Bernard Waber, creator of the beloved Lyle the Crocodile picture books, has died

Tue, 05/21/2013 - 9:24am by sernabad

Bernard Waber, who turned his commercial graphic arts training into a successful career as a children's book author and illustrator, died May 16th.

Waber, a World War II veteran and devoted movie buff, first introduced Lyle the lovable crocodile in his 1962 book, The House on East 88th Street. In this fanciful, gentle, funny story, the Primm family discovers Lyle hanging out in the bathtub of their Upper East Side brownstone. Lyle made several more appearances, including in Lyle Finds His Mother (1974) and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (1965). His final Lyle book, Lyle Walks the Dog: A Counting Book (2010), was a collaboration with his daughter Paulis Waber.

While most of Waber's books involved whimsical illustrations of animals -- The Mouse that Snored and the delightful A Lion Named Shirley Williamson (1996) -- Waber also had a gift for using human subjects to zero in on and allay common childhood anxieties. In Ira Sleeps Over (1972), little Ira frets about whether or not he can bring his teddy bear to a sleepover. In 2002, Waber published Courage in response to September 11th. He had started it before the attacks, but added firemen and police officers to his examples of people, both ordinary and extraordinary, who exhibit courage every day.

Waber forever endeared himself to book and movie lovers when he said that the way he endured frequent relocations as a child was to seek reassurance from his parents that wherever they moved, a library and movie theater would be close by. "...The Library and cinema were life-giving urgencies, a survival kit for any new neighborhood."

Waber, who was 91, died at his home in Long Island.

Tunes 'n' Tales By Tricia

Thu, 03/21/2013 - 2:45pm by Caser

Monday, April 1 | 10 - 11 am | Malletts Creek | Preschool - Grade 3

Tricia Kjolhede is an amazing entertainer with years of classroom experience and knowledge of child development. She doesn't perform FOR kids; she performs WITH kids! Tricia brings music and movement, allowing for differing learning styles, many opportunities for self expression, and a chance for all to develop self confidence. She uses songs that make playtime learning time too.

Explore the fun of musical expression with Tricia at Tunes 'n' Tales!

Drummunity Comes to AADL

Fri, 01/04/2013 - 12:49pm by Caser

Friday, January 4 "> 10 - 11 am "> Malletts Creek "> Grades K - 5

Give the drummer some! Join us for Drummunity, a unique, hands-on drumming experience at Malletts Creek on Friday, January 4th from 10 - 11 am. With her multicultural collection of drums and percussion, Lori Fithian can always get a group of strangers drumming, singing, and dancing - creating their own "Drummunity" orchestra!

"A 'Drummunity' circle is a high energy, fun and empowering activity. Lori Fithian, drum circle facilitator and workshop leader, will bring her collection of hand drums and percussion toys to the library to transform our community into a “Drummunity” – a word she invented for the community-building that happens when people come together around a circle of drums."

This event is for grades K - 5.

Wonderful New Picture Book: 'Waking Dragons'

Tue, 12/18/2012 - 2:56pm by annevm

When illustrator-author Derek Anderson visited the Malletts Creek Branch of the AADL in October, I watched as Ann Arbor children and adults fell under his spell. Sketching shapes looked like such fun! Anderson even talked a bit about his life and career. Afterwards I was drawn to buy his book, Waking Dragons and to have it signed for my son. I took the book home, read it, and stole it back for myself.

This picture book, written by master storyteller Jane Yolen, is beautiful and magical, and brought to life by Anderson's gold-washed paintings. After the dragons "bumble" and "tumble" out of bed, the determined boy-knight who is in charge of them prepares a delicious breakfast of waffles -- served from a catapult -- in time for the dragons to fly the boy off to Knight School. As you read the rhymes, don't miss the humor, such as the sign on the fire extinguisher, "In Case of Dragon Breath."

Anderson probably is best known for his Little Quack books, but I'm also a fan of Gladys Goes Out to Lunch. For more good reading for adults, go to Derek's web page, and read "In the Studio: A Creative Journal." Fascinating.

A New Literary Landmark

Tue, 11/27/2012 - 10:44am by Grace22

On Thursday, November 29th, the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City will celebrate author and longtime Cathedral librarian Madeleine L'Engle with the dedication of the Diocesan House library as a Literary Landmark. L'Engle's books for readers of all ages were profoundly influenced by her Episcopal faith, belief in science, and strong appreciation for the inner lives of children. This year marks the 50th publishing anniversary of her Newbery Medal-winning book A Wrinkle in Time.

November 29th would have been L’Engle’s 94th birthday. During the dedication, Leonard S. Marcus, children’s literature historian and author of Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine L’Engle in Many Voices, will speak about L’Engle and her connection to the Cathedral.

Vote for your favorite Michigan author

Tue, 11/13/2012 - 12:29pm by articia

Nominate your favorite Michigan Author so the Michigan Library Association can reward them! Any author who lives in Michigan or writes about Michigan can win, regardless of the genre they write, as long as they have published at least 3 titles. See the list of authors who have won over the years and access the nomination form here. This year's winner was Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Once Upon a River and several other Michigan based books.

Geek Pride Day

Sat, 05/26/2012 - 4:02pm by articia

[cover_image]|1228775[/cover_image]

"Towel Day", "Glorious 25th of May", or "Star Wars Day", whatever you prefer to call it, May 25th is Geek Pride Day and what better way to celebrate it than by visiting your local library? You don't have to be a Sci-Fi geek, or a math geek to celebrate Geek Pride Day, just celebrate whatever you "geek". "Whatever you geek, the public library supports you." Geek The Library reminds us that "No matter who you are, there are things you are passionate about—things you geek. The Geek the Library project is a community public awareness campaign aimed at spreading the word about the vital and growing role of your public library, and to raise awareness about the critical funding issues many U.S. public libraries face." Think of all the resources your library has to offer, be they entertainment like Star Wars or Douglas Adams books or movies, Homework Help or Test Prep, Foreign Language Materials or Foreign Language Learning from our Services and Research pages that you have access to through our website, our super nifty new Orion Starblast 4.5 Astro Reflector Dobsonian Telescope, or one of our neat Science To Go Kits from our Unusual Stuff to Borrow collection.

AADL Talks To Josie Parker

Tue, 11/08/2011 - 11:10am by amy

In June, Ann Arbor District Library director, Josie Parker, attended the second UNESCO World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries, whose "Focus 2011" was "The Book Tomorrow: The Future of the Written Word". In our conversation, Josie discusses what she brought back from her experience in this international arena, as well as her views - and those of fellow librarians, publishers, and authors around the world - on the future of digital publishing.

Behind the Scenes of Web Communities Panel led by Jessamyn West

Sun, 10/02/2011 - 3:35pm by andrewjmac

Ever wonder what goes on behind the websites you visit? How does an open forum work, and how much work does it take to keep it moving in the right direction? Join us for a look Behind the Scenes of Web Communities on Sunday, October 9 at 4:30pm in the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room. We'll be taking a look at a variety of sites that run on user contributions from the people who keep an eye on those contributions: Jessamyn West, community manager for Ask MetaFilter; Rob Malda, aka CmdrTaco, founder and recently-resigned editor-in-chief of Slashdot; Cliff Lampe, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information, and Andrew MacLaren, productions librarian and moderator for AADL's recently concluded Summer Game.

Behind the Scenes of Web Communities -- Sunday, October 9 -- 4:30pm -- Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room

AADL Talks to Ed Surovell

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 3:56pm by amy

The Michigan Library Association recently announced that long-time Trustee of the Ann Arbor District Library, Ed Surovell, will receive this year's MLA Trustee Citation of Merit, the highest award bestowed by the Association for a Library Board Trustee. In this episode, Ed talks with us about the origins of his successful real estate company, Edward Surovell Realtors; his long history with libraries and the book industry; and his personal collections and interests. He also discusses the responsibilities of an elected Trustee and recollects some of the challenges he faced while serving on the inaugural AADL Board of 1996.