Bluebeary's Blog

Blog # 6 – April 2023 : Change is good

Hello from the Kid’s room!

It’s just about Spring here in Dover, finally! In our children’s room at the library, we’re getting ready to welcome all of you into the warmth of a new season of fun, and sun – and rain! Spring winds and sprinkles bring all kinds of good, growing things to Dover, and to our library.

Our room mascot, Bluebeary, is getting ready for spring too! Soon he’ll be dressed in his Spring finest (which here means his best or fancy clothes) - -maybe a raincoat, maybe a silly hat, maybe some overalls. Bluebear’s outfits are becoming almost as famous as Bluebear himself. Our youngest patrons get very excited to see what Bluebeary will be wearing next. Sometimes they pose for pictures with him, but often they are simply inspired to give him a hug! And Bluebeary never tires of getting hugs – the more the better!

This month, in addition to watching kids choose new books, Bluebeary will see them design creations at the craft table, explore the re-imagined block area, and discover our new play space, which highlights the peace of the outdoors. (at present this new space is far from peaceful, since there IS a canoe with paddles that the kids are dragging around, but the librarians are hopeful :)

This play space has some lovely non-fiction books about the forest, and will be adding new story books, focusing on a variety of people, languages and cultures, as the space expands and evolves. Just as Bluebeary’s wardrobe changes, and winter shifts to spring, so does our ever-growing library space. It’s transforming.

Come check out all the new things our library space has to offer! Bluebeary is waiting for you, and… change is good.

Blog #5 - November 2022

Happy Fall my little friends. I hope you are enjoying your days. It’s finally starting to get cold around here at the library. Is it cold where you live?

Most bears like me sleep all winter when it’s cold outside (or hibernate), but I live in the library where it’s toasty warm. There are always so many fun things to do in the library, I don’t want to sleep!

This month the kids in the library are learning about family celebrations, and food, and animals who hibernate or hunt in the winter, or stay up all night. We’re reading lots of great new books about Bears, Foxes and Owls, and learning about friendship and what it means to be ‘Thankful’.

I’m thankful for stories, and music, and listening to children play. And I’m especially thankful for HUGS. You guys give the BEST hugs! What are you thankful for? What are some of the family celebrations you have in the Fall? Maybe you share a meal together…maybe you travel to visit Grandparents or cousins. Whatever you do, I really hope you have fun! And I hope you have lots of yummy things to eat. My favorite food is berries and insects – what’s yours?

I can’t wait to see you the next time you come to the kid’s room! (don’t be afraid to give me a hug – I’m big, but I still need hugs)

Have a great Fall!!!

Love, Bluebeary

Blog #4 - October 2022

GrrrBrrr

It’s getting cold outside. So many of my animal friends are getting ready to hibernate for the winter. Some are eating as much as they can and some are storing of food in burrows and nests and hiding places. Soon they will rest or sleep and not use a lot of energy when it is cold. Because I live in the Dover Public Library I don’t need to save my energy and hibernate. I get to spend all winter seeing you!

Not hibernating also means I get to dress up for Halloween! Do you like my ghost costume? I hope it isn’t too scary. I am a very friendly ghost, even if I am sooo big. I can’t wait to see all of your costumes on Saturday, October 22 for our Halloween party in the Children’s Room. You can stop by any time during the day to make Halloween crafts and pick up a treat bag and say BOO to me.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention all my little cousins that have come to visit! There are so many of them you can spot them all over the library, upstairs at the Adult Circulation desk, downstairs in the Children’s Room. You can even take a Little Bluebeary cousin home (if your parents say yes, of course). They cost $20 and the money is for the Friends of the Library. They are the people who help buy us the fun museum passes, like the Children’s Museum and the New England Aquarium and the Museum of Science and the…well, we have a lot of museum passes you could use. I really love my cousins’ t-shirts. I wish I had a t-shirt like they do because I love the library too, but I’m not sure it comes in Big Bluebeary size.

Blog #3 by Children's Librarian Patty - September 2022

I've been working at the library for close to seven years. We've made lots of changes in the Children's Room since I came - some well received, some not so much. Saying good-bye to the gerbils Skitter and Skatter has probably been the most controversial decision. Libraries are steeped in tradition and they hold a strong sense of nostalgia, so change can be hard, even though it is necessary for growth and advancement. But no matter how much physical rearranging or reorganizing of the collection takes place, as long as I hold my position at the library, Bluebeary will too.

I am wholly fascinated by Bluebeary's universal appeal. He's large and blue and not soft and cuddly, but small children are drawn to him like a magnet. Cries of "Bear, Bear" can be heard daily from the youngest kids. Preschoolers are very interested in his anatomy (aka "butt"). Middle school kids greet him as an old friend. Parents want to get their kids' pictures with Bluebeary sporting his latest seasonal outfit. Through it all, Bluebeary stands at the ready and accepts all the attention like one of the ancient Stoic philosophers.

So what is it about Bluebeary that is so appealing? My theory, for what it's worth, is that he is a calm, steady presence in a world full of uncertainty. Always there, ready for a hug or to be poked and prodded; he accepts all forms of attention equally. Bluebeary can be for all of us whatever we need him to be on any given day, receiving all visitors without judgement or preconceptions. A physical presence that welcomes us just as we are. In the end, isn't that what all kids want and need? Isn't that what we all need? Isn't that what we want our library to be for the community?

So, thanks Bluebeary for teaching me these valuable lessons. You're not going anywhere.

Blog #2 - August 2022

Hi-Di-Ho Neighbor!

Here at the library I get to stand right next to the “New Books” Table. Every day I stare at a whole table of colorful chapter books, their covers all shiny and new. Some have never been checked out before!

I like the ones with animals on them the best. And the ones that have dragons in them! Those are my favorite. Ooh, and the ones about real life, called “Realistic Fiction” are cool too because it’s like it could really happen! But I really, really love funny books, those are my favorite of all my favorites.

The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton doesn’t just have one animal on the cover, but five, and there are even more animals in the book. These animals are smart AND funny. They turn to a life of crime to become independently wealthy so they aren’t taken to an animal shelter. Which is a pretty good plan, but it doesn’t all go the way they want it to.

There is a dog and a cat in the story so it doesn’t matter if you like dogs more or cats more, you will like this book. There’s also a bird, a few rats, and an octopus.

One of my librarian friends read some of the book out loud to me and I laughed at all the silliness.

Next time you are in the library, look out for The Great Pet Heist by Emily Eaton. (David Mottram drew all the pictures. I think he did a pretty good job too.) If it is checked out, you can always find another animal chapter book by looking for the blue “Animal” spine label. It has a crocodile on it.

That doesn’t mean there is a crocodile in the book, just that it is a book with animals.

In case you were confused.

Oh, and I just found out that there’s another book about these same animals called The Great Ghost Hoax! So, when your done reading about the heist (a robbery), you can read about the hoax (a humorous or malicious deception).

Blog #1 - July 2022

GRRR!!!.....

Oh, sorry, I hope I didn’t scare you! That’s just the way I say ‘hello’. My name’s Bluebeary, because I’m Blue, and very.…Beary! What’s your name? (I like that name too.)

I like to hang out in the kid’s room at the Dover Public Library because you all read the BEST stories. And stories are my favorite. My story is kind of interesting too (‘interesting’ here means exciting, or curious). Did you know that I’ve been hanging out with library kids for 17 years? Yup, I’ve been listening to kids play, and read, and sing, and do crafts, and have all kinds of fun at DPL since 2005; from the very first day that I joined a bear parade. Did you know bears could go on parade? Well, they can, it’s not just for boy scouts and fire engines.

My parade was to celebrate one of Dover’s birthdays – a city with a birthday? You bet. Not only did we parade but we also danced! Myself and 31 other bears got all dressed up and we danced through Dover – it was so much fun! And I’ve been a part of the children’s room at DPL ever since; watching children grow and learn and read, and I can’t even count how many hugs I’ve had! I love hugs almost as much as I love stories.

So, that’s a story about me. I would love to hear one of yours. I bet it’s curious and exciting too! The next time you come to the library, come visit me in the kid’s room. You could bring your parents if you want You can’t miss me, because I’m REALLY big and REALLY blue. And I love children – but not for breakfast – just to hang out with.

Here’s hoping I get to see you soon,

GRRRR-ingly yours!!!!!,

Bluebeary

(p.s. that’s how I say goodbye too)

You can learn more about Bluebeary’s story here, or ask at the library!