Once again, it is time for my 3rd Annual Ten Great Books I Read This Year list. I am a Children’s Librarian at heart, and most of my list this year reflects that. Two of my favorites are picture books and four of them are Children’s Fiction books. But lurking somewhere deep, deep, down inside of me, there is an adult who occasionally needs to read books about cells that never die, historical figures that aren’t as mythical as we thought they were, and a nice, warm dram of whiskey.
Be sure to check us out on Facebook and at www.beloitlibrary.info. And without further ado, The List:
1) The Boys by Jeff Newman. A young boy moves into town and isn’t sure how to make new friends. Luckily, there are some boys at the local baseball diamond who are willing to help out. (Picture Book)
2) Press Here by Herve Tullet. With the press of a finger and some clapping and shaking, this book will keep your 3-year old entertained for hours on end. And it’s fun to watch adults try to figure out where all of those dots came from! (Picture Book)
3) Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel by Avi. Philip thinks his teacher is being unfair. All he wanted to do was hum the National Anthem. What’s so wrong about that? Although this book was written it 1991, the story reads like it could have been written yesterday. (Children’s Fiction)
4) Saint Training. Set in Wisconsin and written by Wisconsin author, Elizabeth Fixmer, this book about a Catholic family living in the turbulent 1960’s is a great reminder that being yourself isn’t always easy. (Children’s Fiction)
5) The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman. Eddy Thomas is not your typical middle schooler. While reciting the Periodic Table of Elements in his head as a way to calm himself down is easy, not paying attention to the water spot on the ceiling tile and wondering how it got there, is not so easy. (Children’s Fiction)
6) One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are sent to Oakland California to spend the summer with the mother who abandoned them seven years ago. The girls are looking forward to reconnecting, but their mother seems distracted by the Black Panther activities surrounding them. (Children’s Fiction)
7) Room by Emma Donoghue. Jack has always lived in Room with Ma. Bed, TV and Wardrobe have been there as long as Jack can remember. Door doesn’t open, but that’s okay, because Dora lives in TV and she and Jack go on adventures. (Adult Fiction)
8) Gandhi: The True Man Behind Modern India by Jad Adams. A fascinating look at Gandhi through the years including some very humanizing idiosyncrasies. (Adult Nonfiction)
9) Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Discover how a small tissue sample taken from a poor African American woman over 60 years ago has turned into a multi-billion dollar business and caused endless heartache for her family. (Adult Nonfiction)
10) 99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist’s Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink by Kate Hopkins. The title speaks for itself. I wonder if the author would be interested in writing a sequel. I’d be interested in helping out…
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
November 2011
You know how you have been hearing Christmas music in the stores since about mid-September? And you’ve been seeing Christmas ads on TV since about mid-August? And your kids have had their Christmas lists ready since about mid-July? It’s all just a little crazy, isn’t it? I mean, it feels like the holidays and all their fan-fare arrive earlier and earlier every year. Well, the Beloit Public Library has crazy beat by a mile. As far back as April, we were already thinking about December programs and Christmas.
Whether it’s making reindeer ornaments (Arts and Crafts, Thursday December 8th at 4:00 p.m.), folding origami Santas (Tween Program, Wednesday December 14th at 2:00 p.m.) or creating graham cracker gingerbread houses and Kwanzaa placemats (4H Funtertainment, Tuesday December 27th at 6:30 p.m.), almost all of the Youth Services programs in December have a holiday theme. Heck, we even have good ol’ Father Christmas himself coming to the library on Saturday December 10th at 2:00 p.m. Terry Lynch, from Histories for Kids, will perform “The Legend of St. Nicholas” where kids and their families will learn about Christmas traditions from around the world. Ever wonder why we hang Christmas stockings? Or why we have Christmas trees? Come to the library and find out.
Off course, we didn’t forget the teens and the adults. Teens can design their own holiday-themed cupcakes at our Cupcake Design program on Wednesday December 14th at 4:00 p.m. And adults will learn about Healthy Holiday Eating on Tuesday December 6th at 6:00 p.m.
Whether it’s making reindeer ornaments (Arts and Crafts, Thursday December 8th at 4:00 p.m.), folding origami Santas (Tween Program, Wednesday December 14th at 2:00 p.m.) or creating graham cracker gingerbread houses and Kwanzaa placemats (4H Funtertainment, Tuesday December 27th at 6:30 p.m.), almost all of the Youth Services programs in December have a holiday theme. Heck, we even have good ol’ Father Christmas himself coming to the library on Saturday December 10th at 2:00 p.m. Terry Lynch, from Histories for Kids, will perform “The Legend of St. Nicholas” where kids and their families will learn about Christmas traditions from around the world. Ever wonder why we hang Christmas stockings? Or why we have Christmas trees? Come to the library and find out.
Off course, we didn’t forget the teens and the adults. Teens can design their own holiday-themed cupcakes at our Cupcake Design program on Wednesday December 14th at 4:00 p.m. And adults will learn about Healthy Holiday Eating on Tuesday December 6th at 6:00 p.m.
October 2011
It’s always fun trying to figure out what book a library customer is trying to find. Some people come in with the title of the book, the author, the publisher and the call number in hand. Those customer requests are easy. Other people come in with only the vaguest notion of what the book is about. They heard about it on one of the morning talk shows, but between getting their children dressed, feeding the dog and throwing in one more load of laundry, they didn’t quite catch the title of the book. Those requests, though not so easy to decipher, are still fun to figure out.
And then there are the customers who think they know what they want, but we give them something completely different. I had a customer the other day in the Children’s Area and she was looking for “the Spanish books”. Did she want books written in Spanish, or books about Spain, or books that teach the Spanish language? Turns out she wanted to learn to speak Spanish. So, we walked over to the 400’s (come on, everyone knows the language books are in the 400’s, right?) and we found some very basic books that showed pictures of everyday objects with the Spanish word written below the object. The customer was happy with what we found. But I knew there was one more way to help her learn Spanish.
We went over to the computer and I showed her the library’s new database: Powerspeak Languages. The database walks you through the basics of learning five different languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Mandarin) using lessons such as, “People Words”, “Colors”, and “Asking for Help”. The database is friendly, functional and allows users to learn at their own pace. Although the customer was happy with the books we found, she seemed even more excited about using the new database.
Powerspeak Languages is available under the “Electronic Resources” tab on the library’s homepage, www.beloitlibrary.info. You can use it on one of the library’s computers, or you can use it at home in between loads of laundry and making sure your children have shoes on their feet before sending them off to school.
And then there are the customers who think they know what they want, but we give them something completely different. I had a customer the other day in the Children’s Area and she was looking for “the Spanish books”. Did she want books written in Spanish, or books about Spain, or books that teach the Spanish language? Turns out she wanted to learn to speak Spanish. So, we walked over to the 400’s (come on, everyone knows the language books are in the 400’s, right?) and we found some very basic books that showed pictures of everyday objects with the Spanish word written below the object. The customer was happy with what we found. But I knew there was one more way to help her learn Spanish.
We went over to the computer and I showed her the library’s new database: Powerspeak Languages. The database walks you through the basics of learning five different languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Mandarin) using lessons such as, “People Words”, “Colors”, and “Asking for Help”. The database is friendly, functional and allows users to learn at their own pace. Although the customer was happy with the books we found, she seemed even more excited about using the new database.
Powerspeak Languages is available under the “Electronic Resources” tab on the library’s homepage, www.beloitlibrary.info. You can use it on one of the library’s computers, or you can use it at home in between loads of laundry and making sure your children have shoes on their feet before sending them off to school.
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