A LIBRARY IN HUNTINGTON BEACH BRINGS THE OUTDOORS "IN"

It's a rainy morning, and I'm headed off to Huntington Beach's Central Library in Orange County, CA, with my library side-kick, Sophie, her Mommy, her dog...
          
       and her Hello Kitty umbrella.

This library branch holds a lot of good memories for me, as it was the first I ever frequented with my kids when they were little.  It's in a beautiful setting, located at one end of H.B. Central Park.  There's a pond, ducks, wonderful pathways, an outdoor amphitheatre, and even a cafe in the park, where you're allowed to bring your doggie.

On this particular afternoon, the cafe was closed due to the rain, so Sophie and I headed straight to the books, while her Mommy took their dog for a nice long walk. (The rain, luckily had stopped).

As you walk into the main entrance and turn left, the children's area looms ahead, just beyond a circular fish tank, full of tropical fish...

Sophie wanted to run over and see the fun water-filled bubble panels that frame the big, open doorway.  She immediately spotted the Storytime Theatre off to the side and Mrs. Rabbit, who waits next to the small children's door, ready to greet young visitors...

...and get a BIG HUG!

The theatre wasn't open, but one of the very helpful librarians (who is also the storyteller), Miss Debra, unlocked the doors and let us in for a "peek" at the wonderful big storytime room.  The carpeted steps serve as stadium-style bench seating for well over 100 kids and parents.

Miss Debra

Once you enter the actual book area of the Children's library, you'll be greeted by shelves full of books, a sailboat, a computer area, and...Nature!  The huge windows let in lots of natural light and the green leaves of the Eucalyptus trees that surround the library.  And if you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the great-horned owls that nest in the branches.  (The librarian told us there are little owlings, too, at this time of year, that perch just outside the windows!)

Here are some of the humorous books that Sophie chose today.  We laughed and laughed at the stories she picked, especially her choices by author/illustrator Lauren Child!  One of my favorites was Child's quirky book, HUBERT HORATIO BARTLE BOBTON-TRENT.  (Click HERE for Lauren Child's Amazon web page and a list of all her very unique books.)

On our way out, we passed a bronze figure of Huck Finn and spotted a sign for a little snack area on the library's lower level...

I'm not sure which Sophie enjoyed more, the long ramp that led down between the concrete fountains to the snack bar, or the chocolate treat she indulged in!

Visit the Huntington Beach Public Library WEBSITE for the Storytime and Events Schedule for Central Library, as well as HBPL's four other branches - Banning, Helen Murphy, Main Street, and Oak View.

LIBRARY LIONS IN NEW YORK

Have you met Patience and Fortitude, the Lions flanking the steps and entrance of New York City's Public Library? These Magnificent Marble Cats stand sentry and have been greeting guests from all over the world since the landmark building was dedicated on May 23, 1911. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "If walls could talk."  But what if these Lions could talk... 

They've witnessed and survived the Great Depression (that's when they were given their present names - more on that below), they've watched over countless parades, been in movies, have been caricatured in cartoons, and even made into bookends!

These stern statues have been adorned with baseball caps, Christmas wreaths, graduation caps, and flowers...

And several children's books have been inspired by these famous "Library Lions":


ANDY AND THE LION by James Daugherty. Daugherty's retelling of Androcles and the Lion involves an imaginative boy, an imagined lion, and a local lending library. (The book's dedication is written to the New York Public Library Lions).  







LIBRARY LION by Michelle Knudsen, with illustrations by Keven Hawkes.  
This story is about a librarian, Miss Merriweather, and a very loud lion who comes to visit and roars when storytime ends. Miss Merriweather reprimands him and he promises to reform.  In fact, he becomes her best helper! But when she falls and breaks her arm and the Lion ROOAAARRSS! for help, things get a bit confused and the lion is sent away.  But not to worry - everything works out in the end.



Want to read more about these historic statues?  Look for  TOP CATS:  The Life and Times of the New York Public Library Lions, by Susan G. Larkin.

SOME QUICK HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT THE LIONS FROM nypl.org:
According to Henry Hope Reed in his book, The New York Public Library, about the architecture of the Fifth Avenue building, the sculptor Edward Clark Potter obtained the commission for the lions on the recommendation of August Saint-Gaudens, one of America's foremost sculptors. Potter was paid $8,000 for the modeling, and the Piccirilli Brothers executed the carving for $5,000, using pink Tennessee marble. After enduring almost a century of weather and pollution, in 2004 the lions were professionally cleaned and restored. Unfortunately, the popular tradition of decorating the lions also endangered them, so the practice has been discontinued on the recommendation of the conservators.

Their nicknames have changed over the decades. First they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox. Later, they were known as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox (even though they are both male lions). During the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude, for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression. These names have stood the test of time: Patience still guards the south side of the Library's steps and Fortitude sits unwaveringly to the north.

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK STARTS TODAY!

   

In honor of NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK (April 10-16) I thought I'd take a fun look back in time at libraries. Remember card catalogs?  Libraries have come a long way and have moved right along with technology...

New York City Public Library, 1923

New York City Public Library, today

I love these vintage library posters!

                                          

"A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them." ~Lemony Snicket

"As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school.  I actually believed all those books belonged to her."  ~Erma Bombeck

Now THIS is a L-I-B-R-A-R-Y!!!

Kansas City Public Library

A LIBRARY, A CIRCLE, A PUPPY, AND CUPCAKES IN ORANGE, CALIFORNIA

(photo by Travelin' Local)

Old Towne Orange, in Southern California, is the quintessential "Main Street USA" kind of place.  There's a town square, the "Plaza", with a traffic circle, surrounded by historic old facades (which house quaint restaurants and over 60 antique dealers), Watson's Drug Store (where scenes from the movie THAT THING YOU DO were filmed), charming arts and craft style homes, and little neighborhood churches...  

And they have a remodeled library & History Center that fits in perfectly!  The children's section is great.  I headed over there this week with my library side-kick, Sophie and her Mom. (The puppy part and cupcakes are coming up). 

This "Orange Crawl" leads into the Storytime Room

Don't worry - there's a regular door for parents!

Detail from some HUGE murals near the entrance to the children's area.

Jungle animals watch, as you pick out books!

In the center of the room is a huge computer area...

...complete with animal headphones!

Our library book picks-of-the-day (two cautionary tales):
Sophie's: THE GREAT WHITE MAN-EATING SHARK, by Margaret Mahy, hearkens back to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" in a sharky kind of way!  
Mine:  GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS by Lauren Child.  You won't believe what happens to Goldilock's little red shoes!

Now:  on to the puppy and cupcakes...

Yes, the town of Orange is THIS CUTE!  (photo by crispyleaves.com)

The "Orange Circle" is a traffic round-about surrounding a park in the center of town - right around the corner from the library.  And "The Perfect Circle Cupcakery" was the perfect place for an after-library-treat. (We got ours "to go", but the inside of this place is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!)  Now for the puppy: Sophie's new Rottweiler, "SADIE"!

Somebody wants to go inside...

What are you looking at, Sadie??

Ohhhh...Sophie's decadent. chocolate. cupcake.