Hey kids!
Thorndyke here! Reporting again for LB. He's just returned from his latest adventure. Did you guess where he was headed? If you guessed Boston, you were right! But that's not the only place he ended up on this massive road trip. Stay tuned and find out!
LB started his journey in Boston. There's a lot to see there and in the surrounding area. In the City of Boston, LB toured the Mapparium, a big glass globe you can walk through, the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the New England Aquarium. Boston has some pretty crazy transportation though. Did you see LB's picture? He's in a truck that can drive on roads or be a boat in the water! How crazy is that? It's called an amphibious truck. It must belong to the same family as salamanders and frogs. LB also saw where Paul Revere rode to warn the colonists that the British were coming and where the colonists defeated the British at Concord.
Some of the other things LB saw around Concord where Henry David Thoreau's house. Did you know there's a bear named after him? And that there are books written about this bear? Thoreau must have been a pretty cool guy. And LB saw Orchard House too. Have you read Little Women? The lady who lived at Orchard House, Louisa May Alcott, wrote Little Women.
Then LB spent an afternoon in Rhode Island touring fancy houses. Lots of rich people used to go to Rhode Island for vacations and live in big houses. Now they just go to the Caribbean. What do you know about Rhode Island? Did you know it's the smallest state?
And then LB went to New York! There are lots of neat things to do there! And not just in the big city! LB saw the Art Museum, and Ellis Island and...the LIBRARY! New York City has a lot bigger library than CPL. LB met the Statue of Liberty too. If you've never read about how the Statue of Liberty was built, it's a pretty cool story!
LB finished his tour of New England with some more fancy houses and a mountain. One of the houses was a house made of glass. Better not play Baseball there! But LB did get to sit in a pretty special chair. Those fancy houses sure are BIG! And they have lots of fancy furniture. And lots of grass to run and play. The mountain is named Mt. Greylock. It's a pretty big one. It's the tallest one in Massachussetts. But I think at that time LB was getting a little homesick.
Which is why he's home for a while now. LB has loved going on adventures with all his library friends. But he's glad he made it home in time for the end of Summer Reading. He's got to turn in his reading log (he did a lot of reading on all those car trips!) so he can get his prizes. Have you finished YOUR reading log yet? You only have until Wednesday to get all your prizes! Don't forget to look at all the pictures of LB's latest adventure! Until next time,
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke.

Hey Kids!
Thorndyke here! I am so enjoying seeing all of you here at the library! I hope you are having a great summer! As promised, here's the latest update of what LB has been up to. This time he went some where local, the Toledo Zoo! And he got to see some REAL bears! Did you know that the Toledo Zoo has a new polar bear cub? In fact, he's the only polar bear cub in the whole US! And there's a whole website about him! Isn't it cool to have something so neat so close to home? Makes me want to check out some books about polar bear books! Sometimes the librarians say that they work in a zoo, but they're just joking... I think.
LB's been here at the library for a week or so, but he's gearing up to go on another big adventure soon! The people here at the library sure love taking him on their trips! He's a pretty popular bear! I'll give you a hint to where he's headed next. It's not in the USA, but you can get there by car! Where do you think he's going? Tell me your guesses!

Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
As promised, here's an update on where LB has been! Did you make a guess about where he was headed? He just got back from Williamsburg Virginia! Were you right? LB came back with this really great letter about where he'd been, which he said I could share with you...

Wow! It's only mid June and I've already become a well-traveled bear! I had a great time up north with Ms. Ophelia and after a short stop back at CPL, I was on my way south on a road trip with Ms. Jeanine and her daughter. We left June 10th and drove all the way to Williamsburg, VA, in one day (about 12 hours driving)! We stayed at the Patrick Henry Inn, just a short walk from Colonial Williamsburg. (Patrick Henry was the patriot famous for saying, "Give me liberty or give me death!") The next morning, we visited the Yankee Candle "flagship" location in Williamsburg. They have a really cool room that looks like a starry sky at night, and every 15 minutes it "snows" right in the room! I made myself right at home in the shop full of stuffed animals. Needless to say, there are a lot more than candles at the Yankee Candle complex!

In the afternoon, we stepped back in time and walked through Colonial Williamsburg. It looks a lot like it did back in the late 1700s, around the time of the Revolutionary War. At the town hall, Ms. Jeannine put me in the stocks (where they used to punish convicted criminals), but it was just for fun, because I'm a really good bear! We also visited the campus of William and Mary College, the second oldest college in the country and the place where Thomas Jefferson earned his law degree. We later had dinner at Christiana Campbell's Tavern, where George Washington himself often dined! Then at night, we took a "Ghosts of Williamsburg" candlelight tour — kinda scary, but I'm a really brave little bear! No ghosts were spotted that night...whew!

Saturday morning, we were back on the road, this time to Kill Devil Hills, NC, which was the location where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first successful airplane flight and literally "flew" into the history books! They picked Devil Hills because it's a flat, sandy and very windy island on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It's a great place to fly kites, too! I got a taste of salty air and ocean breezes on the beach and wanted to stay all day, but unfortunately, they don't make sunscreen for bears. :-( . Ms. Jeanine's daughter gets to spend all summer in Kill Devil Hills (she has a summer job there), but Ms. Jeanine had to get back to Michigan and CPL, so we flew Monday evening from Norfolk, VA, to Detroit. Hmmmm, maybe I should sign up for frequent flyer miles so I can get a free airplane trip later in the year!

love,
LB

Wow! What a fun adventure! Thanks Ms. Jeanine for taking LB with you! Now I've got a whole bunch of new places to read about. Remember, you can see all the pictures from LB's adventure on the library's flickr account. LB left on another fun adventure almost as soon as he got home. This time it was somewhere more local. I'll give you a hint, there's lots of animals and it starts with the letter Z! Can you guess?

Until next time!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
Well, LB just got back from another fabulous adventure! And now, you can see all the fun he's having on the library's Flickr account! Thanks Miss Laurie for showing me how that program works! I'm getting to be quite a tech-savvy bear.
LB just got back from Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Traverse City! It sounds like such a neat hotel — there's a pool, and the Aerie Restaurant that has a revolving floor so you can see all the pretty scenery!
LB also got to see the Bay (too cold to go swimming) and climb the Sleeping Bear Dunes! Have you read the legend about those dunes? We have it here at CPL. You should check it out. But bring kleenex. It always makes me cry. I'm such a softie.
And then he "checked out" the Petoskey District Library. (Get it? Checked out? Just a little library humor.) That library's been around a long time! The original building was built way back in 1909 and funded by Andrew Carnegie. He's a rich guy from a long time ago that funded lots of libraries across the United States. Anyway, it's a very neat library. But no cool bears like Your's Truly! They did have a special exhibit on Lewis and Clark. Now there's some interesting history. And we have lots of information about those guys here at our library too!
So that's what LB's been up to. Of course, he wasn't home long! He left on Wednesday for another fun place! So keep watching and see where LB goes next. I'll give you one hint...It's Historical, and in a state named after a ruler of another country! Where do you think he's going? tell me your guesses! Let's see if you get it right!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
So I have some happy news to share! There have been some exciting things happening. The first is that two weeks ago lots of the Children's Tween and Teen librarians went to a big library conference in Kalamazoo. They had to leave me and Miss Sandra in charge (but that's another story). While they were there, Miss Anna, one of our teen librarians won a very special award! It's called the Pletz Award. This mean that Miss Anna does a super great job working with all the teens! Great Job Miss Anna! I'm so proud of you!

Hey Kids!
Hooray for Spring Break! I bet you all are excited to have a whole week off of school. I'm excited to see a lot of you here at the library! The librarians have planned lots of fun things for you!

When you're here, make sure you check out our book display kiosk by the Children's CDs. Each month a different librarian has been putting their favorite books on display. Now, I'm not a librarian, but this month they're letting me put out MY favorite books! Oh Boy! It's a little hard to pick favorites. I love books about bears, because I like books with protagonists that I can relate to. But I also LOVE the books you hear in storytime and read for book discussions (did you know I read all those books with you? I just can't participate in the book discussion because I don't talk!). Come and check out what books I chose! Literally! Take them home with you! Because then I get to choose more books. And tell me, what's your favorite book? Can't wait to hear from you!

Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
Have you ever wondered what happens at the Adult Reference Desk? So have I! Well, today I decided to find out. I had to wear a disguise, because I heard that some grown-ups are afraid of bears. Do you think I fooled them? I logged into the computer...and waited. Do you know what? Grown-ups ask a lot of the same questions as you do. They are looking for a book that they want to read or a movie that they want to watch. Although, usually they've heard about this book or movie from the TV or the radio, where you guys usually hear about it from a friend or at school. Grown-ups need help doing things on the computer too! The big difference between kid questions and grown-up questions, is that sometimes grown-up questions have to do with things like taxes and doctors and college classes. The librarians that work on the Adult Reference Desk are really smart. They can always help the grown-ups find the answers, just like in the Children's Library! I don't think I was much help though. My paws are too clumsy to type very well, and you have to be able to talk to answer questions. Oh well! It's back to the Children's Library I go. Until the next adventure...
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
Somebody just told me about a super cool holiday to celebrate this weekend. The first Saturday in February is Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. I knew there was a reason I liked February! Apparently, this holiday began in the great state of New York by some creative parents who came up with the BRILLIANT idea of eating ice cream for breakfast to liven up some dreary winter days. So I'm celebrating! Now I just have to pick a flavor. I'm thinking Bear Claw! Yum!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
Guess What? My birthday is January 16th — this Saturday!!! Ironically, it happens to fall just before Storytime Teddy Bear week (by the way kids — don't forget to bring your teddy bears to Storytime next week!). I share my birthday month with some very cool people who also work at the library. And I even share a Birthday with Brad the Teen Librarian! If you are a human and you work at the library, you get the day off for your birthday. But since I live here, I get to celebrate my Birthday with all of you! Make sure you come and sing! I even accept gifts. I like cookies. After the library closes on Saturday, me and LB (remember him? My Little Buddy that Santa brought?) are going to eat cake. Honey flavored cake. Yum. I can't wait until Saturday. Happy Birthday to me....

Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
I am a proud Bear today. Why? Because it is National American Teddy Bear day, a day celebrating a population I am proud to represent. When I think of the great bears, like Smokey, and Fozzie and Yogi, who have gone before me, my bear hair just stands straight up. Maybe one day, I'll be listed with them. Be sure to hug YOUR bear today. And give him an extra cookie for me.

Hey Kids!
I just wanted to make you all aware of some very important holidays this week. Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14th is National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work day. It's kinda like take your Children to Work Day, except for bears. Make sure your parents know! Probably the best way to make sure they celebrate it would be to sneak your teddy bear into their work bag before they leave. Then make sure you ask what your teddy did at work when they get home.

Hey Kids!
Well, you voted, and the results are in! Now you need to come to the Library to check out my cool Halloween costume! "Wizard" won with a whopping 30 votes. "Superhero" came a distant second with 11 votes. And there was even a write in vote for "Princess". Hmmmm, Royalty could be a good costume for next year. I like the sound of King Thorndyke. Thanks for all your votes--in the library and online! And don't forget to wear your Halloween costume to the library too, 'cause I want to see them! Now I just need to practice my magic words. Abracadabra, Abracazoom! Until next time,
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke.

Hey Kids!
Wow! I've already had lots of friends voice their opinions on my poll for what I should be for Halloween. Have I heard from you yet? Don't forget you have until next Monday, September 28th to cast your vote, either here on the website or in the Children's Library! I can't wait to tell you the results, so here's a teaser based on current results--you guys sure like Harry Potter! Will that hold true through next Monday? You'll have to wait until October to find out! What are you going to be for Halloween? If you need some ideas, there are lots of great books here at CPL to give you some ideas!!! Can't wait to see what you'll be for Halloween too!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
I need your help with something. See, my third favorite holiday (after Christmas and the First Day of Summer Reading) is coming up soon. It’s Halloween! But I can’t decide what to be. I have to decide soon, because I get to wear my costume for the whole month of October!! This is where you come in. You’ll see that I’ve posted a poll below on the web site. You can either vote for what you think I should be for Halloween there, or you can come into the Children’s Library and vote! Sorry, there’s no prize. The library pays me in cookies--that’s how I keep my nice round physique! But you’ll definitely see what costume was the favorite, 'cause that’s what I’ll be wearing come October! Of course, in order to make my costume in time, I’ll need all your votes by Monday, September 28th. Gotta have time to make that costume you know! Thanks soooo much for your help!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids!
There's a wonderful reason to celebrate this week. No, not just because it's Labor Day. The first week of September is National Waffle Week! I like to eat mine with honey. A friend of mine eats her's with peanut butter, chocolate chips and whipped cream. Some people like to top theirs with fruit. How do you like your waffles? Try some adventurous eating this week by having breakfast for dinner. Check out one of our Breakfast Cookbooks for ideas. Or read the book Everything on a Waffle as a family. And don't forget about waffle cones and waffle fries! There are plenty of ways to celebrate all week! Mmmmm, I'm hungry!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey Kids! Wowzers! I am SO proud of you! Did you know that an incredible 4,798 kids and teens signed up for Summer Reading 2009?!?! And that 2,384 kids and teens finished summer reading and got books from the Scholastic Book Fair sponsored by the Friends of the Library? Thanks Friends! The Adult Librarians told me that over 1000 grown-ups signed up for summer reading and lots of them earned books too. I think you all deserve a pat on the back. Go you!

Hey Kids!

Hey Kids! I have to tell you how much I've loved seeing all my friends come to the library over the last couple of weeks. Did you know that over 3000 of you have registered for Summer Reading? Wow! 1500 of you registered on the very first day! Double Wow! And then lots of you--I think we counted over 700 of you--came back this week to see Joel Tacey, make a craft, or watch a movie! Thanks for making our summer so busy, 'cause the librarians and I love seeing you have fun! Keep Reading! And don't forget to stop and say hello!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Bonjour petits enfants! Zis iz Thorndyke zee Arteest Bear! I am Getting Creative @ My Library. Can you tell I am excited for Summer Reading? Signs of summer reading are popping up all over CPL. The Summer Reading bulletin board is up, the reading logs have been printed, the prizes are hidden in a secure location in the library, and I am wearing my summer reading t-shirt. For a bear who lives in the library, the first day of Summer Reading is almost better than Christmas. Will I see YOU here on Monday? I hope so! Until then,
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Hey kids! Guess What? Today it is only 100 days until Summer Reading! Aren’t you excited? This year the theme is Get Creative @ Your Library—but I can’t tell you any more because that would spoil all the surprises we have planned! All I can tell you is that it will be FUN! And guess what? Today also means it’s only 100 days until summer vacation. Good times. So if it gets cold later next week, just repeat this to yourself “Summer Reading’s Coming! Summer Reading’s Coming!” and the day will be a whole lot sunnier.

Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke