A Vacay from our Staycay and ALWAYS, ALWAYS book shopping!, by Lisa Lawrence

My daughter, Emily and I took a couple of days away from our staycation last week and went to the Dallas Arboretum. If you haven’t been GO!  Go while the fall displays and the pumpkin village are up.  IT’S AMAZING. Anyway, of course, we had to visit the giftshop. Me being... me, I found the books right away and took pictures of ones I thought we could use in the library. Yes, I am that person! (I know I should buy them from the Arboretum! Sorry! They are cheaper elsewhere!) So, they came in today from “Elsewhere.”

Hydrangeas: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden by author Naomi Slade and photographer Georgianna Lane. Lane’s photos speak volumes alone but Slade’s information on the cultivation, design, use as houseplants and gifts of these beautiful garden gems is incredible.  Hydrangeas are one of my favorites and I will definitely be using this as a resource. It would make a beautiful coffee table book also.

Taming the Potted Beast: The Strange and Sensational History of the Not-So-Humble Houseplant by Molly Williams.  The title caught my attention first. I thumbed through the interesting history of ancient houseplants to find advise and tips on growing my own indoor plants.  I have a slight addiction (the husband calls it an obsession) with houseplants so I know this will be on my list to read and reference.

I’m also a sucker for children’s books. I have to really watch that I don’t fill the library with picture books.  I found three children’s picture books in the giftshop but again they came from “Elsewhere.”

The Bug on the Rug by Sophia Gholz and illustrated by Susan Batori is one of the cutest picture books I have seen in a long while.  The pug, bug, and slug all learn to share the rug.  This will definitely be on my list for Story Time!

F is for Feather: A Bird Alphabet (Science Alphabet) by Helen Wilbur and illustrated by Andy Atkins is a wonderful book for children, as well, as adults. The information on birds and the aspects of their lives from feeding to migration and beyond is a must for anyone interested in nature.

And last but certainly not least, A Parliament of Owls by author Devin Scillian and illustrator Sam Caldwell.  This beautifully written book cleverly dives into the plural of animals.  This is a fun, informative book that old and young will enjoy.    A shiver of sharks, a tower of giraffes, and a Parliament of Owls led to a discussion among library staff about the unusual plurals of other creatures.  Here is a link for other animal plurals you might not know.

https://arapahoelibraries.org/blogs/post/names-for-groups-of-animals/

I hope you enjoy these books from our vacay from our staycay, delivered from “Elsewhere”.

Julie's Journal : Catching Up!

Since I haven't posted anything in awhile, I thought I'd do a catch up with a few pictures from some events and activities this spring.  

Our kid's crochet group has continued all spring.  Several of the girls are finishing up projects.  Here, Addison has a completed scarf and Gianna has finished a tie for her hair.  We also have Octopus toys in progress, as well as scrunchies, scarves, and bags.  

Marvelous Mondays has been going strong.  We just have a few sessions left before the end of the school year.  Here we have learned a trick for balancing 11 nails on the head of just one nail.  I also showed the kids this tilting maze.  They had to manipulate a metal ball through the maze without falling in a hole.  It is very tricky!

Lisa has refreshed the front of the building for spring.  Doesn't it look nice?  The hydrangeas have really bloomed out beautifully this week.

We've also been having fun this spring with a new-to-us event... Storytime!  Once a month Lisa is reading books to kids ages 2-5 and following them with a craft.  Next Tuesday, May 10, at 10:00 is the next session, so be sure to bring your pre-school aged kiddos.

This week, we have been working on putting new books on the shelves.  Getting new books is quite an involved process.  We have to enter the books into our system, then print and apply stickers with both the barcode and spine information.  We have to stamp each book with our identifying information and then if the book is a hardcover with a dust jacket, we have to wrap the dust jacket in plastic for protection.  Learning to wrap books is one of the first things I teach new hires to do!  Here Jeltje is wrapping new non-fiction books.  See the cart behind her full of new books to be processed?

The Community Tiny Art Project has been a big success.  We will have all the submissions displayed through the month of May.  The projects are quite diverse and we have enjoyed seeing how creative our community is.

We have also had good turn-outs all spring at Creative Hands - our craft group for adults, Movies with Friends, and the Circle of Friends book club.  We are gearing up now for Summer Reading and other summer activities.  Be sure and look for our Calendar of Events at the front desk.  We have something for everyone!

Staff Picks : Julie

 Julie's February Picks

The Speckled Beauty, by Rick Bragg  Speck is a very bad dog who comes into the author's life at just the right time.  Rick is dealing with a cancer diagnosis and failing health and is living with his mother.  Speck is a rescue dog who has been on his own for a long time.  He has to learn how to live with people again, and doesn't necessarily do a good job of it.  I always enjoy this author's books.  His short, southern writings have the perfect mix of humor and heart.

The Ride of Her Life, by Elizabeth Letts  This is the true story of Annie Wilkins.  It is 1954 and Annie is 63 years old, alone and flat broke.  She has been told she doesn't have a lot of time left to live and she decides that she wants to fulfill a dream of both herself and her late mother.  She wants to see California and the Pacific Ocean.  The problem is that she is in Maine, where she has lived her entire life.  To the surprise of everyone she has ever known, she takes what little money she has and buys a horse.  After packing up supplies for the journey, she sets off with only her little dog for company.  It takes more than a year, but Annie finally reaches her destination.  Along the way she meets a host of hospitable people who help her and in the process she becomes a little bit famous.    

Oona Out of Order, by Margarita Montimore  I like stories that explore the concept of time.  Oona is 18 in 1982.  It is New Year's Eve and she is on the cusp of some big decisions about her future.  When the clock strikes midnight she faints, and when she wakes up it is New Year's Day - her birthday.  But it is not 1983.  It is 2015 and she is in her 51 year old body, but her mind is still 19.  She discovers that every year as the year turns she travels to a different time.  While her mind ages normally, she never knows what year she will end up in. She experiences her life completely out of order.  One year she is already married, the next year she experiences meeting her husband for the first time.  It sounds confusing, but I was quickly able to jump into the story.  I enjoyed it.  

Staff Picks : Lisa

Lisa’s Lists

Children’s Books

 

I have a confession. 

Picture books and children’s books are my favorite.  When I go book shopping I have to limit my time in the children’s section or I tend to get into trouble. I have SO many favorite authors it’s impossible to list them all. Of course, Jan Brett, Shel Silverstein, Beatrix Potter, Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, John R. Erickson, Bill Martin, Jr., Maurice Sendak, E.B. White, Kate DiCamillo, and A.A. Milne are forever on my list of recommended reads.

Others that I have added to that list are:

 

 

Ryan T. Higgins - Mother Bruce series. Bruce is a grumpy bear who finds himself in all sorts of unwelcome situations, mostly of his own making.   These laugh-out-loud stories come to life with the rich illustrations. FC Library has the following books in the Mother Bruce Series: The Bruce Swap, Bruce’s Big Move, Bruce’s Big Storm, Hotel Bruce, Mother Bruce, and Santa Bruce.

 

The Fan Brothers (Terry and Eric) - It Fell from the Sky. Something fell from the sky but none of the insects know what it is or where it came from. Spider, convinced it belongs to him, puts it on display for all the insect world to see. Things don’t turn out how he planned, as things rarely do, but lessons are learned and the insect community is stronger in the end because of the thing that fell from the sky.  Other books by the Fan Brothers available at FC Library: The Barnabus Project, The Night Gardener, and Ocean Meets Sky.  

 David Ezra Stein - Interrupting Chicken. Papa attempts to read Chicken a bedtime story but Chicken keeps interrupting. Over and over. Then Papa asks Chicken to read him a story instead. It doesn’t take long before someone is sound asleep.   Also enjoy, Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by Stein at FC Library. 

Audrey Wood - The Napping House. A cozy bed, a granny, a child, and a menagerie of other sleepy critters all pile up to take a nap.  This is a fun story with a seek-and-find for the tiny culprit that causes the whole bunch to topple to the floor. The illustrations are amazingly created by Don Wood.  The Full Moon at the Napping House is also available at FC Library.

I hope you check out some of my favorite books from our children’s collection. Who knows maybe they will become your favorites too.