Library Lines ...

"Naked Eggs" is the title of April's take-and-make kits for Young Scientists which are being distributed here at Rhoads Memorial Library. (Just to be clear: kits are being handed out, NOT young scientists!)

Felice Acker, Castro County Agent with Texas A&M Extension Service, created the kits, which contain a raw egg and a small glass jar of vinegar. Which led me to wonder: has she gone bonkers by providing such delicate, breakable items, all in the name of science? BUT WAIT! How mentally astute was I to accept them?

The experiment is performed by placing a raw egg in a glass jar and covering the egg with vinegar, which will interact with the shell that is composed of calcium carbonate. It may take four to seven days for the shell to completely dissolve. The resulting "naked" egg should bounce, although experimenters are cautioned against being too rough with it since it is still a raw egg. (Thanks, a lot, Felice. I, along with youngsters' parents, can't wait to see what May's kits will contain!)

Our Displayer of the Month for April is Joanne Snider, who is sharing some of her collection of bunnies and Easter decorations. Ceramic bunnies, along with wooden ones, are shown along with Easter eggs, an ostrich egg, and a miniature picket fence.

Fans of the "Claire Trilogy", written by Tom McCaffrey, will be glad to learn that we have the third and final installment of the set. Titled "Kissing My Ass Goodbye", the book focuses on Claire, the talking mule, and her humans and other friends. We also have books one and two, titled "The Wise Ass" and "An Alien Appeal," respectively.

Thankfully this talking mule trilogy is an adult series. In this era of libraries being pressured to remove children's books that some deem harmful to impressionable young minds, I was nonplussed to learn the fate of one iconic, award-winning book: "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White.

Apparently, it was banned in 2006 by a school in Kansas because "talking animals are blasphemous and unnatural." One dissenting parent said, "I hope I have done a decent enough job as a parent raising critical thinkers so that my kids realize that Wilbur, Charlotte, and Templeton the rat aren't real--except in my kids' vivid imaginations."

OH NO! Did exposure to that book in my childhood damage my brain? Is that why I accepted raw egg-containing take-and-make kits? I mean, not only was "Charlotte's Web" read to me and my peers in school by a kindly teacher, but I read it, too, all by myself!

Do we have "Charlotte's Web" on our shelves? I guess you'll have to come look and see but remember we will be closed on Good Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, in observance of Easter. We will re-open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Easter!