Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 52

Patron Story: Myah Medendorp

Meet Myah Medendorp. She’s 11 years old and she is fabulous.

When you’re 6 years old, having to wait five years for anything can be, quite literally, almost a whole other lifetime. But for Myah, it was just her first five-year plan.

Read Myah’s story here.

 

 

 

Experience Summer Online

This summer KDL patrons have been learning new skills, visiting area parks, downloading e-books, and much more for Experience Summer Online. You still have time to join them in a wide variety of activities for chances to win prizes — just complete some simple and fun activities by Saturday, August 9. Check out these pictures of KDL patrons experiencing summer:

 

Franco-American Noir

“Two Men in Manhattan” is French film noir, which is a wonderful confluence, since the term noir — in honor of a particular kind of American movie – was given to us by French film critics in the first place. In this case, director Jean-Pierre Melville pulls off a rather fascinating bit of movie-making: he combines an American setting and style — New York noir, in the 50s — with a very French post-war theme. To explain that too much might spoil the movie for the viewer, though. You’ll have to watch it to find out.

The story concerns a disappearance — a classic mystery set-up — of a French UN official. But instead of the police doing the investigating, it’s French reporters who are on the trail, one a womanizing photographer, the other (played by the director himself) more of a straight arrow. Together they journey through an unsavory world of New York vice, and more rarified theaters and recording studios, always missing their man, but continuing to pick up clues. According to the DVD’s extra — an interview between film critics Jonathan Rosenbaum and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky — only the exterior shots were done in New York itself, while the rest was done in France, on sound stages. This makes for an interesting contrast, given that many movies of this type at that time were done on numerous on-site locations. Additionally, the powerful jazz score used in the film is a great accompaniment to the editing, which pulls us from place to place throughout the city, conveying the disorientation that these foreigners must sometimes feel in their adopted city. As the reporters continue their prowl throughout the December night, they eventually get their scoop, though not without some depressing revelations, brought to them partially through their own ambiguous choices — a plot twist doubtless important to this story of darkness both literal and figurative.

(This film is not rated, but does have some brief nudity in it. Dialogue is primarily in French, with some English as well.)

 

Early Lit Bits: Book Review — “Zoom, Zoom, Baby!”

Zoom, Zoom, Baby!

Karen Katz has done it again! She has written another thoroughly enjoyable board book, Zoom, Zoom Baby! Lift the flap to see if baby is in the boat, or the bus. Where is baby? Your toddler will love peeking to see if baby is riding the train or flying the plane. Where is baby? Check out this book and find out!

–Liz W. at KDL’s Plainfield Township Branch

 

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.

 

Youth Coping Booklists

           

Life can be tough, even for kids. Scratch that, especially for kids. As a parent, it can be hard to know how to talk to your children about the more difficult aspects of life.

Don’t fret; the library has your back! Whether your child is battling cancer, grieving the loss of a loved one or just learning how to live a happy, healthy life, KDL has an appropriate coping or self-help book for the occasion.

Check out these coping and self-help booklists, specially created for kids and teens:

Cancer and Illness Books for Kids and Teens
Death and Grief Books for Kids and Teens
Grieving Your Pet
Happy Reads for Kids
Healthier, Happier Kids
Helping a Child through Grief

If you found these helpful, browse our other booklists here!

Nominate Your Favorite Librarian

Has a KDL librarian made a real difference in your life? Have they gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide top-notch customer service and excellent programming? Show your appreciation by nominating them for a meaningful award!

Nominations for the national Carnegie Corporation of New York / New York Times I Love My Librarian Award will be accepted through September 12 and must be submitted online.

The award invites library users nationwide to nominate librarians in public libraries, as well as those in school and academic libraries. It is an opportunity for patrons to share how librarians improve the lives of people in their communities.

Ten librarians will win $5,000, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York , hosted by The New York Times. The award is administered by the American Library Association with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times.

Submit your nomination today!

KDL Top Ten — Sports Outdoor

Go hiking, paddling and camping with this week’s Top Ten.  These are 10 of the most popular titles in our Sports Outdoor collection.  And if you’re looking for more open-air fun, try our Experience Summer Online: Get Outside and Play challenges!

 

More Mango Languages Content

Language lovers, rejoice — our online language learning resource, Mango Languages, recently added 10 new chapters and over 1,000 additional learning hours to 40+ of their language courses (indicated in bold in the table below)

Mango Languages is FREE to all KDL cardholders, and is an easy, effective way to learn to speak a foreign language. Courses are currently available in 62 foreign languages and 17 English as a Second Language (ESL) courses:

Arabic (Egyptian)
Arabic (Levantine)
Arabic (MSA)
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Bengali
Chinese (Cantonese)
Chinese (Mandarin)
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dari
Dutch
Farsi (Persian)
Finnish
French
French (Canadian)
Scottish Gaelic
German




Greek
Greek (Ancient)
Greek (Koine)
Haitian Creole
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew
Hindi
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Kazakh
Korean
Latin
Malay
Malayalam
Norwegian
Pashto
Pirate
Polish




Portuguese (Brazilian)
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Serbian
Slovak
Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish (Spain)
Swahili
Swedish
Tagalog
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Tuvan
Ukrainian
Urdu
Vietnamese
Yiddish




ESL for Arabic (Egyptian) Speakers
ESL for Arabic (MSA) Speakers
ESL for Armenian Speakers
ESL for Chinese (Cantonese) Speakers
ESL for Chinese (Mandarin) Speakers
ESL for French Speakers
ESL for German Speakers
ESL for Greek Speakers
ESL for Italian Speakers
ESL for Japanese Speakers
ESL for Korean Speakers
ESL for Polish Speakers
ESL for Portuguese (Brazilian) Speakers
ESL for Russian Speakers
ESL for Spanish (Latin American) Speakers
ESL for Turkish Speakers
ESL for Vietnamese Speakers

Once you’ve signed up for an account through KDL, you can even access Mango Languages on-the-go with free mobile apps for iOS and Android!

Watch the video below to see Mango Languages in action, then start using it today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5u6hkYef1M

July Teen Booklist: Tune In

This month there is only one new teen booklist and it features Books with a Music Theme. One of my favorite books is included on the list: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John. I am not a big music fan at all, but I loved the characters and the storyline of this book! Piper is deaf; having her be a manager of a band might be strange, but she is willing to working hard and prove herself. But it is not easy to manage five very different personalities and look for a venue for them to play.

Below are a few of my other favorites from the list:

                 

Video Love Bomb: Kristin

Kristin, who owns a local nanny service, considers KDL’s free Early Childhood Essentials classes, well, essential to staying on top of her professional development.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJzC_kV5pCo

Drop a library love bomb: Upload a short video of your own to KDL’s Facebook page!