Blog Post
Ho! Ho! Ho!
by Maxine
Treat yourself to some laughs during the holidays with some of the great comedies in the Library's dvd collection. Why not try some classic comedy with the likes of W.C. Fields in the two volume W.C. Fields Comedy Collection. In one sequence he plays the Great McGonigle, an unscrupulous manager of a theater company and in another a charlatan intent on charming and duping a rich widow out of her money.
For more comtemporary but not current films, check out Crossing Delancey, a 1997 film with Amy Irving who plays a young woman whose Jewish grandmother interferes in her love life by becoming her matchmaker.
For a skewed look at the upcoming caucus/primary frenzy, try Wag the Dog, a movie starring Dustin Hoffman as the desperate president who starts a war to divert attention from a scandal.
And just for fun, watch Cool Runnings about the the first Olympic bobsled team.
Blog Post
School Library Journal - Best Books of the Year
by kidlit
School Library Journal is one of the main sources that both school and public librarians use for gathering reviews of new children's books. The editors of that publication have put together a Best Books of the Year list.
Here a few highlights from the juvenile fiction section.
Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey.
When a princess is born with a dragon's claw on one hand, she finds herself struggling between her world and the dragon's world. This is a great story for all dragon lovers.
No Talking by Andrew Clements. A boisterous 5th grade class is lured into a contest of boys against the girls and 48 hours of no talking. Can they do it? Could you?
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. This author's strength is his ability to write about serious topics with warmth, humor and compassion. Elijah is an 11-year-old in Buxton, Ontario, a community of former slaves who fled to Canada.
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Georgina and her little brother and their mother are forced to live in their car after they lose their home. When Georgina sees a poster offering a substantial award for the return of a missing dog, she kidnaps a dog in hopes of collecting a ransom and helping her mother get the money for a new apartment.
Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. Clementine must find a way to participate in the third grade talent show, but she can't think of anything that she can do. This is the second title in a wonderful new series.
Blog Post
Unique Gift of Story with a Local Flavor
by StoryLaura
I think the best part about the CD Time Warp Tales is that it will spark memories and get the family telling stories together. These growing up tales from members of the Ann Arbor Storyteller's Guild are clever, warm and funny. How can you go wrong with stories entitled The Worm with a Face Like a Cat, Grandpa's Claim to Fame or The Search for Laughing Sal? I was especially moved by the last tale written by Sunnie Tait, beloved Ann Arbor school librarian and teller, who lives on through her stories. You will find the CD for sale at Nicola's Books, Sixteen Hands or Peaceable Kingdom.
Blog Post
Teaching Kids Healthy Smiles--Lesson Plans
by lola
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Mott's Children Health Center in Flint, Michigan have created a website designed to support Kindergarten through elementary school teachers in their efforts to promote healthy oral hygiene and prevent dental disease. Check out an array of lesson plans, activities and worksheets. Help make those Michigan smiles stay healthy and white!
Pair the lesson with some good books from the library like:
Stories to Go: Teeth
Maisy, Charley and the Wobbly Tooth
Vera Goes to the Dentist
Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder
Blog Post
The Kite Runner Readalikes
by muffy
There is no doubt that one of the blockbuster films of this holiday season is the much anticipated The Kite Runner.
YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) of the American Library Association has just compiled a list of readalikes (fiction and non-fiction) for the novel by Khaled Hosseini.
For 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens.
Blog Post
Championship Weekend is Upon Us!
by eli
It's mid-December, and you know what that means... the AADL-GT 2007 Grand Championships have arrived, the culmination of months of preliminary rounds with big prizes on the line! But first, a warm-up Super Smash Bros. Regulation Tournament for Low and Bottom Tier Characters only, Friday Night 12/14 at 6 PM. Then, the action continues on Saturday 12/15 with the Wildcard tournament for grades 6-12 at Noon, and then the 2007 Grand Championships starting at 2:00. Then, the weekend wraps up with a tour through the Mario universe at the Mario-Rama, Sunday 12/16 from 1-4 PM for All Ages!
The biggest news is that huge thanks are due to Nintendo of America, who have donated a brand-new, even-harder-to-get-a-year-later Wii for the grand prize winner on Saturday! The prize pool also includes an iPod Nano, an iPod shuffle, and a Nintendo DS! Read on for more details...
Blog Post
Animal Lovers
by lola
My new discovery is the great animal video footage available from the Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo is located in Seattle, Washington, and houses many animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Watch the typical day of Keema and Denali, two twelve-year-old grizzly bears, on the Bear Cam. Check out footage of the new baby Gorilla born to Amanda and Vip in October. Or enjoy watching short clips of wallabies and butterflies.
Learn more about animals on the zoo website or at the library. Some of my favorite titles are Koko's Kitten and Grizzly Bears.
Blog Post
A Christmas Carol
by french_film_grl
Well, it is that time of year again....
I am surrounded by versions of my favorite author, Charles Dickens, amazing tale of proverbial proportions, A Christmas Carol.
This is a wonderful story illuminating life, love, selfishness, and redemption.
Through a spiritually induced epiphany, Ebenezer Scrooge, a crotchety miser, is transformed into a life embracing gleeful fellow. Those who know him can hardly believe the overnight transformation, and declare it a miracle!
Tiny Tim's famous line, "God Bless Us, Everyone!", is whiskey sauce on the bread pudding!
Enjoy.
Blog Post
Let yourself give in to "Temptation"
by Maxine
Or should I say The Temptations who will be interviewed on stage and performing at Washtenaw Community College's Towsley Auditorium this Friday, December 14. This legendary Motown vocal quartet's current lineup features original member Otis Williams along with Bruce Williamson, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, and Joe Herndon. The group just released the CD Back to Front, a collection of soul classics ranging from Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up" and Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'" to the Staple Singers' "Respect Yourself." Unfortunately, tickets are sold out but you can view a simulcast. Call 973-3450 for more information. To re-familiarize yourself with some of their work and take a nostalgia trip to Motown, check out some of the Temptations' cd's at the Library.
Blog Post
National Poinsettia Day: December 12
by Van
National Poinsettia Day (by decree of Congress) marks the death (fortuitously just two weeks before Christmas) of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U. S. ambassador to Mexico, who shipped cuttings of the native Mexican plant to his Greenville, South Carolina greenhouse and propagated the plants and sent them to friends and botanical gardens around the country.
Poinsettias: the December Flower – Myth and Legend, History and Botanical Fact by Christine Anderson and Terry Tischer will help you enjoy National Poinsettia Day.
A Mexican folktale tells how a poor Mexican girl, with no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve services, gathered some plants (poinsettias) into a bouquet on her way to church. She approached the altar with love and reverence and the bouquet turned into brilliant red blossoms. The flowers are known as the Flores de la Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, and bloom each year during the Christmas season.
The Youth Department has two books that tell this story:
The Legend of the Poinsettia retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola and
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia: a Mexican Christmas Story by Joanne Oppenheim