by Kirsti Call I love the library! As a kid, I’d invite my friends to go with me on our weekly visits--I couldn’t imagine a more wonderful place! The prospect of a trip to the library still fills me with excitement at the age of 40. Here are three ways I make the most of my library card. 1. Request and Pick Up: As much as I love the library, as a mother of five, I don't really have the time to peruse the stacks like I used to. With the help of my trusty library card, I can reserve books online. I simply sign into my library's website, search for my book, and click on “Place Hold.” When my books are ready, I get an email from the library. When I arrive, they're waiting for me at the front desk. 2. Movie Rentals: We haven't had to pay for a movie in a long time. And yes, streaming is great, but it doesn't fulfill our every need. The library has a huge selection of movies that we can rent for a full week with no charge. 3. Museum Passes: Our library allows us to reserve and print out museum passes from home. This gives us the freedom to enjoy over 22 local museums for free. 4. Library Events: I use my library card to register for library events. The library calendar is full of events for children and adults. We've been to magic shows, scavenger hunts and books clubs. Just last Saturday our family went to book bingo; we each went home with a new book to read! There's nothing better than that! 5. E-Book Rentals: I love always having hundreds of books at my disposal because of my Kindle. I keep it in my purse at all times. You can borrow e-books for free by signing up on Overdrive.com with your local library! How do you make the most of your library card? Kirsti Call is a homeschooling mom of five. Her debut picture book, The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall, came out in 2013 with Character Publishing. Her family band, Calling Out, plays songs written by her children. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus and co-coordinates Reading for Research Month, a challenge for picture book writers who use mentor texts to improve their writing skills. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading or writing. You can find out more about her at www.kirsticall.com.
13 Comments
Anyone who knows me knows that books are my weakness. I’ve got books in every room of my house and I honestly go into withdrawals if I go a day without reading. Reading aloud during the day to my older children is one of the happy hazards of homeschooling. I read to them as they fold the clothes or do the dishes or clean their rooms. It’s a win win situation, right? They’re happy and they’re getting their chores done and we’re doing something educational! I also read picture books to my unsuspecting clients. I’m a marriage and family therapist and a firm believer in bibliotherapy!
So when I learned about World Read Aloud Day, I was thrilled. Exactly one week from today millions of people in more than 100 countries will celebrate world read aloud day by reading aloud of course! I can’t wait to read my book to classrooms in Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Iowa and Georgia over Skype! If you are an author, there’s still time to sign up for Skype visits on the World Read Aloud Day page. Just go to Kate Messner’s blog, to sign up!
Reading aloud is a wonderful way to understand the true impact of the words in any book. As a picture book writer, I look forward to reading picture books to my kids every day because not only can I learn from their reactions to the books, but I also have the privilege of bonding with my kids over book love!
As a bibliophile, I jumped at the chance to team up with Carrie Charley Brown this year to co-coordinate a challenge for book lovers everywhere. It’s called Reading for Research Month (ReFoReMo). The challenge is to read 5 stellar picture books a day for 21 days! As a writer, reading these books helps me improve my writing skills. As a reader, reading these books brings me joy. If you love reading and writing, I invite you to join the challenge. And here’s a song by the brilliant Emily Arrow to get you pumped about book love and ReFoReMo!
Kirsti Call is a homeschooling mom of five. Her debut picture book, The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall, came out December 2013 with Character Publishing. Her family band, Calling Out, plays songs written by her children. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus, and Institute of Children's Literature. She co-coordinates Reading for Research Month, a challenge for picture book writers who use mentor texts to improve their writing skills. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading or writing. You can find out more about her at www.kirsticall.com.
|
Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|