Baby Bits - What to Do With the Baby-O?

Tue, 02/20/2007 - 12:41pm by ryanikoglu

Need Stuff to do with the Baby-O? Take it from the Pros and follow the leaders! Try Gari Stein's Sing With Me series produced by Little Folksters; Raffi's Rise and Shine and other recordings; Sharon, Lois and Bram's One Elephant, Deux Elephants and other recordings. Also try, mood music and action songs by Hap Palmer Movin', and Jim Gill Jim Gill Sings His Do Rem Mi on His Toe Leg Knee.

The Storytellers by Ted Lewin

Fri, 02/16/2007 - 2:55pm by Tahira

Abdul and his grandfather walk down the streets of Morocco. They pass many street vendors. Happy that their work is not the work of wool dyers, or copper smiths they enter a large courtyard. Grandfather spreads out a carpet. The pigeon cage Abdul has been carrying is opened. The pigeon lights on Abdul’s head, then soars into the sky and returns with a story. Grandpa looks at the crowd of people who have gathered and begins, “This happened or maybe it did not. The time is long past, and most forgot.” Ted Lewin captures the magic of storytelling in this outstanding children’s book.

Paul Farmer Lecture Online

Thu, 02/15/2007 - 3:34pm by TimG

The February 12 lecture by Paul Farmer, MD, Founding Director of Partners In Health and the subject of Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, may now be viewed on the website of the University of Michigan William Davidson Institute.

Dr. Farmer is one of the world’s foremost medical anthropologists and physicians and has been working in Rwanda for nearly two years. His lecture was entitled “Building a Health Care Movement: From Haiti to Rwanda.”

The website also includes a one-on-one interview with Dr. Farmer

Homework Success! - 6th Grade Report

Thu, 02/15/2007 - 1:56pm by ryanikoglu

QUESTION? ... A 6th grader needs information on the agate fossil beds in Nebraska.
ANSWER! ... We found the most information in "InfoTrac Student Edition" database on our RESEARCH page. We used keyword "agate fossils" and got a full-text article from

National Parks, Nov-Dec 1993 v67 n11-12 p42(3)
"Frozen in time: some of the world's most significant deposits of fossils are preserved in U.S. national parks".

Abstract: Fossil beds are found in many US national parks and provide an extraordinary history of millions of years of the US ecosystem. Five national monument locations are described: Hagerman Fossil Beds, ID; Florissant Fossil Beds, CO; John Day Fossil Beds, OR; Agate Fossils Beds, NE; and Fossil Butte, WY.

Baby Bits - Kittens with Mittens

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 3:10pm by ryanikoglu

For babies with books .... mittens and hats and snow .... try Three Little Kittens; The Snowy Day; Do You Have A Hat?; Hello Snow; and All You Need For A Snowman. Happy snowflakes !

History Bits - African-American History month

Wed, 02/14/2007 - 2:44pm by ryanikoglu

NEW books from within African-American experiences, and stories of little-known pieces of history that kids can understand are Bessie Smith And The Night Riders; Dear Mr. Rosenwald; Thanks A Million: Poems By Nikki Grimes; Stompin' At The Savoy: The Story Of Norma Miller; and Freedom Riders.

Kid Bits - Stories from Haiti

Tue, 02/13/2007 - 4:51pm by ryanikoglu

Ann Arbor is reading and discussing life in Haiti. ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI READS is based on the book Mountains Beyond Mountains and Dr. Paul Farmer's work in Haiti. It's a perfect time for the kids to join in the theme. In Picture books try Circles of Hope; Painted Dreams; and Running the Road to ABC. In chapter books try Behind the Mountain; or The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folk Tales.

Culture Bits - Chinese New Year

Mon, 02/12/2007 - 4:53pm by ryanikoglu

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Reading transports you into the Chinese-American experience. If you are reading chapter books in grade school, try Year Of The Dog; Day The Dragon Danced; Shanghai Messenger; Three Names Of Me; or The Traitor: Golden Mountain Chronicles 1885.

Holiday Bits - Gung Hay Fat Choy

Mon, 02/12/2007 - 4:35pm by ryanikoglu

Celebrate the Chinese New Year and share the Chinese-American experience! If the kids are preschool ages or early elementary school, read D Is For Dragon; The Runaway Rice Cake; A Dragon New Year; Fortune Cookie Fortunes; and make some crafts from Chinese New Year Crafts.

Dizzy by Jonah Winter

Wed, 02/07/2007 - 4:08pm by Tahira

There was a small boy who often got into fights. One day his teacher gave him a trumpet. He blew all his anger into that trumpet and thus one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all times was born. Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy by Jonah Winter is a tribute to one of America’s most famous and loved musicians.

Dr. Paul Farmer in Ann Arbor

Wed, 02/07/2007 - 10:00am by iottJen

Paul E. Farmer, MD, PhD, Founding Director of Partners In Health and the subject of Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, will present a lecture, “Building a Health Care Movement: From Haiti to Rwanda,” on Monday, February 12 from 5-6 pm at Rackham Auditorium, hosted by the William Davidson Institute of the UM Ross School of Business. This event is sold out. Due to the high level of public interest, the Davidson Institute has arranged for a live video simulcast of Dr. Farmer's lecture.

The event will be simulcast at two locations of the Ann Arbor District Library: the Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave, in the lower level multi-purpose room, and the Malletts Creek Branch program room, 3090 E. Eisenhower Pkwy. The simulcasts are open to the public and free of charge.

For a complete list of simulcast locations, click here.

Exam Bits - Test Prep

Sun, 02/04/2007 - 2:28pm by ryanikoglu

Preparing for school exams? Is everything checked out at the library? Try Learning Express Library on our website.

If your Library card is registered through "My Account" you have access to the databases from home. Login with your username and password. Choose "Research" file at the top of the page. Choose "Learning Express Library" by name. You will find practice exercises for TOEFL, Civil Service, Citizenship, GRE, SAT, and more. You will also find standardized testing for elementary, middle, and high school ages. Study Up!

Kid Bits - Regarding the Klises

Sun, 02/04/2007 - 11:58am by ryanikoglu

The Kate and Sarah Klise have put out the next book in their middle school series of history/mystery adventures with Regarding the Bathrooms: a privy to the past. Other titles the sisters write and illustrate are Regarding the Trees: a splintered saga rooted in secrets; Regarding the Fountain. These are great fun for creative minds and school-system intrigue.

Kid Bits - Time Warp Trio

Fri, 02/02/2007 - 1:51pm by ryanikoglu

John Scieszka writes one more book for the Time Warp Trio series. Like to travel? Like Time Warps? Read Marco? Polo! and land in 13th century China. Kublai Khan! Xanadu! Marco Polo! Whooa!!

Favorite Picks for Black History Month by Tahira

Thu, 02/01/2007 - 3:14pm by Tahira

In honor of Black History Month here is a list of my favorite books with African American main characters:

Picture Books
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Jamaica’s Find by Jaunita Havill
Sweet Music in Harlem by Debbie Taylor

Fiction
Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watson’s Go to Burmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt
Starring Grace by Mary Hoffman

Baby Bits - Go, Go, Go

Tue, 01/30/2007 - 12:28pm by ryanikoglu

We did "things that go" in Baby PlayGroup this week. You can go home with books like Beep Beep Let's Go; Sail Away Little Boat; Sheep In A Jeep; Jiggle Joggle Jee; Giddy-Up! Let's Ride; or I Love Trucks and GO some more.

Circle Unbroken by Margot Theis Raven

Fri, 01/26/2007 - 12:15pm by Tahira

Margot Theis Raven’s story of a grandmother teaching her granddaughter the tradition of basket weaving flows like the baskets that were weaved by the free peoples of Africa and then by slaves in the Americas in Circle Unbroken. The circle knot starts the basket and “when the finger talk just right the circle will go out again—past slavery and freedom, old ways and new, and your basket will hold the past.

Baby Bits - Kitchen Band

Tue, 01/23/2007 - 2:32pm by ryanikoglu

Sittin' in my chair, my chair, high chair, sittin' in my chair, bang my spoon! Kitchen stories for babies can begin with bright pictures, rhythm and rhyme, and songs, because babies LOVE to hear your voice. Try Lunch by Denise Fleming; Tickle Tum by Nancy Van Laan; One Little Spoonful by Aliki; and Cows In The Kitchen by June Crebbin. If you are ready for a "real story" don't forget the classic, In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak.

History Bits - African-American Artists

Tue, 01/23/2007 - 2:06pm by ryanikoglu

Introduce kids to African-American history through visual arts. Two books that overview African-American artists since slavery are In Praise Of Our Fathers And Our Mothers: A Black Family Treasury and Wake Up Our Souls. Three youth level biographies with color illustrations of the artist's work are Romare Bearden a collage artist; Don't Hold Me Back with poetry by Nikki Giovanni and art by Winfred Rembert; and Faith Ringgold.

If you wish to find names of African-American artists you can use our database called Biography Resource Center and use the "biographical facts search".

Jazz by Walter Dean Myers

Fri, 01/19/2007 - 4:43pm by Tahira

From the Nile to Bourbon Street
Poetry and music meet
To a syncopated rhythmic beat
In Walter Dean Myers ‘ Jazz

KIDS' Science - Weather and Climate

Fri, 01/12/2007 - 1:41pm by ryanikoglu

Science Saturday Workshops!
Questions about Science Fair Projects are coming to the Reference Desks.
Schools are planning Science Night Events.
AND the LIBRARY has Science Events planned in partnership with UM Exhibit Museum.
Keep your eyes on the blogs.
Science Fair Resource Night will be at the DownTown Library. There are Science Saturday Workshops at three Branch Libraries. The January Workshops are at Pittsfield Branch, at Malletts Creek, and at Northeast Branch.
Workshops are for ages 6-11 with an Adult. No younger siblings please.
Family Registration is requested.
Watch for more workshops in February and March.

MLK Day - K - 5th grade

Fri, 01/12/2007 - 1:03pm by ryanikoglu

The books are checked out! Martin Luther King Day is coming and the books in the Library have been found. If you can't find a book, don't forget the RESEARCH databases. We found articles on MLK for a 2nd Grade student in Kids InfoBits and Kids InfoBits again.

History Bits - Civil Rights

Thu, 01/11/2007 - 3:59pm by ryanikoglu

We remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership in the 1960's and the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The following movies can be watched as a family, or a classroom, and illustrate important messages that can be further discussed. Ruby Bridges who "went to school and taught a nation a lesson."; Martin's Big Words; Rosa Parks And The Civil Rights Movement; The Rosa Parks Story.

History Bits - MLK Day

Thu, 01/11/2007 - 3:44pm by ryanikoglu

We remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and African-American history this month. If you are in grade school and need report information, you can find articles to read in our website databases, such as this article on MLK in INFOTRAC Kid's Edition. Or this article on peaceful demonstrations during the civil rights movement.

Night Boat to Freedom by Margot Theis Raven

Thu, 01/11/2007 - 3:11pm by Tahira

"What color is freedom tonight?" Granny Judith asks Christmas John each time he returns from his trip across the Ohio River to freedom. Christmas tells her the color of the garment worn by the slave he just rowed to freedom. Granny Judith then adds another swatch on her quilt with a new color of freedom. Night Boat to Freedom by Marot Theis Raven is a well-written warm and inspiring book of courage and love.

The Most Magnificent Mosque by Ann Jungman

Fri, 01/05/2007 - 3:51pm by Tahira

The Most Magnificent Mosque celebrates the beauty of Cordoba’s Great Mosque and the cooperation of three clever boys of different faiths.

Baby Bits - Shower Them With Books

Thu, 01/04/2007 - 7:57pm by ryanikoglu

There's a Blizzard of NEW books at the library perfect for reading to baby. Shower them with Books and some day they'll read to you! My recent discoveries are Overboard! by Sarah Weeks; The First Day Of Winter by Denise Fleming; The Cats's Meow by Warren Kimble; Mommy Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera; Fly Little Bird by Tina Burke; Sail Away Little Boat by Janet Buell; Time To Get Up by David Milgrim; and Bebe Goes Shopping by Susan Middleton Elya.

Baby Bits - FOR 0-24 months!

Thu, 01/04/2007 - 7:34pm by ryanikoglu

Bundle Up those Babies and Bring them to PlayGroups. We Sing and do HandPlays and Tell Stories. We also Play and meet other babies. The next PlayGroup Program Series begins in two weeks.

Help Shape Michigan's Transportation Future, Part II

Sat, 12/30/2006 - 12:17pm by lunchgroup

The Michigan Department of Transportation and the State Library of Michigan, in conjunction with public libraries around the state, are giving you the opportunity to help MDOT set its priorities for transportation infrastructure development through 2030. You can take the MI Transportation Plan's short, one-page survey from January 3 through January 31. MDOT is hoping to gather thousands of opinions from the public to plan a future transportation system that is responsive to the needs of all transportation users, especially those who walk, bike and ride buses. This is your opportunity to let MDOT know what you think about road improvements, expansion, mass transit, safety, and more.

The on-line questionnaire and additional information will be available through any Internet connection, 24-hours a day on the MI Transportation Plan Web site. This is the second of three, four-week sessions that MDOT will conduct during the next 10 months to involve the public in its planning process; the first survey session took place in June 2006.

Please note that your personal information is not required to participate in the survey, and be sure to tell them how you usually get to the library. Thanks for your participation!

Stompin' at the Savoy by Bebe Moore Campbell

Tue, 12/26/2006 - 3:18pm by Tahira

Mindy is afraid that she will fall during her jazz dance recital. A visit by a magic drum takes her to the Savoy where she hears Benny Goodman and joins the crowd of dancers. Her dancing Aunts take front stage in the dance competition and a slip by one of their partners shows Mindy that happy feet keep dancing no matter what. Stompin’ at the Savoy is an upbeat rhythmic book that celebrates one of Harlem’s most famous ballrooms.