Look for these films based on popular books in your local theater in the coming months:

Anna Karenina: a novel in eight parts by Leo Tolstoy — Starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law. Release date: September 2012.

Chicken with plums by Marjane Satrapi — Starring Mathieu Amalric and Eduouard Baer. Release date: August 2012.

Easy money by Jens Lapidus — Starring Joel Kinnaman and Dragomir Mrsic. Release date: July 2012.

Have you checked out the Scholastic Storybook Treasures series yet? These are short movies of your favorite picture books told in differening animation styles. Many have recieved the ALA Carnegie Medal for excellence in Children's video. Some DVDs in the series also include a "read-along" feature for beginning readers. It's an great choice if your looking to expand your child's exposure to literature. Some of our favorites:

The Pigeon finds a hot dog [videodisc]: and more stories by Mo Willems — Author Mo Willems voices the pigeon in the title story. Special features includes a read-along story and an interview with the author.

We can all observe Earth Day this year by educating ourselves about the challenges that face our environment and what we can do about it. Try some of the titles suggested below to get started:

The age of stupid [videodisc] — Pete Postlethwaite stars as an archivist living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, who spends his days looking at old footage from the years leading up to 2015 - when a cataclysmic climate change took place.

Casablanca, one of the greatest American films, celebrates it's 70th anniversary this year. When it was released in 1942, it was just one of many films produced that year, and although it won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, it wasn't until years later that its reputation among both critics and viewers has consistenly placed it on lists of the greatest films of all time.

To wrap up our Earth Week celebrations, CPL will present a screening of the original, 1972, animated version of Dr Seuss's The Lorax. Join us on Friday, April 27 at 4:00 PM to watch the story of the greedy, truffula tree-chopping Once-lers and the brave little Lorax who speaks up for the vanishing forest. When the film is over patrons are invited to create their own truffula tree vista to brighten up their home. This program is open to families and kids of all ages.

This post is part of our Earth Day 2012 celebration.

Louder Than A Bomb is a documentary film about passion, competition, teamwork, and trust. It's about the joy of being young and the pain of growing up. It's about speaking out, making noise and finding your voice.

It also just so happens to be about poetry.

Every year, more than six hundred teenagers from over sixty Chicago schools gather for the world's largest youth poetry slam, a competition known as "Louder Than a Bomb". Rather than emphasize individual poets, the kids work collaboratively with their peers. Come to CPL on Saturday, April 21, 1:00-3:00 PM to view this multi-award winning documentary that follows four teams from Chicago as they prepare for and compete in the competition. This is not "high school poetry" as we think of it. This is language as a joyful release, irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance.
***This film is unrated and does contain mature language.***

Hey kids,
Thorndyke here with a new friend that you might recognize. His name is Kermit the Frog. From what he tells me, it's not easy being green. And unless I want to get heckled by older gentlemen, I shouldn't tell jokes. Kermit and his friends the Muppets have a new movie out on DVD. If you didn't see it in the theater, you can put it on hold here at Canton Public Library. If you have seen it, you can move right along and check out one of their many other adventures. Sounds like something fun to look for next week on Spring Break!
Bear Hugs,
Thorndyke

Masterpiece Mystery returns on May 6, 2012. Kicking off the new season will be Sherlock! Season 2 starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. David Suchet returns as Hercule Poirot. It is the final season for Agatha Christie's Hercules Poirot. Zen, Inspector Lewis, Case Histories, and Inspector Morse are all returning.

Inspector Morse [videodisc]: The dead of Jericho by A Zenith Production for Central Independent Television

Sherlock. Season one [videodisc] by BBC

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins — has lots of buzz right now. This article from sciencefiction.com compares the movie and the book and points out both the good and bad. How do you think the movie stacks up? Was it a hit or a miss?

March 20th is a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Not only is it the first day of spring, but it is also Fred Rogers's birthday. His ground breaking children's program, Mister Roger's Neighborhood, premiered on PBS in 1969 and stayed on the air for three decades. Many of today's parents have fond memories of growing up "visiting" with Mister Rogers. He even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for his work in children's television. Although it will probably be too warm to wear a sweater, change into your comfy shoes and introduce your children to a time when tv shows were slower by checking out some of the resources here at Canton Public Library.

Easter is just around the corner. Introduce your children to the holiday with one of the many films we have here in the Children's Library.

Easter [videodisc] by Schlessinger Media — Basic, nonfiction information about the Easter holiday and how families celebrate

Yogi the Easter bear [videodisc] by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons in association with Fil-Cartoons; produced by Davis Doi; directed by Robert Alvarez; teleplay by Jeff Holder — Yogi Bear must give away baskets instead of stealing them in this special.

Who was St. Patrick? What do I do for party decorations for St. Patrick's Day? What is the history of St. Patrick's Day? What recipes can I cook for a St Patrick's Day party? Check out our books, DVDs and more to learn how to celebrate this Irish American holiday. For a brief biography of St. Patrick, read the History.com article and view the videos on informative St. Patrick's Day topics.

It's official. Viz has announced that Warner Brothers has bought the rights to a live action Bleach movie. A director has been chosen (Peter Segal), and a script is in the works. Excited for this best selling manga/anime to become a U.S. film? Nervous? Or a little of both? It's bound to be interesting. Check out some of our Bleach anime for now till this series makes its American live action debut.

The Artist has become the first silent film to win the Oscar for Best Picture since 1929 when the film Wings won the award at the very first Oscars ceremony. For more great films of the silent era try some of these titles from the Library's collection:

Broken blossoms [videodisc] by United Artists — A young Chinaman in London's squalid Limehouse district hopes to spread the peaceful philosophy of his Eastern religion. There he befriends a pitiful street waif who is mistreated by her brutal father.

Hayao Miyazaki's new film The Secret World of Arrietty opens in theaters this weekend. Now that title may not ring any bells, but the movie is based off of Mary Norton's Borrowers series. The series has been made into a movie several times before, the most recently with John Goodman and Hugh Laurie. You can also find many of Miyazaki's critically acclaimed and oscar winning films here at the library.

Veteran Irish actor David Kelly has passed away at the age of 82. Kelly was a familiar face in British television, as well as on the Irish stage. American audiences would most likely recognize him as Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or from his role in the Irish comedy Waking Ned Devine. For more films featuring David Kelly try one of these from the library's collection:

Greenfingers [videodisc]

Into the West [videodisc]

American teacher (DVD) [videorecording] — Profiles of four teachers in different areas of the country reveal the frustrating realities of today's teachers and the reasons why so many of our best educators leave the profession altogether.

At the edge of the world [videodisc] — The story of the efforts of the controversial Sea Shepherd Antarctic Campaign against a Japanese whaling fleet.

It's official: The Red Wings and Maple Leafs will face-off in Ann Arbor at the Big House in the 2013 Bridgestone Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Stay connected to receive future updates. Meanwhile, continue cheering the Wings on as they move forward in their quest to beat the NHL record of 20 straight home game victories. Don't forget that the library has loads of books and dvds on the Red Wings, and even a couple on the Leafs.

Forever Hockeytown!: how the 2008 Red Wings reclaimed the Stanley Cup by editor, Mark Francescutti

Veteran stage and film actor Ben Gazzara died over the weekend. He was 81. Best known for his role in the classic film Anatomy of a Murder with James Stewart, he appeared in several notable films throughout his long career, including Husbands and The killing of a Chinese bookie with director John Cassavetes. He is also remembered for his starring role in the 1960s television series Run for Your Life in which he played a lawyer with a terminal illness determined to make the most of his remaining time.

Arc of justice: a saga of race, civil rights, and murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle — is the 2012 Great Michigan Read, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words:

DVDs

Eyes on the prize. Vol. 1, [videodisc]: America's civil rights movement by Blackside