Corky's Corner - Kids' Place - Newark Public Library

Corky's Corner
Winter 2005-2006

Corky
Corky

Hi boys and girls. I hope you had fun over the holidays. I sure did! I put on my Santa cap and visited with my family and friends while school was out. Vacation was great, but I’m ready to get back to school and see all of my teachers and friends. I really missed going to Homework Club and seeing all of my library friends. Of course I still went to my library to read books and see some holiday movies and programs. I even saw Santa Claus and sat on his lap!

I know I’ll be spending lots of time at the library over the next few months. There’ll be reports to write for Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month as well as for Presidents’ Day. I think I’ll write a poem for Valentine’s Day for my mom and maybe draw some shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day.

I got some terrific new clothes for the cold winter months. Some great sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves and boots to keep me warm when I spend lots of time outdoors. I love playing in the snow! My friends and I get together and build snowmen and make snow forts. If it snows a lot I might have a day off from school and I could even go sledding or snowboarding. When it gets cold enough I can get out my ice skates and go skating or play some ice hockey. I heard that some people who live in really cold areas like to go ice fishing. They cut a hole in the ice when the lake freezes and drop a fishing line in to catch the fish. That sounds like it might be fun too!

I watched some great football games on TV and rooted for both the Jets and the Giants!

I can hardly wait to get to a gym and play some basketball. When it gets too cold and windy to go outside, I can always curl up on the sofa with a good book, a hot bowl of tomato soup and one of my mom’s grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Of course a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows is the best on a cold winter day. I hope you find a fun way to stay warm this winter!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. The Caldecott award winning children’s book describing the fun you can have on a snowy day. Gr. PreK-3

Snowball by Nina Crews. Zip up your jacket and enjoy the thick white wonderful snow. Gr. PreK-3

This Caldecott Medal winner tells the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole. Gr. K-3

The Slippery Slope-Book the tenth by Lemony Snicket. The newest of the misadventures of the Baudelaire children. Gr. 4-7up

The Fantastic Book of Snow-Boarding by Lesley McKenna. This book has everything you need to know to enjoy snow-boarding safely. Includes glossary and index. Gr.4 +up

My Sport: Ice Skating by Tim Wood, photographs by Chris Fairclough.
All the basics of Ice Skating along with training and practice required to be competitive in the sport. Includes skating facts and glossary. Gr.3-5

How to Sports: Hockey
How to Sports: Football
Both books are by Paul Joseph. Each gives a history and description of how the sport is played. Glossary & index included. Gr.4-6

Great Black Writers by Steven Otfinoski .Each chapter includes a photo or drawing of the writer profiled, a four to five page biography, a chronology and a list of further readings.Gr.6 +up

Valentine Hearts Holiday Poetry by Lee Bennett Hopkins. A cheerful collection of Valentine verse including heart-shaped sandwiches to homemade cards to sweet heart candies. Gr. K-3

The Legend of the Valentine: An inspirational Story of Love and Reconciliation by Katherine Grace Bond, illustrated by Don Tate. Set in the turmoil of the civil rights movement and school desegregation, the story tells of a young boy who follows the example of Valentine and reaches out to his tormentor to turn him into a friend. Gr.3-5

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit. Ann Estelle’s new school project is to make the best Valentine’s box ever for her favorite holiday! Gr. K-3

St.Patrick’s Day Magic by James W. Baker. Pictures by George Overlie. A little book of magic tricks, interspersed with Irish legend and humor. Gr.5 + up

The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom. Illustrated by Michael Gordon. A determined boy tries to find the perfect place to curl up with his new book. A fun look at the misadventures of an eager reader. Gr.K-2

Corky’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich
2 slices of any type of bread
2 slices of American cheese
2 tomato slices
2 pats margarine or non-stick cooking spray
Place one slice of cheese on one of the bread slices. Place tomato slices on top of cheese and cover tomato slices with remaining slice of cheese. Place second slice of bread on top of last cheese slice to complete the sandwich.

With the help of an adult: Either melt margarine in skillet on medium heat or spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Heat sandwich on one side for several minutes or until golden brown and cheese begins to melt. Turn sandwich over and heat other side the same way. Remove sandwich from skillet and place on plate. Cut on the diagonal to make two sandwich triangles.

Bird Feeder

What You Need
Slice of white bread, Cookie cutter, Peanut Butter, Knife to spread peanut butter (plastic is fine!), Yarn, Bird seed on a plate

How To Make It
Take the cookie cutter and punch a nice shape out of the white bread. You can save the scraps for breadcrumbs or make ones with the center cut out.

Let the white bread shapes sit out for a day or two so that they become firm. This will make it easier to spread the peanut butter.

Spread peanut butter on the bread, then turn over and push into bird seed. You can turn it over and put peanut butter and seed on the other side, too, if you wish. Hang outside on a tree for the birds to eat.

Heart-y Animals

The project is to make animals using hearts as the base of the drawing. These heart animals can be hung on the wall or used to make Valentines cards. This project is EASY to do.

What You Need
Construction paper in red, white, pink
Scissors, Markers, Heart shaped stickers, optional
Fabric to cut into heart shapes, optional
Yarn, buttons or other trims; optional
Heart shaped patterns, optional
Pre-cut hearts (recommended for younger kids), optional

How To Make It
You can let the children draw their own hearts on paper and then add the details to make animals, let them cut hearts out of paper or cloth, have an assortment of pre-cut hearts (good for younger children). You can also use simple heart shaped stickers for some of the smaller hearts.

The simplest version of the project is to make a drawing of an animal drawing hearts or on paper, or arrange pre-cut hearts on paper. For a more complex project, children can cut their own hearts.