Sweet Talk, Hold the Sugar

by April Everett Rowan Public Library

                What do Billie Jean King, Drew Carey, Halle Berry, and Mike Huckabee all have in common?  They are all celebrities who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Anyone can be diagnosed with diabetes, even the rich and famous.  November was American Diabetes Month, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association as a time to raise awareness of diabetes prevention and control.  According the US Department of Health and Human Services, more than 25 million Americans are living with diabetes, and almost 80 million more are at risk of developing type 2. 

                There are several types of diabetes, the most common being type 1 and type 2.  Formerly known as “juvenile diabetes”, type 1 diabetes diagnosis typically occurs in people under the age of 30.  With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin.  This requires the person to take insulin, either through injections or an insulin pump.  Type 2 diabetes, previously known as “adult onset diabetes”, occurs when your body either resists insulin or does not produce enough to maintain a regulated blood sugar level.  Healthy diet and exercise are often the key to controlling type 2, however they may need to be supplemented with medication.

                If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with diabetes, you may find browsing the book shelves at Rowan Public Library to be helpful.  Phyllis Barrier’s Type 2 Diabetes for Beginners covers everything from medications to meal plans.  With checklists, dining guides, and tips for both those with diabetes and those living with the risks, this guide is an excellent resource for the newly diagnosed.  8 Weeks to Maximizing Diabetes Control by Laura Hieronymus and Christine Tobin is a week-by-week guide to help you manage medications, plan meals, improve blood sugar level monitoring, and more.  Real-Life Guide to Diabetes by Hope Warshaw and Joy Pape, will enlighten you on behavior changes, weight management, sleeping problems, insurance woes, and more.  Any library book with the number 616.462 on the spine will cover some aspect of living with diabetes, so feel free to browse this section and find the guide that’s right for you.

                As the holidays approach, think about making some healthy choices in the kitchen.  We carry a wide variety of cookbooks including several with diabetic-friendly recipes.  The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook, Diabetes & Heart Healthy Cookbook (1 & 2), Diabetes Meals for Good Health, and The Diabetes Prevention & Management Cookbook are just a few of the many healthy cookbooks we have that are endorsed by the American Diabetes Association.

People who are overweight, age 45 or older, or who have high blood pressure are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  Weight control, healthy diet, and exercise will significantly reduce your risks.  Visit your local Rowan Public Library branch to find out more ways to live with--or without--type 2 diabetes.

Women in Aviation

by Erika Kosin Rowan Public Library

            The history of Aviation is alive and well in North Carolina with license plates boasting “First in Flight” to commemorate that fateful day when Wilbur and Orville Wright took to the air.  Many pilots have followed as they attempted to be the first at something in flight.  Charles Lindberg was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean without stopping, and of course Amelia Earhart was the first woman to do the same.  There are many others who helped develop the history of aviation by daring to dream taking chances.  Women, such as Amelia Earhart, dreamed of flying just as much as men, but in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, a women’s place was seen as in the kitchen and their dreams of flight were not possible, but a few women set out to prove the critics wrong.    

            In 1921 “Brave Bessie” Coleman became the first licensed black aviator in the world.  She not only dreamed about flying, but was so determined to learn she went to France where she was able to become a pilot.  The picture book Nobody Owns the Sky by Reeve Lindbergh poetically follows her dream and determination of becoming a pilot.  She flew in air shows and influenced young girls who also wanted to fly, who saw not only a black pilot, but a female one as well. 

            Ruth Elder, a Hollywood actress and pilot, decided after Charles Lindbergh successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean, that she was going to be the first woman to do so, thereby proving everyone wrong about a woman in the cockpit.  Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder soared into America's heart by Julie Cummins follows her 1927 journey and the spectacular crash that ended her flight, but paved the way for  future generations of female flyers.  One of these pilots was  Amelia Earhart, the most famous female pilot in American history, who succeeded where Ruth failed with a Solo flight Across the Atlantic in 1932.  Learn more about Amelia and her famous flights in Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka.

            During WWII, many female pilots were recognized and accepted, but were not allowed to fight in combat.  Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss tells the story of Maggie Gee, a Chinese-American who joined the WASP (Woman Airforce Service Pilots) and help trained fighter pilots during the war.  WASP was disbanded in 1944 and it took another 30 years before females were allowed to fly a U.S. military plane again.

            The dreams of female flyers were still alive in 1994 when 12 year old Vicki Van Meter became the youngest person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.  Since her flight, federal regulations have been changed to stop student pilots from attempting to break records, leaving many of the records set by Vicki Van Meter to never be broken.  See what it was like to be such a young pilot with all of the fan fare and media coverage in her own words in Taking Flight: My story.   

            Early pilots, both male and female, all had one thing in common, they dared to dream.  In honor of National Aviation Month, let’s remember these dreamers and the strides they made to make their dreams come true as they flew into the history books.   Check out these books on female pilots and their male counterparts at the Rowan Public Library.

Tactile Books Make Learning Fun

by Dara L. Cain Rowan Public Library

    Children learn best and retain the most information when they are able to engage their senses.  Tactile books are a great way to keep your children’s attention and to help stimulate their developing senses.  These types of experiences help them discover the meaning and understanding about their ever evolving world. 

    Touch and feel books are a fantastic way for young children to make the connection between the experience and the written word.  For example, to touch something that is bumpy and associate the word “bumpy,” introduces the meaning of bumpy.  Simply saying the word without the experience will not establish a correlation.  Touching is the bond that brings the word and the concept together as a meaningful experience.  Tactile experiences also help young children develop and organize a gamut of senses they would not otherwise understand.  For example, rough has subtleties – some are rougher than others, though rough nevertheless.  Only through direct touch and differentiation will your child understand the range of roughness and recognize that rough is different from bumpy.

    The Usborne touchy-feely book series written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells are board books aimed at very young children.  The bright illustrations and variety of textures are designed to develop sensory and language awareness.  Babies and toddlers will enjoy turning the pages and touching the feely elements.  This series includes titles on trains, trucks, tractors, princesses, penguins, polar bears, ponies, and many more.

    Tickle the Duck! By Ethan Long is a silly touch and feel book about a duck who dares a young reader to tickle his soft stomach, hairy armpit, and rubbery foot.  Every time he claims he doesn’t like it he tempts the reader to do it again.  Your child is sure to be tickled by this funny book.

    Little Bear’s Big Sweater by David Bedford and illustrated by Caroline Pedler is an interactive story about sibling relationships.  Little Bear inherits his brother’s favorite sweater when Big Bear outgrows it.  While playing, Little Bear accidentally stains the sweater and Big Bear becomes upset.  When Big Bear realizes that it is no fun playing without his brother he sets out to find him by following the end of Little Bear’s unraveling sweater.  Tactile, felted overlays on each page invite children to feel the gentleness of the sweater.

Lift-the-flap books are also highly educational and engaging to young children.   They create the opportunity for children to lift-the-flaps exposing the base page’s illustrations and text to discover something hidden.  Karen Katz is the author of many excellent lift-the-flap books.  Her books are all told through the innocent eyes of babies and their experiences.  These adorable books are fun and children will love playing along!  Eric Hill created the character Spot, “the world’s favorite puppy.”  Preschoolers will enjoy reading about the fun adventures Spot goes on by lifting the flaps to reveal the surprises.

Press Here by Herve Tullet is a truly unique title.  This book is highly interactive in the sense that children get the chance to rub and tap on different colored dots to help them learn their colors. Colored dots of varying sizes and colors are the only illustrations used.  Children follow simple directions such as “press here and turn the page.”  They get to shake and tilt the book to move the dots around the pages.   By pressing yellow dots, the lights go out (shown by a black background) and then pressing the yellow dots again turns the lights back on.  Now the dots are out of sequence. But which dots switched? The black background returns by pressing all the dots hard. Blowing gets rid of the black. Clapping makes the dots bigger. This is a clever way for children to learn different concepts and a fun activity for parent and child to participate in as they try to anticipate what is next. 

A great inexpensive way to spend time with your young children and to engage their senses is to visit Rowan Public Library to check out some of these wonderful tactile children’s books. 

Magazine Musings

 by Pam Everhardt Bloom Rowan Public Library

When’s the last time you bought a magazine? If it’s been a while, you may find them a bit pricey. Even with the savings brought by a year subscription, you might want to sit and look at several issues before ordering. For many publications, it’s as simple as visiting the Rowan Public Library for a closer look or to discover a new favorite.

For example, Headquarters carries a hundred plus titles with selections in the Children’s Room, the History Room and the second floor magazine area. (Titles may differ dependent upon the branch you’re visiting.)

My new favorite and one I will probably order for my oldest granddaughter is New Moon Girls. A bi-monthly publication, this is one of the most exciting magazines that I’ve seen for girls 8 and up.  100% advertising-free, the magazine describes itself as “helping girls discover and honor their true selves, engage in meaningful pursuits and dialogue, and express their voices in ways that matter.” One of my favorite pages is “Girl-Caught.” This column is written by girls and contains real life examples that readers find disrespectful to their gender. I loved reading their uproar over Merida, heroine of “Brave,” being turned into a skinny Disney princess instead of maintaining her spunky personality and regular girl looks. Girls are also regular contributing authors and artists for both the print magazine and the on-line edition. Diva, 12, wrote about Clara Lemlich, a shirtwaist factory worker. Diva says, “Clara inspires me because of her relentless spirit… she inspires me to change my world for the better…”  Safe, educational, fun and ad-free. What a great magazine for raising spirited and thinking young women.

Not interested in a girls magazine? Need ideas for local fun or information? Browse Our State, Carolina Garden, Business North Carolina, Charlotte Business Journal, Charlotte Magazine, NC Wildlife, Muse & Spirit or NC Genealogical Society Journal. Looking for holiday ideas for food, home, or craft this time of the year? Better Homes & Gardens, Cooks Illustrated, Crafts n Things, Family Fun, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Ladies Home Journal, Martha Stewart Living, Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Redbook, Southern Living, or Vegetarian Times may provide inspiration.

Want a newsy political update, business information or fashion and entertainment news? You might find yourself smiling and frowning in turn as you read Bloomberg Business Week, Black Enterprise, Ebony, The Economist, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Essence, Forbes, Fortune, GQ Gentleman’s Quarterly, Jet, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Money, The Nation, New Republic, People Weekly, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Time and Vanity Fair. In the mood for relaxation, travel or special interests? American Girl, American Hunter, American Rifleman, American Spirit, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Bicycling, Boys Life, Car & Driver, Coin World, Conde Nast Traveler, Confederate Veteran, Consumer Reports, Cycle World, Details, Discover, Family Handyman, Field & Stream, Fine Gardening, Fine Woodworking, Four Wheeler, Golf Digest, Guns & Ammo, Hot Rod, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Mother Earth News, Motor Trend, Muscle & Fitness, National Genealogical Society News, National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Natural Home & Garden, The New Yorker, Organic Gardening, Outdoor Life, Outside Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Prevention, Ranger Rick, Road & Track, Runners World, Science News, Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, This Old House, Trains, Truckin’, Urban Farm  and The World.

Just imagine, the above doesn’t even list any of the newspapers and journals available at your library nor all of the magazines and special publications. Visit Rowan Public Library. You may be surprised at the wealth of material at your fingertips. And if technology is your thing - coming soon to RPL is a digital magazine service that will allow library patrons to access magazines on their personal computers and tablets from the comfort of their own homes. Does it get any better?