Welcome to a special story time with Kylo Ren! Kylo is visiting the library for Star Wars Week to read us a story about the most infamous character in the galaxy – his grandfather Darth Vader!
For our Star Wars Week edition of FDL Book Talk, Melissa shares why From a Certain Point of View is one of her favorite Star Wars books. We’ve got it available in all formats (analog, audiobook, and eBook and eAudiobook on Axis 360 and Overdrive), as well as the The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View. Place a hold and let us know your favorite new point of view!
What is this book about? After getting in a fight with her older sister, a young girl named Willow runs into the woods to be by herself. She finds another girl, named Pilu, crying alone and decides to help her. Pilu explains that she ran away from home because she doesn’t think her mom cares about her, but now she’s lost and doesn’t know what to do. Willow becomes determined to help Pilu get back home, and along the way, the two girls learn how to view life from another person’s perspective and make peace with their own turbulent emotions.
My Review: This is a great book for kids who are struggling with feelings of grief and/or loneliness. The subject matter is a little heavy, but it’s handled delicately. I think a lot of kids (and adults) would be able to relate to Willow and Pilu in one way or another. Everyone knows what it feels like to lose or become separated from a loved one, but for kids who are going through this for the first time, it can feel really big and impossible to deal with. Pilu of the Woods does a great job of showing how scary and upsetting the world is to a child who feels like they’re completely alone. Considering everything that’s happened in the past year, it’s nice to have stories like this to remind us that there are still lots of little acts of love we can show one another and different ways of finding the strength to move on after a difficult event.
Rating: 4/5
Three Words That Describe This Book: forgiving, therapeutic, emotional
Give This a Try if You Like…ecology, magical realism, Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Good morning and welcome to story time. I’m Miss Sharon. Did you know that tomorrow is National Unicorn Day? We all know unicorns are magical one-horned horses. Did you know unicorns can be mischievous, too? Let’s read some stories about these magical, mischievous creatures.
Song: The More We Get Together
The more we get together, together, together,
the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.
Cause your friends are my friends,
and my friends are your friends,
the more we get together the happier we’ll be!
Written by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Andy Elkerton and read with the permission of Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
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Flannel: Five Little Unicorns
I saw five little unicorns – creatures from folklore
I watched the blue one prance away, and then there were four.
I saw four little unicorns resting by a tree
I watched the purple one prance away, and then there were three.
I saw three little unicorns, but as near to them I drew
The green one pranced away, and then there were two.
I saw two little unicorns – I watched them run and run
the yellow one pranced away, and then there was one.
I saw a lonely pink unicorn standing in the sun.
when I blinked by eyes, it pranced away, and then there were none.
If you’re a unicorn and you know it, shake your horn.
If you’re a unicorn and you know it, shake your horn.
If you’re a unicorn and you know it, then your magic will surely show it.
If you’re a unicorn and you know it, shake your horn.
…stamp your hooves
…toss your mane
…twitch your tail
…prance around
Written by Diana Murray, illustrated by Luke Flowers, and read with the permission of Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
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Song: Skinnamarink (with actions)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Put your left elbow in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to eye)
Love (Cross your arms over your heart)
You! (Point to audience)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left elbow in right hand)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to eye)
Love (Cross your arms over your heart)
You! (Point to audience)
I love you in the morning (Cross arms above your head)
And in the afternoon (Cross arms around your chest)
I love you in the evening (Cross around your tummy)
And underneath the moon! (Cross arms above head again)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left arm in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky doo (Right arm in left hand, wave)
I (Point to eye)
Love (Cross your arms over your heart)
You! (Point to audience)
Too (Show two fingers)
Boo boop we doo! (Wave and kiss!)
Craft kits are available to pick up in the Youth Services department or the drive-up window while supplies last.
Kit Supplies:
3D Construction Paper Unicorn craft template
Instruction sheet
Supplies needed from home:
coloring supplies (crayons, markers or colored pencils)
scissors
glue
glitter glue for some magic (optional)
Instructions:
Color and cut out the unicorn template (skip the hooves).
Add glittery accents with glitter glue if you wish your unicorn to look fancier, but you will have to wait for the glitter glue to dry before moving forward. Glitter sure does add magic to this fairy tale creature.
Fold the hooves on the unicorn body. Apply glue on the bottom of the hooves and stick the unicorn body on the cloud base. Color in the hooves (hint, hint pink).
On the unicorn head, apply glue on the area marked with the word glue. Glue together in a roll. Apply glue at the bottom of the head or on the body of the unicorn and stick the head on the body.
Glue the mane on the head. Fold bottom part (along the line) on both horns. Glue the two horns (top parts) together, so it’s colored on both sides. Apply glue on the bottom part and stick it on the unicorn head. Fold the ears and stick them on the head.
Fold the tail (along the line), apply glue on the back of the tail and glue two tail halves together. Stick the tail on the body of the unicorn.
(Tune: Oh My Darling Clementine)
Thanks for sitting, thanks for listening,
Thanks for coming here today!
Now that story time is over
Hope you have a lovely day!
What is this book about? Kageyama Shigeo, also known as Mob, is an average middle school boy who tends to fall into the background. He’s quiet, plain, and polite. There isn’t anything interesting about him, except for the fact that he’s an intensely powerful esper. His psychic powers flare up with his emotions, so he does his best to keep them in check, or in his words, to keep himself from going 100. Mob learns that taming your emotions can be hard, especially in your adolescence, and especially when other espers are trying to fight you!
My Review: I love this series so much! I’m patiently awaiting the next volume, so I thought I would reread what’s been published so far. At first, the story sounds like your typical “learning to control your powers” trope, but it’s more than that. The funny cast of characters makes this an entertaining story. The reader can really feel for Mob and his struggles as he wants to express himself and release all of his bottled up feelings, but he also has a responsibility to uphold. The fight scenes are also really fun because of all the psychic powers everybody has! I’d recommend this manga to anybody who likes superhero stories.
Rating: 5/5
Three words that describe this book: funny, coming-of-age, exciting
Give this a try if you like: One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Soul Eater
Hi, everyone! My name is Miss Haley, and I’m so happy you’re joining me today for bilingual story time at Fondulac District Library. Bilingual is a word that means more than one language, so that means we’ll be singing songs and reading books in English and Spanish today. Are you ready for some Lucha libre? Let’s go! ¡Vamos!
Did you know that we have an app available on our website that can help you and your child learn a new language? It’s called Mango, and you can sign up for free using your library card number. Check it out by clicking here!
France, 1939 – In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.
It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband. Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.
Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
In 1386, a few days after Christmas, a huge crowd gathers at a Paris monastery to watch the two men fight a duel to the death meant to “prove” which man’s cause is right in God’s sight. The dramatic true story of the knight, the squire, and the lady unfolds during the devastating Hundred Years War between France and England, as enemy troops pillage the land, madness haunts the French court, the Great Schism splits the Church, Muslim armies threaten Christendom, and rebellion, treachery, and plague turn the lives of all into toys of Fortune.
Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz’s pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world. Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-to make a life for Maddy.
John Kelly, former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran, is still getting over the accidental death of his wife six months before, when he befriends a young woman with a decidedly checkered past. When that past reaches out for her in a particularly horrifying fashion, he vows revenge and, assembling all of his old skills, sets out to track down the men responsible, before it can happen again.
-Annotations from the publishers
Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
Written by Kathryn Dennis and published by A Feiwel and Friends Book, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
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Flannel Board: This Little Train
(Tune: This Old Man)
This little train, painted gray, takes us places far away.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home.
This little car, painted black, keeps us chugging down the track.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home
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This little car, painted white, keeps things cold both day and night.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home
This little car, painted green, it’s the fanciest car you’ve seen.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home.
This little car, painted blue, it has seats for me and you.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home
This caboose, it is red, it goes chugging off to bed.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
When I realized that several of my favorite books were from Native American authors and illustrators, I started digging deeper to find more books like them. What I found was a treasure trove of incredible books! Pick one up if you are looking for a cute, fun book to share with your child. Introduce a Native language to your family, or explore your heritage with others who share your experiences. Dig into stories from different nations, or simply enjoy some heartfelt Own Voices books by Indigenous authors and illustrators.
What is This Book About? David McCullough, one of the country’s best-known historians, has written the story of the heroic settlers who first came to homestead in the Northwest Territory during the late 1700’s. These pioneers brought with them the puritan ideals of New England and were strongly opposed to slavery and advocates for freedom of religion and free universal education. McCullough relates the historical details by telling the story through the lives of five major characters, Manasseh Cutler, Rufus Putnam, Cutler’s son Ephraim, Joseph Barker, a carpenter turned architect, and Samuel Hildreth, a physician. These men and their families played a key role in the establishment of Marietta in what is now Ohio. The impact these men had, however, spread throughout the region and has had long-term implications for the area. The time period of the book is from 1787 to 1863. Although this book is history and is well-documented, it reads almost like a novel.
My Review: I enjoyed this book. McCullough makes history interesting and absorbing. Manasseh Cutler was one of the drafters of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and an early pioneer in the settlement of Marietta in southeastern Ohio. Although Manasseh did not actually live in Marietta, he did help in the initial settlement and was among the first to travel to the new territory and many years later, his son, Ephraim Cutler was a prominent resident of the community, an Ohio legislator and the leader in establishing a system of public education throughout the territory. Ephraim also established the “Coonskin Library,” the first public library in the wilderness, where the purchase price for books was raised collecting and selling raccoon skins. Due to the Ohio River, shipbuilding developed as an industry in Marietta as had been predicted by the early settlers. I was fascinated by the creativity and the abilities of these early pioneers. I do not usually read history for fun, but McCullough’s storytelling ability and his ability to develop the character of the historical figures made this book read like a novel. I highly recommend it.
Three Words That Describe This Book: True, Engrossing, Detailed
Give This a Try if You Like: Any other books by David McCullough or are a history buff
