Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 72

Thank You for Your Generosity!

During the month of February, KDL staff and patrons collected new socks and underwear for Family Promise of Grand Rapids, a local agency that works with families currently experiencing homelessness. We are thrilled to report that over 700 items were collected for those in need. Thank you so much for your generosity!

 

Thank You for your Generosity!

During the month of February, KDL staff and patrons collected new socks and underwear for Family Promise of Grand Rapids, a local agency that works with families currently experiencing homelessness. We are thrilled to report that over 700 items were collected for those in need. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Teens: Cosplay and Anime Programs

Cosplay Costume Workshop

Meet up with other fans and begin designing your cosplay look. Supplies and

equipment will be provided to help you rock the runway at JAFAX or the KDL

Anime Festival.

Saturday, March 15, 1:30 PM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township Branch

Tuesday, March 18, 3:30 PM – Wyoming Branch

Thursday, March 20, 3:30 PM – Eeast Grand Rapids Branch

Anime Festival

Come in costume and participate in our cosplay pageant for prizes, or just

enjoy celebrating all things anime with your favorite shows, Japanese snacks,

crafts and games.

Saturday, May 10, 2:00 – 4:00 PM – Cascade Township Branch

For a list of branch locations and maps, click here.

Early Lit Bits: Music Minute

Music stimulates the learning receptors in the brain. It can benefit young minds in many ways, from expanding vocabularies, to increasing comprehension or defining emotions. By including music in learning games, young children can practice essentials skills while having a blast!

Here are just a few ways to incorporate music into your playtime:

Draw or Paint to Music: Encourage your child to draw what they hear. You can use familiar words that identify emotions or feelings, like happy, busy, silly or sleepy. Then expand on those words with new vocabulary choices, like content, distracted, wild or mellow. See how your child’s artwork changes with the tempo of the song playing.

Move to the Music: Add special movements to a song for specific sounds. A fun example is Jim Gill’s song, My Bonnie, from his Do Re Mi on His Toe Leg Knee CD. For every “B” sound in the song, move your arms up, and put them down on the next “B” sound. Try it with some of your favorite songs. What letter sounds can your child identify?

Clap the Beat: Clap out the rhythm to a familiar song and see if your child can identify it. Clap the next part together. Practicing this skill helps children recognize patterns and predict what comes next.

Add some music to your day, and let the learning begin!

– Sara M. at KDL’s Sand Lake /Nelson 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.

 

Sports Books to Try

The Olympics are over, Spring Training is in full swing and March Madness is coming up.  It’s always a good time for sports books.

An older book to try if you are a fan of running or history is The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb.  Until May of 1954, no one had run a sub-4-minute mile.  There were three milers in the world, Roger Bannister of Great Britain, John Landy of Australia, and Wes Santee of the United States, who were trying to be the first.  While this book tells primarily of the attempts of these men to race a mile with a record time, what stayed with me was realizing how difficult life still was in England as a result of WWII, even though the war had been over for a decade.  The title of the book comes from a later race between Bannister and Landy, after each had broken four minutes earlier that summer.  They met for the first time that year at the Empire Games in August of 1954. (This race can be seen on YouTube.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP_NzZP_LK0

 

From a classic race to a classic sports writer: John Feinstein has a new book out, .  In this book Feinstein highlights Triple A baseball.  Players, managers and unpires are evaluated while working in this transition league.  Are they looking to break into the majors? Are they rehabbing to get back to the majors? Have they been cut from the major leagues and are on their way out of sports?

 

 

Staying with baseball is another title worth a look.  One of this year’s Michigan Notable Books is The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych. That hair, the grooming of the mound, the talking to the ball… Doug Wilson brings back the excitement that Fidrych brought to baseball in his brief career.  From the epilogue of the book: “He was the most charismatic player we had during my time with the Tigers,” said Ernie Harwell, whose time with the Tigers spanned almost fifty years.

 

A final new sport book to consider is The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown.  The 1936 Olympics most commonly bring to mind Jesse Owens, but rowing was another competition where the Germans were supposed to defeat all comers.  The “boys” in the title came not from New England and the schools with a strong rowing tradition, but from the Pacific Northwest — the University of Washington.  These farmers, fishermen and lumber workers had to first take on the best in the US and then the best in the world to pursue a gold medal. Reviewers have compared this book to those of Laura Hillenbrand.

 

Even though the weather is cold, travel with these books to someplace warm and enjoy the pursuit of excellence.

 

Free Writer’s Conference: Are You Registered?

What: Third annual Celebrate the Mitten Writers Conference

When: Saturday, March 29, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Where: Cascade Township Branch

Cost: Free

Lots more info here!

Time to register is running out for KDL’s popular conference for writers. Published authors including — but not limited to — novelists Kristina Riggle and Aric Davis and publishing insiders from Christian publishing giant Baker Books, literary agent and editor Credo Communications and self-published authors’ helper PublishSavvy, just to name a few, will share their experiences and tips on how to take your writing to the next level, book marketing and social media, query letters and book proposals, and more. All genres and skill levels are welcome. Separate pre-registration is required for morning and afternoon sessions and participant spots are limited. Co-sponsored by Baker Books, Credo Communications, Publish Savvy and Pot-Boilers. To register, call 616-784-2007 or click on the links below.

Register early; spots for this event go very quickly and walk-ins cannot be accommodated!

9:00 AM – 12:45 PM — Morning Session (geared to not-yet published writers, but all are welcome)

9:00 – 9:30 AM — Welcome and Introductions

9:45 – 10:30 AM — Five Things Aspiring Writers Should Know (Because There’s Not Enough Time for 10) — author and editor Shelly Beach and author Kristina Riggle
10:40 – 11:20 AM — Traditional, Self-Publish or Can I Do Both? — Shannon Janeczek, owner of  Publish Savvy; author and micropublisher Don Pearson, novelist Aric Davis
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM — You Can Do This: An Editor’s Manifesto — How to Stay Motivated and Keep Moving toward Publication – Chad Allen, editorial director, Baker Books

30 minutes to network/sell books/trade business cards

12:45 – 1:45 PM – Lunch on your own

1:45 – 5:00 PM — Afternoon Session (geared to published authors, but all are welcome)

1:45 – 2:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions

2:00 – 2:45 PM — Social Media & Book Marketing Tips, Tricks and Gaffes — Children’s Author Sandy Carlson; Shannon Janeczek, Publish Savvy
2:55 – 3:40 PM — Query Letters & Book Proposals: What are They? Do I Need Them? — Shelly Beach, novelist Aric Davis
3:45 – 4:30 PM — Taking Your Writing to the Next Level – literary agent and copy editor Ann Byle, science fiction author Jim Hines

30 minutes to network/sell books/trade business cards

 

Upcoming Meet-the-Author Events

More than a dozen authors will visit various KDL branches this spring to talk about their books. Click here to see the list.

          

 

KDL Top Ten — Humor

Double up on books at KDL!  Here are 10 of the most popular titles in our Humor section:

And for more good times, check out LaughFest! Enjoy great comedy and support Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.

(Courtesy of Gilda’s Club and LaughFest)

March 6 – March 16

Genre Derby Success

A big thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Genre Derby! Thanks to generous donations and corporate matches, we have an additional $6,045 to spend on books in various genres. Although each “horse” earned some money, the winner was MARE Jo Putney, earning the top prize of $3,240 for the Romance genre!

We also want to thank investment firm Edward Jones and First United Credit Union for their chaitable contributions.

Thanks again for your help in making the Genre Derby a success!

 

Have Fun With PEEPS®!

Have some fun with everyone’s favorite marshmallow treat! We are offering a PEEPS® Diorama Contest at several of our branches. Create your own PEEPS® diorama based on the theme “PEEPS® are Popping Up All Over!” Bring it to a participating branch by April 1 for a chance to win a prize! Winners will be chosen by popular vote and prizes will be awarded on April 21.

The following branches are participating in the contest, which is open to people of all ages:

Alpine Township
Byron Township
Cascade Township
East Grand Rapids
Englehardt
Grandville
Kentwood (Richard L. Root)
Krause Memorial
Sand Lake/Nelson Township
Spencer Township
Tyrone Township

We can’t wait to see all your creativity on display!