Ease into school with some reading comfort

It has become a tradition for the Fort Erie Public Library to note the end of summer holidays and the beginning of school with reading recommendations to help ease the uncertainty of new classrooms and buildings, new teachers and classmates. We got to meet one of our favourite authors, Alexis O’Neill, when we recommended her books The Recess Queen and The Worst Best Friend to help middle years children navigate issues in making and keeping friends. These two books, like all those mentioned in this column, are available in the library collection. The Wonder by Faye Hanson is a gorgeously illustrated book that affirms the rightness and power of a child’s imagination. Otter Goes to School by Sam Garton lets the youngest students know about what happens during a school day, while set in the comfortable familiarity of Otter’s home. Leslie Staub’s Time for (Earth) School, Dewey Dew shows how even the ultimate outsider can make a friend and feel welcomed in a strange school setting. One of the most interesting new picture books about starting school is told from a fresh perspective: how do you think the school building feels on its first day of, well, school? Read Adam Rex’s School’s First Day of School to find out.

The TD Summer Reading Program has ended, and thanks are due to all of the sponsors, volunteers and parents who made it possible for children to keep up their reading skills while having fun and earning prizes throughout the summer. Don’t forget the last big event of the summer, the outdoor screening of the new Jungle Book movie as a Show in the Sugarbowl Park on Saturday. Safari Niagara’s Zooniversity will bring live animals to the library parking lot or community room at 7 p.m., with the movie starting at dusk, around 8:15. Pick up a September newsletter to learn about the Roald Dahl birthday celebration, the storytimes, and a Pokemon party all planned for the coming month, starting off an autumn season that will continue to get busier and more exciting as the weeks go by. If paper newsletters get lost at your home, ask about subscribing to our newsletter in online format, @FEPL.

Have you read the novel Room by Emma Donoghue, or seen the film? What would you want to ask the author/screenwriter, if you could? Mark your calendars, tell your friends and put it in your phones: on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m., Donoghue will spend an afternoon at the Fort Erie Public Library, Centennial branch. Her visit will include a reading from her latest book Wonder, followed by questions and answers, then book sales and signing. This event is sponsored in part by the Canada Council for the Arts. Donoghue has written much more than Room, including Frog Music, Astray, The Sealed Letter, Slammerkin, and Touchy Subjects, all available in the library collection. The more of her books you read, the more you will appreciate this author’s talent, depth and versatility. Please note that the Fort Erie Public Library will be closed on Monday, Sept. 5 for the Labour Day holiday.