Nature Close at Hand

Sun, 07/02/2017 - 2:00pm by Lucy S

“If we come to love nature not only when it is rare and beautiful, but also when it is commonplace and even annoying, I believe it will heal the great wound of our species; our self-imposed isolation from the rest of life, our loneliness for nature.”

You might be aware that squirrels eat acorns, but did you know that they usually only eat the top half, or why? Have you ever noticed how many pigeons have injured or malformed feet? Do you find yourself crossing the street to avoid the pungent odor release by some ginkgo trees? These are just a few of the questions Grist senior writer Nathanael Johnson was trying to answer as he roamed the streets of San Francisco with his young daughter. Johnson grew tired of answering her “that?” questions with basic answers so he decided to look more closely at the natural world that exists in every city. He shares what he found with humor and wisdom in Unseen city: the majesty of pigeons, the discreet charm of snails & other wonders of the urban wilderness.

Johnson divides the book into the subjects of his discovery; pigeon, weeds, squirrel, bird language, ginkgo, turkey vulture, ant, crow, and snail. In each of these areas, he shares his observations, the impetus for his particular investigations, and what he learned through reading and in conversation with experts.

Johnson brings a sense of wonder to his encounters and shares with us what it feels like to slow down and to really investigate the natural world outside the door. Through this close lens, he is able to satisfy his curiosity about pigeons’ misshapen feet, to forage for edible plants, to learn why only the top halves of acorns are eaten, to better understand the language of birds, to know why it is that ginkgo trees smell so rotten, to revile less the turkey vulture, to be amazed at the organization of an ant, to wonder at the intelligence and wit of a crow, and to decelerate to a snail’s pace. Johnson reminds us that because these creatures have adapted so well to living in human environments, we might not notice them. We “tend to think of nature and civilization as being irreconcilably opposed: Civilization’s gain is nature’s loss. But in fact, cities have become a prime habitat for speciation, hybridization, and, in short, rebirth.”

“We honor least the nature that is closest to us,” Johnson rightly observes. Reading this book is a good first step towards changing that.

Read alikes include The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey, The Soul of An Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness by Sy Montgomery, and Superdove : how the pigeon took Manhattan-- and the world by Courtney Humphries.

Revolutionary Dames

Sun, 07/02/2017 - 12:53pm by potterbee

Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson incorporates the stories over 80 women who contributed to the success of the American Revolutionary war. A great read this time of year while the country gathers to celebrate our hard won independence! With a timeline running along the bottom of the pages, young readers can learn of some important events beginning in 1765 up through 1791 with the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

At the age of 16, Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles to spread the word of an eminent British attack which prepared over 400 militia men. Phillis Wheatley came to be known as one of the most famous poets of the Revolution Abigail Adams is a very notable woman as wife to President Adams. Click on the highlighted names which link to the catalog for materials to explore these women's stories.

Women were often left to guard the villages and farms and defend themselves against British troops demanding food and supplies. Some women wanted to fight and joined up with the militia but had to be in disguise as a man, it was illegal for women to join the army. Deborah Sampson was arrested upon her first attempt to enlist, so she fled her town and joined up with the militia later. She fought in many battles and was wounded twice! Her story is written about in the novel Revolutionary by Alex Myers.

There are many historical fiction books based in the time of the revolution. Another gem by Laurie Halse Anderson is Chains, set in New York City at the beginning of the American Revolution. Thirteen year old Isabel tells the story of her life as a slave, her hopes of finding a way to freedom and how she becomes a spy for the rebels. In Patriot hearts, Barbara Hambly presents the lives of four founding mothers: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Sally Hemings, and Dolley Madison over the years of 1787 to 1814.

A couple other books for young readers to check out are Great women of the American Revolution and True stories of the Revolutionary War

Finally, a non-fiction book for older readers to enjoy is Revolutionary mothers by Carol Berkin which moves beyond the better known women of that time and serves as an overview of the remarkable contributions made by a cultural cross section of women during the course of the American Revolution.

Badge Drop #3: Raindrops Keep Falling on our GAMES

Fri, 06/30/2017 - 6:08pm by andrewjmac

We here at Summer Game Headquarters have been raising out periscopes periodically this afternoon and have repeatedly discovered a disturbing fact: IT'S RAINING. Now we are not, as a rule, anti-rain here. Some of us rather like it (puddles and coolness and lifegiving), and most of us prefer it to awful, oppressive heat. But it can be a bummer when you're in the middle of a thing called the Summer Game to not have anything even resembling summer weather. But instead of letting it stop our fun, we decided there's just one thing to do: BADGE DROP!



See, rather than let the rain get us DOWN, we decided to step UP and we've spent the last few days creating--nay, CRAFTING the FINEST set of badges in at least a WEEK!! What kinds of badges? Oh, just your usual assortment of STUPENDOUSLY INTERESTING and DEEPLY ENTERTAINING badges!! We've got some HOT SPRINGS and some LADIES WITH SNAKY HAIR. We've got some DELICIOUS BREAD and some GREAT MICHIGAN INVENTIONS. Some GHOSTLY PHOTOGRAPHS and some UTTERLY UNNECESSARY SEQUELS. AND AND AND (if it ever stops raining) we've got the very first ever ANN ARBOR STORIES WALKING TOUR badge and the first of this year's ARBOR EXPLORERS: Ponder Barton Dam! TAKE A LOOK!!

So until this rain lets up, get to work on these shiny new badges! And don't forget to tag/rate/review everything you've ever loved/hated (hopefully mostly loved) in the catalog! And when the DROPS DO STOP, get out there for the walking tour and check out Barton Dam! And, rain or shine...



THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!

An ode to Raina!

Fri, 06/30/2017 - 4:46pm by manz

Okay, you love Raina Telgemeir’s books as much as we do. You met her at A2CAF, and she was great, and now you want to read more of her books. You can’t get enough and need more ASAP, but you’ve already read Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts. And you just can't read any more Baby-Sitters Club. What to do?

Here are some graphic novels NOT by Raina that are readalikes you might also enjoy, nicely compiled on a list for your browsing and placing-holds pleasure!

Here are a few to get you started:
In Roller Girl we have friends who may or may not be growing apart when they find different interests. (The book won a Newbery Honor award in 2016.)
In Awkward we learn how one girl copes with surviving middle school.

Give ‘em a shot! And check out the full list to keep your SUMMER READING going on all summer long. (Some books are better suited for 6th graders vs. 2nd graders and vice versa. You decide!)

Storytimes: G is for Gardening!

Fri, 06/30/2017 - 8:29am by eapearce

This week at storytimes at Traverwood and Westgate, Elizabeth told stories about gardening! We heard about industrious Rabbit, who tricks lazy Bear in Tops and Bottoms. We also heard the story of the trickster Anansi the spider who doesn’t want to help with the community garden in The Talking Vegetables. We read the classic Planting a Rainbow, by Lois Ehlert and discovered what animals were hiding in our gardens in There’s Something in My Garden.

Preschool storytimes at the AADL are intended for ages 2-5 and are free and open to the public. You can see our full storytime schedule here.

Feeling Blue for the Blue Covered Book

Thu, 06/29/2017 - 2:42pm by LibraryLiz

So, again - this one time at the library...there was that book you saw on a shelf, with a blue cover, that caught your eye. But, once again, you had to pass it by. Well, if you find yourself in need of that long lost spark of interest, I maybe, perhaps, might have the book for you! I've found it important to the readers and long-lost book interests to create a second list of books that have, or have had, blue covers - whether or not their most recent editions have blue covers now, they did at some point! Plus, this list is welcome to all kinds of blue covers...

Whether it be a deep blue of the world-wide sensation Outlander, a sky-blue, with clouds included, of the book A Long Way Down, or perhaps a blue-grey of the best-seller turned film All the Light We Cannot See, all blues are welcome on this compilation list. But this list isn't just for the adults on the interwebs! There's also a wide age range available for the younger reader feeling blue...

Be it from the Teen section like Stargirl, King's Cage, or maybe Stormbreaker this list has many blue bindings that you might have left on the shelf for a later date. Even the youth may have left an enchanting book resting on it's display, such as The Warden's Daughter or Ready, Set, Build!. This list also provides you with options from every genre in the library...

Maybe you were passing by the express shelf and snuck a peek at A Great Reckoning or Here's To Us? Maybe browsing through the fantasy section to find A Discovery of Witches? Could have been possibly perusing Mystery and seen The Big Overnight on the shelf? What about the non-fiction readers, who may have strolled through the stacks seeing covers that advertised self improvement or a conservation crisis!

This list has ALL THE THINGS (or would like to have) and is growing each day!!! Please feel free to take a look, and make comments of other blue-covered books you think others may be searching for, so the list can continue to grow! Just think: someone out there could be looking for a blue book jacket that you've read before - maybe you have the answer they've been looking for as the search the numerous volumes of AADL. Or perhaps you yourself have been searching, and the book is in this list already!!! Only one way to find out!

Endangered Species

Thu, 06/29/2017 - 9:48am by Lara

An endangered species is an animal, plant, or other species that is at risk of becoming extinct in the near future. Current scientific evidence indicates that the rate of species extinctions is increasing.

How to Save a Species by Marilyn Baillie, Jonathan Baillie, and Ellen Butcher features endangered species from around the world and the scientists who are trying to save them. It includes species on the brink of extinction, as well as those who have recovered after almost becoming extinct. To find the most current information on the endangered species highlighted in this book, see the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. To learn more about how scientists are trying to save some of the most endangered species on Earth, see the EDGE of Existence website. How to Save a Species is written for kids, but many adults will also find this information interesting.

Here are a few more books about endangered species that both kids and adults may enjoy:

Endangered Animals by Ben Hoare is part of the Eyewitness series. This book also discusses endangered species and the ways humanity can help them survive.

Save the Planet: Helping Endangered Animals by Rebecca E. Hirsch is part of the Cherry Lake Publishing collection. This informative ebook can be downloaded as a PDF when you log in to your AADL web account.

Draw 50 Endangered Animals by Lee J. Ames gives step-by-step illustrations for drawing endangered animals. There are no written instructions in this book, just drawings. This book is part of the Draw 50 series.

The following books about endangered species are geared towards younger kids:

Almost Gone: The World’s Rarest Animals by Steve Jenkins is filled with great illustrations and includes facts about fascinating endangered animals from around the world.

Endangered! by Barbara L. Webb is an informative, easy to read book with lots of photographs. This book is part of the Green Earth Discovery Library series.

Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans is a Caldecott Honor Book. This is a unique picture book that also includes information that may be of interest to older readers.

It Stinks to Be Extinct! by Susan Blackaby is written in an easy to read format and includes nice photographs and valuable information about endangered animals.

PreK Bits - "M" is for Messy MUD

Wed, 06/28/2017 - 1:13pm by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel did Mud Stories in Storytime this week.
Ms. Rachel opened a PET WASH to "get the pets clean".
MOUSE SOUP has a story about "The Bees and The Mud", but Mouse solves the problem. Here it is in Spanish SOPA De RATON =-)

You can do more mud if you find these books:
Dirt Boy by Erik Slangerup.
Piggy In The Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz.... And the same story on DVD in "Books And Stories" section under "R" for Reading Rainbow.
I'm Dirty by Kate McMullan.
Bubba And Beau Best Friends by Kathi Appelt.
This Is The Van That Dad Cleaned.
Big Smelly Bear by Britta Tekentrup.
The MUD BOOK: How To Make Pies And Cakes.
BEARS IN The BATH ... DIY book to get 4 muddy little bears cleaned up.
Have soap and water ready for when your done with Mud!

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #643 Spotlight on Speculative Fiction

Mon, 06/26/2017 - 9:17pm by muffy

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death on July 18, The Jane Austen Project * by Kathleen Flynn asks: "Given the chance, what would one give up so that Jane could live?"

Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, 2 time-travelers from the future arrive in 1815 London with specific goals - to find Austen's rumored unfinished novel The Watsons; and to determine the cause of her death in 1817, without altering the course of history.

Rachel Katzman, a disaster-relief physician and Liam Finucane, an actor-turned-scholar pose as Dr. William Ravenswood and his sister Mary, wealthy plantation owners just arrived from the West Indies and successfully insinuate themselves into the lives of the Austen clan by charming Henry, Jane's favorite brother.

As Rachel's friendship with Jane deepens over the course of the year and the unpublished manuscript is within reach, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history intact, exactly as they found it. With the portal to return to the future about to close, Rachel must make difficult choices - including whether she would allow Jane's fatal illness to remain undiagnosed.

(Debut novelist and New York Times editor) "Flynn skillfully delves into the later years of Austen's life in a way that is sure to please admirers of the 19th-century novelist, as well as providing a fascinating dollop of plot invention and a heartbreaking romance between the two protagonists." (Library Journal)

Fans of time-travel and romance would enjoy the series by Julie McElwain that opens with A Murder in Time; and All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai.

Fans of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014) and Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars (2012) would find much to like in The Space Between the Stars, Anne Corlett's debut.

Veterinarian researcher Jamie Allenby survives a virus that nearly wiped out humanity throughout the galaxy to find herself alone in a distant planet called Soltaire. Jamie soon meets up with other survivors, and together this ragtag group is rescued by a passing ship, heading back to Earth, and to Daniel, her estranged boyfriend whom Jamie believes, might have survived the virus as well.

However, once back on Earth, some of the fellow survivors reveal themselves to be not as they seem. Secret agendas and deadly intents if unconstrained, will have serious repercussions for the future of mankind. Jamie must take matters into her own hand.

"Corlett offers a thoughtful examination of how individuals find meaning and fulfillment in the face of an apocalyptic event then wraps up with a thrilleresque ending." (Boolist)

* = starred review

Badge Drop #2: IT'S OVER!

Fri, 06/23/2017 - 3:54pm by Sara W

THAT WAS QUICK! I can't believe summer has come and gone already!! Seems like JUST LAST WEEK that we were dropping the first badges of summer! Well, GREAT JOB, everyone! Happy Summer Game! See you in 2018 and...

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!!!!!



*checks calendar*


Oh dear.


OUR MISTAKE.



Guess with ALL the excitement of last week, with the BADGES and the A2CAFs, and the CODES CODES CODES on BUILDINGS, and BANNERS, and BUSES, we got a little ahead of ourselves. LUCKY FOR US, the ol' AADL badge factory never stops working! So here you are, Summer Gamers, another set of HOT and FRESH BADGES!!!

Explore the catalog! Ride TheRide!! Visit the branches!!! Listen to Ann Arbor Stories, the ABSOLUTE BEST local history podcast that AADL has EVER sponsored!!!! Just SUMMER GAME IT UP IN EVERY WAY!!!!!



Oh wait, are you new? HI! You're just in time! Head over to our Get Started page to get your Summer Game on!


THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!