Onlies Write Fascinating Family Stories

Sat, 02/24/2007 - 12:48pm by annevm

As the mother of a solo son, I thoroughly enjoyed Only Child: Writers on the Singular Joys and Solitary Sorrows of Growing Up Solo edited by (only children) Deborah Siegel and Daphne Uviller. These essays – divided into Childhood, Significant Others and Friends, Parenting, and Tables Turned – are both entertaining and enlightening. Among my favorites was “My Jane,” by U-M’s Peter Ho Davies. At the end of the book I was left wondering, not for the first time, whether solo sons and daughters may be just as psychologically diverse as those who grow up with siblings.

Guinea Bits - Pig Tales

Tue, 02/20/2007 - 5:28pm by ryanikoglu

Guinea Pigs! What else to say but cute, cute, cute with personality to boot !! Read some pig tales with Pee Wee and Plush and Lexi's Tale by Johanna Hurwitz; The Tales of Olga DaPolga by Michael Bond; John Willy And Freddy McGee; and Willimena Rules'stressful tale How To Lose Your Class Pet.

Then there are Kate Duke's pair of fables One Guinea Pig is Not Enough and Twenty Is Too Many. Hmmmm ... nuff said !

Baby Bits - What to Do With the Baby-O?

Tue, 02/20/2007 - 12:41pm by ryanikoglu

Need Stuff to do with the Baby-O? Take it from the Pros and follow the leaders! Try Gari Stein's Sing With Me series produced by Little Folksters; Raffi's Rise and Shine and other recordings; Sharon, Lois and Bram's One Elephant, Deux Elephants and other recordings. Also try, mood music and action songs by Hap Palmer Movin', and Jim Gill Jim Gill Sings His Do Rem Mi on His Toe Leg Knee.

Homework Success! - 6th Grade Report

Thu, 02/15/2007 - 1:56pm by ryanikoglu

QUESTION? ... A 6th grader needs information on the agate fossil beds in Nebraska.
ANSWER! ... We found the most information in "InfoTrac Student Edition" database on our RESEARCH page. We used keyword "agate fossils" and got a full-text article from

National Parks, Nov-Dec 1993 v67 n11-12 p42(3)
"Frozen in time: some of the world's most significant deposits of fossils are preserved in U.S. national parks".

Abstract: Fossil beds are found in many US national parks and provide an extraordinary history of millions of years of the US ecosystem. Five national monument locations are described: Hagerman Fossil Beds, ID; Florissant Fossil Beds, CO; John Day Fossil Beds, OR; Agate Fossils Beds, NE; and Fossil Butte, WY.

Baby Bits - Kittens with Mittens

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 3:10pm by ryanikoglu

For babies with books .... mittens and hats and snow .... try Three Little Kittens; The Snowy Day; Do You Have A Hat?; Hello Snow; and All You Need For A Snowman. Happy snowflakes !

History Bits - African-American History month

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 2:44pm by ryanikoglu

NEW books from within African-American experiences, and stories of little-known pieces of history that kids can understand are Bessie Smith And The Night Riders; Dear Mr. Rosenwald; Thanks A Million: Poems By Nikki Grimes; Stompin' At The Savoy: The Story Of Norma Miller; and Freedom Riders.

Be around for winter break? Then Snap! Get Digital

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 12:14pm by K.C.

Learn Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, suitable for both Mac and Windows users, as you work on your own photos (bring a thumb drive or camera card with your saved images). Registration is required and limited to 12 participants. Register at any information desk or call the computer lab reservation number at 327-8367.

Thursday, March 1 1:00 – 4:00 pm Downtown Library Computer Lab

Kid Bits - Stories from Haiti

Tue, 02/13/2007 - 4:51pm by ryanikoglu

Ann Arbor is reading and discussing life in Haiti. ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI READS is based on the book Mountains Beyond Mountains and Dr. Paul Farmer's work in Haiti. It's a perfect time for the kids to join in the theme. In Picture books try Circles of Hope; Painted Dreams; and Running the Road to ABC. In chapter books try Behind the Mountain; or The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folk Tales.

Culture Bits - Chinese New Year

Mon, 02/12/2007 - 4:53pm by ryanikoglu

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Reading transports you into the Chinese-American experience. If you are reading chapter books in grade school, try Year Of The Dog; Day The Dragon Danced; Shanghai Messenger; Three Names Of Me; or The Traitor: Golden Mountain Chronicles 1885.

Holiday Bits - Gung Hay Fat Choy

Mon, 02/12/2007 - 4:35pm by ryanikoglu

Celebrate the Chinese New Year and share the Chinese-American experience! If the kids are preschool ages or early elementary school, read D Is For Dragon; The Runaway Rice Cake; A Dragon New Year; Fortune Cookie Fortunes; and make some crafts from Chinese New Year Crafts.