Posts by Louise Lareau

Do you remember the first time you read a book by Syd Hoff? If you were too young to read on your own, maybe someone in your life shared the book with you. For some, books such as Danny and the Dinosaur, Grizzwold, Barney's Horse and Sammy the Seal bring back vivid childhood memories. For others, these books were discovered as one's children or grandchildren began to explore the world of children's books.

This summer the staff of the Children's Center at 42nd Street planned an array of food-related craft activities to help highlight the ongoing Lunch Hour NYC exhibition. We started with bean/lentil picture frames and moved on to food label collage. On August 3rd, we decided to try an edible activity involving sushi made out of an array of tasty treats.

Have you ever had a slice of cake or pie for lunch? I hate to admit it, but it is a guilty pleasure that I have partaken in numerous times.

Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Lemon Meringue and Strawberry/Rhubarb are just a few of my favorites. Next time you have lunch, have dessert first. The children in your life will get a kick out of mixing up the menu.

What are your summer plans this year? Are you leaving the city for an exotic destination? Or is your family having a stay-cation. Either way, I hope that you will be participating in the Library's summer reading program. Register your family members at www.summerreading.com and start reading. Have a lighthearted competition to see which family member can read the most books.

Have you ever lost something?  I have.  At some point in our childhoods, we have lost a cherished possession.  Sadly, the staff of the Children's Center regularly discover an array of toys and clothing that have been left behind by mistake.  We display some of the toys at our circulation desk in hopes that the small owners will return to claim them.  Happy reunions are our mission.

Last summer, we mailed a small stuffed hedgehog to Virginia after getting an email from a mother determined to track down her daughter's favorite toy.  Humphry the Hedgehog was packed into a tiny box and sent off lickety-split.  We received a big thank you from the 

As a child, I was not always happy with my red hair.  It attracted lots of attention, both good and bad.  I come from a family of brown-eyed brunettes, so I was somewhat of a surprise. I would like to blame Mary MacLean, my great-great-grandmother, for my hair color, but I know that the blame should really fall on some mutated genes. Growing up in small town Quebec, redheads were few and far between. This did not matter, however, as I always had Madeline, Pippi Longstocking and Anne Shirley to keep me company. Although I was not as adventurous as Pippi or as spunky as Anne, I loved the fact that they had red hair and saw them as "kindred spirits." 

Happy Birthday Winnie!

This summer, our beloved Winnie-the-Pooh turns 90. How is that possible you may ask? Winnie, originally known as Edward Bear, was given to Christopher Milne by his parents on his first birthday — August 21, 1921. Who could have guessed that the 18-inch-high teddy bear, from Harrods, would eventually become a literary superstar?  Winnie and his companions have been on display at The New York Public Library since September 11, 1987. 

Something interesting happened when I started working at the Children's Center at 42nd Street in July 2010. I have lived in New York for over 13 years and up until last summer, I could count on one hand the number of times someone has recognized my accent. People would often say "you're not from here," but they could not place me on a map. I now have customers commenting on my Canadian accent on a weekly basis. I always laugh and ask them what tipped them off since I do not say "eh." The word "about" gives me away every time.