Archives for staff recommendations

New Movies Streaming in July

New Movies Streaming in July

Maybe you're already familiar with our streaming services hoopla and Kanopy, but did you know that they add new content each month? Find a list below of some exciting new titles available on each platform this month. hoopla Bali: Beats of Paradise (2021 documentary) Directed by Livi Zheng. Starring Nyoman Wenten, Judith Hill, Nanik Wenten. Bali: Beats of Paradise is a documentary that pulls back the curtain on gamelan music and Nyoman Wenten, an Indonesian traditional music composer who sets out to pay homage to the sacred but shrinking tradition of Balinese music and dance. Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How
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July 7, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: films, hoopla, Kanopy, movies, staff picks, staff recommendations, and streaming services.

Summer Staff Picks

Summer Staff Picks

Whether you're looking for a steamy romance or a great rib recipe, Adult Services & Marketing Librarian Kristen has compiled a variety of titles for you to enjoy this summer. If you're looking for something different, leave us a comment below with the genre or theme you're looking for and we'll give you a personalized recommendation! Beach Reads Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin Library Catalog: Print OverDrive & Libby: eBook / Audiobook “A self-made Black millionaire invites her three goddaughters for a last Martha's Vineyard summer–at the end of which one will get the mansion. In the first
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June 30, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, and Library News.
Tags: beach reads, staff picks, staff recommendations, and summer reading.

Great Podcasts for Teens

Great Podcasts for Teens

Continuing our new series on Great Podcasts, here are some recommendations of Great Podcasts for Teens from YS Librarian, Erik! Most of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. If you have some great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Books, Games & Comics Shonen Jump Podcast Listen to discussions on the latest releases, interviews, and background stories of you favorite Manga series. IFanboy This weekly podcast focuses on comic books, comic book publishing, and comic book creators. Josh Flanagan, Ron
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June 24, 2021 11:29 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for teens, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Dive Into Diversity: Summer Reading

Dive Into Diversity: Summer Reading

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. Did you know that we have a section in the Trove with tons of suggestions for children and tweens based on what grade they’re in? Starting with Pre-K and going up to grade 6, it’s a really handy resource and many
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June 24, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, staff picks, staff recommendations, and summer reading.

Dive into Diversity: YA Historical Fiction

Dive into Diversity: YA Historical Fiction

In 2021, my Dive into Diversity posts about young adult books will focus on a different genre each month. I’ll highlight books with characters that represent a range of experiences and identities. I’ll also feature books written by authors who share an aspect of their characters’ identity, as much as possible. This month, with the Fourth of July approaching, I'm highlighting some great YA books in the historical fiction genre. Not all of them are set in the United States, but many of the titles below examine events in U. S. history from a perspective that's different from the dominant
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June 24, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Teens, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Dive into Diversity, historical fiction, staff picks, staff recommendations, and YA literature.

Dive Into Diversity: Summer Reads

Dive Into Diversity: Summer Reads

Summer is here! To celebrate the season, I have gathered together some great, diverse books about summertime. Parents might also like checking out Rebekah Gienapp’s blog, Summer Reading: 15 Diverse Picture Books Kids Will Love. Listed below are books for both younger and older children available as eBooks and audiobooks on OverDrive, Hoopla, and also in the Westchester Libraries. Enjoy! For Younger Readers: Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child, Gordon Jourdain & Jonathan Thunder (Grades K-2) Library Catalog “Ojibwe protagonist Windy Girl and her new dog, Itchy Boy, enjoy many good times, but none are so good as when they
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June 24, 2021 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, staff picks, staff recommendations, summer, and summertime.

Great Podcasts for Parents & Caregivers Pt. 1

Great Podcasts for Parents & Caregivers Pt. 1

I recently highlighted some staff recommendations for Great Podcasts for Kids, in this post, however, you'll find some Great Podcasts for Parents and Caregivers! We will highlight below some excellent podcasts in the topics of Parenting & Caregiving and Books, Reading and KidLit. You can find all of our published podcast related posts here – more to come! If you have some great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Most of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. PARENTING & CAREGIVING
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June 23, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for parents and caregivers, parenting, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New Movies Streaming in June

New Movies Streaming in June

Maybe you're already familiar with our streaming services hoopla and Kanopy, but did you know that they add new content each month? Find a list below of some exciting new titles available on each platform this month. hoopla Mr. Jones (2020 action / suspense) Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Starring James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard, Joseph Mawle. 1933. An ambitious young journalist, Gareth Jones, travels to Moscow to uncover the truth behind Stalin's Soviet propaganda that pushes their “utopia” to the Western world. When he gets a tip that could expose an international conspiracy, Jones' life and the lives of
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June 4, 2021 1:37 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: film recommendations, films, hoopla, Kanopy, movies, staff picks, staff recommendations, and streaming.

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. As mentioned in the first Peculiar Picks about Song Books, music is a constant in our household. All kinds of music. Here are some more books based on songs that are absolutely full of positive vibes, as well as some links to the music that inspired the books. Note: I recommend caregivers listen to the music for themselves before
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June 3, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, music, Peculiar Picks, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Picks

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Picks

Each June we celebrate LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters) Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City. The purpose of this month is to both celebrate and recognize the impact and legacy of LGBTQIA+ individuals. To help celebrate, we've collected a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles and themed films available through our catalog and on our streaming services. If you'd like to take part in local Pride Month events, we recommend checking out the LOFT LGBTQ+
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June 2, 2021 11:13 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: June, LGBTQIA+, Pride Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Great Podcasts for Kids: Part 1

Great Podcasts for Kids: Part 1

With the long Memorial Day Weekend coming up, and summer vacation on the horizon, perhaps you’re going to be taking a long car trip. Podcasts are great for that time, or any time! Here’s a selection of excellent podcasts for kids and families selected by Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. All of these should be available on any service you use to listen to podcasts, such as Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc. If you have some additional great podcast recommendations, leave them in the comments below! Podcast Potpourri Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl Forget the annoying,
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May 26, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Great Podcasts, Great Podcasts for Kids, podcasts, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Celebrate Pride 2021 with Children’s & YA Books!

Celebrate Pride 2021 with Children’s & YA Books!

LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and all of the other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters) Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, which took place in New York City. The Stonewall riots marked the beginning of a movement to abolish discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQIA+ persons in the United States, which continues to our present day. Pride celebrates the achievements of LGBTQIA+ Americans, and it highlights the work that continues in order to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for those in the LGBTQIA+
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May 25, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: LGBTQIA+, Observances and Celebrations, Pride Month, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

The Fight for Voting Rights

The Fight for Voting Rights

The fight for the right to vote has been an ongoing struggle in the United States since this country's founding, and continues to this day. Right now, we are living in the midst of an important historical moment in our country’s fight for democracy, and I hope this blog can offer parents and students resources for understanding the past and our present history. I found The Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Things Explained: The History of U.S. Voting Rights” video to be a helpful, condensed kid-friendly video that explains this country’s voting rights struggles (especially the struggles of our country’s Black citizens).
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May 25, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: staff picks, staff recommendations, voting, and voting rights.

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. Robots may be machines, but these stories about robots teach us a lot about being human. Here are some robot books filled with humor, joy, kindness, empathy, and heart. Ultrabot’s First Playdate by Josh Schneider Library Catalog A young girl and the giant robot next door is the basic premise of this awesomely illustrated book. Ultrabot is worried and
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May 20, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, Peculiar Picks, robots, science, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

New Movies Streaming in May

New Movies Streaming in May

Maybe you're already familiar with our streaming services Hoopla and Kanopy, but did you know that they add new content each month? Find a list below of some exciting new titles available on each platform this month. Hoopla Another Round (2020 Danish drama/comedy) Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Milland. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Four friends, all teachers at various stages of middle age, are stuck in a rut. Unable to share their passions either at school or at home, they embark on an audacious experiment from an obscure
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May 12, 2021 10:14 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured and Library News.
Tags: film recommendations, films, hoopla, Kanopy, movies, staff picks, staff recommendations, and streaming.

Twilight Zone Day

Twilight Zone Day

Celebrated each year on May 11, Twilight Zone Day is a fun way to enter a dimension where dolls protect those they love, aliens can be deceiving, and a man who loves to read never has any time to do so. The Twilight Zone was created, written, and narrated by Rod Sterling. The show premiered on October 1, 1959, and ended its run in 1964. Watching a marathon of The Twilight Zone has become a New Year’s Eve tradition for many fans; however, this wacky, and wonderful show can be viewed and enjoyed at any time of the year. The
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May 11, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, STEAM at home, STEAM projects, STEM, and The Twilight Zone.

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. Reading these fun pictures books about Vikings lead to my daughter becoming interested in learning more about Vikings and Norse Mythology. The Three Vikings by Adam Auerbach Library Catalog A red Viking, a blue Viking, and a wee green Viking set off on adventures seeking entry to the fabled Valhalla. Red is super strong, Blue is very brave, but
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May 6, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: children's books, norse mythology, Peculiar Picks, staff picks, staff recommendations, and vikings.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican-American Heritage!

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican-American Heritage!

Cinco de Mayo marks the unlikely defeat of a large, well-trained French invading force by an undermanned Mexican army in the Battle of Puébla on May 5,1862. The victory against the French forces prevented Emperor Napoleon III from helping the Confederacy win the American Civil War. Dave Roos, on the History Channel’s webpage, “How Cinco de Mayo Helped Prevent a Confederate Victory in the Civil War,” writes,“Napoleon figured if he could get his hands on Mexico, it could become the first colony in a new French stronghold in North America. Abraham Lincoln was busy fighting the Civil War, so the
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May 5, 2021 10:10 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: Cinco de Mayo, Observances and Celebrations, picture books, staff picks, and staff recommendations.

Goodbye AcornTV

Goodbye AcornTV

I hope you got plenty of use out of AcornTV, because effective May 14 we will no longer offer it. The decision wasn't ours; apparently Acorn decided they no longer wanted to be in the library market. This is one of the downsides of the digital world. Unlike a print book, or a DVD, libraries don't own the eBooks and streaming content they offer. Typically, we can only lease them. Which makes us vulnerable to whatever decision a vendor might make. If you were a fan of AcornTV, this is a good time to get to know another streaming service,
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May 4, 2021 10:00 am | by | 1 Comment
Categories: Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: AcornTV, hoopla, staff picks, staff recommendations, television, and tv.

May the Fourth Be with You!

May the Fourth Be with You!

Happy Star Wars Day! For additional reads and activities to celebrate, check out our previous May the Fourth Be With You blog posts! Below find some newer Star Wars books, along with some fun activities. Stars Wars Books for Younger Readers Star Wars Galactic Storybook by Calliope Glass, illustrated by Katie Cook eBook / Library Catalog A fun retelling of Skywalker Saga for younger readers with exceedingly cute illustrations. A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber, illustrated by Mike Deas eBook / Library Catalog Experience training with Luke Skywalker on Dagobah and receive Jedi wisdom from Master Yoda in
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May 4, 2021 9:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: eBooks, May the 4th Be With You, May the Fourth Be With You, Observances and Celebrations, staff picks, staff recommendations, Star Wars, and STEAM.