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Inspired by Summer: Flip Flop Fun

What's the official footwear of summer?  Flip flops!  I keep two pairs right by my door -- one set stars Wonder Woman, the other features giraffes in sunglasses.  I also bought a fancier, more supportive pair for my recent birthday cruise.  My friend Tiffani has practically a pair for every day of summer.  Flip flops are her signature summer look.  If you love them as much as we do, you'll surely love these activities!

1. It's a Flip Flop Craft Kind of Day!
Make a creative ode to fabulous footwear.  Use your footprint and some straws to make a life-sized replica or make a baby-sized one using a craft stick.  Capture summer memories with a flip flop magnet or poster.  Use real flip flops to make cute garden stakes or wreaths.  You can even use them to make puppets!  Want to turn your basic shoes into something flip flop fantastic?  Try adding water balloons!

2. Snacks Are Better in Flip Flops!
Don't just wear flip flops -- eat them!  You can make flip flop cookies, Krispy treats, or sandwiches!

3. Flip, Flop, Read 'Til You Drop!
Flip flops are great, but don't forget the ultimate summer accessory -- a book!  More than one, actually.  Keeping reading all summer long!  Need suggestions?  Here are some new stories about summertime.

Target Age: 
Preschool
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Katiem's picture
Author: 
Katiem
Post date: 
Fri, 07/10/2020 - 9:11am

Throwback Thursday: Willow

I know this 1988 movie has its haters.  But I'm not one of them.  I adore Willow!  The number one reason?  Warwick Davies.  You just completely believe he is Willow Ufgood, a Nelwyn farmer who is thrust into a dangerous magical quest when a Daikini baby washes up from the river.  You 100% want him to succeed.  And you absolutely know he will.  Even when things go from bad to worse.  Even when he fails, then fails again.  Willow may actually be my favorite fantasy movie hero of all time.

The movie also stars Val Kilmer as the reluctant hero Madmartigan, Billy Barty as The High Aldwin, and Jean Marsh as the positively deliciously evil Queen Bavmorda.  And don't forget the babies who played Elora Danan!  Their facial expressions were scene stealers on many occassions.  The acting was stellar, and the creative team was top notch.  Willow was directed by Ron Howard, and the story was written by George Lucas.  Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects team, did some groundbreaking sequences, the most notable being when Fin Raziel goes through a series of animal transformations before settling into her human form.  This morphing technique was a breakthrough for computer-generated imaging (CGI).

DID YOU KNOW?
1. Warwick Davies made his movie debut as the Ewok Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  He also plays both Professor Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter movie franchise.
2. Jean Marsh is also a villainess in Return to Oz (1985).  She scares me as Nurse Wilson in the Kansas part of the movie and Princess Mombi in the Oz part.
3. At the Academy Awards, Willow was nominated for Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects, but lost both to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (another movie I love), whose effects were also done by Industrial Light & Magic.
4. Billy Barty was a television and movie actor from 1930 to 2001!  He played Gwildor in 1987's Masters of the Universe.  My sister and I were HUGE He-Man fans, so this movie was definitely in our VHS rental rotation.

Did you miss last week's post in this series?  Take a look at Throwback Thursday: The Wizard of Oz.

Target Age: 
Kids
Tweens
Teens
Katiem's picture
Author: 
Katiem
Post date: 
Thu, 07/09/2020 - 8:58am

Inspired by Summer: Stars & Stripes

I am an Army Brat, and I have oh-so-many wonderful childhood memories of the 4th of July.  We would always go see the fireworks display on base.  Let me tell you, the Army knows how to put on a fireworks show.  I especially loved when the military band would play patriotic music.  When I was a teenager, I was always at Camp Sumatanga's Music & Arts Week during the 4th.  My Independence Day consisted of fireworks over the lake after a round of camp songs and storytelling.  As an adult, I don't have a 4th of July tradition.  Each year I'm looking for a different way to participate.  This year I think I'll give some of these ideas a try.  Maybe you will do the same!

Throwback Thursday: The Wizard of Oz

There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.

When I was a little girl, I used to click my heels together and chant that phrase.  Of course, as an Army brat, home wasn't really a place.  We moved a lot.  To me, home was people -- my dad, my mom, my little sister -- and a dachshund named Barney. (Who, by the way, did NOT want to be Toto in my dramatic play.)  So what was I thinking about when I clicked my heels?  Kansas.  My dad is from Kansas, so it was home to someone very important to me. And, since I had never lived there, it seemed like a magical far-off place.  (It still retained a hint of magic when we moved there in 1990.)  The first time I saw The Wizard of Oz, I was as impressed with the sepia-toned Kansas farm as I was the amazing Technicolor reveal of Munchinland in Oz.  In fact, I was pretty much mesmerized by every single moment in the film.  I don't think I could pick a favorite scene if I tried! 

Diversify Your Summer Reading List

We have an entire month left in Summer Reading 2020.  Take a look at everything you've read so far.  Does every book feature a kid or teen who looks exactly like you?  Are you only reading graphic novels or realistic fiction?  Are you stuck on titles from the Who HQ?  All of those books are great, but there are lots of other amazing stories out there!  If you're stuck in a reading rut, now's the time to pull yourself out.  Here are some book recommendations that might help.

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March 31, 2020
During this time of staying safe and distancing from one another the Hoover Public Library will not be accepting applications for teen volunteers.  We hope to bring back this wonderful program in the future.  As circumstances change and as we make plans for the future, we will update this page with new information as it is forthcoming.

We look forward to seeing you again and wish for the good health of all our citizens.

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