There is no excuse for being bored this summer in Michigan. From the pristine beaches of the UP to miles of Lake Michigan beaches, there is something for everyone here, be it swimming, snorkeling, kite flying or just sleeping in the sun. Stay for the sunset too, each one is more beautiful than the day before! Michigan's best beaches

"Green" and "eco" are popular terms today, but how do we explain these concepts to young children? Why not teach them about nature through a series of picture books based on the life of Henry David Thoreau? In these books, Henry is a bear and a very self-sufficient one. He walks to work, grows his own food, hikes thirty miles to a neighboring town, barters and builds his own home. These picture books are a wonderful way to begin a conversation about the environment and an appreciation for nature.

• Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
• Henry Builds a Cabin
• Henry Climbs a Mountain
• Henry Works
• Henry's Night

If you're in the mood for an adventure this summer, check out one of these versions of Robinson Crusoe.  Or, try the real life story of Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for the fiction tale.

Summer is almost here and with warmer and warmer nights it’s the perfect time to go stargazing! Come into the Children’s room to check out our display of stargazing books including field guides and more:

Constellations

Glow-in-the-dark constellations: a field guide for young stargazers by C.E. Thompson; illustrated by Randy Chewning

All the stars in the sky: Native stories from the heavens by C.J. Taylor

vs.    Welcome to Stanley Cup 2009 Hockey Fans!!! Can you believe our luck as we once again have a match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Create some fun cards to share with your family and friends. Register online today!
Ages: Tweens (5th and 6th graders)
Program Date: Thursday, June 4 at 7pm.

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.

As part of our ongoing effort to make Canton Library an environmentally friendly building, our Housekeeping staff will be trained and certified in "green" cleaning procedures. It doesn't cost more to use safe effective cleaning products and procedures. In fact, in most cases, it costs less. The benefits are obvious. You get a clean , healthy building without using the products which are harmful to our environment. Using "green"  cleaning products is also much healthier for our Housekeeping staff. There is a wealth of information about "green buildings" available from the U.S. Green Building Council website.  We are also changing over our hand soap to a foaming cleanser and will be installing roll towel dispensers in our restrooms.

Are you fantasizing about what you will read for fun when school finally ends? Why not escape into a realm where dragons are real and dreams come true? Here is a magical link to such adventures.

Here is a fun way to welcome summer, adopt a pet! Don't worry about pet care, the library has lots of materials on the subject. If you are ready to get a new pet, visit the Michigan Humane Society in Westland or the Humane Society of Huron Valley on Cherry Hill Road in Ann Arbor. Either place will provide adoption counseling. Get ready for your new pet by making a pet toy with the help of Step-by-Step Crafts for Gifts by Kathy Ross.

Tweens, don't forget to sign up for June's Tween Book & Pizza Club! This month we're reading David Lubar's Flip, a funny story about kids who discover alien disks that let them transform into legendary people from the past. We're meeting on Saturday, June 6, from 1-2pm and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Wayne County parks are 90 years old this year and they are celebrating with a host of activities throughout the park system. From Movies at Dusk and Jazz on the River, to Pirate Palooza or Mud Day, there's something to appeal to all tastes. Pick up your copy of the 2009 Wayne County Parks Schedule of Events brochure in our lobby and find the event that's right for you.

Need something to help pass the time this Memorial Day weekend? Why not try Who Stole Uncle Sam? It's a fun mystery about two kids trying to find the missing Uncle Sam at a Memorial Day race. There's plenty of other great reads at the CPL, too, so make sure to stop by before heading out of town!

Looking for something fun and educational to do during the summer break? Check out Summer-Daycamps.com, a website where you can search for summer day camps by area code. On Kidscamps.com you can search for day camps and away camps. Just imagine, you could spend the summer designing a video game, composing a song, caring for farm animals, painting, collecting worms or becoming a dramatic actress in a theater camp. Summer is bound to be fun with these possibilities!

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox by Cristina Garcia is a poignant story about a young girl who comes from a complex family - her father is Jewish-Japanese, her mother is Cuban, and her parents are divorced--and when her grandfather Saul is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Yumi asks him to tell her his life story, which helps her to understand her own history and identity. This new book is but one of many fictional stories dealing with cancer available for you at the library.