Archives for Featured

New in the Edge: March 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. Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon Grades 9 and up Library Catalog / Libby “Dhillon’s debut centers on high-schooler and Sikh Sunny G, who is determined to make the most of his life after his brother, who battled alcoholism, passes away.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

KnowlEDGE: Teen Services

Welcome to KnowlEDGE, news and information about teens services at the White Plains Public Library. With cases of the Omicron variant dropping significantly and State mask restrictions being lowered we have made some changes in the Edge. The biggest change is video games. On Tuesdays you and your friends can come in and play the PS4, and on Thursdays you all can play the Nintendo Switch. Future changes are coming. Things to look out for are in-person programs with Kat, Austin, and Erik! More computers to use and easier printing. The biggest change will be enjoying snacks in the Edge
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Categories: COVID-19, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Outdoors with Kids

As spring approaches, we are all getting ready to reemerge into the great outdoors and hopefully get our children excited to be away from those screens we tend to rely on in colder weather. Below, find some great reads to help you in that endeavor. First and foremost, for those of us that are hesitant to let our children explore outside, check out Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System, by Jack Gilbert and Rob Knight (Library Catalog). These scientists explain in a surprisingly straightforward and accessible way the advantages of exposing children to
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Categories: Authors & Books, 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. 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.

Battle of the Books Club: April, May and June

Join librarians Kat and Lauren for a new book club this spring. We'll meet each month for a book discussion and a game, in the beloved Battle of the Books (BOB) trivia format. Read some awesome books and then team up with your friends to show off your book knowledge in a fast-paced tournament. The May and June editions of the program will feature the official books for this summer’s 2022 Battle of the Books tournament. We're currently recruiting team members for our Battle of the Books team this summer, open to teens entering grades 6-12 in fall 2022. If
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

Irish Lore and Folklore

In March, we celebrate Ireland – the Emerald Isle – famous for its luscious green landscapes and friendly people, an island full of enchantment and mystery, inhabited by Leprechauns, Fairies, Pookas, and Banshees. You could attend a Saint Patrick’s Day parade and later find yourself in a room full of shamrocks and friends telling stories of Finn McCool, Jamie O’Rourke, or even a Goat King! However you decide to celebrate Ireland & Irish heritage – FÁILTE! (Welcome!) Leprechauns & Irish Lore Grab & Go Kits will be available on March 7th, while supplies last. Shamrocks, harps, and shillelaghs: the story
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Women in STEAM

For Women’s History Month, I will highlight some wonderful books that fall under a STEAM category: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. In celebrating Women’s History Month we will review a mixture of books, including biographies of an aviator, a mathematician and a Cherokee aerospace engineer. These books can be found in our print collection at The Trove and on Libby. At the end of the post, you'll also find some fun and educational websites for kids. Suggested Reads: Libby Loves Science by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes Library Catalog / Libby Libby is a precocious child who loves
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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.

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! The Sea in Winter by Christine Day Libby hoopla Library Catalog This is author Christine Day’s second middle grade novel but it’s the first story of hers that I’ve read. I now definitely want to read her first book, I Can Make This Promise, as well as Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, the anthology that she contributed to! I really loved The Sea in Winter and
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Girl Power Picture Books

Gathered together here to celebrate Women’s History Month are noteworthy picture books written by diverse authors of great girls celebrating themselves and others, sharing family traditions, and reveling in both small and large accomplishments. I recommend as a great resource for Women’s History Month the National Women's History Museum. The museum’s resources include interesting online exhibits, digital classroom resources, Brave Girl Virtual Storytimes, and more. Enjoy sharing these with your young feminists of all genders! K-3 Women's History Grab & Go Kits will be available Monday, March 7th while supplies last. Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand, Nabi H. Ali &
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Children’s Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 2

Veronica Chambers writes in her New York Times article, How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now, ”Why does Black History Month in particular, and the study of Black history overall, still matter so much? ‘There’s no question that history is and continues to be a battleground. The origin stories that we tell matter a great deal for where we set the bar and how we set the bar going forward,’ noted Professor Jones, of Johns Hopkins. ‘So when you talk about people like Carter G. Woodson, these are men who knew that if you
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Parenting Collection: Friendship

Given that February is commonly referred to as the month of love, it seems like a good time as parents to talk to our children about friendship, sharing, and empathy. In that vein, here are some great books from our Parenting collection that focus on these topics. A Little SPOT of Giving: A Story About Sharing and Generosity by Diane Alber Find me on the Library Catalog! Other books in this series can be found here. This book is part of a series called Inspire To Create A Better You! They are all great books to use with your children.
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Categories: Authors & Books, 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.

What You Need To Know About: The Uncharted Movie

I think the first mention of the Uncharted movie was before the Edge was built, even before I started working at the Library. So yeah, this movie has been a long time coming. To put in the gaming timeline, this movie was first talked about when the Playstation 3 was still out, now we are on the PS5. In that time Uncharted has become insanely popular. There are four games in the series as well as four spin-off games, plus collections of the games. The movie has seen a change of cast and directors while the video game has reached
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Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.

African American Children’s Authors

Enjoy these wonderful tales of triumph, challenges, hope and above all, love. Stacey’s extraordinary words, by Stacey Abrams Library Catalog / Libby How to read a book, by Kwame Alexander Library Catalog I am every good thing, by Derrick D. Barnes Library Catalog / eBook / Audiobook The king of Kindergarten, by Derrick Barnes Library Catalog / Libby Zuri Ray tries ballet, by Tami Charles Library Catalog When we say Black Lives Matter, by Maxine Beneba Clarke Library Catalog / Libby We shall overcome, by Bryan Collier Library Catalog / Libby Parker looks up: an extraordinary moment, by Parker Curry
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Black History Month STEAM Program

For Black History Month, we’re hosting a STEAM program that will include a LEGO Grab & Go kit. First, we’ll read about African American leaders in space exploration. Then we’ll learn about the constellations that helped with navigation on the underground railroad, and use LEGO pieces to create the Big Dipper. Join us on Tuesday, February 22nd at 4:00 p.m. Supplies are limited, so register through our online calendar here. Suggested Reads: Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty Library Catalog Ada had a lot of questions about the world around her. She asked her parents so many questions and they
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Categories: Authors & Books, 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.

3D Printing and Design Class

During the February Winter school break, Librarian Erik Carlson will be teaching a class on 3D printing and design for students in grades 4-6. We start on Tuesday, February 22nd and meet everyday until Friday, February 25th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. You must be able to attend all of the sessions otherwise you will miss some important info. We will be learning to use three different 3D design software programs (CAD and Mesh). You can create free accounts for all of these, just follow the links: TinkCad SculptGL (no account needed) OnShape Education Each day will have a new lesson and
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.