An Epic Magazine Update -- Tigers, Fashion, and Valentine's Crafts
by MariaK
This magazine update is truly epic, folks. Our magazine "in" box is swamped -- and I mean completely flooded -- with new magazines for all.
For the kiddos:
Zoobies -- This one's all about tigers. Adorable and fierce!
Iguana -- Cuentos, poemas, leyendas, y articulos. En Espanol, claro.
Scholastic Math -- The boys of Big Time Rush lead you through some painless problems.
For the teens:
Cicada -- Creative writing for teens, by teens.
WWE Magazine -- Wrestler Kaval tells all. Or at least some.
Lucky -- Going shopping? Find out what's in now! Before you perpetrate some serious fashion crimes on your friends.
And for the parental units:
Family Fun -- Valentine's Day crafts!
Book Links -- Multicultural literature. Hey, that sounds familiar.
With so many new magazines it's almost hard to know where to start. Dive in!
Teen Stuff: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances
by manz
Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances features short stories written by popular young adult fiction authors John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, each writing one of the three. The three stories (The Jubilee Express, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, and Patron Saint of Pigs) intertwine and focus on the romantic relationships of a few high schoolers during a snowstorm in a small town on Christmas eve. Thanks to youthful energy, wit and warmth, hilarity ensues in these delightful tales of friendship and young love. Yes, Christmas magic can happen at the Waffle House. (For grades 9 and up.)
It's Drop-Off not Drag for Christmas Trees This Year
by Debbie G.
There will be no curbside pickup of Christmas trees this year so we'll need to make after-Holiday plans to deliver the trees to their mulching destination. Undecorated Christmas trees may be dropped off — free and 24/7 — in the parking lot adjacent to the Drop-off Station at 2950 E. Ellsworth now through Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.
Remember, any metal, glass or plastic ornaments left on the tree can ruin the processing equipment, harm the operators, and spoil the landscaping mulch. For these reasons, the trees must have all tree stands, nails, ornaments, tinsel, and plastic bags removed.
If you'd rather not make the trip, cut and tie the tree into bundles and reserve for the beginning of compost-collection season, the first Monday in April.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice!
by kidlit
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 is the shortest day of the year. But that's no reason to stay in your pajamas all day. Come to the Malletts Creek Branch at 2:00 p.m. and make some winter decorations to brighten up your house. This program is for children preschool through 5th grade. All supplies will be provided.
For more information about the winter solstice, look here.
Midnight Clear, a subtle Christmas film
by manz
Sometimes folks get really excited about watching holiday themed movies this time of year, while others cringe at the mere thought of them, and wish to throw all copies of It's a Wonderful Life out the window. I fall somewhere in between.
I watched Midnight Clear about a month ago, which was perfect. As the title suggests, it does involve Christmas, but I like to call it "Christmas lite," as it's not an in your face fa la la la la film. It is a movie, and it just happens to take place on Christmas. In the film, the lives of five individuals converge in the most meaningful way. A down and out gas station attendant, a recently fired homeless man, a woman with a brain damaged husband, a youth pastor, and a lonely senior citizen each find a spark from the same flame that brings hope. It's a heart warmer that makes you think deeper about how small things can make a big difference.
Holiday Baking for Special Diets
by flora
Gluten-free? Cholesterol-free? Vegan? Avoiding sugar? Allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts...? It is still possible to make delicious baked goods this holiday season! Try these cookbooks for out-of-this-world treats that would also make great gifts for friends with special diets!
The Joy of Vegan Baking
Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
Flying Apron's Gluten-free & Vegan Baking Book
Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-free, and (Mostly) Sugar-free Recipes
Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
Sugar-free Gluten-free Baking and Desserts
Gluten-free Gourmet Makes Dessert
Divvies Bakery: No Nuts, No Eggs, No Dairy, Just Delicious!
The Allergen-free Baker's Handbook: How to Bake Without Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, and Sesame
The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy
The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book: Great Dairy, Egg, and Nut-free Treats for the Whole Family
Sweet! From Agave To Turbinado, Home Baking With Every Kind Of Natural Sugar And Sweetener
Fruit-sweet & Sugar-free
Santa Live on CTN
by Debbie G.
Santa will be taking calls LIVE from the North Pole via CTN Channel 17. That's right, kids. Just call 734.794.6155 on Thursday, Dec. 9, 6 ~ 8 p.m. and talk to Santa, Mrs. Claus and their helpful elf Graeme. I've got my list ready, how about you?
Author Birthdays: Dostoyevsky, Pound, Kimmel
by marshd
October 30th marks the birthday of authors Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ezra Pound, and Eric A. Kimmel.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer, and is probably now best know for his novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.
Among Dostoyevsky's other works are Notes from Underground, often considered the first existentialist novel, and The Idiot, which tells the story of a socially-outcast epileptic.
Ezra Pound was an early 20th-century American poet. As an expatriate, he lived in London, and later in Italy. During WWII he was imprisoned there for treason because of statements he made about FDR. During that time, he wrote The Pisan Cantos, which were later published as part of a larger work of 120 cantos.
Pound also wrote a long poem called Hugh Selwyn Mauberley. It is made up of 18 shorter poems, the first section of which is a sort of autobiographical epitaph. For more on this man's troubled life, you can read one of the many biographies we have on him.
Eric A. Kimmel is a Jewish-American children's book author. He won the Caldecott Honor and Newbury Honor for his picture book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, as well as the Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster.
Kimmel does not only write picture books, nor does he do exclusively Jewish tales. He has many other folklore stories in his grasp, like the Russian Baba Yaga, the Norwegian Boots and His Brothers, and the Mexican The Witch's Face. Also, his story of The Gingerbread Man has been described as having a "strong narrative, good dialogue, and a fine chorus" by School Library Journal Review.
The Great Pumpkin Says Let's Be Safe This Halloween
by Debbie G.
Trick-or-Treating in Ann Arbor will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 31. So let's review our Halloween Safety Tips and get our little ghosts and goblins home safe, sound and oh-so happy. Don't forget the extra-special Halloween Story Times this Friday at the Downtown Branch.
Halloween in Ann Arbor, 1957
by amy
Here are a few photographs from the Ann Arbor News archive to give you a taste of what Halloween was like in Ann Arbor 50 years ago. The first photo, below, is of a girl trying on a mask in a Main Street dime store. The second photograph is of a boy looking at candy. Both were taken on October 21, 1957. Does anyone recognize the store? Could it have been Kline's? Or maybe Kresge's?
The two photographs at the bottom are from the Burns Park School Halloween Parade in 1957: children marching in the parade ; and, my favorite, the Burns Park band playing in costume.
These are from a dimestore on Main Street, October 21, 1957:
These are from the Burns Park School Halloween parade, 1957: