Celebrating picture books at the Belmont Public Library

BELMONT — The Belmont Public Library is celebrating November as Picture Book Month, an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. It ties in perfectly with Ladybug Award voting which is happening this month. The Ladybug Picture Book Award is designed to promote early literacy and honor the best in recent children's picture books. A committee of children's librarians from around the state selects 10 picture book titles each spring. Then, during November, New Hampshire children from preschoolers to those in third grade choose the award winner. The winning picture book is announced at the end of the year. Last year's winner was The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. This year's list can be found at http://bit.ly/2etFKEl.

The book group meets to discuss Redshirts by John Scalzi on Friday, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. Copies are available at the circulation desk. Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, with the chance to serve on "Away Missions" alongside the starship's famous senior officers. Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to realize that

1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces,

2) the ship's senior officers always survive these confrontations, and

3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed.

Unsurprisingly, the savvier crew members below decks avoid Away Missions at all costs. Then Andrew stumbles on information that transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives. Redshirts by John Scalzi is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.