Blog Post
DVD Bits - Parent Tales
by ryanikoglu
I don't know how well the kids relate to these sitcoms, but as a parent, I find them very fun. The Library has the first season of Malcolm in the Middle. Newly arrived is the first two seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond. Soon, the first two seasons of Grounded For Life will arrive. If you believe you need to improve your parenting tactics after watching, remember the "parenting books" are in the non-fiction collections around Dewey # 649.1. It's always time to laugh.
Blog Post
Kid Bits - Dentists
by ryanikoglu
Going to the Dentist soon? Find these books Make Way For Tooth Decay; What To Expect When You Go To The Dentist; Open Wide: Tooth School Inside. If you want stories on DVD try Open Wide with 3 added stories. Then practice saying, "Ahhhhhhh".
Blog Post
May Angelou (Poetry for Young People)
by Tahira
Young and old will be inspired by the powerful words of one of our Nation's most distinguished poets in Maya Angelou (Poetry for Young People)
Blog Post
Mouse Bits - Family Reads
by ryanikoglu
A sweet set of titles for a cozy family read ... Mitt And Minn at the Wisconsin Cheese Jamboree and Mitt And Minn's Illinois Adventure. They are published by Mitten Press in Ann Arbor, MI! Two mice have stories to tell and adorable illustrations to enjoy. The books are nice reads for parents with children who are listening to chapter books, or by children who are reading independently and still enjoying pictures. You may think of nibbling bits of cheese while you're at it.
Blog Post
Baby Bits - First Snow
by ryanikoglu
Baby PlayGroup Programs begin this week. Every week there are 6 programs at 4 locations. Join us when you can!
3 great books for winter with babies are Snowballs; Mouse's First Snow; and First Day Of Winter. Then let's make some roly-poly snowballs and itsy-bitsy snowflakes together!
Blog Post
Charles Perrault
by pumpkin
Today, January 12 is the birthday of Charles Perrault (1628-1703 a French author who was responsible for a new genre: the fairytale.
As a young man, Perrault participated in literary circles, especially in the debate between the "ancients" and the "moderns" Perrault being emphatically on the side of the "moderns."
At the age of 67, Perrault decided to devote himself to children's literature and published "Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals," with the subtitle "Tales of Mother Goose."
Perrault used earlier folktales in his books. Literary critic Jack Zipes has written that Perrault's tales were slightly subversive in their criticism of the ruling classes. We see that, for example, in his Cinderella.
You can find many versions of Perrault's tales by different authors on our shelves.
Blog Post
On frankenfoods and international trade
by remnil
The European Union's in trouble! And with the World Trade Organization, no less. A deadline is looming for the EU to lift its ban on genetically modified foods (GMOs), affectionately called "frankenfoods." The EU says that the foods are dangerous. The United States, among others, thinks that the ban is just convenient way to protect EU farmers from competition. Thus, as any good American would do, the US government sued, via the WTO.
Europeans are deeply skeptical of GMOs, claiming that there are adverse health effects and the risk of contaminating other crops. Many people beg to differ, claiming that there is no evidence that GMOs are unhealthy. Ultimately, then, the debate boils down to whether, in a world where free trade among countries is the norm, an individual country has the right to block genetically modified foods from their markets.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways of dealing with GMOs than outright bans. Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, for instance, thinks producers should say whether a food GMO ingredients. But the question is, what do you think? Should the EU be able to ban genetically-modified foods? Should the US do the same? Should we label foods, as Kucinich suggests? Other thoughts?
Blog Post
DVD Bits - Quirky Love Stories
by ryanikoglu
Quirky people finding love anyway. Older movies but a new "find" ... Love, Ludlow features a young "office temp" in New York who cares for her adult brother Ludlow. Funny and endearing and enlightening and stressful .... just like life. Other movies with "survival instinct" ... Mozart And The Whale which features a support group of adults with Asperger's Syndrome; Pieces Of April features a couple of alternative teens preparing their first Thanksgiving dinner for parents; and .... Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill a documentary (and love story) of wild parrots in San Francisco.
Blog Post
The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington
by Tahira
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A little girl loves to chase chickens. She won't stop until she catches her favorite, Miss Hen. When she finally gets close enough to grab the sly hen she is in for a surprise. This is a fun story with a warm ending.
Blog Post
One Million Men and Me by Kelly Starling Lyons
by Tahira
The Million Man March took place on October 16th 1995. It was a call to all Black men in this country to make a promise to improve their communities, their families, and their lives. Seen through the eyes of a little girl, The Million Man March and Me will remind young people of what an important event this was in our nation's history.