Archives for Authors & Books

Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 1

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 | 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.

New in the Edge: June 2022

New in the Edge: June 2022

One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho Grades 8 and up Library Catalog “When they were 10, Elena Soo and Robbie Choi promised to go to prom together; seven years later, Robbie, now a member of world-famous K-pop group WDB, shows up on Elena’s doorstep.
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June 23, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Traveling Through Picture Books

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 | 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.

Everything You Need To Know About Ms. Marvel

Everything You Need To Know About Ms. Marvel

Premieres June 8th on Disney+ Ms. Marvel is an amazing character and her comics are awesome. That being said, I am a little nervous about a live action show. Ms. Marvel has appeared in the animated series Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors (Disney+). I’m worried because Ms. Marvel is a shapeshifter, and from the previews it looks like they have pared down her powers. Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan, a high school student in Jersey city. She has overbearing parents, an internal battle between her religion and American culture, and a crush on an older boy who works in a corner
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June 12, 2022 1:18 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Everything You Need To Know, Marvel, Marvel Studios, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

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. No real theme today, just a selection of funny Peculiar Picks! What Animals Really Like by Fiona Robins Library Catalog / hoopla This zany picture book features a cacophonous animal chorus that fails to live up to its conductor’s expectations when the animals refuse to perform the parts expected of them, instead demonstrating what they really like to do.
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June 9, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, dragons, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

June is Audiobook Month

June is Audiobook Month

Have you heard? June is audiobook month, and we're highlighting a few noteworthy titles here, but you'll find thousands more to choose from on our free app, Libby. Can cookbooks make good audiobooks? Yes! Learn why brilliant chef and food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt reaches for his Wok more than any other pan in his kitchen. Listeners can access the book's recipes and photos by typing the codeword “Sauce” on the publisher's website. Want Lily Zabar's Chicken Soup recipe? Borrow Zabar's and hear how Louis Zabar fled antisemitic persecution in Russia and went on to found a foodie's paradise and
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June 7, 2022 2:06 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: Audiobook month, audiobooks, digital audiobooks, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

June LibraryReads

June LibraryReads

Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill Library Collection: Print Libby: eBook hoopla: eBook / Audiobook “Freddie is at the Boston Public Library when a murder occurs. While waiting for the police, she strikes up a conversation with others at her table. The four become friends, but could one of them be the murderer? Much misdirection and an unreliable narrator make for a tight little thriller that will have you sure you know whodunnit until you don't. For fans of The Body in the Library, Magpie
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June 7, 2022 10:53 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, librarian recommendations, Library Reads, LibraryReads, and staff picks.

Celebrate Pride in June

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 | 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.

Great Outdoors Month

Great Outdoors Month

On June 5th, 2019, the US Senate designated June as Great Outdoors Month. Great Outdoors Month is a wonderful opportunity to spend time exploring nature. Spending time outdoors is refreshing, fun, and has great health benefits. According to The American Hiking Society, being in nature is great for both mental and physical health. You can spend time outdoors in a park, garden, at the beach, or hiking. There are many fun activities that you can do with your family and friends. Try using one of the suggested activities such as creating a nature bracelet, identifying different trees, camping, and stargazing.
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June 7, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, children's books, Great Outdoors Month, Hiking, nature, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

P is for PLANET

P is for PLANET

Climate change is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive. As extreme weather events such as cyclones and heat waves increase in frequency and ferocity, they threaten children’s lives and destroy infrastructure critical to their well-being. Floods compromise water and sanitation facilities, leading to diseases such as cholera, to which children are particularly vulnerable. This is the first time a global generation of children will grow up in a world made far more dangerous and uncertain as a result of a changing climate and degraded environment. Addressing climate change and mitigating its impact is imperative
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June 3, 2022 1:46 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, climate change, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

June Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

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 | 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.

Middle Grade Pick of the Month

Middle Grade Pick of the Month

Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Ashley will recommend great books for children in this age group! Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk Libby Library Catalog I can’t remember exactly when I discovered the first book in Kristen Gudsnuk’s Making Friends series. What I can recall is being immediately drawn to its bright cover as well as how loud I cackled while reading it. A few of the other youth services librarians at the White Plains Public Library can attest to this as many of
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May 19, 2022 10:32 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: middle grade, middle grade fiction, Middle Grade Pick of the Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New in the Edge: May 2022

New in the Edge: May 2022

One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past. Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up
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May 19, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

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. 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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May 12, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Addams family, children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Spooktober, staff picks, staff recommendations, and the addams family.

AAPI Heritage Month

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent—including East, Southeast and South Asia—and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. AAPI Heritage Month 2022 will take place from Sunday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 31. Here are some titles to help us get to better know and understand our AAPI neighbors. Enjoy! Tiny feet between the mountains, by Hanna Cha. (Library Catalog) The
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May 5, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: AAPI, AAPI Heritage Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

What You Need To Know About: Doctor Strange

What You Need To Know About: Doctor Strange

It’s kitchen sink time! From what we have seen in the trailers, Marvel is throwing everything they have into the second Dr. Strange movie: Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (out May 6th). Following up from destroying the fabric of reality in Spider-man: No Way Home, Dr. Strange has to fix the multiverse. Marvel has decided to add so many characters to this film that I don’t know where to start. Yes I do, America Chavez or Miss America, which means the MCU is finally showing signs of diversity, maybe. We also saw Defender Dr. Strange, Zombie Defender Dr.
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May 5, 2022 9:21 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange Into the Multiverse, Marvel, Marvel Studios, and What You Need to Know About.

May 2022 LibraryReads

May 2022 LibraryReads

Here are the books published this month that librarians across the country love. Book of Night by Holly Black Library Collection: Print Libby: eBook / Audiobook “Charlie is a hot mess. The more she tries to get on the straight and narrow, the more things fall apart. Due to childhood trauma, she trusts only herself, and maybe her shadow. But in a world where shadows can be altered, stolen, and weaponized, she has to be wary. Lots of atmospheric world building and stage setting, and perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Neil Gaiman, and V.E. Schwab.—Emily Plagens, Allen Public Library,
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May 4, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, librarian recommendations, Library Reads, LibraryReads, and staff picks.

New in the Edge: April 2022

New in the Edge: April 2022

One of the best parts of my job is ordering new books for the Edge–reading the reviews, seeing what popular authors come up with next, or finding out about an upcoming sequel to an old favorite. Read on to find out about some of the new YA fiction titles coming to our shelves this month. Gallant by V. E. Schwab Grades 8 and up Library Catalog / Libby “The Merilance School for Girls isn't the worst of places to grow up, but for orphaned Olivia Prior, who has always felt like an outsider, it is an isolating one. For Olivia,
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April 21, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, new in the Edge, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

New Middle Grade Books in the Trove

New Middle Grade Books in the Trove

Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. Up in the Trove, we’ve just received a lot of great new middle grade books and Ashley is showcasing a few in this column! Almost Flying by Jake Maia Arlow Grades 5 & Up Libby / Library Catalog “A 13-year-old Long Island girl thinks she has her summer plans figured out—until her life turns upside down. With the end of summer looming, Dalia has one goal: to finally ride an actual roller coaster instead of living vicariously through point-of-view videos. Then
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April 21, 2022 9:55 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: middle grade, middle grade fiction, Middle Grade Pick of the Month, new books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Happy Spring Birthdays!

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 | 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.