Blog Post
The Hole
by manz
The Hole is such a magical picture book! Brain Pickings describes it as an “existential meditation in simple Scandinavian illustrations and die-cut magic,” and I could not say it any better.
The Hole is written and illustrated by Øyvind Torseter, was translated from Norweigan, and features sparse dialog. Our main character moves into an apartment and discovers that there is a hole in it and he searches to find out the cause. This includes boxing up the hole and taking it to a lab for testing. The best part of this book is the illustrations and the fact that there is a pencil-sized hole going through the entire book from the chipboard covers through the pages. And the hole gets wonderfully incorporated into every illustration and scene. It’s marvelous! It really makes you think about where that hole came from. Where does it begin and end? Why is it there at all? If you’re looking for a beautiful thinker of a children’s book, here you go.
For more beautiful books published by Enchanted Lion Books be sure to check out our nice list of AADL owned titles.
Blog Post
Winter Wonderland at the Tot Table
by StoryLaura
Too cold to roll in the snow outside? Come to the downtown tot table to celebrate winter and play with furry friends and snow people in colorful hats and mittens! They have a tiny skating rink, just like ours. They have a snow covered tree, like the lovely ones we see all over town. Can fox and bear and mouse all fit in the Mitten? Come and see!
Public Event
Roots Rocker Randy Kaplan!
Tuesday July 21, 2015: 2:00pm to
2:45pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Preschool - Grade 5
Crafts
Silhouette Shadow Puppets
Friday June 26, 2015: 2:00pm to
3:00pm
Pittsfield Branch: Program Room
Grades K-5
Blog Post
Let's Learn About Science!
by evelyn
If you have a little one who loves science and you haven’t checked out our New Book shelf lately, you’re missing out! We have a bundle of exciting new science books in designed just for kids.
For older kids, Hello from 2030: The Science of the Future and You, by Jan Paul Schutten, takes a look at the near feature based on current science. In the future, will we be able to easily and quickly 3D print body parts? What will climate change make the planet look like? This book also explains how predictions work and contains a section on becoming a futurologist.
In you want to learn about the amazing scientists that have brought us this far, check out the new Women in Science series, which features short but detailed biographies of physician Antonia Novello, astronaut Mae Jemison, physicist Chien-Shiung Wu, meteorologist Joanne Simpson, and biochemist Hayat Sindi.
After learning about the great scientists above, children can learn about mistakes in science from the Science Gets it Wrong Series. My personal favorite is Let’s Make Some Gold!, but you can also check out: Your Head Shape Reveals Your Personality!, That Bull is Seeing Red!, and We're the Center of the Universe!
For all of these, and lots of other books, including ones about robots, genes, ecosystems and more, check out our list New Science Books for Kids.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Princesses and Pirates
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel told stories of Princesses and Pirates in honor of the letter "P".
PRINCESS PENELOPE's PARROT ... the Parrot and Penelope meet on her birthday.
We sang "The Pirate Song". You can find a version on the CD recording PETER PAN or see the lyrics and motions for "When I Was One" found on the website Macaroni Soup!..
PIRATE PETE's TALK LIKE A PIRATE is a requirement for being hired as crew.
For more stories of princesses and pirates, try the following titles:
PRINCESSES ARE NOT JUST PRETTY by Kate Lum.
The PRINCESS And The PEAS by Caryl Hart.
SHIVER ME LETTERS: a Pirate ABC by June Sobel
1001 PIRATE THINGS TO SPOT by Rob Lloyd Jones.
NO PIRATES ALLOWED! SAID LIBRARY LOU by Rhonda Gowler Greene.
OLIVE's PIRATE PARTY by Roberta Baker.
For more pirate songs try JAKE And The NEVERLAND PIRATES and SEVEN CLEVER PIRATES.
Sing along with Captain Bogg and the Pollywog crew on the CD recording PEGLEG TANGO.
Listen to "Ballad Of Dirty Joe" and more stories and songs, on Bill Harley's CD recording BLAH BLAH BLAH.
One of my all-time favorite stories is on this recording ... "Joey, Chloe And The Swamp Monster".
AarrrR ! ... and Enjoy!
Blog Post
At the Art Table: Dinosaurs!
by manz
Roar! The next time you’re in the youth department downtown visit the art table and see what we’re making. This time around we have out dinosaur stencils and primary colors! Test those fine motor skills by outlining dinosaurs. Make a blue T-Rex. Make a yellow stegosaurus.
For more inspiration, check out some books on how to draw dinosaurs.
Blog Post
Good Dream, Bad Dream
by PizzaPuppy
New to the shelves are several picture books relating to common childhood fears, specifically fear of the dark and of the unknown. In Good Dream, Bad Dream (Sueño Bueno, Sueño Malo) by Juan Calle and Serena Valentino, little Julio is afraid of the monsters under his bed. Julio's father reminds him that "for every bad dream, you can have a good dream to help defeat your fears", and Julio explores the different heroes who could rescue him from a variety of monsters. This exciting story features monsters and heroes from many different cultures presented in action-packed comic-style illustrations. Additionally, this bilingual book is written in both English and Spanish, making it accessible for speakers of either language.
Also new is The Problem with Not Being Scared of Monsters by Dan Richards. In this tale, the main character finds that he is not afraid of monsters at all! In fact, his monster friends may be getting just a little too comfortable. This funny book uses wacky illustrations and a non-traditional plot line to tackle common childhood fears. For additional stories on this subject, consider Light's Out by Arthur Geisert or Floop in the Dark by Carole Tremblay.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Odd One Out
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel presented stories of "one" in Preschool Storytime.
"One Lonely Candle" - a "Happy Birthday" story with props and sound effects ... from oral tradition.
JUST ONE MORE is a new book by Jennifer Hansen Rolli.
TEN IN The BED is a traditional nursery song ... that pushes everyone out, until only one is left in the bed.
Who's in the bed? "O" creatures ... Owl, Otter, Octopus, Opossum ...
Who's left? One Baby Owl ... and .... one Papa Owl!
Here are more stories of ONE:
ONE DROWSY DRAGON by Ethan Long. A Dragon bedtime countdown.
ONE TWO, THAT's MY SHOE! by Alison Murray. And the dog runs away with the shoe!
ONE TOO MANY: A Seek & Find Counting Book by Gianna Marino. For finding and counting farm animals.
ODD ONE OUT: A Spotting Book by Britta Teckentrup. A NEW seek & find book.
ONE LIGHTHOUSE ONE MOON. A classic counting book by noted author and illustrator Anita Lobel.
ONE HUNDRED HUNGRY ANTS. A classic counting book by noted author and illustrator Elinor Pinczes.
ONE HUNDRED THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY by Amy Schwartz. A NEW book with numbers more than ten!
Blog Post
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
by eapearce
I love the unique new picture book, Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas, written by Lynne Cox and illustrated by Brian Floca (who won awards for his work last year in Locomotive). The adorably depicted book tells the true story of Elizabeth, a southern elephant seal who lived in the Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand for many years. Most elephant seals live in large groups in and around the ocean, but not Elizabeth! In attempt to place Elizabeth in her natural habitat, volunteers tow her hundreds of miles out to sea on three separate occasions, but Elizabeth always manages to return to her home in the city. Her tremendous endurance and determination wow the locals, and are sure to impress readers as well!
“Nature and urban life rarely intersect so incongruously: There’s something inherently funny in seeing commuters gawp and swerve around the huge, regal mammal,” says The New York Times Book Review. “Children may wonder, “Who has the right of way?” That’s a very good question, which Cox, with great restraint, allows readers to ask — and maybe answer — for themselves.” Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas is truly a special new addition to the AADL collection.