The library’s top 10 tips for kids

The holiday excitement is just about over and for many adults it’s

time to relax.

But for children it’s a whole different story. Children are out of

school and enjoying their winter recess. They are playing with new

toys and spending time with family and friends.

Soon the toys will be set aside, and the relatives will be

leaving. Long car trips and rainy weather are just around the corner.

Are you prepared to hear the dreaded words, “I’m bored!”?

Don’t despair, we’re here to help. The following are 10 fun books

or activities to keep your children happy and busy, courtesy of the

Newport Beach Public Library. Please take time to share these ten

items with the children in your life.

10 Fun Ways to Spend Your Winter Vacation:

Creativity is the key whether your children are at home with you

or with a baby-sitter over the break. Pick up a copy of “38 Ways to

Entertain Your Babysitter,” by Dette Hunter and Stephen MacEachern.

It is full of great crafts, games, and activities that will

entertain the children, the baby-sitter and you.

Like mystery and suspense? Check out the “Roman Mysteries” series,

by Caroline Lawrence. Join Flavia and her friends as they solve

puzzles and track down criminals in Ancient Rome.

Get started on your New Year’s fitness resolutions and brush up on

your martial arts skills with “Karate for Kids,” by Robin L. Rielly

or “Tae Kwon Do,” by Thomas Buckley.

Ever wonder what life was like for kids in the past? Journey back

in time with Barry Denenberg’s new “Life and Times” series. Learn how

children dealt with such social problems as slavery and arranged

marriage.

Preschoolers can make masterpieces with the art ideas in “My Art

Class” and “My Animal Art Class,” by Nellie Shepherd.

Need a good laugh? Discover the madcap adventures of “Eddie

Dickens” and “Unlikely Exploits,” two fresh series by Philip Ardagh.

The exploits of Eddie and the McNally siblings will tickle your

funny bone.

Like interesting facts or trivia? Check out Scholastic’s Book of

World Records or the World Almanac for Kids.

Like “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings”? Enter the magical

world of Paul Stewart’s Edge Chronicles. Follow Twig on his voyage

from the land of trolls to the skies ruled by pirates.

Read about your favorite animals in the “DK First Animal

Encyclopedia,” by Penelope Arlon.

Have fun after your vacation is over. Sign up now for Parent-Child

Book Club and read “Music of Dolphins,” by Karen Hesse. Mila, raised

by dolphins, is rescued by the Coast Guard and must learn language

and how to live with humans.

All fifth- through eighth-grade boys and girls and their

parents/adult friends are welcome to exchange ideas every month at

Central Library.

Next meeting is 7 p.m. on Jan. 6.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Amy Harpster and Victoria Campbell.

All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing

the catalog at https://www.newportbeach

library.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of

the branch locations, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library

at (949) 717-3800, option 2.