Valentine's Day Celebration!

Don't forget to register for the Valentine's Day celebration which will be held on Wednesday, February 10 at 7 pm...all ages welcome! Stories, snack, games and a “Design-Your-Own Crazy Card Carrier” craft will let kids share the love! Registration is required by either calling the library at 412-882-5694 or clicking here to register online!

Verizon Grant Received

Brentwood Library is pleased to announce a $2,000 grant from Verizon Foundation. It’s going to be a “cool” summer this year as Verizon teams up with the Brentwood Library for “Summer Reading Splash.”

The overall program is entitled “Summer Reading Splash,” with its focus on children retaining or surpassing their literacy skills throughout the summer months. The program is broken down into three reading levels: Tadpoles (pre-readers), Swimmies (early, beginning readers) and Big Fish (children reading independently). In addition to tracking and reporting their reading progress, each group will participate in weekly, one-hour literacy-based library programs, with topics such as letter and phonological awareness, reading retention, writing, and expression. Each child who participates in the “Summer Reading Splash” program will receive a level-appropriate book of their choosing, funded through monies received from the Verizon Foundation grant.

As strong advocates toward the advancement of literacy, the Verizon Foundation is investing in the children of Brentwood and the surrounding community so that Tadpoles, Swimmies, and Big Fish will be filling the library for a fun-filled water themed adventure that will further reading skills and inspire the imagination. For more information please contact the Brentwood Library at 412.882.5694.

Award-Winning Books Announced Today

The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, audiobooks and video for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Boston.

John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature “When You Reach Me,” written by Rebecca Stead, is the 2010 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose and published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly and published by Henry Holt and Company; “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin and published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers; and “The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick and published by The Blue Sky Press, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children “The Lion & the Mouse,” illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, is the 2010 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.

Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “All the World,” illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon and published by Beach Lane Books; and “Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors,” illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
“Going Bovine,” written by Libba Bray, is the 2010 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House.

Odyssey Award for excellence in audiobook production
Live Oak Media, producer of the audiobook “Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken” is the winner of the Odyssey Award. The book was written by Kate DiCamillo and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children
“Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream,” written by Tanya Lee Stone, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for most distinguished beginning reader book
“Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!,” written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes is the Geisel Award winner. The book is published by TOON BOOKS, a division of RAW Junior, LLC.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video
Paul R. Gagne and Mo Willems of Weston Woods, producers of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,” are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book of the same name written and illustrated by Willems; it was narrated by Willems and Jon Scieszka with animation by Pete List.

For a full list of winners, visit the ALA website.

Winter Programming to Begin!

Stop into the library or check your child's backpack for our new Winter/Spring 2010 flyer! Check out our storytimes, after-school and family evening programs! Storytimes begin the week of January 18th and run through mid-April...no registration is necessary! To register for other programs, visit our complete listing of events here!

Winter/Spring 2010 Flyer Now Available

The new winter/spring 2010 flyer for children, teen and adult programs is now available! To view a copy of the flyer, click HERE!

Library Holiday Hours

Brentwood Library Holiday Hours are:

December 24, 25 & 26 -- Closed
December 31 -- Open 10 am - 3 pm
January 1 -- Closed

We hope you have a wonderful, ful-filled, relaxing holiday and a New Year filled with love, happiness and good health!

Holiday Happenings @ Brentwood Library!

We hope you're enjoying your preparations for the holidays! Some fun, festive library happenings at Brentwood are:

Wednesday, December 9 -- 3:30-4:30 pm -- Christmas Cookie Celebration: We’re kicking off the month of December and the holiday season with some creative cookie baking! The dough will be mostly made already, but you’ll be the one to roll it out and use cookie cutters to make your very own cookies! While the cookies are baking, we’ll be enjoying some holiday cheer by way of stories and activities. After the cookies cool, we’ll go decorating crazy! Because we can’t supply a full kitchen of tools for each child, please bring along your own rolling pin. For children in grades 3-5. Registration required.

Thursday, December 10 -- 4-5 pm -- Reindeer Games: Get ready for the holidays by designing and making your own Rudolph from every-day materials! Afterwards, get ready for our version of “reindeer games!” For children entering grades 2-4. Registration is required.

Friday, December 18 -- 7-8 pm -- Holiday Family Party: This December, we’re combining holiday cheer with our Center Stage Spartans performance! Come and watch the performance and celebrate the holidays with refreshments, music, a holiday sing-along and maybe a visit from “you know who!” Bring your camera to capture your child’s special memory! This program is for the entire family! (1/2 dozen cookies per family to share would be appreciated). Registration is required.

To register for any/all of these programs, click here!