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Monthly Archives December 2021
Turtle Dance Music: December
Turtle Dance Music presents: The Winter Wonderland Music, Bubble and Comedy Show! Thursday, December 30th, 11:00 a.m. Children, families, all ages welcome! Access the program here. Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. “Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening?” The Winter Wonderland Music, Bubble and Comedy Show is a snowy “turtle-riffic” musical experience that is designed to engage children through winter songs, movement activities, big giant bubbles, children’s stories, and interactive music technology! The show is crafted to be inclusive for all children, including children on the Autism
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Grab & Go Kits for Grades 7-12: Snowflake Window Cling
Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the instructional video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, December 20th in the Library lobby. For this month’s project, we’re making snowflake window clings. The kit includes puffy glitter paint, Ziploc bags, and some printed snowflake templates. You'll need to provide tape and a flat surface (like a piece of cardboard.) This craft
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Battle of the Books… Club!
Join librarians Kat and Lauren for a new book club in the new year. We'll meet each month for a book discussion and a game, in the beloved Battle of the Books (BOB) trivia format. Read some awesome books and then team up with your friends to show off your book knowledge in a fast-paced tournament. We have so much fun with our annual Battle of the Books tournament, and we're excited to be able to offer BOB events year-round. In January, we're reading It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas. We'll meet on Monday, January 3rd, at 5:00
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Project LIT Book Club for Kids & Tweens
Wednesday, January 12th 4:30–5:45 p.m. Click here to register. Join librarians Ashley and Caroline for a book discussion and trivia game for 4th to 8th graders. We will be reading When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. We will provide a free copy of the book for the first five individuals to register for the discussion. When the books are available, we will email to arrange pickup; please list an email address when registering. You can place a hold on the print book with your library card using our catalog here. If you prefer the eBook, you
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Feliz Navidad y Feliz Día de Reyes
Se acerca la temporada navideña, y con ella, las reuniones con amigos y familiares. Entre bromas, recuerdos, nuestros platillos preferidos y varias generaciones alrededor de la mesa, recordamos lo mejor que la vida nos ofrece. Esperamos que disfruten de esta muestra de recursos en español y/o bilingües de la Biblioteca para ayudarles a festejar esta temporada tan especial. ¡Feliz Navidad, Feliz Año Nuevo, Feliz Día de Reyes! Celebra la Navidad y el Día de los Reyes Magos con Pablo y Carlitos, por Alma Flor Ada. La Biblioteca / eBook Las Navidades: popular Christmas songs from Latin America, por Lulu Delacre.
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December Break Week Programs
The Library has some awesome virtual events planned during school break, December 27th-30th! A free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. Note: The Library will be closed December 24, 25, 31 and on January 1, 2022. 3D Design & Printing for Teens Monday, December 27th – Thursday, December 30th, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Grades 6-12 Registration is required for this four-part workshop. Register here. Learn more about the program here. Storybook Dancing with Steffi Nossen School of Dance Monday, December 27th, 11:00 a.m. Children, families, ages 2-6 Access the program here. A
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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. As 2021 wraps up, I thought I’d focus on some of my favorite peculiar picture books of the year that haven’t been featured in other Peculiar Picks posts. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld Library Catalog / eBook Selected as a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year, I
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Interview with Emily X.R. Pan
Emily X.R. Pan, the author of The Astonishing Color of After, sat down with our Forever Young Adult Book Club last month to answer questions and chat with patrons. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Forever Young Adult meetings, special guests, and crafts! We'll be discussing Miss Meteor on December 16th and The Bear and the Nightingale on January 27th, both at 7:00 p.m. The Astonishing Color of After, a New York Times bestseller, follows the story of Leigh Chen Sanders. Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, loses her mother to suicide. Leigh begins seeing a magnificent, fantastical
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December 2021 LibraryReads
Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale Library Collection: Print OverDrive & Libby: eBook / Audiobook “Delphine is returning to Paris to choreograph her own ballet. Here she meets up with her lifelong friends and fellow dancers Margaux and Lindsay. This absorbing and thrilling character-driven novel explores the world of ballet and its mysteries and secrets. Give to fans of Luster, Trust Exercise, and My Dark Vanessa.”—Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, Mt. Airy, GA Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim Library Collection: Print OverDrive & Libby: eBook “Hauntingly
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Dive Into Diversity: 2021 Releases
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. It is absolutely shocking to me that 2021 is winding down! This year has been quite the whirlwind. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds as we head into 2022! There have been a ton of amazing diverse books
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Dive into Diversity: #fREADom to Read
Recently, well-respected, award-winning children’s and teen titles have faced severe, targeted censorship attacks in such states as Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Georgia and Illinois. Award winning titles such as the Newbery-winning title New Kid by Jerry Craft have faced heavy racist and anti-LGBTQIA+ attacks, and we in the Trove wanted to celebrate and support the #fREADom to read them, and all books that affirm the uniqueness and special characteristics of every child and teen. The excellent children’s books highlighted in this blog come from Texas State Representative Matt Krause’s list of over 800 titles (16 pages!) he is seeking “to
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Dive into Diversity: Most Popular YA of 2021
In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. For the last post of 2021, I looked at the circulation data for the YA fiction collection to see which books checked out the most. I came up with this list of the top ten most popular YA fiction books published in 2021, written by authors with diverse perspectives. When You Look
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Winter Tips to Stay Healthy & Warm
Winter is coming, you’ve all seen the meme. Here are some tips to stay healthy and warm through the winter. Healthy Diet: In the cold months we crave foods high in fats and carbs. Balance your diet and cravings with fruits and salads, even if they won’t make you feel warm inside. Wash Your Hands: There are lots of germs in the winter and they love your hands. So make trips to the sink after you cough or sneeze. Exercise Regularly: Laying on the couch under a ton of blankets is so inviting, but moving your body will keep you
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Remembering Jesse Murry
Jesse Murry was a Black, gay art critic, curator and painter. He was born in 1948 in North Carolina and later moved to nearby Greenburgh to live with an aunt. As a youth he spent a lot of time reading at the White Plains Public Library and became friends with the director, Isabel Duncan Clark, who ended up becoming his legal guardian. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in a White Plains apartment in the 1970s before moving to New York City in 1979. In the last 14 years of his life he wrote for Arts Magazine, taught
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Tiny Art Exhibit
Thank you to everyone who picked up one of our Tiny Art Show Grab & Go kits and those who dropped off your submissions. Submissions are now on display in the Library's first floor Lobby. Stop by and take a peak at these wonderful tiny creations! If you haven't returned your artwork yet, you still can! Drop your art off at the Hub Desk on the first floor and fill out a submission form.
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Let’s Draw Cartoons
Kids, teens, and families are invited to join nationally syndicated award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski virtually on Tuesday, December 28th at 2:00 p.m. for a fun workshop to learn how to draw cartoon characters! All participants will need is a stack of paper and something they like to draw with! Participants had a blast when Rick presented his Let’s Draw Monsters! program in October (see below for some examples of work created!) so don’t miss out on this fantastic program! Let’s Draw Cartoons! Tuesday, December 26, 2:00 p.m. Grades 3+, teens, families Access the program here. Note: a free, registered Zoom
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Tiny Tales: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Tiny Tales are short “bite-sized” song and story videos. Watch one for a short early literacy break, or a few for a whole storytime! You can find our entire collection of Tiny Tales videos right here! Today’s video features Trove librarian Ms. Caroline presenting “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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3D Printing and Design Class
During the December Holiday school break, Librarian Erik Carlson will be teaching a class on 3D printing and design for students in grades 6-12. We start on Monday, December 27th and meet everyday through Thursday, December 30th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. You must be able to attend all of the sessions otherwise you will miss some important info. We will be learning to use three different 3D design software programs (CAD and Mesh). You can create free accounts for all of these, just follow the links: TinkCad Leopoly Maker OnShape Education Each day will have a new lesson and design challenge.
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Science for Students
Join Science for Teens, a club created by local high school student Sophia DiFalco. Teens interested in science will connect with other teens virtually. A scientist with real life experience will be there to talk about their work and answer questions. Our first meeting will be with Keila Alves who is a lab manager at Micropath Pathology Laboratory, a gastroenterology lab. Keila will be joining us live from the lab! She will speak for 20-30 minutes, followed by 10-15 minutes of questions and answers. We hope you can join us for this exciting opportunity! The first meeting will be on
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