Catch It @ MPL (Cauli 4 Kids)

Library's 100th Anniversary Celebration

2012-03-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

This year (2012) marks the 100th anniversary for Mooresville Public Library. Our Indiana Room Historian has a blog that is highlighting key events at the Library over the past century. Click here to visit that blog. Relevant articles are listed in the blog post menu along the right-hand side, or you may scroll the postings to find interesting information about the Library's history.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Heed the Unless Stone

2012-03-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

Grown-ups and children have been enjoying The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, for 41 years now (since it was first published in 1971). If you haven't read it yet, now's your chance. You could see the new movie if you want, but, for my money, the story is best told in a book.

The book is available in our Evergreen Indiana online catalog.

As the Lorax warned, we should heed the unless stone. If you'd like to learn how your grown-ups could help you make your own unless stone for your garden, visit this web site. The stone looks like this.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Cauli Art Appreciation Contest Winners

2012-02-29T20:44:00.001-05:00

My Library selected winners in the Cauli Le Chat art appreciation contest. The results were posted on my grown-up blog, Cat's Eye View @ MPL. Click here and also click here to see the complete results.

We are currently displaying these pictures on a four-sided kiosk sitting next to the vending machines and the elevator, just inside the Library's front entrance. If you come to the Library in the near future, we invite you to take a look at some truly fine coloring.

Remember, EVERYBODY who participated is a true winner! Your art is special--there's nobody in the entire world who can draw art like yours--so keep drawing. We certainly have enjoyed the Cauli art our young patrons have created.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Lost Mitten, Found Critter Home

2012-02-29T20:27:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered what could happen when somebody loses a mitten in the snow? Jan Brett did. If you read her young children's book, The Mitten, you can find out how a group of country critters discovered a warm mitten is almost as cozy as home.

This book is a good balance of pictures and story, so early elementary school readers should have no trouble reading on their own, and preschoolers will enjoy listening (and looking at the drawings) during read-aloud. Try to guess which woodland animal will want to climb into the mitten next!

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr!

2012-02-24T15:22:00.001-05:00

This week's letter on Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan's early literacy blog (and video) was R r. Say it like a pirate! All together now. RRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr!!!! That was fun.

To celebrate Cauli Le Chat Appreciation Day, Miss Jaymi and Sammy also had "Flat" Cauli II, who stood-in for moi, at center stage during their videorecording. You can actually see "Flat" Cauli in this video, thanks to the skills of the Library's videographer, Rachel Buchanan. Not so in Scowl-Face's behind-the-scenes video, where ceiling lights made "Flat" Cauli II look all shiny.

Next week will be the letter S s, and you know what that means. Sammy will be center stage, in the spotlight, taking bows, and being extra egg-cited. That's saying something, considering how excited he was over the chicksoon eggs in the Library's incubators.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Chicksoons Are Back!

2012-02-23T17:27:00.004-05:00

Chicksoons have returned to our Library! For all the latest news and developments, there's no better place to check than Broadway Gal's Hatching Chicks @ MPL blog. It's an egg-citing time here at the Library, and you won't want to miss any of the eggs-traordinary details.

Last year we made a program, or promo, trailer about the chicksoons. I also blogged a lot about them last year on my grown-up blog, beginning with this posting.

Be sure to drop by the Library after school (or any other time you're available, when we're open) to see the chicksoons in their eggs (and, later, when hatching starts).

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Cauli Le Chat Appreciation Day

2012-02-22T20:22:00.000-05:00

Today (Wednesday, February 22, 2012) is Cauli Le Chat Appreciation Day. See what fun stuff we did by visiting my other blog, Cat's Eye View @ MPL. We were pretty busy, so there were several postings:

See how Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan celebrated my special day.
See the cool Cauli appreciation banner at the Circulation Desk and a nice card from Sparkle the Designer Cat.
I thought I was getting a special dinner for today, but that didn't quite work out.
See what goodies our early literacy kids received.
See how we're helping homeless cats and dogs in Morgan County, Indiana.

That's a full plate, for sure.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Happy Presidents' Day (4 Felines)

2012-02-20T12:57:00.001-05:00

Since it is Presidents' Day today (February 20), I thought you might enjoy reading about our presidential kitties. My pal Sparkle the Designer Cat has posted a blog honoring several of our fellow felines that have lived in the White House. Click here to read all about it.

Socks (President Clinton's Cat)

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Early Literacy Valentines 4 U

2012-02-18T00:28:00.002-05:00

Miss Jaymi, whom I call Wild Thang, and Sammy the Toucan have posted their early literacy blog and video, both of which this week celebrate Valentine's Day.

I really appreciated Miss Jaymi giving a call-out about my special day next Wednesday, February 22, 2012. That's Cauli Le Chat Appreciation Day at my Library, and we will be celebrating in our early literacy reading programs by doing some super-fun activities. "Flat" Cauli II (and possibly III) will be there. There will be a special snack for our human kiddy patrons, which we'll call "kitty chow," but it's really a people food. Maybe we should call it "kiddy chow" instead.

As for moi, I'll be out-and-about gathering stories for our patrons. That's what we feline roving reporters do! So Sammy can relax. Anyway, it's Valentine's Day week (that kind of makes sense), so nobody gets to eat anybody, regardless of who's the predator and who's the prey. Plus, I make it a rule never to eat anyone I work with at the Library. We cats don't have to hunt for our food when we have people friends feeding us some canned cat food.

Speaking of which, we are collecting donated canned cat food and dog food at the Library as part of my special day. Just drop it off in the box by the interior book drops next to the Circulation Desk inside my Library. The donations will go to Morgan County Humane Society.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Happy 60th Birthday, Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head

2012-02-14T11:56:00.001-05:00

Did you have (or do you still have) a Mr. Potato Head toy? Invented by George Lerner in 1949, the Hasbro Corporation began making our tuber friend in 1952. Mr. P-H began his career as a genuine potato. You could purchase the bodily attachments and use a real potato as the head. Eight years after its introduction, a plastic body was included.

Mr. Potato Head (1952) by Hasbro

This spud fella has an intriguing history, some of which you may learn at the Indianapolis Children's Museum, which has a Mr. Potato Head exhibit on display through May 6. It appears to be interactive, at least in part, so children ages 3-8 (the recommended audience) should have some fun.

Mr. Potato Head (with Plastic Body)

Did you know Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television? Here's a vintage TV ad from the 1950s. (The video caption says 1960s, but the advertisement is older than that.) The kids in the ad are probably now as old as your grandparents (or, possibly, your great-grandparents).

I just realized that Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head is 60 years old this year. Lucky they're not including real potatoes in the boxes. After more than half a century, they would probably be rather ripe.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Q q is a Tough Letter

2012-02-11T09:33:00.005-05:00

Q q is a tough letter to do for an early literacy blog. Just ask Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan, whose early literacy blog this week covered that letter of the alphabet. Check out their video below.

Sammy sure was excited that the letter S s is fast approaching, when they will get to talk all about--you guessed it!--Sammy! I can't wait.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

The Father of Science Fiction

2012-02-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

Today is Jules Verne's birthday. The famous French author was born February 8, 1828 and died on March 24, 1905. Known as the father of science fiction, Verne wrote many entertaining novels in which science played an important role. Want to see a bibliography of Verne's books? Hey, I work in a Library. Can-do, for sure. For a brief biography of the author and a short bibliography, click here.

Jules Verne (1828-1905)

We have a couple book trailers featuring two of Verne's most popular sci-fi novels.

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne

(MPL Book Trailer #55)

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne

(MPL Book Trailer #88)

Nearly all of Verne's famous fiction remains in print, so you should have no trouble finding it. Search our online Evergreen Indiana catalog to see the wealth of materials available to E.I. cardholders.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Parachutes and Penguins

2012-02-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have posted their latest early literacy blog--this time, featuring the letter Pp. Check it out!

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Yet Even More Rwandan Adventures

2012-02-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

I promised to post some photos from my wildlife safari in Rwanda, so here they are. I hope you enjoy them.

Your "Flat" Feline Foreign Correspondent On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli II
Reporting for
Cauli Le Chat

More Children's Nonfiction eBooks

2012-02-06T19:16:00.000-05:00

My Library has a new source of nonfiction children's digital ebooks available through our website. Learn more about it here.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

More From Kaunas, Lithuania

2012-02-02T16:12:00.002-05:00

"Flat" Cauli IV and Miss Shay conclude their visit to Kaunas, Lithuania, details of which may be found on my Cat's Eye View @ MPL blog. In this episode, "Flat" Cauli sees some intriguing statuary, visits a university library, learns some Lithuanian, and really wants to stop in at several kepyklélés.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Meanwhile, Back in Lithuania ...

2012-02-02T14:25:00.000-05:00

"Flat" Cauli IV and Miss Shay continue their Lithuanian adventures. This time, "Flat" Cauli visits the country's second largest city, Kaunas. Details? Can-do! Drop by my Cat's Eye View @ MPL blog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Skiing in Slovakia

2012-02-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

"Flat" Cauli IV has filed her latest report about her European adventures. She recently traveled to Slovakia on a skiing trip. Read about all the fun on my Cat's Eye View @ MPL Blog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Still More Rwandan Travel Log

2012-01-31T11:18:00.003-05:00

"Flat" Cauli II completes her report about her adventures in Rwanda. Read all about it on my grown-up blog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

More Rwandan Adventures

2012-01-30T18:36:00.003-05:00

"Flat" Cauli II has filed her second report about her adventures in Rwanda. Read all about it on my grown-up blog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli's Rwandan Travel Log

2012-01-30T00:13:00.000-05:00

"Flat" Cauli II has returned from her trip to Rwanda and has filed her first report. Read all about it on my grown-up blog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Follow Your Dreams

2012-01-29T00:17:00.000-05:00

Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi (illustrated by Tim Bowers), is a wonderful early readers' book that adults and young children will enjoy reading together. I've blogged before (maybe twice) about this book on my grown-up blog, but we have an updated book trailer, so let's have another look.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Omigosh! More Early Literacy Fun

2012-01-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have made their new early literacy video and blog posting about the letter O o. Omigosh! It's fabulous. Outstanding, you might say.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Whiskers & Rhymes

2012-01-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Whiskers & Rhymes, by Arnold Lobel (HarperCollins, 1988) is a cat-lover's delight. Recommended for readers ages 4 and up, it is the kind of early readers' book that you youngsters will read yourselves (or your folks will read to you), and then, when you're grown-up, you will read aloud to your children, and, years later, to your grandchildren, and, even more years later still, to your great-grandchildren. It is witty, funny, engaging, and simply wonderful.

Guess what? Savvy, MPL's new Young Adult Librarian, has made a book trailer that will tell you all about this charming book. As book trailers go, Savvy has created a wonder to behold.

Just Click the Image Above to Play the Book Trailer

This book is available in our online Evergreen Indiana catalog. But you knew that it would be, right?

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

More Lithuanian Adventures

2012-01-25T15:30:00.001-05:00

"Flat" Cauli IV continues her report about her Lithuanian adventures in my other blog, Cat's Eye View @ MPL. Click here to read all about it.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli's Lithuanian Adventures

2012-01-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

"Flat" Cauli IV has arrived safely in Lukšiai, Lithuania to stay with Shay Laws' English class at Vincas Grybas Gymnasium. To read her first report, please visit my "grown-up" blog, Cat's Eye View @ MPL.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli Visits the Mitten State

2012-01-23T00:23:00.000-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I

MPL Flat Feline Roving Reporter

When Scowl-Face, who is one of Cauli Le Chat's minions, was a little boy, he learned the different names of the 50 American states. It was an exciting time, because, not too long before, there had only been 48 states when Scowl-Face was born. Fifty seemed like a really large number to remember, so his kindergarden teacher told him to try distinguishing the states by shape. "Remember that certain states look like things," she suggested. So Scowl-Face gave it a try. Most of the states looked like boxes to him, so that didn't really help much. Still, there were the distinctive shapes of Michigan, New York, Florida, and Texas. As best as he can remember, here are the things Scowl-Face associated with these states' shapes.

Michigan looked like a mitten. (Well, the bottom part, anyway.) The top part looked like the paper hats the cooks wore at the Frisch's Restaurant to which his parents occasionally took his brother and him to eat, about eight blocks from his house. (The "Big Boy" sandwich is still his favorite hamburger, ever.)

Florida looks like a pirate's peg leg. Specifically, Long John Silver's, in the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, which Scowl-Face read much later in elementary school, and for which my Library has made a book trailer.

New York looked like a pork chop. Ooooo-kay.

Texas looked like a T-Bone in a T-Bone steak.

Whatever he may have thought the other states looked like is lost to history.

Map of Michigan

This Michigan memory thing was pretty straightforward. Definitely, the lower peninsula looks like a mitten. Left or right hand? Doesn't it depend upon which way the hand is facing (front or back)? Anyway, the mitten memory trick worked, because he always got Michigan correct when he had to do geography worksheets in First Grade.

I remembered all this when the Crumbacher family, who participate in my Library's Homeschool Group, took moi along on their trip to Michigan. Four Great Lakes touch Michigan--Lake Michigan, of course, is on the mitten's westerly side, while Lake Superior is on the upper peninsula's northern side, with Lakes Huron and Erie touching the mitten's easterly borders--but the beautiful lakes and forests inside the state are often stronger attractions for tourists looking for a peaceful weekend destination. There is much to enjoy there, so I was quite excited about our trip.

My favorite part of the journey, however, was swimming at the hotel pool where we were staying. (The Lady With the Red Hair, who is another of Cauli's minions, says that her children always enjoyed the hotel pools more than anything else on their vacations. Ask Scowl-Face what he remembers about his family's vacation to Colorado when he was six years old, and he will tell you swimming in a motel pool someplace in Kansas.)

Swimming is super-fun and wonderful exercise, and I got to use these amazingly cool goggles. I could see underwater without getting my eyes wet! It was just like being a fish (or, as Cauli would say, a "swimming dinner"). My Crumbacher special correspondents and their cousins (remember, we omit first names to preserve family privacy) helped moi put-on the goggles.

My Crumbacher Special Correspondents

Put On the Goggles For Moi

"Flat" Cauli I, Deep Sea Diver

My Hat Always Stays On

Ready to Swim Some Laps

Another highlight of the trip was the hot tub. This was sooooooo relaxing! The water was wonderfully warm, and it swirled around, which loosened our muscles while it simultaneously invigorated us. It was perfect after swimming in the pool.

We all had a terrific time! Many thanks to the Crumbacher family for taking moi along on their Michigan adventure.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

Zoo, Too, Plus Circle Tree & Carriages

2012-01-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I
MPL Flat Feline Roving Reporter

On December 23, 2011, Cauli Le Chat, "Flat" Cauli III, and minions visited Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo. It was a three-part series in Cauli's Cat's Eye View blog for grown-ups, and Cauli talked about the trip in this blog, too. To read about it in this blog, click here. For the story in her grown-ups blog, click here and here and here. But not all at the same time!

Guess what? I beat them all to it! I visited Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo on December 7, 2011, with the Brewer family, who participate in my Library's Homeschool Group.

It was a beautiful night to see all the colorful holiday lights strung throughout the zoo. Many were in the shapes of wild animals. My chief Brewer correspondent (remember, we omit first names to preserve family privacy) had our picture taken standing in front of some of those lights.

Click Photos to Enlarge, or "Bigify"

Guess what else? The Brewer family took me to see the reindeer.

We're Up For a Sleigh Ride, I'm Thinking

We also took the train ride, which went around many different parts of the zoo. It was completely different riding the train at night than during the day. The holiday light displays were beautiful, and there was a peaceful feeling in the air.

One of my favorite exhibits was the dolphin show. Cauli, "Flat" Cauli III, and minions were not able to see it when they visited, because all the tickets had sold out by the time they arrived. Thanks to the Brewer family, I was able to see the dolphins swimming around their pool, doing amazing acrobatic stunts that thrilled the crowd. Dolphins are tremendously smart, so they can learn many different stunning displays of their athletic abilities.

Christmas Tree (in Background) at

Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis

Afterwards, we visited downtown Indianapolis to see the world's largest Christmas "tree," which is actually the Soldiers and Sailors Monument decorated with lights. This has been a holiday tradition since 1962. The monument is 284 feet, six inches tall, which is only 15 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty.

I found this video on YouTube of the 2011 tree lighting ceremony. Click the graphic below to play the video.

While we were downtown at Monument Circle, we also stopped by the carriage rides. We got to pet some of the horseys that pulled the carriages.

We had a wonderful time at the Indianapolis Zoo and at Monument Circle. Many thanks to the Brewer family for taking me along on their adventures.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

Numbers & Noodles--Now I'm Hungry!

2012-01-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have been busy preparing their early literacy video and blog posting for the Letter N n. Click here to read the blog, or click the video below to watch them in action.

All this talk about noodles makes moi hungry! Time for din-dins.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Where's MY Moustache, Miss Jaymi?

2012-01-20T13:34:00.001-05:00

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have another early literacy video uploaded to their blog and YouTube channel. This week's installment covers the Letter M m. Let's watch, shall we?

Click Graphic to Play Video

Where's MY moustache, Miss Jaymi? Just asking. I can talk really low. Way down here. (You have to imagine you're hearing me say it.)

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

A Cupcake For Moi

2012-01-20T01:48:00.000-05:00

Let's revisit a classic children's story. Thanks to my trusty minions, we now have a book trailer for If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, by Laura Numeroff (Felicia Bond, illustrator). Like all of the books in this series, the story is funny and filled with surprising twists and turns. The pictures are wonderfully colorful and cute. It is a fabulous readaloud, which grown-ups will enjoy as much as preschoolers. It is also an excellent book for early readers on their own.

I recommend all of Ms. Numeroff & Ms. Bond's children's books in the If You Give ... series. They are adventures, proving that getting there is much more fun than merely reaching a destination.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli, Feline Farmhand

2012-01-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I
MPL Special Flat Feline Correspondent

Near the end of last November, while Cauli Le Chat was enjoying her Thanksgiving din-dins with her Library minions, I was working hard as a farmhand (or would that be farmpaw? Just asking) for the Freer family, which attends my Library's Homeschool Group.

The Freer family worked with Broadway Gal and Miss Jaymi during last year's Chicksoon Egg Hatching Program at my Library. (Cauli calls them chicksoons because the eggs were soon to hatch baby chicks.) Cauli blogged about the chicks quite a bit last March and April, and you may find those postings by visiting her grown-up blog and scrolling through the post menu (on the right side of the blog) listing each month's articles. We even had a promo trailer for the chicksoons. Want to watch it? You betcha! Just click the play button in the image below to start the video.

Broadway Gal had a special hatching chicks blog for last year's brood, which you should read. It's both interesting and informative.

But let's get back to my farmpaw work at the Freer family homestead. I had never visited a farm with livestock before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My Freer special correspondents (remember, we don't use first names to protect privacy) introduced me to the chickens, which Cauli would call "winged dinners." Some of these chickens were the chicks that hatched last year at my Library! So they're family (sort of), and you don't eat your family! Anyway, I'm a canned tuna-in-oil sort of flat feline.

I visited the chicken's nesting boxes, which were cozy and comfortable. You can see that I was just the right size to fit into one. This is where the girl chickens, called hens, laid eggs. You can imagine how many eggs there would be when hens were roosting in all of the nesting boxes.

Next we visited Darla the Donkey and the goats. I was expecting Darla to be a huge horsey-like critter, but she was shorter than a horse--just the right height for moi to ride on her back. I thought for a moment that the goats might take a bite out of moi--goats eat almost anything--but they just wanted to sniff and be friendly.

I was quite excited when we visited the hayloft. I was introduced to a couple of the six Freer farm felines. They were having a snack and kindly invited moi to join them. It was pretty tasty! Working on a farm builds a big appetite.

Then we climbed the Freer's treehouse. This was an amazing place, with a swing rope (just like George of the Jungle), ladders that I ran up and down (again and again--it was soooo much fun!), and two platforms from which to survey the surroundings from great heights. It was way-cool. I felt like an explorer. "Dr. Livingstone, I presume."

The Freer family had Thanksgiving dinner, which I truly enjoyed. When they showed me the turkey's wishbone, I was stunned. It was huge! I didn't realize turkeys were such large birds.

It was a special treat to watch my Freer special correspondents play piano and draw. I love listening to music, and I think drawing is one of the most amazing things. Both activities--playing a musical instrument or creating artwork--require imagination, talent, and hard work to develop the necessary skills. But what fascinates moi is that something beautiful is created out of the hands and minds of the musicians or artists.

My Freer Special Correspondent Guy-Dude showed me his Eiffel Tower made of Legos. We have Lego programs at my Library, so I knew that this would be something spectacular. When completed, it would simply tower over us flat felines! This is a great example of art in architecture. There is something quite satisfying about constructing a grand building or structure.

I had a wonderful time. Many, many thanks to the Freer family for hosting me over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a learning adventure--my favorite kind--and I hope I can visit again to meet the other farm felines, chat more with the chickens, climb the treehouse ladders and swing rope, and enjoy more Darla the Donkey rides around the yard. If you have never ridden a donkey before, you don't know what you're missing.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli, Water Baby, Cupcake Connoisseur

2012-01-16T22:25:00.002-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I
MPL Special Flat Feline Correspondent

A common myth about cats is that we are afraid of water. Au contraire. We kitties (including the "flat" kind like moi) are excellent swimmers and will take to the water if we have good reason. What we felines don't like is being cold, wet, and uncomfortable. A brisk toweling to dry our fur does the trick nicely.

My adventures with the Library's Homeschool Group continue. After returning from Disney World and Epcot, I visited with the Lounsbery family. (Just a reminder: To respect the families' privacy, we're not using first names here. But you know who you are! My homeschool pals, I mean. Well, I guess my readers know who they are, too, for that matter.)

My senior Lounsbery correspondent took moi to swimming lessons. She's hoping to make the swim team, and I wanted to help out. I'm good at timing laps, especially if I have a stopwatch. I also float really well (being a "Flat" Cauli)--laminated cardboard has its advantages--so I was prepared to jump right in if duty called.

Click Photos to Enlarge (or "Bigify")

I learned that swimmers typically wear snug-fitting swimsuits to help reduce friction from the water on the skin of their bodies. This helps them move through the water faster. Of course, my "swimsuit" is made of all-natural fur. My senior Lounsbery correspondent and I were all set to start practicing our swimming strokes. For moi, that means mostly floating, but I swim a fast four-pawed freestyle.

WHOA! Do I have to dive off the high board?

I was intrigued by the diving boards, but I was a little alarmed when we took this photo, because I thought I was going to have to dive into the pool from this really high diving board. I was told it's not actually so high above the water, but when you're standing at the end, and you're petite like moi, it sure looks like a long, long way down.

I can do a "cannonball dive" (well, jump, really)

I was surprised at how physically demanding swimming lessons can be. Swimmers begin slowly, learning many different swim strokes (and water safety, of course), but soon their bodies become muscular, and they swim faster and stronger. Swimming is terrific exercise, but being a competitive swimmer requires hard work, dedication, and a desire to do your best. I spoke with many people who someday want to join the swim team, and they all said that the hard work is totally worth it.

I paddled around the pool for awhile, but I was nowhere near as fast as my senior Lounsbery correspondent, who swam quite like an old pro. Someday, I'd like to come to swim meets to see her swimming for her team. I can tell already that she will be an excellent swimmer.

Swimming made me quite hungry, so my Junior Lounsbery correspondent and I celebrated her birthday (can you guess how old she is?) by baking some cupcakes. Anybody who has read the wonderful book If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, by Laura Numeroff (Felicia Bond, illustrator), knows that cats love cupcakes--especially "Flat" kitties like moi. So this was pretty fantastic.

We decorated the cupcakes with candy, and I helped blow out the birthday candles. Then we got to eat the cupcakes! Well, not all of them at once--that might give you a belly-ache--so I just had one. It was soooooo tasty and delicious! I was mighty impressed that, at just six years old, my Junior Lounsbery correspondent could make and decorate cupcakes.

It was interesting to learn how to cook them. There are lots of ingredients that you have to mix together in just the right amounts, and there's rather a lot of stirring involved at different times, but the final product was well worth the wait.

I had a truly wonderful time visiting with the Lounsbery family, and I'd like to thank them again for taking me to swimming lessons and baking birthday cupcakes. It was great fun, and I hope I can visit again sometime soon so we can do some more fun things, some of which might include food. Well, I'm sort of hungry as I'm typing this.

If you'd like to read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, we have a copy at my Library. Cauli Le Chat wrote about it on her grown-up blog; in fact, her blog background picture shows her sitting next to the book. Visit our online Evergreen Indiana catalog to place a hold on the book, or visit the Library to check it out in person.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

When You Wish Upon a Star . . .

2012-01-16T00:37:00.002-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I
MPL Special Flat Feline Correspondent

Have you seen Walt Disney's movie, Pinocchio (first released in 1940)? When Jiminy Cricket sings the song at the beginning and end of the movie, you know that dreams can come true.

For moi, this is certainly true. The Alexander family, which participates in my Library's Homeschool Group, took me along on their trip to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World and Epcot. Both of these theme parks are truly fantastic places--literally filled with fantasy and imagination--that every young girl or boy (or "flat" kitty) has probably dreamt of visiting. Now was my chance, and I enjoyed every minute.

Jet Landing at Orlando International Airport

(Click each photo to enlarge, or "bigify")

We flew on a jet airplane from Indiana to Florida. It is simply amazing to look out the plane windows and see everything on the ground becoming smaller as you take-off and rise rapidly through the air. When you reach about 5,000 feet altitude, cars and trucks look like tiny toys on roads that appear like strings running across the land. At 20,000 feet, entire cities look like they could fit in the trunk of your family's car. At 40,000 feet, the mountains of Tennessee, western North Carolina, and Georgia look like small bumps. Then, when you're descending to land, it all goes in reverse, and everything becomes bigger as you approach the airport runways.

When we arrived at the airport in Orlando, we were swiftly taken to Disney World, where we stayed in a fancy hotel. Even the bed sheets had Mickey Mouse designs on them! We were excited that we would soon have the chance to meet Mickey in person.

We visited the Magic Kingdom, which is one of the theme resorts at Disney World. This is the land of imagination, and we were amazed at how many different places there were. We noticed that there were Disney Halloween decorations, because we were visiting during October. This one was a pumpkin carved with Mickey's face. I don't think it was a real pumpkin--it didn't smell like one--but it was very pretty and an excellent likeness.

Here I am standing at a lamp pole (with the Mickey pumpkin decoration) with my senior Alexander correspondent (remember that I don't mention first names because we want to protect our homeschool families' privacy). We wondered when we would get to meet the Big Cheese himself (Mickey). Get it? Big Cheese, and mice like cheese, right? Sort of a rodent joke there.

Now, I want to assure my readers that I wasn't going to eat Mickey Mouse or anything like that. Although cats are predators and hunt mice, we obviously wouldn't want to do that with Mickey Mouse, because he's a famous worldwide celebrity (as well as our host) and a really nice animated character to boot. A "flat" feline like moi would never eat an animated character! But here in Disney World, where imaginary things are quite real, we knew we would get to meet Mickey and his animated friends in person. Wonderful things happen when you have a good imagination.

My senior Alexander correspondent and I posed before two living shrubberies in the shapes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The Magic Kingdom castle appears in the background.

Senior Alexander Correspondent & I

on the Airplane (left) and at Disney World (right)

Senior Alexander Correspondent & I

Aboard a Disney Watercraft (left) and Monorail (right)

Senior & Junior Alexander Correspondents & I

posing with Nemo (left) at Epcot (right)

Senior & Junior Alexander Correspondents & I

pose before a palm tree in the Animal Kingdom

We met Mickey Mouse and several of his friends in person, but we weren't able to snap any photos. We were just way too excited! It is such a thrill to meet them, shake their hands, and give (and get) hugs. They are so friendly and nice.

How can I describe all the amazing wonders we saw at Disney World and Epcot? The monorails, trams, and watercraft took us around from place to place when we weren't walking. In the Magic Kingdom, there was Main Street U.S.A., which looked like a small American town like the ones in which your great-grandparents may have grown up. There were so many attractions in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square that there isn't enough room here to list them all. You should see them for yourselves, and, if you haven't already, I hope you will get to visit there sometime.

Epcot shows what it's like to live in other countries around the world. You really feel like you're walking in different foreign countries as you explore the exhibits. It was quite educational but also really fun to learn how people live in other nations and cultures.

When we reached the end of our trip, we were all sad to leave, but we had plenty of terrific memories of all the fabulous adventures we enjoyed. Thanks again to the Alexander family for taking me on this awesome vacation. It was a travel experience I'll always remember.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

"Flat" Cauli Visits a Techno-Science Wonderland

2012-01-14T14:23:00.002-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I

MPL Special Flat Feline Correspondent

Following my Chicago trip with the Phillips family, I joined the Stamps family from my Library's Homeschool Group for an adventure trip to Bloomington, Indiana. We visited the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. We picked up this cool pamphlet as our souvenir. [Remember to click the images to enlarge, or "biggify" (as my pal Tober the Library Cat says)].

My Library friends and I took a moment to pose for the camera.

There are lots of fascinating exhibits at WonderLab. What makes everything so interesting is that the displays are "hands-on" learning experiences. We get to play with all kinds of science and technology stuff! Check out this video (below) to see just how amazing air can be!

My favorite exhibit was the Red Imprint Station. If you stood behind it, you could press your hands, face, or other objects into the red rods, and their shapes would appear impressed outward on the other side. How cool is that? I was even able to stand on a hand impression!

Other exhibits included the . . .

Water Works, where you can explore how water moves, create a vortex (like a whirlpool), a pour-and-explore basin (to learn how water can be moved around), build-it-yourself water channels and pipes (also moving water around), and a laminar lifter that shoots balls sky-high!

Colored Shadows/Frozen Shadows, where you can investigate the properties of light and shadows in many different ways.

Cosmic Dance, which has five panels that light-up randomly as they're hit by cosmic ray particles from outer space.

Bubble-Airium, where bubbles are used to show how geometry and science combine to create amazing structures, all made with bubbles and air.

Second floor zoological area, where live insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, coral, and many other life forms are living. There's even a tree truck with a working beehive!

Grapevine Climber, a two-story maze structure that shows how the world looks to plants and animals living high up in tall forests.

Science of Sound area, in which you can learn different ways to make musical sounds.

Health & Human Body exhibits that teach you about how human bodies function.

Fossil Digs, where you can search for fossils.

Many of the exhibits teach visitors about electromagnetism, gravity, light, color, sound, and kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. WonderLab was an amazing place. I hope you can visit there sometime.

All this hands-on (or, for moi, paws-on) activity worked up quite an appetite, so the Stamps family treated moi to lunch. We took a walk afterwards to burn-off some of the calories from the food, when I saw a bird in a tree! Well, I thought I saw a bird. As you know, Cauli Le Chat calls them "winged dinners," and even though I'm a "Flat" Cauli, I still have those feline instincts to hunt prey. So I ran up the tree after the bird, but it must have flown away. Then I realized I was too high to get down safely! I started to howl a bit, but my friends became "monkey kids" and climbed right up the tree to help me down. Thank goodness we didn't have to call the fire department.

After that excitement, it was time to return to Mooresville. I had such a great time with the Stamps. Thank you for taking me along to WonderLab. Thanks, too, for that great lunch. I had canned tuna-in-oil (what else?). I like to stick with my dining favorites.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

More "Flat" Cauli Homeschool Adventures

2012-01-13T14:25:00.009-05:00

by "Flat" Cauli I

MPL Special Flat Feline Correspondent

A few months ago, Cauli Le Chat shared some of my adventures with the families who attend my Library's Homeschool Group. We started with the Sullivan Family, and now we have reports from our other Homeschool families. For privacy reasons, I won't reveal the first names of my special correspondents (only family names).

The Phillips family presented a wonderful poetic report of my adventures on their trip to Chicago, Illinois. It's written in free verse, but I'll put it in "regular" poetry format.

We went to Chicago

And had lots of capers

I saw the museums

And lots of skyscrapers

I went to the aquarium

And then the planetarium

At the Navy Pier

I rode the Ferris Wheel

At Legoland

I was almost a spider's meal

We even got to take the trolley!

Looking forward to more adventures

What a great poem! It certainly sums up the excitement we had touring Chicago's many fabulous attractions.

The first thing you notice when you get to Chicago is all the amazingly tall skyscrapers. Willis Tower, which used to be called the Sears Tower, was once the tallest building in the world.

The Phillips family took me to see the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History. At Shedd Aquarium, there were all kinds of undersea plants and animals, many of which I had never seen or even heard of before. It was both exciting and, sometimes, a little frightening (because some undersea critters have big, sharp teeth), but we were safe on our side of the glass. Some of the swimming animals looked mighty tasty (I am a feline, after all, and we are great hunters), but visitors are not allowed to eat anything appearing in the exhibits. There are snack shops where visitors can get a bite to eat.

The Field Museum has amazing displays of prehistoric life from all around the earth. There were lots of fossils, and some were of huge dinosaurs who lived millions of years ago. I learned about botany, which is the study of plants, and there were many exhibits featuring the planet's zoology (contemporary biological life forms). There were also rooms devoted to anthropology, which is the study of human cultures, and geology, which is a science devoted to the study of the earth itself--its composition and development over 4.54 billion years. It was a truly amazing place.

We also visited Adler Planetarium, which is near Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum on the lake shore (Lake Michigan). If you like astronomy, there is no better place to learn about stars, galaxies, planets, and other celestial wonders.

The Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier was quite a thrill. Did you know it is 150 feet high? You could see a long way when you reached the top, and the wind was blowing (Chicago is called "the Windy City"), but we were safely snug in our seat.

Legoland was quite exciting to explore. There were lots of cool rides and attractions featuring, of course, Legos. But it was kind of scary when I encountered this spider. Look at how much bigger it is than I am! Sitting in front of its powerful jaws felt creepy, but then I realized it was a Lego Spider! They don't eat "flat" felines. Whew! That was close.

The trolley ride was quite relaxing after the spider encounter. It reminded me of how people traveled around Chicago a century ago. You can hop on and off the trolleys to check out different interesting places all around the city.

I certainly enjoyed visiting Chicago with the Phillips family and thank my friends for taking me along. I hope you can visit Chicago sometime. It is a really cool place to have fun adventures.

Your "Flat" Roving Reporter On The Go,

"Flat" Cauli I
Reporting For
Cauli Le Chat

Talk to the Paw!

2012-01-11T12:28:00.001-05:00

Paws to Read is returning to my Library beginning Saturday, February 4, 2012, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Students in grades K-6 may participate. The program recurs on the first Saturday of each month. Registration is required, so please call (317) 831-7323 or visit our online calendar to register.

Rowf!

(Translation:

"Skip to the part where the St. Bernard saves the day . . .")

If you attended Paws to Read last year, you already know what fun you will have reading to slobberdogs (I call all canines "slobberdogs," because they, well, slobber). If this is your first experience, you'll have a grand time. Slobberdogs are fantastic listeners who love story-telling. You could not possibly have a better audience.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

New Book Club

2012-01-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

My Library has a new book club, Bridges to Reading, beginning Saturday, February 18, 2012, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. It will meet on the third Saturday each month. If you have trouble reading, this book club will help you improve your skills while enjoying interesting books and discussions. If you would like more information, please contact Miss Donna at the Library at (317) 831-7323.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Be a Great Actor (or Actress)

2012-01-04T16:56:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this posting on the Library's online calendar?

Click to Enlarge

You, too, can learn to be a great actor or actress! Well, good, anyway. Discover the techniques professionals use in performing on the stage. Broadway Gal (Miss Suzanne) will be teaching the workshop, and she has lots of acting and directing experience. Registration is required, so please call (or have your grown-up call) the Library at (317) 831-7323 or visit our online calendar to register your spot.

What's the play going to be, you might well ask? Here's a hint.

'Nuff said.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Christmas at the Zoo

2011-12-27T14:47:00.000-05:00

Last Friday my minions, "Flat" Cauli III, and I visited the Indianapolis Zoo for its annual Christmas celebration. We took some photos of the wonderful light displays and wild critters.

Spectacular lights all around the zoo

It's Morgan the Library Bunny (in lights)

A "Glow Bear" (all lit up)

Mr. Walrus is all set to go (green light, you see)

Hanging out with the petting sharks

Use just two fingers to pet them

(Avoid the head, tail,or fins)

Chillin' with the Penguins

"Flat" Cauli III takes a breather on a park bench

Steer clear of Western Cottonmouth Snakes (they're poisonous)

We had a wonderful time and look forward to visiting the Indianapolis Zoo again soon.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Holiday Cheer From MPL

2011-12-22T19:17:00.001-05:00

We at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library hope you and your families are enjoying the holidays. Here is our custom-made Christmas card for our patrons. Click to bigify the card (below).

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have a special Christmas video to share with all our early literacy patrons.

Enjoy your holiday festivities! Say hello to Uncle Joe and Aunt Jane for moi. (Doesn't every family have one of each?)

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

L is for Litterbox, Miss Jaymi

2011-12-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Miss Jaymi and Sammy the Toucan have posted their latest early literacy video featuring the Letter L. Of course, I was wondering why the Letter L didn't stand for litterbox. Well, such things are important to us felines.

Literacy, of course, starts with an L, and you won't find a better early literacy blog on the Internet than Miss Jaymi and Toucan Sammy's. Be sure to visit their blog for more great literacy information. You know the way there.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

A Girl of the Limberlost

2011-12-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Have you read A Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton-Porter? If you're a 'Tween (ages 10-14) or a Young Adult (ages 13-18) or even a grown-up (do numbers go that high?), and if you like romance and the beauty of nature, then you may enjoy this book of personal determination amidst blossoming love.

Did you know that Gene Stratton-Porter was a Hoosier author? Sometimes it's fun to read books by people who, like us, grew up (or lived) in Indiana. Their real-life experiences creep into their fictional plots, and, if the books are non-fiction, then, of course, they contain factual information. Stratton-Porter wrote both fiction and non-fiction (primarily naturalist books).

Our Library has A Girl of the Limberlost in our Evergreen Indiana online catalog.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Rachel's Star-Crossed Love

2011-12-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

Rachel is an orphan from Nashville, Tennessee, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). She has moved to the Tennessee mountains to live with her grandparents, and it is a difficult adjustment for a city teenager (even in the 1860s). Now she has an added complication: she has fallen in love. Usually, that's a good thing, but the fella is a Union army soldier. She lives in Confederate Tennessee. Not an ideal romance, to be sure. (That's why they're "star-crossed" lovers, because larger forces, over which the couple has no control, interfere with their love.)

Listen For Rachel, by Lou Kassem (Avon Books, 1986), is full of romantic hopes, dreams, and, sadly, tears. But it is mostly a tale of a young girl maturing into womanhood, and we (well, we girls, anyway) can relate to that. For boys, it can be an exciting read, what with all that Civil War stuff going on.

You may find this book in our online Evergreen Indiana catalog, on which you may place a hold, if you have an E.I. library card.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Mandy's Belonging Place

2011-12-13T00:14:00.003-05:00

If you enjoyed The Secret Garden and The Velvet Room, then Mandy, by Julie Andrews Edwards, is sure to please. If you have ever felt out-of-place, lonely, and needing to find out where you belong, then you will understand Mandy's struggles living in an orphanage, and the joys she experiences when she discovers her own private refuge.

Sanctuary comes with a price, however. Mandy must learn to trust others, as well as herself, and to find that special place inside her heart, where she will always feel safe and belonging. It's not easy to do, either in novels or in real life. We sympathize with Mandy and understand what she's going through. We, too, know what it's like to feel alone, even when surrounded by throngs of people. But feeling alone doesn't mean that we are without friends and loved ones, as Mandy soon discovers.

Readers between the ages of 9-12 should enjoy this book. Young adults, too, may be able to relate to the characters and their trials and tribulations. Adults will appreciate the emotional honesty. Consult our Evergreen Indiana online catalog to place a hold on a copy of this fine book, or visit our Library to check-out a copy.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

A New 68 Rooms Adventure

2011-12-12T15:37:00.005-05:00

Fans of The Sixty-Eight Rooms will be mighty excited about the sequel, which should arrive on store bookshelves next month (January, 2012). Once again, author Marianne Malone and illustrator Greg Call explore the magical mysteries of the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Created by Mrs. James Ward Thorne in the 1930s, these miniature masterpieces are exact replicas of historical rooms in every minute detail.

If you missed the first book in the series, we've got a book trailer about it.

Now, on with the sequel!

In Stealing Magic: a Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012), Ruthie and Jack discover that someone else has apparently learned the Thorne Rooms' secrets and is stealing miniature treasures. How can they stop the thief? The magical key shrinks them, as we recall from the first book, but there is time travel involved in the sequel, and the magical key has gone missing! Stolen, too, I'm thinking.

Without the key, how will Ruthie and Jack recover the Thorne treasures, help their new friends (you meet a lot of interesting people when you travel through time to Paris in 1937 and to South Carolina before the Civil War), capture the thief, and return home? There's plenty of adventure, and readers ages 9-12 will enjoy it immensely. Young adults, whom we used to call teenagers, should also find it engaging. Adults, too, will find this a captivating read. It is a worthy sequel to The Sixty-Eight Rooms.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Design Paper Airplanes

2011-12-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

Members of the Library's Girls' and Boys' Adventure Clubs will be learning to make paper airplanes next Monday (12/12/11) and the following Monday (12/19/11).

Have you ever made a paper airplane? Looks like fun!

Basic, common paper airplane design

Lightning-fast speed demon design

The hat makes it all work

Good paper airplane designs fly well. Bad designs? Well, not so much.

Ouch!

Do we have any good books about paper airplane designing? You bet!

Got an Evergreen Indiana Library Card?

(online hold)

The Kids' Guide to Paper Airplanes, by Christopher L. Harbo (Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, 2009) provides designs and instructions to craft many different paper airplane styles. It is simple and straightforward.

Remember that most paper airplanes have sharp, pointy edges, particularly at the front, so be careful where and when you fly them. Safety first! Make sure that spectators are well out of harm's way. Then let 'er go! See what happens. It's paper, so you can experiment with different designs and reuse ones that don't work as well as others.

If you'd like to find out how you can join the Library's Girls' and Boys' Adventure Clubs, you should call (or have your grown-up call) the MPL Youth Services Department at (317) 831-7323. You could also email us. If you'd like to register to attend these paper airplane workshops, you may use our online calendar.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat