Archives for children’s books

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, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: children's books, Project Lit, Project Lit Chapter, Project Lit Community, and teen books.

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, 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: 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, 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.

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, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, staff recommendations, and The Trove.

Celebrate Christmas and New Year’s: Children’s Books

Celebrate Christmas and New Year’s: Children’s Books

Christmas and New Year’s are times to spend with family, and create memories. This year, the challenge to safely create family special moments is greater, but with a little ingenuity it can be done. Penguin Books has come up with 13 Festive Family Activities to Get You in the Christmas Spirit. They write, “The run-up to Christmas 2020 is certainly going to be a little different. But you don’t have to go to a Christmas market or a Santa’s grotto to experience the mirth and merriment of the season.” I really like the activities they list – they are safe,
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December 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Christmas, New Year's, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Reads Revisited: The Last Unicorn

Reads Revisited: The Last Unicorn

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Trove Librarian Caroline Reddy revisits The Last Unicorn (OverDrive; Catalog) by Peter S. Beagle. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle, is one of my favorite fantasy novels. In this timeless tale, a unicorn discovers that she is the last of her kind. She sets on a quest to find out what has happened to all of the other unicorns. In her hero’s journey, she must first free herself from the sorcerer, Mommy Fortuna, who collects magical creatures for
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December 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Reads Revisited, staff picks, staff recommendations, and The Last Unicorn.

Celebrate Kwanzaa with Books!

Celebrate Kwanzaa with Books!

Kwanzaa, celebrated yearly from December 26th to January 1st, is a holiday that focuses on the importance of family and community for African Americans and Africans around the world. Founder of the holiday, Dr. Maulana Karenga writes, “As an African American and Pan-African holiday celebrated by millions throughout the world African community, Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.” Kwanzaa – a Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, the title of the official Kwanzaa organization website, is a great place to learn about Dr.
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December 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Kwanzaa, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

Books for Young Readers to Celebrate Hanukkah!

In 2020, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 10th, and continues through Friday, December 18th. PJ Library, a Jewish early literacy organization, writes, “Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, brings joy and sparkle during a dark time of the year. Beginning on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which falls in November or December in the Roman calendar, Hanukkah is a time to eat delicious latkes (potato pancakes), play dreidel (a traditional game featuring a spinning top), enjoy gathering with family and friends — and, of course, light Hanukkah candles.” The website nicely describes the origins of the
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December 9, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Hanukkah, Observances and Celebrations, Observances and Holidays, 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. Rear End Reads. Tail Tales. Stern Stories. Great Glutes. Rump Recommendations. Peculiar Posterior Picks. In other words: Butt Books. I had so many fun names for today’s Peculiar Picks (including some I couldn’t include in this family friendly column) featuring the (probably) most laugh-inducing part of the body: the hilarious heinie. Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by
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December 3, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Chapter Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 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. Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte For children in grades 3-7 Library Collection: Print OverDrive: eBook In this historical fiction novel set in 1805, Mary Lambert and her family live in the town of Chilmark on the island of
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December 1, 2020 2:08 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Children’s Books

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations website states the occasion “aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The 2020 theme is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.” In her blog post “Representation Matters: 10 Children's Books with Disabled Characters,” Margaret Kingsbury, herself a disabled mother,
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December 1, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Hey Kids! It’s a Snow Day!

Need some ideas for making the most of your snow day? See some of our staff recommendations below. Snow Day Activities Polar Express Train! Read The Polar Express (Hoopla; OverDrive) by Chris Van Allsburg and let your child’s imagination run wild. Make decorated tickets from paper. Build a snow train outside or use furniture and blankets and more to make a train inside. All aboard! Host Your Own Winter Olympics A snow obstacle course with snow mounds to climb over, snow tunnels to crawl through. A sled race. Distance and accuracy snowball throwing competitions – setup targets, such as a
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December 1, 2020 12:01 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: activities, children's books, eBooks, fun, picture books, snow day, staff picks, staff recommendations, and STEAM.

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. There are many, many versions of The Three Little Pigs — from traditional retellings, to ones with other animals such as fish and sharks, to ones with other things like trucks or tamales, to, of course, several versions that tell how badly the wolf was maligned in the original tale. This being Peculiar Picks, however, I wanted to pick
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November 19, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Peculiar Picks, picture books, and The Trove.

Reads Revisited: The Trumpet of the Swan

Reads Revisited: The Trumpet of the Swan

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Edge Librarian Kathlyn Carroll revisits The Trumpet of the Swan (Catalog) by E. B. White. I was so excited when Ashley came up with the idea for this series of blog posts re-examining a favorite childhood book. I immediately thought of Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White, which I read over and over again in early elementary school. I was a serial re-reader; on trips to the school media center, my second grade teacher began requiring me
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November 16, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, E. B. White, Reads Revisited, 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. Annually, in order to raise cancer awareness, No-Shave November takes place. “The goal of No-Shave November is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming to educate about cancer prevention, save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.”
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October 29, 2020 11:37 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, No Shave November, Observances and Celebrations, Peculiar Picks, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Reads Revisited

Reads Revisited

Reads Revisited is a blog series where Trove and Edge Librarians revisit some of their favorite childhood stories. In today's column, Manager of Youth Services Josh Carlson revisits The House with the Clock In Its Walls (Catalog / OverDrive) and The Curse of the Blue Figurine (Catalog / OverDrive) by John Bellairs. Before I started reading, I spent some time thinking about my memories of these books. In my mind, they feel like they were important in my childhood in some way. I remember them spooky, fun and filled with adventure. I couldn’t put them down. As a rule, I
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October 29, 2020 11:03 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, Edward Gorey, John Bellairs, Reads Revisited, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Noteworthy Native American Nonfiction Titles for Children

Noteworthy Native American Nonfiction Titles for Children

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November and is dedicated to highlighting the history, culture, traditions, and contributions Native Americans have made and continue to make to the U.S. Highlighted in this blog are noteworthy nonfiction titles for children in grades K-6 on notable Native Americans, and Indigenous history and culture. For further reading, I highly recommend as a premier resource for information and critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children’s and YA books, Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL). My blogs have been highlighting the diversity found in our country’s monthly celebrations, but will
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October 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, nonfiction, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Native American Heritage Month: Chapter Books

Native American Heritage Month: 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. Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell For children in grades 4-7. Library Collection: Print OverDrive: eBook For all of her life, eight-year-old Regina Petit and her family have lived on the Indian reservation at Grand Ronde. They
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October 27, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: chapter books, children's books, children's literature, Dive into Diversity, National Native American Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, Observances and Celebrations, 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. ‘Tis the season for… spooky reads! Today’s books are not (necessarily) outright scary but provide some suspense-filled fun, and only one of them is specifically a Halloween title. I recommend breaking out your best creepy “horror movie” voice. Need some inspiration for your spooky reading voice? Vincent Price reads Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven Christopher Lee reads Poe’s Tales
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October 22, 2020 10:35 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, children's literature, halloween, Halloween Books, Observances and Celebrations, October, Peculiar Picks, picture books, Spooktober, spooky reads, staff picks, and staff recommendations.