Dream it. Built it. Wreck it. Repeat!
Lego experts from PlayWell TEKnologies will be visiting the Montclair branch Wednesday, October 1st at 1:30pm to give us some tips on how to dream bigger and build better. Come on by after school and build with Lego bricks!
Photo: EgnaroorangE via Flickr
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
PAWS to Read with BARK Therapy Dogs – 1:00pm
Kids! Come practice reading to a gentle dog. Practice your reading skills, pet a dog and just have fun.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Pop Up Teen Zone – 1:30pm
Come visit the Montclair Branch for a Pop Up TeenZone to craft, hang out and share suggestions for serving you better!
Dream it. Build it. Wreck it. Repeat. – 1:30pm
Lego experts from Play Well TEKnologies will be visiting to give us some tips on how to dream bigger and build better.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Toddler Storytime – 10:15am
Songs, active rhymes and stories especially for ages 18 months to 3 years, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
Baby Bounce – 11:30am
Play, sing, and rhyme one on one with your baby from birth to 18 months, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
From the movie adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s hiking-heavy Wild coming out this fall to Adam Gopnik’s recent piece in the New Yorker (“Heaven’s Gaits: What We Do When We Walk,” September 1, 2014), people are talking about walking.
(Gopnik also has a free podcast available, “Adam Gopnik And Sasha Weiss Go For A Walk And Talk About Walking.”)
As Hanna Kozlowska wrote in the New York Times (“Oh, Go Take a Walk,” September 21, 2014), “philosophers and scientists agree – the simple act of walking can do wonders for the mind.”
Here are some books about the philosophy and practicalities of perambulation to get you started on your own journey:
Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit (796.5109 SOLNIT) (Also available as an ebook if you, say, want to listen to it while walking.)
Civil Disobedience, and Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau (includes his 1862 essay, “Walking”) (814.3 THOREAU 1993)
A Philosophy of Walking by Frรฉdรฉric Gros (128.4 GROS) (not at Montclair)
The Lost Art of Walking: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Literature of Pedestrianism by Geoff Nicholson (796.51 NICHOLSON) (not at Montclair)
Slow Journeys: The Pleasures of Travelling By Foot by Gillian Souter (ebook)
Blues City: A Walk in Oakland by Ishmael Reed (979.466 REED) (not at Montclair)
Walking San Francisco: 33 Savvy Tours Exploring Steep Streets, Grand Hotels, Dive Bars, and Waterfront Parks by Tom Downs (coming soon to Montclair)
Secret Stairs: East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland by Charles Fleming (917.9467 FLEMING) (and the ebook)
Hidden Walks in the East Bay & Marin: Pathways, Essays, & Yesterdays by Stephen Altschuler (917.946 ALTSCHULE) (not at Montclair)
The Flรขneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris by Edmund White (944.36 WHITE)
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter (914.4361 BAXTER) (and the ebook)
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane (914.2 MACFARLAN)
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (917.404 BRYSON) (and the ebook)
Walking Meditation by Nguyen Anh-Huong (ebook)
Kathy Smith’s Walkfit for a Better Body by Kathy Smith (613.7176 SMITH)
Photo: Brian J. Matis via Flickr
It’s Banned Books Week, the ALA’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. Visit the BBW website for lists of Frequently Challenged Books and more.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
PAWS to Read with BARK Therapy Dogs – 1:00pm
Kids! Come practice reading to a gentle dog. Practice your reading skills, pet a dog and just have fun.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Toddler Storytime – 10:15am
Songs, active rhymes and stories especially for ages 18 months to 3 years, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
Baby Bounce – 11:30am
Play, sing, and rhyme one on one with your baby from birth to 18 months, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Personal Trainer for any Computer Questions – 3:00pm
A computer docent will be available to help people with various computer issues – such as using Microsoft Office, craigslist, Facebook and the Internet…Bring your device or laptop if you have one, and we will have one public computer reserved here to use.
Today, September 19th, is the zany and inspired Talk Like a Pirate Day. In past years we’ve featured pirate books for kids and young adults, so it’s time to give adults their due.
Here are seven swashbuckling tales of adventure at sea, one novel about modern-day pirates, and a movie:
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson – In this classic, the mistress of an inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate’s fortune.
Pirate Talk, or, Mermalade by Terese Svoboda – The story, told entirely in dialogue, of two brothers who fall into piracy, meet a mermaid, and end up in the Arctic.
Birds of Prey by Wilbur Smith – In 1667, Sir Francis Courtney and his son Hal lie in wait off the Agulhas Cape of South Africa for one of the treasure-laden galleons of the Dutch East India Company returning from the Orient.
Pirate King: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King – Mary Russell investigates a series of crimes targeting the production of a silent film version of “The Pirates of Penzance,” and confronts a high-stakes situation when actual pirates orchestrate a hostage situation.
Cinnamon & Gunpowder by Eli Brown – In 1819, kidnapped chef Owen Wedgwood transforms meager shipboard supplies into sumptuous meals at the behest of his kidnapper, pirate queen Mad Hannah Mabbot, while she pushes her exhausted crew to track down a deadly privateer. (not at Montclair)
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton – In the Caribbean of 1665, pirate captain Charles Hunter, with backing from a powerful ally, assembles a crew of ruffians to take a Spanish galleon. (not at Montclair)
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Communists by Gideon Defoe – “From the gloomy streets of Soho to the leafy boulevards of Paris, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists is a story of intellectual giants, enormous beards, volcanoes and valkyries, doubloons and dancing girls, and a quest to discover whether ham might really be the opium of the people.” (GoodReads) (not at Montclair)
Djibouti by Elmore Leonard – In a modern-day pirate story, ambitious documentary filmmaker Dara Barr and her right-hand man, Xavier LeBo, a seventy-two-year-old African American seafarer, get more than they bargained for on the Horn of Africa.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (DVD F PIRATES) – Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.
Image: Joe Throckmorton via Flickr
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: adventure, books
In case you hadn’t heard, today is International Dot Day – an annual celebration of creativity created by Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot (J PICBK REYNOLDS), a picture book about a girl named Vashti who believes she can’t draw, until her art teacher’s encouragement changes her mind.
Here’s a baker’s dozen of children’s books about all things spotty and dotty:
Press Here by Hervรฉ Tullet (J PICBK TULLET) – Instructs the reader on how to interact with the dots in the illustrations.
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire (J READER LOPSHIRE) – About an animal who can do amazing things with his spots.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews (J PICBK CREWS) – A counting book, a book of simple rhymes, and a book of everyday objects. Also available in Spanish.
A Million Dots by Andrew Clements (J 513.211 CLEMENTS) – Learn facts about numbers, and see one million dots!
Dot by Patricia Intriago (J PICBK INTRIAGO) – Pairs of circular shapes convey opposite relationships in the arc of a day.
Dots, Spots, Speckles, and Stripes by Tana Hoban (J PICBK HOBAN) – Photographs show dots, spots, speckles, and stripes as found on clothing, flowers, faces, animals and other places. (not at Montclair)
One Red Dot: A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages by David A. Carter (J 513.211 CARTER) – Each page contains an original piece of artwork that challenges the reader to find the one red dot. (not at Montclair)
Aquiles el Puntito by Guia Risari (J SPA PICBK RISARI) – A formation story about a small dot, who is born on a white sheet and begins to grow and explore the world. (in Spanish – not at Montclair)
Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier – Circular shapes are spotted in familiar objects and everyday situations. (not at Montclair)
Spots and Dots! by Beth Harwood and Emma Dodd – This book for babies features visually-stimulating patterns like spots, dots, stars and hearts. (not in OPL)
Dots! Dots! Dots! At The Museum by Francie Alexander – Beginning reader identifying dots on various types of art. (not in OPL)
Seurat and La Grande Jatte: Connecting the Dots by Robert Burleigh – Introduces children to “the post-impressionist art technique Seurat invented, pointillism, in which a picture is constructed from dots of pure color that blend at a distance into recognizable shapes and various color tones.” (not in OPL)
And a bonus Dot activity: Fall Pointillism Painting. Draw a tree and create leaves with dots of fall colors.
Posted in Just for Fun | Tags: arts & crafts, books, children
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
PAWS to Read with BARK Therapy Dogs – 1:00pm
Kids! Come practice reading to a gentle dog. Practice your reading skills, pet a dog and just have fun.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Toddler Storytime – 10:15am
Songs, active rhymes and stories especially for ages 18 months to 3 years, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
Baby Bounce – 11:30am
Play, sing, and rhyme one on one with your baby from birth to 18 months, followed by Playtime! Make new friends and play with toys.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Personal Trainer for any Computer Questions – 3:00pm
A computer docent will be available to help people with various computer issues – such as using Microsoft Office, craigslist, Facebook and the Internet…Bring your device or laptop if you have one, and we will have one public computer reserved here to use.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Workshop on using eBooks (and other library apps ~ including eMagazines and eMusic) – 3:00pm
Learn how to download a variety of digital content (like ebooks, audiobooks, music and magazines) to a computer or mobile device like iPad, iPod, iPhone, other smartphones, Kindles, and more. Please bring your fully charged device if you can, and your current library card. This will be one-on-one help. 8 attendees maximum, plus 2 on a waitlist. (This workshop will be offered monthly.) Advance sign-up is required, so please RSVP at 482-7810.
FOML Fall Book Sale – 10:30am-3:00pm
Stock up on your fall reading and even holiday gifts with great deals all day and fill-a-bag discounts from 2-3pm!
With future library funding still up in the air, the upcoming Oakland city elections (mayor and city council districts 2, 4 and 6) in November are important for library users.
Candidate forums provide an opportunity to hear from candidates and make an informed voting decision. The Oakland Library Advisory Commission suggests that you attend forums and fill out question cards and/or raise your hand to ask each candidate: “The OPL faces a $2.5-$3.5 million deficit in each year of the 2015-17 budget cycle due to a reduction in General Fund support. This lack of funding will lead to the closure of 6-8 branches. How will you address this shortfall and ensure stable funding for the OPL in the future?”
The District 4 Candidate Forum coming up in Montclair is a great time to meet the three District 4 City Council Candidates, Annie Campbell-Washington, Jill Broadhurst and Paul Lim, as well as the four candidates running to represent our area on the OUSD board. The forum will be Tuesday, September 23 6:30-8:30pm in the Montera Middle School auditorium (5555 Ascot Dr.).
For a list of other upcoming opportunities to hear the candidates, including mayoral candidates, see the Library Advisory Commission’s newsletter or follow them on Facebook.
If you have questions about voting or need to get registered to vote, see the Voting Resources page from OPL for information about election results, voter registration, campaign contributions and more.
And the Alameda County Registrar of Voters website tells you where and how to register to vote, including online. The voter registration deadline is 15 days before an election – don’t delay!
Photo: Erik Hersman via Flickr
Friends of Montclair Library 