A recent study of 565 children  by Ganesa Wegienka, an epidemiologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit indicates if during their first year, children (birth through 12 months) are exposed to pets, they are less likely to develop pet allergies.  

According to Dr. Wegienka, exposure to pets after that first year of growth has little impact on a child's proclivity towards pet allergies.

Taking a road trip with the family this summer? Need some tunes to entertain the little ones? Here are some great CDs for the car ride this summer:

Car songs: songs to sing anywhere by Dennis Buck

Songs for the car

Here comes science by They Might Be Giants

City kid! by Joanie Leeds

Kidz bop 19 by Kidz Bop Kids

Parents, how many times a day do you hear "Why?" or "How?" How many different ways can you answer that? Author Christopher Niemann tries to help you answer those questions with his new picture book, That's How. Here, many questions about how things work are answered in a simple, straightforward way. Kids of all ages will enjoy discovering how things work! If you are looking for more stories to answer those never ending whys and hows, check out childrens question and answer stories.

Did you know we have puppets at the library? Did you know that we have created Puppet Kits for you to enjoy? The puppet kits contain a picture book and puppet to help bring the story to life. You can have an adventure with Curious George, get lost with Max and the Wild Things, or fight off the Big Bad Wolf with the 3 Little Pigs. Your adventures begin along the purple wall near the DVD's in the Children's Department.

Kids, press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book will tell you to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and then discover what will happen next! Press Here is great for large groups like storytime, or fun for just one. It is a fantastic "interactive" book; as good, if not better than any new app you can download! We here at CPL give it two BIG thumbs up!

Do you need some inspiration for healthy baby and toddler meals? Check out Healthy Eating For Your Baby and Toddler: Delicious Recipes Right From the Start. This cookbook contains over 100 easy recipes, including recipes that are vegetarian, gluten-free, and wheat-free. Find this book in the Parenting section of the Children's Department and see how simple preparing healthy, homemade food can be.

It's hard to find toys these days that don't make loud noises, flash lights, or are based around a television character. But GeekDad from Wired magazine highlights some classic (albeit unusual) toys in his blog post The 5 Best Toys of All Time. The best part? Most are readily available now, especially as we turn to spring weather. Read it for a laugh. Read it for inspiration. Then think of some other "classic toys" you can introduce to your kids.

If you have registered for a program in last couple of days, you may have noticed that you did not get an email confirmation. This does not mean that your registration did not go through. We are experiencing problems with our email confirmations, but are working to fix the problem. You can confirm your registration by checking My Account. We apologize for the inconvenience.

When I think of St. Patrick's Day, I think of the color green. Frogs, leprechauns, grass, green beans, there are a lot of green things in this world. Sure, you hear a lot of Irish songs for the holiday, but there are many other "green" songs out there. Here are some other songs that celebrate all things green!

Green eggs and ham and other servings of Dr. Seuss by Seuss, Dr

Under the green corn moon: Native American lullabies

Rockabye baby!: lullaby renditions of Green Day

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is creating successful adults, by kindergarten. Imagination Library provides free books for children from birth to age five. Benefits include:

• One free book each month mailed to the home, up to age 5
• A graduation book on the fifth birthday to help the transition into kindergarten
• Free newsletter, website and other learning material for parents

For more information, or to register your child, visit the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library website.

It's Super Grover 2.0! This week on Sesame Street is all about the new and improved super monster, who is faster, braver, and cuter than ever! Can't get enough of the loveable, furry blue guy? Check out one of Canton Public Library's Sesame Street movies starring his alter ego. Have fun!

Here are some new and popular music CDs for the kid in all of us:

The best of the Laurie Berkner Band

Tangled by Alan Menken

Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is — awesome. Volume 2

Here comes science by They Might Be Giants

Family time by Ziggy Marley

Rockabye baby!: lullaby renditions of Journey by Dennis Caplinger

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with crafts, songs, dancing and food. Join us at the library for a fun celebration beginning at 5:00PM with crafts for the kids followed by snacks and entertainment; at 7:00PM for everyone. This should be a great Chinese New Year for everyone. No registration is needed for this February 17^th event.