Astronomical Association at the gazing in the garden January family event at The Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens . (Who knew that Curious George author H.A. Rey also wrote books on the stars? See below.)

If you’re interested in taking your kids to other star-gazing events check out the Feb. 25 Dark Sky Star Party at the Okefenokee Swamp listed in SouthernMamas February 2012 events happening at state parks and historic spots .

“Night Sky Atlas” by Robin Seagell
“Astronomy” by Kristen Lippincott
“Black Holes & Other Space Oddities” by Alex Barnett
“Space” by Simon Holland
“The Solar System: An A-Z Guide” by Christina Wilsdon
“Cosmic Light Shows” by Bobbie Kalman & April Fast
“Find the Constellations” by H.A. Rey
“The Stars: A New Way to See Them” by H.A. Rey

Saturday, February 4
Stop by the library with your kids and take part in some special activities, PLUS, register to win a Nook! Live Oak Libraries will give away ONE Barnes & Noble NOOK ($200 value) throughout the entire system to individuals who register at their branch ONLY on February 4.

Rincon Library, 3 p.m.
Stop by the Rincon Library with your kids and take part in this special family program. Activities include family storytime and board games. This is also a great opportunity to get a library card, learn about library services and collections for the whole family, and find out more about e-book services. Your child may even be able to read to a wonderful therapy dog. For all ages.

Oglethorpe Mall Library
10:30 a.m. – “Special Storytime” for ages 0 to 4
4 p.m. – “Make It and Take It Craft” with a Reading Train theme for ages 4 and up.

Southwest Chatham Library
11 a.m. – “Dog Days” Readers, ages 5 & up. Quiet reading with one of our many registered therapy dogs.
2 p.m. – “Family Storytime” Stories, songs, fingerplays and a thematic craft for all ages.
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. – “E-book Consultation” A trained staff will be available to offer assistance using Download Destination on your electronic reading device.

Islands Library, 4 p.m.

Tybee Library, 4 p.m.

Thunderbolt Library, 4 p.m.
Learn about library services, get an e-book lesson, make an art activity, and register for a special prize.

Come see Angela Beasley’s Puppet People at the 2011′s Savannah Children’s Book Fest on November 19th from 10 AM-4 PM in Forsyth Park, Savannah.

The Puppet People will be in the Parade as well as strolling and taking photo ops. They will also be giving puppet making Demos! FREE to the public!

The festival is presented by Live Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah. The eighth annual festival celebrates the joy of reading, the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling with children’s book authors and illustrators from around the country.

To read the many talented guests in this year’s lineup click here.

Puppet People, 912.355.3366, www.PuppetPeople.com, email puppets@puppetpeople.com,  3119 Furber Ave. , Thunderbolt, 31404.  Puppet People is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Mark Nov. 19 down on your calendar and join Scribble Art Studio at the 2011  Savannah Children’s Book Festival in Forsyth Park. Scribble has new things in store to show you including a Draw Your Fairytale Book and a cute, fun craft for kids.

The 2011 Savannah Children’s Book Festival is set for Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Forsyth Park in Savannah. The festival is presented by Live Oak Public Libraries and the City of Savannah. The eighth annual festival celebrates the joy of reading, the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling with children’s book authors and illustrators from around the country. The festival will also include more than 60 Coastal Authors, arts and crafts, an International Tent, a variety of food and entertainment, a Book Walk and graphic novel/comics area.

To read the many talented guests in this year’s lineup click here.

Major sponsors are the Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation and Gulfstream Aerospace.

Rain location for the event is the Savannah Civic Center. For more information, call 912-652-3689. For updates, refresh this page or visit the library’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/liveoakpubliclibraries

Scribble Art Studio in Savannah offers children art classes as well as girls’ night out adult workshops where you can turn your favorite photograph into a work of art. For more information about sessions, contact artist Carrie Christian at 912-323-0123 or email ScribbleArtStudio@hotmail.com. Click here for more info. Scribble Art Studio, 212 E. 37th St. Savannah, 31401. Scribble Art Studio a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Make plans to attend a Scholastic Book Fair with an amazing selection of titles. The book fair is open to the public and held at Charles Ellis Montessori Academy, 220 E. 49th St. Savannah, 31405.

The book fair is brought to you by Scholastic Book Fairs. You will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as books of interest to parents. Details here.

WHEN: Oct 20 – Oct 31
WHERE: Media Center at Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
SCHEDULE/OPENING HOURS:
Mon, Oct 24
1:00pm – 4:30pm
Tues, Oct 25
8:30am – 4:30pm
Wed, Oct 26
8:30am – 4:30pm
Thurs, Oct 27
8:30am – 7:00pm
Family Night
Fri, Oct 28
8:30am – 4:30pm
Mon, Oct 31
8:30am – 12:00pm

PAYMENT METHODS:Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard, Amex & Discover

For more info, call 912.395.5475

Thank you for supporting the Charles Ellis library and helping the library encourage kids to read!

Through One for Books, for each dollar raised, Scholastic Book Fairs will donate a book to a worthy cause! Learn more here.

See how you can contribute books to your student’s classroom library! Learn more here!

From easy readers, to picture books, to best sellers and more, the Scholastic Book Fair connects kids with books they want to read! See a sample of some of the popular titles you may find at this upcoming Book Fair by clicking here. You can make a student wish list online and bring it to the Book Fair.

Now is the time to stock up on gifts!  Usborne Books make great gifts!

• Baby Books
• Picture Books
• Activity Cards (great stocking stuffers)
• Puzzle Books
• Series reading

Usborne’s October Special

Receive $100 in books for $25 IN ADDITION to Usborne’s generous hostess rewards. (Minimum sales requirement)

To help you get started, Melissa Mallory, independent education consultant, is offering Southernmamas readers
the following special:

Receive a 15% discount on your order when you text Melissa the answer to the question below.

OR

Receive $20 in FREE books (Shipping charges still apply) when you date and hold your show in October! (Yes, you can do it!)

OR

Receive $10 in FREE books (Shipping charges still apply) when you date and hold your show in November!

Would you like to have a fun shopping spree with your family and friends and get a huge head start on your gift list?

Text Southernmamas followed by your letter choice below to 912-856-1450.

a)
Count me in!  I want to start my shopping in October!

b)
I want a shopping spree but November works better for me!

c)
Buy me a cup of coffee and let’s have a personal appointment to hear more!

d)
I’d rather be a customer but I know someone who would do this and I’d come shop with her!

e)
Thank you for the 15% discount

Discount must be used by 9 PM Sat. Oct. 22, 2011. Discount can only be redeemed by placing an order with Melissa A. Mallory by text, phone, or email and may not be used at a home show, online catalog, or booth.

To keep up with monthly specials, promotions, book reviews, and more, join Melissa’s Usborne Books and More fanpage by clicking here and/or sign up for her monthly newsletter. 

Melissa A. Mallory, Independent Educational Consultant, 912-856-1450, mmallory@myubah.com. www.EsteemReading.com. Usborne Books & More is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Now Available from Usborne Books: Sticker Dolly Dressing app for iPad.

Sticker Dolly Dressing Enters the World of Multimedia Available on iTunes for just $5.99. Usborne Publishing (UK) has chosen this best selling series for their first venture into the world of digital apps.
A sticker dressing app for girls based on the bestselling and much-loved Usborne Sticker Dolly Dressing books. Little girls can dress up the dolls again and again and create scenes with nearly 200 stickers.

• Drag and drop the stickers to dress the dolls
• Create dozens of pretty outfits with different tops, skirts, jeans, leggings, dresses, shoes and accessories
• Choose from eight colorful scenes, including a wedding, a day at the beach, going shopping and a disco
• Name each doll and select her hairstyle and skin tone
• Customize the clothes with a range of striped, polka dot and floral patterns
• Enliven the scenes with dogs, cats, butterflies and birds, drinks and ice creams and dozens of other objects
• Email and print out pictures to send to friends and family

Little girls will love creating imaginative outfits, or carefully dressing the dolls for different occasions.

Additional features:
• Add up to five dolls to each scene
• Pinch the dolls and objects to resize
• Save scenes to play later
• Ambient sound adds atmosphere to each scene
Available on iTunes for just $5.99.

To view the Sticker Dolly Dressing books in the catalog, click here. Melissa Mallory, Usborne Books and More Independent Consultant, 912.856.1450, mmallory@myubah.com , www.EsteemReading.com , www.Facebook.com/EsteemReading. Usborne Books & More is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

This week, SouthernMamas.com is giving away a just-released book & CD that we love: “Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important,” Trout Fishing in America’s sequel to the award-winning My Name is Chicken Joe.

The story is brought to life with 11 original songs that will have your kids singing out loud every time you play it. Listen to some here.

To enter to win: “like” both Trout Fishing in America and The Secret Mountain on Facebook by clicking here and here.

Watch this cute, quick video here . Email your answer one of these questions to anne@southernmamas.com :

Whose mother had a pet named Chicken Joe? Or which of the artists had a cat named Chicken Joe?

Not into Facebook? Enter to win by commenting below this post.

Deadline to enter is noon Sun. Sept. 18. We’ll announce the winner here and on SouthernMamas.com Facebook.

Chicken Joe is a cat who sleeps in the hen house and is woken up by rollicking rock-and-roll playing roosters. He forgets it‘s his birthday until meeting with friends.a dog named Miss Kitty, a parakeet named King Kong. The new story is written by Trout Fishing in America’s Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, a nationally touring acoustic/folk rock duo whose music has garnered four Grammy nominations and legions of devoted fans.

The book/CD, released Sept. 6, is from the Secret Mountain, the Montreal based purveyor of beautifully produced children’s media. More info here.

You can’t go on a beach vacation without a great book and Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort wants to help you find that perfect beach read.

Palmetto Dunes is throwing a party on Twitter July 20 all about the best summer books. Highlights include giving out lots of fun prizes, including signed books and a Kindle, and talking up favorite authors.

Join the Beach Book Bash on Twitter, July 20 from 8-10 PM for a night of prizes, trivia and fun. If you can answer questions about Palmetto Dunes and Hilton Head correctly, you’ll have a chance to win books, Palmetto Dunes items and more. Winners will be selected randomly from those who answer each question correctly within the allotted time, but only one prize per participant. All participants must follow @PalmettoDunesSC on Twitter to be eligible to win.

Details on how to enter to win here.

Usborne Books and More makes fantastic educational books for kids who love to read and kids who hate to read and everyone in between!  Usborne Books carries 1500+ titles for babies through high school and for the child at heart.  July is an amazing month to discover how you can add these wonderful books to the child in your life’s library.

Melissa Mallory, a mother of 4, is a local consultant and loves the family friendly nature of this business and the satisfaction of promoting literacy in the community.  “It is extremely gratifying to work in a business that I can share with my family.  Usborne has several ways to offer these high quality books to families, schools, and organizations so I can tailor my business to suit the needs of my family.”

Some of Melissa’s services include:

Home shows
Catalog shows
E-shows
Business opportunity
Gift registry/wish list registry
Reading Incentive Program
Matching Grant Program
Book Fairs
Cards for a Cause Fundraiser (NEW!)
School/Library Sales

During the month of July, the fabulous full-sized business kit for new consultants (reg. price-$149)  is available for the mini kit price ($69.99 +tax; shipping included)!  Click here for more information.  Sign up today and begin to write your own success story! 

July is also Double Hostess Rewards for qualifying shows.  How does $200 in FREE BOOKS sound?  This is a great opportunity to build the child in your life’s library or stock up on gifts!  Dates are limited so contact Melissa ASAP to reserve your party date.

Melissa is offering all Southernmamas readers the opportunity to receive 15% off your first order!  Email Melissa at mmallory@myubah.com or call 912-856-1450 by June 30 to place your order.  In addition, readers who place an order of $40 or more will be able to purchase up to 3 of Usborne’s wonderful customer specials (starting as low as $3) for each $40 you spend. You can view the current catalog by starting here.

To keep up with monthly specials, promotions, book reviews, and more, join Melissa’s Usborne Books and More fanpage by clicking here and/or sign up for her monthly newsletter.

Melissa Mallory, 912-856-1450, email mmallory@myubah.com,  Facebook: Esteem Reading-Usborne Books and More, www.EsteemReading.com Usborne Books & More is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Tale Tale Art is the home of personalized illustrations and books for children. These charming customizable creations go beyond the standard insert-name-here.

Does your child have a favorite fairy tale*? You can order a book with original illustrations that incorporates your child into the story. You also have the option of customizing an original story for your child, describing a family experience or a fantasy story.

With both options, you will be in direct contact with the artist and writer throughout the entire process, to make sure you are satisfied with the story and all the illustrations within the book. Your child will be able to read the books for years to come!

The books are playfully readable (over and over again) with imagery that will charm you. So will this: mention SouthernMamas.com to receive a 15 percent discount at Tale Tale Art.

At Tale Tale Art, no request is too extraordinary. You can also obtain original illustrations (posters) from popular stories* for children to use in a nursery or child’s room. And if you don’t see the illustration for the story you are looking for, you can always contact the artist directly to request it.

What a creative way to tell a child “Happy birthday” or “I love you”.

*All the stories illustrated by the artist must be part of the public domain.

Tale Tale Art, www.taletaleart.com, contact via email at taletaleart@hotmail.com  Tale Tale Art is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.