Archives for Homepage Kids

Grab & Go Kits for Grades 4 and up: Big Dipper Embroidery

Grab & Go Kits for Grades 4 and up: Big Dipper Embroidery

As part of our celebration of the Harriet Tubman statue “The Journey to Freedom,” we've put together an embroidery craft kit for grades 4 and up. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, May 16th in the Library lobby. The kit includes an embroidery hoop and needle, blue fabric, and metallic thread in silver and gold. You'll just need to provide scissors. We think this kit is totally doable for grades 4 and up, but the younger end of the age range would benefit from a parent's help to complete the kit. We'll follow a
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April 29, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, Grab & Go kits, and Harriet Tubman.

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.

Earth Day 2022 Reads

Earth Day 2022 Reads

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22nd. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and it is now celebrated annually in over 193 countries as a way to show support for environmental protection. Below find an assortment of recently published books with stories, activities and information to celebrate and support our planet. You can find even more activities, books and resources for celebrating Earth Day from the Library here and pick up an Earth Day coloring sheet in the Trove at the Library starting April 22nd! Also, check out Lauren’s recent post on parenting titles for outdoor learning and
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April 20, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, books for children, children's books, Earth Day, Earth Day Books, nature books, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Let’s Draw Superheroes!

Let’s Draw Superheroes!

Thursdays, April 28th, 6:00 p.m. (virtual) Grades 3+, teens, families. Join the virtual program here. Note: a free, registered Zoom account is required to join our youth-focused virtual programs. Sign up for a Zoom account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. April 28th is National Superhero Day! Celebrate by joining award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski virtually at 6:00 p.m. to learn how to draw some hilarious superheroes! Rick has offered some stellar cartooning workshops for the Library over the past year and all participants had a great time and produced some seriously amazing artwork! About Rick Stromoski Rick Stromoski's illustrations and
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April 20, 2022 9:30 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: art workshop, cartoons, children's programs, comics, drawing, drawing workshop for children, drawing workshop for kids in Westchester, drawing workshop for teens, learn to draw, programs for kids, Rick Stromoski, teen programs, and trove events.

El Día/Children’s Day

El Día/Children’s Day

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30th. Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. The Trove will have available Grab & Go Kits celebrating this day, available beginning April 25th, while supplies last. Daniel’s pet = Daniel y su mascota, by Alma Flor Ada. (Library Catalog) The
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April 20, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's day, el día, El día de los niños, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

May Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

May Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

Follow the Drinking Gourd By Jeanette Winter Monday, May 2nd to Tuesday, May 31st, 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 May 2nd-31st the Library will have on display the second of three StoryWalks – take a walk in the
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April 19, 2022 1:35 pm | 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.

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 there are many books about dragons in the Library, can you imagine an actual dragon in the Library? So big. Stomping around. Eating things. Not to mention breathing fire around all the flammable books!  Here are two of my favorite books about dragons in libraries. Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman, illustrated by
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April 14, 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.

Math & More

Math & More

These funny stories show us there is a lot more to math than boring numbers and equations. Whether you’re sharing “Spaghetti & Meatballs” with friends or teaching someone a lesson with just “One Grain of Rice,” having fun with a “Counting Horse,” or living by your wits with “Seven Golden Rings,” math is everywhere. We might as well have fun with it! I’m trying to love math, by Bethany Barton. Library Catalog Spaghetti and meatballs for all!: a mathematical story, by Marilyn Burns. Library Catalog One grain of rice: a mathematical folktale, by Demi. Library Catalog Crash! Boom!: a math
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April 7, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books, math, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM, and STEAM learning.

National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month

To celebrate National Poetry Month, I will highlight some wonderful poetry books that are colorful, educational, and delightful. Among them, you’ll discover sijo poems, read haikus, and learn about Langston’s dream. Poetry is a wonderful way to learn about stanzas, form, imagery, and word play. These books are a magnificent treat if you love to read! Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou, paintings by Jean-Michael Basquiat For children in grades 1-3 Library Catalog This book is a wonderful introduction to poetry. Maya Angelou uses a playful tone that shows readers that a fear can be an illusion: “Don’t show
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April 5, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: national poetry month, Observances and Celebrations, poetry, Poetry Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Tiny Tales: Five Little Flowers

Tiny Tales: Five Little Flowers

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 Raquel presenting “Five Little Flowers” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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April 5, 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.

Harriet Tubman Reading & Resources

Harriet Tubman Reading & Resources

From April 1st through June 30th, the Harriet Tubman – Journey to Freedom sculpture by Wesley Wofford will be on display in Renaissance Plaza in downtown White Plains. In conjunction with the historic visit by the sculpture, the Library and many other community partners are organizing events related to Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and more. You can find all of the Library’s related programs and events here, with a full listing of the community-wide programs and events here. To learn more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, check out some of the materials below from the Library! To
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March 31, 2022 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman sculpture, staff picks, staff recommendations, and White Plains Harriet Tubman.

Turtle Dance Music: April

Turtle Dance Music: April

Turtle Dance Music presents: The Autism Awareness and Acceptance Music, Dance and Comedy Show Thursday, April 14th, 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. Turtle Dance Music will present a special inclusive, neurodiverse event for children and teens of all abilities for Autism Awareness Month and for the entire year! Families will dance, sing along, and hear stories and songs about autism advocates who have had incredible success in their lives and careers. There will be laughter,
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March 31, 2022 8:40 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, children's events, dance, music, Observances and Celebrations, performing arts, trove events, and Turtle Dance Music.

April Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

April Harriet Tubman StoryWalk

Sculptor Wesley Woffard’s 9-foot monument honoring Harriet Tubman (entitled “The Journey to Freedom”) will be coming to White Plains on April 2nd! The sculpture will be 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 April 1st-30th the Library will have on display the first of three StoryWalks – take a walk in the Garden Plaza, follow the panels and read the Coretta
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March 30, 2022 10:00 am | by | 2 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.

Storytimes: In-Person Update

Storytimes: In-Person Update

We are excited to announce that we will be bringing back in-person Storytimes for Ages 2-6 beginning in April. Storytimes will take place outside on the Library Plaza with an inclement weather backup plan, as follows, below. On the Plaza, we ask that you seat yourselves as you feel comfortable, but please do give the Librarian socially distanced space. Masks are not required, but may be worn if you so choose. Feel free to bring a blanket or something to sit on. Above all, please respect the decisions and comfort of other attendees as we navigate our return to a
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March 30, 2022 8:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: early literacy, storytime, storytime for ages 2-6, storytime for children, storytime for kids, storytime in white plains, trove storytime, and westchester library storytime.

Books to Celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility

Books to Celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event that occurs on March 31st. The day is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of transgender and gender nonconforming people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people in the United States and worldwide. Sadly, injustices continue – Texas families are now fighting against recent efforts to harm transgender children and tear apart their families by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. For further information, you can read NPR’s website article, A Texas Judge Blocks the State from Investigating Parents of Transgender Youth. In support of those
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March 18, 2022 10:04 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Dive into Diversity, International Transgender Day of Visibility, LGBTQIA+, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and transgender rights.

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! Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable and illustrated by Stephanie Yue Libby Library Catalog I’m a big fan of graphic novels but I’d never heard of this delightful tale until it was selected as one of the books that the 4th-7th grade team will be reading for the Westchester Library System Battle of the Books Summer League! Battle of the Books is a book-based trivia tournament
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March 17, 2022 10:00 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.

Outdoors with Kids

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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March 15, 2022 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: parenting, parenting collection, 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. 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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March 11, 2022 11:56 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, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Irish Lore and Folklore

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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March 4, 2022 12:52 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Irish folklore, March, Observances and Celebrations, St. Patrick's Day, staff picks, and staff recommendations.