Archives for Authors & Books

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

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.

STEAM Picture Books: Science

STEAM Picture Books: Science

In this new monthly STEAM series, I will highlight some wonderful picture books that fall under one area of STEAM [STEAM = Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics]. For the month of November we are starting with science. These books include diverse biographies, books about the solar system, chemistry, physics, environmental science (my personal favorite!), and even a scientific parody on Goodnight Moon. These picture books can be found in our print collection at The Trove and on OverDrive. At the end of the post, you'll also find some fun and educational STEAM websites for kids. What Miss Mitchell Saw by
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November 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM, STEAM books, 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. There are many, many versions of The Three Little Pigs — from traditional retellings, to ones with other animals such as fish and sharks, to ones with other things like trucks or tamales, to, of course, several versions that tell how badly the wolf was maligned in the original tale. This being Peculiar Picks, however, I wanted to pick
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November 19, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, and The Trove.

It’s Cookie Time! Staff Recipes & Cookbooks

It’s Cookie Time! Staff Recipes & Cookbooks

With holidays coming up, it’s the perfect time to think about cookies. While you might not be able to hold your usual cookie swaps this year, we thought we would take the time to share some well-loved family recipes from our staff in the hopes that it would inspire you to try out new recipes. Whether you're baking for yourself, your family, or sending goodies to loved ones, let us know what recipes you're making this year. Comment below, or tag us on Instagram at @whiteplainslibrary, or use the hashtag #WPPLcooks on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Below you'll find a
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November 18, 2020 10:54 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: cookbooks, cookies, cooking, holidays, recipes, staff picks, staff recommendations, and virtual cookie swap.

She Writes: Historical Novels

She Writes: Historical Novels

This month's collection of titles for our “She Writes” series focuses on historical novels. Had it with 2020? Transport yourself to a different time and place with historical fiction all written by women! Below you'll find available formats, but we also have a curated list with additional titles in OverDrive that you can checkout here. Find last month's post on nonfiction science here. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Library Collection: Print OverDrive and Libby: eBook and audiobook “When the Igbo people of eastern Nigeria seceded in 1967 to form the independent nation of Biafra, a bloody,
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November 16, 2020 1:28 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, books by women, She Writes, staff picks, staff recommendations, women authors, and women writers.

Reads Revisited: The Trumpet of the Swan

Reads Revisited: The Trumpet of the Swan

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Edge Librarian Kathlyn Carroll revisits The Trumpet of the Swan (Catalog) by E. B. White. I was so excited when Ashley came up with the idea for this series of blog posts re-examining a favorite childhood book. I immediately thought of Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White, which I read over and over again in early elementary school. I was a serial re-reader; on trips to the school media center, my second grade teacher began requiring me
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November 16, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, E. B. White, Reads Revisited, 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. Annually, in order to raise cancer awareness, No-Shave November takes place. “The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”
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October 29, 2020 11:37 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, No Shave November, Observances and Celebrations, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Reads Revisited

Reads Revisited

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Manager of Youth Services Josh Carlson revisits The House with the Clock In Its Walls (Catalog / OverDrive) and The Curse of the Blue Figurine (Catalog / OverDrive) by John Bellairs. Before I started reading, I spent some time thinking about my memories of these books. In my mind, they feel like they were important in my childhood in some way. I remember them spooky, fun and filled with adventure. I couldn’t put them down. As a rule, I
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October 29, 2020 11:03 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Edward Gorey, John Bellairs, Reads Revisited, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Native American Folklore

Native American Folklore

November is the month we set aside to celebrate and to reflect on the wisdom, humor, lore and beauty of our First Nations. Join us as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Chia and the Fox Man, by Barbara J. Atwater. (Picture Book & OverDrive) How Raven Got His Crooked Nose, by Barbara J. Atwater. (J 398 A & OverDrive) Rabbit’s Snow Dance, by James & Joseph Bruchac. (Picture Book & OverDrive) Many Nations: an Alphabet of Native America, by Joseph Bruchac. (Alphabet) Raccoon’s Last Race: a Traditional Abenaki Story, by Joseph Bruchac. (J 398 B) The Story of the
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October 28, 2020 4:36 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, Library News, and Uncategorized.
Tags: folklore, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Noteworthy Native American Nonfiction Titles for Children

Noteworthy Native American Nonfiction Titles for Children

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November and is dedicated to highlighting the history, culture, traditions, and contributions Native Americans have made and continue to make to the U.S. Highlighted in this blog are noteworthy nonfiction titles for children in grades K-6 on notable Native Americans, and Indigenous history and culture. For further reading, I highly recommend as a premier resource for information and critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children’s and YA books, Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL). My blogs have been highlighting the diversity found in our country’s monthly celebrations, but will
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October 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, nonfiction, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Native American Heritage Month: Chapter Books

Native American Heritage Month: 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. Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell For children in grades 4-7. Library Collection: Print OverDrive: eBook For all of her life, eight-year-old Regina Petit and her family have lived on the Indian reservation at Grand Ronde. They
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October 27, 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, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

National Native American Heritage Month: YA Fiction

National Native American Heritage Month: YA Fiction

November is National Native American Heritage Month. I wanted to focus on a book that depicts Native people in the present day; too often, the image of Native people in popular culture is stuck in the past. In our reading, we can become more familiar with the lives and experiences of Native people today. For more books that offer insight into the many aspects of life as a Native teen, check out this blog by Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo; Reese is a noted scholar on the subject of Native peoples’ representation in children and YA books, and her blog
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October 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and teen books.

New Books for Children and Teens

New Books for Children and Teens

Ordering books for the children’s and teen collections is a rare part of our jobs that hasn’t changed too much over the past six months. While many other aspects of the workday look different now, it’s still a joy being able to select fantastic books and materials for patrons to enjoy. We’d like to take the opportunity to share some fresh new titles from our carts this month. The Trove I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James Age 5-6 Street Date: 9/1/20 OverDrive “Barnes and James reunite, after the multi-award-winning success of Crown, for this
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October 26, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: new books, staff picks, staff recommendations, The Edge, and The Trove.

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. ‘Tis the season for… spooky reads! Today’s books are not (necessarily) outright scary but provide some suspense-filled fun, and only one of them is specifically a Halloween title. I recommend breaking out your best creepy “horror movie” voice. Need some inspiration for your spooky reading voice? Vincent Price reads Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven Christopher Lee reads Poe’s Tales
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October 22, 2020 10:35 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, halloween, Halloween Books, Observances and Celebrations, October, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Spooktober, spooky reads, staff picks, and staff recommendations.