BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 20 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 20 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we are featuring our beautiful new books in a monthly 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 presentamos nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. Mamá Goose: A Latine Nursery Treasury = Un tesoro de rimas infantiles, by Alma
Read More
Archives for Authors & Books
Trove Battle of the Books 2024
The Trove is excited to announce we will be forming a team this year for Battle of the Books! Kids entering grades 4-7 in the 2024-25 school year that have a passion for reading and trivia are invited to join our team! If you are interested or have any questions, please email Erika at epeiffer@whiteplainslibrary.org. For more information about the tournament itself, check out the Westchester Library System’s Battle of the Books page. The 2024 Battle of the Books Titles: Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland All available formats Ophelia Harrison used to live in a small house in the Georgia countryside.
Read More
Cowboy Carter & Black Country Artists
Have you been listening to Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter on repeat since it dropped? Are you interested in learning more about the history of Black Country music and those that inspired Beyoncé to make this album – and in some cases are even featured on it? Then check out our staff-curated list of books, music, and film on the musicians that inspired Cowboy Carter. BOOKS: ADULT My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future by Alice Randall Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions by Francesca Royster Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American
Read More
May is…
May Moments Each month a variety of observances and celebrations take place, from well-known holidays to much lesser known fun (and downright funny or strange!) observances. Celebrated in May ____ is… May The Fourth Be With You! Star Wars Day is May 4th Vader’s Little Princess by Jeffrey Brown All available formats Sith Lord and leader of the Galactic Empire–now faces the trials, joys, and mood swings of raising his daughter Leia as she grows from a sweet little girl into a rebellious teenager. Smart and funny illustrations by artist Jeffrey Brown give classic Star Wars moments a twist by
Read More
May Trove Book Club
May Chapter Chats May 13th @ 5:00PM For kids in Grades 3-6 looking for a quiet area and time dedicated to reading, join us for our sit-in read and chat book club! We will have 20 minutes of reading time and then come together to discuss our books. Don’t have a book in mind? Here are some recommended reads: Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith All available formats In a world where girls have magic and boys become knights, nonbinary Callie has always been determined that their gender will not be able to stop them from
Read More
New Books in the Edge: April 2024
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. Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber Grades 7 and up Library Catalog “A teen with a rare illness struggles to bridge her hospital and school relationships. Ellie Haycock insists that her high school friends—especially her boyfriend, Jack—never know how thoroughly VACTERLs affects her
Read More
April 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, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow All available formats here Simon is probably the only tween in existence to be actually sort of excited to be moving into a town where technology and Internet access is limited – but then again, he and his family are hoping for a fresh start. Simon relaxes into making friends out of the shadows of his past and figuring out
Read More
Good Trouble: Environmental Activism
Earth Day takes place annually on April 22. We’ve created many Earth Day related blog posts, reading lists and activities over the past several years and I urge you to look through them for some great ideas and great reads. Below find some reads related to the formation of Earth Day and climate and environmental activism. The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein, art by Jessie Hartland Library Catalog A shockingly true story about how on a day in the summer of 1969 the Cuyahoga River
Read More
May the 4th Be with You
Stop by the Trove on Saturday, May 4 and pick up some great Star Wars reads! In addition, while supplies last, grab a fun Star Wars sticker! Be sure to check out some of the great Star Wars content we’ve posted over the years, including activities, reading lists and much more: https://whiteplainslibrary.org/tag/star-wars/
Read More
May the 4th and Star Wars.
How to Fight Censorship & Book Bans
On Monday, April 24, 2023 the first national Right to Read Day was held. Organized by the American Library Association (ALA), and kicking off National Library Week, Right to Read Day was established as a call to action in response to the past few years of attacks on access to, and even the existence of, certain books – overwhelmingly those with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters, themes, and information (check out the top 13 challenged books of 2022 to see what I mean). While ALA’s Unite Against Book Bans, and other organizations, highlighted going to the library and checking out banned
Read More
Beautiful Bilingual Books, Part 19
BEAUTIFUL BILINGUAL BOOKS, Part 19 LINDOS LIBROS BILINGÜES, Parte 19 The Library has a lovely collection of bilingual Spanish/English books. To celebrate reading in two languages, we are featuring our beautiful new books in a monthly 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 presentamos nuestros lindos libros aquí. Así que disfrute practicando sus destrezas en ambos idiomas con estos libros ilustrados. Children’s Day/Book Day is celebrated nationwide on April 30th. To celebrate this day, the
Read More
New Books in the Trove: April 2024
We have new books coming in all the time with them on display right as you enter the Trove. Here’s some of our recent favorite new titles! For Wee Ones Eyes, Ears, Nose and Toes by Sophie Aggett (Birth to 3 Years-Old) Library Catalog “Yeah, I admit it. I’m pretty easy. You slap some big old baby faces in a board book and then add an element like soft felt flaps? Instant inclusion on this list! What’s funny is that so few board book creators have ever thought to do this. There are only so many different elements you can
Read More
April Is…
Each month a variety of observances and celebrations take place, from well-known holidays to much lesser known fun (and downright funny or strange!) observances. National Poetry Month Check out some of the Library’s poetry programs and events all month long, along with some great selections of poetry books for kids! April 17th is specifically International Haiku Poetry Day! Here’s some haiku to read. Jazz Appreciation Month Learn about jazz and jazz musicians: A Child’s Introduction to Jazz: The Musicians, Culture, and Roots of The World’s Coolest Music by Jabari Asim, Jerrard K. Polk Library Catalog Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson:
Read More
April is National Poetry Month
The Library will be celebrating National Poetry Month with programs that are educational and fun for the whole family. Magnetic Poetry During Library Hours in April The Trove All Ages Visitors to the Trove will be able to create their own poems with word magnets on our magnetic board on display. Children will be able to engage with, play with and arrange the words to come up with their own poems. Branch Out: Poet-Tree Creation During Library Hours in April The Trove All Ages Help us grow a beautiful tree of poems! We’ll have leaves, explanations for nontraditional forms of
Read More
New Books in the Trove
We have new books coming in all the time with them on display right as you enter the Trove. Here’s some of our recent favorite new titles! For Wee Ones Global Baby Grandparents by Maya Ajmira (Birth to 3 Years-Old) Library Catalog “I’m sorry, but do I even have to make a write-up for this book? If you know any of the ‘Global Baby’ books in the series then you know they pretty much sell themselves. The only mystery surrounding this particular title comes in wondering how they held off from doing a grandparents book before now. As per usual
Read More
New Books in the Edge: March 2024
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. Four Letter Word by Gretchen McNeil Grades 9 and up Library Catalog “An Italian foreign exchange student comes to stay with her family, and Izzy hopes it will brighten up her home life. Her mom's mental health struggles have worn on Izzy over the years,
Read More
March 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, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson All available formats here Ellie Engel is completely fine existing in the shadow of her amazing best friend Abigail; she has her comics, she has Abigail, she has her fish and her mom – that’s all she needs. Everything starts to change when she and Abigail begin middle school, but everything *really* changes when she wakes up with superpowers. Her
Read More
April Trove Book Groups
April Book Bunch April 30th @ 4:30PM Click here to register Join Caroline for a book discussion and game for 4th-8th graders! We will be reading Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca. Reha is an 8th grader trying to navigate her life as a daughter of immigrant parents while also surviving her predominantly white school. Feeling like an outsider in both aspects, Reha gets an extra dose of turmoil when her mom is diagnosed with leukemia. The Trove will provide a free copy of the book for the first eight individuals to register for the discussion. When the books
Read More
Creepy Chronicles: March 2024
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! The Radium Girls: Young Reader’s Edition by Kate Moore All available formats After the discovery of the Radium element by the Curies in 1898, America was eager to find a use of it to gain as much profit as possible. From paint to beauty products, radium was soon added as a ‘cure all’ ingredient. When the United States Radium Corporation opened its doors for women to work as watch dial painters in 1917, they assured the women the paint was
Read More
YA Graphic Novel Picks
Graphic novels are so much fun to read. Here at some of new available titles: Tamon's B-Side, Vol. 1 by Yuki Shiwasu Library Catalog Gr 8 Up—Utage's obsession with her favorite boy band F/ace may be to an unhealthy level, but her part-time job as a housekeeper ensures she has the income to support expensive albums and meet-and-greets. However, her latest client happens to be the object of her obsession: sexy bad-boy front man, Tamon! At home though, Tamon is depressive, antisocial, and anxious. Utage finds her job is not only to clean his house and get him on a
Read More