Winter Wonderland Has Come Early This Year to Somerset County -- but there is lots to do this season if Mother Nature doesn’t intervene again!

Please note – Winter has brought some unexpected closings to the libraries, please call or check the website if in doubt.

Holiday Closings: The library will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday Dec. 24th and 25th, and Wednesday Jan. 1st.  We will close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve Tuesday Dec. 31st. 

Looking for a special holiday book to read with your kids?  Check out our booklist:
Something Special for the Holidays.

Speaking of READING -- Come in an take a look at the nominated books on display in our department and then vote for your favorites!  Voting closes on December 31st.

 

Programs for Children @ the Bridgewater Library:

The Dark is Coming! (For Grades K-5)  Thursday, December 19 from 4:30-5:30 pm.  Registration required  Is there a moment quite as keen or memory as bright as light and fire and music sweet to warm the winter's night?—Adam Christiansen
Join us as we ward off the winter's chill with winter solstice songs and stories from around the world. We'll also work on a cozy craft to keep the chills away!

It's a Wrap! (Ages 3-10) Monday, December 23 1:30-2:30 pm Registration required  We'll share stories & songs about gifts and giving, then create our own wrapping paper and cards. Please wear old clothes or bring a smock as we will be using paint.

 

Retro Game Day (All ages)  For all ages—families welcome!  Saturday, December 28  from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm  No registration required.   It’s a blast from the past! Come to our Retro Game Day and play video games from the past 30 years! Snacks will be served and we will raffle off gift cards to Game Stop!

 

New Year's at Noon (Ages 3+) Monday, December 30  11:15 am - 12:00 pm.   Registration required.   We're ringing in the new year a day early! Join us for stories, games, crafts, and our very own countdown to noon, complete with a New Year's ball!

 

Let It Snow   (For ages 2-9)   Saturday, January 4  10:30 am.  Registration required and begins December 20.  Whether or not there is snow outside, we can have some winter fun inside with fun stories and songs, plus an indoor snowball fight and a snowman craft. 

Lisa Brown Author Book Signing  Saturday January 4, 2014, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.  Hold the Moments: Creative Experiences in Parenting includes hundreds of art and writing exercises for parents and grandparents to explore with the children in their lives. It also emphasizes keeping a journal of your shared experiences and memories so you and your children can revisit them in years to come.   YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT

 

Music and Movement (Birth to 3 Years)  Monday January 6, 10am and 11 am.  No registration required.   Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and feel the beat of a fun, lively music class! Led by Beth Stone of Kids’ MusicRound.

 
programs end on Dec. 19th, but will resume on Jan. 7th.

Storytime (For Ages 2-6) No Registration Required.  Tuesdays  through  10:30 a.m. Second session at 1:30pm. Join us for stories and songs for the whole family!  This program is aimed at families and is designed for children 3 and up (younger siblings welcome.)

Toddler Time (For Ages 18 months-36 months) No Registration Required.  Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m., repeats at 11:00 a.m.  Also Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.    Clapping and singing and listening to books... introduce your toddler to the beginnings of storytime!

Baby Time (For ages birth - 18 months) No Registration Required.
Thursdays  9:30 a.m. An interactive lap-sit program of songs, rhymes and a story designed to introduce your baby to language and promote early literacy.

Lego Club (Grades K-6) Thursday, January 9  4:30 pm - 5:30 pm.  Registration is required and begins December 20.  Hey LEGO fans, here's a club just for you! Get together with other LEGO-maniacs, share  ideas and tips on building, and have a great time!  Library LEGOS will be available for building, so you do not need to bring your own.  Please Note: Parents are welcome to stay; however, younger siblings cannot be permitted to join this program.

 

Miss Amy's Fitness Rock & Roll  Saturday, January 11 at 10:30 am.  Registration required and begins on December 20.  Get ready to get moving with Miss Amy. Miss Amy rocks and rolls as she makes music fit for kids! This interactive musical show will inspire young children to stay fit while having fun!   Please note: Parents must sign a release and waiver form.  Please print out and sign a copy of our Program Release form and bring it with you on the day of the program. http://www.sclsnj.org/PDFs/SCLSrlsformchild.pdf

 

Play Group (ages Birth to 3 years) Monday January 13th and 27th  10:00 to 10:30 am.  No registration required. Come and play with toys, dance to music, and make new friends!

 

Tail Waggin' Tutors: Children Reading to Dogs (For Children of All Ages)  Tuesday, January 12=4th  4-5pm  Phone or In-Person Registration Only. Registration begins Dec. 30th.   Did you know that dogs like listening to stories as much as kids do? Come to the Bridgewater Library for Tail Waggin’ Tutors, our new program where children will have the opportunity to practice their reading skills by reading a story to Xena the Therapy Dog, a friendly, six-year-old chocolate labradoodle. Each child will have 10 minutes to read a favorite story to his or her new, canine friend.  Sign-ups will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.Therapy Dogs International (TDI®) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.  For more information, please visit www.tdi-dog.org.

 

 Special Needs Cookie Decorating Party   (All ages) Wednesday, January 15 from 4:30 - 5:30 pm. Registration required and begins January 2. Join us as we decorate sugar cookie treats in this program designed for kids with special needs.  Siblings welcome.

 

Circus Place: Let's Join the Circus (For grades 2+) Saturday, January 18  from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. Registration required and begins January 3.  Join us as The Circus Place brings its unique circus training program to the library.  Sit back in amazement as you watch a talented troupe perform some of the most exciting circus skills you've ever seen.  Then, pull the curtains back and learn how to juggle, balance on a tight rope, spin plates and much, much more!  You will walk out ready to perform your very own circus for your friends and families! 

Rocket Readers: 'Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan' (Grades 1-2) Tuesday, January 21st  4:30-5:30pm. Registration required and begins December 9. An exciting program for brand new readers!  At each program we will discuss a book, play some games, or create a story related craft.  This month's book: 'Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan' By: Cynthia Rylant  Join Henry, his dog Mudge, and his father as they enter a snowman building contest at the local park.  Will they be able to build a snowman worthy of winning a prize? **Students should read the book prior to the program.  Copies of the book will be available at the Youth Services Reference Desk.**

Crazy 8 Math Club (For Grades 3-5) Wednesdays, January 22 - March 12 from 4:30-5:30 pm. Registration required and begins January 8th.   Join our new Crazy 8s club, where you’ll build stuff, run and jump, make music, make a mess…a totally new kind of math club!  We’ll do mischief-making activities like Glow in the Dark Geometry, Bouncy Dice Explosion and Toilet Paper Olympics!

January 22^nd - Glow in the Dark Geometry: We’ll cover the floor with glow stick shapes and build a gleaming Egyptian pyramid, then flick off the lights!

January 29^th -Toilet Paper Olympics: Bet you never knew sports and toilet paper could go together, huh? Get on a roll with your Olympian skills in the shot put, the long jump, and the relay race.

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (For ages 2-6)  Monday, January 27th  4:30 pm-5:30 pm.   Registration required and begins January 13.  Celebrate bubble wrap, invented right here in New Jersey, with crafts, games and more.

 

Gung Hay Fat Choy (For Ages 4-11) Thursday, January 30 at 4:30 pm. Registration required and begins on January 16.  It is the start of the Year of the Horse.  Come celebrate the Chinese New Year with stories, crafts and a festive parade! 

@ Bridgewater Library for Tweens and Teens:

Open Mic Cafe Night (Ages 13+) Thursday, Dec. 19th from 6:45-8:45pm.  Registration required.  REPEATS on January 23rd. Think you’ve got what it takes to get up on stage in front of your peers with nothing but your voice and guitar? Want to share your poetry, comedy, or original music? Not an artist, but would like to witness some of the most inspiring artists Somerset County has to offer? Then join us for this one of a kind experience, and help local musicians and writers have their voices heard.
Depending on registration, artists will receive ~ 10 minute slots to play music or recite poetry. Sign ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis. *Note: As ages of audience members range from children to adults, please consider the content of your performance. You will be asked to leave should your set contain indecent speech.

  

Make a Difference @ the Library! (Volunteer opportunites for Grades 5 - 6) Monday, January 6  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  Registration required and begins December 9

ATTENTION STUDENTS IN GRADES 5 AND 6: Here is your chance to make a difference by volunteering at the library! You can help the library with special projects including creating bookmarks for young children, organizing and tidying up the Children’s Room, and much more!

 

Wintery Treats and Sugary Sweets (For grades 4-6)  Monday, January 13  from 4:30-5:30 pm.  Registration required and begins on December 30. Create an enjoy a delicious confection at our tween cookie decorating party.

 

Make It, Take It - Gingerbread Houses (Grades 6-12) Wednesday, January 22 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Registration required and begins on January 2.  Come celebrate winter by making gingerbread houses!  Put your imagination to the test by using graham crackers, ice cream cones, cookies, candy, and frosting to create beautiful winter scenes.  We'll provide the materials, you provide the creativity!

TAB Meeting (Grades 6-8)  Tuesday Jan. 28th, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. TAB Meeting (Grades 9-12) 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM  Story Well. Registration Required. Do you want to make a difference at your library? Do you have suggestions for programs, new books, movies, or video games?  Then come to one of our upcoming T.A.B. meetings! Community service hours will be awarded for attendance and snacks will be served!   Do you want to make a difference at your library? Do you have suggestions for programs, new books, movies, or video games?  Then come to one of our upcoming T.A.B. meetings! Community service hours will be awarded for attendance and snacks will be served!

Winter Lock-In: Super Smash Brothers Brawl (For grades 7-11) Friday, January 31 from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm. Registration required and begins on January 10.  TEENS: Get locked in the library after hours!!!!!! In this Winter edition of our Lock-In, we’ll have a Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament! Don’t like video games? That’s OK--we’ll have plenty of crafts, games, movies, snacks, and other activities, too!   No admittance after 6:45 pm. Advance notice required if teen must leave the program early. 

Want more info about upcoming programs? Check out  January teen calendar here.

 

Around the Community:

IT’S A WONDERFUL SHOW @ RVCC ARTS THIS WEDNESDAY

It's a Wonderful Life   WVL Radio Theatre
WHEN: Wednesday, December 18, at 2 & 7 PM
WHERE: The Theatre at RVCC, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
TICKETS: $10 at 2 PM, $25 at 7 PM   tickets

It's Christmas Eve in 1945, and only a handful of WVL Radio's actors have braved the blizzard to perform that evening's broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life; the only hope for keeping the station afloat. This clever stage adaptation breathes new life into the poignant story of George Bailey and Bedford Falls.

The story is juxtaposed against a time of failing banks, devastatingly high unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing.

The circumstances are eerily familiar, and over 60 years later, this story remains as fresh and relevant as ever. Its message of hope and optimism is the perfect antidote to holiday cynicism.

 

One of the displays is at Grounds for Sculpture – and you can borrow free admission passes at the library.

MORE LOCATIONS.

ZANY CHRISTMAS SHOW CONTINURES @ DOVER LITTLE THEATRE

Dover Little Theatre will present its second show of the 81st season

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
written by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez
original music by Will Knapp
Directed by Alison Devereaux-Smith

WHEN: December 7-21, Friday and Saturday performances at 8 PM and Sunday matinees at 2 PM
WHERE: Dover Little Theatre, 69 Elliott St., Dover
TICKETS: $17
For reservations please call 973.328.9202

This Christmas comedy demonstrates how instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told—plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung.A madcap romp through the holiday season!

MAGICAL STORY BEHIND CHRISTMAS LETTER @ SVP THROUGH DEC. 22

By Andrew J. Fenady
Directed by Emily M. Windus

WHEN: December 6th through December 22nd, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM with an additional matinee on Saturday, December 14th, at 2 PM
WHERE: Somerset Valley Players, 689 Amwell Road, Hillsborough
TICKETS: $18 (Adults), $16 (Seniors/Students).
For tickets please visit www.svptheatre.org
For more information please contact us at 908.369.7469.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus . . . and here is a magical story behind those famous words, where in 1897 New York City a skeptical little girl sparks the noble flame of the Christmas spirit, igniting the timeless editorial which uplifts the spirits of a determined immigrant family believing in the American dream and renews the faith of a hardened newspaper reporter seeking redemption from personal adversity.

For more information: http://www.morrismuseum.org

 

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For more information, go to: http://www.morrisparks.net/ (above links won’t work.)

For more information: http://www.raritanval.edu/comm/planet/public.html#December

MAKE A MEMORY WITH THEATER TIX FOR YOUR KIDS @ 20% OFF THROUGH JANUARY 6

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer Perth Theatre Company
WHEN: Friday, January 31 at 7PM
WHERE: The Theatre at RVCC, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
The seas have risen, many have perished and those who are left live on farms atop skyscrapers and mountains. A last ditch effort to save the human race requires Alvin Sputnik journeying down through the mysterious depths of the deep blue sea to find a new place for us to live. (AGES 8+) CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

The Snail and the Whale Tall Stories
WHEN: Saturday, March 1, 1 & 3:30 PM
A tiny snail hitches a lift on the tail of a huge humpback whale. The little snail is amazed by it all, but starts feeling very small in the vastness of the world. Then disaster strikes - the whale becomes beached in a bay... Can the tiny snail save the day? (AGES 4+) CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

Hatched  Treehouse Shakers
WHEN: Thursday, April 10, 10 AM,1:30 PM & 4 PM
Hatched is the original performance of a newborn chick emerging from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Performed through movement, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, the story is set amidst an American family farm. (AGES 2+)CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

These and 17 other events—something for everyone—are on sale, on-line, at 20% off through January 6. Batteries not included, or needed, and one size truly does fit all!

Thanks to Ruth Ross of njartsmaven.com for some of these listings….

Let Your Fingers Do More Walking…

a picture to warm a librarian’s heart…

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/12/12/250296766/with-one-photo-the-average-commute-becomes-super-special

Megan Freund

I was scrolling through the pictures, wishing I'd taken one of my son and I on our 3+ hour/day commute from Brooklyn to the UWS and back, when I saw our photo and began to cry.

We've been commuting together since my son was four months old. While I couldn't begin to imagine how much work it would actually be to commute with a baby, then a toddler, and now a little boy (who knows anything about such things before we're blessed with children?) I also had no sense of how many great things it would bring to our life. We've met friends who've enjoyed watching Eli grow up. I've seen so much kindness and generosity towards an overburdened mom at the end of the day.

If my son were in day care/preschool near our home, I would miss 3.5 hours per day with him. These moments are precious. We read, we play, we talk. The train can be incredibly public (try disciplining your toddler in front of a train full of commuters) and intensely private, as can be seen in this amazing photo I didn't even know was being taken. And to think - I'm reading my son a book about dinosaurs that my own father gave me for Christmas - in 1988!

Today’s great Bedtime Math problem…

Answers and more great problems...HERE.

A somber anniversary….

http://www.npr.org/2013/12/12/250287971/newtown-parents-seek-a-clearer-window-into-violent-behavior

Last minute gift book buying?

Looking for books for gift-giving?  We have a list in the library and you can also take a look at this list from Imagination Soup! http://imaginationsoup.net/2013/11/childrens-books-gift-guide/

Books to Keep Math Skills Sharp All Year Round 

Art & Science: Flutterby Butterfly

 

“Learn about these marvelous creatures, add a bit of optical illusion, then we'll create our own beautiful butterflies!”

A program looking at the life cycle of butterflies, along with a celebration of individual difference, a spot of sign language, a wild look at the freaky but fascinating five-hundred year old artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, plus fun craft stations exploring his art, bi-lateral symmetry,  origami, and more. (K-5)

· Background music: George Winston’s “Summer”

· Read: Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel or Bubba and Trixie by Lisa Campbell Ernst (both compassionate friends stories dealing with the transition from caterpillar to butterfly.)

· Read: A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston

· Sign Language Song "Look Up, Look Down" from Pick Me Up: Fun Songs for Learning Signs.

· Read: If at First You Do Not See by Ruth Brown (clever turn around book, vegetation becomes faces)...inspired by the works of the 16th c. Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo -- kids will adore seeing his amazing paintings -- images online at: http://www.giuseppe-arcimboldo.org/
or go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo for more links and info.  More ideas also at: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/picture-this-peach-cheeks-blackberry.html

· Stations:

o Symmetry – Cut out a Butterfly, paint one half & fold – bilateral symmetry http://www.coloring.ws/butterfly1.htm

o Coffee Filter butterflies (filters, markers, spray bottles) http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mcoffeefilter-butterfly.htm

o Butterfly illusions – create a face using butterflies like Arcimboldo

o Butterfly match game – chrysalis/butterfly matching game (photocopied from A Butterfly is Patient)

o Butterfly life cycle http://www.thebutterflysite.com/22-butterfly-coloring-pages.html

o Butterfly mask (could also use to make flying butterfly) http://www.dltk-kids.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/mardigras/images/bmask2.gif

o http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/insects/butterfly_flier.htm

o origami butterfly http://www.origami-instructions.com/easy-origami-butterfly.html

o other ideas: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/insects/butterflies.htm

Table signs are below:

Kids (and Grownups) can Experience the Thrill of Science at Free Demonstration at Rutgers and many wonderful area events this month.

 

For December Events at Bridgewater Library, click here:  http://bwlibys.blogspot.com/2013/11/holiday-happenings-at-bridgewater.html

Family Events Around Our Community:

SCIENCE EXCITEMENT AT RUTGERS THIS WEEKEND.

Exploding hydrogen balloons, a physics professor lying on a bed of nails, shattering glass through the use of sound, and much more!

Rutgers University Department of Physics and Astronomy presents their annual Rutgers Faraday Christmas Children's Lecture – an amazing science demo.  (Get there early if you want to get seats at the live show!)

View all shows anywhere over the internet via youtube via this streaming link. Note: overflow seating will be accommodated via an internet TV link to an adjacent classroom.

Speaking of science on the Internet, check out this article:
SCIENTISTS QUIT THEIR DAY JOBS, HEAD OVER TO YOUTUBE
From NPR’s Marketplace:

In the last year, YouTube has become the place to watch really smart people with advanced degrees hold forth on science. The top science channels got hundreds of millions of views with their zippy explanations of dark matter and the periodic table. "Education" videos on YouTube now get twice as many views as "Pets & Animals" videos, according to the company. Science nerds are officially beating out the cat playing a piano, that old juggernaut of online video.

Vsauce, the top YouTube science show, averages 20 million viewers a month—something in the range of NBC’s Sunday Night Football audience. Minute Physics, Crash Course, SciShow and The Brain Scoop are a few of the several shows producing fun, compelling science videos. Even Bill Nye the Science Guy, who hosted an Emmy Award-winning show on PBS in the nineties, has made guest appearances on online shows like ASAP Science.    [MORE]


RARITAN VALLEY SYMPHONIC BAND PRESENTS: A SYMPHONIC CELEBRATION



DREAMCATCHER PRESENTS HOLIDAY SPECIAL IN SUMMIT

CELEBRATE A 1920s CHRISTMAS @ FOSTERFIELDS HISTORIC FARM

www.morrisparks.net

www.morrisparks.net

ADAPTATION OF STORIES WRITTEN BY CHILDREN @ THE BICKFORD THEATRE

The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum announces

The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t

WHEN: Sunday, December 8, 2:00 PM
WHERE: Bickford Theatre in the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown
TICKETS: $10 for Museum members; $12 for non-members; $9 for groups (20 or more).
To purchase tickets, please call 973.971.3706.
The Christmas That Almost Wasn't provides a special behind-the-scenes peek at the hustle bustle, and near disasters of the Christmas season. Adapted entirely from stories written by children, the play includes three acts. InDinky, The Dancing Reindeer, one of Santa’s reindeer can't decide if she wants to be a dancer or a member of the sleigh team. How Santa Got Well tells the story of an illness that keeps Santa at home on Christmas Eve until a cure appears from the most unlikely of places. Finally, in Santa and the Witch, Santa falls under a witch’s sleeping spell.
The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t is recommended for children ages three to nine. The play is produced by Child's Play Touring Theatre of Chicago, Illinois.

1940s STYLE “LIVE” RADIO SHOW IN DUNELLEN FOR 1 NIGHT ONLY

Dunellen Skylight Theatre Productions presents
WDST Christmas!
A 1940’s style one night only “live” radio show event. A flashback to our past, the show will feature 1940’s songs, classic carols, stories, refreshments, and good old fashioned Christmas fun for ALL!
WHEN: Friday, December 13, at 7:30 PM
WHERE: St. John’s Auditorium, Corner of Washington Ave and First St. Dunellen
ADMISSION: Free-will donation at the door. Suggested donation of $10. For more information visit us on Facebook or e-maildunellenskylight@yahoo.com

LITTLE-PERFORMED “PERICLES” TO GRACE STNJ STAGE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Costume renderings by Jayoung Yoon.
To learn more about this production of "Pericles," click here for the interactive Know the Show Guide!

MULTI-CULTURAL CELEBERATION OF HOLIDAY SPRIIT @ CROSSROADS THEATRE: KIDS UNDER 12 GO FREE!

7 LIVINGSTON AVE. NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901
www.crossroadstheatrecompany.org






http://search.mycentraljersey.com/localevents/event//62512-Sensitive-Santa-for-Children-with-Autism-Special-Needs

Thanks to Ruth Ross of njartsmaven.com for some of these listings!



LET YOUR FINGERS DO MORE WALKING!

Best Kids Books of 2013

Bianca Schulze | November 20, 2013 |

The moment you have been waiting for … as picked by the editors and contributors of The Children’s Book Review, here are the best kids books of 2013.

• Best Board Books
• Best Picture Books
• Best Elementary & Middle Grade Books
• Best Young Adult Novels
• Best Series with 2013 Releases

Best Board Books

TouchThinkLearn: Colors

By Xavier Deneux
Introducing TouchThinkLearn books, a format unlike any other. Combining scooped-out die-cuts with raised, shaped elements, each book is designed to offer the youngest learners an irresistible opportunity to explore their universe in a hands-on, multisensory way. Seeing the image, tracing its shape, saying its name: these modes of perception combine in a dynamic way to stimulate understanding of essential concepts. Experience green both in the beauty of a raised leaf’s surface as well as in the caterpillar that munches on the leaf’s edge. Celebrate a moon rising into the night, while simultaneously a sun sets deep into the mirroring page. Translating abstract thought into tangible knowledge, groundbreaking TouchThinkLearn books give early learning new dimension.
Ages 0-4 | Publisher: Chronicle Books | July 23, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-1452117263

Check out the full list of the best board books of 2013.

Best Picture Books

Maps

By Aleksandra Mizielinska & Daniel Mizielinski
Travel the world without leaving your living room.
This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis. It features not only borders, cities, rivers, and peaks, but also places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals and plants, cultural events, and many more fascinating facts associated with every region of our planet.
Ages 7-10 | Publisher: Big Picture Press | October 8, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-0763668969

Check out the full list of the best picture books of 2013.

Best Elementary & Middle Grade Books

Counting by 7s

By Holly Goldberg Sloan

In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.
Ages 10 and up | Publisher: Dial | August 29, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-0803738553

Check out the full list of the best elementary and middle grade books of 2013.

Best Young Adult Novels

Rose Under Fire

By Elizabeth Wein
While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbr ck, the notorious women’s concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.
Ages 15 and up | Publisher: Disney-Hyperion | September 10, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-1423183099

Check out the full list of the best YA books of 2013.

Best Series with 2013 Release(s)

Heroes of Olympus

By Rick Riordan
Ages 10 and up

Check out the full list of the best kids series books of 2013.

Answers (and more like this) at: http://bedtimemath.org/big-balloon-bash/





The Affordable Care Act (ACA) takes effect in January, 2014.  By March, 2014 all Americans will be required by law to have health insurance.  The Somerset County Library System (SCLS) is hosting information and enrollment assistance services for individuals, families and small business owners at all ten branches through at least March, 2014.
The times and branch location information is as follows:

• Bound Brook LibraryThursdays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  Saturdays, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Bridgewater LibraryWednesdays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  Saturdays, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Hillsborough LibrarySaturdays, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (12/7/2013-3/29/2014)
• Manville LibraryMondays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  Saturdays, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Mary Jacobs LibraryThursdays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
• North Plainfield LibraryTuesdays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  Saturdays, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Peapack Gladstone Library1^St Saturday and 3^rd Wednesday
  (12/7/13 to 3/19/14)
• Somerville Library12/17/13, 11:00 AM
  1/14/2014, 3:00 PM
  2/11/2014, 6:00 PM
  3/11/2014, 11:00 AM
• Warren LibraryMondays, 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  (1/6/14, 2/3/14, 3/3/14, 4/7/14)
• Watchung LibraryFridays, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

The enrollment assistance programs are being offered cost free to all Somerset County residents.  Partnering with the CognoSante, on behalf of the US Department of Health, SCLS is offering this service to help local residents in obtaining the health care insurance coverage they will need.
Information that applicants will need to bring in order to complete the enrollment process includes:

• Current healthcare insurance (if applies) and policy numbers
• Information about health care coverage available through current jobs
• Social security numbers (or documentation for legal immigrants)
• Household income
• Employer and income information verification for every member of household requiring coverage (pay stubs or W-2 forms are acceptable)

“We recognized a need for navigating through the ACA process as it is often confusing.  By partnering with CognoSante, we are happy to provide this service,” noted Mun Hwa Chen, head of adult services.
Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908)526-4016 extension 105 or visit the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.