Books

The Washington County Department of Social Services is the recipient of children's toys and books donated by Washington County Friends of Education Exchange Club. DSS will place the items in both its front lobby and child support lobby to entertain children who accompany their parent or caregiver to the agency.

candiceb@herald-mail.com It's easy to get lost in Wonder Book & Video ? not lost physically, but lost in thought amid the hundreds of thousands of used books that line the store's tall shelves. This spring, even more books will be available when the store moves from its location along Massey Boulevard near Kmart. The store is moving to the former CVS Pharmacy on Dual Highway, in a shopping center that is best known as the former site of Ames. The new site is 30 percent larger than the existing store, Wonder Book & Video owner Chuck Roberts said.

Faye Altizer, bereavement and social services director for Hospice of Washington County Inc., recommends these picture books for children who are grieving the death of a loved one: "Pink Stars and Angel Wings" by Susan Ekberg - A girl is told that there is a special star for everyone. When she wakes up, an angel has left a feather on her pillow. "Lifetimes" by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen - This book uses nature to explain to children that dying is as much a part of living as being born.

'Nerds' win book battle again Last year they were the Word Nerds. This year, the team calls itself the World Champion Word Nerds, and the homeschooled team lived up to its name Saturday by defending its championship at the 11th annual Battle of the Books at South Hagerstown High School. The champions won with 180 out of a possible 200 points. Finalists were Book Bombers of Boonsboro Middle School with 130. Since November, more than 20 teams of eight students each from grades 4 to 6 have been reading 20 books supplied by the Washington County Free Library.

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a man who served as librarian to the Boy Scouts of America opened his morning newspaper and found printed there a summary of an essay written by another man who worked in the world of publishing. This essay spoke of the lack of quality children's books being published. Alarmed, Franklin K. Matthiews, the Boy Scout librarian, took to the road to promote higher standards in children's publishing. A few years later, with the help of several other prominent players in the world of children's books, Matthiews organized Good Book Week, which became Children's Book Week in 1919.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Michael Schnebly offers no excuse for what he is. "I'm a collector. I was born to collect," he says with the determination of a bird dog on point. Schnebly's forte is children's books from the Victorian era through the 1920s. He is attracted by their wonderful chromo-lithographic illustrations and the talents of the best illustrators of their day - artists like Palmer Cox, Justin Howard and Michael Hague, who has illustrated such classics as Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willow.

Downtown Frederick (Md.) Partnership donated more than 600 children's, fiction and educational books from the April First Saturday Much Ado about Books book drive April 5 to Healthy Families Frederick. Healthy Families Frederick will provide the books to first-time parents and children in the program.

Books for Babies is a collaborative effort between the Washington County Reading Council, Washington County Free Library and Washington County Hospital. The parents of every baby born at Washington County Hospital receive a book for their child and information on the importance of reading to their baby. To date, approximately 4,000 books have been provided to new parents. The hope is to improve literacy in Washington County. Funding for the books comes from one fundraiser per year.

Richard DeMay of Charleroi, Pa., peruses books offered for sale Monday at Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library in Waynesboro, Pa. Three dollars buys a bag of books at the fundraiser held from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, Wednesday and Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call the library at 717-762-3335.

Trade and buy at By the Books By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer, Waynesboro WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Books, paperback and hardcover, are floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall in By the Books, a used bookstore in downtown Waynesboro. Walls of books create rooms that are filled with books. Shelves line the hallways. There isn't a square foot of wasted space, yet it doesn't make a browser feel claustrophobic. Ask for a particular title or author and chances are owner Russell Morningstar or his wife, Shauna, both 20, can walk right to it. "If not, I'll come close," Russell Morningstar said.