Monthly Archives December 2020

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

In 2020, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 10th, and continues through Friday, December 18th. PJ Library, a Jewish early literacy organization, writes, “Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, brings joy and sparkle during a dark time of the year. Beginning on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which falls in November or December in the Roman calendar, Hanukkah is a time to eat delicious latkes (potato pancakes), play dreidel (a traditional game featuring a spinning top), enjoy gathering with family and friends — and, of course, light Hanukkah candles.” The website nicely describes the origins of the
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Hanukkah, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Fall 2020 Events for Younger Kids

Fall 2020 Events for Younger Kids

Trove Storytimes Storytimes for ages 2-6 with Trove Librarians – books, songs and fun! Note: The format may be changing as we move forward, so stay tuned for updates. Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.: October 20, November 10, November 17, November 24, Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.: November 19, December 17 Storybook Dancing with Steffi Nossen School of Dance A creative, movement-filled program for ages 2-6 to hear stories and then dance them to life! Thursdays, 10:00 a.m.: October 8, October 22, November 5, December 3 Bilingual Music Time Nancy Hershatter presents a fun-filled musical bilingual program for kids in PreK-Grade 2. Fridays, 11:00
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, fall 2020, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

December Coding Programs

December Coding Programs

The Library will be celebrating The Hour of Code (December 7-13) by offering a variety of coding programs and resources for parents, caregivers, and children. The Hour of Code is observed during Computer Science Education Week, as it honors the life of computer pioneer Admiral Grace Hooper (born on December 9, 1906). We will be conducting programs such as Tech for Parents: Coding Resources, binary coding, and Code Heroes Camp (grades 6-8). Along with these fun virtual activities we will also have a binary bead Grab&Go bag kit (grades 4-8) available to pick up on December 28th. Please feel free
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: binary code, coding, Computer Science Education Week, events, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM learning, technology, and The Hour of Code.

STEAM Grab&Go Kit For Teens: Rubber Band Powered Car

STEAM Grab&Go Kit For Teens: Rubber Band Powered Car

Come to the Library and pick up a Grab&Go Kit with materials to make a cardboard car powered by rubber bands, available on December 7. The kit will have most materials except tape, glue, and a pencil. There are printed instructions to accompany the video instructions. Have fun learning how to make a car run using tension created by rubber bands. If you can’t pick up a bag, you can try to find the materials around your home and follow the video instructions.
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December 7, 2020 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Grab and Go Kits, Grab&Go Kits, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM learning, and videos.

Board Meeting Documents for December 9th, 2020

Board Meeting Documents for December 9th, 2020

Approved Library Board Meeting Minutes – 12-09-20 Combined-Agenda-12-09-20 12-09-20 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1 – 11-18-20 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2 – Budget Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 4 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #4 – Assistant Directors Report- November 2020 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #4 – Digital Media Specialist Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report – November 2020 Agenda Item #4
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December 3, 2020 4:53 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Trustee Documents.

STEAM Picture Books: Technology

STEAM Picture Books: Technology

In this new monthly STEAM series, I will highlight some wonderful picture books that fall under a STEAM category: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. This edition for the month of December celebrates the Hour of Code program. In this post you’ll find technology books, including biographies of notable figures in the tech field, books about coding, video games and robotics. These picture books can be found in our print collection at The Trove and on OverDrive. Please be sure to check out our coding programs for December. At the end of the post, you'll also find some fun and
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December 3, 2020 10:30 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM, STEAM books, STEAM learning, and STEM.

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks

Peculiar Picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Peculiar Picks are books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Rear End Reads. Tail Tales. Stern Stories. Great Glutes. Rump Recommendations. Peculiar Posterior Picks. In other words: Butt Books. I had so many fun names for today’s Peculiar Picks (including some I couldn’t include in this family friendly column) featuring the (probably) most laugh-inducing part of the body: the hilarious heinie. Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by
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December 3, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

December Daily Poetry

December Daily Poetry

Every 1st Wednesday for 16 years we Slam at the Library with an Open Mic, Open Slam, and World Famous Slam Poet Feature. We started this all on January 26, 2004. During the 2020 virus outbreak we are posting 1 poem a day from our archives until we can share our poetry in public and proximity again. December 11th: Isabella December 10th: Gustavo December 9th: Francesca December 8th: Esiyem December 7th: Cye December 6th: Brando December 5th: Anya December 4th: Adrianna December 3rd: Mikey December 2nd: Taye Vaughn December 1st: Beth
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December 2, 2020 4:57 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: daily poem, poem a day, poetry, poetry slam, slam poetry, videos, and Zork.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Chapter Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Chapter Books

White Plains is a wonderfully diverse community! Parents, children and teens have expressed an interest in titles that reflect the diversity in the community, and Ashley, Kathlyn, and Raquel's “Dive Into Diversity” column will spotlight noteworthy children's and teen titles that are inclusive, diverse and multicultural to fulfill that interest. Ashley's portion is aimed at readers in grades 4-6. Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte For children in grades 3-7 Library Collection: Print OverDrive: eBook In this historical fiction novel set in 1805, Mary Lambert and her family live in the town of Chilmark on the island of
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December 1, 2020 2:08 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations website states the occasion “aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The 2020 theme is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.” In her blog post “Representation Matters: 10 Children's Books with Disabled Characters,” Margaret Kingsbury, herself a disabled mother,
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December 1, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: YA Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: YA Books

The United Nations recognizes December 3rd as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I put together a list of YA books featuring a variety of characters living with some type of disability. I read A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman, about a dancer in India who has part of one leg amputated after an accident. Since childhood, Veda has been focused entirely on dancing. The book opens just as she wins a particularly sweet victory at a dance competition. On the way home, however, her dance troupe’s van is in a serious accident, and Veda is so severely
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December 1, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, staff recommendations, teen books, and YA books.

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Need some ideas for making the most of your snow day? See some of our staff recommendations below. Snow Day Activities Polar Express Train! Read The Polar Express (Hoopla; OverDrive) by Chris Van Allsburg and let your child’s imagination run wild. Make decorated tickets from paper. Build a snow train outside or use furniture and blankets and more to make a train inside. All aboard! Host Your Own Winter Olympics A snow obstacle course with snow mounds to climb over, snow tunnels to crawl through. A sled race. Distance and accuracy snowball throwing competitions – setup targets, such as a
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December 1, 2020 12:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activities, children's books, eBooks, fun, picture books, snow day, staff picks, staff recommendations, and STEAM.