Good Saturday, young Pomonans! We had a GREAT time at the 46th Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable. Six students from the Ranch Hills Elementary 4th grade class performed a Reader's Theater of one of Laura's Stories. Then we had this GREAT band called the Whirled Peas Band. They were fantastic! They sang and danced and played instruments that the Ingalls would have used. For instance a banjo, fiddle, guitar and flute! They even taught us a dance!

Thank you to the Whirled Peas Band for bringing Laura's life to us in Pomona, California!

Joke of the day: What's the most slippery nation in the world?
Answer: Greece! ;)

The 45th Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable Was a Success!

Good day young Pomonans!! We had a GREAT time at our Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable today. We estimated that 125 people came to hear Craig Newton and to make crafts and hear Laura's stories. A huge thank you to the Friends of the Pomona Public Library and to David Allen for including us in his Friday's column.

The Friends of the Pomona Public Library stepped in and helped make this year's Sociable happen. Hurray for the Friends!!! We love you! :)

Every child got to make a gingerbread boy or girl to decorate. They got to hear stories of Laura and got to have some tasty refreshments. It really was a fun day.

Joke of the day: How do you fix a broken Pizza?
Answer: With tomato paste.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable This Saturday!

Wow, young Pomonans! Two posts in one day!! Just a reminder that this Saturday, Feb. 5th is our 45th Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable. We have musician Craig Newton coming to perform some of the songs that Pa used to play on his fiddle. We will also have stories about Laura and a really cool gingerbread craft.

Don't forget: this Saturday, Feb. 5th from 1:00-3:00pm. See you here!!

Joke of the day: Why was the cookie crying?
Answer: Because it's mother had been a wafer so long! ;)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable Coming Soon!

Good Wednesday, young Pomonans! Our 44th annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable is coming up on February 6, 2010. Each year we celebrate Laura's birthday on the first Saturday of February. Her actual birthday is February 7, 1867. Yes, she lived a long time ago and she is still a favorite children's author. We at the Pomona Public Library named our children's room in honor of her.

This picture I posted is one of my favorites. The young girl in the white coat is Melissa Sue Anderson and she played the part of Mary (Laura's sister) in the television version of the children's books "Little House on the Prairie." She came here to Pomona to promote the television series and we loved having her because of our connection to Laura.

In anicipation of our event we will be holding "stories with Laura" each Wednesday at 5:00pm in the children's room. We will be singing one 0f the songs that were popular in Laura's day and we will be reading several stories. These sessions will be like a comercial to advertise our big event.

So join us every Wednesday at 5:00pm and be sure to mark your calendars for February 6, 2010 from 1:00-3:00pm.

See you here!

Joke of the day: Do you turn on your computer with your right or your left hand?
Answer: My right hand!
Amazing! Most people use the on switch! ;)

Come Learn About Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pioneer Life!

Attention young Pomonans! As you know, our Children's Room is named after Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote children's books about her childhood growing up in the mid to late 1800's. She traveled by wagon train, met indians, and lived the life of a pioneer.

This coming Tuesday, October 27th we are going to learn more about pioneer life and we will be making these paper dolls of a pioneer family. The time will be 4:00pm here in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Room.

We celebrate Laura's birthday every February with a Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable. It is always the first Saturday of February from 1:00-3:00pm. This next year our event will take place on February 6th. Save the date.

In October, November and December we will have a special pioneer program to get us ready for the Sociable. In preperation, please read the "Little House Books", if you haven't already done so. The first book in the series is "Little House In the Big Woods."

See you here!

Joke of the day: Why did the tree travel to his hometown?
Answer: He was searching for his roots. ;)

43rd Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable

Hello young Pomonans! Ms. Lois is taking a bit of break this week from the library. If you plan on attending tomorrow's storytime, you might catch a glimpse of her during her week off. ;-)


I hope you were able to attend this year's Sociable because we had a roping and rolicking time! Cowboy Ken entertained us with some prairie songs and tales that Laura Ingalls herself probably heard as a young girl. Cowgirl Christie taught some lasso tricks and cracked her bullwhip for us a few times. Grandma Sue had a great wagon craft that everyone got to drive home, but not before having some birthday cake and apple juice in honor of Laura's 142nd birthday. A big thank you to our Friends of the Pomona Public Library for sponsoring this fun event and refreshments!


Here's two western jokes in honor of our performers:


What do you get from nervous cows? Milkshakes!


Why did the cowgirl plant bullets in her garden? She wanted to grow bangs!

The Last Call for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable!

It's finally coming, young Pomonans! Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable is this Saturday, February 7, 2009. We will start at 1:00pm with Cowboy Ken who will tell cowboy/cowgirl stories and songs and do trick roping as well! At 2:00pm Cowgirl Christy will do her roping tricks and stories and songs. It will be a really fun time for the whole family. 3:00-4:00pm Grandma Sue will be doing crafts. You'll be making these Conestoga Wagons (like the one pictured) and of course we will have birthday cake and punch.

Hooray to the Friends of the Pomona Public Library who sponsor this event. They are a wonderful group of people who help us keep this tradition alive.

This is the last "official" notice of the Sociable. I have tomorrow off and I may or may not send one last shout out from home.

See you Saturday! We'll have fun, fun, fun!

Joke of the day: No joke! Be at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable! Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 1:00pm-4:00pm!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable, 1975

Good Wednesday young Pomonans! We are counting down to our annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable. This picture is from the year 1975 when Melissa Sue Anderson visited the Pomona Public Library to sign autographs. For those of you who weren't born yet, Melissa Sue Anderson played the part of Mary Ingalls in the television version of Little House On the Prairie. It was quite exciting at the time to have a television personality visit the Pomona Public Library. It still is!

Remember: Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable
This Saturday, February 7, 2009.
1:00-3:00pm Cowboy/Cowgirl stories, songs and trick roping
3:00-4:00pm Crafts and refreshments

On Saturday, steer yourselves here!

Joke of the day: What's a troll's favorite cowboy song?
Answer: "Gnome on the Range." :)

Four Story time kids excited for the Sociable!

Yes, indeed, young pomonans. We had stories about Laura Ingalls Wilder today at story time. We read about how she lived in a log cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin. This coming Saturday, February 7th is Laura's actual birthday. We will be celebrating her birthday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm here in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's room. Ken Frawley and Christy Lewis will be entertaining everyone with stories, songs, and trick roping. You won't want to miss this! By the way, if Laura were alive today she would be 143 years old!

Remember:

February 7, 2009
1:00-3:00pm Stories, songs, and trick roping with Ken & Christy
3:00-4:00pm Crafts and refreshments

Don't be near, be here!!!

Joke of the day: Who was the most underhanded cowboy?
Answer: Billy the Cad! :)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable this Saturday!

Happy Monday, young Pomonans! We are officially counting down the days to our Sociable. This Saturday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm we will be having fun at our Sociable. Ken Frawley and Christy Lewis will be performing cowboy/cowgirl stories and songs as well as performing rope tricks. Since Saturday, February 7th is Laura's actual birthday, we will be having birthday cake and punch. I'll drag out my guitar and we can sing happy birthday to her as well. I've never actually sung to a dead person before but I think Laura would really like it if she were here.

Feel free to dress up in period costume. Not everyone does but we usually have some that do. Personally, those bonnets would seriously get on my nerves but some like to wear them.

This is a fun, free, family event. You'll be tapping your toes and humming along to familiar tunes. It helps us to remember our past. They didn't even have electricity let alone I-pods. :)

These pictures above are pictures of the original handwritten manuscript of Little Town on the Prairie. Laura hand wrote all her books and this manuscript she sent to Miss Webber who was the first Children's Librarian at the Pomona Public Library. This is the only manuscript on the west coast and we are very proud to house it. Come in and see it!

I'll see you here this Saturday!!

Joke of the day: Where do cowboys go to ride horses and be impolite?
Answer: To a rude-eo! :)

Little House in the Big Woods

Little House in the Big Woods
Originally uploaded by singingbirdcottage

Hello young Pomonans! Yes, I'm going to talk about the Sociable again and I will everyday until it gets here! A week from tomorrow is our Laura Ingalls Wilder Sociable. That's February 7, 2009 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. We will have entertainment, crafts. birthday cake, punch and a whole lot of fun.

This book, Little House in the Big Woods, is Laura's first book about her life during her childhood. She really did live in a small cabin in a forest of trees. She had her Ma, Pa, sister Mary, baby sister Carrie and a little dog named Jack.

Laura's books are very popular children's books. We are very lucky to have our children's room named after her.

Come in on February 7th and we'll have a great time!

Joke of the day: Why did the cowboy leave his job at the shoe store?
Answer: He got the boot! :)

43rd Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable

Two weeks from today is our 43rd Annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable. We have been celebrating her birthday for many years now! This year since the sociable is actually on her birthday, we are having birthday cake! (And it's not going to be ginger flavored either. At least I hope not...)

Our entertainers this year are Ken Frawley and Christie Lewis who will be telling cowboy/cowgirl stories and songs and also they will be doing trick rope for us! Ken and Christie belong to an organization called Dream Shapers that include various types of programs for children.

Grandma Sue will be leading the craft. You all will be making Conestoga Wagons (out of paper.) This craft is out of my league so I'm afraid I won't be much help. I can help you glue in you like. :) Grandma Sue is the craft expert and I appreciate her expertise.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Pomona Public Library. This is a wonderful group of people who provide money and support to the Library. They are amazing.

Here is the information:

Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable
Date: February 7, 2009
Where: Pomona Public Library Children's Room
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm

I will see you here!

Joke of the day: Where does an elephant keep his laptop?
Answer: In its trunk! :)

Conestoga Wagon, our craft for our Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable

Good Monday, young Pomonans! This is a picture of our craft that we will be doing at our Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable on February 4, 2009 from 1:00-4:00pm. Please mark this day on the calendar because we will have a great time. Grandma Sue and Ms. Nissa will help you all put this together. Sorry, guys, crafts isn't my thing. I'm the storyteller. Crafts just confuse me. :)

Here are our weekly activities. Come on in and see us. We always have something going on. Our Homework Assistance Center is always crowded and I'm always seeing happy faces. Imagine having fun doing homework! It happens here!

Monday: 12:00-2:00pm Come play at ELF

Tuesday: 12:15pm Preschool Story time. Grandma Sue will be doing this for me. I will be at a storytelling workshop at Los Angeles Public Library. I'm sorry this is on a Tuesday. I get a little crabby when I have to miss story time!
3:00pm After school story time. Ms. Nissa will be doing this for me. (I'll still be at the workshop!)
4-6pm Homework Assistance Center

Wednesday: 3:30-4:30pm Grandparents and Books
4-6pm Homework Assistance Center

Thursday: 12:15pm Infant Story time. I'll be doing this for Grandma Sue who is off that day.
4-6pm Homework Assistance Center

Be here young Pomonans!

Joke of the day: What boat is always sorry for itself?
Answer: A woe-boat. :) (Okay, come on, I know that made you laugh!)

Little House in the Big Woods

#145 - Little House in the Big Woods
Originally uploaded by katbaro

Our annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable is coming February 7, 2009. Mark this date in your calendars! The sociable is on Laura's actual birthday this year.

We will be having two entertainers. Ken Frawley and Christie Lewis will be telling cowboy stories and songs and they each do trick roping! They celebrate the old west which Laura Ingalls Wilder was certainly a part of.

The Friends of the Pomona Public Library sponsor this event every year. As you know, our children's room is named after Laura and this event is one of our highlights of the year.

Be here!

Another joke of the day: Doctor: What is your problem?
Patient: I think I'm a chicken.
Doctor: How long has this been going on?
Patient: Ever since I was an egg. :)

Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Room

After almost a year of blogging, I haven't written about our connection to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Our children's room is named "The Laura Ingalls Wilder Room." Pomona's first children's librarian, Clara Webber, loved the little house books. She corresponded with Laura and we have those letters on display. Ms. Webber invited Laura to our dedication of the children's room but she was unable to come. She sent instead the original manuscript where she hand wrote the book, "Little Town on the Prairie." We have it on public display enclosed in a glass case. These pictures show the manuscript and other artifacts on display. We have first edition signed books, and translations of other books and the dolls represent the different cultures that the language of the book is in.

I took a close up picture of the wooden dolls that represent the Ingall's family. You can see Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, and Carrie. Against one of our walls you can see the states where they traveled along with the names of the books in the order that they should be read.

I took a picture of a picture at one of our Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociables. You may recognize Melissa Sue Anderson who played Mary on the TV series of "Little House on the Prairie." She came to Pomona to help promote the TV series and to sign autographs.

So come on in and look around. It's one of the best kept secrets in Pomona and we would like to change that. :)

Joke of the day: How does a Pokemon sneeze?
Answer: Pik-achu! :)