Archives for Library News

Horror Stories: Books & Movies

Horror Stories: Books & Movies

To celebrate Halloween and a favorite genre to read and watch in October, we've put together a list of recommended reading and watching available through our catalog and digital resources. Find our curated list of frightfully creepy reads for Halloween and beyond on OverDrive here. For something a little less scary, find our list for “Halloween Treats for a Spooky Night In” list here. Books The Year of Witching by Alexis Henderson Library Catalog OverDrive and Libby: eBook “Immanuelle’s mother dies in childbirth, proclaiming, with her dying breath, that her baby is ‘a curse.' Now a teenager, Immanuelle can’t find
Read More

October 9, 2020 3:51 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: book recommendations, books, film, halloween, Halloween Books, Halloween Movies, horror, horror films, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Halloween STEAM Project: Zombie Dance!

Halloween STEAM Project: Zombie Dance!

Join us on Zoom for Zombie fun! On October 27th, we will be conducting a fun STEAM activity that raises a zombie using pure magic! It’s really a scientific method that uses static electricity but you can amaze your friends and family with this trick. First, we will read Fright Club by Ethan Long, and then we will work together to try to raise our zombies. If interested, please register for the event because supplies are limited to twenty activity kits. The activity kit includes a balloon, tissue paper, a marker, and a cut out zombie (to trace on the
Read More

October 8, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's events, halloween, halloween crafts, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM activities, STEAM learning, STEAM program, STEM, The Trove, and Trove event.

Ibram X. Kendi Visit

Ibram X. Kendi Visit

Registration is now closed for this event. The White Plains Library Foundation, in partnership with the Thomas H. Slater Center and with the support of other sponsors, is presenting a special virtual event with the award-winning author, historian, and thought-leader, Ibram X. Kendi on October 28, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. This program will be the highlight of the Library’s city-wide reading initiative, One Book, One White Plains. In the meantime, mark your fall calendars and look into our digital and physical copies of the two books we'll be reading: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (available in
Read More

October 7, 2020 10:01 am | by | 6 Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, author talk, author visit, book groups, How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds, and One Book One White Plains.

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 3

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 3

On Wednesday October 21st, Sachi Feris of the blog Raising Race Conscious Children will lead a workshop to help parents and caregivers learn how to talk about race with young children. Each week until the workshop, I’ll share an article or resource to help you begin thinking about some related topics. Recommended Reading, Part 1 Recommended Reading, Part 2 Recommended Reading, Part 4 This week, I’d like to share a few different resources that I’ve encountered as a librarian, but have found useful as a parent as well. These resources can help parents think through the way they use children’s
Read More

October 7, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, caregiver, children, parenting, parents, raising race conscious children, The Trove, and White Plains Library Foundation.

STEAM at Home: Puking Pumpkins!

STEAM at Home: Puking Pumpkins!

Halloween is a time to celebrate creepy crawlies, eat your favorite candies, dance like zany zombies and carve plump pumpkins! Halloween is also the perfect time to show off your creativity! Why not wear black nail polish to bring out the goth in you? Use purple Manic Panic to dye your hair! Wear your ghost or goblin costume and feel free to be a bit ghoulish! Have you ever been to Sleepy Hollow? If not, I highly encourage you to visit Sleepy Hollow with your family this year; it’s a great Halloween destination. You could take pictures of the Old
Read More

October 7, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: halloween, halloween crafts, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, and STEM.

Halloween Reads

Halloween Reads

Are you looking forward to Halloween as much as I am? This year we might be limited in our normal Halloween activities due to COVID, but there are still some fun things to do. You can dress up and take photos with your family! In the past two years, I have had fun dressing up as Wednesday Addams and Punk Eleven from Stranger Things Season 2, Chapter 7: “The Lost Sister.” You can also treat yourself to a movie marathon. Some of my favorites include Beetlejuice, Practical Magic, Shaun of the Dead, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and It’s the Great
Read More

October 7, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: book recommendations, eBooks, fun, graphic novels, halloween, Halloween Books, juvenile fiction, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA Fiction.

Jester Jim LIVE!: October 10

Jester Jim LIVE!: October 10

Juggling fire and spinning iPads is just the start. With a background in film making and over 3 million views on social media The Jester Jim Virtual Comedy Show is just what you need! This 40 minute live broadcast packed with tricks, balancing, and laughs, will leave you wanting more. Come join us for all the fun and interact with Jim and his amazing show, LIVE! To attend the show at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, click here to get the Zoom link! This program is supported by the White Plains Library Foundation.
Read More

October 7, 2020 10:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: events, Jester Jim, and trove events.

National Cookbook Month

National Cookbook Month

With the weather getting cooler, now is a good time to warm our homes with the smells of home cooking. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an experienced cook, if you have all day or only an hour, if you have a sweet tooth or prefer something savory, here is a list of cookbooks containing recipes for everyone to enjoy. Celebrate National Cookbook Month with us and let us know what you're cooking! Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin Library Collection OverDrive and Libby It illustrates the diversity, sophistication and influence
Read More

October 6, 2020 11:24 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: cookbooks, cooking, National cookbook month, and recipes.

She Writes: Science

She Writes: Science

This month's collection of titles for our “She Writes” series focuses on the topic of science. We're featuring nonfiction science all written by women. Below you'll find available formats, but we also have a curated list with additional titles in OverDrive that you can checkout here. Find last month's post on graphic novels here. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert Library Collection: Print OverDrive and Libby: eBook and audiobook “The charm of this book (inasmuch as a book about extinction can have charm) lies in Kolbert's hands-on approach to her subject–searching for Panamanian frogs in the dark,
Read More

October 5, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: science, She Writes, staff picks, staff recommendations, and virtual book display.

STEAM at Home: Fireworks in a Jar

STEAM at Home: Fireworks in a Jar

Today we are going to do a simple project making fireworks in a jar. This is cool and quite fun to watch, and a simple lesson in liquid density. Materials: Glass Jar or Glass (make sure it is clear) Small Dish Cooking Oil Food Dye (3 or 4 colors) Toothpick Water Getting Started: Fill the glass jar with water, but leave some room at the top. Take your little dish and cover the bottom with cooking oil. Add 3-5 drops of food coloring, keeping the drops separate. Take your toothpick and dab the drops of food coloring to break them
Read More

October 5, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.

Mindfulness Practices for Teens

Mindfulness Practices for Teens

It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been an unusually stressful year so far. This is the perfect time to draw on Mindfulness Practices, a teen program we’ve previously done both on Zoom and in the library. But with school back in session, we thought another scheduled Zoom meeting might not be the best way to help teens relax. Instead, we’re offering a series of three recorded Mindfulness sessions with yoga and Mindfulness educator Cristina Ortiz. You might know Cristina from her previous work as a teacher in White Plains schools. In addition to her certifications as a yoga
Read More

October 2, 2020 2:09 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: mindfulness, stress management, teens, The Edge, and Wellness.

Wellness from the Edge: Mindfulness Practices

Wellness from the Edge: Mindfulness Practices

It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been an unusually stressful year so far. This is the perfect time to draw on Mindfulness Practices, including techniques to help teens manage stress and promote wellbeing. On this page, you'll find a series of three recorded Mindfulness sessions with yoga and Mindfulness educator Cristina Ortiz. Teens can watch at a time that’s most helpful to them, whether it’s a way to unwind in the evening, or a much-needed break during a stressful day. Cristina has thoughtfully paired each video with a printable page to help teens continue using what they’ve learned
Read More

October 2, 2020 2:07 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: mindfulness, stress management, teens, The Edge, and Wellness.

Celebrate Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Celebrate Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Food is a delicious part of life, made even more delicious when shared with family and friends. October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month so here you’ll find books to tickle your funny bone and recipes to make you the best chef ever. Read the stories out loud while eating your favorite treats or surprise your loved ones with your new delicious recipes. Either way, may you have “good fun and good eats!” You may think that the biggest benefit of eating together as a family is to ensure everyone has food in their stomachs. However, sharing meals does more
Read More

October 2, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, cookbooks, Eat Better Eat Together Month, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali: A Celebration of Light

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji,
Read More

October 2, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, diwali, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and virtual book display.

STEAM at Home: Human Robot

STEAM at Home: Human Robot

This week’s STEAM At Home project will teach you a little about coding, without needing a computer. Materials: Printable Scratch Blocks (or you can make your own!) Paper Scissors Tape – scotch and masking tape Pen Another Person Background: Scratch.mit is a website used for teaching simple coding and computational thinking. You drag and drop blocks into your work area to create a program, the coding is done in the background. They use visuals, simple language, and a snapping feature to fit your blocks together, making it easy to write a computer program. You need a computer and internet connection
Read More

October 1, 2020 2:17 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: coding, STEAM, STEAM at home, STEAM learning, STEM, and videos.

Register Now: Pause and Reflect Writing Workshop

Register Now: Pause and Reflect Writing Workshop

Pause…and Reflect: Stories from Your Side of the Window. Join us for this 8-session online creative writing workshop beginning October 6th. Through exercises and supportive evaluations, you’ll learn techniques that will help you get at the heart of your stories from the pandemic. At the conclusion of the workshop, you are invited to have your story recorded and preserved on film (see the last workshop's film below) to show us how, for all the distance, the walls and windows, the lack of touch, we are still intimately connected. This workshop welcomes all writing levels. Ultimately, these stories will become part
Read More

October 1, 2020 1:03 pm | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Classes, COVID-19, Events, and Library News.
Tags: covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, Pause and Reflect, and writing workshop.

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 2

Race Consciousness: Recommended Reading, Part 2

On Wednesday October 21st, Sachi Feris of the blog Raising Race Conscious Children will lead a workshop to help parents and caregivers learn how to talk about race with young children. Each week until the workshop, I’ll share an article or resource to help you begin thinking about some related topics. Recommended Reading, Part 1 Recommended Reading, Part 3 Recommended Reading, Part 4 This week, I’m sharing a New York Times article: “These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids.” While the article was written in early June, it’s still relevant. Author Jessica Grose interviewed a
Read More

September 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, caregiver, children, parenting, parents, raising race conscious children, The Trove, and White Plains Library Foundation.

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Chapter Books

Mental Illness Awareness Week: Chapter Books

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. The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller For children in grades 3-7. OverDrive: Audio & eBook Just a few months ago, seventh grader Natalie Napoli’s mother was Mom. Lately though, she’s been Not-Mom. Her mother used to be so bubbly
Read More

September 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, mental illness, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Mental Illness Awareness Week: YA Fiction

Mental Illness Awareness Week: YA Fiction

The National Alliance on Mental Illness honors Mental Illness Awareness Week during the first week in October. To mark the occasion, I'm highlighting some of the many characters in YA fiction who deal with mental health challenges. I first read I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sanchez, a couple of years ago. I considered it when working on last month’s post, and decided to listen to a little bit of the audiobook to refresh my memory… and just kept listening as the story hooked me in all over again. The audiobook was excellent. The narrator really
Read More

September 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: books, Dive into Diversity, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, and teen books.

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week was established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress in recognition of efforts by the National Alliance on Mental Illness to educate and increase awareness about mental illness. It takes place every year during the first full week of October. In her Publisher’s Weekly article, “Mental Health and Middle Graders,” Shannon Maughan writes, “A 2019 article in JAMA Pediatrics cites data revealing that one in six youths ages six to 17 experience a mental health disorder in a given year, and that in 2016, 16.5% of U.S. youths ages six to 17 (7.7 million people) experienced a
Read More

September 24, 2020 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, mental health, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.