Ain’t Nobody A Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi

Fri, 08/24/2007 - 6:17pm by Tahira

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A grandfather tells his granddaughter how a stranger helped him escape from slavery and to always help a stranger in need. Jerry Picnkey’s illustrations add a sense of timelessness to this touching tale.

After the War

Thu, 08/23/2007 - 5:31pm by StoryLaura

I just found two brand new stories for young children that remind us that wars do end and that there is compassion, humor and generosity even in the midst of destruction. Both Dadblamed Union Army Cow by Susan Fletcher and One Thousand Tracings by Lita Judge are based on true stories. The feisty Union Army cow refuses to leave her young soldier and saves many men from starvation. In One Thousand Tracings a mother and daughter send hundreds of shoes to distressed families in war torn Europe. Both stories are beautifully illustrated with fascinating author's notes at the end.

Joey's Back!

Thu, 08/16/2007 - 8:25pm by StoryLaura

If you have already met Joey Pigza then you will jump up and down even faster than he can when I tell you he is back in I Am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos. He has already swallowed a Key, lost control and asked himself what would Joey do? Now he has dropped out of school to triple flip turkey burgers and try to keep up with his crazy dad’s crazy scheme. Hang in there Joey!

Open Up the Book, No Words Inside.

Wed, 08/15/2007 - 12:14pm by Brad B.

Believe it or not there are a lot of books at this library that don’t have a single word! That’s right, no words! And guess what? Most of them are amazing. The illustrator really has to know his or her stuff to make them work, and they are almost always sublime in a way words cannot express. Plus, sometimes it’s just fun to make up your own stories to illustrations. Check out our stories without words. Some of my favorites are David Wiesner’s Free Fall, Tuesday, Sector 7, and Flotsam; Barbara Lehman’s The Red Book, Museum Trip, and Rainstorm; and Jae Soo Liu’s The Yellow Umbrella, which is a wordless story designed to be ‘read’ along to classical music.

EXPLODapalooza!!

Tue, 08/14/2007 - 7:14pm by lola

Get in on the action and try out some fun chemistry at EXPLODapalooza on Wednesday, August 15 at 2PM at the Malletts Creek Branch. Make your own Alka-Seltzer rocket and bask in the joy of a mentos fountain. It will be a glorious, exploding hour. Hope to see you there!

Program is for children in 4th grade and up. Please note that the program was incorrectly published as starting at 7 PM in a local publication.

Kid Bits - Share The Yiddish

Fri, 08/10/2007 - 4:43pm by ryanikoglu

Oy Vey! Kibbitzers and Fools: Tales My Zayda Told Me by Simms Taback is a very fun collection of brief tales, Yiddish sayings, and colorful illustrations. It's a very nice family shared read. Gey gezundt!

Culture Bits - Share The Princess

Fri, 08/10/2007 - 4:31pm by ryanikoglu

The PRINCESS And The PEA has been around for generations. Rachel Isadora has illustrated a brand new version of The Princess And The Pea and she tells the story using iconic African patterns and profiles. It is bee-yoo-tee-ful !!

Lookin' for Bird in the Big City by Robert Burleigh

Tue, 08/07/2007 - 3:48pm by Tahira

Teenage Miles Davis takes his trumpet to the streets of New York to find Charlie Parker also known as Bird, in this fictional account of what it may have been like to play with, and learn from one of America’s best Jazz musicians.

Manga Drawing Contest Winners!

Tue, 08/07/2007 - 10:00am by erin

Our first annual Manga Drawing Contest Award Ceremony was last night @ 7:00 at the Downtown Library - I'm sorry you missed it! Over 70 kids and teens in grades K-12 entered the contest and ALL of their work is currently on display in the Downtown Youth Department and will be for the month of August - check it out! Our fabulous judges, Fred Gallagher and Jerzy Drozd had a daunting task - they spent HOURS last Saturday making their decisions and writing comments and feedback for each and every piece of artwork. Over 70 kids/teens/families/friends attended the award ceremony to hear WHO got Wizzywig gift certificates, the Olympic-worthy medals and more... Most importantly everyone got to meet and greet with Fred and Jerzy! And the winners are (click read more for the complete list):

Grades K-2:
1st Place/Duaa Aljirafi; 2nd Place/Runner-Up/Domonique Littlefield; 3rd place/Honorable Mention/Samuel Wasserman. Best Fan Art/Kristen Umbriac; Best Original Character/Sophia Cho.

Grades 3-5:
1st Place/Agnes Cho; 2nd Place/Runner-Up/Samantha Linn; 3rd Place/Honorable Mention/Bernadette Lamb. Best Fan Art/Lillian Xie; Best Original Character/Charlotte Cardon.

Grades 6-8:
1st Place/Lena Ji; 2nd Place/Runner-Up/Kylah Thompson; 3rd Place/Honorable Mention/Kyle Mink. Best Comic Strip/Andrew Hacott; Best Fan Art/Emily Ji; Best Original Character/Jessica Maronen.

Grades 9-12:
1st Place/Xin Gu; 2nd Place/Runner-Up/TIE/Brittany Adams and Donovan Adams (not related); 3rd Place/Honorable Mention/Michelle Lin. Best Comic Strip/Stephanie Mannheim; Best Fan Art/Desha Stewart; Best Original Character/Kaitlin Casternino.

Highly Contagious Science

Sat, 08/04/2007 - 1:47pm by StoryLaura

All children age 5 and up are invited to join us on August 7th at the Pittsfield Branch at 10:00 am or the Malletts Creek Branch at 1:00 pm to explore the science of sound with water balloons, slinkies, space phones and whoopee cushions. Marcey Walsh will have the kids learning about vibration, air molecules and pitch while laughing all the way!