Adult Winter Reading Program Prize Winners
This year’s Adult Winter Reading Program is done. 121 people participated at the Litchfield Library this year! So much reading happened this winter. 🙂
A prize drawing was done from the reading logs that were completed with 6 books read and reviewed. Congratulations to Tiffany S., Irene S., and Kevin N. for having their names drawn! Thank you to the Friends of the Litchfield Public Library for sponsoring the gift certificates to Jomas Hill Vineyard, Papa’s Sweet Tooth, and Natural Food Co-op.
If you didn’t get a book bag when you signed up for the reading program, let library staff know if you still want one; a few more became available later.
Smokey Bear Turns 80
by Miss Rachel
You might remember the Disney film “Bambi” for its heartbreaking family story. But did you know that in 1942, Disney loaned the characters to the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention program (CFFP) for one year? After that year was up, the CFFP program needed to find a mascot all their own. They came up with the classic Smokey Bear.
This March, we are celebrating Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday at the library. We want to engage our young patrons in reading about wildfire prevention, forests, and natural resource careers, while exploring the local environment.
On March 27th at 4:00pm, Interpretive Naturalist Savannah Stephenson will be at the Litchfield Public Library. Kids of all ages are welcome to come and learn about the difference between controlled burns and wildfires. Additionally, attendees will get the chance to observe different prairie plant roots to see why some plants survive fire better than others.
For the month of March, kids can participate in the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge here at the library. Kids can complete different activities centered around reading and learning about nature to earn points. Once they’ve earned 8 points, they can come in for a prize. Attending storytimes and the event on March 26th are also worth points for the challenge.
We have plenty of books that qualify for the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge. Come take a look at some of our newest additions!
If you’re interested in reading more specifically about wildfires, we have several new books for young readers. “They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them” by Dan Paley is a nonfiction picture book that informs readers about how firefighters take on the deadly natural disasters. “Wildfire!” by Ashley Wolff is another picture book that shows the hardships that the animals face when fire breaks out on Spruce Mountain. For fans of graphic novels, “Wildfire” by Breena Bard follows the story of young Julianna whose home is destroyed in a wildfire. How can Julianna move on from this devastation?
Young science explorers might be intrigued by the book “Search for a Giant Squid: Pick Your Path” by Amy Seto Forrester. Readers start out by picking their submersible, then their pilot and dive site, and continue on their exciting adventure. Packed with facts and terminology from the field, young readers can learn a lot from this venture.
Not everyone wants to read nonfiction, and for those readers, I suggest “a slightly scientific fairy tale” by Sandra Fay called “The Three Little Tardigrades.” For those who don’t know, tardigrades are more commonly known as moss piglets or water bears. With a Big Hairy Wolf Spider as the villain, this story is somewhat reminiscent of the story of the three little pigs. Perhaps the familiarity and the slightly scientific take may be just right for your next read with your young reader.
Smokey Bear continues to remind us to that “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Come to the library with your young readers throughout March to celebrate his 80th birthday.
“About the Campaign.” Smokey Bear, 4 Aug. 2021, smokeybear.com/en/smokeys-history/about-the-campaign.
Oscar Movies at the Library
by Beth Cronk, Meeker County Librarian
The 96th Academy Awards were presented this month. Wondering how you could watch the movies people are talking about? You can check out some of the Oscar winners on DVD at the library, and more will be coming as they’re released on disc.
The historical biopic Oppenheimer was the big winner this year, winning seven of the thirteen awards it was nominated for: Best Picture, Directing, Actor in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role, Cinematography, Score, and Film Editing. This three-hour juggernaut was one of the top-grossing movies of the year, after only Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. If you didn’t catch it in the theater, by itself or as part of a “Barbenheimer” marathon, you can now watch it on DVD by checking it out at the library.
Oppenheimer is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. This sophisticated movie shows audiences the complicated life and personality of the scientist who led the effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. After the bomb was successfully created at Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer went on to confront the moral issues that arose from its creation, and to struggle under McCarthyism.
Poor Things was the next biggest winner of the night, winning four awards out of the eleven nominations it had. The movie’s star Emma Stone won the award for Actress in a Leading Role, and the film also won the awards for Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production Design. The movie is based on the book Poor Things by Alasdair Grey. While described as bizarre and over-the-top, this movie uses a Frankenstein-style story to do what science fiction has always done: comment on our current society. Bella is brought back to life with an adult body and an infant brain by a scientist in Victorian London, and the men in her life are unable to contain her. This film is on order and will soon be available to check out.
Barbie was one of the most popular movies of last year, and it was nominated for eight Oscars. It won one of them: Original Song, for “What Was I Made For?”  In this existential comedy, Barbie lives in perfect Barbie Land until sadness, thoughts of mortality, and other human realities begin intruding into her life. She travels to our world to find out why, discovering the problems and the beauty of being human. While people dismiss this as a toy-related movie, it’s so much more than that; with themes of gender equality, motherhood, the meaning of life, and self-worth, it’s primarily for adults. This was my favorite movie of last year. It’s available to check out at the library.
The Holdovers was nominated for five Oscars, and it won one: Actress in a Supporting Role for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. This dramatic comedy (or comic drama?) features a grumpy teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to babysit the few students who have to stay on campus over Christmas break. With a vintage style that makes it look like a movie made in the year it’s set (1970-71), this movie is sweet, sad, funny, and insightful, as the characters gradually reveal the personal issues underneath their prickly exteriors. This movie is available to check out from the library.
20 Days in Mariupol won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. This PBS film is the work of a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the city of Mariupol as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. The filmmakers show the atrocities that don’t make it on the sanitized news coverage, in an effort to bear witness to the events that happened at the start of the war. Cosmos Library has this film in its collection now, and Litchfield Library will be getting the DVD, also.
The library collection also has these movies, which were nominated for Oscars but didn’t win: The Color Purple, Elemental, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Golda, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Past Lives, The Creator, Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3. As other nominees become available on DVD, the library is likely to acquire them.
Oscar movies usually aren’t an escape from life, but they can help us reflect on life and the human condition. If you’re a movie buff, check out the library’s DVD collection for these and other high-quality films.
Adult Arts & Crafts
March’s Adult Arts & Crafts program will be held in the library’s meeting room on Thursday, March 28, at 6:30 p.m. The project will be goat’s milk and honey soap making.
Space is limited! Call the library at 320-693-2483 to reserve your spot. Adults only.
If you’re unable to attend after signing up, please call the library to let us know.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Star!
Look at this little star! She completed our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge today! Congratulations, Anastasia!