What Scientists Do

Do you have a child or teen who seems fascinated by all things science related? Or maybe you are the one in your family who loves to read about the work of scientists. “Scientists in the Field” is a wonderful book series that explores that actual scientific research being done by modern-day scientists around the world. Each book in the series features a particular research focus: insects, under-sea volcanoes, bees, whales, conservation, gorillas, and many more topics. The books have been consistently praised by reviewers from School Library Journal and have won numerous awards including the Robert F. Siebert Award for Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot.

Kakapo Rescue by Sy Montgomery

These books are great for learning about the actual subject being studied, but the real strength of the books is the ability to place the reader at the very center of the research process. These are very much focused on the application of the scientific method. As readers, we get to see the problems, the set-backs, and the refining of the research. We also get to see how different people with different careers all work together in the research field!

Here are a few of the books that illustrate the wide variety of scientific fields covered.

Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch   Stronger than Steel by Bridget Heos

The Mighty Mars Rovers by Elizabeth Rusch   Amazon Adventure: How Tiny Fish are Savingthe World's Largest Rainforest by Sy Montgomery

A few of the titles will be of special interest to people in our geographic area. Dr. Terri Roth from the Cincinnati Zoo is featured in Emi and the Rhino Scientist. Dr. Roth is the director of the Cincinnati Zoo’s research on endangered animal species, including the extremely rare Sumatran rhino.  The Bug Scientists features Tom Turpin a long-time professor of entomology at Purdue University. Turpin, who retired in 2017, spent 45 years making the study of insects seem cool at events like Purdue’s annual Bug Bowl.

  The Bug Scientists by Donna M. Jackson

Several of the books in the “Scientists in the Field” series are written by Cincinnati author Mary Kay Carson.

Inside Biosphere 2: Earth Science Under Glass by Mary Kay Carson  The Park Scientists by Mary Kay Carson

Our latest addition in this book series is Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island, a fascinating look at the way plant and animal life is developing on a volcanic island that was formed in 1963.

Life on Surtsey by Loree Griffin Burns

Fascinating stuff, wouldn’t you say? Stop by to check out one of these amazing books!

 

 

Get Healthy in 2018!

This is YOUR year! You’re finally going to get healthy by eating right and exercising. The Aurora Public Library District can help!

We have plenty of materials on eating better, exercising, and getting healthy. Whether you’re looking for books on what to eat in order to lose weight, different ways to exercise in order to lose weight and keep it off, or ways to incorporate healthy foods into your diet with delicious recipes, the Aurora Public Library District is here to help you. We have information about different detoxes and cleanses you can do to recharge and get back on track, as well.

We also have a variety of fitness DVDs dedicated to bring the exercise to the comfort of your own home that you can check out. Start slow by checking out walking and aerobics DVDs, or learn something new, like yoga, Pilates, or Zumba. Maybe you want to take it to the next level and learn how to belly dance! Whatever your skill and fitness level, the Aurora Public Library District has something for you.

And don’t forget the Indiana Digital Download Center! There are even more materials to peruse through that you can download digitally to your device without ever leaving home. There are books on exercise instruction, cookbooks, books on cleanses and detoxes, and so much more! As always, if you can’t find the exact title you’re looking for, you can always request it through the Interlibrary Loan service.

Good luck on your fitness journey! Let us know how it’s going by commenting on this post or posting on our Facebook page! Happy New Year, and Happy Reading!

Every Child Ready to Read

Have you ever wondered what you can be doing now to prepare your toddler to succeed in school? Parents want their children to go off to school with the skills they need to do well in a classroom. Although most children do not begin reading until they are school-age, children who show up at school with preliteracy skills already in place will usually be more successful and will come to view school as an enjoyable experience. The good news is that parents and other primary caregivers can engage in a few simple activities to ensure that every child is “Ready to Read.”

Conversations help a child express thoughts, learn what words mean, and gain new information about the world. Listen to what your child says, answer questions, add new information, and listen some more! It is the give-and-take of conversation that helps kids make sense of the words they hear. Talk in the car, during meal times, during a bath, at the store, and everywhere.

Singing helps kids hear the distinct sounds that words make. Songs teach new vocabulary and moving to music helps develop motor skills. You don’t have to be a good singer – just be enthusiastic! Creating simple musical instruments from things in your home makes it even more fun.

Read with your child every day! Create a special place for shared reading and favorite books. After you read together, show your child that reading is important for letting them see you read.

 

 

 

 

Children learn to express themselves by playing. You don’t need expensive toys; in fact simpler is better! Provide old clothes for playing dress-up, use old boxes or food containers as blocks or drape a sheet over two chairs to create a puppet stage for sock puppets. Encourage creativity by asking your child to make up stories by imagining to be someone else. Play comes naturally to young children and is one of the primary ways they learn.

Writing activities help children understand that written words represent ideas, things and events. Set up a writing space with paper, crayons and pencils. Show examples of your writing in thank-you notes, recipes, or notes. Writing takes strong hand muscles, and playing with clay or play-doh is a fun way to strengthen little hands.

 

 

 

Try to work these five activities into the normal flow of interacting with your child and they will begin school “Ready to Read”. For more information, stop by the Aurora Public Library to talk to me – I’d be happy to help get you started on these important practices. I also use these concepts in our weekly Storytimes, so that’s a great time to stop in!

Reading Without Walls

Gene Yang has served for the past two years as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. As part of his work in promoting teen and children’s books, he began to speak about the benefits of reading outside the box.

In other words, he has encouraged readers everywhere to explore books about characters who look or live differently than themselves, to read about new topics, and to read in new formats. This national program invites us to celebrate both the diversity within our society and the diversity of reading possibilities.

So what can you do? Why not begin by making this a family-wide challenge? Part of the fun of reading comes from sharing the books with family members or friends. Encourage each other to do one of these things to “Read Without Walls”.

1. Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you.

2. Read a book about a topic you don’t know much about.

3. Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read for fun ­ — a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, or an audio book.

Not sure where to start? Here are some children’s books that would fit one of the categories for me.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai   Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Tutankhamun and Other Lost Tombs by John Malam   Wild Rock: Climbing and Mountaineering by Neil Champion

For a different format book, I might choose a graphic novel like one of these.

Around the World by Matt Phelan  Newsprints by Ru Xu

Make 2018 a year for “Reading without Walls” and have fun sharing your reading selections with others. If you need help finding books to fit the categories, just ask at the desk; we love to give suggestions! You can also find more about the reading challenge (including book suggestions) on this web page.

 

 

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day I wanted to republish this post, first posted Feb 13, 2017.

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is a celebration of accomplishments by African Americans. It’s also a time to recognize how African Americans helped shape this nation. The US is not the only country who dedicates a month to celebrating black history, Canada and the United Kingdom do, as well.

Black History Month actually started out as a single week called ‘Negro History Week’, by Carter G. Woodson in 1926. They chose the second week of February because of the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

In decades that followed, cities across the country issued yearly proclamations recognizing the week. In the late ’60s, around the same time as the civil rights movement and the growing awareness of black identity, the week evolved into the month. President Gerald R. Ford was the first president to officially recognize the month in 1976

To help celebrate Black History Month, below are some books showing African American History.

      

 

 

Meet Illustrator Ed Young

Illustrator of more than 80 books for children, Ed Young is best known for his picture books based on folktales, and he takes inspiration for his work from the philosophy of Chinese painting where both words and artwork are essential elements.  Ed Young has twice been the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and received the Caldecott Medal for Lon Po Po, a Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood.

Lon Po Po by Ed Young

In Seven Fathers, Young illustrates a traditional Norwegian folktale. The Emperor and the Kite is a Chinese folktale, retold by Jane Yolen, and Seven Blind Mice is a retelling of the folktale “The Blind Men and the Elephant” which appears in many Asian cultures.

Seven Fathers retold by Ashley Ramsden   The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

Notice all the shiny medals on the book covers? For a list of Ed Young’s book awards, you can visit his web page. His books use a variety of art styles, but frequently include collage and cut paper.

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein  Tsunami by Kimiko Kajikawa

Hook by Ed Young   Moon Bear by Brenda Guiberson

Beyond the Great Mountains by Ed Young  Mighty Moby by Ed Young

Mighty Moby is Young’s latest book and features an adorable surprise ending!

For anyone with an interest in art, folktales or Asian culture, these books are fascinating to explore.

 

 

Bedtime Storytime

Our always popular Bedtime Storytime will be coming soon! All ages are welcome to attend this event and advance registration is not needed. Just bring the whole family (in pajamas!) and cuddle up for some great stories. There will also be a craft and, of course, milk and cookies. If you’re not there, Peggy will be singing the blues and that is something you don’t want to happen!

The Bedtime Storytime will be held at the Dillsboro Public Library on Tuesday, January 30th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM and at the Aurora Public Library on Thursday, February 1st from 6:00 – 7:30 PM. See you soon!

Our weekly Storytimes for ages 3-6 will begin the following week on Tuesday, February 6th, at 10:30 AM (Dillsboro) and Wednesday, February 7th, at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM (Aurora). Please register your children in advance for these programs.

 

 

Best Books of 2017

As we ring in the New Year, let’s look back on some of the Best Books of 2017! At the Aurora Public Library, you’ll find a display featuring these books and more for you to check out and enjoy in 2018.

Across the World Wide Web, you’ll find dozens of compilations of the Best Books of 2017. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders made 22 of those lists. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward were on 19 separate lists, and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng made 13 lists. Hunger by Roxane Gay and Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado managed to make 12 separate lists. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates made 9 lists, and You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie made 8 separate lists.

Notable Best Nonfiction Books of 2017 you’ll find on the display include:

Portraits of Courage by George W. Bush

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (which made 6 separate 2017 lists)

Our Revolution by Bernard Sanders

Al Franken Giant of the Senate by Al Franken

I Got This by Laurie Hernandez

Killing England by Bill O’Reilly

Fiction titles you’ll find on the display include:

The Burning Girl by Claire Messud (5 different lists)

Marlena by Julie Buntin (4 lists)

The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott (also made 4 lists)

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdich (3 lists)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3 lists)

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie (3 lists)

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perotta (also made 3 different lists)

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

And many, many more!

Some of these Best Books of 2017 are available through the Indiana Digital Download Center. These include:

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (7 lists)

The Leavers by Lisa Ko (7 lists)

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy (7 lists)

What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons (6 lists)

American War by Omar El Akkad (5 lists)

All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg (5 lists)

Ill Will by Dan Chaon (4 lists)

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (3 lists)

And many more!

So, what was the best book you read in 2017? Did it make any lists? Did you read any of these books? What did you think? Drop your answers in the comments below!

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

Looking at Race in Teen Books

There is probably no more polarizing issue today than that of race. Teens are right in the middle of this issue as they engage with different forms of media and they interact with their family and their peers. This topic is also getting more attention in the world of Young Adult Literature. The teenage years are when young adults struggle to make sense of the events taking place around them and also to construct their own world view based on the various viewpoints they hear. Books can help with that process by offering different perspectives!

How It Went Down and All American Boys both point to the difficulty of understanding an event due to the varying viewpoints of the observers. All American Boys is also on this year’s Eliot Rosewater book list for high school students.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon   All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

The following two books address conflicts that arise when an African American teen attends a mostly white prep school. The Hate U Give is one of the most highly praised Young Adult novels to be published in 2017.

The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasBlack Boy, White School by Brian Walker

The last four books are classified as historical fiction, but range in time period from the 1960s back to the 1920s.

X by Ilyasah Shabazz   Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradley

Out of Darknes by Ashley Hope Perez   Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

Race is a complicated issue and reading from different perspectives can be enormously helpful for us all! Why not check out a copy to read with your teens? I’m sure that each of these books will provide lots of thought-provoking discussion.

As always, if you’d like more suggestions, just ask!