Fall 2023
 Early Literacy Newsletter
In this Issue
Fall 2023 Early Literacy Newsletter
Library News
Native American Heritage Month
What is a Friend?
Additional Resources for Parents
Library News
 
LIBRARY EVENTS AT CBCPL
The following events are held in Corvallis. For information regarding events that are held at the Monroe, Philomath, and Alsea community libraries, please check out the library's events calendar. 
 
FAMILY STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUM (Partnership between CBCPL and the Corvallis Museum)
Wednesday, 9/20  & Friday, 12/1, 2023    10:30 am
CORVALLIS MUSEUM
*There will be No storytime at the Corvallis Public Library on these days. 
Join us for a special family storytime at the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum at 411 SW 2nd St. Admission is free for families with children.
 
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MOVIE SCREENING: ENCANTO
Friday, 9/29, 2023    4:00-7:00 pm
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, come watch the movie Encanto with Spanish subtitles. 
 
FAMILY CRAFT NIGHT 
Tuesdays, 10/24, 12/19, 2023  5:30-7:00 pm
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
Come make crafts with the Library and The Arts Center. All supplies will be provided. All ages are welcome.
 
BUILD WITH THE BEAVS LEGO CLUB
Wednesdays, 10/4, 11/1, 12/6, 2023 & 1/3/2024   4:00-5:00 pm
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
Come build with fellow Lego fans and Oregon State student-athletes! Put your skills to the test with new building challenges each month. LEGO bricks provided. Drop in.  
 
FAMILY MUSIC FUN
Saturdays, 10/14, 12/9, 2023    10:30-11:15 am
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
Come sing, clap, move your body to music with Marisa in this interactive music program designed for families with children between the ages of 2 and 10.
 
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MOVIE NIGHT: COCO
Friday, 11/3, 2023    4:00-6:00 pm
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY MAIN MEETING ROOM
Come see the family movie Coco in celebration of Día de los Muertos. Drop-in. 
 
SCIENCE SATURDAY: CORAL REEFS
Saturday, 11/4, 2023    10:30-11:30 am
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY MAIN MEETING ROOM
Explore our planet's coral reefs. Create a community mural for our special Coral Reef Community Art Collab display at the library on November 18th. A science-themed storytime will be followed by hands-on activities to encourage the exploration of science, math and literacy. Activities are designed for preschool-age kids. 
 
CORAL REEF COMMUNITY ART COLLAB
Saturday, 11/18, 2023    2:00-4:00 pm
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY MAIN MEETING ROOM
Join us for a community art display of coral reef in collaboration with Maxtivity and The Arts Center. For more information, please check out this flyer. 
 
 
New E-Resource for Kids

Explore the library's new kids' digital resource for books in Spanish. "MakeMake offers a carefully curated selection of books in Spanish from the best Latin American publishing houses to promote critical and quality reading in children and youths." (makemake.com.co)
 
 Log in from home with your library card number and pin
STORYTIMES AT CBCPL

WEEKLY STORYTIMES!
INFANT STORYTIME (birth-1 year) Tuesdays, 10:30 am
TODDLER STORYTIME (1-3 years) Wednesdays, 10:30 am
PRESCHOOL STORYTIME (3-5 years) Thursdays, 10:30 am
FAMILY STORYTIME (all ages) Fridays, 10:30 am 
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
** NO storytimes on: 9/20, 9/22, 10/10, 10/18, 10/19, 10/20, 10/25, 11/23, 12/1
 
Storytime is offered weekly as a drop-in program: first come, first served at the Corvallis Public Library's Main Meeting Room. Space is limited due to the room capacity and to provide a positive, safe environment for all. Children must be accompanied by a grown-up. Drop-in.
 
SATURDAY STORIES!
Saturdays, 9/16 & 10/7, 2023,    10:30 am
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM  
 
Join us for a 20 minute, all-ages family storytime at the Corvallis Public Library's Main Meeting Room! Short stories, songs, and rhymes will be shared. Children must be accompanied by a grown-up. Drop-in.
 
LOS CUENTOS
Saturdays,  9/30, 10/21, 11/18. 12/16, 2023, 10:30 am
CORVALLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN MEETING ROOM
 
A bilingual storytime in English and Spanish for children of all ages. Children must be accompanied by a grown-up. Drop-in.  
 
First Readers Book Club
The First Readers Book Club is for kids who are reading early reader books and features a book club kit every other month. Each kit includes a paperback copy of an early reader book, discussion questions, and a craft. Available while supplies last. Books and supplies are provided by the Friends of the Library. 
 
November First Readers Book Club Title: 
Mouse Loves Fall by Lauren Thompson
On a crisp autumn day, Mouse and Minka celebrate fall by jumping in a pile of leaves.
 
A limited number of kits will be available for pick-up beginning November 18, 2023 on a first-come, first-served basis at each library branch. Kit includes an early reader book and supplies for a craft activity. A small number of kits will also be available for home delivery. Please contact Youth Services at 541-766-6794 for more information.
Native American Heritage Month 
November is National Native American Heritage month.  
 
The mud pony : a traditional Skidi Pawnee tale
by Caron Lee Cohen

A poor boy becomes a powerful leader when Mother Earth turns his mud pony into a real one, but after the pony turns back to mud, he must find his own strength
Coyote in love : the story of Crater Lake
by Mindy Dwyer

A retelling of a Native American legend about Coyote's love for a beautiful blue star, which resulted in the creation of Crater Lake, Oregon
Knots on a counting rope
by Bill Martin

In a poignant tale of intergenerational love and respect, the counting rope becomes a metaphor for the passage of time and for a boy's emerging confidence in facing his greatest challenge: blindness. 
For more book suggestions on this topic, explore with this booklist or ask a librarian at your library branch.
 
What is a Friend? 
To a very young child, a friend is probably someone who comes to their birthday party and brings a gift, or someone who is willing to share their coveted snack.  Making friends requires many social skills, and helping children with those social skills can make an impact on their future school life and social development. What can adults do to help? Try some of these tips using the 5 early literacy practices of talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. 
 
Talk:
  • Listening and talking with children are two of the best ways to establish trust and compassion. When that trust and compassion is established, children are more likely to exhibit compassion towards others.  
  • Big feelings are often brought up when it comes to making and maintaining friendships, even in very young children. Therefore, teaching children how to identify their emotions and how to cope with those emotions appropriately play a big role in children's ability to understand friendships. Talk and label emotions you see your child display - "You are pouting and your hands are wrapped around your body, you seem angry or upset." Suggest some things your child can do to alleviate that emotion and practice together. 
 
Sing:
Friend of Mine sung to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb":
   Will you be a friend of mine,
   friend of mine, friend of mine.
   Will you be a friend of mine,
   and (choose an action) around with me?     (dance, jump, skip, etc.)
 
Check out this list of friendship songs for kids and listen to the songs on YouTube. 

Read:
  • "Picture books teach young children the importance of empathy, respect, cooperation, and problem-solving while helping them better understand different perspectives and cultures." (source: https://childrenslibrarylady.com/books-making-friends)
  • After reading a book about friends, talk about the situations that came up in the story. Ask your child how they worked through the problems, or what made the characters friends, or how the friends spent their time together. Try some of these book suggestions.
We are (not) friends
by Anna Kang

A fun-filled playdate between two fuzzy buddies is challenged by the arrival of a third friend and activities throughout a day in which each feels occasionally left out, until a whimsical eruption of tempers ensues. By the award-winning creators of You Are (Not) Small.
Say hello
by Jack Foreman

Joining in a game of ball with the local kids, a little dog notices a lonely boy on the sidelines looking sad and so begins to wonder which one of his new playmates will invite the little boy to play with them, in a touching tale about inclusiveness.
New friends for Zaza
by Mylo Freeman

When Zaza goes to daycare for the first time, she makes new friends while playing with her stuffed animal Rosie
Let's play! : a book about making friends
by Amanda McCardie

A lonely school newcomer discovers how to make friends by accepting small acts of kindness and passing that kindness on to others by being thoughtful, celebrating differences and standing up for one another. 
Be a friend
by Salina Yoon

"Dennis is an ordinary boy who expresses himself in extraordinary ways. Some children do show-and-tell. Dennis mimes his. Some children climb trees. Dennis is happy to BE a tree... But being a mime can be lonely. It isn't until Dennis meets a girl named Joy that he discovers the power of friendship--and how special he truly is!"
We don't eat our classmates
by Ryan T Higgins

The award-winning creator of Mother Bruce presents the story of a dinosaur preschooler who has difficulty making friends with tasty humans, before discovering that she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. 
Words to make a friend : a story in Japanese and English
by Donna Jo Napoli

As a Japanese girl and an American girl have a fun-filled day in the snow, this unique bilingual English/Japanese picture book proves that you don't need to speak the same language to understand each other. 
Meesha makes friends
by Tom Percival

A creative youngster who has difficulties with social cues discovers a special talent that helps her navigate social situations and make friends.
Me and my fear
by Francesca Sanna

When a young girl has to move countries and start at a new school, her fear tells her to be alone and afraid. How can she hope to make friends if she doesn't understand anyone? Surely no one else feels the same way
The lion inside
by Rachel Bright

A little mouse decides to seek lessons in roaring from the mighty lion--who happens to be afraid of mice--and the two become good friends
Can Cat and Bird be friends?
by Coll Muir

Instead of eating Bird, Cat decides that friendship is better, but will the pair find something in common?
Your Pal Mo Willems Presents Leonardo the Terrible Monster
by Mo Willems

Losing all hope in his ability to scare people, which is sorely lacking, Leonardo, who is terrible at being a monster, discovers a nervous little boy who seems to be the perfect candidate for him to practice on. 
Hello, my name is Ruby
by Philip Christian Stead

Fearless Ruby, a plucky little bird, ventures through life, making new friends, learning new skills and asking questions which may have some very surprising answers.
The Kraken's rules for making friends
by Brittany R. Jacobs

"It's no big surprise that the Kraken has no friends, but he is TIRED OF IT. With a bad temper and a knack for destruction, his talent for meeting new fish is...not so seaworthy. He finds hope when another monster of the deep, a great white shark, offers him some RULES FOR MAKING FRIENDS. Will these rules help the most terrifying monster of the deep make a new chum?" 
Best friends forever
by Owen Hart

Rhyming text celebrates the different types of friendships, including friends that make you laugh, offer good advice, and best friends the most special of them all
Write:
  • Teach children how to show appreciation by making a thank you card, a fun note, or an invitation to a birthday party.
  • Help your child make a list of what they would like to do on a playdate, or at their birthday party.
  • Art activities can be a good outlet for big feelings. Try painting, playing with goey, squishy materials, cutting and glueing. Help your child write their stories.
 
Play:
  • Role play social situations that your child may encounter, such as going to the neighborhood playground. You, the adult, pretend to be the new person your child meets at the playground. Ask your child what they can do or say to try to make a new friend. 
  • Young children are very concrete, and they may not understand what play "nice" means. Modeling through role-playing is a concrete way to explain and show what is expected. 
  • Practice different scenarios - what if the other child says no? What if they want to do something that you know you're not supposed to? What if they are shy and afraid? How do you show that you can be a good friend?
  • Switch roles with your child, so that you can model for your child how to approach someone you would like to play with. Model problem solving when disagreements occur between friends.  Practice some skills such as taking turns, trading toys, negotiating (give and take), being helpful. 
  • You can use stuffed animals as pretend friends too.  
  • When you know your child will be entering an unfamiliar social situation, practice some of these role-playing games in a playful way to remind them how they can be successful. Try not to give "directions", make it fun, light and conversational. 
  • Be flexible yourself as an adult, and understand that sometimes things don't work out and that's okay. Friendships cannot be forced. Know when it's time to not push and change your expectations. If you are okay and divert your child's attention to something else that is positive, they will learn that it is okay too. 
 
Additional Resources for Parents
PBS Kids Talk About Friends:
opb.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/pkta-friendship-media/pbs-kids-talk-about-media-gallery
 
PBS Kids Life's Little Lessons with Daniel Tiger:
pbskids.org/learn/lifes-little-lessons/friendship/
 
Child Mind Institute "Teaching Social Skills at Home":
childmind.org/article/teaching-social-skills-at-home/
 
Parents Action For Kids:
parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/stages-development/social-emotional-development/child-social-skills/
 
Scholastic BookFlix

Video storybooks that are paired with nonfiction ebooks designed for preschool through 3rd grade. Collection includes book sin English and Spanish. Free for CBCPL patrons!
 
Access BookFlix today! 
 
Looking for more to do? See all programs on our online calendar.