April 6 - National Love Our Children Day

"National Love Our Children Day" is an American event, similar to Mother's Day or Father's Day, celebrated on the 1st Saturday of April. It was created to acknowledge the value of children, and to educate parents on the importance of giving them love, protection, and respect - three essential elements children need to become strong and successful adults.

Thought it is not a National Canadian holiday, I believe it is worth celebrating because of the important message it sends.

Learn more about National Love Our Children Day here: http://loveourchildrenusa.org/

Today is also Drowsy Driver Awareness Day, National Student Athlete Day, and International Pillow Fight Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- John Langton, the first Auditor General of Canada, was born at Blythe Hall near Ormskirk, England in 1808
- Sherlock Holmes began his "Adventure of Speckled Band" in 1883
- Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886
- Leonard Brockington, the first chair of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1888
- George Easton placed Kodak Camera on sale for the first time in 1889
- Bakery executive James Dewar invented Hostess Twinkies in 1930
- Teflon was invented by Roy J. Plunkett in 1938
- George McClellan was named ombudsman Alberta, becoming Canada's first in 1967
- Pierre Trudeau was chosen leader of the Liberal Party of Canada at a national leadership convention in Ottawa in 1968
- Post It Notes were introduced in 1980
- An aircraft carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down in 1994, starting the Rwandan Genocide
- Pierre Lebrun, a former employee of OC Transpo, an Ottawa bus company, shot and killed 4 workers and wounded another before killing himself in 1999
- NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) was made an official language of New Zealand in 2006

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

Greatest Books of All Time Week 9 & 10 (combined)

Greatest Books of All Time
Week 9 & 10 (combined)

100 Greatest Books
of All Time.

What is your favourite book of all time? Cast your vote by commenting here at the bottom of this post, posting a note on our facebook page or adding it to our in-house ballot box.

Each Friday we will tabulate the votes and post them on our
Facebook, Twitter and Blog accounts.

One vote per visit please.

The final Top 100 will be announced at the end of December.

The Stand by Stephen King
is still in the lead with six votes.

Pokemon, The Velveteen Rabbit and Little Women are all tied for second place.

 
Votes for the week of March 29 and April 5, 2013 are in! 
The nominees are:

Title	Author	Publication Date
The Hobbit	J.R.R. Tolkien	1937
Snow White	Brothers Grimm	1857
Velveteen Rabbit	Margory Williams	1922
Ida B	Katherine Hannigan	2004
The Stand	Stephen King	1978
Fever Series	Karen Marie Moning	1999
My Name is Mina	David Almond	2011
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	1960
Twilight	Stephanie Meyer	2005
1984	George Orwell	1949
Wizards of First Rule	Terry Goodkind	1994

April 5 - National Walk to Work Day

I walked to work today (sure, I only live a block away), did you? Get out there and get moving!

Today is also National Deep Dish Pizza Day, and Hospital Admitting Clerks Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop in 456
- The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth on a return trip to England in 1621
- Isaac Quintard patented apple cider in 1806
- An Act of the Canadian Parliament created the Supreme Court of Canada in 1875. The court sat for the first time on January 17, 1876.
- Anne Sullivan taught "water" to Helen Keller in 1887
- Sherlock Holmes's "Adventure of Empty House" began in 1894
- Sherlock Holmes's "Adventure of 3 Students" began in 1895
- 1st modern Olympic Games officially opened in Athens in 1896
- British Columbia women (excepting Asians and Aboriginals) won the rights to vote and to hold provincial office in 1917. The Dominion Elections act, which made race a ground for exclusion from federal vote, wasn't repealed until 1948.
- Writer Guy Vanderhaeghe, whose novel The Englishman's Boy won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction, was born at Esterhazy, Saskatchewan in 1951
- Elvis Presley recorded his debut single, "That's All Right" in 1954
- Winston Churchill resigned as British Prime Minister in 1955
- Gentilly nuclear power plant opened in Québec in 1971, the world's first nuclear plant with a reactor fuelled by natural uranium and cooled by ordinary water (the CANDU system).
- Also in 1971, Fran Phipps became the first woman to reach the North Pole
- Paul Newman won a court victory over Julius Gold, to keep giving all profits from Newman foods to charity in 1990
- Construction began on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hal of Fame in 1993
- Mark Chahal killed 10 people in Vernon, BC. in 1996
- International Internet group "Anonymous" hacked several Chinese bureaus in opposition to censorship in 2012
- And finally, for the Trekkies out there, Earth first made contact with the extra-terrestrial Vulcan species in 2063

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

April 4 - Victims of Violence Wholly Day

On this day in history, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. One of three Day of Respect, Victims of Violence Wholly Day is dedicated to visually affirming the principles of non-violence as preached by Dr. King.

Watch his famous "I Have a Dream" speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

CBC Digital Archives posted a video on their Twitter account today in memory of Dr. King. Go to http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/rights-freedoms/general-2/freedom-riders-stand-up-with-martin-luther-king-against-segregation.html to watch what happened when a mixed-race group of civil rights activists known as the "Freedom Riders" began testing the Supreme Court ruling against segregation in waiting rooms, restrooms and lunch counters for bus travelers.

Today is also International Day for Mine Awareness & Assistance in Mine Action, Vitamin C Day, and National D.A.R.E. Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The census recorded the population of Canada as 4 324 810 in 1881,  of which 2 548 514 were of English and 1 298 929 of French descent.
- Jules Léger, Governor General of Canada, was born in St-Anicet, Quebec in 1913
- Canada's first silver dollar coin was minted in 1935, to be released to the public on May 1
- 84-year-old Connie Mack challenged 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to 1st base in 1948; it ended in a tie
- Canada, along with 11 other countries, signed the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) in Washington, DC in 1949
- Ballerina Evelyn Hart, whose sublimely lyrical dancing made her one of the most compelling stage personalities in Canada, was born in  Toronto in 1956

Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in 1968

- Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975
- Challenger 1 was launched in 1983
- The Supreme Court of Canada concluded the a refugee has the right not to "be removed from Canada to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened" in 1985

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

April 3 - Weed Out Hate: Sow the Seeds of Greatness Day

Today we celebrate "Weed Out Hate: Sow the Seeds of Greatness" day! A day to put our petty differences aside, and encourage tolerance, respect, and love.

For more information about this day, check out this site: http://www.weedouthate.org/documents/aboutus.html

Today is also Find a Rainbow Day, National Day of Hope, National Day of Walking, and Tweed Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- A Hawaiian surfer rose a 50-foot tidal wave in 1868
- Margaret Angling, Canadian actress, was born in the Speaker's Chambers of the House of Parliament in Ottawa in 1876
- A wooden block alarm was invented in 1882; when the alarm rang, it dropped 20 wood blocks
- British suffragette Emily Pankhurts was sentenced to 3 years in jail in 1913
- Dame Emma Albani, the first Canadian-born artist to distinguish herself in the international world of opera, died in London, England in 1930
- The Ear of Athlone became the second member of the British royal family to be appointed Governor General of Canada
- The American Civil Liberties Union announced it would defend Allen Ginsberg's book "Howl" against obscenity charged in 1955
- Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins became the first defenceman to win the NHL scoring title in 1970
- Mario Lemieux won the NHL scoring title in 1988, stopping Gretzky's 7-year streak
- Australia formally adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2009

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

April 2 - International Children's Book Day!

Today is International Children's Book Day! Since 1967 it has been celebrated on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday - April 2nd!

I quizzed the library staff to see what their favourite (top 3) children's books were. Here are the results:

Shannan's favourites:

Green Eggs and Ham – Dr Seuss

The Monster at the End of This Book – John Stone (Sesame Street)

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights – Russell Freedman

 

Jeri's favourites:

Jeremiah Learns to Read – Jo Ellen Bogart

Bubba the Cowboy Prince – Helen Ketteman
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

Tammy's favourites:

Mr Brown Can Moo, Can You? – Dr Seuss

Little Bear – Maurice Sendak

Parvana’s Journey – Deborah Ellis

Heather's favourites:

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons - Eric Litwin

Me Hungry – Jeremy Tankard

Beware of the Frog – William Bee

Deb's favourites:

Give Me Back My Dad –Robert Munsch

Horton Hears a Who –Dr Seuss

Miss Rumphius –Barbara Cooney

Cathy's favourites:

Moccasin Goalie - William Roy Brownridge

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel - Virginia Lee Burton

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV - Stan and Jan Berenstain

My favourites: 

Love You Forever - Robert Munsch

The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

Some honourable mentions:

The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Numeroff
Curious George - Hans Augusto Rey
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
The Story of Babar - A.A. Milne
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams
Matilda - Roald Dahl

Today is also National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, Reconciliation Day, and World Autism Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived on the coast of Labrador in 1534. He further explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence, discovering Magdalen Islands and PEI.
- Forty merchantmen were shipwrecked when a convoy led by HMS Apollo ran aground off of Portugal in 1804
- Joseph Dixon began manufacturing lead pencils in 1827
- The Liberal broke news of the Pacific Scandal in Parliament in 1873. A spate of damaging letters and telegrams appeared in Liberal newspapers in July.
- Wandering Spirit and other rebel Cree Indians of Chief Big Bear's band killed 9 white meat Frog Lake, Saskatchewan during the North-West Rebellion in 1885
- Edwin Boyd, the bank robber whose holdups and 2 spectacular escapes from the Don Jail brought him notoriety, was born in Toronto in 1914
- Jeannette Rankin became the first female member of the US House of Representatives in 1917
- Camillien Houde (known as "Mr. Montreal") was first elected mayor of Montreal in 1928
- Novelist Howard Engel, founding member of Crime Writers of Canada, was born in Toronto in 1931
- Seventeen-year old Virnett Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1931. She was one of the first female ball players of that league, though her contract was revoked a few days after the event.
- Sir Watson-Watt patented RADAR in 1935
- The Angus L. MacDonald Bridge linking Halifax and Dartmouth opened in 1955
- Mayor Drapeau announced the creation of a lottery to raise money for Montreal's financial needs, and to help for the 1976 Summer Olympics in 1973
- The last section of the CN Tower - the world's highest free-standing structure at that time - was put into place in 1975
- Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre opened after a complete restoration in 1977, becoming the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- Velcro went onto the market in 1978
- Social Credit leader Rita Johnston was sword in as BC's 29th Premier, subsequently becoming both Canada and BC's first female Premier in 1991

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

Let us know what your favourite children's book is!

April 1 - April Fool's Day!

How was your April Fool's Day? Did you survive the day? Were you the pranker, or the pranked? Did you abstain from the event entirely?

Our "pranks" were fairly mild (though still entertaining) at the library. We turned some books upside down:

 

And left a surprise for unsuspecting book returners!

 

If you are a lover of pranks, check out some of these ideas:

- Design your own word-scramble sheet where most of the letters don't form real words
- Plug in a wireless mouse to a co-worker's computer, then every now and then wiggle it about to freak them out
- Tell the kids to find Easter Eggs you didn't hide (only for the slightly mean-at-heart)
- Reverse everything in a room, see how long it takes people to notice (we did this to my high school Social teacher)
- If you're feeling especially crafty, make a list of pranks you intend to do where your "victim" will find it, then don't do any of the pranks, leaving them constantly wondering when you will strike.

Today is also National Fun at Work Day, Poetry & the Creative Mind Day, and Reading is Funny Day!

 

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

 

- The first United Empire Loyalists - 1124 refugees from New England - arrived in Halifax in 1776. Another 40 000 followed them to Nova Scotia and Quebec, resulting in the formation of New Brunswick and Upper Canada.

- The passenger ship Atlantic, en route to Halifax, crashed into Meagher's Rock and sank in 1873

- Alexander Edmund Davie was sworn in as BC's 8th Premier in 1887

- The Census recorded the population of Canada as 5 371 315 in 1901

- The Royal Canadian Air Force was established in 1924

- Tobie Steinhouse, printmaker and painter, was born in Montreal in 1925

- Cliff Lumsdon, the long-distance swimmer first to conquer the Juan de Fuca Strait, was born in Toronto in 1931

- The last of the wartime restrictions on Japanese-Canadians was lifted in 1949, allowing them to move anywhere in Canada. Also in 1949, Joseph Roberts Smallwood was appointed the first Premier of Newfoundland

- The St. Lawrence Seaway was opened to commercial shipping in 1959, providing transportation for ocean-going vessels from Lake Superior to Montreal

- The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission was formed under the Broadcasting Act in 1968

- Weather offices in Canada first used Celsius to report temperatures in 1975. On September 1st, metric was first used for rainfall and snowfall

- The CRTC was given regulatory power over telecommunications in 1976

- Ballet dancer and choreographer Erik Bruhn died in Toronto in 1986

- The new territory of Nunavut was declared in 1999 as part of Canada's first territorial changes since Newfoundland joined in 1949

 

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!