BABY BITS - Brightening Minds

Tue, 10/16/2007 - 11:10am by ryanikoglu

Brightening Minds: Birth To Two Years provides examples and advice from doctors to show parents how to maximize your baby's potential. This DVD includes activities as well as information on mental, physical and emotional development. The thing I like most is the practical demonstrations on using books with babies and parents. Literacy starts from birth and is a first-rate way to have fun with your child.

The Play Ground

Wed, 10/10/2007 - 5:48pm by Albert

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1955 drama about a southern family, centers on a young wife trapped in an unfulfilling marriage with a former football star who pines for his dead friend. As the family gathers one hot night in Mississippi, everything unravels. This production, directed by Barton Bund, features an African American cast. Afterwards, you can compare to the famous Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman DVD of 1958. Blackbird Theater, 1600 Pauline. Tickets $18 (seniors $12, students $8). October 5-7, 12-14, 19, & 20. 332-3848, 8 p.m.

Baby Bits - Growing Brains

Tue, 10/09/2007 - 8:52am by ryanikoglu

I'm scouting DVDs for parents with infants. I found a WINNER in Ten Things Every Child Needs For The Best Start In Life. It supports top research without sounding "academic". You see/hear "big names" in childhood development plainly speak to parents about needs of infants. You get to see other cute, cute, CUTE infants, just like your own! The book 125 Brain Games For Babies provides great ideas on how to play with baby. Have FUN!

The Feast of Love Movie is Worth Seeing

Sun, 10/07/2007 - 4:44pm by annevm

The 28 movie reviews collected at metacritic put The Feast of Love at 51 out of 100, a “mixed or average“ sort of rating. I liked it more than that. So far viewers’ opinions - all three of them - have pushed the film to a 6 out of 10 in that division. That’s more like it, although I enjoyed it more than that, too. The review most closely reflecting my thoughts was also the most positive, from Richard Corliss in Time magazine: “Sexy, funny, sad and defiantly romantic, Feast of Love is the rare movie to cuddle up to.” The movie definitely is faithful to the 2000 novel set in Ann Arbor The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, with lots of Ann Arbor-like scenes (great job, Portland!).

Happy Birthday, Jane

Sat, 10/06/2007 - 2:24pm by Maxine

The dark romance, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was published on October 6, 1847 under the title, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Currer Bell, a pseudonym created by Bronte. Thought to be one of the most famous of British novels, the book has all the elements of compelling Gothic romance: a brooding man, a woman madly in love with him and to top it off, a mad wife. The novel has spawned others with the same appeal including Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and a futuristic parody, The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde. Jane has transmogrified to screen and just recently, the musical stage.

Oh, and don't forget Charlotte's sister, Emily and her equally brooding Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

Banned but not forgotten.

Thu, 10/04/2007 - 5:45pm by RiponGood

Join us as we celebrate Banned Books Week. Here are four classic science-fiction/ dystopia novels.

1984 by George Orwell - Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Accused of anti-semitism. Challenged in Florida for pro communist and sexual theme.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - Banned in the USSR for political reasons.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - Removed from a high schools (1976 and 1977) for "objectionable" language.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -
Banned in Ireland (1932) and multiple times in the US.

Kid Bit 740s - Discover Dewey addresses

Tue, 10/02/2007 - 11:56am by ryanikoglu

Think of the Dewey Decimal system as addresses in a neighborhood.
Have you ever had a rainy day with nothing to do? Do you like to make stuff? When you browse "The 740s" in the non-fiction collection, you find art and craft books. You can find Cartooning Basics; Crafts For Kids Who Are Wild About Dinosaurs; The Rainy Day Book. If you keep on going you may pass "knitting and "stitchery" and discover books about "Famous Artists" like Leonardo da Vinci For Kids: His Life And Ideas including 21 activities that help learn about him.
AND one more thing! Craft DVDs (and Craft books for Teens and Adults), have the same addresses. They are in "The 740s" too !! You can find a video on Origami with Leonor featuring "1 and 2 minute learning vignettes for children"!

Teen books on TV

Sun, 09/30/2007 - 3:20pm by Sarah T

With the new series Gossip Girl premiering on CW last week, I've been thinking about other television series based on books for teens or tweens. My list is sadly short: Gossip Girl (series by Cecily Von Ziegesar), (series by Laura Ingalls Wilder), and of course tons of comic book-based television shows.

Sure there are movies based on teen books such as How to Deal based on several books by Sarah Dessen, I, Robot (original book by Isaac Asimov), and (original book by Ann Brashares).

And there’s never a shortage of books based on TV shows such as Teen Titans, Smallville, and That’s So Raven.

However, when it comes to television shows based on teen/tween books, the list is short. Can you think of any?

Kid Bit 500s - Discover Dewey

Sat, 09/29/2007 - 9:11am by ryanikoglu

Think of the Dewey Decimal system as addresses in a neighborhood.
Do you like science? You browse science books in "The 500s" block of the non-fiction collection. You'll cruise past titles like First Encyclopedia of Science; DK Eye Wonder Space; Big Book Of Dinosaurs; Life In The Woodlands; any kind of creature like Backyard Detectives: Critters Up Close.....
AND one more thing! Science DVDs, and science books for Teens and Adults, have the same addresses. They are in "The 500s" too, such as Eyewitness Volcano; or Bill Nye the Science Guy Presents Animal Locomotion !!

Enemy At The Gates

Thu, 09/27/2007 - 1:04pm by french_film_grl

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This 2001 film done by Jean-Jacques Annaud is a cinematic jewel. It has all the right elements to make your "must see" list. The acting is superb! The story is torn from the pages of world history. The cat and mouse play is riveting. And the love triangle is

Jude Law plays Vassily Zaitzev, a Ural born sniper for the Soviet Army. Joseph Fiennes plays Commisar Danilov, a political officer printing propoganda for the war. German Major Konig, Ed Harris, plays a priviledged Nazi Germany officer