1st Day of School Books
Dara L. Cain

School is right around the corner and will be here before we know it. To help prepare your young ones for the upcoming school year here are some suggested reading picture book titles. These books can be found at the Rowan Public Library.
I Love School by Philemon Sturges: In rhyming verse and first person narrative a typical school day is described. The story does not concentrate on the uncertainties some children may experience. Instead, a love for school is exhibited in the text and in the illustrations done by Philemon Sturges as the children, laugh, play, and learn with their classmates. The end papers include chalk drawings accompanied by interesting facts related to school.
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney: In this beautifully illustrated book Llama Llama is ready to start preschool but when Mama Llama says goodbye Llama feels both sad and shy. His teacher the zebra and the other animal children encourage Llama to have fun writing, drawing, and playing. In the end “Llama finds out something new - He loves Mama… and SCHOOL, too!” Preschoolers will be able to relate to Llama’s feelings and will discover the excitement of going to school.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn: When Chester Raccoon is hesitant to start the first day of kindergarten Mrs. Raccoon finds a way to reassure her son. When Mrs. Raccoon kisses Chester’s palm he feels the kiss rush to his heart. His mother tells him whenever he feels lonely he is to place his hand to his cheek and “that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts.” This book is filled with love and youngsters will feel reassured after reading this heartwarming story.
Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books by Diane deGroat: A young opossum named Gilbert is unsure about starting first grade when he sits at the wrong desk and feels embarrassed, learns that Philip, a fellow classmate already knows how to read, and thinks his old friend Patti has already made a new friend. In the end, Gilbert realizes that school can be enjoyable when he learns that his teacher is nice, makes new friends, and enjoys learning to read with the help of Philip. Children will learn that the only way to discover new things is to try things that may be scary at first.
Off to First Grade by Louise Borden: Told in poetic verse each of the 23 first graders, their teacher Mrs. Miller, the principle Mr. Zimmerman, and the bus driver Xavier tell readers what they are anticipating on the first day of school. Each poem is accompanied by a snapshot of the character preparing for the school day from exchanging hugs with family members, waiting for the school bus, anticipating reading zillions of books, doing art projects, and playing sports. This is an upbeat story about the first day of school and each child reading this story will be able to relate to one or more of the 23 first graders in the story.

Mango Languages
Lynn Denison

If you have not investigated the on-line resources available through your Rowan Public Library recently, now is the time to do so. One of the most exciting electronic resources we offer is called Mango Languages. This web-based language learning program can be used at home and accessed for free through our library’s web site. In order to use the site a patron need only have an up-to-date library card and a PIN number, which can be obtained in person at any of our branches.
Mango Languages offers over a dozen languages including Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish for English speakers. English is offered for Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish speakers. Each language is divided into 100 lessons with each lesson having almost a hundred slides. The learner is actively engaged with audio and visual cues to facilitate learning. The lessons include audio from native speakers of the language and phonetic transcriptions, so that the language can be learned with the correct pronunciation. Quizzes are included to test and improve language learning. The interface is created in Adobe Flash and is very user friendly. Mango uses real-life situations and actual conversations to more effectively teach a new language. By listening to and repeating material designed from native conversations, the student will not only learn the individual words and phrases but will learn how they are used in practical situations and conversations. Each lesson in Mango’s system integrates vocabulary and grammar into real-life sentences. Therefore, while you’re learning grammar, vocabulary and conjugation, you’ll also be learning how to truly communicate in a language of your choice.
Why not start today to learn a new language or improve your fluency in a language you are already familiar with? Mango is easy, fun, and free! There are no trainings, downloads or installations required—all a user needs is an internet connection and a Rowan Public Library Card and PIN. Once on our website (http:www.rowanpubliclibrary.org), click on “Online Tools” under the related links menu. Next click on “Languages” and then click the “Mango Languages” link. You’ll be asked to enter your library card number and PIN. Follow the instructions to set up your individual account in Mango, and you’ll be able to keep track of what you’ve learned and know where to continue the next time.
While you’re on our site, please take time to explore all the many other e-resources Rowan Public Library has to offer. You’ll be surprised and pleased at the treasures you’ll discover!