Archives for Library News

Dive Into Diversity: Spooky Stories

Dive Into Diversity: Spooky Stories

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. School has begun again and the weather will turn chillier as we head into fall and the spooky season! When I was a kid, I was a big fan of watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? and reading the Goosebumps
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September 24, 2021 3:33 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books for children, books for kids, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, halloween, Halloween Books, Observances and Celebrations, October, Spooktober, spooky stories for kids, and stories to read in october.

Dive into Diversity: Italian-American Heritage Month!

Dive into Diversity: Italian-American Heritage Month!

October is Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month. The month-long celebration recognizes the many contributions and achievements of Italian-Americans in the U.S. According to National Today, “Over 26 million Americans of Italian descent currently reside in the U.S. — making up America's seventh largest ethnic group.” New York Public Library’s, 5 Picture Books to Celebrate Italian-American Heritage Month lists some great books to share with young children, and below you will find several noteworthy and fun titles for kindergartners to sixth-graders to celebrate Italian heritage and culture – buon divertimento! Paolo, Emperor of Rome by Mac Barnett & Claire Keane (Grades
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September 24, 2021 1:26 pm | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Dive into Diversity, Italian-American History, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Dive into Diversity: Witches!

Dive into Diversity: Witches!

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. In honor of Halloween, this month's post is a roundup of YA fiction starring… witches! This month I read a popular graphic novel, The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. It's about 13-year-old Moth Hush, who lives in Founder's Bluff, Massachusetts, and loves all things witchy. While working on a school play about
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September 23, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, halloween, Halloween Books, October, Spooktober, staff picks, staff recommendations, witches, YA Fiction, and YA literature.

Grow with Google / Aprenda con Google

Grow with Google / Aprenda con Google

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, Grow with Google will offer the following online workshops in Spanish: Digital skills for everyday tasks Wednesday, September 29th 6:30-7:30 p.m. Use YouTube to grow your Business Wednesday, October 6th 6:30-7:30 p.m. Make Your Website Useful Wednesday, October 13th 6:30-7:30 p.m. Register here for the series. Habilidades digitales para tareas cotidianas 29 de septiembre 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aprenda a administrar las tareas del trabajo y de la vida de manera más eficaz con las herramientas de Google. Use YouTube Para Hacer Crecer Su Negocio 6 de octubre 6:30-7:30 p.m. Obtenga las mejores prácticas para crear
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September 22, 2021 2:13 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: business events, Grow with google, spanish language events, and WEDC.

Future is Female Book Discussion

Future is Female Book Discussion

Another one of our popular book groups is the Future is Female, a mix of memoirs, short stories, novels, and poetry by and about interesting, talented, and inspiring women in history, the arts, sports, and everyday life. Led by Ellen O’Connell, a White Plains resident and retired English teacher. The group will meet on the first Monday of every month, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Click on the date(s) you'd like to attend for the Zoom link. To place one of the readings on hold, simply click on your preferred format. November 1: The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles Library Collection:
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September 22, 2021 1:21 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: book discussion, book group in westchester, book group in white plains, books by women, and feminist books.

October Book Bunch & Author Visit

October Book Bunch & Author Visit

Does your child enjoy funny books? Do they geek out about mythology? Are they really into graphic novels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your kid would be totally interested in our upcoming virtual book discussion! On Wednesday, October 6th at 4:30 p.m., join librarians Ashley and Caroline to chat about the first book in the Nico Bravo series called Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades by Mike Cavallaro. We’re thrilled to announce that author and illustrator Mike Cavallaro will be joining us for a Q&A session after the discussion! This program is open to
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September 20, 2021 10:02 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book bunch, Book discussion for kids, book discussion for middle grade students, book discussion for teens, books for children, juvenile fiction, Mike Cavallaro, Nico Bravo, and Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades.

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT Book Clubs for Kids and Teens

Project LIT is a global initiative to help kids, tweens, and teens engage with the real events shaking our country and the world at large. As a chapter in the Project LIT Community, the Trove and Edge staff organizes discussions revolving around recommended titles, highlighting and celebrating books that affirm and value all students. Our Project LIT Book Club for Kids & Tweens is for grades 4-8 and our Project LIT Book Club for Teens is for grades 7-12. We’ve been taking a break over the summer from our Project LIT Book Clubs but we’re happy to announce that they
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September 20, 2021 10:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book discussions, kids book club, Project Lit, Project Lit Community, and teen book club.

Great Podcasts for Teens 2

Great Podcasts for Teens 2

Continuing our new series on Great Podcasts, here are some recommendations of Great Podcasts for Teens from YS Librarian, Erik! Most of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. All of our Great Podcasts recommendations, including those for Kids, Teens, and Parents and Caregivers, can be found here. If you have some great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Science: RadioLab RadioLab makes science fun. The team of Jad Abumrad, Lulu Miller, and Latif Nasser take a light hearted approach to
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September 20, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for teens, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Teen Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Teen Book Review: The Martian Chronicles

Title: The Martian Chronicles Author: Ray Bradbury Publisher: Harper Collins Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby The first book to interest me in the science fiction genre, and a compelling read, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is set in a fictional world where humans colonize Mars. The book is a collection of several short interconnected short stories, with time jumps between each. Starting with perspective of the first mission of humans to reach Mars, and ending with the last few people left on Mars, this story is full of masterful twists, leaving you question what is real,
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September 20, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, Ray Bradbury, reading, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Grab & Go: Bubble Wands

Grab & Go: Bubble Wands

Teens in grades 7-12 can pick up a kit with project supplies at the Library, then follow along with the video below to make the project. Or, you can find the materials around your home and follow the video to make the project. Kits are first come, first served, and will become available on Monday, September 19th in the Library lobby. Let's take advantage of the continued nice weather to make some bubbles–and bubble wands. This month we'll make some basic of bubble wands. Your kit includes string, straws, wire, and pipe cleaners. You'll need some bubble solution, and your
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September 19, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News and Teens.
Tags: arts and crafts, Grab & Go, Grab & Go kits, and teens.

An Afternoon with Wilfredo Ortiz

An Afternoon with Wilfredo Ortiz

We invite you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the music of Wilfredo Ortiz on Sunday, September 19th at 2:00 p.m. on the Library Plaza. Enjoy the music of Wilfredo Ortiz, a musician and composer from the Dominican Republic. Don’t miss it! Rain Date: September 26th
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September 18, 2021 12:05 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: celebrate hispanic heritage month, concert, concerts in White Plains, Hispanic Heritage Month, and wilfredo ortiz.

STEAMy Summer Programs: A Look Back

STEAMy Summer Programs: A Look Back

Another summer of STEAM programs has finished. This was a challenging and rewarding summer like no other. In addition to increasing the length by two weeks, we also hired several more people to run programs. Among those hired were several high school students: members of the Techno Chix; a robotics club from the Girl Scouts; Mustafa Ajmal, a high school student in Oak Ridge High School, CA; and Shakira Cherimond, a graduating Senior from Ossining High School who will be attending Purchase College in the fall. By hiring multiple presenters this summer we were able to offer a wide variety
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September 15, 2021 2:03 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM Camps, STEAM learning, STEM, Summer of Making, The Edge, Verisk Analytics, and White Plains Library Foundation.

Great Podcasts for Kids 4

Great Podcasts for Kids 4

Here are some more Great Podcasts for Kids on a variety of topics and themes selected by Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. All of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. All of our Great Podcasts recommendations, including those for Kids, Teens, and Parents and Caregivers, can be found here. Podcast Potpourri Ear Snacks The creators, Andrew and Polly (a duo of award-winning children’s music makers), call the Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award winning podcast Ear Snacks a “musical podcast” and music
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September 15, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Lenape Art Showcase

Lenape Art Showcase

Lenape Art Showcase: Jack Crying Raven Anderson September 10th through December 1st In celebration of his Ramapough Lunaape Heritage, this memorial exhibit is a display of works by self-taught artist, Jack Crying Raven Anderson. On view in the Library's Museum Gallery through December 1st. You can see Oleana Whispering Dove talk about the exhibit here. His work has been shown in group and solo shows over the past 25 years in New York City and New Jersey areas. In 2015 two of his works were selected for the permanent collection at Museo Maam in Rome, Italy. Jack said before his
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September 15, 2021 9:25 am | by | 3 Comments
Categories: Gallery and Library News.
Tags: art exhibit in white plains, art gallery in white plains, Jack Crying Raven Anderson, Lenape art showcase, and Library art gallery.

September–October Events for Younger Kids

September–October 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.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 and special themed PreK level Kits. Dates that new Kits are available for pickup can be found on our online calendar. Trove Storytimes Ages 2-6, Families Tuesdays, 11:00 & 11:30 a.m. – September 7, September
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September 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Activities for children in Westchester, activities for children in White Plains, children's events, dance, kids, live music, music, performances, programs, storytime, summer reading, The Trove, trove, and trove events.

Turtle Dance Music

Turtle Dance Music

Turtle Dance Music presents: Reading Rocks! A Virtual Music, Bubble and Comedy Show! Thursday, September 16, 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. Reading Rocks! A Virtual Music, Bubble and Comedy Show features wonderful classic and original children’s songs and tales. The show engages children with songs, comedy, bubbles, and music technology. Join us for this novel 40-minute performance which will be accompanied by visual and sensory experiences. Kids will dance, sing, laugh, use their imaginations and
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September 14, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: children's events, dance, kids events, trove events, and Turtle Dance Music.

Teen Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Teen Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Title: A Very Large Expanse of Sea Author: Tahereh Mafi Publisher: Harper Collins Library Catalog / Hoopla / OverDrive & Libby The romance novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is about a high school sophomore named Shirin who‘s had a tough life growing up dealing with bullying. Shirin’s tired and annoyed of people stereotyping her; based on her religion, what she wears, and who she is. Since Shirin is used to receiving so much disrespect and physical violence, she builds up a strong personality. A strong personality where if someone makes a joke about her, she’ll
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September 13, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book review, books, for teens by teens, reading, Tahereh Mafi, teen book review, and teen volunteers.

Autumn is Here!

Autumn is Here!

Fall is right around the corner. What better time to leaf through a good book. You can have a hoot with any of these titles. Rake in a good read and get ready for some pumpkin spice and everything nice coming your way. From crisp air to light sweaters, from picking apples to carving pumpkins, this is the season of fun. Happy autumn! This is a Taco!, by Andrew Cangelose. Library Collection OverDrive / Libby How to Grow an Apple Pie, by Beth Charles. Library Collection OverDrive / Libby Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn, by James Dean. Library Collection
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September 9, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: autumn, autumn reading list for children, children's books about autumn, and children's literature.

Tiny Tales: If You’re Going to the Pool

Tiny Tales: If You’re Going to the Pool

Welcome to our new series of Tiny Tales videos! 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 all of our Tiny Tales videos, including the thirty six videos in the previous series, right here! Today’s video features Trove librarian Ms. Lauren presenting “If You’re Going to the Pool.” Tiny Tales are made possible with support from the White Plains Library Foundation.
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September 7, 2021 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.

Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness Practice

Transitions can be tricky, and it takes some practice to adjust to circumstances that are beyond our control. Whether it’s watching your child graduate from kindergarten, starting a new job, or getting used to a post-pandemic world, transitions can be overwhelming for most people. During this phase, transitioning from one type of life to another, complex emotions often arise that make us feel overwhelmed, anxious, worried, or frustrated. I have been practicing mindfulness for over ten years now and still have a lot to learn. However, I can honestly state that the practice of Zen meditation, yoga and mindfulness has
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September 6, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: kids books, Meditation, mindfulness, staff picks, staff recommendations, and stress management.