Posts by Joshua, Manager of Youth Services

Roots of Black Music in America

Wednesday, June 1st, 7:00 p.m. (virtual) Children, Teens, Families, Adults Note: All of our youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account to attend. Sign up for a free Zoom account here: http://zoom.us/signup. Music is a language that students of any age can understand and appreciate. It connects us, elevates our awareness, and deepens our learning beyond reading the words of a textbook. Audiences will sing, dance, use percussion, and practice call and response as they journey back in time to learn about and experience the music of the most influential Black musicians in American history. Join musician, producer, arts
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Categories: Library News.

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. I loved The Addams Family as a kid, the original TV show and the 90s movies (ok, I admit, I still love them now). Just the mention of The Addams Family also immediately brings to mind the original show’s infectious theme song: “dada duh dum snap snap dada duh dum snap snap they’re creepy and they’re kooky, The Addams
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Tiny Tales: Snappy Little Farmyard

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 Tata presenting “Snappy Little Farmyard” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Chinese Culture & Language Classes

Thursdays, May 5th–June 2nd, 3:30 p.m. (virtual) Ages 5-15. Registration required. Space is limited. Registration is for all FIVE sessions Thursdays, 5/5-6/2. You must provide an email address when registering in order to receive the program link. Register here beginning April 14. Youth ages 5-15 are invited to take part in a five-part series of classes to explore Chinese culture in tandem with Chinese language learning. By cultivating enthusiasm for authentic Chinese culture, the programs teach them to: understand food culture, connect with Chinese history, appreciate Chinese traditions and holidays, and parse meaning from ever-important Chinese idioms. Through theme-based activities,
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Categories: Classes, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Earth Day 2022 Reads

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22nd. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and it is now celebrated annually in over 193 countries as a way to show support for environmental protection. Below find an assortment of recently published books with stories, activities and information to celebrate and support our planet. You can find even more activities, books and resources for celebrating Earth Day from the Library here and pick up an Earth Day coloring sheet in the Trove at the Library starting April 22nd! Also, check out Lauren’s recent post on parenting titles for outdoor learning and
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Let’s Draw Superheroes!

Thursdays, April 28th, 6:00 p.m. (virtual) Grades 3+, teens, families. Join the virtual program here. Note: a free, registered Zoom account is required to join our youth-focused virtual programs. Sign up for a Zoom account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. April 28th is National Superhero Day! Celebrate by joining award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski virtually at 6:00 p.m. to learn how to draw some hilarious superheroes! Rick has offered some stellar cartooning workshops for the Library over the past year and all participants had a great time and produced some seriously amazing artwork! About Rick Stromoski Rick Stromoski's illustrations and
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

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. While there are many books about dragons in the Library, can you imagine an actual dragon in the Library? So big. Stomping around. Eating things. Not to mention breathing fire around all the flammable books!  Here are two of my favorite books about dragons in libraries. Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman, illustrated by
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Tiny Tales: Five Little Flowers

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 Raquel presenting “Five Little Flowers” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

April Break Week Programs

Some great events during the week of April school break, 4/11-4/14. Some of these programs require pre-registration, so be sure to check the “more info” or our online calendar. Note: The Library will be closed Friday, April 15 and Sunday, April 17. A free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s virtual youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. For Younger Kids and Families Move & Groove with Miss Jolie Monday, April 11th, 11:00 a.m. (virtual) Join the virtual program here. Children, Toddlers, PreK-Grade 2, Families Miss Jolie's Music & Movement Class infuses learning and movement with music,
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Categories: Library News.

Harriet Tubman Reading & Resources

From April 1st through June 30th, the Harriet Tubman – Journey to Freedom sculpture by Wesley Wofford will be on display in Renaissance Plaza in downtown White Plains. In conjunction with the historic visit by the sculpture, the Library and many other community partners are organizing events related to Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and more. You can find all of the Library’s related programs and events here, with a full listing of the community-wide programs and events here. To learn more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, check out some of the materials below from the Library! To
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Turtle Dance Music: April

Turtle Dance Music presents: The Autism Awareness and Acceptance Music, Dance and Comedy Show Thursday, April 14th, 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. Turtle Dance Music will present a special inclusive, neurodiverse event for children and teens of all abilities for Autism Awareness Month and for the entire year! Families will dance, sing along, and hear stories and songs about autism advocates who have had incredible success in their lives and careers. There will be laughter,
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Storytimes: In-Person Update

We are excited to announce that we will be bringing back in-person Storytimes for Ages 2-6 beginning in April. Storytimes will take place outside on the Library Plaza with an inclement weather backup plan, as follows, below. On the Plaza, we ask that you seat yourselves as you feel comfortable, but please do give the Librarian socially distanced space. Masks are not required, but may be worn if you so choose. Feel free to bring a blanket or something to sit on. Above all, please respect the decisions and comfort of other attendees as we navigate our return to a
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Harriet Tubman, Herself

Tuesday, April 5th, 7:00 p.m. (virtual) Grades 1+, Teens, Adults Click here for the Zoom link. Note: All of our youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account to attend. Sign up for a free Zoom account here: http://zoom.us/signup. An entertaining and educational one-woman show based on the life and times of Harriet Tubman. Harriet’s harrowing and dangerous life unfolds as she tells the moving story of how she brought hundreds of slaves – and her own family – to freedom during the Civil War. Actress Christine Dixon tells the story of Tubman’s life in this dramatic one-woman performance. The
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Categories: Library News and Teens.

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. Who doesn’t love penguins? Here’s four Peculiar Penguin Picks. Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins Library Catalog I’d heard the term “penguin suit” for a tuxedo or black dinner jacket before, but had never once thought of a vampire, such as Dracula, as wearing a penguin suit, but once you do, as Lucy Ruth Cummins must have, the potential for
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Tiny Tales: P-I-Z-Z-A

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 Lauren presenting “P-I-Z-Z-A,” a delicious song to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O.” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. I’ve mentioned my enjoyment of the works of Dan Santat on several previous occasions. So here are four more works either illustrated by or written and illustrated by Dan Santat. These books were all huge hits with my six-year-old daughter, especially Little Fox and the Wild Imagination (which became a great read together as she read Little Fox’s parts
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

February Break Week Programs

Some great events are taking place during the week of February school break, 2/22-2/25. Some of these programs require pre-registration, so be sure to check the “more info” or our online calendar. Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. For Younger Kids and Families Virtual Storytime Tuesday, February 22, 11:00 a.m. Ages 2-6 Join the program here. Stories, songs and fun with a Trove librarian. Turtle Dance Music presents: The Winter Wonderland Music, Bubble and Comedy Show! Thursday, February 24, 11:00 a.m. Children, families, all ages More info.
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Turtle Dance Music: February

Turtle Dance Music presents: The Winter Wonderland Music, Bubble and Comedy Show! Thursday, February 24th, 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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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Tiny Tales: Spider Rhymes

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 Manager of Youth Services, Josh Carlson presenting two “Spider Rhymes,” – “Little Miss Muffet” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

2022 ALA Youth Media Awards Winners

On January 24, 2022 the American Library Association (ALA) announced its 2022 Youth Media Award winners. These awards are presented annually and recognize amazing contributions to the body of literature for children and teens. The entire awards presentation can be viewed here. Congratulations to all of the winners! Look for all of these great titles in the Library’s online catalog, as well as in eBook formats from Libby or Hoopla. John Newbery Medal For the most outstanding contribution to children's literature “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barba Higuera Four Newbery Honor Books “Red, White, and Whole” by Rajani LaRocca “A
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.