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Meet “It’s All Write!” 2017 Judge #3: Kristin Bartley Lenz!

by BugsAndSlugs

The third judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest is Kristin Bartley Lenz, a writer and social worker from Metro-Detroit whose debut novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go was a Junior Library Guild Fall Selection in 2016. Kristin fell in love with the mountains when she moved to Georgia and California. Now she’s back in Detroit where she plots wilderness escapes and manages the Michigan Chapter blog for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

In The Art of Holding on and Letting Go, Cara, a competitive climber who feels most at home in the mountains, is sent to Detroit to live with her grandparents and attend public school when a tragedy separates her from her parents and the nomadic lifestyle she's always known. Cara's story is described as, "A hot pick for outdoorsy teens who like relatable characters, with a bit of romance, mystery, and a road trip."(School Library Journal) and "A compelling, unusual coming-of-age story.” (Kirkus)

Stay tuned for more information about the “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest 2017 Judges!

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Beauty and the Beast

by PizzaPuppy

Are you excited for the release of the new Beauty and the Beast movie? This classic "tale as old as time" has been revamped for a modern audience, and hits theaters next Friday, March 17th.

We will be celebrating here at the library with Beauty and the Beast Crafts at the Pittsfield branch on Saturday, March 18th from 3-4 pm. Join us in making themed crafts and listening to music from the movie!

While you're waiting for it's release, now is the perfect time to go back and revisit your old favorites. We have the original Disney animated movie in both regular DVD discs and Blu-ray, as well as the sequels Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World. You can also listen to the original soundtrack as well as the Broadway musical version.

We have plenty of classic (non-Disney) versions of the tale as well. Immerse yourself in this classic story set in 19th century France with copies found here, here, and here, or check out Jan Brett's fabulous illustrations. We have a Reader version available for children who are just beginning to read on their own.

We also have versions of this story that occur in other cultures, such as one that takes place in West Africa or a Chinese version where Beauty agrees to marry a fierce dragon in return for her father's life.

We have Beauty and the Beast inspired books, such as No Lie, I Acted Like a Beast! (where the story is told from the Beast's perspective). There's even a Rainbow Magic book featuring Gwen the Beauty and the Beast Fairy.

Older kids and teens can also get in on the fun with retellings such as Beauty and Belle. Also good are the Beauty and the Beast television show and the movie Beastly, both released fairly recently.

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Blog Post

PreK BITS - "W" is for WORK

by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel brought tools for WORKING in Storytime this week.
Tools were introduced in OLD MacDONALD HAD A WOODSHOP by Lisa Schulman. Do you know what was built?
We used our hammers to work with Johnny in the song "Johnny Hammers".
You can find a version of this action song in the CD CIRCLE TIME SONGS & GAMES.
During THREE LITTLE PIGS "a participation musical" we worked with tools to build the houses ... and tools to make the soup ... that feeds the Big Bad Wolf.
"WHO's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf ?"
Not ME! Just feed the poor thing !
"Tra-La-La-la-LAH!"

For MORE WORKING stories ... try the following titles:
WORK: An Occupational ABC ... look for the tools each occupation works with.
DREW The SCREW ... they all have work to do ... except Drew!
TOOLS RULE! ... they work together to make a shed.
The HANDIEST THINGS IN The WORLD ... working hands!
TOOLS ... identify who works with each set of tools.
MONKEY WITH A TOOL BELT And The NOISY PROBLEM ... Monkey works to fix a problem?
DOES A WOODPECKER USE A HAMMER? Think About How Everyone Uses Tools.
Richard Scarry's BEST NURSERY TALES collection of story classics including the THREE LITTLE PIGS.
The TRUE STORY OF The 3 LITTLE PIGS ... by Jon Scieszka. Wolf tells the story from his point of view in this up-cycle of the traditional story.
It is especially fun for multiple age groups, because it teases the imagination of older kids too.

... ONward singing "E-I-E-I-Oh" all the way !!

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Blog Post

Art of Atari

by potterbee

Art of Atari by Tim Lapetino Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede and Missle Command.

Can you judge a book by it's cover? How about a video game?
"When thinking about Atari's great artwork, I think it's easy to forget how the game packaging was often the first interaction someone would have with a game," says Lapetino. "Those boxes had to handle a lot of the sales and marketing duties that today would be done using advertising or social media. There was a crucial moment in a department store or TV shop where the box art would catch your eye — and in those few seconds — without a lot of in-depth reviews or the ubiquitous word of mouth we enjoy today. You made a decision based on the excitement and energy of that box."

New to our catalog, Art of Atari is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from museums and private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company's unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more.

An interview with Lapetino includes samples of what's between the cover at the following link, Inside the Art of Atari

A sampling of other books in our collection about the development and history of video games include:

Game on! by Dustin Hansen

The Tetris effect by Dan Ackerman

The art of video games by Chris Melissinos

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Blog Post

Graphic Novel Biographies

by potterbee

Graphic novels are great vehicle to illustrate the story of a life. If you haven't explored the genre of graphic novels you might like to start with reading a biography or memoir from our collection. Patrons of the Westgate branch will find a dedicated biography section within the graphic novels, however, these items are shelved collectively within the graphic novel sections at each branch. For a general catalog search to peruse our collection, search by keyword using the terms "graphic novel biography". Also, be sure to check out the Public Lists for more suggestions! Listed below are selections ranging from youth to adult to get you started!

Primates by Jim Ottaviani Grades 7-Up This engaging graphic novel introduces readers to three unique women whose different personalities and lives intersected because of their love of primates. They would never have met without the guidance of Louis Leakey, an anthropologist who believed that women were better at studying animals in their native environment because they were more patient and perceptive than men.

The strongest man in the world by Nicolas Debon Grades 3-5 The story of turn-of-the-20th-century strongman Louis Cyr's life is told through his imagined voice as he shares the details with his young daughter. Children familiar with modern strongman competitions on ESPN will easily recognize the seeds of such outlandishly fascinating contests here, as burly fellows lift draft horses off the ground and bend iron poles into pretzels.

The Arab of the future by Riad Sattouf Grades 10-up Sattouf recreates his childhood in France, Libya, and Syria with a French mother and a Sunni father. The narrative is honest and wandering, with insights coming from the portrayal of his proud, temperamental father's views on politics and Arab life.

Andre the Giant by Box Brown Few professional wrestlers transcended their field like "The Eighth Wonder of the World," Andre Roussimoff (1946-93). Ignatz Award-winning artist Brown brings readers Roussimoff's story from the French farm of his boyhood through worldwide wrestling stardom and his fondly remembered movie role as the giant Fezzik in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. Highly recommended for pro wrestling fans, pop culture historians, and readers who enjoy outsider biographies.

Woody Guthrie and the dust bowl ballads by Nick Hayes This graphic novel offers a hard look at the world that made Woody Guthrie (1912-67) the visionary he became. A powerful exploration of Guthrie's roots, providing a mesmerizing take on the socioeconomic situation of 1930s America and a prescient commentary on how the challenges of that time continue to shape our identity as a nation.

The Zen of Steve Jobs a "A Forbes and Jess3 production" This innovative graphic novel unveils a less publicized part of Jobs: his flirtation with Zen Buddhism and friendship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, and how Jobs' tinge of Zenitude affected Apple products. The story moves back and forward in time, from the 1970s to 2011, but centers on the period after Jobs's exile from Apple in 1985 when he took up intensive study with Kobun. Their time together was integral to the big leaps that Apple took later on with its product design and business strategy.

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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #630

by muffy

The Woman Next Door, the U.S. debut of Yewande Omotoso is "an intimate, frequently hilarious look at the lives of two extraordinary women set in post-apartheid South Africa." (Booklist)

Nicknamed each other "Hortensia the Horrible" and "Marion the Vulture", these prickly octogenarians have been next-door neighbors for over 2 decades in Cape Town's upscale Katterijn community. Seeing beyond the obvious (one is black and one is white), they have a lot in common. Both are successful women with impressive careers. Opinionated, widowed and living alone, they both take a keen interest in community affairs, often the source of their friction.

When an unexpected event impacts both of their well-being, Hortensia and Marion are forced to take tiny steps toward civility. With conversations over time, each reflecting upon choices made, dreams deferred, and lost chances at connection, these proud, feisty women must decide whether to expend waning energy on their feud or call a truce.

Born in Barbados and grew up in Nigeria, Omotoso won the South African Literary Award in 2011 for her debut novel, Bom Boy. In 2013 she was a finalist for the inaugural, pan-African Etisalat Fiction Prize. She lives in Johannesburg, where she has her own architectural practice. Listen to the NPR podcast with the author.

"Like Helen Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which also depicts the wisdom found in aging, this novel will have universal appeal." (Library Journal)

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Blog Post

Storytimes: F is for Farm!

by eapearce

Elizabeth told stories about the farm, farm animals and farmers this week at her storytimes at Traverwood and Westgate. We heard the story of Lazy Jack, a retelling of the folktale about the silly little boy who works for various farmers but can never seem to figure out how to carry home his earnings. We also heard about the cowboy who’s trying to find a horse in the fun story Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash. And, we read about the infamous typing cows in Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Finally, the farm animals drove the farmer’s tractor in AADL’s felt version of The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book, by Jez Alborough.

AADL storytimes take place at all locations and are open to all. For a complete list of storytimes and locations, visit our Jump page, created for parents and teachers.

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PreK Bits - Stories-To-Go Kits 2016

by ryanikoglu

Preschool Kits launched in March 2016!
There are 10 new STORIES-TO-GO themes for 2016 that have been added to the Library Collections.
These kits have a pre-selected set of books and media especially for families, childcare centers, preschools, classrooms, home schools with kids ages 2-7 years old.
Every kit has an Activity Folder which includes songs, fingerplays and activities to extend the theme with our children.

The 2016 themes are as follows:
BIG MACHINES ... Diggers, Pushers, and more working machines.
OUTER SPACE ... Stars, Planets and space travel.
BABY SIGNS ... Nursery songs and DVDs for building signing vocabulary with your baby.
ANN ARBOR ... Books that link with major themes in our home town ... Ann Arbor, Michigan.
FAIRIES ... For all fans of fairy lore.
FEELINGS ... Stories about working with strong feelings.
LIBRARIES ... What goes on at the Library?
MONSTERS ... Friendly Monsters and monster fantasy.
SIZE & MEASUREMENT: Math Readiness ... How do you know sizes?
SEEDS to PLANTS ... What plants need and how they grow.

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PreK Bits - "D" is for DOG

by ryanikoglu

Ms. Rachel and Ms. Betsy brought all dog songs and stories to Storytime.
Stuffed dogs acted-out the story and the audience barked along with the dogs in DOGGIES by Sandra Boynton.
We sang “B-I-N-G-O” ... which can be found on youth CDs SONGS & STORIES For KIDS, BABY BOOST: 48 Interactive Sing-a-longs For Your Little One and LITTLE PEOPLE: Songs From The Farm.
In the story KATIE LOVES the KITTENS ... it is hard to stop bouncing and barking and the kittens keep running away.

For more famous DOG stories try the following favorites:
RAGWEED’S FARM DOG HANDBOOK by Anne Vittur Kennedy ... Learn From The Best!
HARRY The DIRTY DOG and NO ROSES For HARRY ... old dog classics by Gene Zion.
BUDDY And EARL and BUDDY And Earl And The GREAT BIG BABY ... new dog classics by Maureen Fergus.
MISS MOON: Wise Words From A Dog Governess by Janet Hill ... wise words for All with beautiful illustrations!
ZORRO GETS AN OUTFIT and MR BUD WEARS The CONE by Carter Goodrich ... a pitch-perfect dog point-of-view.
BARK GEORGE by Jules Feiffer... a dog fantasy.
The DOGHOUSE ... critters go in but they don't come out. Surprise?
For screen-time try the DVD BARK GEORGE And More Doggie Tails by Weston Woods Studios.
WOOF! ... snooff snurff ... doggie treat, Please.
... pant ... pant ...
Woof.

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Meet “It’s All Write!” 2017 Judge #2: Cori McCarthy!

by BugsAndSlugs

Cori McCarthy, our second Judge for the 2017 “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest is the author of the much-acclaimed YA novels Breaking Sky,You Were Here and The Color of Rain. Cori's fourth novel, Now A Major Motion Picture, will be released in April 2018.

Cori McCarthy currently lives in Michigan and spends most of her time playing guitar, reading poetry, raising her son, and running a teen writing group. Like many of her characters, she is a member of the LGBTQ community. Cori started writing when she was just 13 years old! Check out corimccarthy.com to learn all about this talented author, and stay tuned for more information about the “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest 2017 Judges!