Kids Blog

Calling all of you who love to cook -  the Junior MasterChef Australia Cookbook is the one for you.
It has loads of yummy recipes for you to try and a menu planner at the back as well. It’s divided into different occasions -  Mother’s day Brunch and Cupcake Party or Sunday Roast.
So go on – impress your friends and family and whip up an awesome meal or two. Happy cooking!

This Saturday 10th December we have a family treasure hunt at Central Library,  all teams need to have at least one member under 18 years, and all entries go in to win the prize of a Wii.

Bring the family along to celebrate our 20th anniversary with us this Saturday @ Central Library from 9.30am til 5pm.

Join us for a “Summer Holiday” themed storytime at 10.30am next Thursday 8th December.  Rose Swindells  from the Community Centre will be there as well with an activity to make your own Pohutukawa flower.

Come along to  Island Bay Library and enjoy this  free fun event for the whole whanau.

Are you a Where’s Wally fan? How does a super mega dose of Where’s Wally sound to you? Well if this has gotten you interested, why don’t you check out the book Where’s Wally?: The Totally Essential Travel Collection and get searching for Wally. Travel with Wally but don’t lose him! You’ll have endless fun with this book because it is a compilation of seven fantastic journeys. So get your eyes working and start searching!

Karori Library’s popular creative writing workshops are back!

Helen and Mary’s workshops will help you build confidence, take pride in your work, develop creativity, improve literacy, increase general braininess and just a lot of fun.

Details:

For 8-12 year olds

18th october 1-4pm at Karori Library

Cost: $30

Places are limited and will fill up quickly.  Email brainbunny@hotmail.com to secure your place.

Pop along to Island Bay Library on Thursday 22 September, 10.30-11.30 for a special Kiwiana storytime with stories and activities – Make your own piwakawaka or fantail! It’s free and all whanau are welcome – don’t miss out!

For more information contact Rose Swindells, phone 383 7464 or 021 227 8206. 

Nau mai, haere mai!

Can you really trust your eyes? I came across this book called Eye Bogglers and it has amazing illusions that will really make you question your vision. It has colourful illustrations that will make you curious and also make you see things you never thought possible. Amaze people with these illusions and see how mesmerized they will be too.

As this book says in the introduction, growing up is not something you should rush into.

So, if you are not ready for the serious stuff of life yet, you may be interested in having a nosey here.

Just a few of the important things included are:  how to booby trap a drink , how to shinny up a tree, frozen underpants, the one-person piggy back , great cell phone shots and so on.

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity is a chunky  (nearly 200 pages)  book of activities, pranks and info that you can’t miss if you enjoy the ridiculous.

Are your eyes crossing like mine? That’s because we are shaking things up this month at Stories @ 7! Instead of our usual story format, we will attempt to solve some Peculiarly Puzzling Stories. (There’ll be games too!) You’ll need your wits about you so you’ll certainly want to bring an astute amigo.

Friday 2 September 7PM @ Central Library for ages 7 and up!

But why can’t I? / written by Sue Graves ; illustrated by Desideria Guicciardini.

George thinks rules are silly and refuses to keep them. Find out what happens when his babysitter arrives. Does he change his mind?

Not fair, won’t share / written by Sue Graves ; illustrated by Desideria Guicciardini.

Posy, Ben and Alfie have to share playing with a superdooper space station but Posy doesn’t want to share. Do the others get their turn? Read and see.
Who feels scared? / written by Sue Graves ; illustrated by Desideria Guicciardini.

Jack is having a sleepover at his house but he and his friends all hear noises and get scared. How does his father come to the rescue?
The Masai : tribe of warriors / written and photographed by Jonathan and Angela Scott.

Cattle are the centre of life for the Masai people of Kenya and Tanzania. In the past, young men would raid cattle to prove themselves as warriors and have to kill a lion with only a spear. What do they have to do today? Read this great book to find out and enjoy learning about a totally different culture. Great photos and easy text make this a great read .
Footballers / Adam Sutherland.

Did you know that Wesley Sneijder’s coaches blew a whistle and stopped training every time Sneijder touched the ball with his right foot? This was to help him practise with his weaker left foot. Learn heaps more about today’s greatest footballers from around the world in this new book. We also have other titles in this Celebrities Secrets series; Film Stars and Pop Stars are two of them.

Musical instruments for children : choosing what’s right for your child / Richard Crozier.
This book is really to help your parents understand why you want to learn a particular instrument, the kettle drum for example. It gives them advice on what really is the best instrument for your personality and all the tips on how to keep you motivated till you’re a world class performer!

Anti-terrorism campaigns.

If you’re studying terrorism and are year 8 or older then this book will be a great help. It focuses on USA campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and is written from the American perspective. Crammed full of facts with lots of maps too. The text is best suited to advanced readers.

The AWW cooking school for kids / food Director, Pamela Clark.

Another wonderful book to get you cooking! Mouth watering photos of every recipe and the steps involved make the cooking easy. My favourites are Caramel Banana Tart and Chicken and Mushroom Party Pies. Yum!

Spotlight on South Africa / Bobbie Kalman.

Apartheid is no longer a law in South Africa. Some people have better jobs with more pay but many are still living in shantytowns. This book gives a good overview of the country as it is today, with easy text and lots of great photos. The glossary at the back helps you understand some of the words you may not know.  Good for projects. Look out for this SPOTLIGHT series as there are books on lots of countries you may want to study.

Life cycles / written by Sally Morgan.

If you want to know all about the life cycle of salmon then this is the book! There is a general section on  life cycles covering many insects and animals then the remainder of the book is about the North Atlantic salmon. Wonderful photos and pictures help explain the text.

Big book of big animals / Hazel Maskell ; illustrated by Fabiano Fiorin.

Open the huge fold-out pages to see some of the tallest, longest and heaviest animals in the world. Great little facts about each animal add to the interest of this book. Lammergeiers, for example are huge birds of prey that eat bones. They often drop bigger bones onto rocks to shatter them into smaller bite-sized pieces. Who knew?

Children of the Dust Bowl : the true story of the school at Weedpatch Camp / Jerry Stanley ; illustrated with photographs.
This book is for older readers. It starts by describing the conditions of the  farmers and settlers during the drought of  the 1930s. Lots of photos help us understand the desperate conditions that drove them to travel across the country to California. The remainder of the book focuses on the efforts of Leo Hart, who founded  Weedpatch School.  The children from the dust bowl states, (Okie children)  actually helped build it. Throughout are songs and stories from people who survived. They tell of the filth and heat and dust, of the meals of coffee grounds and apple pips, and of the prejudice and poverty encountered in the California promised land.  “A powerful account of a desperate time” (Book cover)
How to do everything / written by John Woodward ; contributors, Francesca Baines … [et al.] ; illustrated by Tobatron.
How to do, make and explore just about everything! How to Do Everything is a fantastic and unique combination of reference material, fun facts, exciting activities and instructions for life. It covers everything from boiling an egg to making a movie so you’ll never be stuck wondering what to do again! So what are you waiting for? Get Busy!  (Book cover)
How to beat your dad at chess / Murray Chandler.

This is a chess book for everyone, from eight to eighty, beginner to master. It explains the best ways to beat a stronger opponent by forcing checkmate. So if you want to do the Double Rook Sacrifice or the See-Saw or the Arabian Mate check out this book.