Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 42
October 27, 2014
October 26, 2014
Early Lit Bits: Learning with Crafts – Acorn Boxes
Acorn Boxes
Autumn walks turn up special little treasures. We often come home with our pockets full of acorns, pebbles and maple tree wings. Appreciate nature’s tiny gifts by making a special acorn box to house small objects collected on walks. Use two small sections of a paper egg carton to form the top and bottom of the box. Paint the top egg cup brown and the bottom beige. Cut a ½” slit in the bottom of the brown cup and pull a ribbon loop through to form a handle. Knot the ribbon on the inside of the cup. Now place your little treasures in the other cup (the bottom of the box) and glue the top on. Children may want others to guess what’s in the box or simply keep the secret as a reminder of time spent outside in the fall. You can find this craft and others like it at
October 25, 2014
October 24, 2014
KDL Top Ten — DVDs
October 22, 2014
Win Tickets to Sesame Street Live!
KDL branch location by November 5 and complete an entry form for your chance to win.
Want to increase your chance of winning tickets? Leave us a comment on this post and tell us who is your favorite Sesame Street character and why. We will randomly select one commenter to win four ticket vouchers!
Good luck to all!
October 17, 2014
KDL Top Ten — Teen Nonfiction
View 10 of the most popular Teen Nonfiction titles this month at KDL – click on the link to the Top Ten List!
Celebrate Teen Read Week, October 12–18!
October 16, 2014
Local Indie Spotlight: Anne Brandt
The Square Root of Someone by Anne Brandt
LOCAL BRANDT
This collection of biographical essays is an insightful window into Brandt’s views on living, friendships, family relationships and getting older. Her tone is insightful and low-key, yet her words paint intimate images of what it’s like to view the world through her eyes. Those that enjoy Tom Rademacher’s column or collection of essays, Splitting Wood, will like Brandt’s no-nonsense way of conveying her memories. The Square Root of Someone is a quick and entertaining read.
From her website, http://annebrandt.com:
“Anne Brandt has been in love with creative writing since second grade when her four-line poem about cats appeared in a school journal. Today her writing includes personal essays, short stories, children’s stories, and one mainstream novel. She still writes poems too.
Brandt’s work has appeared in a variety of the publications. For example, her essay about meeting her biological father for the first time in 45 years was a cover story for the Chicago Tribune Magazine. Her essay about getting a tattoo in honor of her fiftieth birthday appeared in Senior magazine. Other work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Herald, and the Denver Post. A collection of her essays was published under the title The Square Root of Someone.
Brandt has also written for clients in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds, and her writing of annual reports, newsletters, and speeches has won several awards. She makes her home in St. Joseph, Michigan.”
Anne Brandt’s book is part of the Local Indie @ KDL collection, housed at the Cascade Township and Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branches. It was created to give independent authors, filmmakers and musicians the opportunity to be added to our shelves and to be featured by staff in order to increase viewers, readers and listeners.
Click here to browse our Local Indie @ KDL collection.
October 15, 2014
Spooky Views for the Squeamish
October is the perfect time to pull out some of your favorite spooky movies and spend quality time cuddled under a warm blanket while the wind chases leaves around the yard. But some of us have to draw the line at watching movies that make each leaf tap on the window sound like a creepy crawly coming to get us! So here are a few DVDs that you can enjoy that still are spooky but probably will not keep you up at night!
Ghostbusters – (rated PG) Okay, so this one is listed as a Comedy, but it is the perfect creepy movie that isn’t too much for the squeamish. Because seriously, that possession bit freaks me out, but I really enjoy the ghost hunting and humor!
The Sixth Sense – (rated PG-13) Haley Joel Osment was such a adorable kid and he played the young boy in this movie to perfection. But a certain pivotal scene (no spoilers) really sends a shiver down my spine.
Warm Bodies – (rated PG-13) Zombies; yep a sure way to make me stop watching, but really MOST of these zombies are not that bad! This one really does have some finer points, so if the zombies have turned you off from it, give this one a second chance.
Race to Witch Mountain – (rated PG) Now we are moving on to aliens and lots of car chases. Really low spooky levels but still a good one for October.
The Nightmare before Christmas – (rated PG) Some of those animated characters are very freaky and overall it has a creepy storyline. Jack representing Christmas? That’s enough to give us all shivers! But it is animated so really no need to hide under the covers.
Dark Shadows – (rated PG-13) Now vampires are another on the “really don’t want to watch” list, but this vampire, played by Johnny Depp, isn’t a typical vampire. Yes, there are some gross things, but not that much, so grab that popcorn and blanket and watch some movies!
October 14, 2014
British Pop Music
It probably is not fair to compare one musical artist to another or to say that they sound like some other artist when they are all trying to have their own style and stand out from the crowd. But with so many artists making music, there is bound to be some overlap and similarities. Since British culture is popular in America right now thanks to Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and Sherlock, I have discovered a few British pop musicians who are trying to branch out into the American market.
While each have their own style, here are a few who either could be mistaken for their American counterparts because they sounds so much alike, or their style of music is so similar you might not notice a difference.
If you like Katy Perry… 
Try Cher Lloyd, who released her sophomore album Sorry I’m Late in May 2014. This new album has seen her grow as an artist when looking back at her 2011 album, Sticks and Stones, which was very poppy with a bit of hip-hop and R&B mixed in. On Sorry I’m Late you might find Lloyd’s song Sirens paying homage to Katy Perry’s Firework. Both share similarities as they begin almost like a ballad and evolve into a catchy chorus. Another stand-out song is Sweet Despair.
If you like Lady Gaga…
Try Natalia Kills — her sophomore album Trouble has several tracks that will remind you of Lady Gaga, both in the way Natalia sounds and in the style of tracks that are produced. The one track that really stands out is Saturday Night, as Natalia is able to deliver a song that is heavily laced with synthesizers, and a voice that stands out to deliver a memorable electro-pop sound. Along with the song Devils Don’t Fly, you might think this was a Lady Gaga side project.
If you like Miley Cyrus…
Try Lily Allen; her third studio album Sheezus was released in May and picks up where her 2009 album It’s Not Me, It’s You left off. Lily recently opened up for Miley Cyrus on her last tour in the USA. But Lily’s content is sometimes more subtle and cheeky in the delivery. Her song Hard Out Here shines a light on inequality in the music industry, while her song Sheezus makes light of all of the comparisons between some of the big names in music industry like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lorde and Rihanna (which I have done in this post by trying to draw similarities between different artists, so this post is not Lily Allen-approved).
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