My Penguin Osbert program Jan. 26 and 28 at Huntington

Huntington City-Twp. Public Library invites children ages preschool to age eight and their parents to attend the “My Penguin Osbert” programs at the Main Library. Two sessions will be offered: the first at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, and the second at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28. Both of these events will include Story Time sessions, penguin songs and crafts, a mini-booklet of coloring and activities to take home, and a special treat. The programs are free, and the public is invited to attend. Registration is appreciated, but not required.
This year’s program is based on the storybook My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, published in 2004 by Candlewick Press, and nominated for the Young Hoosier Book Award in 2006. Fabulously illustrated by H. B. Lewis, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel’s hilarious romp through the land of be-careful-what-you-wish-for offers a whole year’s worth of holiday fun magic.
About the book: Each year at Christmas, Joe writes a letter to Santa. But they’ve had a few misunderstandings in the past. Last year, for example, Joe wanted a fire-engine-red racecar with retracting headlights, and he did get one -- but it was only three inches long. So this year Joe is really, really careful. He describes exactly what he wants -- and on Christmas morning, guess what’s waiting for him under the tree! Santa has brought him a living, breathing, black-and-white penguin named Osbert. Will anything in Joe’s life ever be the same?
This program was designed to meet more than twenty of the academic standards in music, art, and reading that are recommended by the Indiana State Department of Education for children in first grade. At the end of the program, each child will be given an mini-booklet of activities that also fit many of these standards. Anyone who would like more information about the program, or the academic standards used to design it, is encouraged to contact Kay Stine, head of the Library’s Children’s Department, by phone at 260-356-0824, or by email at kstine@huntingtonpub.lib.in.us.