Welcome!
 Hello! I’m Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services at the Library. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the inaugural issue of What’s the Story? a monthly newsletter from the White Plains Public Library related to events, news and other items of interest to kids, teens, families and caregivers. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, you may unsubscribe here. Otherwise, I hope you look forward to reading more about what’s going on in the Library for children, teens and families; book reviews and recommendations; interesting articles or news from around the web, and other related content from month to month. Much of this content will be brought to you by the Library’s Youth Services staff. I invite you to check out our Meet the Staff page and get to know them better. Then, stop in and say “hi!”
I hope to see you soon at the Library!
Joshua Carlson
Manager of Youth Services
jcarlson@whiteplainslibrary.org
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American Library Association (ALA) Announces 2020 Award Winning Books
 Speaking of news, the American Library Association announced its 2020 Youth Media Awards winners this week. These awards are the premier recognition for books created for children and teens. Think of them as the Grammys or Oscars for youth literature.
Two of the biggest annual awards are:
- The Randolph Caldecott Medal, honoring the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children, was awarded to The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson.
- The John Newbery Award, honoring the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, was awarded to New Kid by Jerry Craft. Local author and illustrator Jerry Craft has been a frequent visitor to the White Plains Public Library, including presenting during our annual Eastview school visits. New Kid marks the first time a graphic novel has won the prestigious Newbery Award and is seen by many as a way to prove to skeptics that graphic novels are an important, worthwhile and legitimate form of reading.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! More information on the rest of these fantastic works can be found here, along with links to the books in our catalog. I invite you to come on in to the Library and pick up some of the award winning books from this year, and previous years, on display in the Trove and the Edge. |
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Changes to Trove Time and Mother Goose
 Mother Goose Play Time, the Trove’s early literacy program for little ones up to 24 months with a caregiver, and Trove Time, our storytime and socialization/play program for ages 2-4 with their caregivers, are two of our most popular programs. The demand for the Mother Goose program has far exceeded its current once per week scheduling, so in February some changes will be taking place.
Mother Goose Play Time is now Trove Time: Tiny Tots and will take place on both Monday and Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m. It will be the same early literacy rich program with songs, finger plays, and stories great for up to age 24 months, just twice as many sessions!
Trove Time for ages 2-4 itself isn’t changing at all, with great stories and songs followed by a wealth of play and engaging social time, however it will now just be twice each week, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
Trove Time is supported by the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Black History Month Events
Take part in programs celebrating Black History Month throughout February, including a Film Series, storytimes, crafts, and more.
Please visit our website for a full listing of dates.
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Edge STEM Mini-Camps
 Our second School Vacation Maker Camp will be held February 18-21, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. For teens in grades 6 and up. Registration required for each individual session; attendance each day is a must. To register, visit our online calendar here or call us at (914) 422-1481. There is a $5 materials fee due on the first day. For more info, please visit our website.
This program is made possible by a grant from Con Edison to the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Pointers 4 Parents
 Lauren's "Pointers 4 Parents" column features tips, tricks, and resources for caregivers with a specific focus on children with special needs.
As an introduction to this column, let’s start with some tips for reading to or with your child(ren). An Ohio State University study suggests that children who have five books a day read to them enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than children who aren't read to.
Listen, I understand that life happens. There are days for every parent when there’s just no time for anything you want to do. Some days you may not get to read, other days you only have time for one or two books. The fact remains that even children who get one book read to them daily will still hear more than 300,000 more words by the age of five than those who don’t.
Many parents struggle trying to choose books for their children. This is completely normal. Please, let us help you—but I would also like to suggest a great resource from our parenting shelves, The Ramped-Up Read Aloud: What to Notice When You Turn the Page, by Maria Walther. While the text is aimed primarily at teachers, there is such a wealth of advice for parents and caregivers as well. Not only does Walther completely explain the benefits of reading aloud (to older children as well), but she also identifies wonderful stories and read-alikes with summaries to make choosing and discussing books so much easier.
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Doing Good in The Edge: Project Linus
Adele Shapiro, Chapter Coordinator for Project Linus in Westchester, will be at the Do Gooders' meeting on Saturday, February 15th from 2:00-4:00 p.m. To learn more about Project Linus, and to register, please visit our website.
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What’s New in The Trove and The Edge?
• Trove: Find out about some of our newest books for babies through sixth graders in the Trove here! • Edge: Looking for that new YA novel? Check out the newest teen reads in the Edge here!
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January Photo of the Month
Above: ConEd STEM Maker Camp for teens.
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