June 21st is the beginning of summer. Get out the Bar-B-Que grill and try some of Pat and Gina Neely's flavorful grilled dishes. Down home with the Neely's, a southern cookbook has everything from how to soak woodchips for grilling, to the Neely's signature spice rubs as well as their southern recipes with a kick, and If that's not enough to satisfy you, the Husband and Wife team host their own cooking show Down home with the Neely's on the Food Network channel which airs Saturday's @11:00 a.m.

If you watch So You Think You Can Dance, maybe you've wondered where you can find all the music. You can find some information on fan sites, some on the SYTYCD music wiki, but if you want to listen to those tunes again or dance to them yourself, check your library!

Do you like "The Goldfish Song" by Laurie Berkner? Maybe Dan Zanes more your style. Or do you really like to sing along with Raffi? Or the Imagination Movers, or the Biscuit Brothers? We have music videos and filmed concerts of your favorite children's singers right here at CPL. Check them out while your signing up for summer reading.

Olivia is an intelligent, charming pig who lives with her parents, and younger brothers Ian and William.  She dreams of being a famous dancer, and enjoys going to the beach and bossing her brothers around.  Check out these great books by Ian Falconer: Olivia, Olivia forms a band,

Gustafer Yellowgold has arrived at the Canton Public Library. Who is Gustafer? He's a creature that moved to Minnesota from the Sun. He has a pet Eel and a Pterodactyl best friend. And in his free time he jumps on cakes and punches cheese. The DVDs in this collection include stunning artwork and original songs and are for ages 3 and up. Of course, if you can't wait to check out the DVDs, the creator of Gustafer Yellowgold will be at the Barnes and Noble in Rochester Hills next Friday, June 12th. Gustafer's website also includes short songs and fun games to play.

You want beautiful animation? Check. You want something you can watch in 2 hours, not 8 seasons of TV? Check. You want awesome sword fighting action that makes your draw drop? Double check. Check out Sword of the Stranger for some good old martial arts fun.

David Suchet is filming 4 new Poirot mysteries for PBS.  Hercule Poirot is Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective.  Mr. Suchet has portrayed Poirot for 21 years on public television's Mystery! series in over 60 episodes.

The Walt Disney Studios has recently begun releasing a new line of DVDs called the Walt Disney Animation Collection Classic Short Films. Included in this series is the Three Little Pigs, Mickey and the Beanstalk, The Reluctant Dragon and the Tortoise and the Hare.

Memorial Day was established in 1868 following the end of the American Civil War as General Orders No. 11, Grand Army of the Republic Headquarters:

II. It is the purpose of the Commander in Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

Over the past two centuries, wars continue to be fought, and Hollywood has immortalized them on film:

Memorial Day is this weekend!  If your plans lean more towards grilling at home than campfire hotdogs and smores, don't forget to stop at CPL for a movie!  It's perfect for a family movie night at home.  It's also great for that long car ride to the cabin up north. Here are some vacation themed films to get you started. 

Kenneth Branagh brings Henning Mankell's detective, Kurt Wallander, to the screen this month.  PBS' Masterpiece Mystery! will telecast three films, SIDETRACKED, FIREWALL, and ONE STEP BEHIND, featuring the morose Wallander at 9:00 p.m.

"Memoirs of a Geisha" will be shown on Wednesday May 20th at 2 p.m. in our community room. This is the colorful story of a young girl's transformation into a geisha which spans the early 1930's through World War II and its aftermath. Come join us!

Kids like Nursery Rhymes a lot!
We’ve got them on video, Here at the library
Hickory Dickory Dock!

We get many requests for Nursery Rhymes videos. My favorites are Jim Henson’s Mother Goose Stories, but there are many others to choose from here at CPL!

The soon-to-be featured film "Angels and Demons" portrays a fictional global struggle between the Catholic Church and a secret sinister society known as the Illuminati. But what exactly was the Illuminati in history or contemporary time? What are some theories of the dark agendas of these global organizations? Books that cover this group and/or topic and others similar to them are:
Circle of Intrigue: the Hidden Inner Circle of the Global Illuminati Conspiracy
Rule by Secrecy: the Hidden History that Connects the Trilateral Comission, the Freemasons and the Great Pyramids

Guess what Bat-fans...our hero, Batman, first put fear in the hearts of the notorious criminals of Gotham City 70 years ago today! Holy time flies Batman! If you are in need of a bat-fix until another movie comes out, check out the awesome graphic novels, movies, nonfiction encyclopedias, and cartoons we have here at the library. Hold on to your hats fellow bat-o-philes, the ride has been a wild one so far...what could be up the sleeve of Gotham's sleekest knight? Can't wait for the next 70 years to find out!

Wow! The non-fiction DVD, The Natural History of the Chicken, came out in 2000 and if you missed it then, you don't want to miss it now! Do you like unusual stories about animals? Fowl in particular? You will watch with fascination as a woman brings her chicken back to life with CPR, a mother chicken risks her life to save her chicks, and a man takes care of a headless rooster who lives for years.

Interested in communicating with your baby through sign language? The library has many DVDs in the Parenting section that can help. Give them a try, and soon you and your baby will be talking with your hands. Here are a few to get you started:

Baby Signs: Welcome to the Baby Signs Program
Baby Signs: My Pet Signs
My Baby Can Talk

Just in time for Earth Day, the first release from the Disneynature series opens today.

Even children's television is getting their green on.   Familiar characters like Handy Manny,  Elmo, and the Schoolhouse Rock gang are helping kids learn to be environmentally conscious.  Check one out today!

Saturday, April 18, 2-4 p.m. The library will kick off its Earth Week celebration with a presentation of the compelling BBC documentary Deep Blue. Cutting-edge submarine technology was used to explore the deepest reaches of the sea, resulting in a breathtaking and awe-inspiring film. Refreshments will be served. Please call 734-397-0999 or inquire at the reception desk to register.