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News and Reviews

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American Roots Music

by ryanikoglu

What a treat! If you Listen to NPR and "American Roots" music program, enjoy a collaboration between the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with the DVD series American Roots Music. You'll find a wonderful collage of regional "roots music" including historical clips and contemporary performance clips. This volume features Chicago Blues; Folk Music of the 60's counter culture; Gospel; Tejano; and Native American with Nakai & Mirabel.

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Catalog back up; upgrades successful

by eli

OK, the third time was a charm, as the upgrade was successful. Thanks for your patience, everything should be working now. Please contact us if you have any further questions or trouble.

[eli]

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Pittsfield Branch Phone Problem

by Jim Rust

AADL is having difficulty with the telephones at the Pittsfield Branch this afternoon. The phones will be fixed as soon as possible. Please call 327 4200 for assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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The Have a Good Day Café by Frances Park and Ginger Park

by Tahira

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Mike’s parents own a food cart. Every morning they get up early and go to the city to sell food to hungry customers. When other food carts move onto the same corner Mike and his grandmother from Korea come up with a plan.

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Groundbreaking for New Branch Library Monday, December 18 at 4:00 PM

by aadl-news

Please join us on Monday, December 18, at 4:00 PM at the site of the new branch at Traverwood and Huron Parkway for a groundbreaking ceremony. This branch will replace the current Northeast Branch located in Plymouth Mall. We anticipate opening the new library in early Summer, 2008. This Library was designed by VanTine|Guthrie Studio in Northville, MI and will be constructed by ONeal Construction of Ann Arbor.

Located .5 mile west of the current library branch, the new 16,000 square foot facility will include a quiet reading room, meeting room, larger children's space with more computers designated for children, a casual study area with vending, computer lab, and is being built sustainably. The success we've enjoyed with the lighting quality and general comfort of Malletts Creek and Pittsfield will be present in this new building. The collection will be larger and will feature traditional and emerging formats.

A unique feature of this northeast area library will be the utilization of ash trees harvested directly from the site. The wood will be used as structural elements, as well as, in the flooring, walls, and in some areas of the ceiling.

We will also enjoy more parking at this location than at either of the other branches. 89 total spaces will be available on the street, under the building, and in an open lot to the south.

Please come and participate in this important milestone in the history of AADL.

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Kid Bits - Journals, Hah !

by ryanikoglu

Do you keep journals? Do you like to read other people's journals? Need to escape relatives and guests? Here are some goofy and good reads to fill the Holiday Breaks at home. Dear Dumb Diary series with 6th grade Jamie Kelly; Jack on the Tracks: Four Seasons of Fifth Grade; Amelia's Are-We-There-Yet Longest Ever Car Trip; and The Night I Flunked My Field Trip one of the Hank Zipzer, "world's best underachiever" series.

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Kid Bits - FolkLore

by ryanikoglu

Every fall Youth Services runs tours DownTown for 2nd grades called "Second Grade RoundUp". A Folk Tale leads every tour, and the "J 398.2 Collection" (FolkLore and FairyTale Collection) is discovered. Folklore crosses age levels, displays cultural roots, and passes on values. To expand yourself, try FairyTales by the Brothers Grimm to hear some Grimm Brothers tales read aloud. Visit LibrarySparks to explore ways to help kids think critically about folktales. Or simply enjoy worldly favorites from the Library Folklore Collections, like Head, Body, Legs from Liberia, Something From Nothing from Russia, New Patches For Old from Turkey, Elves And The Shoemaker from Europe, or Kumak's House from Alaska.

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An Apple for Harriet Tubman by Glennett Tilley Turner

by Tahira

There are many children’s books written about Harriet Tubman. This one gives the reader a little known fact about her. She loved apples. When she was a slave she had to pick apples. Slaves were not allowed to eat them. If they even took one bite they were punished. One day Harriet Tubman noticed that the overseer was not around and decided to take a bite of an apple. She was caught and severely beaten. She promised herself that she would become free and eat all the apples she wanted. Harriet Tubman did just that. She ran away through the Underground Railroadand became free. She later bought property and planted apple trees. She ate all the apples she wanted, just like she promised, and invited the townspeople to come and fill their baskets. Glennette Tilley Turner captures the spirit of the young Harriet Tubman and her struggle for freedom in this uplifting children’s book.

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Grandmama's Pride by Becky Birtha

by Tahira

Sarah Marie, her mother and sister, are headed down south to visit Grandmama. Mama tells them that they can have the back seat of the bus all to themselves. When the bus pulls into a rest stop, Mama tells them they brought their lunches. When they arrive at Grandmama’s stop, Grandmama is waiting for them in the stand-up waiting room. When Sarah Marie learns to read during her visit, she reads the signs over the water fountain, lunch counter and bathroom and learns why “Grandmama’s pride was too tall to fit in the back of the bus.” Becky Birtha illustrates the determination and pride of those who fought for civil rights in this clearly written children’s book.

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Modern Fairy Bits

by ryanikoglu

If you are a kid that loves fairies, and you like to listen to a good story, or read your own, try The Woman Who Flummoxed The Fairies, The Airy Fairy series like The Magic Mix-Up by Margaret Ryan. Until you have read Clemency Pogue by J.T. Petty, be careful whether you believe in fairies, or not!

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Catch Up On Classic Fairies

by ryanikoglu

Now that Fairies moved into the Library ... why not catch up on Fairy Lore. Michael Hague's illustrations accompany classic fairy tales in the collective The Book Of Fairies. You can try Bruce Coville's retold version for children of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with pictures by Dennis Nolan. And Don't miss Cicely Mary Barker's books on Flower Fairies such as The Complete Book Of The Flower Fairies. Each is a visual treasure to read.

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Google Visits the Library

by TimG

What's new with Google? What are their plans for the Ann Arbor area? Find out on Thursday, November 30 when Grady Burnett, head of Online Sales and Operations for Google's Ann Arbor office, discusses Google's plans for growth and their decision to open this local office. What will this mean for Ann Arbor? For Google? Join us from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Downtown Library and find out!

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Guys and Teens - Short Stories

by ryanikoglu

If you're a Teen you may enjoy these books of short stories. If you have already been a Teen, you are sure to enjoy them. How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen, has great read-aloud possibilities for family reunions, or fireplace sit-arounds. If you like to sample multiple authors, try Tomorrowland for glimpses of the future, or Every Man For Himself for slices of contemporary lives.

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Homework Bits - Immigration to the USA

by ryanikoglu

Take an interactive tour of Ellis Island with video clips and more at Scholastic.com. Books the Library owns are Ellis Island, I Was Dreaming To Come To America, and Liberty Rising: the Story Of The Statue Of Liberty.

Get your Library Card registered online so you can get into the Library databases from home. Then you can read Magazine articles that support school reports! Kids InfoBits can be found on the Library website under the research tab.

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Homework Bits - Career Some Day?

by ryanikoglu

Are you in Grades 3 thru 6 and looking into what career might be for you? The following sights were listed in November 2006 LibrarySparks Journal. Explore personal interests and introduce yourself to related careers.
Take a look at GetTech Careers and Kids Work!.

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Kid Bits - Sailing and Whaling

by ryanikoglu

Preschool Storytimes are back in session. They begin this week and will go thru the week of December 15, 2006. Beware of Holiday Closings during this schedule!!

Books that are fun with a "Sailing and Whaling" theme, are Ten Little Fish, Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On, Burt Dow Deep Water Man a classic whale tale, and Loud Emily.

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Clever Ali by Nancy Farmer

by Tahira

Ali’s father is in charge of the Sultan of Cairo’s carrier pigeons. When Ali turns seven he is old enough to work with his father in the palace. He is given his own pigeon and told not to overfeed it or it will become selfish and lazy. Ali doesn’t listen and overfeeds the pigeon, which causes a catastrophe that may get his father thrown into the Sultan's bottomless pit. When the cruel Sultan gives Ali one chance to save his father, he comes up with a plan to rescue his father and rid Cairo of the evil Sultan. Newbery author, Nancy Farmer, weaves an intriguing tale in the tradition of the Arabian Nights.

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From Horror to Heartfelt

by kay2

In Stephen King's most recent novel, Lisey's Story he continues to assault your emotions by tugging at the heartstrings of his loyal readers. "I wanted to write a story that had the same feeling as one of those good country songs that you hear on the radio...".

As Lisey sorts through the writings of her late husband's work, she confronts all of who he was. Can she cope with his disturbing family past?

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Urban Fairies Move into the Downtown Library!

by lunchgroup

It was only a matter of time....Local fairy expert Jonathan B. Wright discovered yesterday that some Urban Fairies have moved into the Downtown library, creating a lovely reading room of their own in--where else?--the Folklore and Fairy Tale collection in the Youth department on the first floor. Jonathan has already updated the tourable fairy door map and explained why the fairy chairs have duck feet. We simply must greet our new residents with a reception on Sunday November 26 at 2:00 pm in the Youth Department downtown. There will be an official welcome by Josie Parker, a story, treats and other surprises!

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Let’s Eat Out Tonight

by Debbie G.

Local governments provide a cornucopia of information for residents on the Internet. Here’s one that will help you make informed decisions about eating out. Washtenaw County provides Restaurant Inspection Reports for local restaurants, bars, night clubs, school cafeterias and more. Then you can check out the restaurants section at Arbor Web and leave those pots and pans for another night.

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Michigan Voter Guide

by Debbie G.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan has released the Nonpartisan Michigan Voter Guide 2006 for the November 7th general election. The guide covers all state-level candidates and ballot proposals. In-depth analysis of ballot proposals are available from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. To find out where you vote in Michigan and what type of voting equipment you’ll use, visit Publius or Michigan Votes.

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By Kids - For Kids

by ryanikoglu

What a cool website, and educational too! Oracle ThinkQuest "inspires students to think, connect, create, and share. Students work in teams to build innovative and educational websites to share with the world. Along the way, they learn research, writing, teamwork, and technology skills and compete for exciting prizes." You can see winning web sites by students in different age categories. The site guides you with timelines and guidelines to make your own entry. What FUN!

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Little Mama Forgets by Robin Cruise

by Tahira

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Lucy’s grandmother Luciani Maria Isabela Galvez-Molinero often forgets things like the toast in the toaster and which way to turn to go to the park. What Lucy’s Little Mama remembers is what makes this book so endearing. An excellent read about the warmth, love and family traditions that only a grandmother can share.

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A Timeless Tale

by ryanikoglu

Don't ask why. Serendipity.
The stories are timeless; the issues perennial; simple parables, and I share them here. A book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, was written in 1959. It resonates as if written today. A movie, Black and White in Color, was produced in 1976. This story happens, wherever people and power exist.

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Anthony Shadid Visits AADL

by TimG

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid will visit the Downtown Library on Sunday, October 29 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm to discuss his book Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War. The program will include a booksigning with ample opportunity for discussion.

Shadid has a remarkable body of work as a reporter from Iraq - and this should be an exceptional event.

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Temporary Checkout History problem

by eli

We're experiencing a small problem with display of checkout history for users of this feature. Rest assured, all your checkouts (if you've chosen to have them recorded) are completely safe, we've just disabled checkout history display until we get the problem solved. Thanks for your patience, and please let us know if you have any other questions or trouble. We should have access to your history restored soon.

[eli]

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Washtenaw County Counts What Counts

by Debbie G.

The Community Collaborative of Washtenaw County has published
Community Needs Assessment 2006
, a comprehensive look at the socio-economic well-being of county residents. Data on unemployment, health care, child poverty, homelessness and more are presented in the report. A Plenary Session for the public to discuss the findings will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 7:30 a.m. – Noon at the Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College.

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MultiCulture Bits - EveryDay Mixes

by ryanikoglu

I keep looking for stories with multi-cultural kids shown in everyday stories. There's promise in the following "chapter books" for 1st through 3rd grade readers. Each series has a few titles. Try the "Jackson Friends Books" by Michelle Edwards for varied cultures and kids in 2nd grade such as The Talent Show and Pa Lia's First Day. [Ruby Lu Brave And True] and Ruby Lu Empress Of Everything are by Lenore Look and the 8 year old girl is Chinese-American. "Willimena Rules" features African-American Willimena who is in 3rd grade. Try How To Lose Your Class Pet or 23 Ways To Mess Up Valentine's Day for a sampling. The "Little Bill" series by Bill Cosby, and Ann Cameron's series with Julian and Gloria are also based on African-American kids. Try Julian Dream Doctor and Gloria Rising for samples.

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Little and Scary ?

by ryanikoglu

Are You not sure that you like to be scared? Then put yourself in charge of "The Scaries". Try Go Away Big Green Monster, The Gunniwolf, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything, Humbug Witch, Leonardo The Terrible Monster, and the very classic Where The Wild Things Are.

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Scary Bits - !!!

by ryanikoglu

Like to be scared? There's scary stuff in the Youth Collection to prime yourself for long dark nights. Pretty Scary and dramatically illustrated is Precious And The Boo Hag by Patricia McKissack. More Scary is Grandy Thaxter's Helper by Douglas Rees. And if your ready for Very Scary, read the stories in Robert San Souci's Dare To Be Scared and Double-Dare To Be Scared. Scary!