Posts by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian

Celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month

National Arab American Heritage Month takes place in April; and it celebrates Arab American heritage & culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans. In April 2021, President Biden and the U.S.Department of State recognized April as National Arab American Heritage Month. The President wrote in his letter commemorating the event, “The Arab American community exemplifies so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion, and generosity… Diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is essential that we continue celebrating, promoting, and educating others about the myriad ways that the
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April 10, 2023 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Arab-American Heritage Month, children's books, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

Celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event that occurs on March 31st. The day is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of transgender and gender nonconforming people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people in the United States and worldwide. Attacks on the rights of transgender individuals have risen alarmingly in 2023. According to Tim Walker in his article, “Bill aims to establish Minnesota as a ‘Trans Refuge’ state” for the Minnesota Legislature, “Nearly 250 bills in 32 states are under consideration that would single out trans people for discriminatory treatment of their privacy, their
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March 13, 2023 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for kids, children's books, International Transgender Day of Visibility, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, Transgender Day of Visibility, and transgender rights.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 7

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 7 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 7 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a blog – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these books. La Biblioteca tiene una colección hermosa de libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, le estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así puede disfrutar practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros. Viento, Vientito/Wind, Little Wind by Jorge Tetl Argueta & Felipe Ugalde Alcántara Library Catalog Describes–in
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March 9, 2023 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Español, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bilingual, Bilingual books, books for children, picture books, spanish books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 6

BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 6 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 6 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a blog – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these books. La Biblioteca tiene una colección hermosa de libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, le estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros. Pablo Neruda : poeta del pueblo = poet of the people by Monica Brown &
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February 9, 2023 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bilingual, Bilingual books, books for children, picture books, spanish books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Black History StoryWalk

Black History StoryWalk Molly, By Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s First Female Firefighter Written by Dianne Ochiltree & Illustrated by Kathleen Kemly Begins Monday, January 23, 2023 and runs through Tuesday, February 28, 2023 For Families & Children Location: The Gallery Stroll through the Gallery on the second floor of the Library, and follow the story of Molly Williams, the slave who became America’s first female firefighter! The Black History StoryWalk is based on the book, Molly, By Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s First Female Firefighter by Dianne Ochiltree and Kathleen Kemly. In the book, New
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January 24, 2023 10:38 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Black History, black history month, Black History StoryWalk, Observances and Celebrations, and storywalk.

February Tweens Talk Banned Books

February Tweens Talk Banned Books Grades 4-6 February 23 at 4:30-6:00 p.m. Virtual Registration required. Register here. 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. As cases of censorship have grown more widespread throughout the U.S., the Library has kicked off a year-long celebration of banned books – #WPFreedomToRead – that started during Banned Books Week (September 18-24 2022.) The Library’s celebration of banned books will feature a variety of programs for adults, teens, and children throughout the year. Join us at the Trove for
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January 23, 2023 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: #WPFreedomtoRead, banned books, Book discussion for kids, book discussion for middle grade students, book discussion for teens, books for children, and juvenile fiction.

The Trove’s Winter StoryWalk

The Trove’s Winter StoryWalk: Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow By Sharon G. Palermo & Christina Song Tuesday, January 10th – Tuesday, February 28th, 2022 Come to the Trove on the second floor and enjoy our winter StoryWalk book, Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow written by Sharon Gibson Palermo and illustrated by Christina Song. Join Chickadee, Bear, Rabbit and a host of other friendly forest animals on a quiet journey through a winter day. The colorful cut-paper illustrations present a joyful depiction of the forest critters and their winter habits! Suggested Winter Activities: 31+ Winter Activities for Kids 100+ Winter Activities
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January 15, 2023 10:19 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: storywalk, The Trove, Trove StoryWalk, winter, and Winter 2023.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 5

The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a blog – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these books. La Biblioteca tiene una colección hermosa de libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, le estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros. A Movie in My Pillow / Una película en mi almohada, by Jorge Argueta. All available formats Un niño describe sus experiencias entre dos mundos:
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January 12, 2023 9:26 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Español, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Bilingual, Bilingual books, books for children, picture books, spanish books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Three Kings Day/El Día de Reyes Storytime

Three Kings Day/El Día de Reyes Storytime Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at 2:00 pm Age Group(s): For Families & Children Location: Rotary Room Come join us for a bilingual storytime celebrating Three Kings Day/Día de Reyes and also create a craft – a kid-sized crown! There will be a visit from the Three Kings too! This program is presented in conjunction with the Puerto Rican Artist Poster Exhibit on view in the Library Gallery from November 7th, 2022 through January 7th, 2023 that is curated by the White Plains Puerto Rican Cultural Committee, Comite Noviembre and PRIDA. Some Fun Suggested
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December 21, 2022 4:12 pm | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: dia de reyes, Observances and Celebrations, storytime, and three kings day.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 4

The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a blog – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these picture books. La Biblioteca tiene una colección hermosa de libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, le estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. El niño de maíz / The Boy of Maize, by Mario Bencastro. Library Catalog Inspirado en el mito maya de la creación, este
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December 14, 2022 9:20 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 3

The Library has recently purchased a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a 3-part blog series – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these board books, picture books and nonfiction titles! La Biblioteca ha adquirido recientemente una colección de hermosos libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en dos idiomas, estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros en 3 partes. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros en carpeta dura, ilustrados y no-ficción. Board Books / Carpeta Dura With
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August 25, 2022 9:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Women’s Equality Day

On August 26th, 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment and that date became known as “Women’s Equality Day.” The National Constitution Center’s article, Why is August 26 Known As Women's Equality Day? writes, “In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug championed a bill in the U.S. Congress to designate August 26 as ‘Women’s Equality Day.’ The bill says that ‘the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote.’” Unfortunately, women’s equality and voting rights are
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August 16, 2022 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: 19th Amendment, children's books, Dive into Diversity, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, Women's Equality, and Women's Equality Day.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 2

The Library has recently purchased a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a 3-part blog series – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these board books, picture books and nonfiction titles! La Biblioteca ha adquirido recientemente una colección de hermosos libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en 2 idiomas, estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros en 3 partes. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros en carpeta dura, ilustrados y no-ficción. Board Books / Carpeta Dura Brrum,
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July 27, 2022 2:08 pm | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Appreciating Nature

Time spent outdoors is both physically and mentally healthy for all of us. Spending time in nature promotes creativity, relieves stress and is just plain fun – especially for kids. Best of all, most of us won’t need to travel far to enjoy the great outdoors – Westchester County has great places to visit and commune with nature. I found Westchester Magazine’s article, These Are the Top Outdoor Activities in Westchester to be particularly helpful in finding so many wonderful green spaces in our area. Pairing outdoor adventures with great books creates even better opportunities to enjoy the benefits of
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July 26, 2022 1:32 pm | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Dive into Diversity, nature books, nature books for kids, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 1

The Library has recently purchased a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we will be featuring our beautiful new books in a 3-part blog series – so enjoy practicing your Spanish and English skills with these board books, picture books and nonfiction titles! La Biblioteca ha adquirido recientemente una colección de hermosos libros bilingües en inglés/español. Para celebrar leyendo en 2 idiomas, estaremos presentando nuestros lindos libros en 3 partes. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros en carpeta dura, ilustrados y no-ficción. Board Books / Libros de carpeta
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July 1, 2022 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Traveling Through Picture Books

In Caitlin Morton’s article for Condé Nast, 29 Children's Books That Will Teach Your Kids About the World, she writes, “Aside from actually hopping on a plane, reading is the best way for children to learn about the world—and travel books for kids happen to be some of the most touching, open-minded works out there.” Travel picture books can teach us about new places, and they can also let us connect to our family’s heritage. Gathered here are picture books perfect for sharing that travel to many places and times – enjoy traveling through the pages of these notable titles!
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June 22, 2022 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, books on travel, children's books, Dive into Diversity, staff picks, staff recommendations, and travel.

Celebrate Pride in June

Now more than ever it is important to celebrate Pride and show support for LGBTQ+ families! The attack on LGBTQ+ rights this year and the psychological toll it has had on LGBTQ+ kids, teens and their families has been enormous. This wave of hate is being perpetrated by only a small (though powerful) minority of Americans. This hateful legislative push runs completely counter to the beliefs and values of most Americans. Matt Lavietes and Elliott Ramos write in their NBC article, “As the number of anti-LGBTQ bills hits record highs, research shows that so, too, has support for LGBTQ rights
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June 7, 2022 10:47 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, LGBTQIA+, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, and Pride Month.

June Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free By Alice Faye Duncan & Keturah A. Bobo Wednesday, June 1st to Thursday, June 30th, 2022 Sculptor Wesley Woffard’s 9-foot monument honoring Harriet Tubman (entitled “The Journey to Freedom”) is in White Plains. The sculpture is on display at the Renaissance Plaza until June 30th, and the City and the White Plains Public Library will be honoring Harriet Tubman with a wide variety of programs throughout its stay. A full listing of the Library’s events can be found here. To celebrate, from June 1st-30th the Library will have on display the
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May 26, 2022 9:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman sculpture, Harriet Tubman StoryWalk, library events, Observances and Celebrations, outdoor events white plains, storywalk, Trove StoryWalk, White Plains Harriet Tubman, and White Plains Harriet Tubman Events.

Happy Spring Birthdays!

There are so many talented and diverse children’s authors and illustrators to recommend! To highlight them, I am ending my series of celebrating their birthdays on a seasonal basis with Spring birthdays. I started with summer, I covered Autumn birthdays and Winter birthdays and now it’s Springtime! Another wonderful resource for excellent diverse book recommendations is Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project. I hope you enjoy the range of great titles below for preschoolers to sixth-graders! Author and Illustrator Diane Dillon, Birthday: March 12th I Can Be Anything (Preschool – 2nd grade) Libby / Library Catalog “A young
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April 20, 2022 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | No Comments

Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, spring, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

April Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

Sculptor Wesley Woffard’s 9-foot monument honoring Harriet Tubman (entitled “The Journey to Freedom”) will be coming to White Plains on April 2nd! The sculpture will be on display at the Renaissance Plaza until June 30th, and the City and the White Plains Public Library will be honoring Harriet Tubman with a wide variety of programs throughout its stay. A full listing of the Library’s events can be found here. To celebrate, from April 1st-30th the Library will have on display the first of three StoryWalks – take a walk in the Garden Plaza, follow the panels and read the Coretta
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March 30, 2022 10:00 am | by Raquel Cavalcanti, Children's Librarian | 2 Comments

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