Holy Trinity Library

Children’s Book Week, the oldest national literacy event in the United States, has moved to May! Now in its 89th year, CBW was established in 1919 to promote children’s books and family reading. All across the country, schools, libraries, and book stores will be celebrating with special events. The Women’s National Basketball Association will celebrate CBW at WNBA venues. On May 15th children can meet the authors of some of their favorite sports-themed books at the NBA store in New York City. Throughout the week families will be able to peruse at their leisure 1000 children’s books in a Children’s Book Cove in Bryant Park behind The New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue (the one with the lions at the main entrance). 

Here at Holy Trinity we will begin celebrating early with Adopt-a-Book/Support Your Library Coffee Hour on May 4th. The topic for Adult Forum on Mother’s Day, May 11th, will be Early Literacy. Ellin Greene, accompanied by Ned Perwo and Cyndie Markus, will introduce her latest book, Mother’s Song, a Lullaby, will discuss and talk about the importance of singing and reading aloud to young children, supported by current research on early brain development. Recently “adopted” library books will be available for browsing and discussion.  Ellin is the author of two highly acclaimed text books, Books, Babies, and Libraries: Serving Infants, Toddlers, their Parents and Caregivers and Storytelling: Art & Technique, and the reteller of several folktales for children. Please plan to join us.

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by Louise Moenke

I have always found reading to be a great pleasure.  One of my first memories of childhood was going to the library with my Mother, even before starting kindergarten.  Our library was in the basement of the elementary school, just a block from where I lived, and the librarian was a good friend.  She gladly helped me to find books that I would enjoy as I went from grade to grade.  I continued to do the same for our children, introducing them to the library as soon as they could read.

When Ellin Greene and her committee began developing the Sunday School Library, I was delighted.  It pleases me to be able to purchase books for the library through the Adopt-a-Book program.  The books are chosen most thoughtfully.  I encourage others to support this program and to take advantage of the opportunities the library offers.

One of the authors I especially like is Walter Wangerin, Jr.  For Christmas, I am giving our great-grandchildren copies of In the Beginning There Was No Sky, even though they aren’t able to read it yet by themselves.  This book is in the Sunday School Library (Bible section) along with Wangerin’s Water, Come Down! The Day You Were Baptized and Thistle (Picture Book Section).  For adults, I recommend Paul, a Novel, located in the library kiosk in Fellowship Hall.

Note: Louise and Al have four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  What a wonderful legacy they are leaving them.  Our appreciation to all loving grandparents.

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Parents and other adults, did you know that Holy Trinity has a library?  The Holy Trinity Sunday School is located downstairs, in the corridor outside the nursery classroom.  It contains over 800 titles, including books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and videos.  The purpose of the Sunday School Library is to enrich the Sunday School curriculum and to make available quality children’s books and audiovisual materials that foster a love of reading.  All nine Sunday School classes visit the library in the Fall for orientation and to hear a story read aloud by one of our library volunteers.

When you drop off your child for Sunday School, why not spend some time browsing in the collection?  Borrowing procedures are posted over the book cart.

Reading to children does make a difference!  Studies show that at age 6 the child who has been read to from birth has an average vocabulary of 20,000 words.  By contrast, the 6-year-old who has had little experience with books in early childhood has an average vocabulary of 3,000 words.  How about reading a story with your child(ren) or reading the same book that your older child is reading?  It’s really fun to share a story from different viewpoints.  You might even be inspired to write a book review together for Holy Trinity Lamplighter.

Our goal is to make our library, which is a member of the National Church Library Association, a Family Library for all members of our Holy Trinity family.  Our Library Kiosk, located in Fellowship Hall, highlights books for parents and teachers, selections from Weekday Spirituality, adult novels with religious themes, CDs from Grace Matters, the radio ministry of the ELC in America, as well as children’s books to read alone or to read aloud with in the family.  Please avail yourself of this valuable resource.

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