'Andrea Lorenz'

Did you know that East Grand Forks was originally known as Nashville? It was named this after William C. Nash, fur trader and government mail carrier between Abercrombie and Pembina, in 1874. Nash was born in Pennsylvania, but came to the area in 1863. He built the first house (of a White man) at the fork of the Red and Red Lake Rivers, waiting for the flood of settlers he was sure was coming to buy land.* 

Before this, the land was inhabited by the Ojibwe people, who freely ranged across the areas that would become Manitoba, Minnesota, and North Dakota. In October of 1863, they signed the Treaty of Old Crossing under duress, ceding 11 million acres of Ojibwe domain to the United States Government.

Before the Ojibwe were established, there’s disputed evidence that a group of Norsemen visited the area in 1362. Three miles from Kensington, MN, Farmer Olaf Ohman and his two young sons found a nearly 200 pound stone inscribed with what appeared to be runic characters stating:

“8 Goths and 22 Norwegians on a journey of discovery from Vinland westward. We had a camp by 2 rocky islets one day’s journey north from this stone. We were out fishing one day. When we returned home we found 10 men red with blood and dead. AVM save us from evil. Have 10 men by the sea to look after our vessel 14 days’ journey from this island. Year 1362.” 

Supposedly at the command of Magnus Erickson, ruler of Norway and Sweden, a band of Vikings traveled across Hudson’s Bay, up the Nelson River, across Lake Winnipeg and then entering the Red River of the North until navigation became impractical (around where East Grand Forks now sits). After a march overland, 10 of the party were killed; the survivors then carved the stone, buried it and moved on to parts unknown.**

* The name was officially changed to East Grand Forks in 1883.

** Modern scholars believe the Kensington Stone to be a forgery, likely carved by immigrant farmers with expertise in stone cutting and the runic alphabet – a hoax created for entertainment during the long Minnesota winters.

References:

• "Avenues for Ladies Only: The Soiled Doves of East Grand Forks 1887-1915." [PDF] by Stephen G. Sylvester
• "Before Minnesota" from Ruby on the Red: East Grand Forks, MN by Stephen G. Sylvester, excerpted in A Meeting of the Reds: East Grand Forks 1887-1987 volume 1
  (This book is available in the Red River Valley section at the library!)

It is absolutely and completely fine that your child wants to check out Dog Man: Fetch 22 for the nine millionth time. Lots of kids re-read and for lots of different reasons.

We re-read in order to learn

The human brain is not wired for reading. It’s wired for spoken language. When we learn how to read, we are connecting the spoken sounds of language to written letters. When kids first start to read, much of their effort and attention is focused on decoding – connecting letters to sounds and then mushing those sounds all together to form a word! Beginning readers can accurately decode a text, read the words on the page, but they might not be connecting those words with what the sentence actually says. Re-reading can help your child become a more fluent reader – someone who can decode words and comprehend them at the same time.

In Donalyn Miller’s book The Book Whisperer, she says “My most treasured books have been read many times by me and each time I discover something different. Books are multilayered; one reading is not enough.” We base our understanding of books on our background knowledge – when we have a broader vocabulary, more life experience, certain books—even certain words – will mean something different to us.

We re-read for comfort and enjoyment

The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found that 41% of kids struggle with finding books they like as they get older. They know what to expect with Dog Man. They know the jokes (and probably think they’re funny), the characters are familiar, the plot is just right. Re-reading Dog Man is like eating your favorite meal. You know what you’re getting and you know you like it. 

If your child is re-reading Brawl of the Wild for the fourth or fifth time, they’re still reading! They’ll glean something new from each re-read, be it new vocabulary, fluency, or just confidence in their reading ability.

Beyond Their Favorite Meal

Just as we know we can’t eat our favorite meal every single day and get all the nutrition that we need, re-reading Dog Man will only take us so far on our reading journey. When your child is ready to branch out, here are some options that should appeal to Dog Man fans.

Catwad: It’s Me

by Jim Benton

Catwad is about two cats, one blue grump named Catwad, and one dim-witted orange tabby named Blurmp. Catwad has the same goofy humor and lively illustrations as Dog Man. // Junior Graphic Novel

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris

Oh no! Rats are eating the moon! The only one who can save all of humanity is……a bioengineered cat who will be jettisoned into space accompanied by a toenail clipping robot and the imperious Moon Queen. Animal science experiments who save the day? JUST LIKE DOG MAN! // Junior Graphic Novel

Lunch Lady

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

What do your lunch ladies do when they’re not doling out your daily helping of mystery meat? This one serves up JUSTICE! An unlikely hero kicking all kinds of bad guy butt should have a special place in the hearts of Dog Man fans. // Junior Graphic Novel

Honorable Mentions:

• Max Meow: Cat Crusader by John Gallagher
  Junior Graphic Novel
• The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
  Junior Graphic Novel
• Mac B, Kid Spy: Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett
  Junior Fiction
• Two Dogs in a Trench Coat: Go to School by Julie Falatko
  Junior Fiction
• Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
  Junior Fiction

It is almost my favorite time of year: SUMMER READING PROGRAM SEASON!

You may be thinking, Summer Reading? What’s that all about? I read all year round. What’s so special about summer?

For Summer Reading Program, we invite children, teens, and adults to come to the library, participate in engaging, hands-on activities, and celebrate their reading!

For kids who have completed grades kindergarten through 5th grade, there’s our traditional Summer Reading Program. 

Kids track the number of minutes they read and can receive weekly prizes. They’re also invited to come to a weekly activity where we experiment, learn and create! This year we’ll be sending rockets in the atmosphere, making paper sculptures, learning about plants and mammals of Minnesota and more! 

You can register your child for Summer Reading Program online or at pick up a form at the circulation desk.

For teens and tweens (kids who have completed grades 6-12), we have RALF. RALF stands for Random, Awesome, Library Fun! Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch and we’ll eat and play games, make crafts, and generally have a good time.

We’ll be meeting over the noon hour on Fridays in June and July. No registration required!

For us grown-ups, there’s the Lazy River Challenge where community members will compete with staff to get their innertube down the lazy river first. 

Pick up a reading tracker at the front desk in June and start tracking the number of minutes read (and the titles – we’ll be posting those throughout the challenge). Bring your tracker in whenever you’re at the library and we’ll stamp it and add your minutes and move your innertube down the lazy river. 

Can you out-read library staff? I’m not sure…

The best part of all of this? It’s FREE! Absolutely completely free. Check out the library’s website for more information, email Andrea at alorenz@egflibrary.org or call (218) 773-9121.