Archives for Kids

#BlackJoy Picture Books

#BlackJoy Picture Books

Black History Month is celebrated in February, but Black history encompasses every day from the beginnings of this nation, to today and onto the future. The struggles of the past, as well as the present, should not be ignored or forgotten, however it is equally important to remember and celebrate the joys and triumphs. Children’s author Kelly Starling Lyons eloquently writes in her blog, “Children’s books showcasing Black joy remind us of the beauty of family, friendship and community. They are touchstones that surround us with the blessing of who we are. In a world that tries to set us
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January 28, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: black history month, children's books, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, 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. Today’s two Peculiar Picks have one thing in common – hungry monsters on a rampage. Hangry by Drew Brockington OverDrive / Library Catalog A small, Godzilla-like monster arrives in a big city on a train, food guide in hand, looking for a particular highly-rated hot dog restaurant. Only when he arrives, calamity strikes: the restaurant is closed! He’s not
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January 28, 2021 9:00 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, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

ALA Youth Media Awards

ALA Youth Media Awards

Each winter at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, ALA honors outstanding books and authors with a variety of awards for excellence. You’ve probably heard of the Newbery and the Caldecott, but did you know that there’s also an award for debut authors writing for teens? Or an award for a children’s book written in a foreign language and published in a foreign country, and later translated into English for publication in the US? Each January, we look forward to seeing which authors and books are honored in these ALA awards. It’s so exciting to see a favorite book
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January 27, 2021 2:12 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: ALA awards, ALA Youth Media Awards, awards, children's books, children's literature, staff picks, staff recommendations, YA books, and YA literature.

February Programs for Younger Kids

February Programs for Younger Kids

Some great regular events for younger children take place all month long. See below for times and access. Note: All youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account. Creating an account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. In addition to the regular programs listed below, be sure to check out the programs during the February school break week, many of which are open to younger children or children of all ages! Grab & Go: Kits Grab&Go: Kits are fun and educational activities to do at home. Kits are available in a variety of age ranges throughout the month, including AtoZ
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January 27, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, January 2021, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Learn about Ancient Egypt!

Learn about Ancient Egypt!

Museums with Marisa will take you back in time to Ancient Egypt for a fun and fact-filled series of archaeological explorations! Note: a free registered Zoom account is required to access the Library’s youth programs. Get a Zoom account here. The Great Pyramids and the Giza Plateau Tuesday, February 16 at 3:30 p.m. Grades 1-6, Teens Access the program here Learn about the history and archaeology of one of Ancient Egypt’s most well-known sites, The Pyramids of Giza. What’s Up, King Tut? Wednesday, February 17 at 3:30 p.m. Grades 1-6, Teens Access the program here Learn about that most famous
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January 27, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: ancient egypt, edge events, egypt, events, history, King Tut, mummies, museums, pyramids, The Edge, The Trove, and trove events.

Dive Into Diversity: Let’s Get Cooking!

Dive Into Diversity: Let’s Get Cooking!

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. During this time of the year when it’s so cold out, one of my favorite things to do is relax on the sofa with a cup of hot cocoa, cookies, and a good book. With these stories that have elements of
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January 26, 2021 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, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) will be celebrated on January 29th, 2021. According to its founders, MCBD “is an online and offline celebration that attracts thousands of supporters, educators, parents, caregivers, book reviewers, and quality authors and publishers who join forces to shine the spotlight on diversity in children and YA literature.” The founders effectively define the important key points of what makes an excellent multicultural book for children in their website article, “What is a Multicultural Book?” To celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day, I have gathered together notable picture book biographies that highlight diverse people in history and today
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January 26, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Dive into Diversity, Multicultural Children's Book Day, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

STEAM Picture Books: Engineering

STEAM Picture Books: Engineering

In this monthly STEAM series, I will highlight some wonderful picture books that fall under a STEAM category: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. For the month of January we will be concentrating on engineering books, including biographies, how to build a backyard, construction and building blocks, along with books on tools. 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. Future Engineer by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Allison Black Library Catalog This fun and playful
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January 25, 2021 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 activities, STEAM at home, STEAM books, STEAM learning, and STEM.

Grab & Go STEAM Kit: Magic Ice

Grab & Go STEAM Kit: Magic Ice

White Plains Public Library’s Grab & Go STEAM kits are a great way to unplug and be creative while learning about a STEAM concept. Youth Services Librarian Caroline Reddy has put together a fun STEAM activity for Grades 4-8 that allows you to experiment with the freezing temperature of water. In the past, Caroline has used ice and salt to make her own ice cream as a summer STEAM project. For the winter, you can try creating this “magic” ice and amaze your family. This kit will be available for pickup outside the Library's main doors on Monday, January 25.
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January 25, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Grab & Go kits, STEAM, STEAM kits, STEAM learning, and tutorials.

Announcing the 2021 Project LIT Book List

Announcing the 2021 Project LIT Book List

Since becoming a Project LIT chapter last summer, we’ve enjoyed reading and discussing Project LIT books with kids and teens. Last month, we were thrilled to see the announcements of new titles in the 2021 Project LIT book list. We’re excited to share the list with you!  You can find the new Project LIT book lists for Middle Grade and Young Adult, as well as the lists from previous years, on our Reading Lists page. Highlighted below are a couple titles from the new selections that are of particular interest to our librarians. Stay tuned for future book discussions and
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January 23, 2021 4:43 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children's books, Project Lit, Project Lit Chapter, Project Lit Community, and teen books.

Who is Amanda Gorman?

Who is Amanda Gorman?

Perhaps, like me, you were awestruck during the inauguration on January 20. Not just by the glass-ceiling shattering of Kamala Harris, the transfer of power and workings of democracy, the pomp and circumstance, the (mostly) excellent fashion, but primarily by the words of the young poet, Amanda Gorman.  Or, perhaps, you saw her during the opening of Super Bowl LV on February 7, a strikingly different, yet powerful, opening to the sporting event.  However you've come across her, perhaps you want to know more about who she is – her amazing story and her brilliant artistry. A self-proclaimed “Wordsmith. Change-maker,”
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January 21, 2021 11:53 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Amanda Gorman, inauguration, national poetry month, national youth poet laureate, poet, poet laureate, poetry, Poetry Month, poets, and writers.

Reads Revisited: Charmed Life

Reads Revisited: Charmed Life

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Edge Librarian Erik Carlson revisits book one of the Chrestomanci series, Charmed Life (Catalog) by Diana Wynne Jones. Did you ever wonder where J.K. Rowling got all of her ideas from? Charmed Life has magical castles, powerful necromancers, bad witches and wizards, and an orphaned boy who has no idea that he has magical powers. I have always been a big fantasy fan. Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula K. LeGuin were two of my favorite authors growing up. When
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January 19, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Charmed Life, children's books, children's literature, Reads Revisited, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated on Monday, January 18th, 2021. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 and his legacy is profound – perhaps now more than ever. “As a child, I remember studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. only from one perspective—the man who had a dream. Without a deep understanding of Dr. King, I lacked the ability to apply some of his profound principles to my life. Years later as an adult, I read his autobiography and was amazed at the depth of his personhood. Out of this
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January 15, 2021 9:47 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children's books, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA books.

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. Ben Hatke is best known for his excellent graphic novel series, Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl, but he’s done a number of other works that are absolutely worth reading. Two of these are his picture books, Nobody Likes a Goblin and Julia’s House for Lost Creatures, which feature his signature art style and have amusing, heartfelt, stories. My
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January 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Ben Hatke, children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and The Trove.

Sit Down and Write

Sit Down and Write

In November, librarians Caroline and Kat hosted a series of creative writing sessions for kids and teens. We enjoyed talking about National Novel Writing Month, fan fiction, and fairy tales. But the quiet time to write was everyone's favorite part of each session. So, we've decided to set aside some more time for creative writing with a new weekly program starting in January. On Thursdays at 4:00 p.m., we'll sit down “together” on Zoom and write for a half hour. While this program is intended for grades 4-8, teens who would like to attend are welcome to do so. See
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January 11, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: creative writing, trove events, virtual events, writing workshop, and youth writing workshop.

Grab & Go Kit Gr. 4-8: Paper Rollercoaster

Grab & Go Kit Gr. 4-8: Paper Rollercoaster

The next Grab & Go STEAM kit for Middle Graders will teach some paper engineering techniques. Kids and Tweens will assemble a rollercoaster using paper. This involves creating stability with a very unstable material. They will make pillars to hold up the rollercoaster, fold the paper to make stable rails, and learn how to cut paper to create curves. Limited kits are available at the Library. Couldn’t get a kit? No problem! All you need is paper, tape, and scissors. You can follow along with the video instructions.
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January 11, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: engineering, Grab & Go kits, Grab and Go Kits, STEAM, STEAM learning, STEM, 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. Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley Library Catalog My wife and I read a lot of books with positive messages for girls to our daughter – books that show girls and women accomplishing amazing things in every field; emphasizing self-determination; promoting equality (and showing the wrongness of inequality); body/image positivity; being heroes in real-life and fantasy; and
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December 31, 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, staff picks, staff recommendations, and The Trove.

Browsing Suspended, Grab & Go Continues

Browsing Suspended, Grab & Go Continues

In response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Westchester County, the Library is suspending browsing in the building. This means there will be no access to our first floor collections or the Trove beginning Friday, November 27. We will continue to offer reference services via phone, text, and email. Our Grab & Go services have changed. To utilize Grab & Go pickup services, place items on hold through our catalog and you will be notified when they are available. Give us a call at 422-1490 when you are heading to the Library and we will place your items
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December 28, 2020 10:00 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Director's Corner, Featured, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: building update, closures, coronavirus, covid-19, COVID19, library services, and library update.

January Events for Younger Kids

January Events for Younger Kids

Some great regular events for younger children take place all month long. See below for times and access. Note: All youth-focused virtual programs require a registered Zoom account. Creating an account is free and easy at http://zoom.us/signup. In addition, be sure to check out our Grab & Go Kits for fun and educational activities to do at home. The dates that new Kits are available for pickup can be found in our online calendar. Trove Storytimes Storytimes for ages 2-6 with Trove Librarians – books, songs and fun! Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.: January 5, 12, 19, 26 Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.: January
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December 17, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, January 2021, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Coding Workshops With The Techno Chix

Coding Workshops With The Techno Chix

Starting January 8, 2021, the Techno Chix, a group of young women in the Girl Scouts, will be teaching an 8 session workshop series on computer coding for Middle Grade students in grades 5-8. They will teach 8 one-hour workshops on Fridays, from 4:30-5:30 p.m., in January and February, covering the Python coding language. This is an in-depth course focusing on Python, and by the end of the workshops students will be familiar with Strings, User Input, Arithmetic Equations, Booleans, Loops, If/Else Statements, and Functions. Registration and attendance to all workshops is required. These workshops will be held on Zoom.
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December 17, 2020 10:00 am | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children's events, coding, STEAM, STEAM learning, STEM, technology, and teen events.