Archives for children’s books

Women’s Equality Day

On August 26th, 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment and that date became known as “Women’s Equality Day.” The National Constitution Center’s article, Why is August 26 Known As Women's Equality Day? writes, “In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug championed a bill in the U.S. Congress to designate August 26 as ‘Women’s Equality Day.’ The bill says that ‘the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote.’” Unfortunately, women’s equality and voting rights are
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

American Artist Appreciation Month

August is American Artist Appreciation Month. It is never too early to learn about art, creativity, and expression. Discover activities you can do with your family at home or visit a museum such as The Met. During the month of August you can also treat yourself to a biography of Mary Cassatt or Faith Ringold and learn about their passion, influences, and styles of expression. Readers can learn about the Harlem Renaissance which helped African American artists get recognition for their contributions in the art world.  An Artist’s America by Michael Albert Library Collection: Print (Grades 4-6th) Michael Albert combined
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Appreciating Nature

Time spent outdoors is both physically and mentally healthy for all of us. Spending time in nature promotes creativity, relieves stress and is just plain fun – especially for kids. Best of all, most of us won’t need to travel far to enjoy the great outdoors – Westchester County has great places to visit and commune with nature. I found Westchester Magazine’s article, These Are the Top Outdoor Activities in Westchester to be particularly helpful in finding so many wonderful green spaces in our area. Pairing outdoor adventures with great books creates even better opportunities to enjoy the benefits of
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Summer Reading 2022

Summer Reading at the White Plains Public Library starts Monday, June 27 and will run through Friday, August 19.  Logging reading over the summer will again be online this year via the READsquared platform through either the READsquared website or the READsquared app (available here: iOS and Android).           Lectura de Verano 2022 Find information on the great lineup of programs and events for kids, teens and families in July and August here. Get Started! Register and login to READsquared. Individual youth participants can register as themselves, or parents and caregivers can register all of their
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Categories: Authors & Books, Events, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.

Delicious Summer Foods

Summer brings us images of picnics, watermelons, berries, ice cream, corn on the cob, hamburgers, and more. Take a moment to enjoy these stories of friends enjoying delicious food together. Good weather, good friends and good food; who could ask for more? Watermelon day, by Kathi Appelt. Library Catalog The burger and the hot dog, by Jim Aylesworth. Library Catalog Halal hot dogs, by Susannah Aziz. Library Catalog Cheers for a dozen ears : a summer crop of counting, by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky. Library Catalog / hoopla Ice cream, by Elisha Cooper. Library Catalog The little ice cream truck, by
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. The characters in these stories just want to get a good night’s sleep. It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee Library Catalog / hoopla The Wimbledon family is trying to sleep… Noises, smells, and more keep waking them up. It’s only their dog Stanley, doing increasingly strange things… but why is he doing them? Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Traveling Through Picture Books

In Caitlin Morton’s article for Condé Nast, 29 Children's Books That Will Teach Your Kids About the World, she writes, “Aside from actually hopping on a plane, reading is the best way for children to learn about the world—and travel books for kids happen to be some of the most touching, open-minded works out there.” Travel picture books can teach us about new places, and they can also let us connect to our family’s heritage. Gathered here are picture books perfect for sharing that travel to many places and times – enjoy traveling through the pages of these notable titles!
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. No real theme today, just a selection of funny Peculiar Picks! What Animals Really Like by Fiona Robins Library Catalog / hoopla This zany picture book features a cacophonous animal chorus that fails to live up to its conductor’s expectations when the animals refuse to perform the parts expected of them, instead demonstrating what they really like to do.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Great Outdoors Month

On June 5th, 2019, the US Senate designated June as Great Outdoors Month. Great Outdoors Month is a wonderful opportunity to spend time exploring nature. Spending time outdoors is refreshing, fun, and has great health benefits. According to The American Hiking Society, being in nature is great for both mental and physical health. You can spend time outdoors in a park, garden, at the beach, or hiking. There are many fun activities that you can do with your family and friends. Try using one of the suggested activities such as creating a nature bracelet, identifying different trees, camping, and stargazing.
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

P is for PLANET

Climate change is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive. As extreme weather events such as cyclones and heat waves increase in frequency and ferocity, they threaten children’s lives and destroy infrastructure critical to their well-being. Floods compromise water and sanitation facilities, leading to diseases such as cholera, to which children are particularly vulnerable. This is the first time a global generation of children will grow up in a world made far more dangerous and uncertain as a result of a changing climate and degraded environment. Addressing climate change and mitigating its impact is imperative
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. I loved The Addams Family as a kid, the original TV show and the 90s movies (ok, I admit, I still love them now). Just the mention of The Addams Family also immediately brings to mind the original show’s infectious theme song: “dada duh dum snap snap dada duh dum snap snap they’re creepy and they’re kooky, The Addams
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

Children’s Titles to Celebrate Black History Part 2

Veronica Chambers writes in her New York Times article, How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now, ”Why does Black History Month in particular, and the study of Black history overall, still matter so much? ‘There’s no question that history is and continues to be a battleground. The origin stories that we tell matter a great deal for where we set the bar and how we set the bar going forward,’ noted Professor Jones, of Johns Hopkins. ‘So when you talk about people like Carter G. Woodson, these are men who knew that if you
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

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. I’ve mentioned my enjoyment of the works of Dan Santat on several previous occasions. So here are four more works either illustrated by or written and illustrated by Dan Santat. These books were all huge hits with my six-year-old daughter, especially Little Fox and the Wild Imagination (which became a great read together as she read Little Fox’s parts
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.

African American Children’s Authors

Enjoy these wonderful tales of triumph, challenges, hope and above all, love. Stacey’s extraordinary words, by Stacey Abrams Library Catalog / Libby How to read a book, by Kwame Alexander Library Catalog I am every good thing, by Derrick D. Barnes Library Catalog / eBook / Audiobook The king of Kindergarten, by Derrick Barnes Library Catalog / Libby Zuri Ray tries ballet, by Tami Charles Library Catalog When we say Black Lives Matter, by Maxine Beneba Clarke Library Catalog / Libby We shall overcome, by Bryan Collier Library Catalog / Libby Parker looks up: an extraordinary moment, by Parker Curry
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Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.