It's all Happenin' on Halloween

Tue, 10/23/2007 - 1:08pm by StoryLaura

Find T Rex and other outrageous costumed creatures when the AADL and the Main Street Area Association partner with a silly story time and parade on Wednesday, October 31. Come to the Downtown Library at 10:00 am for tales and a costume march around the library. Then head to Main Street at 11:00 a.m. for trick-or-treating. This is a perfect way for the stroller crowd to celebrate.

Amazon's Bestselling DVDs

Wed, 10/17/2007 - 9:32am by manz

Amazon.com’s most recent bestselling DVD list includes many movie titles available at the AADL. Fun youth flicks include The Jungle Book, Ratatouille, and Transformers. Adults might want to check out Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ken Burns’ The War, or Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror. It's nice to see movies, rather than just boxed sets from Television shows, selling at Amazon for a change.

Smiles and Other Big Mouth Storytime Fun

Fri, 10/12/2007 - 7:44pm by StoryLaura

The Thursday evening Pittsfield storytime will feature How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges as well as the old favorite, Monkey Face, and the very silly, noisy Mortimer. Get ready for a rowdy last storytime of the session!

The Wall:Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Wed, 09/19/2007 - 2:41pm by StoryLaura

You’d need a long nap afterwards, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend an hour inside Peter Sis’s imagination? He has given us magical stories and biographies but this newest is his autobiography of growing up under communism in Prague. Secret police, red flags and parades are depicted in typically amazing Sis style and the happy ending is the Wall crumbling down as he flies towards freedom.

New Arabic books for children!

Mon, 09/17/2007 - 1:02pm by Tara LS

Soon to be arriving at the branches, there will be many new Arabic books for children. Many of these books are especially good for children (or anyone) learning Arabic as they have the vowel marks (tashkeel) on every word to aid in recognition and understanding. There will be board books, dictionaries, picture books and kits which will contain a book and a CD or cassette. The selection varies from branch to branch so check out the youth foreign language collection in the youth department on the first floor of the downtown library or in the foreign language collection at any of the branches. Any questions, comments or suggestions about Arabic books or any other foreign languages, please e-mail stantont@aadl.org

Greyfriars Bobby on DVD

Wed, 09/12/2007 - 11:30am by manz

Here’s a touching tale that’s great for any age. A tale that's well known in Scotland, Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog is just that. Bobby is a determined and loyal pint-sized terrier living in Scotland in the 1850s. Under the care of the town’s constable he shows his loyalty and intelligence time and time again. After the constable becomes ill Bobby remains loyal to the grave of his former master and then follows the lead of a young boy named Ewan. When Bobby gets into trouble with the city, all of Edinburgh rallies to save their beloved Bobby. Talk about a feel-good and heartwarming story!

There is also a book called The ghost of Greyfriar's Bobby that tells more of the adventures of little Bobby.

New Youth Portuguese Collection at Downtown Branch

Wed, 09/12/2007 - 10:19am by Tara LS

New at the downtown library in the Youth foreign language collection on the 1st floor in the Youth department, there will soon be a selection of children's Portuguese books including picture books and titles for older children. Put a hold on the books through the library catalog and have them delivered to the branch of your choice or browse the shelves downtown. If you have any questions, suggestions, comments on Portuguese titles or any foreign language books, please e-mail stantont@aadl.org.

A selection of the new titles:
A girafa que comia estrelas
O meu livro
Doze reis e a moca no labirinto do vento
O castelo verde
O cavalo da noite

The City Beneath the City

Tue, 09/11/2007 - 6:11pm by StoryLaura

If you have not discovered the wild Anybodies and the crazy Nobodies it is still not too late for the electric Somebodies! Somebody must save the endangered city beneath NYC. In this concoction of mystery, drama, fantasy and humor, author N.E. Bode takes our heroes Fern and Howard on another magical, fantastical romp!

Madeleine L'Engle Brought Us Such Reading Pleasure

Sun, 09/09/2007 - 1:41pm by StoryLaura

I remember being curled up in my "hiding place" 44 years ago and reading the first line, "It was a dark and stormy night". How many thousands of other children were turned upside down by Madeleine L'Engle's imagination and amazing literary skills? In her Newbery Award acceptance speech the author, who often claimed that children's literature is literature too difficult for adults to understand, said "A writer of fantasy, fairy tale or myth must inevitably discover that he is not writing out of his own knowledge or experience, but out of something both deeper and wider." That is why L'Engle, who wrote more than 60 books and died this week at the age of 88, will continue to enrich the lives of many young readers on a dark and stormy night.

The Power of Sisterhood

Mon, 08/27/2007 - 5:21pm by StoryLaura

Here’s a great new family read-aloud that will take you through the landscape of Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and other fairy tales while the spunky Eden sisters run into the woods, chased by ravenous wolves and the evil Dr. DeWilde, all the while clinging to the precious pipe given to them by their worthless mother on her deathbed.