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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. While looking for dragon books for the October 14, 2021 Peculiar Picks, I discovered there are so many awesome dragon books, so, there will be more draconic Peculiar Picks, including this one, to come, some around certain recurring themes. This month, we look at dragons and their eating habits. What do you think dragons like to eat? The Yin
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January 13, 2022 10:00 am | by | 1 Comment
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.

Children’s Nonfiction Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 1

Children’s Nonfiction Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 1

The banning of children’s books on Black history (And children’s books on the LGBTQIA+ experience) has greatly risen recently throughout the United States. Students and teachers are fighting back. One student and teacher victory (for now) led to the rescinding of a book ban instituted by the Central York Pennsylvania School District board. Alyssa Shotwell wrote in her article in the Mary Sue, “Last year, heated school debates resulted in the York, Pennsylvania schools banning (and, in some cases, holding ongoing ‘reviews’ of) a four-page list of materials. In the list sent to teachers across the Central York District, books
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January 12, 2022 10:46 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Black History, black history month, Dive into Diversity, Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Observances and Celebrations.

Most Popular 2021 Checkouts

Most Popular 2021 Checkouts

Below is a list of the 2021 top 5 most popular fiction, nonfiction, films, TV shows, children's books, and YA titles based on the number of times they've been checked out from our collection. We told you what our staff loved last year, well, here's what was most popular among your fellow Library patrons. I'm sure you'll notice a few trends – our patrons really love mysteries, intrigue, cookbooks, and Peppa Pig! Fiction The Affair by Danielle Steel (Library Collection / OverDrive & Libby) The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Library Collection / OverDrive & Libby) The Bounty: a
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January 11, 2022 3:28 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, books, end of year lists, film, patron favorites, top checkouts, and tv.

International LEGO Day

International LEGO Day

International LEGO Day celebrates the day that a Danish carpenter, Godfred Kirk Christiansen, filed a patent for the original LEGO brick system in 1958. LEGO is one of the most beloved toys in the world. LEGO allows children to learn about building by playing with bricks and creating different structures, robots, castles and more. To celebrate National LEGO Day, I will highlight some books that include facts, cool creations, and information about the creators of Lego. For example, did you know that LEGO has been around for more than seventy years? To celebrate International LEGO day you can create a
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January 6, 2022 11:45 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Grab & Go kits, Grab & GO Kits for kids, International LEGO Day, and legos.

Tiny Tales: Colors We Know

Tiny Tales: Colors We Know

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 Ms. Ashley presenting “Colors We Know” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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January 4, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: library storytime recording, library storytime video, online library storytime, storytime, The Trove, Tiny Tales, video, videos, virtual library storytime, westchester libraries, westchester library storytime, white plains library, and white plains new york.

Battle of the Books… Club!

Battle of the Books… Club!

Join librarians Kat and Lauren for a new book club in the new year. 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. We have so much fun with our annual Battle of the Books tournament, and we're excited to be able to offer BOB events year-round. In January, we're reading It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas. We'll meet on Monday, January 3rd, at 5:00
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December 15, 2021 3:20 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: battle of the books, book club, book clubs for teens, and book discussion.

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. As 2021 wraps up, I thought I’d focus on some of my favorite peculiar picture books of the year that haven’t been featured in other Peculiar Picks posts. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld Library Catalog / eBook Selected as a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year, I
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December 14, 2021 1:15 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Spooktober, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Interview with Emily X.R. Pan

Interview with Emily X.R. Pan

Emily X.R. Pan, the author of The Astonishing Color of After, sat down with our Forever Young Adult Book Club last month to answer questions and chat with patrons. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Forever Young Adult meetings, special guests, and crafts! We'll be discussing Miss Meteor on December 16th and The Bear and the Nightingale on January 27th, both at 7:00 p.m. The Astonishing Color of After, a New York Times bestseller, follows the story of Leigh Chen Sanders. Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, loses her mother to suicide. Leigh begins seeing a magnificent, fantastical
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December 14, 2021 9:18 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Book Discussion, Events, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: author discussion, author event, book club, book discussion, Emily X.R. Pan, Forever Young Adult, Forever Young Adult Book Club, meet the author, Young adult, young adult books, and young adult fiction.

Dive Into Diversity: 2021 Releases

Dive Into Diversity: 2021 Releases

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. It is absolutely shocking to me that 2021 is winding down! This year has been quite the whirlwind. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds as we head into 2022! There have been a ton of amazing diverse books
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December 10, 2021 10:07 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, books for kids, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, and The Trove.

Dive into Diversity: #fREADom to Read

Dive into Diversity: #fREADom to Read

Recently, well-respected, award-winning children’s and teen titles have faced severe, targeted censorship attacks in such states as Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Georgia and Illinois. Award winning titles such as the Newbery-winning title New Kid by Jerry Craft have faced heavy racist and anti-LGBTQIA+ attacks, and we in the Trove wanted to celebrate and support the #fREADom to read them, and all books that affirm the uniqueness and special characteristics of every child and teen. The excellent children’s books highlighted in this blog come from Texas State Representative Matt Krause’s list of over 800 titles (16 pages!) he is seeking “to
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December 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: #Freadom to read, banned books, books for children, censorship, children's literature, and Dive into Diversity.

Dive into Diversity: Most Popular YA of 2021

Dive into Diversity: Most Popular YA of 2021

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity as much as possible. For the last post of 2021, I looked at the circulation data for the YA fiction collection to see which books checked out the most. I came up with this list of the top ten most popular YA fiction books published in 2021, written by authors with diverse perspectives. When You Look
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December 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: best of 2021, Dive into Diversity, staff recommendations, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Winter Tips to Stay Healthy & Warm

Winter Tips to Stay Healthy & Warm

Winter is coming, you’ve all seen the meme. Here are some tips to stay healthy and warm through the winter. Healthy Diet: In the cold months we crave foods high in fats and carbs. Balance your diet and cravings with fruits and salads, even if they won’t make you feel warm inside. Wash Your Hands: There are lots of germs in the winter and they love your hands. So make trips to the sink after you cough or sneeze. Exercise Regularly: Laying on the couch under a ton of blankets is so inviting, but moving your body will keep you
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December 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: life hacks, stay warm this winter, teen life hacks, and tips for teens.

Remembering Jesse Murry

Remembering Jesse Murry

Jesse Murry was a Black, gay art critic, curator and painter. He was born in 1948 in North Carolina and later moved to nearby Greenburgh to live with an aunt. As a youth he spent a lot of time reading at the White Plains Public Library and became friends with the director, Isabel Duncan Clark, who ended up becoming his legal guardian. He studied at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in a White Plains apartment in the 1970s before moving to New York City in 1979. In the last 14 years of his life he wrote for Arts Magazine, taught
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December 8, 2021 11:18 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Library News, and Local History.
Tags: Jesse Murry, library history, local history, and White Plains Public Library.

Tiny Art Exhibit

Tiny Art Exhibit

Thank you to everyone who picked up one of our Tiny Art Show Grab & Go kits and those who dropped off your submissions. Submissions are now on display in the Library's first floor Lobby. Stop by and take a peak at these wonderful tiny creations! If you haven't returned your artwork yet, you still can! Drop your art off at the Hub Desk on the first floor and fill out a submission form.
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December 7, 2021 3:18 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, crafts for adults, and crafts for teens.

Let’s Draw Cartoons

Let’s Draw Cartoons

Kids, teens, and families are invited to join nationally syndicated award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski virtually on Tuesday, December 28th at 2:00 p.m. for a fun workshop to learn how to draw cartoon characters! All participants will need is a stack of paper and something they like to draw with! Participants had a blast when Rick presented his Let’s Draw Monsters! program in October (see below for some examples of work created!) so don’t miss out on this fantastic program! Let’s Draw Cartoons! Tuesday, December 26, 2:00 p.m. Grades 3+, teens, families Access the program here. Note: a free, registered Zoom
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December 7, 2021 1:54 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: cartoons, comics, drawing, drawing workshop for children, drawing workshop for kids in Westchester, learn to draw, and Rick Stromoski.

Tiny Tales: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Tiny Tales: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

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 Ms. Caroline presenting “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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December 7, 2021 1:35 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: library storytime recording, library storytime video, online library storytime, storytime, The Trove, Tiny Tales, video, videos, virtual library storytime, westchester libraries, westchester library storytime, white plains library, and white plains new york.

3D Printing and Design Class

3D Printing and Design Class

During the December Holiday school break, Librarian Erik Carlson will be teaching a class on 3D printing and design for students in grades 6-12. We start on Monday, December 27th and meet everyday through Thursday, December 30th, 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 Leopoly Maker OnShape Education Each day will have a new lesson and design challenge.
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December 6, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: 3D design, 3d printing, events for teens, tech events for teens in Westchester, and technology classes for teens.

Science for Students

Science for Students

Join Science for Teens, a club created by local high school student Sophia DiFalco. Teens interested in science will connect with other teens virtually. A scientist with real life experience will be there to talk about their work and answer questions. Our first meeting will be with Keila Alves who is a lab manager at Micropath Pathology Laboratory, a gastroenterology lab. Keila will be joining us live from the lab! She will speak for 20-30 minutes, followed by 10-15 minutes of questions and answers. We hope you can join us for this exciting opportunity! The first meeting will be on
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December 3, 2021 9:37 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: events for teens in Westchester, science club, Science clubs in westchester, science clubs in White Plains, science for teens, STEAM, teen events, teens, and The Edge.

2021 Staff Favorites

2021 Staff Favorites

The White Plains Library Staff have assembled their picks for the year, featuring cookbooks, DVDs, music, audiobooks, and plenty of plain old books. It's a wonderfully wide-ranging list, full of lots of surprises, and should help with your holiday shopping or just some entertainment for yourself. Enjoy! Below you'll find a list with links to the catalog or resource where they're available as well as a blurb on why staff enjoyed it. Books (Adults) Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley OverDrive & Libby: eBook / Audiobook An funny and touching account of the year writer Christopher Buckley
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December 1, 2021 12:11 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: staff favorites, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Library Achieves Green Certification

Library Achieves Green Certification

The Library is pleased to announce it has achieved Green Business Certification through the Green Business Partnership (GBP), a public-private partnership managed in part by Westchester County. GBP offers support to businesses and organizations who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint and making their operations more sustainable. The Library’s Green Team–led by Librarian Kathlyn Carroll–worked to evaluate the Library's current performance in a variety of areas, including water and energy usage, purchasing decisions, and waste management. Many changes were made to Library practices, including use of LED lighting, green purchasing, waste audit tracking, and a greenhouse gas inventory. Recent
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November 22, 2021 11:32 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: Green Business Certification Green Business Partnership, Green Team, sustainability, and White Plains Library Green Team.