National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15th to October 15th. The month-long celebration recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. The day of September 15th is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September
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Archives for picture books
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. Now, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with the books that came before these two titles, but in both cases my daughter absolutely loved the sequel, and was sort of meh about the first one in comparison. Sometimes, I think it is that perhaps the creators have a better sense of the characters and the best story
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Autumn: Children’s Books
Autumn is the season of shorter days, frosty nights, delicious apples, pumpkins, cranberries and more. The sweaters come out, the animals prepare for hibernation and we watch the leaves falling to the ground. Families get cozy together to celebrate the bounty and togetherness. However you decide to enjoy the season, make sure you take advantage of everything autumn has to offer. eBooks in OverDrive: Over in the Forest, by Marianne Berkes. Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin, by Tad Hills. Apple Orchard Race, by Abby Klein. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, by Margaret McNamara. The Apple Orchard Riddle, by
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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. Today’s Peculiar Picks titles are from the Fox & Chick series written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier: The Party and Other Stories and The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories. Fox & Chick are kind of like a modern Frog and Toad, with quirky humor and plenty of heart. As a “comic book” styled easy reader, these are great
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Going to School in the Time of COVID-19
A new school year is here bringing with it new challenges. We have prepared a sample of titles dealing with going to school under difficult circumstances. If you are considering homeschooling as an option for your family, please check out Lauren's post which includes information and resources. Going to School: Mae’s First Day of School, by Kate Berube. (eBook on Freading) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School, by Davide Cali. (eBook and Read-Along on OverDrive) The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi. (eBook on OverDrive) First Day Jitters, by Julie Dannenber. (Read-Along on Tumblebooks) Pete The Cat Too
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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. Behind Closed Doors Today’s Peculiar Picks share a common theme, traveling upwards through a building and discovering who, or what, is behind the doors on each floor. Both books revel in the mystery of closed doors and the curiosity of all people, not just young people, about the inhabitants of those rooms. The Neighbors by Einat Tsarfati Also available
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Pet-themed Picture Books
Pets can play an important part in your children's physical and mental development. An added bonus to the loving bond between children and their pets are the many ways it can help your child grow into a caring, responsible individual. Pets can help with learning, provide comfort, encourage nurturing, help keep kids healthy, and build stronger family bonds. For more information, click here, and keep reading for a selection of pet-themed picture books. Downton Tabby, by Sparkle Abby. (eBook on OverDrive) Me and My Dragon, by David Biedrzycki. (Audiobook on Hoopla) One Cool Friend, by Toni Buzzeo. (eBook on OverDrive)
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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. Pearl by Molly Idle Click here to borrow Pearl by Molly Idle in eBook on Overdrive. Pearl by Molly Idle is many things. It is emotional and moving. a story of mothers and daughters. a quasi-creation myth. gorgeously illustrated. It is filled with mermaids, and krakens and a lush, fully-realized underwater world. about responsibility and finding one’s place and
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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. It’s summer. It’s hot. The Sun is shining. But, what IS that big ball of gas and flame that makes the summer hot and bright? Having read both of the following books with my daughter, I can attest that they are hilarious, informative, and will hold both your child’s attention and yours, while you learn all about the Sun.
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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. Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin Also available as an eBook on Overdrive. Brian Selznick is very well-known for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal. Baby Monkey, Private Eye, however, is both an Amazon and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year,
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Virtual Book Display: Celebrate Pride Month!
LGBTQ+ Pride Month was established in the month of June to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969, and are credited as the birth of the gay civil rights movement. The month is dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of LGBTQ+ people around the world. To celebrate, here are notable titles that emphasize love, respect, community, understanding, and of course, pride: Picture Books: Chapter Books: Nonfiction:
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Bilingual Picture Books
Here are some digital titles for you and your family. Whether you enjoy traditional tales or totally new stories, we trust you can find a title for every taste in your family. Aquí le ofrecemos algunos títulos digitales para usted y su familia. Ya sea que disfrute cuentos tradicionales o cuentos totalmente nuevos, aquí podrá encontrar un título para cada gusto en su familia. Hands Are Not For Hitting / Las manos no son para pegar, by Martine Agassi. (Available as eBook on OverDrive) Baby Shark / Bebé tiburón, by John John Bajet. (Available as eBook on OverDrive) The Sad,
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Picture Books for Autism Acceptance Month
By Raquel Cavalcanti, Trove Librarian. April is Autism Acceptance Month. The following notable picture book titles about children on the autism spectrum have all been deftly written by authors who are on the autism spectrum themselves or are parents or siblings of family members who are on the autism spectrum. For some more recommended titles, I found this May 2019 Book Riot article, “Understanding the Spectrum: 7 Great Picture Books About Autism,” by Rachel Rosenberg to be worthwhile. A Friend For Henry By Jen Bailey & Mika Song E-book on OverDrive Libby E-book on Hoopla “A boy on the autism
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Tasty Picture Books
By Raquel Cavalcanti, Trove Librarian. This blog is the first in a two-part series about food-themed picture book eBooks available on OverDrive and on Libby. What is Libby? Libby is an easy-to-use app that allows you to borrow eBooks and digital audiobooks with your library card for free. Libby has thousands of adult, teen, and children’s titles that you can borrow using your iPad, tablet, or phone by downloading the app from your app store. Picture book eBooks are a great way for parents and caregivers to read-aloud beautifully written and illustrated stories with their pre-readers and beginning readers and
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Music-Themed Picture Book Read-Alouds on Libby
Some of you may ask what is Libby? Libby is an easy-to-use app that allows you to borrow eBooks and digital audiobooks with your library card for free. Libby has thousands of Adult, Teen, and Children’s titles that you can borrow using your iPad, tablet, or phone by downloading the app from your app store. One of my favorite types of content available on Libby are the Read-Alouds that with their narration and word highlighting make them perfect to share with pre-readers and beginning readers. For fun, I have highlighted 3 of my favorite Read-Alouds that share the subject of
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libby, music, picture books, and read-alouds.
Girl Power in Picture 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. Raquel's portion is aimed at readers up to Grade 3. A good web resource for book ideas to celebrate Women’s History Month is the A Mighty Girl website, which “features over 3,000 girl-empowering books.” Here are a few of the great picture books for young readers to celebrate Women’s History
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Peculiar Picks: Narwhal and Jellyfish Series
Peculiar picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Picture books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Many of the books in this column are ones that my wife and I have read with our daughter. Our experiences of trying to find books to keep up with her insatiable love of books, while also keeping us interested in reading them, lead to a lot of the choices in this column. The Narwhal and Jellyfish books by Ben Clanton
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Dive into Diversity: Celebrating Black History Month with Picture 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. Raquel's portion is aimed at readers up to Grade 3. A great resource for parents and educators looking for the newest, excellent titles for children by African-American writers and illustrators is The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later: A Black History Month Celebration of Children’s Literature at 28 Days Later. Highlighted
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Peculiar Picks: Peter McCarty
Peculiar picks are a selection of odd, funny, interesting, curious, moving, irreverent, and otherwise wonderfully awesome, but perhaps not well known, reads. Picture books for younger readers and their grown-ups, handpicked by the Library's Youth Services Manager, Joshua Carlson. Jeremy Draws a Monster // The Monster Returns by Peter McCarty I’m starting off this series with “one” of my favorite books, the Jeremy and the Monster duology by Peter McCarty. McCarty is best known for Caldecott Honor Books, Hondo & Fabian, and New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Henry in Love. But his Jeremy Draws a Monster
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