The periodical cicada has invaded the Midwest by the billions over the past few weeks- particularly in parts of llinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. These red-eyed beauties (yes, I said beauties!) spend 17 years underground before they emerge, and when they emerge, boy are they en masse! Some people find them amazing, others find them loud and messy. You can be your own judge of that. Find more cicada facts, and colorful pictures too, here. Happy reading, and don’t let them bug you too much!

Pittsfield now offers Stories to Go bags! Also carried at the Downtown Library and at the Mallets Creek Branch, these canvas bag kits contain an activity folder, a CD or a DVD, and a few books centered on various subjects. We have six new themes this year! These include: Bedtime, Food & Eating, Going to School, New Baby, Potty Time, and Teeth.

This week’s Downtown and Pittsfield storytimes will take you traveling around the pond and off to India and Timbuktu!

A movie adaptation of the popular girl’s detective and adventure series, Nancy Drew, reaches theater screens June 15th. In the film, Nancy is conspicuously out of place as a student at Hollywood High, but soon, she is up to her old ways investigating the death of actress Dehlia Draycott. Interesting factoid, Carolyn Keene is actually a pseudonym for the many different writers that penned the series since it was created in 1930. For example, Mildred Wirt Augustine is the author of the very first book, The Secret of the Old Clock.

If you are taking the kids to a wedding this month, check out Flower Girl Butterflies, Lilly's Big Day, and Road to Mumbai for picture book reading.

John Grogan adapted his New York Times best-selling memoir Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog for a younger audience in two books released in May. Bad Dog, Marley!, intended for ages 3-7, is a picture book that illustrates how mischievous, and yet how irrefutably indispensable, a young pup can be. Marley: A Dog Like No Other, meant for ages 8-12, is a “kid friendly” version of Marley & Me. Grogan is also in the digital world with a website devoted to Marley and our other four-legged friends. On the site, learn more about Grogan, peruse his blog, and read other doggy stories!

Poor Angelina longs for her Jamaica home, dreaming of papayas, hot sun and rainbow-colored birds. What will make her happy in her new home, Brooklyn, New York? Carnival of course! Once again, author Jeanette Winter touches and entertains with her whimsical story and magnificent illustrations.

Lloyd Alexander photo

One of our best-known writers for children, Lloyd Alexander, passed away on Thursday at the age of 83. Alexander was the author of over 40 books, mostly fantasy novels for children; his series included the Prydain Chronicles, the Westmark Trilogy, and the Vesper Holly Adventures. He won the National Book Award for The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, the American Book Award for Westmark, and the Newbery Medal for The High King. Read the Washington Post obituary or visit his website for more information on this great author.

As a child, I wrote a fan letter to Lloyd Alexander, and he took the time to write a very kind reply. I know several other people who have similar stories. He’ll be missed.

Poor Elephant cannot get any sleep because grumpy Gecko is waking him up every single night to complain about the fireflies that flash outside his window. In this whimsical adaptation of an ancient tale from Bali, little does Gecko know that all his complaining will not help because “the world is all connected. Some things you just have to put up with.” Once again, the amazing storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald gets it just right, with a blend of old fashioned message and lots of laughs!

We have several new children's books in German which will be available soon. They will be distributed between the branches and you can find them on the foreign language shelves. You can also put a hold on the books through the on-line catalog and have them delivered to the branch of your choice. Remember that new foreign language books now have "NEW" stickers on them to distinguish them from other books in the collection. If you have any questions or comments about the foreign language collections, please e-mail stantont@aadl.org

Follow the links to see the record for these new German books:

Piro auf Schatzsuche: eine abenteuerliche Geschichte / von Kurt Baumann
Der kleine Bär / von Else Holmelund Minarik. Bilder von Maurice Sendak
Regenbogenfisch komm hilf mir! / von Marcus Pfister
Der regenbogenfisch / von Marcus Pfister
Kleiner Eisbär wohin fährst du? / von Hans de Beer