Yes, We Have a Book for That

By Cindy Hartman, Children's Department Assistant at Bremen Public Library

Yes, we have a book on that. As an assistant to the children's librarian, I get asked a variety of questions every day and my usual answer is, “Yes, we have a book on that." With the development of the Wiggle Worms story time for children birth through age five, we now have a program for babies and toddlers. With this younger age group, comes a different set of needs, and yes we have a book on that.

One of the recent themes in the question-field, that I have gotten recently, is do we have any books on potty-training? We have a variety of books for the parent or caregiver, but we also have several books that are specifically written for children. Since I primarily deal with children’s books, that is what we will cover today.

Books for Children on Potty Training:

Princess of the Potty by Nora Gaydos

Prince of the Potty by Nora Gaydos

It’s Potty Time by Tracey Corderoy

Potty Superhero - Get Ready for Big Boy Pants by Mabel Forsyth

Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Duck Goes Potty by Michael Dahl

Have You Seen My Potty? By Mij Kelly

Potty Time by Guido van Genechten

On Your Potty by Virginia Miller

Potty by Leslie Patricelli

Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman

In a previous life, I was director of various preschools and daycare facilities for about 25 years. Here are some tips that I would suggest in beginning this process:

1. Make sure that your child is ready. They should be having several dry diapers each day, be able to communicate that they need to go to the restroom, or that they need to be changed, be able to take off their own clothing and be able to follow simple directions. If you make sure that they are ready, it will be a much quicker, and less stressful for all.

2. Make sure that you are ready. It is important that you are consistent in this process. Do not confuse the child because it is not convenient for you to do potty-training today, so you don’t work on it. Be positive and be proactive. Have underwear, potty seat, and possibly a timer to remind them to go potty ready. Have some books to read while practicing will make it easier for your child to handle the waiting process.

3. Go shopping together and buy special underwear that has meaning to your child and put this on your child each morning and as long as they stay dry, they get to wear the special underwear. When they have an accident, they then change into plain training underwear. If you are concerned about accidents, I would suggest to buy some old fashioned rubber pants like those used for cloth diapers to put on over their training pants. Do not rely on disposable products such as Pull-ups for every day usage as they are designed to wick away moisture and your child will not be able to tell that they are wet. These type of products are fine for special events that you need to make sure that your child does not have an accident, but not for daily use.

4. Have a small treat ready that they really love that they can immediately have when you have success. After you have success for several days, you can then move on to a longer term that that they have to wait to get after several times of success. Example: do M&M’s for using the potty and staying dry. Your child has been dry for a couple of weeks with only one or two accidents. Move on to a special thing that your child really wants to do.

We also have books on other topics that parents may need some assistance with. Breaking your child from their pacifier? We have a book on that! No More Pacifiers by Michael Dahl. Transitioning to a big bed? We have a book on that! Big Bed For Giraffe by Michael Dahl.

Take advantage of your library, because we have a book on that!

Exciting Week Ahead

This is going to be an exciting week at Bremen Public Library! Not only do we have two book club discussions and our regularly-scheduled Wiggle Worms and Preschool Story Hour, but we have two well-known authors coming to visit, a Halloween-themed Brick Club AND it's the final week to enter the Flash Fiction Challenge!

Here are some highlights for October 9-14:

MONDAY, 7:30-8:30 PM

The Night Owls Book Club meets on the second Monday of every month in the Upper Level Meeting Room of Bremen Public Library. Discussion leaders are Jill Byrd and Melissa Nunez. 

New members are always welcome! Stop by the Adult Desk at Bremen Public Library to request a copy of next month's book.

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, 10-10:45 AM

Wiggle Worms (an interactive story time for little ones age 0-5 and their parents, grandparents or caregivers) features early literacy fun with books, songs, fingerplays and body movement. 

Registration is required. Please call or stop by the Children's Department to inquire about openings.

TUESDAY, 6-7 PM

Bremen Public Library welcomes Tracy Korn, author of The Elements series, as the headline event of Teen Read Week. Korn will lead the audience in an interactive game about storytelling, followed by a Q & A time and a book signing. She will give away posters and bookmarks. Her books will be available for purchase and signing and she will be accompanied by live character representations from her books! Korn is an Indiana resident who holds three master's degrees from Indiana University. She has taught high school English for 17 years. Her students inspired her to write her debut novel, AQUA, which is the first book in The Elements series. The sequel, TERRA, was released Aug. 27, 2016. The third book in the series, AER, was just released in September. 

Everyone is invited to attend this free event!

WEDNESDAY, 2:15-3:15 PM

The Questers Book Club meets on the second Wednesday of every month from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. in the Lower Level Meeting Room of Bremen Public Library. Discussion leader for the Questers is Chris O'Brien. 

New members are always welcome! Stop by the Adult Desk at Bremen Public Library to request a copy of next month's book.

THURSDAY, 9:30-10:30 AM

Preschool Story Hour features stories, songs, puppets and more that encourage development of early literacy skills in young children ages 3-5. Children attend independently. 

Registration is required. Please call or stop by the Children's Department to inquire about openings.

FRIDAY, 2-4 PM

What could be a more perfect blend than books and coffee? Join us at Bremen Public Library on Friday, Oct. 13 for The Perfect Blend -- a coffee tasting featuring Mean Bean's full line of fall flavors combined with a book signing featuring author Sarah Price. Starting at 2 p.m., you can sample the following coffee flavors from our local Mean Bean Bistro and Brew: Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin Spice, Jazzy Jack-o-Lantern, Harvest Spice, Molasses Spiced Cookie, Caramel Candy Apple, Regular Mean Bean Brew. Small cups will be available for the coffee tasting. Fill out a rating card on the fall flavors to help us determine the most-liked blend of the day and you will be entered to win a book by author Sarah Price! From 3 to 4 p.m., Sarah Price will be available to sign books and mingle with patrons. Bring your own copy of one of her many titles or purchase one during the signing. Learn more about Sarah and her novels at sarahpriceauthor.com. 

Everyone is invited to attend this free event!

SATURDAY, 11-12:30 AM

Get in the Halloween spirit (pun intended) with a spooky design! Will your creation be a trick or treat? Young adults, children and families are encouraged to join us for this time of imagination. We will use LEGO bricks to study concepts via themes, develop math and science skills, work in teams and have fun! 

Everyone is invited to attend this free event!

SATURDAY @ MIDNIGHT

Saturday is the final day to submit your entry into the Flash Fiction Challenge. Students in grades 6-12 are invited to finish the following writing prompt using between 500 and 1,000 words: "It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library." Submit entries via e-mail to Chris Scandling at cscandling@bremen.lib.in.us or deliver a printed copy to the library. Ten winners will be chosen and notified on Friday, Oct. 20. Each winner will receive a $15 Barnes & Noble gift card and the top 10 stories will be featured on Bremen Public Library's YA Blog, "A Series of Fortunate Events," during the last week of October.

Book Club Chat

By Terrie Bickel, Co-Leader of the Readers Book Club

The Readers Book Club met Wednesday, Sept. 20 to discuss A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. It is a memoir about growing up in small-town, Indiana, and was given a rating of 3.6 by the members.

“Zippy,” as she is nicknamed, is a small, spitfire of a girl who was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, population 300. As with most small towns, this one is populated with quirky and eccentric characters. We learn about the evil Edythe, who lives across the street, and Doc Holiday, the grouchy drugstore owner who is married to the Wicked Witch of the West. We are introduced to a group of friends who touch Zippy’s life, like the silent farm girl, Julie. There is also Rose, her left-handed Catholic friend, and Dana, with her black leather biker jacket. Haven has a fun time describing them to us, as well as the way each one affected her childhood. We also learn about Haven’s family and the animals who left their mark on her. She has a beautiful older brother Daniel, who doesn’t like anyone, Zippy included. There’s her sister, Melinda, who became Fair Queen by default. Her well-read mother, and gambling, drinking, gun-toting father round out the immediate cast.

Haven has a way of describing the adventures of her childhood in a witty and amusing voice. The book took the group back to growing up in small farming communities where life was simpler and slower. While some didn’t like how the stories left the reader with unanswered questions, it was agreed upon that the book was a funny and enjoyable read. If you happen to pick up A Girl Named Zippy and enjoy it, you may also want to try the sequel, She Got Up Off the Couch.

Prize Winners

Congratulations to the 149 adults who participated in our Adult Summer Reading Incentive Program! Together, they read a total of 1,587 books this summer. And for every book they reported to us, they earned an entry into our prize drawing.

Drumroll, please ... and the winners are ...

Michael Maynard
Kindle

Anita Eichinger
Kindle

Kathy Schnitz
Kindle

Karen Fisher
Library-themed scarf, socks, tote bag, coffee mug and The Librarians DVD

Jolene Grebe
$25 Amazon gift card, book

Sara Culp
Bourbon Street Pizza gift certificate, travel mug, pen, car charger

Richard Coffel
Bourbon Street Pizza gift certificate, travel bottle, pen, mouse pad

Merle Sarber
Bourbon Street Pizza gift certificate, travel bottle, pen

Tricia Graverson
$10 DQ gift card, water bottle, car charger and lighted key chain with tools, pen

The following winners are not pictured:

Kalynn Mast
$10 Subway gift card, Create-UR-Canvas gift certificate, travel bottle, pen

Lisa Scott
$10 Subway gift card, pen, two books

Recommended Read

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Staff Review by Melissa Nunez, Adult Department Assistant at Bremen Public Library

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is the sentimental, tender story of a first   generation Chinese American named Henry Lee. It's a tale of love and loss, fathers and sons, friendships and racial differences. Shifting seamlessly between the 1940s World War II era and 1986 Seattle, we follow 12-year-old Henry as he forms a forbidden friendship with Keiko, a young Japanese-American girl. As Henry and Keiko grow closer, so also does WWII. Henry and Keiko face ridicule, discrimination, distrust, the disapproval of Henry's father, and then ultimately, the Japanese internment. Yet amidst all the trials, a heartwarming kindness comes to them from an unexpected source. Going forward into 1986, the Panama Hotel has been reopened and memories of love and heartache are stirred as hundreds of stored belongings are unearthed belonging to Japanese families that never returned. Luggage and letters, photos and artwork, all left unclaimed are brought to light. Henry, now in the autumn of his life, embarks on a quest of love.

While the author took some artistic license with minor time frame details, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet story and would rate it a 3.75. If you like historical fiction, women's lit, or even romance, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a choice to consider. 

Click here to see if this title is currently available for check-out.

Wiggle Worms on Tuesdays, Too!

Bremen Public Library's new Wiggle Worms interactive story time for children ages 0-5 and their parents is a hit! In fact, the Wednesday morning class is now full and the library has added a Tuesday morning option.

To register for the Tuesday Wiggle Worms, stop by the Children's Department at Bremen Public Library, 304 N. Jackson St. or call 574-546-2849.

If you would prefer the Wednesday Wiggle Worms, you can ask to be placed on the waiting list for that class. 

Questions? Contact Children's Librarian Brenda Anderson at 574-546-2849 or banderson@bremen.lib.in.us.

Staff Pick

Movie Review of The Case For Christ

By Lisa Bixel, Adult Department Assistant at Bremen Public Library

For all of the skeptics out there, this movie may have you reassessing your beliefs and how you choose to live in this crazy, complicated, yet completely wonderful world. In the words of Lee Strobel, “The only way to truth is through facts.”

The Case For Christ is a factual account of Strobel’s life as an atheist and how he came to the realization that Christ does exist. He and his wife share a skeptical life. “We are atheists,” he tells his young daughter, Alison. “We believe in what’s real and what we can see and touch.”

His personal revelation is a powerful one that begins with an incident at a restaurant where he sees before his very eyes the kindness of a stranger, a nurse, saving his daughter and all the while telling him that she believes that it was not by accident that she was in the restaurant that night. She believed it was all part of God’s perfect plan.

Strobel’s wife, Leslie, is intrigued by the words of the nurse and after tracking her down starts going to church with her and develops a meaningful relationship with Jesus. Strobel wants nothing to do with his wife’s new found faith and takes out his frustration abusing alcohol and becoming very angry. He begins a quest to disprove that Jesus Christ ever existed and that His resurrection never happened. The outcome of Strobel’s research helps him reach a conclusion that he had never expected.

Strobel paints a very persuasive argument. But what about others who, like Lee, are skeptical. Can The Case For Christ influence them?

This true account of Strobel’s conversion is followed by the book that bears the same name as the movie, The Case For Christ. After his journalism career, he went on to become a pastor at the Willow Creek Church where he continues to share his faith and his story.

Click here to see if this DVD is currently available for check-out.