President George W. Bush established May as National Jewish American Heritage Month in 2006. The month-long celebration highlights the many contributions of Jewish Americans to American history, and celebrates Jewish cultural heritage. To celebrate, here are some fun and noteworthy Children’s and Young Adult titles. Children's Picture Books: Children’s Chapter Books: Children’s Nonfiction: Young Adult Fiction:
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Possibly our most dynamic resource offered is Hoopla, as it includes a variety of different formats from books to movies and music. In order to highlight some of these, we've written up recommendations of just a few formats you can stream and download with your library card. Below are some folk music recommendations from Adult Services librarian Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno. One of my favorite genres to browse on Hoopla is folk as it encompasses so many styles (there are well over 4,000 titles grouped under the genre); that and I used to host a folk-themed radio show. Below I highlight
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Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, takes place in May. It celebrates the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Stanford University’s Asian American Activities Center website states that May, “was chosen because two important anniversaries fall during this time: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad by many Chinese laborers on May 10, 1869.” To explore the history, traditions, culture and arts of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Library of Congress has put together a useful
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Having missed out on Star Trek as a child, I first heard of George Takei about ten years ago when he began posting hilarious memes on Facebook. More recently, he’s been known for his political activism and for sharing his childhood experience in an internment camp during WWII. This is the topic of his 2019 graphic novel They Called Us Enemy. Takei relates the circumstances of his family’s forced removal from their Los Angeles home and the four years they spent behind bars. He tells the story as he experienced it as a child, layered with facts he learned from
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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. May is Jewish American Heritage Month and I enjoyed reading the delightful My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman, which Kathlyn suggested I try. Read on to find out more about why your child may have fun reading it as
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Jewish American Heritage Month is a month to celebrate the contributions Jewish Americans have made to America since they first arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654. The Library of Congress website states that, “On April 20, 2006 President Bush issued the first Presidential Proclamation which designated May 2006 as Jewish American Heritage Month.” The National Museum of American Jewish History has a great website to explore resources that highlight American Jewish history, art, and culture and their virtual resources can be explored here. Highlighted below are three notable picture books geared towards younger readers that explore the history and culture
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Possibly our most dynamic digital resource, Hoopla includes a variety of different formats from books to movies and music. In order to highlight some of these, we've gathered staff recommendations of just a few formats you can stream and download with your library card. Below are some album recommendations from Adult Services & Local History Librarian Austin Duffy and Adult Services Librarian Sharon Rothman. The Great American Songbook picks from Austin: Bing Crosby. Bing Sings the Great American Songbook. Short, breezy covers of classics like “Manhattan” and “I’ve Got A Crush On You.” Nancy Wilson. The Great American Songbook. Elegant,
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As a kid, my journey into reading and loving books began with the paranormal. I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books along with R.L Stine’s Fear Street. I quickly moved to comic books like The Maxx, horror books by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and my favorite author Robert R. McCammon. I also began to venture into manga, especially CLAMP, an all-female Japanese writing group that wrote Cardcaptur Sakura, xxxHolic, and Tsubasa. Most of their manga has elements of Japanese mysticism and the occult. With the popularity of Stranger Things, we can see that the paranormal can be a coming
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Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Enjoy these books about the holiday and more books that celebrate Mexican culture. Books About Cinco de Mayo/May 5th: Celebra el Cinco de Mayo con un jarabe tapatío, by Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy (Spanish) (OverDrive) Marco’s Cinco de Mayo, by Lisa Bullard (Hoopla) Cinco de Mouse-O!, by Judy Cox (Audio-Book) (Hoopla) Cinco de Mayo, by Rachel Grack (Hoopla) Cinco de Mayo, by M.C. Hall
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Possibly our most dynamic digital resource, Hoopla includes a variety of different formats from books to movies and music. In order to highlight some of these, we've gathered staff recommendations of just a few formats you can stream and download with your library card. Below are some graphic novel recommendations from Manager of Youth Services, Josh Carlson. These titles are all phenomenal, but are definitely not for kids. Did you just binge watch The Boys, Locke and Key, The Witcher, or Watchmen? These comics are where those, and other great shows, came from: The Witcher Locke and Key The Umbrella
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May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, “celebrating the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States….The month of May was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.”—APAICS Here is a list of eBooks, Audiobooks, and a Graphic Novel celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. All these books can be found on OverDrive on
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Possibly our most dynamic digital resource, Hoopla includes a variety of different formats from books to movies and music. In order to highlight some of these, we've gathered staff recommendations of just a few formats you can stream and download with your library card. Below are some fantasy novel recommendations from Programming Librarian Kristy Bauman. Hardinge, Frances. The Lie Tree. Abrams, 2016. Set in a male-dominated Victorian society, we follow the life and story of 14-year-old Faith Sunderly. Faith’s family has recently moved to the island of Vane following the mysterious death of her scientist father. Thought to be shy,
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May 4 is Star Wars Day! Youth Services librarians have a variety of great things to celebrate. Star Wars kids eBooks and music Star Wars YA eBooks May the Fourth Be With You – Josh’s Picks STEAM at Home: Origami Yoda STEAM at Home: Pool Noodle Lightsabers STEAM at Home: Toilet Paper Roll Star Wars Characters For more Star Wars fun, check out: Star Wars Uncut – Fans were given 15 second segments from the films and created their own remixed versions of Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Kids Activities from
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Here’s a list of interesting and different Star Wars related content to help you celebrate May the Fourth! Plastic Galaxy – The Story of Star Wars Toys (movie on Hoopla) Star Wars toys helped to redefine toys and merchandising forever. Learn more about their origins, collectability and more in this interesting documentary. Are You Scared, Darth Vader? By Adam Rex (available on Hoopla, Overdrive, and Libby) This hilarious picture book is fun for kids, but possibly even more fun for their Star Wars fan parents. Music Inspired by Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk by Mecco (music on Hoopla) A
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April is Arab-American Heritage Month! To celebrate, I invite you to read or listen to some of the following picture and chapter books on either Hoopla or OverDrive! The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story by Aya Khalil and illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan For children in kindergarten to grade 2. Hoopla: Audio OverDrive: eBook “The story highlights the role of a supportive and creative teacher and the importance of instilling acceptance in children…The story ends with a powerful poem with a compelling message of taking pride in one’s mother tongue.” –School Library Journal Yo Soy Muslim: A Father's Letter to His
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Possibly our most dynamic digital resource, Hoopla includes a variety of different formats from books to movies and music. In order to highlight some of these, we've gathered staff recommendations of just a few formats you can stream and download with your library card. Below are some music recommendations from Adult Services Librarian Mariel Perez. Summer: The Original Hits (2018) Donna Summer Another oldie, but goodie! Perfect party or driving music or in my case, cleaning music. A great pick me up for those who love to dance, exercise, or just want to feel happy. All good memories for me.
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Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Previous Installments in this Series Stuck at Home Staff Picks 1 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 2 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 3 Stuck at Home Staff Picks: Teens Edition Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Children’s Museum of Manhattan At Home Daily Activities Long List of Virtual Activities and Experiences for
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While browsing available ebooks on the Libby app, I was pleased to find a Big Library Read selection that complements Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month. The current selection is a memoir: Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic, by comedian Michael McCreary. I enjoyed reading about McCreary’s experiences, beginning with his diagnosis at age five and continuing along his path to success as a stand-up comedian. McCreary shares hilarious anecdotes of relatable social awkwardness and moments of self-discovery. He also has a knack for explaining autism—at least, his experience of it—in an approachable way. As McCreary says, not every 22-year-old might feel
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By Raquel Cavalcanti, Trove Librarian. National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. In order to celebrate National Poetry Month, I would like to highlight the diverse poetry collections available on Libby and Hoopla for kids with a three-part series showcasing six great titles. What are Libby and Hoopla? Libby and Hoopla are both easy-to-use apps that allow you to borrow eBooks and audiobooks with your library card for free. Both apps have thousands of adult, teen, and children’s titles that you can borrow using your iPad, tablet, or phone by downloading the apps
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By Raquel Cavalcanti, Trove Librarian. April is Autism Awareness & Acceptance month. In the United States, the Autism Society held the first National Autism Awareness month in April of 1970, and World Autism Awareness Day takes place on April 2nd every year, a date chosen by the United Nations General Assembly. To mark Autism Awareness and Acceptance month, enjoy the following middle-grade books that present unique and compelling kids on the autism spectrum: A Boy Called Bat (also: Bat and the Waiting Game & Bat and the End of Everything) by Elana K. Arnold All 3 titles available as eBooks
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