September is the month of the Mid-Autumn Festival, aka Moon Festival for the Chinese and Vietnamese community. This festive event is one of the most important Chinese/Vietnamese celebrations of the year in addition to Chinese/Vietnamese New Year. To read more about the Moon Festival, children can check out Moon Festival from the library. This children's book is written by Ching Yeung Russell and illustrated by Christopher Zhong-Yuan Zhang. The story of children celebrating the traditional autumn Moon Festival is based on the author's memories of her childhood in China. One of the Vietnamese translated to English books that talks about the Mid-Autumn Festival is Tet Trung Thu: Moon Festival. This 52 page Vietnamese/English bilingual book with illustration was written by Le Quang Vinh and published in 1990.

The most recent Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in San Jose took place on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Emma Prusch Farm Park. One of the key sponsors was Office of Vice-Mayor Madison Nguyen. Tully Community and Santa Teresa Branches also participated in the event to present library's services. In addition to finding more information about the library resource, many children and families enjoyed our Lantern Making craft at our booth. See video clip below:

* Preschool Storytime  (Ages 3-5) - Wednedays from 11:30 am - 12:00 Noon

  followed by Stay & Play

* Toddler Storytime  (Ages 1-3) - Thursdays from 10:30 am - 11:30 am

   followed by Stay & Play
       
* Inclusive Storytime  (Ages 2-8) Last Tuesday of the month from 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

 followed by Stay & Play

We invite children and their families to enjoy these storytimes at the Edenvale Branch Library.

Since the Edenvale Branch Library is closed on Fridays and Saturdays, families are also invited to visit the Almaden Branch Library to attend their storytimes.

I visited Southern California last week and actually saw kids running a lemonade stand. I don't know about you but I've only seen this referenced on television or in magazines. I have never seen this in real life. Anyway, I realized the lemonade stand is not just a summertime fun activity for kids to make an extra buck. It's really a first step to teaching your kids about entrepreneurship. Anyway, I came across an article from Wall Street Journal online that gives parents tips on how to encourage their kids to be entrepreneurs that I thought you might enjoy.  

Around the World in 80 Tales by Savior Pirotta.

Take a trip around the world with this delightful collection of short fairytales from Austria to Zimbabwe and over 70 countries in between! As you travel through these tales you’ll visit with pirates, dragons, dancing hyenas, mermaids, giants and even a shell with a beautiful singing voice. You will encounter good friends, fierce enemies, tricky animals and all sorts of amazing and strange wonders. This story-feast is beautifully and charmingly illustrated, adding to the fun.

Do you know what your toothbrush really does when you’re at school?

This summer, challenge your imaginative skills with the Society of Young Inklings

writing challenge, presented in collaboration with San José Public Library.

Step One: Create Your Character

Transform an everyday object into a character. Anything is possible: Bananas

in Peril, Flashlights in Love, or a Hose on the Fritz.

Step Two: Take Your Character On The Town

Take your character on four outings. On each outing, snap your character‘s

photo and write an account of their extraordinary tale.

Step Three: Submit Your Writing

Submit your episodes to the Society of Young Inklings between June 1 and

August 15, 2011—We’ll post them on the Caught on Camera blog.

Step Four: Celebrate!

Participants who complete the challenge are invited to an exclusive celebration

on August 20, 2011  at the Willow Glen Branch Library; complete with a Skype visit from author, Lisa Yee,

games and, of course, delicious treats!

For more information, please visit caught-on-camera.younginklings.com

Open a Book, Open a World

San José’s Summer Reading Celebration Kicks Off June 18

SAN JOSE, Calif. ---San José Public Library’s Summer Reading Celebration kicks off on  Saturday, June 18 at all 19 locations. This year’s theme allows participants to travel to a foreign destination through their neighborhood library. 

All are welcome to enrich their minds through reading and learning this summer.  Signing up for the reading celebration is quick, easy and free.  Teens and adults will have the opportunity to register online starting June 18 and create a personal account to record reading accomplishments.  Children are invited to stop by their local branch library with a parent or guardian to sign up and pickup a reading passport to track their progress. 

Once the sign-up is completed, every eBook, audio book and/or book the participant reads or listens to from June 18 through July 30 will count toward program prize requirements.  Full prize details are available at www.sjpl.org/SRC2011. Prizes can be claimed at a local library.

• Children, birth through age 12, start receiving prizes after reading 15 books by themselves, with friends, or with a parent.  Books read to children are also eligible for prizes.  
• Teens, ages 12-18, start receiving prizes after reading five books and either writing or submitting a link to an original video review of each book read.  Those who prefer to submit a video review will be entered into a drawing for an eReader that will be awarded at the end of the reading celebration.
• Adults, ages 18 and over, do not have reading goals, but are encouraged to post a short review of each book they read. Those who do, become eligible for biweekly prize drawings.

The library will also host a variety of multicultural events for all ages that include live performances, activities and programs.  Check the library’s online Calendar page at www.sjpl.org/calendar for event details and listings at all 19 locations. 

This year’s Summer Reading Celebration is made possible with additional support from the Friends of the King Library and branch library Friends groups.

For more information on the Summer Reading Celebration contact your local branch library or visit www.sjpl.org/SRC2011.

About San José Public Library

San José Public Library system (SJPL) is the largest public library system between San Francisco and Los Angeles, serving a culturally diverse population of approximately 946,000 in the nation’s 10th largest city.  SJPL is recognized across the country for its innovation and leadership in the field and is one of the busiest library systems nationwide, with an annual checkout rate of nearly 14 million items.