Meet the authors

You love to read. Have you ever met the folks who write the books you love? They are real people who have families and eat dinner, just like you. We’ve got some local authors and illustrators that just might be your neighbors. Recently, Christy Ann Conlin published a new book, The Memento. “The Memento tells the story of Fancy Mosher as she lives and works in the servants’ quarters at Petal’s End, a formerly illustrious private land surrounded by dense forest belonging to the famed Parker family. Fancy grows up listening to her family’s ghost stories and watching the Parkers from a safe distance with her best friend, Art.” Anyone who lives in the Valley will recognize places, people, and sayings in this literary gothic novel. You can meet Christy Ann at her book launch on Thursday, May 5 at the Al Whittle theatre in Wolfville. 

Ron Lightburn is another local who has recently written a children’s book about garbage. Most of you may know Ron from his book The Pumpkin People, which his partner Sandra wrote. Ron has illustrated many books, including Juba This, JubaThat, which we made into a StoryWalk. If you want something funny and gross that also teaches a lesson, you have to try Ron’s latest book, Frankenstink, which was just awarded the Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration at the Atlantic Book Awards!

On Friday the 13^th, we have an author coming to the Wolfville Library. Here’s your chance to meet and chat with a Real Live Author. YA Horror writer Judith Graves (I promise, that is her name!) will be touring Nova Scotia as part of the TD Children’s Book Week. She lives & writes in Northern Alberta, so we need to show her a warm Valley welcome. At this event,

Judith Graves helps you dig deep and unearth the killer themes lurking in your horror and thriller fiction. This genre isn't just writing tales of blood and guts - it's creating fiction to DIE for. Learn how to get under your reader's skin, play on their primal fears, and hold mirrors up to their own inner monsters. These FANGtastic tips will keep your readers turning the page...to the dire end. She says it will be a bit scary but no blood and guts. There will also be Creepy Cupcakes for you to enjoy, so if you are a writer who wants some tips, or just a rabid reader (ages 12 and up, please), start your Friday the 13^th with YA Fiction to Die For.  PS - Get a head start on things and read her book, Exposed.

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

International Children's Book Day

Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books. Each year, it is sponsored by a different chapter of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). This year the sponsor is Brazil, and the theme is Once Upon a Time.

Around here, we LOVE children's books. Children's books have a way of opening us to the world unlike any other books. A simple picture book can take you right to another country, take you into another time or place, or put you into a new situation. For some examples, try the 2016 Outstanding International Books -- chosen by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY). These books represent the best in children's books from around the globe, allowing children to see their world from other points of view. We've put together a booklist of the ones we own to make it easy for you to get them. The books on this list are great for teachers, parents, families, and even adults.  Take a look at this list and find a new perspective.

Some of my favourite books are wordless books. I was recently in Halifax for a display of wordless books from around the world -- the exhibit was called Silent Books. It inspired me to create this booklist of some of our best wordless titles. I love the idea that you can read these, regardless of what language you speak or read in. Share one of these books with a child (or with your best friend, no matter what their age).

I also blog about picture books over at ValleyStorytime. I love picture books so much I just can't help myself. You can ask my co-workers. I longingly look at the unopened boxes that arrive because I know there are children's books in some of them.

So, no matter who you are, what your age is-- pick up a children's book (or ten) and celebrate International Children's Book Day on April 2.  Remember what Once Upon a Time is all about!

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Book a book from your reading nook!

Say you just got home with your library haul. You have a huge stack of books and dvds  to keep yourself out of trouble and in your reading nook for the next 3 weeks. You settle in, and start at the top of the pile. It’s an impulse pick that happens to be something by an author that you’ve always been meaning to check out but never have.  It grabs you. You DEVOUR it. You’ve closed the back cover before the snow has melted on your boots by the door.

Here’s the thing. You have 3 weeks before the rest of your books are due and you will probably find a few in your pile that are just great, but this one was something special. You start to wonder; how many more are there by this writer? Does my favourite library branch have them? Will they be on the shelf for me next time I’m there? Will I even remember to look for them after 3 weeks of (insert your busy thing here) passes by?

Time to climb out of your reading nook (or pick up your phone/ipad). Time to BOOK A BOOK!

Placing a hold at www.valleylibrary.ca can be fast and easy as long as you don’t get sidetracked and end up browsing through titles that you didn’t know you wanted to read.

Here’s what you do:

1. Grab your AVRL library card and go to www.valleylibrary.ca

2. Find the search field and type in the title. Don’t know the title? How about the author? Or the series name?

3. Clicking on the search button sends you to our online catalogue. Now it’s time to narrow the search. We can choose to search for title, author, subject, or series. Then, we can narrow our search even more, with a number of drop down menus.

4. Scroll down until you find a title that looks interesting and...

5. Wait! You must be logged in to place that hold! You need your library card number and your PIN. Don’t have a card? Get one here: http://valleylibrary.ca/get-library-card Forgot your PIN? Contact any branch for help.

6. Aha! The hold can now be placed.

7.Choose a pickup location. And that's it!

Now the hard part. Waiting until it’s ready for pick up!

Tips:

• Sharing a computer? Don’t forget to log out!
• Looking for a popular new release? Try a less popular format. Maybe the Large Print version is available. We also have audiobooks and eBooks through our Overdrive for Libraries service. 
• Keep your search simple, then narrow the search. You might see something unexpected and interesting with a broader search. Second, you could be too specific with your search terms and come up with nothing.
• Looking for DVDs? Choose format-DVD. Click the Find button. All the DVDs in our catalogue!
• Suspend holds: Want to watch a TV series in order and season 3 has a shorter waiting list than season 2? Place a suspended hold. You will keep your place in line for the item, but it won’t come to you before you need it. Also great if you are going to be away on vacation. Just suspend your holds until you get back.
• Don’t forget that the Annapolis Valley Regional Library shares our catalogue among 11 branches and the Bookmobile. If a book is in Windsor, we can have it sent to any of our other locations for pick up.
• If we don’t have it, Interlibrary Loans are also available. Separate rules apply.

Epistolary reading

I just finished listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows . What a remarkable book to listen to, especially with the full cast of readers portraying the many characters in the story. This book, if you don’t know about it, is told in letters. Set just after World War II in London and the Channel Islands, it gave me a glimpse into post-war England that I had not before experienced in a book – and it also happens to be a book about the power of books.  It made me think about other books written in letters.  I loved those books too!

There’s 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. Also about books, this one is a series of letters between a woman who is looking for out-of-print books, and a London bookseller. It is set between 1949 and 1969, so a bit of that post-war London feel is there. There’s also a great movie version of this book starring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins.

Alice Walker’s heartbreaking novel of two sisters is told through letters. If you haven’t read The Color Purple, you are missing out on a literary gem.  This, too was made into a film, starring Whoopie Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Teen love is handled in letters and images in this brilliant book, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman. In addition to a letter describing why the teen romance ended, Min, the letter-writer, also includes a box of items that symbolize their failed relationship.

For the younger set, you can’t go wrong with Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers’ fun book, The Day the Crayons Quit.  In a series of letters, the crayons explain why they are leaving. They are tired of being typecast, it seems. And just released is the sequel, The Day the Crayons Came Home.

What are your favourite epistolary books?

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Tiny libraries sprouting up

There’s a movement afoot that I’ve been quite interested to watch. It started as Little Free Library . The idea? Build a tiny library and put it in your yard, neighborhood, park, etc. Fill it with books, and invite people to take them, add to the library, and enjoy. This movement has really caught on!  You know how sometimes you hear about something, and then suddenly you see it everywhere? That’s what happened to me.  This summer when I was in San Francisco, I saw my first actual Little Free Library – built into an old phone box. Then another, at my friend’s house –her kids love to check it each day to see if books have been taken or added. . And another,  just as I was on a walk. This one had a solar light for evening borrowing. They seemed to pop up all over the place.

When I got back to Nova Scotia, I got an email from Laura Churchill-Duke (of Valley Family Fun fame)  . She wanted to create a Little Library in Kentville and asked if I knew about them and if I had any suggestions. A few weeks later, there’s the Wee Free Library at Miner’s Marsh in Kentville.  Read about why and how she wanted to create the little library in this article fromKings County News.  And she’s working on creating one for Port Williams, so stay tuned! Read more from her blog HERE.

Since then, I’ve heard about others. There’s one in Clarence – I found it at Noah’s Place Farm  

 when out for a drive. A friend had told me that this one existed. I’ve heard there’s one at Ayelsford Lake, but I haven’t seen that one yet.

Have you seen a Little Library in your area? Have you taken a book, or left a book at one? Are you thinking of making one in your community?  Leave us comments and let us know!

--Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Breast is Best

The La Leche League of Canada is a group that aims to promote and support breastfeeding.  We all know mother’s milk is the superior infant food and breastfeeding is an essential part of developing the bond between mother and baby. 

A local Le Leche League group recently received funding through the Thrive! Community Breastfeeding Project to purchase books and dvds on breastfeeding which are now available for the public to borrow at public libraries across Nova Scotia.  It’s partnerships like this that make public libraries an essential way to promote health literacy.

To celebrate this new collection of breastfeeding resources, there will be a celebration at the Windsor Regional Library on Saturday, October 4^th from 10-12.  Books purchased through the grant will be on display, there will be a special Babies & Books Storytime, and there will be some treats too!  So plan to stop by the Windsor Library on the morning of October 4^th to show that you support breastfeeding.

Posted by Frances Newman, CEO

Back to it!

School. Here we go again! Hard to believe that summer holiday has ended and school is already back in session. For some, this is the very first time to go to school. Even heading out to preschool for the first time can be daunting to a young child (and their parents, too!). We've got books that can help with this transition-- it is sometimes comforting to see your situation in a picture book, and learn that it all comes out fine in the end. Click HERE to see the booklist and place holds for those that you'd like to share with your child. And when your child gets home from school, this blog post has some great tips for talking about their day. This Pinterest board from Scholastic has so many good links to explore as you and your child settle back into the school year.

When buying school supplies, don't forget one of the best FREE things you can get for your child-- a library card! Book reports? We've got books, and plenty of them! Is your child just learning to read? We've got Little Reader Bags that you can bring home for extra practise. We also have them in French. Do you have a child who isn't terribly fond of reading? How about trying an audiobook? We have them on CD as well as downloads. Your local library has plenty to support your child's education. If you can't find what you need, just ask us!

For your older child, start the year off right with no homework woes. We offer FREE online tutors from Tutor.com every day from 3 PM- midnight. Can't figure out that math problem? Physics not making sense? Have an essay that needs a bit of sprucing up? The online tutors at Tutor.com can help! You'll need your library card and access to the Internet, and you are on your way to getting that homework done!

All of our branches offer free WiFi and access to computers. We have programs for after school, such as LEGO and crafts. We've got storytimes for your child who is not yet in school (storytime is a great way to get your child ready for school). We offer databases with access to magazine articles, health information, statistics, and author information. We have teen programs, too!

We hope to see you this fall and are happy to help with your schooling needs, as well as providing reading materials just for fun! Come visit your local library. We'll be here.

Blogs I read

   Because I love children’s books and storytime and have chosen to be a Youth Services Librarian in a small rural town, I depend on the Internet to keep me alerted to new trends and ideas in my field. Physically located pretty far from a Big City, I only get to see other children’s librarians a few times a year. But with the Internet, and with the plethora of good blogs these days, I can find excellent ideas for Storytime, read about what is new in my profession, and keep up on the latest and greatest books for kids and teens.  I wish I had enough time to read these blogs every day; as it is, I only get to some of them some of the time, and others serve as a first-choice resource for when I go looking for something.  I think that many of these would be of interest to parents and teachers as well, so here we go:

The ALSC blog:  This is the blog of the professional organization I belong to, the Association for Library Service to Children.  While it often has library-specific information, it also has great program ideas that could be useful to homeschool parents and to teachers. I also write a monthly post for this blog. 

Beyond the Book Storytimes:  Anyone who has ever wished they could use puppets should check this one out. Steven Engelfried shares his creative ideas on turning books into puppet stories, and he even has videos to help you. This one is a real gem!

Jbrary :  These two librarians from British Columbia are rocking it on this blog. They have so many resources here it is hard to list them all. They have themed storytimes,  Pinterest boards, and the best video song library ever! If you are looking for some rhymes or songs to share with your child or to spice up your storytimes,  this is the first place to go. 

Little Elit:   This is a one-stop shop for all things digital. This blog has articles, ideas, and resources for those who want to know more about using apps and devices with children. They also have great Pinterest boards with recommended apps. And Cen Campbell, the founder of the site, used to be a Bookmobile librarian right here at AVRL. 

Fingerplay Fun Friday:   The WCCLS blog has a regular Friday feature—fingerplays! Rick Samuelson does a fine job of making the fingerplays FUN – learn some new rhymes to share here. 

Storytime Underground ; This one is pretty librarian-centric, but teachers and homeschool parents could find great ideas here. There’s also a list of “Blogs that kick butt” for further reading. Dig in and find out what is going on in the Storytime world! 

Teen Librarian Toolbox;  For all things teen, this a great blog. Book reviews, issues, program ideas. 

For book reviews and interesting conversations about books, I like to read the Horn Book blogs. Plenty to keep the kid-lit bilbiophile busy here.

On the local front, I've started reading the Valley Family Fun blog which has great ideas for activities to do with kids.  Laura Churchill Duke shares fun ways to play and learn at home and out in the community. 

---Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services