Hand-made Gifts For the Holidays

/ Linda / 1 Comment

giftsThe holidays are just 4 short months away!  If you like to make gifts for family and friends, now is a good time to get started – or at least, get planning.  The Cheshire Library has a vast assortment of books on all types of hand-made crafts located downstairs in the Reference Department.

Most popular are books on knitting (located in 746.432) and crocheting (located in 746.434).  Quilting (located in 746.46) is also very popular.

Jewelry is another popular item for gift-giving.  You can choose from books on beading, or soutache, or just general jewelry making.  All are located in the 745 area of Reference.

 

Books on beaded jewelry:

Take a look at all the library has to offer on crafting and have fun with whatever you choose!

 

 

 

 

Books to Read To or With Children Entering Kindergarten

/ Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

Do you have a child starting Kindergarten or Preschool this fall? Or perhaps you have an older child that still enjoys sitting and sharing a picturebook or even a board book with you on occasion. There are a ton of great books that come highly recommended and find themselves on the countless “100 Picturebooks to Read before Kindergarten” lists. Since I cannot leave well enough alone, I have made my own list of books that my children and I loved and I think should be on those lists. I am trying to avoid the classics like Goodnight Moon and aim for the lesser known books that you might not run across otherwise.

1.Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

2. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

3. This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

4.Pete the Cat : I love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin; art by James Dean

5. Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

6.Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

7. Spoon  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

8. Ten Apples up on Top! by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSieg

9. Elmer by David McKee

10. Skippyjon Jones Up & Down by Judy Schachner

And as usual, I cannot stop there! Here are some more suggestions: Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse by Judy Schachner, The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone,Runny Babbit: a Billy Sook  by Shel Silverstein, And to Think that I saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems, Naked Mole Rat gets Dressed by Mo Willems, I Want my Hat Back by< Jon Klassen, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, Wolf Won’t Bite! by Emily Gravett, SuperHero ABC  by Bob McLeod, and Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Revisiting Fiddler on the Roof

/ Mary / Leave a comment

My family and I recently saw a live performance of Fiddler on the Roof. It was my daughter’s first time seeing the play and as we discussed it afterwards, I marveled at how my perspective of the show has changed over the years.

I first saw Fiddler in the 1970’s when I was a young girl. I always identified with Tevye’s daughters and their hopes and fears as they dealt with their roles in their traditional village and the changes overtaking their world.

Upon seeing the play again, as the mother of a twenty year old, I discovered that my perspective had shifted. When as a girl I could not understand Golde’s preoccupation with planning her daughters’ futures, as an adult I now saw her point of view. It’s not the “can my daughter make a good match” aspect of Golde that I mean; it’s the concern over the future of a beloved child.

When I was younger I watched as Hodel, the second daughter, boarded the train for Siberia so she could be with the man she loved, and I saw nothing but the romance and the adventure. Now as a parent watching that scene, I cringed at the thought of sending a child off to a far away place, perhaps never to see her again.

And the songs! My sisters and I would often sing the Matchmaker song. Now, as I watched the play, it was Do You Love Me that held my attention and Sunrise, Sunset that brought tears to my eyes.

My daughter was enthusiastic about the show and wanted to see the movie to compare it to the stage production. She borrowed the DVD from the library, along with the Broadway soundtrack.

We spent an enjoyable evening later that week watching the film version and had an animated discussion about Tevye’s daughters and the choices each made. I watched my daughter as she focused on Tevye’s daughters and thought of a stanza from Sunrise, Sunset. Swiftly fly the years…

 

If you would like to revisit Fiddler on the Roof or perhaps see it for the first time, you can find the movie, soundtrack, and the musical score all at the library.

Fiddler2           Fiddler3          Fiddler5

Getting Excited to Go Back to School

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
It’s time to start thinking about going back to school, starting school, or starting at a new school. Here are some fun books to help soothe the nerves and get some of our younger kids eager to set off to school come the last week in August.
It’s Back to School We Go: First Day Stories from Around the World by Ellen Jackson,  illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman; illustrations by Tamara Schmitz
Louise the Big Cheese and the Back-to-School Smarty-Pants by Elise Primavera; illustrated by Diane Goode
Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George; illustrated by Merel Eyckerman
Robert and the Back-to School Special by Barbara Seuling; illustrated by Paul Brewer
Back to School by Maya Ajmera, John D. Ivanko; with a foreword by Marilyn Jachetti Whirry
Back to School for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos; illustrated by Nicole Rubel

Linda Reads: The Beekeeper’s Ball by Susan Wiggs

/ Linda / Leave a comment

beeThe Beekeeper’s Ball  by Susan Wiggs is book two of the Bella Vista Chronicles.  Book One, The Apple Orchard was previously reviewed here.  It is best to read book one first.

Thirty year old Isabel Johansen is a talented chef who had to suddenly leave culinary school under traumatic circumstances.  She returned to her beloved home in Archangel to transform the family estate of a beautiful hacienda, apple orchards, gardens, and beehives to a destination cooking school.  It’s a huge undertaking, especially since she is also planning her half-sister Tess’s wedding.  But a stranger shows up, and Isabel’s carefully ordered plans are put into jeopardy.

Cormac O’Neill is an award winning, world famous journalist.  Unbeknown by Isabel, he’s on his way to Bella Vista to meet Isabel’s grandfather, Magnus, to help write Magnus’ life story – a powerful, moving story of the Danish Resistance during World War II, the two women who shared his life, and the friend who helped him go to America and build his apple orchards.

Ms. Wiggs beautifully weaves the two plot lines – Magnus’s prior life, and the present day struggles of Isabel trying to build her cooking school, plan her sister’s wedding and overcome a painful episode that forced her to quit culinary school.  A sweet and understated romance blooms between Isabel and Cormac as they both learn to overcome their painful pasts.

Once again, Ms. Wiggs has written a visually appealing, moving story about love, lost, forgiveness and family.  Her incredible descriptions bring you right into the middle of World War II and smoothly transition to the lush, fragrant hills of present day California.  This book ends with the promise of an exciting story regarding Isabel and Tess’ father’s untimely death in the next installment of Bella Vista.