Unlimited Checkouts for 1st Harry Potter Book in April

"When in doubt, go to the library." - Ron Weasley.

In this case, the virtual library... No waiting for Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone in both ebook and downloadable audiobook! Use Overdrive or Libby to check out the first Harry Potter book, which is available for unlimited users to check out simultaneously in April.

#HarryPotterAtHome

One Giant Leap for Mankind

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

On July 20^th, 1969, humans first set foot on the moon.  On this 50^th anniversary of Apollo 11, we celebrate the giant leap that Neil Armstrong helped to make with his one small step. 

Do you remember watching the moon landing on television?  I wasn’t born yet, so I should watch the library’s new DVD, Apollo 11.  It’s a documentary put together from a newly-discovered batch of 65mm raw footage and 11,000 hours of previously uncataloged audio recordings.  Whether you were glued to the live event back in 1969 or you want to see how amazing that occasion really was, this movie can help you find new wonder in this pivotal moment in history.

For a dramatized version of those events, pick up First Man, an award-winning biopic of Neil Armstrong.  Ryan Gosling plays the legendary astronaut in this movie based on the book of the same name by James R. Hansen, which the Litchfield library also has.  The movie and book show the victories and the tragedies of Armstrong’s life.

Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon is a recent book about one step in the Apollo program.  Author Robert Kurson shares the stories of astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders and their families as NASA raced to beat the Soviets to the moon without taking the time to be careful and methodical.  Litchfield Library has this book on audio, but it’s available to order in print from other libraries.

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon is another take on that step of the space race.  Author Jeffrey Kluger co-wrote the book that the movie Apollo 13 was based on.  In Apollo 8, readers learn about the context of this risky but ultimately inspiring launch: three American astronauts burned to death in a spacecraft the year before, the Cold War intensifying, and a year filled with assassinations and war. 

Hidden Figures is both an award-winning movie and a popular nonfiction book about a group of gifted black female mathematicians who calculated trajectories and other essential numbers for planning space flight.  The book by Margot Lee Shetterly tells the story of four women in the West Computing group at Langley, who helped America get to space over the course of three decades of their careers; naturally it goes into more detail than the movie can. 

If you’re looking to share information about the moon landing with your children, pick up Moon Landings by Shoshana A. Weider or Apollo 11 Launches a New Era by Thomas K. Adamson, two recent nonfiction books in the Litchfield library collection.  The first is an easy reader about the Apollo missions to the moon.  The second is a part of the “Events That Changed America” series; it focuses on the Apollo 11 mission with a timeline and reflection on the significance of the moon landing.

If thinking about the moon landing has got you thinking about the night sky, check out the National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Night Sky of North America by Catherine Herbert Howell.  This manual is a short handbook on viewing the stars, the moon, the planets, comets, meteors, and asteroids, complete with charts.

There’s a plaque on the moon to commemorate that landing 50 years ago.  It says, among other things, “We came in peace for all mankind.”  May that landing inspire us still today. 

Winter Is Here. Yes, It Is.

by  Jan Pease

“Winter is Here.”  Yes, it is.  Kevin Henkes’  new book is about a very timely topic. As we watch the snow arrive, the library gives a great vista facing east and west.  In “Winter is Here,” Mr. Henkes  writes,

“The dog is bounding.

The squirrels are scurrying.

The birds are huddling.

The children are slipping, digging, skating, building, sledding . . .

Why is this all happening?

It’s winter!

Winter is here!”

This sweet book might help you face the next 6 months with a cheerful attitude.

“A Parade of Elephants,” also by Kevin Henkes, is a book you can judge by its cover.  A parade of elephants marches up, down and around.  This is another cheerful picture that can help relieve winter doldrums.

Jim Arnosky is famous for writing and illustrating books about nature and animals.  He asks, “Why?” in his new book, “Look at Me.”  Why do some animals change color, grow huge horns or antlers, or stretch or puff up their skin.  One can imagine that looking fierce or protective might give an animal some defense if attacked, but what about a peacock’s enormous tail?

 

“We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga” pronounced (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is a book written by Traci Sorell.  She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma. This picture book gives a glimpse of Cherokee life in both ancient and modern times, but it is written on a level children can understand.   Ms. Sorell teaches us that the Cherokee people are grateful for all the elements of life throughout the year.  The Cherokee nation developed its own written language and Ms. Sorell   includes words in Cherokee and written in the Cherokee alphabet created by Sequoyah.                                          

Mo Willems has another series out, “Unlimited Squirrels.”  He reaches new heights of silliness, even including a corny (  I get it, a-corn y)  joke at the end.  “I Lost My Tooth” is the newest book in the “Unlimited Squirrels” series.   A squirrel loses one of his  teeth  and his friends try to help him.  Then they all chime in on the corny jokes.    Here is an example of one of Mr. Willems’  jokes; Question: “What do you call a bear with no  teeth?” Answer:  “A gummy bear!”

Finally, because the world needs more “Pete the Cat” books, I give you “Pete the Kitty and the Baby Animals.”   Pete the Kitty is about as cool as Pete the Cat, but he’s much shorter. 

I don’t know what else to say, except, “see you at the library!”

       

Reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Minnesotans love Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She was a Minnesotan for part of her childhood, so On the Banks of Plum Creek is set here.  Personally, I love the window into history that Laura’s well-written children’s books give us. 

 Pioneerland libraries are bringing in a Laura Ingalls Wilder interactive history performer between late October and Thanksgiving.  Historian Melanie Stringer acts the part of Laura in the mid-1890s, when she, Almanzo, and their young daughter Rose had settled on Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri.  Stringer has studied Wilder extensively, and she travels the country presenting Laura as she might have been after she had lived through the events in her books but before she became a writer.

The programs in Meeker County are happening in early November.  Our first “Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder” program will be in the community room behind the Grove City Library on Friday, November 2, at 6:00 p.m.  The event at the Litchfield Library will be on Wednesday, November 7, at 6:00 p.m.  Cosmos Library hosts its program in the community room next to the library on Thursday, November 8, at 10:00 a.m.  And Dassel Library’s program will be held upstairs at the Dassel History Center and Ergot Museum at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 10.  All are free to attend, funded with assistance from the Clean Water, Land, & Legacy Amendment, and there’s no need to sign up.

So what can you check out at the library if you want to learn more about Laura before or after the events?  We have many things to choose from.  We have the Little House series itself in the children’s department, including some in audiobook format – good for a family road trip.

The library has the recent adult novel Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.  This popular book imagines the story of the Ingalls family from the perspective of Ma Ingalls.  If you’ve ever thought about what Caroline must have gone through every time Charles decided to move the family, this may be a book you’d enjoy.

The recent non-fiction book for adults, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes That Inspired the Little House Books, takes a nature-focused approach to understanding the series.  Author Marta McDowell deeply researched the locations featured in the novels, and she details the landscapes, wild plants, and gardens from each place.  The book is full of illustrations and maps. 

Caroline Fraser won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for her book Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  This comprehensive historical biography of Wilder is based on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records.  Fraser demonstrates that Wilder’s life was even more difficult than her books show, despite the hardships they describe.

I just finished reading Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, the bestselling book that the South Dakota Historical Society published in 2014.  It was Wilder’s first crack at writing down her life story, and it demonstrated to me how good she was as a novelist.  As she revised the stories multiple times, Wilder fictionalized some characters and events, and she made her word choices more vivid, which made the novels suspenseful and moving.  This scholarly book also makes it clear that Laura wrote the books and had good instincts for them, and her daughter Rose did not.

If you are enthusiastic about Laura like I am, or if you just want to learn more about the realities of pioneer history, come to one of our programs.  If none of the dates in our county work for you, check out the whole Pioneerland schedule on our website, because Melanie will be performing in Hutchinson, Atwater, and in many other communities in the region. 

Belinda Jensen: Bel the Weather Girl event

Space, Cars, Food: Adult Books for All Ages

by Beth Cronk, Meeker County Librarian

The Litchfield Library has recently added some beautiful nonfiction books that could be entertaining and educational for the whole family.  Sometimes adult books with great illustrations and photos can be very appealing to children who love a subject.  I’ve known kids who poured over books about tractors, dinosaurs, and stars, even though they were officially published for adults.

One appealing new addition to our collection is Hubble’s Universe: Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images by Terence Dickinson.  An update to a previous edition, this book includes over 300 high-resolution images from the Hubble Telescope.  The Wall Street Journal said that this book is “a reminder that the finest telescope in space might also be the greatest camera ever created.”  The author worked with the scientists who work with the telescope to include accurate facts about the images. 

Drive: The Definitive History of Driving is a large new book from DK Publishing that should appeal to car enthusiasts.  Starting with the invention of the car and the birth of the automobile industry, this book showcases the cars of every era, plus related topics like car racing, traffic lights, and advertisements.  Even a child who can’t read yet could enjoy the hundreds of pages of photos.

Another new book from DK Publishing, The Story of Food: An Illustrated History of Everything We Eat is a gorgeously illustrated overview of a whole world of food.  Covering all of the major types of food (grains, fruits, meat, etc.), cuisines from all over the world, and the history of how foods were developed, this coffee table book is likely to make you curious – and hungry.  I’m sure I would have loved this book as a child.

Nick Offerman, famous for playing woodworking enthusiast Ron Swanson on the television show Parks and Recreation, wrote the foreword for The Tool Book: A Tool Lover’s Guide to Over 200 Hand Tools.  Once again, this is a DK book, with their signature clear and appealing photos and illustrations.  I’m not interested in tools, and I still think this is a beautiful and interesting book.  I can just imagine a small child who likes hammers and saws studying all of the varieties of tools and techniques featured in this book. 

Animal lovers of all ages can enjoy the Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises by Erich Hoyt.  Hoyt is a scientist who studies whales in the wild and who has written many books about them for children and adults.  This book has detailed profiles of ninety species of cetaceans with photos of each.  If you have a child who has enjoyed seeing these creatures at the zoo, they may like a chance to study a book about them.

If you’d like a book that gives the whole family something to look for outside, try Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers: A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone In Between by Phyllis Root.  This new book from University of Minnesota Press is described as a family-friendly, photographic guide to the variety of flowers that grow right here in our state.  The book not only identifies them, it describes where and when you can go to look for them.

If you have young ones interested in a subject – or if you’d like to spark an interest - remember to look in the adult nonfiction section for books that are appealing to all ages.

Celebrating books with The Great American Read

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Have you heard about the new PBS show The Great American Read?  This is an eight-part television series about Americans’ favorite books.  The premiere was broadcast recently, and the final episode will air in October, when they will announce which book won first place in the voting. 

Host Meredith Vieira will introduce the 100 featured books, plus she will interview authors, celebrities, and regular people about how particular books have influenced them and our culture.  PBS is hosting a virtual book club on Facebook to discuss a couple of the books per week, and there will be some live public events, including some in select libraries across the country.  The public library in the little town of Cook, up in northern Minnesota, was the only library to receive the grant in our state. 

The list of America’s favorite 100 books was compiled by PBS and a polling service through a public survey asking people to name their most-loved novel.  Each author is represented only once, and book series are listed as one entry to increase variety in the list.  So, for example, the Harry Potter series is listed, rather than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  Books could be from anywhere in the world as long as they were published in English; only fiction was included.  The books span a wide range of time from the 1600s to 2016, as well as a wide range of genres and styles. 

Voting for favorite books has already opened online through the PBS website, and voting by phone will be available in the fall.  You can vote once per day.  It sounds a bit like American Idol for novels.

Our library’s adult book club has read some of the books on the list.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an elegantly-written young adult novel narrated by Death.  An orphan named Liesel in Germany during World War II is taken in by the gentle Hans and his prickly wife Rosa, as is a young Jewish man named Max who needs a place to hide. Liesel becomes fast friends with Max as well as with Rudy, a scrappy, poor neighbor boy.  The friendships and the words in this book are beautiful, and it is a favorite of mine.

We have also read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, a quiet epistolary novel about generations of ministers in a small town in Iowa.  Members found it thought-provoking.  The Giver by Lois Lowry was another young adult novel we’ve read that most of the readers enjoyed; it’s an intriguing look at a supposedly utopian society.  We have also read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Martian by Andy Weir, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I would say they are all worth reading.

The idea behind the series is to get people reading and talking about books.  This is a goal the library shares.  Look on the display on top of the DVD shelf to easily pick up some of the 100 books from the Great American Read. 

Outstanding books by Minnesota authors

By Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

The 2018 Minnesota Book Awards were presented on April 21. This was the 30^th annual awards ceremony, which is sponsored by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.  These awards celebrate Minnesota authors and illustrators.

This year’s award for children’s literature went to A Different Pond by Bao Phi.  This picture book tells a story from Phi’s childhood.  He would wake up early with his father to fish in a Minneapolis pond before his father went to work, as a way to help feed their family, and his father would tell him about a different pond he used to go to in Vietnam.  “A Different Pond” was also a Caldecott Honor Book this year, and we have it at the Litchfield Library.

The award for genre fiction went to The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb.  This Gothic thriller is set in a former tuberculosis sanatorium, now turned into an artists’ retreat.  The new director is expecting a peaceful change from her old job as a crime reporter, but a sense of impending doom strikes her as soon as she arrives on the grounds, and she begins to suspect that the artists have been gathered there for a sinister purpose.  The Litchfield Library also has a copy of this novel.

Linda LeGarde Grover won the award for memoir and creative nonfiction with Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year. Onigamiising is the Ojibwe name for Duluth, “the place of the small portage.”  Grover is an Ojibwe elder and a professor at the University of Minnesota – Duluth.  The essays in this collection originally were published as monthly columns in the Duluth Budgeteer newspaper, and they are reflections on life through the seasons of the year.  Litchfield Library has this memoir.

The novel and short story award went to What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah.  This is a collection of fantastical short stories about the ties between family members, lovers, and friends, and between them and the places they call home.  Arimah has previously won awards for her stories in magazines; this is her first book, and it has also won a number of honors.  The Litchfield Library owns a copy.

The award for poetry went to Heid E. Erdrich for Curator of Ephemera at the New Museum for Archaic Media.  Heid is a professor at Augsburg University, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, and the sister of novelist Louise Erdrich.  This is her second book of poetry to win the Minnesota Book Award.  Communication and technology are the themes of this collection, which is on order for the Litchfield Library.

Andrea Swensson is the host of The Local Show on the radio station The Current.  She won this year’s award for Minnesota Nonfiction with Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound.  This book explores the development of R&B, funk, and soul in the Twin Cities, starting with 1958, the year Prince was born.  This book is available at the Dassel and Glencoe libraries and can be ordered by our patrons.

The other winning books were The End of the Wild by Nicole Helget (middle grade literature), The Exo Project by Andrew DeYoung (young adult literature), and The First and Only Book of Sack: 36 Years of Cartoons for the Star Tribune by Steve Sack (general nonfiction).  Read Minnesotan!

LiBEARians, Private Eye Monkeys, and Other Funny Picture Books

By Jan Pease

This may or may not be secret information, but I can’t stand it when people refer to the library as “liberry” and to me as a liberrian.     So that makes a new book by Alison Donald, “The New LiBEARian,” both irritating and funny. This begs the question: if the person sitting at the librarian’s desk looks and sounds like a big bear, will Story Time ever be safe again?

Two more very funny books that were written by Steve Sheinkin incorporate time travel, famous historical people, and general silliness.   In the first, Abraham Lincoln escapes from his book and 1860 and pursues his dream of being a professional wrestler.  “Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler” is the title to look for.  The second book is “Abigail Adams, Pirate of the Caribbean.”    Imagine what would happen if the famous First Lady got tired of doing chores at the White House and ran off to join a pirate crew. By the way, all three of these books use the idea of characters escaping off the page of books as a plot device. Is it something in the water?

“Baby Monkey, Private Eye” is a Brian Selznick mixture of picture book, beginning reader, and  graphic novel.  Mr. Selznick experiments with combinations of text and pictures and ties it all together  into a cohesive story.

“When Sophie Thinks She Can’t,”  by Mollie Bang, is the third book about a little girl named  Sophie in the series that started with “When Sophie Gets Angry—Really Really Angry.”   Ms. Bang writes books that help books that help children deal with feelings and frustrations.  She is a favorite author of mine.  I like the message in “When Sophie Thinks She Can’t,” which is that having difficulty solving a problem doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.  It just means that  you can learn to solve that problem, in math or in life.

“Be Brave, Little Penguin,” by Giles Andreae, is a sweet story about a little penguin with a big
problem.  Pip Pip is afraid of water, so he can’t swim in the ocean.  Maybe he needs to read “When Sophie Thinks She Can’t!”  Of course, his mommy helps  him be brave enough to jump into the sea where his penguin instinct takes over and he swims like a pro. 

Finally, I have to tell you about “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car.”  Kathy Dopirak wrote this little book that fits perfectly with the tune “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”  A car says good night to all his vehicle friends.“Twinkle, twinkle little car, How you love to travel far!”

I love picture books!  If it’s been awhile since you shared a picture book with a child, borrow a book, borrow a child, and enjoy what happens when you put the two together.  See you at the library!

Jan's Hits and Misses 2018

By Jan Pease

Welcome to the annual “Jan’s hits and misses,” where I report on our purchase of  the books that received  major awards  at the Midwinter Conference  of the American Library Association. In 2014 a grassroots campaign for diverse books erupted, and I think it affected the 2018 awards. If you’re interested in reading about this movement, search “We Need Diverse Books" online.
   

Disclaimer alert: I purchase children’s and young adult books for Litchfield, Dassel, Grove City and Cosmos.  There are 32 member libraries in Pioneerland Library Association.  If I order for 4 out of the 32, shouldn’t that make it more likely that Meeker County libraries would have most of these important books?

So, here we go!  The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding
contribution to children’s literature was given to “Hello, Universe,” by Erin Entrada Kelly.  This is a book with quirky, diverse characters and an exciting plot.  It is one of a handful of books that received 95% 5-star reviews at amazon.com.   Dassel and Grove City have this book, along with seven other Pioneerland Library System libraries.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children was given to “Wolf in the Snow,” illustrated and written by Matthew Cordell.  Litchfield, Dassel, Cosmos and three other PLS libraries own this title. This book is nearly wordless, and it has won many awards.

 

I should mention one of the honor books, “A Different Pond,” written by Bao Phi and illustrated by Thi Bui which, is owned by Litchfield, Dassel, Grove City, Cosmos, and four other PLS libraries.  This book is notable for having been published by Capstone, a Minnesota company.

 

I’m always interested in the Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children.  This year the award went to “Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961,” by Larry Dane Brimner.  None of the PLS libraries purchased this title.

I never know which beginning reader titles will be awarded the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.  I don’t know how the judges pick one title over another.  The medal was given to “Charlie and Mouse,” by Laurel Snyder.  Grove City and six other PLS libraries purchased this book.  Two books which received the Geisel award, “I See a Cat,” by Paul Meisel, and “King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats,” by Dori Hillestad Butler were not ordered by any PLS libraries. 

One award that might not be as well known outside of library circles is the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award.  It recognizes an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children’s literature.  The recipient gives a lecture the following year. The 2019 May Hill Arbuthnot lecture will be delivered by Debbie Reese.  

“Dr. Reese is a longtime advocate for native representation and is a former teacher and university professor.  She earned her PhD in Education from the University of Illinois, where she also helped establish the Native American House and American Indian Studies program. Dr. Reese also holds an M.Ed. degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University.  She is tribally enrolled at Nambe Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico. “ (Information from the American Library Association website.)

This award is well deserved.  I read Ms. Reese’s blog at least weekly and appreciate her perspective.

This book buyer has a lot of catching up to do.  We like to have the medal winners available to our  patrons.  I usually go down the list of honor books and include most of them.  Come in and read an award-winning book!

Kits Available Through the Library

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

In recent months, the library had a suggestion box at the front desk.  A couple of people suggested we get some kits to check out.  Good news: kits are already available to order in our library system!  We don’t have them onsite because we don’t have space to store them, but a variety of kits can be delivered here for no charge for you to borrow.

One suggestion was for kits for preschools and families with young children, including things like activities, music, and books.  Many kits like this are available in our library catalog.  The easiest way to locate many of them is to search for “Learning Kit” as a title.  There are 56 of these!  They range from “Learning Kit: ABC” to “Learning Kit: Winter.”  These kits usually include a collection of books organized around a theme, games, activity sheets, videos, audio recordings, and sometimes toys and crafts.  A number of them are older, with VCR tapes and audiocassettes in the kits, but some are newer, with DVDs and CDs. 

To find another group of similar kits, do an author search for “Once Upon a Reader.”  We have these kits because of a statewide library program a few years ago.  One kit is called “Cow’s Vacation Scrapbook,” and it includes a stuffed animal, a copy of the book Moo by David LaRochelle, and a binder with spots for kids to draw, write stories, and add photos of their vacations.  Another kit called “Milk and Cookies Storytime” contains five different books, a CD, a tactile activity, and reproducible sheets and instructions for the adult preparing the storytime.  Finally, the “Take-Home Play Kit” includes a copy of the book Moo, five toys, and information for parents and caregivers on how to support early literacy with specific practices and skills. 

There are a few other kits that are a bit more challenging to find in the catalog.  One is “Dazzling Dave’s Tips and Tricks for Yo-Yo Play.”  It contains two yo-yos, a pack of replacement strings, a DVD, and an instruction sheet for learning to use a yo-yo.

Another is called “Oral History Kit,” which contains two digital voice recorders, two microphones, two pairs of headphones, and instructions.  The kit is intended for people to use for interviewing family members and other people to record their memories.

There is also a Zumba kit called “Zumba Fitness,” which includes toning sticks along with DVDs and a booklet.

Another suggestion we got in the box at the front desk was for book club kits.  Our library system offers these, too!  To locate them, search “Book club in a bag” as a title, and you’ll find 45 of them, from A Crooked Number by Nathan Jorgenson to Wide Open Spaces by Cadee Brystal.  Some are children’s books and some are for adults, and the kits all have multiple copies for a book club to share.  Some include discussion guides.

For more title options for book club kits, search “book club in a tub” in Plum Creek Library System’s online catalog, and then limit it to item type “book club kit” on the sidebar.  You won’t be able to order these directly through the Plum Creek catalog to be delivered here, but we do have a cooperative agreement with them to share our book club kits.  Talk to a staff member if you’d like to order one.

I hope that you’ll order some of these resources if you can use them.  There’s more available than what you see on the shelf!  Our staff will be glad to assist you.