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 […]
Tags: adults, books, chapter books, children, cookbooks, donuts, doughnuts, fiction, kids, murder mystery, picture books, reading, recipes
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 […]
Tags: adults, adventure, birds, books, conservation, county hikes, dogs, explorer, Families, flowers, hiking, kids, microadventure, microadventures, nature, outdoor, outdoors, picnic, reading, STEM, trees, walking
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 […]
Tags: aapi, Asian American, books, chapter books, kids, kids books, Pacific Islander, parents, picture books, reading, stories, teachers
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 […]
Tags: aapi, adults, Asian American, books, cookbook, fiction, gimbap, graphic novels, kimbap, memoir, movies, music, nonfiction, Pacific Islander, reading
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 […]
Posted in Parents and Teachers on March 3, 2021 at 6:00 am
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 […]
Tags: active, books, caregivers, parents, picture books, preschoolers, reading, teachers, toddlers
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 […]
Tags: books, childcare, creativity, early learning, grandparents, imagination, kids, parents, picture books, reading, teachers
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 […]
Tags: books, children's books, kids, kids books, parents, reading, recommendations, stories, suggestions
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 […]
Tags: grandparents, kids, memoir, memoir writing, parents, reading, teens, writing
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 […]
Tags: caregivers, children, grief, grieving, healing, kids, loss, loved ones, pain, parents, picture books, reading