Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 147

Early Lit Bits: Book Review — “Oh, No!”

“Oh, No!” by Candace Fleming

A series of animals fall into a deep hole in the jungle, with each rescue attempt resulting in another animal falling in the hole. Who will come to their aid and get everyone out of the hole?

The text repeats the phrase “Oh no!” throughout the book, and your child will no doubt be saying it right along with you as you read. The rhythm of the book is enjoyable to hear aloud, making it a great choice for a group setting. You may even find yourself getting into a beat and singing as you read together.

This book also introduces some unique jungle animals and plants to the reader, providing opportunities to expand vocabulary and learn something new. Talking and singing are wonderful ways to practice language skills and get your child ready to read!

 

 

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

 

App of the Week – Key Ring

Key Ring Reward Cards

By Mobestream Media

If you’re tired of carrying around a key ring and/or wallet with a ton of loyalty and reward cards, this app is for you. You can scan and save all of your current loyalty and reward cards on your phone, and join new programs in seconds without the paperwork. You also receive exclusive coupons from top retailers and have the ability to digitally save grocery coupons. The best part? This is a free app with no advertisements!

Favorite Holiday Reads on eightWest

Are you in the mood for a holiday read? Barb DeYoung, Youth Librarian at the Byron Township branch, recommended some of her favorites on eightWest recently:

Favorite Holiday Reads

 

Request one today!

Adult Holiday Fiction:

Snow Day by Billy Coffey
The 13th Day of Christmas by Jason F. Wright
Holiday Grind and Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle
Merry Ex-Mas by Sheila Roberts

Children’s Holiday Books:

Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black & Rosalind Beardshaw
The Night Santa Got Lost (How NORAD Saved Christmas) by Michael Keane
The Night Before Christmas, Deep Under the Sea by Kathie Kelleher
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah (also How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas) by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

 

KDL Top Ten – 12/14/2012

Make this holiday season merry and bright! Get cooking and get crafty with KDL! From cookies to card-making, we have the resources you need to make this year a treat! To see 10 of the most checked-out holiday craft and cookbooks at KDL this year, click on the link to the KDL Top Ten List!

 

New Patron Story: Molly Frendo

Peek inside one of the private study rooms on the second floor at the Kentwood branch and chances are you’ll find Molly Frendo. On a recent weekday evening, Molly visited the branch in search of a quiet place to prepare a presentation for one of her graduate studies courses at Michigan State University, where she majors in educational psychology and educational technology.

Read Molly’s story here.

Swish! Teen Basketball Books

The game of basketball is going full force for fans, whether you follow high school, college or the NBA. Earlier this year a great new book was released by Paul Volponi, The Final Four. Volponi follows four players trying to win a March Madness tournament game between the touted Michigan squad and the underdog Troy Titans. You find out how each player became a college star along with exciting play-by-play action.

Similar fiction on basketball includes Walter Dean Myers’ Game and Matt de la Peña’s Ball Don’t Lie, where you learn why their characters are in love with the game.

If you are more into mysteries or crave books about college basketball, national sportswriter John Feinstein’s sports mysteries include Last Shot. Two eighth-grade reporters win a contest that allows them to cover the Final Four, where they discover that the game might be rigged.

And for manga and graphic novel fans there’s Slam Dunk, a furious comic series from Japan featuring two rival basketball players.

 

“My Son John”: A Cold War Tale

“My Son John” is very much a product of its time (1952). Its subject?  A young man (played by Robert Walker) goes to work in Washington and comes home to visit his small-town, religious parents with some new, disturbing ideas that make his parents suspicious.

If you know your history, you’ll recall that a certain Wisconsin Senator was at this time engaged in a hunt for those holding Communist party sympathies and/or membership inside the federal government. He became very zealous about this, and was eventually stopped in his pursuit. This movie was made at the height of McCarthy’s efforts, and it may elicit both laughs and serious thought. It’s only natural, in my opinion, that movies from another era, especially when they are trying to convey serious ideas, may sometimes come off as corny or obvious.

On the other hand, this viewer looked at other aspects of the movie, and found much to take pleasure in. To begin with, there’s the acting of Dean Jagger and Helen Hayes as the parents—they seem to have achieved a wonderful naturalness in their interactions, all done with the backdrop of location shooting in Virginia (as opposed to the more common studio-bound tendency of that time).  Second, though the movie takes a very obvious stand in its politics, it also shows Jagger’s character as a bit of a hothead, and over-sensitive in his reactions to his son.  And speaking of the son, Robert Walker (you might remember him from Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train) does a marvelous job as a sort of prodigal who wastes no time showing his condescension toward those who love him. Finally, the movie works as a window into the thinking of the time, a time when both real and imagined enemies were lurking about, when the country was trying to forget a brutal World War II and yet having to send its children off to Korea for more bloodshed and sacrifice.  Altogether, well worth watching!

 

“My Son John” : a Cold War tale

“My Son John” is very much a product of its time (1952). Its subject?  A young man (played by Robert Walker) goes away to work in Washington and comes home to visit his small-town, religious parents with some new, disturbing ideas that make his parents suspicious. If you know your history, you’ll recall that a certain Wisconsin Senator was at this time engaged in a hunt for those holding Communist party sympathies and/or membership inside the federal government.  He became very zealous about this, and was eventually stopped in his pursuit.  This movie was made at the height of McCarthy’s efforts, and it may elicit both laughs and serious thought.  It’s only natural, in my opinion, that movies from another era, especially when they are trying to convey serious ideas, may sometimes come off as corny or obvious. On the other hand, this viewer looked at other aspects of the movie, and found much to take pleasure in. To begin with, there’s the acting of Dean Jagger and Helen Hayes as the parents—they seem to have achieved a wonderful naturalness in their interactions, all done with the backdrop of location shooting in Virginia (as opposed to the more common studio-bound tendency of that time).  Second, though the movie takes a very obvious stand in its politics, it also shows Jagger’s character as a bit of a hothead, and over-sensitive in his reactions to his son.  And speaking of the son, Robert Walker (you might remember him from Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train) does a marvelous job as a sort of prodigal who wastes no time showing his condescension toward those who love him. Finally, the movie works as a window into the thinking of the time, a time when both real and imagined enemies were lurking about, when the country was trying to forget a brutal World War II and yet having to send its children off to Korea for more bloodshed and sacrifice.  Altogether, well worth watching!

New Orleans Noir

Below are three great mysteries set in New Orleans.  If you are craving New Orleans noir, these titles are sure to satisfy.

Hell or High Water by Joy Castro (2012)

Nola Céspedes, an ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, finally catches a break: an assignment to write her first full-length feature. While investigating her story, she also becomes fixated on the search for a missing tourist in the French Quarter. As Nola’s work leads her into a violent criminal underworld, she’s forced to face disturbing truths from her own past.

 

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (2012) 

Some days, Caren Gray can hardly believe she is still rooted to Belle Vie, the Louisiana plantation where she grew up, where her mother was a cook and her great-great-great-grandfather was a slave. When a cane worker is found with her throat slit, Caren is drawn into the investigation as the police target one of her employees as the murderer.

 

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (2011)

Claire has just arrived in post-Katrina New Orleans, where she is investigating the disappearance of Vic Willing, a prosecutor known for winning convictions in a homicide- plagued city. Claire follows the clues, finding old friends and making new enemies – foremost among them Andray Fairview, a young gang member who just might hold the key to the mystery.

 

 

 

New Orleans noir

Below are three great  mysteries set in New Orleans.  If you are craving New Orleans noir, these titles are sure to satisfy.

 Hell or High Water by Joy Castro (2012)

Nola Céspedes, an ambitious young reporter at the Times-Picayune, finally catches a break: an assignment to write her first full-length feature. While investigating her story, she also becomes fixated on the search for a missing tourist in the French Quarter. As Nola’s work leads her into a violent criminal underworld, she’s forced to face disturbing truths from her own past.

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke (2012) 

Some days, Caren Gray can hardly believe she is still rooted to Belle Vie, the Louisiana plantation where she grew up, where her mother was a cook and her great-great-great-grandfather was a slave.  When a cane worker is found with her throat slit, Caren is drawn into the investigation as the police target one   of her employees as the murderer. 

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran (2011)

Claire has just arrived in post-Katrina New Orleans, she is investigating the disappearance of Vic Willing, a prosecutor known for winning convictions in a homicide- plagued city.  Claire follows the clues, finding old friends and making new enemies – foremost among them Andray Fairview, a young gang member who just might hold the key to the mystery