TAG: reading

Yummy Reads and Recipes for National Doughnut Day

Posted in Explore and Discover on June 3, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY ALISON JOHNSON From black licorice doughnuts to the Cronut (doughnut made from croissant batter), everyone can find a favorite. Even savory doughnuts exist for those who don’t have a sweet tooth. Tomorrow is National Doughnut Day, the first Friday in June! You could celebrate by eating a doughnut, reading about doughnuts, and by doing […]

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Pleasant Day Hikes & Easy Walking Adventures in South Spokane County

Posted in Explore and Discover on May 12, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY CAITLIN WHEELER In 2018, I started working at the Otis Orchards Library just as I was also desperately trying to fit exercise into a routine laden with reading books, making art, and crafting. My drive to Otis Orchards took me over the Harvard Road Bridge, where a Centennial Trailhead happened to sit just three […]

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23 Kids’ Books to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on May 4, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY RACHEL EDMONDSON This month is a time to celebrate the history, traditions, and cultural contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). You’ll find great digital reads to celebrate AAPI authors on OverDrive. I also share two lists of picture books and chapter books that you can check out from the library. FIRST, A […]

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Life, Love and Gimbap: Cookbooks, Music, Movies and Fantastic Reads

Posted in Explore and Discover on April 28, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY SUSAN GOERTZ I had never eaten gimbap before I was invited by a high school friend to her home to try one of her Korean mother’s specialties. I was very excited. Then, I was shocked to learn that this popular sushi-style rice dish included hotdogs. Aren’t hotdogs as “American” as apple pie?! This introduction […]

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Judging a book by its cover: Weird, wonderful fantasy books that delivered

Posted in Explore and Discover on March 24, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY ALISON JOHNSON How do you pick out your books? Favorite authors and genres are one way. How about serendipitous discovery instigated by a flash of color or intriguing artwork? What attracts you to a book before you even read the title or know the author? When I am browsing through books, online or in […]

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Wiggle worms and bouncing kangaroos: How do you read to active toddlers?

Posted in Parents and Teachers on March 3, 2021 at 6:00 am

How to read to active toddlers BY RACHEL EDMONDSON After cold winter weather has kept us inside along with months of extra pandemic confinement, many of us are feeling pretty antsy. For young kids who have a high need to be active, sitting still is probably harder than ever, even for those young kids who normally are happy to crawl into […]

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Nurturing creativity & imagination with picture books

Posted in Parents and Teachers on January 28, 2021 at 6:00 am

BY MELISSA RHOADES Children are naturally creative and tend to display expansive imaginations. It’s even a stereotype that our imaginations blossom when we’re young and get socialized out of us as we grow into adulthood. Pablo Picasso is famously quoted as saying: “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you […]

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Kids share their favorite books: Winter break edition

Posted in kids on December 22, 2020 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson When I was in school, one of my favorite things about winter break was that I didn’t have to read books assigned for class because that meant I had time to read books I picked myself! Studies have shown that kids are more motivated to read when they are allowed to pick […]

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Exploring memoir writing with children

Posted in Parents and Teachers on December 10, 2020 at 6:00 am

BY CAITLIN WHEELER MEMOIR, A MOMENT IN A LIFE Unlike biography, which is the story of a life, memoir is a story within a life—a moment or a thread of moments that shed light on a larger truth. Everyone has stories like these: little moments in our lives that illustrate something bigger about how we […]

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Reading picture books together to help grieving children

Posted in Parents and Teachers on November 24, 2020 at 6:00 am

By Tammy Henry At some point in our lives, all of us will face the death of a loved one and the grief that such a loss entails. Facing death is never an easy thing, and for children, who have significantly less experience with the complexity of life and emotions, it can be a bewildering […]

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