Ghost-y with the Most-y

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Share a soft ghostly glow with a spirited little friend! This was a very simple project and activity, but a total story time favorite! And just LOOK at this vibrant book cover!

We read Gustavo the Shy Ghost, by Flavia Z. Drago (Candlewick, 2020 and read here by The Teacher’s Library). Gustavo is a very shy ghost, but he wants friends more then anything! The problem is, no one ever seemed to see him. So Gustavo sends an invitation to a violin concert in the cemetery. No one shows. Gustavo decides to play anyway and gets so caught up glowing and creating his beautiful music he doesn’t notice his friends have arrived (they were just a little late)! Now Gustavo has plenty of friends, and even though he still might be a bit quiet, they always know he’s there!

You’ll need:

  • 1 paper lantern
  • 1 LED votive candle
  • 1 ghost ornament
  • Yarn or ribbon to hang the lantern
  • Markers for decorating

We bought our lanterns on Amazon, opting for the large 14″ diameter ones with lots of decorating room. We purchased the ghost ornaments on Amazon as well, but you can also make these easy ghost lollipops too!

During the project, we turned off the lights and invited kids to use markers (and self-adhesive foam shapes) to decorate their lanterns in the twinkling glimmer of an LED votive. Then we went on a ghost hunt to find ghost ornaments hidden in the gallery!

Want to meet the author and see her studio? You will find our Studio Snapshots feature on Flavia Zorilla Drago here!

Pop’s Top 13: Halloween Edition

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school for scoundrels

Happy Halloween everyone! October 31st is certainly about candy, yes. But here at the Cotsen Children’s Library, it’s also about COSTUMES. Over the years, we’ve had a number of costume connections to literary characters and events, and today we wanted to share our thirteen favorites on this oh-so-spooky holiday!

#1 EDGAR ALLAN POE

dr. dana as poeStarting the post off with the master of suspense himself, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. This was a simple shoulder raven project, photographed in the gorgeous Scheide Library. Fun fact: Dr. Dana went to grad school at the University of Virginia, where Poe was enrolled in 1826!

#2 DOLORES UMBRIGDE, Et Al.

dolores-umbridge-costume

We challenged Princeton University student James Jared to put together as many literary characters as he could in 180 minutes…using only what he could find on the racks of a local thrift store! He did not disappoint! Check out all nine costumes here!

#3 GANDALF THE GREY

gandalf headache 2_4 2023 summer intern Daniel Dias not only got to test a LOTR escape room…he also learned that no one enters the orbit of Cotsen Outreach without eventually wearing a costume! His turn as the iconic wizard has officially earned him the now-and-future title of “Dandolf.”

#4 ROBOT

i heart robotOn the topic of being cajoled into costumes, we present Ian Dooley, Cotsen’s former Curatorial Assistant, who climbed into a robot costume to make a story time wish come true. Ian is now working on his Ph.D. at the University of London. There is a correlation in here somewhere.

#5 THE PIT CREW

team coverallWhile these costumes might not seem terribly exciting, Katie and I both wanted to include them on the list. Our pit crew coveralls served as well at a Cars and Trucks and Things that Go creative event. We have worn a LOT of event costumes over the years, but these took the trophy for comfort and practicality on a very busy day!

#6 EPIC VILLAINS

school for scoundrelsAn entire event full of literary villains? YES. A team of Princeton University students  gleefully taught children how to be nefarious, naughty, and nay-saying!

#7 FAIRY GODMOTHER

fairy godmotherSwitching over to the forces of good, we have Princeton University student Sylvia Jacobson, who gamely stepped up to be a Literal Fairy Godmother for our children’s literary society. Here we see her sporting an old wedding dress I spruced up with some rainbow fabric. Sylvia the Sparkly granted wishes very specifically. Definitely check out the post for a good chuckle!

#8 STORY TIME ROYALTY

royal pie

What could have been just an average story time seriously leveled up when Katie and I discovered these costumes at the Lewis Center for the Arts. Pizza was never so faaaaaancy!

#9 ELOISE & MYTHOLOGY

dana and katie 3

When our library re-opened after an extensive year-long renovation, we threw a big party and invited everyone to dress in literary costumes. Katie came as Eloise and I was the Dewey Decimal classification for Mythology. And yes, 291.13 was written on my arm!

#10 VICTORIAN LADIES

ladies of the manorOne of my favorite programs was a historic Victorian tea, complete with costumes, games, and a glorious tea time (blog readers might recognize our beloved Miss Marissa in the middle and Princeton University student Joani Etskovitz on the right). Some of the kids came dressed for tea too! I won’t divulge any more…definitely go check out the post!

#11 PIRATE & VIKING

IMG_3941

A story time featuring Jared Chapman’s hilarious book Pirate, Viking & Scientist got all the kids giggling. But when two staff members at Little, Brown decided to wear our project at the publishing house’s annual Halloween party? We were THRILLED!

#12 STEAM PUNK SPELUNKERS

Here we have three Victorian spelunkers at a massive Journey to the Centre of the Earth event we hosted in 2013. On the right is Princeton University student Kim Freid. As you can see, we were ready to tackle anything the day threw at us, thanks to all the ancient camping equipment I scored on ebay!

#13 DOOMED HEIRESSES

dracula actresses 3We started this post with Poe, and we’ll finish with the equally gothic Bram Stoker. Behold two kidnapped heiresses – myself and Special Collections Reference Professional Emma Sarconi. We’re preparing to scream and swoon our heart’s out in Katie’s masterful Dracula escape room. The jump scares were FABULOUS.

Tweaked Titles

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bookscape fireplace 3Recently, a visitor to our Bookscape Gallery stopped by our desks, laughing. He was delighted to have discovered one of our library’s little secrets – shelves of wooden books, carved with very special titles! We would love to share some of those with you today, but first, a little history…

Our current gallery was conceptualized in 2002 by James Bradberry, a Pennsylvania architect who has done multiple projects at Princeton University. Bradberry’s drawings were brought to life by artist and designer Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs. During the creative process, the idea of stocking the shelves with humorous wooden books was born, and the Cotsen staff was more than up to the challenge of brainstorming titles for them!

The book titles are a mix of puns, parody, and wordplay. Some have attributed authors, and some do not. They are scattered throughout the gallery for visitors to browse and enjoy. There is one very special giant book as well – the “Hearth of Darkness” over our faux fireplace has a space carved inside it that is PERFECT for housing Beatrix Potter books.

Below is an incomplete list of our tweaked titles (come visit us and see more!):

Feline in the Fedora
H. Granger, Fly Through Your Owls
Goldilocks: My Story
Dare to Be Different by U. Duckling
I, Playtypus
Effective Communication by Amelia Bedelia
Run Toto Run!
Bone Appetit by Mother Hubbard
The Poky Puppy Digs Deeper
Stepping Out of Line by Madeline
The Antarctic Local by Chris Van Allaboard
Ramona Quimby, Age 80
The Case of the Missing Button by Corduroy
Smell the Roses: Advice from the Bull Pen by Ferdinand
Strega No-No
Richard’s Scariest Word Book Ever

Sadly, the grand creator of this library, Jusdon Beaumont, passed away in 2020. If you’re interested in learning more about his life and work, Cotsen’s curator Andrea Immel penned a beautiful tribute to him on the curatorial blog. You’re in our hearts Jud!