Library Notes
Lynn Denison
December 14, 2009

One of the most enjoyable and memorable times of the winter season is when families put aside daily routines and enjoy spending special time together. Why not add a little pizzazz to your family gatherings this year by planning to play several games—both traditional ones and new ones for young and old alike?

While browsing the area of new books at Rowan Public Library today I found several books that would make adding games to your social activities an easy task.

Mary Hohenstein has compiled a book titled Games that is brimming with great ideas for everyone’s taste, for every situation, and for every age. A glance at the table of contents shows such old time favorites as Drop the Handkerchief, Charades, I Spy, Name that Tune, and I Doubt It. There are over 200 separate games described in the book. The purposes and benefits derived from playing are listed after each game. A few of the many benefits named are building relationships, encouraging and edifying each other, and improving self esteem. Those are outstanding benefits from something as simple as playing a game with your family or friends.

Best New Games, written by Dale LeFevre, includes 77 games and 7 trust activities for all ages and abilities. The games are labeled cooperative games, are for the fit as well as the infirm, and are targeted to unite any group of people through play—perfect for a gathering of family and friends. A particularly useful aspect of the book is found in the “Game Finder”. This lists each game in chart form and basically advises what new games to use in any given situation. It gives an overview that categorizes the games according to activity level, timing, number of people needed, cognitive attributes, physical demands as well as other important elements.

A book that I especially like is one that focuses on the joy of playing together rather than the outcome. This book is titled Cooperative Games and Sports: Joyful Activities for Everyone by Terry Orlick. If you’re not a big fan of competitive games or games of elimination, this may be the book for which you are looking. The games involve figuring things out and having to communicate your ideas in order to make the games work. This is an easy to use book with ideas about what age would respond best and how to make the games more challenging as they are mastered by the players.

The Great Big Book of Children’s Games written by Debra Wise is full of fun games of all sorts: ball games, water games, chase games, card games and fun versions of games like “Shut the Box” and “Beetle” that can be made at home.

With such creative books as these readily available at your public library, no one needs to be bored during family get-togethers, snow days, or any type of party. Why not stop by Rowan Public Library today and look for books to widen your horizons, expand your knowledge, or create an escape into another world for a time. Our staff will look forward to seeing you soon.

LIBRARY NOTES: STARTING YOUR OWN SMALL BUSINESS
PAUL BIRKHEAD – DECEMBER 6, 2009

Many people share the same desire to start their own small business. Unfortunately, it is all too common for them to also share similar frustration when seeking out information on how to get started. There are many types of resources competing for the attention of those seeking help in starting a small business. The reference librarians at Rowan Public Library are always happy to assist you in finding credible information that meets your needs.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the government agency in charge of aiding, counseling, and protecting the interests of small business in America. The SBA has some wonderful information on its website (www.sba.gov) that was designed to educate citizens who want to start their own business. One nice feature on the website is a self-evaluation tool that can help you decide if creating your own business is right for you. There is also a glossary of terms on the website that can familiarize you with business lingo. Of course, there is no charge to use any of these features because it comes from the U. S. government.

So You Want to Start a Business? by Edward D. Hess and Charles F. Goetz, is a book you can find at Rowan Public Library that discusses eight steps to take before making the leap into small business. The combined experience of the authors creating and operating small businesses gives them particular insight into what mistakes most people make when going into business for themselves and how to avoid repeating them. One of the first chapters in the book explains how to evaluate potential net profit margins from whatever product or service you wish to sell. If it’s clear you can’t make money selling a product, you can save yourself a lot of trouble by investigating something else.

The Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business is a book written by a practicing attorney, Fred S. Steingold. Business owners are frequently confronted with legal questions, but definitely the most often when their venture is getting started. This resource gives advice on many legal issues, including forming a corporation, choosing the right type of insurance, and even negotiating a favorable lease.

The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) is a state government agency that was established in 1984 with a mission to help North Carolina’s emerging entrepreneurs by providing free counseling and information. The agency’s website (www.sbtdc.org) has extensive resources, including a 40-page Business Start-up and Resource Guide. Another enlightening document is the SBTDC Annual Report, which always features several success stories from SBTDC clients.

If you’re dreaming of starting a small business here in North Carolina, you’ll be in good company. Many of your neighbors have already started businesses of their own. Some who started their own business did so in hopes of getting rich, while some simply yearned to be their own boss. Still others sought the security of not being laid off without notice again. Whatever the reasons for starting a new business, the key to success is in careful research and planning. Come into Rowan Public library and let us help get you started.

Library Notes
Betty Moore
Brush up on the basics

Many adults in Rowan County are currently training for new careers or preparing to attend community college for the first time (or the first time in a long time). Rowan Public Library has many resources to help these adults brush up on their basic math, reading, writing, and study skills.

For many adults, math is the area where they feel the greatest need for review before taking a college placement test. “Number Power Review” covers math topics from whole numbers and fractions through algebra and geometry. Other books in this series from Contemporary focus specifically on each area. “Arithmetic The Easy Way” is part of another series that also includes business math, algebra and geometry. These and many other math titles offer practice tests, exercises, and answers so that adults can practice and study on their own.

“Reading Smart: Advanced Techniques for Improved Reading” is an easy-to-use guide to help readers improve speed and comprehension. “Practical English Handbook” is a detailed overview of grammar, usage and punctuation. “Student Writing Handbook” prepares students to write essays, term papers, and reports, on any school subject.

In addition to these books, RPL has DVDs that help prepare adults for placement tests and returning to the classroom, such as “Taking Math Tests,” “Taking Reading Comprehension Tests,” and “Taking Essay Tests.” “Five Steps to Study Skills Success” includes help on strategies for reading improvement, concentrating while reading, and good note-taking.

The library also has print study guides for a number of tests, such as the GED, GRE, police officer, and postal exams.

Through RPL and NCLive, library users have free online access to “Learning Express,” which has an even larger variety of practice tests and tutorials. Its Learning Centers, such as “College Preparation,” “Job Search & Workplace Skills,” or “Jobs & Careers” offer many online interactive practice tests and tutorials. Examples of tests are college skills assessment tests in math and reading comprehension plus review for licensing exams in firefighting, nursing, plumbing, and real estate.

To access Learning Express from an RPL computer lab, click on “Visit Rowan Public Library.” In the “Related Links” column, click on “Online Tools.” Next, under NCLive, click on “Career and Test Preparation,” then on “Learning Express Library” on the following page. Register for a free account.

Learning Express is also available from home through the Remote Resources Login on RPL’s home page. To learn about remote access or for more information, ask at your local branch or call 704-216-8243.

For adults thinking of heading back to school or already taking courses, RPL offers great resources for achieving their goals.

Library Notes
Rebecca Hyde – November 1, 2009


How do you perceive time? Most of us feel we have too little time to accomplish everything we want to do. On the other hand, we live longer and have access to high-speed technology. What is the problem?

Bodil Jonsson, a Swedish physicist, has examined for years our problem with time and offers in the little book “Unwinding the Clock” her thoughts on time management. Most important is the understanding of our relationship to time, and Jonsson offers ten thoughts on the subject in ten short chapters. She opens with the commonly held attitudes of “we don’t have enough time” and “time is money.” Jonsson argues that time is the only thing you really have, and that it is capital easily transformed into interactions with other people, with your surroundings, or into the development of thoughts and feelings. We think we can “buy” time with one gadget after another. But Jonsson asks: So what are you going to do with that time? And you can’t keep buying time, since the pace is faster and faster.

Time management for Jonsson is essentially taking “time out” to become conscious of our relationship to time and then setting different priorities. It is a personal matter “impossible to take in unless you work through it deep inside yourself, at your very core,” and then return to it throughout your life. Other provocative chapters include “Clock Time and Experienced Time, “Divided and Undivided Time,” “Rhythm and Nonrhythm.” That last chapter may help explain our frustrations traffic rhythms, the nonrhythms of meetings, and with people whose conversational and thought rhythms do not agree with ours.

Psychologists Zimbardo and Boyd offer their perspective on our “most irreplaceable resource” in “The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life.” Our attitudes toward time have a profound impact on our lives and our world, and yet we seldom recognize this. For example, an individual’s relationship to time can influence important behaviors such as helping a stranger in distress. Future-oriented people are most likely to be successful and the least likely to help others in need. Present-oriented people tend to be willing to help others but appear less willing or able to help themselves. Those people whose perspective is the past make decisions bound by positive and negatives memories. Ideally, you want to develop a balanced time perspective in place of a narrowly focused single time zone. Optimal decisions are made when you can flexibly shift from past to present to future in response to the demands of the situation. So spend your time wisely and enjoy it well.

Library Notes/October 23, 2009
Dara L. Cain

Children’s Books that are Delectable

With the holidays approaching I don’t know about you but I can’t seem to stop thinking about delicious home cooked meals. Here are some tasty children’s books that feature food in their stories. There is just something about reading an appetizing book that will make you and your young ones feel all warm and cozy inside, especially with the cold winter weather right around the corner.

A must read is Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. In this story a young boy named Matti opens up to a recipe in a cookbook and begins measuring and mixing out the ingredients with his mother to make a gingerbread boy. To Matti’s dismay when he opens the oven door to take a quick peak, a Gingerbread Baby jumps out of the oven instead of a boy. The Gingerbread Baby begins the game of “catch me if you can” as he runs out the front door and is chased by pursuers. You must read the story to find out if the Gingerbread Baby escapes his fate. This is a familiar tale with a surprise ending.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue is the first book in the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo. The main character, the loveable “porcine wonder” Mercy Watson enjoys the perks of being apart of the Watson family. During the day he eats his favorite food, hot buttered toast prepared by Mrs. Watson and, at night he sleeps in a nice warm bed. One evening there is a loud “boom” and then a “crack” as Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s bed begins to slowly fall through the floor. Will Mercy be able to rescue Mr. and Mrs. Watson or will his dreamlike craving for hot buttered toast distract him from the problem at hand.

Can too much of a good thing be too good to be true. In The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling, John Midas loves to eat chocolate more than anything else. When he finds an odd looking coin he decides to spend it to buy a box of chocolate at a unique store. After eating the chocolate he discovers that everything his lips touch turns to edible chocolate from the bacon and egg that he eats for breakfast to the musical instrument he plays at school. John’s life starts to become overwhelmingly filled with chocolate and when he gives his mother a kiss and turns her into a chocolate statue he realizes that getting what you wish may not always be the best thing for you.

The key ingredients that make up this delightful story are friendship, family, and scrumptious family recipes. In Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech best friends since birth Rosie and her next door neighbor Bailey experience some difficult adolescent emotions that affect their friendship. Leave it to Rosie’s grandmother, Granny Torrelli to make things better. She gets Rosie and Bailey in the kitchen preparing home cooked meals together and sharing family stories about forgiveness. Before you know it Rosie and Bailey are reminded how special they are to one another.

Visit the Rowan Public Library to check out these scrumptious books that children are sure to enjoy.

Erika Kosin
Library Notes
October 16th, 2009
Books for Boys

Most parents will tell you that it is an ongoing struggle to get their boys to read and even those who like reading generally lose interest around age nine. They begin to move towards activities that keep them active or are more visually stimulating and view reading as something that they have to do for school. As boys stop reading they begin to fall farther behind in other areas since reading is a fundamental part of all school subjects. So why do boys stop reading? It has been determined that some of the issues are biological, but also sociological in that boys do not view reading as a masculine activity.

In order to keep boys reading we have to find books that talk to their interests. A boy who claims he hates to read may one day sit down with a large book and vigorously read it. This usually happens when boys find fantasy based fiction with anthropomorphic characters. They also like books that contain scary and gross tales such as Goosebumps or non-fiction titles that contain interesting facts. Here are a few titles that might peak a boys interest that can be found at the Rowan Public Library:

39 Clues: Maze of Bones – ages 9 +. This is the first book in a mystery, adventure series written by a collection of popular children’s authors. When Grace Cahill’s Last Will and Testament leaves her family a choice between taking home a million dollars each or the chance to uncover the greatest family secret, Amy and her younger brother Dan decide to take the challenge and start out on a world wide hunt for the 39 clues where knowledge of history and ingenuity help them stay in the game. Fans of mysteries and movies like National Treasure would like this series.
The Golly-Whopper Games by Jody Feldman – ages 9+. Don’t let the colors on the cover of this book fool you; this is a book that boys will love, especially if they like word games and puzzles. Gil Goodson wants his family to move out of Orchard Heights because life hasn’t been so good since the “incident”. He finds the perfect opportunity to win enough money for the family to move, all he has to do is win the Golly Toy & Game Company’s ultimate competition, the Golly-Whopper Games. He studies for almost a year and knows everything there is to know about the company, but does he know enough to be able to solve all of the puzzles and complete all of the challenges to win?

One President was Born on Independence Day and Other Freaky Facts About the 26th Through 43rd President – Do you know which president was the first to have a mustache, or which president walked a raccoon on a leash? Who served Jellybeans at every cabinet meeting? Which president had one leg 1 inch shorter than the other? Find out these facts and more in this fun book that looks at the facts that most people wouldn’t know about past presidents.

For more book titles that might appeal to, visit;
http://www.guysread.com
http://www.kidsreads.com/features/great-books-boys.asp

LIBRARY NOTES
Dr. Betty Middleton
October 2, 2009


Get ready! Halloween is near and the children will be getting excited about what

costume they will wear.

Rowan Public Library has over one hundred titles devoted to costumes. These

include books on Historical Costumes, Party Costumes, Stage Costumes, Biblical

Costumes, Folk Costumes, Costumes of World Cultures, just to begin.

However, if you are thinking quick and easy, several titles stand out. For example,

Glue & Go Costumes for Kids by Holly Cleeland includes fun costumes that can be made

from items found around the house or easily obtainable. With each costume the author

includes a list of materials needed, a pattern and detailed directions.

Another favorite is the book by Angela Wilkes and Jane Bull. They have

collected more than fifty projects in their book Dazzling Disguises and Clever Costumes.

Their costumes can be constructed from everyday materials using old clothes, scarves,

paper and glue.

Mary Wallace’s book I Can Make Costumes has costumes easy enough that the

children can make them with little or no help. Materials needed included simple things

like safety pins, aluminum foil, paper bags, cardboard boxes, crayons, and tempera paint.

Super Masks & Fun Face Painting by Teddy Cameron Long is a good choice for

parents who would like to add an additional touch or eliminate the bulkiness of the full

body costume for smaller children. The mask designs begin with either a simple paper

mache or paper plate mask. Patterns are included for various designs which can be either

full face or just eye covers. The face painting section shows step-by-step details to obtain

the desired effect.

Two Internet sites to explore for easy costumes are the website from Parents

Magazine www.parents.com and the website from Disney www.FamilyFun.go.com.

Involve your children in the selection and making of the costume and enjoy the fun of

the creativity.

Library Notes
September 26, 2009
Lynn A. Denison

Can you guess what these three topics have in common: chess, bridal showers, golf, and basketball coaching? These are all the subjects of new additions to our collection at Rowan Public Library in what I would call the “how to” genre.

My favorite, which I can’t wait to try out on my son-in-law, is titled Win at Checkers written by Millard Hopper, the “World’s Unrestricted Checker Champion.” This title is touted as “one of if not the best” books available for players who want to improve their techniques. Reviewers claim that after reading the book and practicing a little, one can become a much better player and have a good understanding of the game. It sounds like a recipe for family fun, as checkers, unlike chess, is relatively simple and can be learned at an early age. Why not give this book some study, impress your family members with your expertise, and then share the book with them?

Another book that is full of fresh ideas is The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book by Sharon Naylor. The book received five stars (the best) in eleven reviews. Even if you’ve never held a shower before, this book will give you more than enough helpful hints and ideas to hostess a shower that will be remembered for years to come. In it are ideas for women-only showers as well as co-ed showers, themes, menus, decoration ideas, invitations, entertainment, games and so much more. If you’re planning a bridal shower in the future, you can relax and enjoy it with the help of this highly recommended book.

For the golfers in the family The Illustrated Golf Rules Dictionary is the perfect “how to” book. It is a revised and updated edition that explains the complex rules of golf in an easy to follow, practical, and interesting way. This book is for anyone who ever wondered “what do I do in this situation?”--in other words, anyone who has ever played the game. This compact guide is not only perfect for beginners as well as experienced players, but it is consulted by TV commentators, tournament committees, professional golfers, and many golf schools. It appears to be a book that golfers may want to hint for as a Christmas gift, but in the meantime come check out its usefulness at the library.

If you are already a basketball coach or are giving consideration to becoming one this year, consider reading Coaching Youth Basketball: A Guide for Coaches, Parents, and Athletes by John P. McCarthy, Jr. This book covers all of basketball’s fundamentals and gives coaching tips for every aspect of the game. Why not visit us soon at any of our branches of Rowan Public Library to check out these and more of our outstanding offerings.

COOKING UNDER PRESSURE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

There’s a box out in my garage that’s been collecting dust for months. Inside that box is a brand new pressure cooker I ordered off the Internet. With cooler weather approaching, craving comfort food has once again become commonplace. Looking back, my mother’s pressure cooker was the source of much of the comfort food I associate with my youth. Lately, I was thinking that if I found some new recipes it might actually inspire me to use my pressure cooker. So I turned to the library for help because I figured they’d have at least a book or two on pressure cooking from which to choose from. Well, was I wrong! I came home with at least a half dozen books. These three turned out to be my favorites.

I found Miss Vickie’s Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes to be very informative. No surprise there, I guess, as the author, Vickie Smith, is the creator of the leading pressure cooker website, www.MissVickie.com. Her book not only contains hundreds of recipes, but loads of other information as well. I was particularly fascinated by the chapter which touched on the history of steam cooking. I had no idea that the first version of the pressure cooker was created way back in 1680 or that Napoleon played a role in its further development. Other sections of the Smith’s book include instructions on the proper use of pressure cookers, important safety information, and even a buyer’s guide for modern equipment.

Another book I liked was Pressure Cooking for Everyone by Rick Rodgers and Arlene Ward. Both Rodgers and Ward teach cooking classes and their laid-back style is apparent in this volume. They do a particularly good job explaining the benefits of steam cooking. Not only does food cook faster but vegetables prepared in a pressure cooker lose fewer vitamins and minerals, retain their color, and generally taste better. Cooking meats this way is a healthier alternative to other methods, as it eliminates most of the fat by draining it away quickly and yet the superheated steam keeps the meat moist and juicy.

Express Cooking, written by Barry Bluestein and Kevin Morrissey, is chock-full of recipes for today’s modern-day pressure cookers. Every conceivable category; from soups and stocks, to meats, vegetables, grains and beans, has several delicious recipes to try. There’s even a section on desserts. While finding a recipe for cooking apples in a pressure cooker made sense, the one for strawberry cheesecake took me by surprise. That one I may have to try.

As you can probably tell, I’ve found the inspiration I needed to break in my new pressure cooker. I’m excited by the fact that my food will not only be healthier but will taste better and take less time to prepare. These are the very reasons why earlier generations insisted on using pressure cookers despite the all-to-common “dinner on the ceiling” disaster stories that got passed around. Thankfully, modern-day pressure cookers like mine have a safer, almost fool-proof design to them.

Visit any of the branches of Rowan Public Library to browse through their collection of books on cookery. You might even come away inspired.

Library Notes—Betty Moore—August 2009 New Western Fiction

Westerns are a classic fiction genre, representing American values of hard work and standing

up for one’s beliefs. Traditionally, they have been set west of the Mississippi River in the 1800s, with

good and evil facing off against the backdrop of the barely settled and often lawless frontier. This was a

place where a person, usually a man, could reinvent himself by overcoming hardship. The landscape was

almost a character as well. Traditional westerns fiction often featured stereotypical portraits of Native

Americans, Latinos, and women, and problems were often solved with force rather than reason.
While fewer traditional western books are published these days, books set in the West today

with western themes and landscapes have spread over into other genres, notably mysteries and thrillers.
A good example of this is “Dark Horse,” the latest book in Craig Johnson’s series about Sheriff Walt

Longmire, a Vietnam vet now dealing with social justice in a rugged sparsely populated area of

Wyoming. Walt doubts Mary 's confession that she shot her husband, Wade, after Wade allegedly

burned down their barn with all Mary's horses inside. Johnson’s previous book, “Another Man’s

Moccasins,” won a 2009 Spur Award in June from the Western Writer’s Association for best western

novel.
The WWA also awarded Elmore Leonard the 2009 Owen Wister Award for lifetime contributions to the

literature of the West. Although better known today for crime writing, he has written many westerns, such

as “3:10 to Yuma” and “Hombre.” Their website (www.westernwriters.org) features their newsletter,

“Roundup,” and other items of interest, such as “Best Western” lists of fiction, nonfiction, films, and TV

shows.
“Brimstone” is Robert B. Parker’s third western adventure featuring Everett Hitch and Virgil

Cole. Here they track down Virgil's sweetheart Allie and the three head north to start over in the town of

Brimstone, where they secure positions as the town's deputies. They struggle to keep the peace as a

local church leader stirs up trouble at local saloons.
Richard S. Wheeler has written more than sixty westerns and holds five Spur Awards plus the

Owen Wister Award for his work. “North Star,” his latest entry in the Barnaby Skye series, takes Skye

and his younger Indian wife on a search for his half-blood son North Star. After more than 50 years of

trapping and hunting, fighting Indians and living outdoors, Skye is old, in pain and losing his eyesight, but

is still crafty and wise.
C. J. Box writes modern Western thrillers about Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. In his

latest book, “Below Zero,” his daughter seems to be held hostage by a deranged ecoterrorist. He dives

into the middle of a topical environmental issue, putting his and his girls' lives on the line. A “Library

Journal” reviewer calls Box's series “the gold standard in the western mystery subgenre.”
A number of writers of religious fiction also set their stories in Western times and places. Lori

Copeland’s latest, “Outlaw’s Bride,” blends classic Western romance with religious themes. While being

“rehabilitated” for a crime he didn’t commit, Johnny schemes to be released early so he can kill the man

who wiped out his family. But then he meets beautiful and kind Ragan.
A delightful companion book at RPL is “The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West”

by Candy Moulton. Readers as well as writers will enjoy this book, with its extensive research into daily

life of those days, plus a reading list, and glossary of western slang.
RPL also carries books by many writers of traditional Westerns, such as Zane Grey, Louis

L’Amour, Elmer Kelton, Tabor Evans, J. R. Roberts, Ralph Cotton, and William Johnstone.

Games Lead to Literacy
Erika Kosin

When Libraries talk about literacy, they usually refer to the ability to read or to “information literacy” which is the ability to find, interpret, and use information. The Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition defines “Literacy” as “the quality or state of being literate especially the ability to read and write; Possession of education; Persons knowledge of a particular subject or field.” In order to be “literate” in any discipline, one must start with the basics, for example, one must learn to count before s/he can add and one must learn the alphabet before s/he can read.

There are many ways to promote literacy skills in children, not just teaching the ability to read and write, but to also teaching children colors and counting. Libraries try to provide the basic skills of information literacy to children of all ages through various programs and events. Some libraries across the country are even offering programs that include board games or video game programs for children and especially for teens. People may not have realized that when they played board games as a child, they were learning and reinforcing the basic skills necessary for literacy. They were learning to recognize numbers and add by rolling the dice. They were learning how to manage money and develop the art of reasoning and negotiation while playing Monopoly. Knowledge of colors and numbers were being reinforced by playing games like Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land. Board games also allow children to socially interact with other children or members of their own family in a fun productive way.

Games like Risk helped teach basic military strategies while reinforcing knowledge of geography. Chess and checkers help children develop the ability to think and try to anticipate their opponent’s thoughts. Many adults can find the benefits of playing some of these board games with children in the beginning stages learning, but how do these games compare to their computer counterparts? What can the benefit be to playing video games such as guitar hero or final fantasy? Well some of these games contain a lot of reading. One has to follow the instructions and interpret the clues if they want to advance to the next level and some kids even go as far as to locate books with cheat codes so that they can advance to further aspects of the game quicker. Games like guitar hero and Rock Band help develop hand eye coordination as it reinforces colors, counting and rhythms, all skills needed for the basics of literacy in many fields and disciplines.

While games do provide benefits for children in developing their literacy skills, moderation is always a good rule of thumb. Too much of anything could be detrimental but a healthy balance of board games, video games, reading and outdoor play can help develop well rounded children who are on their way to becoming a part of a literate society. It also provides an opportunity for families and friends to spend some quality time together.

Rebecca Hyde


What are things made of? The following books offer voyages of discovery to what we tread on, move through, cannot see, or even hardly imagine. These are “stories of the invisible” and “big consequences of little things.”

Philip Ball’s “Stories of the Invisible: A Guided Tour of Molecules” provides an overview of modern chemical science and molecular biology in particular. The molecule takes center stage because in the submicroscopic world, molecules are the “words” and atoms are just the “letters.” In living organisms, they are indeed wonderful “storytellers.” When describing molecular activity within the cell, that “molecule-maker,” Ball points out astonishing levels of cooperation and communication, with checkpoints, safety mechanisms, back-up plans, careful record-keeping. In 1994, it was suggested that DNA molecules could be used to solve the same problems as computers. In the near future perhaps nano-computers will take the place of silicon-based computers.

Hannah Holmes introduces us to the study of dust in “The Secret Life of Dust: From the Cosmos to the Kitchen Counter, the Big Consequences of Little Things.” This is a fragmenting world, in a constant state of disintegration, so studying some of the planet’s “smallest reporters” can give us a sense of the state of things. Dust is indispensable, but it’s also murderous. We employ dust for planting crops, for building, and for making pottery. On the dark side, pollution dusts can kill. Dust is at the origin of stars, and dust is in our future.

What else is everywhere, silent and invisible to the naked eye? Germs… Philip Tierno, in “The Secret Life of Germs: Observations and Lessons from a Microbe Hunter,” provides us with a view of another microscopic world, complex and well-ordered. The cycle of life requires the action of germs at every stage. We depend on many germs to keep our economy going: yeasts in bread-making, algae in manufacturing cosmetics and paints, and soil bacteria for antibiotics. As Tierno says, the biological future of nature’s “greatest creature,” man, depends on an “intimate cooperation with nature’s least, the germ.”

In “Good Germs, Bad Germs, Health and Survival in a Bacterial World,” Jessica Sachs covers our war on germs, and our emerging understanding of the symbiotic relationship between the human body and its microbes, which outnumber human cells by a factor of nine to one. Microbiologist David Thaler sums up the challenge: human beings don’t function optimally when they attempt to embed themselves in a sterile environment, and would do better by learning to live “up close and personal in a seamlessly continuous world.” In the future we may be replacing antibacterial cleaners and cleansers with bacterial ones, and our war on infectious disease will become a restoration of balance, quieting overly aggressive immune systems and bolstering microflora’s ability to perform vital functions in the human body.

1st Day of School Books
Dara L. Cain

School is right around the corner and will be here before we know it. To help prepare your young ones for the upcoming school year here are some suggested reading picture book titles. These books can be found at the Rowan Public Library.
I Love School by Philemon Sturges: In rhyming verse and first person narrative a typical school day is described. The story does not concentrate on the uncertainties some children may experience. Instead, a love for school is exhibited in the text and in the illustrations done by Philemon Sturges as the children, laugh, play, and learn with their classmates. The end papers include chalk drawings accompanied by interesting facts related to school.
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney: In this beautifully illustrated book Llama Llama is ready to start preschool but when Mama Llama says goodbye Llama feels both sad and shy. His teacher the zebra and the other animal children encourage Llama to have fun writing, drawing, and playing. In the end “Llama finds out something new - He loves Mama… and SCHOOL, too!” Preschoolers will be able to relate to Llama’s feelings and will discover the excitement of going to school.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn: When Chester Raccoon is hesitant to start the first day of kindergarten Mrs. Raccoon finds a way to reassure her son. When Mrs. Raccoon kisses Chester’s palm he feels the kiss rush to his heart. His mother tells him whenever he feels lonely he is to place his hand to his cheek and “that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts.” This book is filled with love and youngsters will feel reassured after reading this heartwarming story.
Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books by Diane deGroat: A young opossum named Gilbert is unsure about starting first grade when he sits at the wrong desk and feels embarrassed, learns that Philip, a fellow classmate already knows how to read, and thinks his old friend Patti has already made a new friend. In the end, Gilbert realizes that school can be enjoyable when he learns that his teacher is nice, makes new friends, and enjoys learning to read with the help of Philip. Children will learn that the only way to discover new things is to try things that may be scary at first.
Off to First Grade by Louise Borden: Told in poetic verse each of the 23 first graders, their teacher Mrs. Miller, the principle Mr. Zimmerman, and the bus driver Xavier tell readers what they are anticipating on the first day of school. Each poem is accompanied by a snapshot of the character preparing for the school day from exchanging hugs with family members, waiting for the school bus, anticipating reading zillions of books, doing art projects, and playing sports. This is an upbeat story about the first day of school and each child reading this story will be able to relate to one or more of the 23 first graders in the story.

Mango Languages
Lynn Denison

If you have not investigated the on-line resources available through your Rowan Public Library recently, now is the time to do so. One of the most exciting electronic resources we offer is called Mango Languages. This web-based language learning program can be used at home and accessed for free through our library’s web site. In order to use the site a patron need only have an up-to-date library card and a PIN number, which can be obtained in person at any of our branches.
Mango Languages offers over a dozen languages including Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish for English speakers. English is offered for Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish speakers. Each language is divided into 100 lessons with each lesson having almost a hundred slides. The learner is actively engaged with audio and visual cues to facilitate learning. The lessons include audio from native speakers of the language and phonetic transcriptions, so that the language can be learned with the correct pronunciation. Quizzes are included to test and improve language learning. The interface is created in Adobe Flash and is very user friendly. Mango uses real-life situations and actual conversations to more effectively teach a new language. By listening to and repeating material designed from native conversations, the student will not only learn the individual words and phrases but will learn how they are used in practical situations and conversations. Each lesson in Mango’s system integrates vocabulary and grammar into real-life sentences. Therefore, while you’re learning grammar, vocabulary and conjugation, you’ll also be learning how to truly communicate in a language of your choice.
Why not start today to learn a new language or improve your fluency in a language you are already familiar with? Mango is easy, fun, and free! There are no trainings, downloads or installations required—all a user needs is an internet connection and a Rowan Public Library Card and PIN. Once on our website (http:www.rowanpubliclibrary.org), click on “Online Tools” under the related links menu. Next click on “Languages” and then click the “Mango Languages” link. You’ll be asked to enter your library card number and PIN. Follow the instructions to set up your individual account in Mango, and you’ll be able to keep track of what you’ve learned and know where to continue the next time.
While you’re on our site, please take time to explore all the many other e-resources Rowan Public Library has to offer. You’ll be surprised and pleased at the treasures you’ll discover!

SEARCHING FOR THE PAST
PAUL BIRKHEAD – JUNE 14, 2009

“What’s past is prologue” is a famous quote from Shakespeare’s The Tempest that has been prominently carved into the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. The quote means the past repeats itself and continually influences the present. If history interests you as much as it does me, there are many books in Rowan Public Library’s collection you might enjoy. Here are three recent arrivals.

Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure chronicles a cross-country road trip that took place in 1953. Road trips as a whole are not unusual, back then or today. However, the man who drove a big, black Chrysler down the highway that year was no ordinary American. He was none other than Harry S. Truman who, a few months prior, had been President of the United States. The book’s author, Matthew Algeo, tells the story of Harry and Bess Truman’s attempt to travel incognito from Independence, Missouri to Washington, D.C. and back. As Algeo recreates the trip in modern times, he delights the reader with anecdotes about people and places Harry and Bess encountered along the way.

Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard ‘Round the World by Brian Biegel is a fascinating story about baseball that also touches on the subjects of self renewal and father/son relationships. Biegel recounts his quest to determine the fate of what has been called the “Holy Grail” of baseball collectibles. On October 3, 1951, New York Giants player Bobby Thompson hit a home run that clinched the pennant title from the Giants’ crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. After clearing the left field fence, the ball seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. In his journey to find the ‘miracle ball,’ the author scours records, interviews eyewitnesses, and even gets a crucial tip from a retired NYPD detective. If you want to know whether Biegel solves the mystery or if the dusty ball sitting on top of his father’s armoire played any role in it, you’ll have to read the book.

In 1984, Peter Feldstein had an ambitious goal – to photograph every single person in his hometown. Now, granted, this was Oxford, Iowa (population: 676), but it was still quite a chore to get it done. Twenty years passed and Feldstein decided to photograph the town’s residents again. The Oxford Project is the collaborative effort of photographer Feldstein and writer Stephen Bloom to document what happened to the Oxford citizens over two decades. The black and white photographs in this oversized book are stunning and even though the before and after photos are sure to grab your attention, it’s the life stories attached to them that will keep you turning pages.

If you’re interested in the past, take some advice from the present and go check out what all Rowan Public Library has to offer.

Gretchen Beilfuss Witt
May 29, 2009


Rice and Brooms

Well wedding season is upon us. Did you ever wonder where some of the traditions of weddings originated? Although not as common as it once was, June is a favorite month for nuptials. Juno, the Roman goddess for whom June is named was patron of marriage in the Roman culture thus marriages in June got off to auspicious beginnings. Did you know that in 1866 a young man showed up at Tuxedo Park in New York with the tails of his formal dress coat missing? He explained that the Prince of Wales was currently sporting a similar style and the tuxedo was born. Did you know that in many cultures the groom set out to kidnap his bride either feigning (and with permission) or by force? Who better to help then his ‘best’ man, his close friend or lieutenant who would be the strongest or surest in the fight for his bride. The role of the best man is a little less violent today but still an important source of support and indication of friendship.
Although the groom traditionally requests ‘the hand ‘ of his bride in marriage, an old legend declares that during Leap Year a woman could propose to her chosen groom. However, the law in the British Isles during Medieval times claimed a single man who declined a woman’s proposal during Leap Year had to compensate her with a kiss and a silk gown. Similar laws were introduced in Europe and the custom was legalized in France and parts of Italy by the 15th century and continued in the Great Britain and Europe until the 19th century.
Once the bride has agreed to a marriage, the whirlwind descends. Whether a long engagement or an elopement, a civil or religious marriage, decisions are made and customs are reenacted. Many like to honor their heritage whether ethnic or religious; any number of sources will help you make your own choices for this special day. “Jumping the Broom” by Harriette Cole speaks specifically to the African traditions and gives some information about African customs as well as American adaptations. “A Simple Wedding” by Sharon Hanby-Robie and “Wedding Goddess” by Brockway, both encourage a variety of ways to make the day special and stress free along with respecting spiritual needs. For tidbits and decorum help from choosing flower colours to finding out that the first diamond engagement ring was given by Archduke Maximillian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, turn to “Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette.”
Interested in the unusual or uncommon, take a look at Verrill’s Strange Customs, Manners and Beliefs” or Tuleja’s “Curious Customs”, both are chockfull of marvelous stories that enrich our understanding of marriage rituals world wide. For instance in the Cook Islands, the young men lay on the ground before the bride making a bridge so she may walk on them in the processional. In Germany, while the men have the bachelor party, the bride and her friends smash crockery outside the house which the bride sweeps up to ensure good luck and prosperity for the marriage. The rites of marriage are as diverse as they are curious; whether planning for a wedding or a student of anthropology satisfy your curiosity with a good book.
P.S. The next Leap Year is 2012.

Library Notes
Betty Moore
Resources about Writing

Some say that everyone has a book inside them waiting to be written. Maybe this is the time yours has been waiting for. Rowan Public Library has a number of helpful resources for writers, whether they are looking for ideas to get started or have manuscripts ready to submit.

Books for inspiration such as Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within,” “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott, and “Writing as a Road to Self-Discovery” by Barry Lane discuss elements of the writer’s craft as well as what it takes to be a writer.

Others, such as “Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage, and Grammar” by Anne Stilman and the classic “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White, focus on the nuts and bolts of the writing process.

Browsing through the 808’s on RPL’s shelves will help writers learn about many formats and genres, including memoirs, novels and short stories, plays and screenwriting, magazine articles, and religious, travel or science writing. The titles alone highlight the wide variety of available resources and interests: “Write the Story of Your Life,” “Write Up the Corporate Ladder,” and “The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics.” RPL even has “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Well!”
Once a manuscript is complete, a writer usually begins looking for an agent, editor or publisher. “Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents 2009” is a good place to start. “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye” by agent Katharine Sands gives tips on pitching your book plus getting an agent to notice your work.

“Writer’s Market” lists book publishers, magazines, and literary agents and includes interviews with successful writers. It also has a wide variety of information such as tips on writing query letters and a freelance rate chart. Similar sources are “Poet’s Market,” “Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market,” and “Christian Writer’s Market Guide.” “Literary Market Place 2009” is the directory of the American book publishing industry with industry yellow pages.

The North Carolina Writers’ Network has prepared a helpful little book whose huge title tells its contents: “North Carolina's Literary Resource Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Grants and Fellowships, Retreats, and Residencies, Literary Magazines & Small Presses, Independent Bookstores, Writing Markets, Literary Reference Materials, Writers Groups & Organizations, Agents, Critiquing Services and much, much more.” Their website is www.ncwriters.org.

RPL also subscribes to “The Writer,” a monthly magazine offering “advice and inspiration for today’s writer.” A special section in the June 2009 issue focuses on writing for children. Their website is www.writermag.com.

BookPage, the free monthly book review periodical available at RPL, includes a column, “The Author Enablers,” that offers the inside scoop on writing and publishing.

Free the stories within you using writing resources at RPL.

Library Notes
Rebecca Hyde – May 8, 2009


How can “talk” change our lives? That is the subtitle of Theodore Zeldin’s book “Conversation,” which began as a series of broadcasts on the BBC. Zeldin, born in Palestine, is an Oxford University historian, a philosopher, management consultant, and radio personality. He has conducted his “human audits” in the workplace, within families, and among different cultures. In this little book, he summarizes the history of conversation, of conversational revolutions that have given us the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern times. Along the way, rhetoric became a weapon of war, scientific clarity became jargon, and women tried to introduce emotions as a topic of conversation.

Why is conversation so powerful? It is not just about conveying information or sharing emotions. It is creative: “Conversation is the meeting place of minds with different memories and habits.” Facts are not only exchanged; new implications are drawn, and new trains of thought are taken.

Why is conversation so important? It can create equality. In a family, it enables people of different temperaments and different ages to live together. In the workplace, it can overcome problems of specialization, education, and of jobs that have become too narrow.

Along with “provocative” drawings to stimulate discussion, Zeldin provides practical suggestions in the form of thirty-six conversational topics on work, love, technology, and family. We can become more agile, more charming, if we wish, and perhaps more clear-sighted.

For more practice in conversation, browse the following book titles.
“The Art of Civilized Conversation,” by Margaret Shepherd, is a guide to “expressing yourself with style and grace.” In an electronic society, talking face-to face is the most basic form of social interaction, but it leaves many people feeling tongue-tied. For Shepherd, it is a highly practical skill, which can be polished. Think of it as the “Swiss Army knife of social skills,” which you can take anywhere you go.

In “How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere,” Larry King shares his secrets to good communication. Besides covering the basics in “Talk 101,” King entertains with examples of the best and worst conversationalists from his own experience: Frank Sinatra and Bill Clinton are among the “good.”

Leil Lowndes’ “How to Talk to Anybody about Anything” is a directory of opening conversational gambits or icebreakers. For example, in talking with professional athletes, you might ask about mental training or pre-performance routine. With movement or “cult” followers, ask what the group believes in, or why they joined. Ask stamp collectors what area of philately interests them the most.
“Miss Manners’ Basic Training: The Right Thing to Say,” by Judith Martin, is a review of etiquette in conversation, including advice and useful phrases plus humor. Let’s not cast aside conventional forms in favor of creativity and improvisation. In everyday life, originality won’t do. Etiquette can provide people with the right thing to say because it expresses feelings in time-tested ways, appreciated and understood.

Library Notes
May 1, 2009
Dara L. Cain

Discovering Self-Esteem in Children’s Books

Self-esteem is a genuine respect for or positive impression of one’s self. Possessing positive self-esteem is important to promoting healthy self-development in children. The following is a bibliography of fun, educational, and engaging children’s books that raise the subject of self esteem and can be found at the Rowan Public Library.

I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont is a rhyming picture book about a young girl who expresses confidence in her individuality and encourages children to love themselves “inside, outside, upside down, from head to toe and all around...” Illustrator David Catrow will have kids laughing when they see the main character with purple polka dotted lips and dancing in a bird bath with no care in the world as to what others may think of her. In It’s Okay to be Different author and illustrator Todd Parr uses simple text and rainbow colored illustrations to teach youngsters to accept who they are by understanding the many differences that exist among individuals. There are many differences that are “okay” such as “It’s okay to wear glasses,” “It’s okay to talk about your feelings,” and “It’s okay to be adopted.” Three bears wonder if their parents have a favorite child in the book You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney. The young bears are reassured when Mommy and Daddy Bear convince each of their concerned cubs that an endless love exists for all of them. The Lovables in the Kingdom of Self-Esteem by Diane Loomans portrays twenty-four animal characters each personifying a different quality of self-esteem. Children will be able to identify with the qualities that personify a healthy self-image and will learn how to develop positive images of themselves.

Gordon Korman’s novel Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire is about Zoe, a third grader who makes up elaborate stories in order to be liked by others. When an exciting event really does take place in her life nobody believes her. In the end a friend assures her that she is special for just being herself. In the chapter book Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining by Anne Mazer, Abby believes her three siblings outshine her. In search of her own “super special” talent Abby is determined to become a fifth grade soccer star but in the process learns that her genuine talents already make her unique and special. The silly title alone There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom by Louis Sachar will entice children to read this wonderful story full of insight and comedy. Bradley is a bright and imaginative eleven year old boy who doesn’t have any friends. When Bradley befriends the new school counselor who is kind and funny she helps him to believe in himself and gradually restores his self-confidence.

Don’t forget to check out these great reads on self-esteem at the Rowan Regional Library.

LibraryNotes By ErikaKosin April 24, 2009

Juvenile and Young Adult Crossover Fiction
Since most juvenile fiction collections in public libraries are meant for children under the age of twelve, many books written for kids 10 years and older might seem to be a little mature for the children’s room. These titles are what children’s librarians lovingly call the crossover books; titles that can appear in either the children’s or Young Adult collections of the library and sometimes even both. These books usually contain subject matter that appeals to the late elementary age set as well as those children in middle school. For those watchful parents of strong readers who want to make their selections form the Young Adult collection, books found in both the YA and Children’s sections might help serve as a guide, and since many of these crossover books have won and award or appear on the Middle School Battle of the Books List, there are many places to start looking.

So which Newbery medal, a literary award given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and Honor book winners can be found in both the Juvenile and Young Adult Sections of the library? Some of them include:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – winner of the 2009 Newbery medal it tells the story of a boy named Nobody who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Many librarians across the country applauded this years winner because not only is it a well written piece of literature, but it contains an exciting story that appeals to both boys and girls. This book, however, is not for the easily frightened child as it does contain some scary scenes.

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins – A coming of age story, this 2006 Newbery winner follows the lives of three adolescents, Debbie, Hector and Lenny, as their paths cross each other throughout the spring and summer as each looks for love and meaning in their lives,
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldneko – Imagine you are twelve years old and have an autistic older sister who needs special attention, only it is 1935 and people don’t understand the disability. Now imagine all this while living on Alcatraz because your father was hired as a guard, and yes, Al Capone, the most notorious criminal of the time, lives there too. This is the premise of this 2005 Newbery honor book that looks at the dynamics of a family as it struggles with the challenges involved with having a disabled child in a time when people were less than understanding.
Holes by Louis Sachlar – Have you ever felt like your family was cursed? Well for Stanley Yelnats it is a fact of life. He even has to do time at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility, as penance for a crime he didn’t commit, and his task, to dig five feet wide by five feet deep holes in the harsh Texas Heat. But everything is not as it seems at Camp Green Lake, and Stanley may just be the one to break his families curse. This 1999 Newbery winner is another enjoyable read that will appeal to both boys and girls.

Library Notes
April 17th, 2009
Susan Triplett

Eastertime Invitation

The season which embraces the most important Christian celebration of the year has fully arrived. What better time to become acquainted with current books on the subject of Christian faith and practice? Whether you come to the library seeking inspiration, challenge, or simply more general knowledge on the topic, RPL offers a number of recent acquisitions which may well leave you with a thirst for more!

Mark Galli’s Beyond Smells & Bells the Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy may seem an unlikely starting point in its obvious specificity. In fact, the author himself notes that he expects his larger audience to be those who already have some experience of liturgical worship. Yet it seems that his thorough and thoughtful treatment is as much designed for those, no matter their backgrounds, who would like to learn about the Christian liturgy – the body of prayers and services that make up the public Sunday worship service in many mainline churches. He provides an able introduction to what these traditions are, where they come from, and what they signify. In the face of a large world trend to dressed down, spontaneous, socially relevant worship, Mr Galli’s book provides a rich counter-cultural response.

Divided into fourteen chapters, complete with three appendixes, this slim volume is packed. Sub-titles to pique the reader’s interest include: “How the Liturgy Draws Us into Community”, “The Liturgy as a Mystery Full of Meaning”, “How the Liturgy Is More Relevant Than We Can imagine”, and “How the Liturgy Changes Us at the Very Core of Our Being.” In a culture which so often seems driven by the lust for information, efficiency, and ready comprehension, one of the most persuasive sections may be the chapter in which Galli considers the dilemma of human desire for an understandable god, a god we can master. Here the reader may find that the awesome wonder and truth of God’s Mystery are, paradoxically, beautifully articulated. In fact, the book is laden with paradox, much like Christian faith itself.
This book is occasionally reminiscent of the writings of C.S. Lewis, whom the author, indeed, references. It’s a book which won’t benefit from a quick perusal. It is Christ-centered, Biblically based, and written compellingly in the belief that we are in this world, but not of it.
Care to learn more? See you at the library.

LIBRARY NOTES: SAVING MONEY AT THE LIBRARY
PAUL BIRKHEAD – MARCH 15, 2009

Have you driven by the library lately? If so, you might have noticed a distinct lack of parking. Rowan Public Library has always been a popular place but it seems more and more folks are realizing just how much it has to offer. This is not just happening in Rowan County either. All across America, people are rediscovering their local libraries.

In tough economic times everyone seems to be more conscious about how they spend their money and often look for ways to save. Rowan Public Library has many services that can help save you money.

When you think about libraries, you naturally think about books. Are you wondering how it’s possible for books to stretch your family’s budget further? Here are some examples:
If you’re like most, going out to eat is becoming more of a luxury again instead of just being routine. If preparing home cooked meals has not been on your agenda lately, the library has hundreds of cookbooks that can help you get reacquainted with your kitchen.

Also, more people than ever are putting off purchasing a new vehicle and as a result more cars are being maintained by their owners. Did you know that the library has car repair manuals on its shelves? Not only that, Rowan Public Library can give you access to an online auto repair reference center.

It goes without saying that you can save money by simply borrowing the latest novel by your favorite author instead of purchasing it, but keep in mind that the library offers a lot more than just books.

If Internet access was the first thing to get cut out of your budget, you’ll be happy to know that the library makes the Internet available to you free of charge. Come in to any of our three locations and sign onto a public computer or bring your laptop to take advantage of our wi-fi connection. We even offer free computer classes to those that need help.

Maybe you’ve resolved to cut back or eliminate video/DVD rentals. Did you know that the library has shelves of DVDs that you can check out just like a book? Rowan Public Library also hosts a popular movie night each Tuesday at the Salisbury branch. Come watch a movie and eat some popcorn for what anyone would call an extremely affordable price – free.

Library Notes
February 2009
Betty Moore

Behind the Scenes at the White House

When I was learning history in school—many decades ago!—the emphasis seemed to be on dates, leaders, and battles. I wondered then, and still do, what goes on behind the scenes?

During the recent political campaign and election, and transfer of presidential leadership, I wondered, as always, what is daily life like for the families of presidents, as well as the presidents? And what would it be like to live in the same building where you worked, especially when that building is the White House? Can the White House be a home?

Rowan Public Library has many resources that help satisfy my interest about life “above the store.”

“Real Life at the White House: Two Hundred Years of Daily Life at America’s Most Famous Residence” by John and Claire Whitcomb is a fascinating way to look at American history—from the point of view of the President’s House, where the personal and the political meet. The house itself is an important character in American history.

Through the years we read about the first families’ personalities, close circles of friends and family, food and drink, animals, foreign visitors, community relations, tastes in furniture and clothing. We share in their joyous times as well as their defeats and personal sorrows. We see how each family coped with the curious combination of loss of privacy and isolation. Some presidents and their families were very self-contained, even withdrawn; some were extremely out-going, constantly having visitors.

We see the changing role of the president’s wife, as well as the other women who served as hostesses for the presidents. Dolley Madison set the tone for many in her entertaining and shows up in many chapters besides that of her husband’s tenure.
The book is so interesting to read cover to cover, watching the physical house transform over the years with its occupants and events of the times—through remodeling, changes in taste, fire, vandalism, deterioration, and adoration. One can follow a certain theme—such as security, bathrooms, or extended family who live at the White House. But I found myself also dipping into the book here and there as current events took place and referred to past presidents.

The book is interspersed with brief essays—on pets (including a mockingbird, a snake, alligators, goats, and more), the White House grounds, the White House during the Civil War. For example, “Souvenir Hunters” tells how presidential fans cut off pieces of curtains, snipped their pets’ hair, and swiped napkins, spoons, even china. A few of the Presidents, or their family members, also took home presidential items when they left office.

While all presidents had some connection to the White House, many lived in other places while it was being built, under siege, remodeled or restored. Most early presidents also left the house in the summer, since the White House was notorious for its unhealthy location, with cholera threatening those who remained. “From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of the Presidents and Their Retreats” by Kenneth T. Walsh is the first book to look at the getaways Presidents have used for solitude, or for entertaining friends or world leaders away from the White House. He also tells of momentous decisions taking place in private retreats when official business intruded.

“First Ladies” is written by Amy Pastan in association with the Smithsonian Institution. The book is loaded with graphics related to each First Lady from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. It also contains “First Ladies Firsts” and other “Fascinating Facts.”

“White House Kids” by Susan Edwards is a light look at adventures of kids growing up in the White House, including some who turned the large East Room into a roller skating rink. A deeper look at the stresses and challenges of being a child of the President can be found in Doug Wead’s “All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America’s First Families.” According to Wead, “Two things are unforgivable for the child of a president—success and failure.”

People have long been interested in animals of the nation’s first family. “White House Pets,” by Margaret Truman, once a presidential kid herself, is a non-fiction look at many pets. In “Millie’s Book,” Springer Spaniel Millie describes her life with President George H.W. Bush and family, discussing morning briefings, deliberations in the Oval Office, and short breaks for squirrel hunting.

Presidential pets have outnumbered president’s kids by about two to one, comments Carole Nelson Douglas in her introduction to the fictional “White House Pet Detectives: Tales of Crime and Mystery at the White House from a Pet’s-Eye View.” She has collected 14 stories by award-winning authors that take advantage of the special privileges and access to confidential settings that these pets must have.

Library Notes
Rebecca Hyde – February 9, 2009


Connecting house and garden happens with the casual placing of a comfortable chair in front of a window, which frames a view to the outside. It happens when the steps at the back door become a favorite place to sit and catch some sun or feel a breeze. Or we walk into the yard to spend time with a favorite plant.
In “Small Patios: Simple Projects, Contemporary Designs,” Hazel White takes these favorite spots, develops them into outdoor retreats, and calls them “patios.” Planning and building a patio can be “a process of discovery.” White guarantees you’ll have a special attachment to that particular piece of earth and will know exactly where you want to place a chair.
The secret is how to design a patio that you will use, that will pull you outdoors. White visited and photographed private patios, from outdoor living rooms to remote stopping places. Some owners wanted a large public outdoor room for entertaining. Others wanted some privacy in an open outdoor space. It could be a shelter from the weather, or a place with a pretty view. In a natural garden, a clearing can be scratched from the dirt, or extra stones added to create room for people to stand and talk.
Avoid the mistake of overdoing the screening around the patio. It may sound counterintuitive, as White says, but total privacy is undesirable in an outdoor room. Tall walls, even leafy ones, create gloom and isolation, not peace and solitude. Plan a path through the space and look for a view.
Pick your paving material carefully. Will changes in the weather from season to season cause a slippery or crumbling surface? Will the surface be too hot or too dazzling with sun?
Decorate a patio as you would decorate a room. Have a plan or you may end up with a cluttered space with no room for you or guests. Landscape architect Thomas Church is quoted: “If the eye sees too many things, it is confused, and the sense of peace is obliterated.” You’ll miss the details of dew on a leaf, and the smell of a single fragrant plant.
The patio as an outside destination or an extension of your house – you still want the feeling of home.

Library Notes
January 30th 2009
Dara L. Cain
Newbery News

The suspense and excitement leading up to the announcement of the winner of the Newbery Award came to fruition at 7:45 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Monday, January 26. The Graveyard Book by author Neil Gaiman was chosen by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association as the 2009 Newbery Medal award winner for providing the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in the previous year. The “contribution to American literature” refers to the text of a book for which all forms of writing shall be considered and for which children up to age fourteen are the potential audience. “Distinguished” is defined as a book noted for significant achievement encompassing excellence in quality and individual distinctness.

The Newbery Medal became the first children’s book award in the world and was named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The criteria the ALSC committee members took into account when deciding to select The Graveyard Book included interpretation of the concept, presentation of information, development of plot, delineation of characters, description of setting, and the appropriateness of style.

The Graveyard Book is about an orphaned child named Nobody Owens, otherwise known as Bod to his friends. Bod lives an extraordinary life as he grows up to become a teenager while living in a graveyard where he is raised and educated by ghostly residents who have adopted him. If you enjoy adventure, danger, and the supernatural this is the book for you. Neil Gaiman made the New York Times bestseller list for the children’s book Coraline. He also wrote the picture books The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and The Wolves in the Walls.

Honor books are runner ups to the Newbery Medal books. This year four diverse honor books were selected. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt is about the unlikely friendship between a calico cat and a hound who ultimately become a family. This book is recommended for fans who have enjoyed reading Sounder, Shiloh, and/or The Yearling. In the book Savvy by Ingrid it is the eve of Mibs’s big day when she will turn thirteen and discover her “savvy” – a special supernatural power. To find out if Mibs’s new power can save her father you will have to read the story. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle creates a lyrical description of 1896 Cuba during her struggle to fight for independence after having already fought in three wars. Jacqueline Woodson’s book After Tupac & D Foster takes place in 1996 where three girls living in Queens, New York bond over their mutual love of Tupac Shakur’s music and the unreliable world they live in.

To obtain a complete listing of Newbery Medal winners, honor winners, and other literary award winners visit the American Library Association website at http://www.ala.org.

Erika Kosin
Library Notes
January 23, 2009

The Caldecott Award 72 Years and Going Strong

Every year in January, Children’s Librarians throughout the country wait with bated breath for the announcements of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), book and media awards. One of the most coveted awards is the Caldecott Medal, named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott, which recognizes the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States within the past year.

To be eligible for the Caldecott Medal a picture book must provide the child with a visual experience that is consistent with the story-line, theme, or concept developed within the series of original images. It must also respect the understandings, abilities and appreciations of the intended age group for whom the book was written whether three years old or fourteen. Keeping these criteria in mind, a committee must select the winner and honor books each year.

This year’s winner of the 2009 Caldecott Medal is a bedtime story illustrated with scratchboard and watercolor called The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes. Some past winners include:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznak: This 2008 Caldecott medal Winner is a 533 page chapter book filled with wonderful black and white pencil drawings that are full of texture and movement. The illustrations allow you to follow along with Hugo as he discovers a world of silent movies, magic and science. A great read for third grade and up.

Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky: The tale of Rapunzel has been told and retold many times, but each individual illustration in Paul O. Zelinsky’s version could stand on its own. Each page is an oil painting depicting the story with Italian Renaissance flavor, giving a real time and place feel to this classic tale. It is no surprise that this book won the 1998 Caldecott award when it’s beautiful illustrations can be enjoyed by all ages.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky: Winner of the 1942 Caldecott award, this tale follows Mr. and Mrs. Mallard around the City of Boston as they try to find the perfect place to hatch and raise their eight ducklings, finally landing in the Boston Public Garden. The charcoal drawings that set this book apart have since been brought to life in the form of a bronze statue erected in the Boston Public Garden in 1987 with a replica installed in Moscow, Russia in 1991 while the book is still one of the most beloved Caldecott winners to date.

For a list of Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to the present visit the Rowan Public Library website http://www.youseemore.com/RowanPLint/hotpicks.asp?l=caldecott&n=Caldecott+Medal+Winners or for a complete list of medal and honor winners visit the ALA website at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.cfm.

Library Notes
January 16, 2009
Susan Triplett


Patrons entering the library are likely to spy the carousels filled with current rental
selections which sit just inside the main doors. For many visitors, the sight of popular
new books and DVDs prompt a closer look. Fewer patrons, however, may notice the copies of a slim periodical, BookPage, which sit atop each rental display and are also available – for free.

As a monthly publication, BookPage can’t be beat for pithy, informational summaries of the latest books. The editors’ selections are representative of a broad range of genres and often include books which patrons might not otherwise readily discover. One such book, The Leanin’ Dog, comes from the periodical’s December issue and stands out as an invitation to family reading, enjoyment, and discussion.

The Leanin’ Dog is ostensibly written to an 8 – 12 yr-old audience. On one level, the novel is the adventurous story of a girl and her dog. Yet as a coming-of-age tale, The Leanin’ Dog is ambitiously comprehensive in the spectrum of issues it addresses, for instance: grieving the loss of a parent, experiencing life as a child with special needs,
developing trust, and overcoming fear. How do an 11 yr-old child and her father handle the leaps of faith that life asks of them?

In The Leanin’ Dog, Dessa Dean and her dad share a spartan existence in a remote part of Colorado. During the winter months, they’re completely isolated. Dad must tend his traps and Dessa is left on her own at home each day. The harsh cold and snow-filled days and nights provide a beleaguering background throughout the novel. The reader quickly learns that Dessa’s mother recently froze to death, an event which imbues the high plains’winter season with particular menace. The loss of her mother has left Dessa
slightly frostbitten, deeply grieving, and severely phobic.

When Dessa meets an equally fearful dog, the story of how a girl and a dog actually save each other takes off. It’s a tale which could easily fall into stereotypes, becoming overwrought and sentimental. Instead, the reader is likely to find the story credible and down-to-earth; even the dog’s behaviors seem true to life. Told in first person narrative, the prose is simple yet descriptive, the sensory images are compelling, and the pace moves along without a ho-hum pause. What’s the significance of the title? Check it out!

BookPage is full of pleasant surprises for the patron seeking the next good book – of just about any genre. Why not take a copy of BookPage home today?