Some New Children’s Books

Here is a little bit of information about three new children’s books in our collection. Remember: even though our branches remain closed due to Covid-19, you can place books on hold and then schedule a time for no-contact pick up at our branches.

When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith. Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt. 2020. JPB Gray Smith, M.

When We Are Kind celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives.

Glow Down Deep: Amazing Creatures That Light Up by Lisa Regan. 2020. J572.4358 Regan

“Takes readers into the lives of amazing glowing organisms – animal and otherwise – and shines a new light on the spectacular natural phenomena of bioluminescence, biofluorescence and ultraviolet light.”– Provided by publisher

The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez. Illustrated by Lauren Semmer. 2020. J973.0496 Cortez

February is Black History Month and this is a wonderful introduction to Black History told through the alphabet. Here is a sample:

“B is for Beautiful, Brave, and Bright! And for a Book that takes a Bold journey through the alphabet of Black history and culture. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy. It’s a story of big ideas–P is for Power, S is for Science and Soul. Of significant moments–G is for Great Migration. Of iconic figures–H is for Zora Neale Hurston, X is for Malcom X. It’s an ABC book like no other, and a story of hope and love. In addition to rhyming text, the book includes back matter with information on the events, places, and people mentioned in the poem, from Mae Jemison to W. E. B. Du Bois, Fannie Lou Hamer to Sam Cooke, and the Little Rock Nine to DJ Kool Herc”– Provided by publisher

Some New Children’s Books

It is almost the end of the year and it is time to send out some more news about new books in the Children’s area!

The first book is Stories for South Asian Supergirls by Raj Kaur Khaira.

“Through the inspirational stories of 50 famous and under-celebrated women from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, South Asian girls will have a chance to dream about lives for themselves that radically differ from the limited narratives and stereotypes written for them by their culture, wider society and the mainstream media. Bringing together illustrious entertainers (Meera Syal, Jameela Jamil, Mindy Kaling), pioneering business leaders (Indra Nooyi, Anjali Sud, Ruchi Sanghvi) and a host of other, equally remarkable yet less well known, figures (including the British Muslim spy, Noor Inayat Khan, and fearless activist, Jayaben Desai), Stories for South Asian Supergirls seeks to redress the imbalance for young girls of colour by empowering them to break new ground for themselves and to inspire others in the process. Illustrated with striking portraits by ten international South Asian female artists, this is a book for all ages – the perfect gift that will be treasured by parents as much as their children will enjoy reading them.” (from the publisher)

Nonfiction. J920.72 Khaira

The next book I would like to highlight is a juvenile biography. It is entitled Think Smart Be Fearless: A Biography of BILL GATES by Sharon Mentyka, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger.

As the publisher stated, this book is “[a] gorgeously illustrated children’s biography of Bill Gates, from his childhood through his days at Microsoft. This is the second book in Little Bigfoot’s new Growing to Greatness series on notable people from the Pacific Northwest.”

This book can be found in the Juvenile Biography area of the library at JB Gates, B

The last book I’d like to mention today is Ours to Share: Coexisting in a Crowded World by Kari Jones.

“We share the planet with billions of people, and everyone needs to live somewhere. As the dominant species on Earth, it’s up to us to find ways to share resources fairly and responsibly with other communities and species around the world. Learn how you can bring balance to our overcrowded world.” (from the publisher)

Nonfiction.  J304.2 Jones

Some New Children’s Books

This is the true story of Astronaut Alan Bean, who was the fourth person to walk on the moon.  From”Journey to the Moon on the Apollo 12 mission with astronaut and artist Alan Bean! As a boy, Alan wanted to fly planes. As a young navy pilot, Alan wished he could paint the view from the cockpit. So he took an art class to learn patterns and forms. But no class could prepare him for the beauty of the lunar surface some 240,000 miles from Earth. In 1969, Alan became the fourth man and first artist on the moon. He took dozens of pictures, but none compared to what he saw through his artistic eyes. When he returned to Earth, he began to paint what he saw. Alan’s paintings allowed humanity to experience what it truly felt like to walk on the moon.”  For ages 3-6, JB Dean, A.

 

Using simple words and real-life examples, this book shows kids how to be assertive with other kids–and with adults. Kids will learn to feel better about themselves, stronger and more secure inside, and more in charge of their lives. They’ll read about effective ways to deal with intense feelings and to build self-esteem and self-confidence. In addition, they’ll learn strategies for building inner security to cope with powerlessness and uncertainty and discover ways of protecting themselves when using social media.

J158.2 Kaufman

 

“A biography of Norman Mineta, from his internment as a child in Heart Mountain Internment Camp during World War II, through his political career including serving in congress for ten terms during which time he was instrumental in getting the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 passed which provided reparations and an apology to those who were interned”–  This book is so powerful. For ages 10+

JB Mineta, N.

Some New Summer Children’s Books

Let’s take a look at some new summer Children’s books that have arrived at the library recently:

The first book, Sea Glass Summer, by Michelle Houts, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline is a lovely story about a young boy named Thomas who visits his grandmother at her cottage by the sea.  He finds some sea glass on the shore and dreams of seagoing ships and how broken bits of glass get into the sea.

JPB Houts

Another new book that has recently been added to our collection is Hello by Fiona Woodcock. This picture book tells the story of a tall sister and her small brother, and their trilling, rollicking adventures near the sea.  This book is full of words that contain the letter pair LL.

JPB Woodcock

Come in and find other new books that have been added to our collection and remember to play the Summer Reading Game!

 

Write Your Story…How Does Your garden Grow!

The Breeze of last November contained an article by Union City Senior Commissioner, and Park Resident, Anita Roque, about her good work volunteering in a Community Vegetable Garden. Now she has put to paper some thoughts about gardening.

How Does Your Garden Grow

Seeds are the beginning of life, just as human life begins from a seed in the womb. Seeds need water, fertilizer, sun and nutrients as we need them, too. As seeds mature into the plants. We also mature into our body. Some plants do better in different seasons, like the cactus, it likes hot weather others like warm and cool as in the spring, just like we do. Plants have their season but can become ill, they too have diseases, we’ll call fungus and weeds, we too have our own illnesses which can interfere with our life’s season. Some plants need pruning to cut back to make room for new growth, as we do also to make changes for new growth as we should in our lives. After months of hard work, it’s time to reap the benefits of your hard work and harvest your fruit and vegetables and appreciate their contribution to our lives until our season of life ends. To Love gardening teaches a lot about ourselves such as endurance, wisdom, appreciation, sharing, thankfulness, and healthy eating. So love yourself as the beautiful flower you are because you are your own garden.

Submitted by Anita Roque

Write Your Story @ Union City Library

Join our library group, for an   informal gathering of aspiring writers of all types of genres. Your writing can be memoirs, creative non-fiction, poetry, song lyrics, science fiction, plays,essays, you name it!  We just want to hear what you have written and support each other as we grow as writers.

Third Tuesday of the Month: May 21, June 18, and July 16

1 p.m to 3 p.m.                                                                                     

 

Write Your Story…Don’t Eat the Flowers

Doris Nikolaidis local author of the title Don’t Eat the Flowers , and the former member of the Write Your Story group will join us on March 19  to share her story of her published  memoir.

This book is a kaleidoscope of the author’s adventurous and often comical life, from stories of growing up in chaos after the end of World War II to her hitchhiking trip across America. In a series of humorous and heartwarming essays, she recounts the stories of her childhood in Germany, her introduction to America, and her gradual realization that she is no longer an immigrant but is truly an American.

Write Your Story @ Union City Library Join our library group, for an   informal gathering of aspiring writers of all types of genres. Your writing can be memoirs, creative non-fiction, poetry, song lyrics, science fiction, plays,essays, you name it!  We just want to hear what you have written and support each other as we grow as writers. Third Tuesday of the Month: March 19, April 16 , and May 21    1 p.m to 3 p.m.                                                                                              .

Rumi in Spring @ Union City Library

Saturday March 2, 2019 @ 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

 

Observe the coming of Spring and its new beginning with peace, love, and unity. Farima Berenji and her dance company ‘The Simorgh Dance Collective” will present ancient and beautiful sacred and Sufi dances to bless and honor the coming of Spring, including a candle dance, Sufi whirling, Persian mystical dances, and sacred circle dances.

 

Farima is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed performing artist, instructor, dance ethnologist, and archeologist. Recognized as one of few world experts and scholars of Persian dance history, Farima infuses spirituality into her dance and teachings to impassion, empower, and inspire. A Dervish and travels worldwide to research, perform, teach, and inspire dynamic creativity and rejuvenation through dance. Farima is the founder and artistic director of the Simorgh Dance Collective, a member of the International Dance Council (CID-UNESCO), and a 2018 TEDx lecturer. www.farimadance.com

This event is part of a series of 300 free Art IS Education events for youth and families presented by Alameda County Library in partnership with the Alameda County Arts Commission and the Alameda County Office of Education to celebrate arts education and creativity.

Write Your Story…On Stories and Storytelling

From the internationally best-selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a spellbinding journey into the secrets of his art–the narratives that have shaped his vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling. One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story–from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others–and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master, and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself. PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers at work today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He lives in Oxford, England. To learn more, please visit philip-pullman.com or follow him on facebook at Philip Pullman author, and on Twitter at @PhilipPullman. Write Your Story @ Union City Library Join our library group, for an   informal gathering of aspiring writers of all types of genres. Your writing can be memoirs, creative non-fiction, poetry, song lyrics, science fiction, plays,essays, you name it!  We just want to hear what you have written and support each other as we grow as writers. Third Tuesday of the Month: February 19, March 19, and April 16                                                                                                    .

Write Your Story…The Thorn Necklace

For devotees of Bird by Bird and The Artist’s Way, a memoir-driven guide to healing through the craft of writing

Francesca Lia Block is the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including the award-winning Weetzie Bat series. Her writing has been called “transcendent” by The New York Times, and her books have been included in “best of” lists compiled by Time magazine and NPR.

In this long-anticipated guide to the craft of writing, Block offers an intimate glimpse of an artist at work and a detailed guide to help readers channel their own experiences and creative energy. Sharing visceral insights and powerful exercises, she gently guides us down the write-to-heal path, revealing at each turn the intrinsic value of channeling our experiences onto the page.

Named for the painting by Frida Kahlo, who famously transformed her own personal suffering into art, The Thorn Necklace offers lessons on life, love, and the creative process.

Francesca Lia Block is the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books of stories, nonfiction, and fiction, including the Weetzie Bat books, her series of magical-realism novels. She has received the Spectrum Award, the Phoenix Award, the ALA Rainbow Award, and the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as other citations from the American Library Association, the New York Times Book Review, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Los Angeles, a city the New York Times says she describes “better than any writer since Raymond Chandler.” She teachers writing at UCLA, Antioch University, and numerous workshops across the country.
Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month, co-founder of the literary journal 101 Word Story, co-founder of the Flash Fiction Collective, and the author of Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Prompts to Boost Your Creative Mojo (Chronicle Book)

Write Your Story @ Union City Library

Join our library group, for an   informal gathering of aspiring writers of all types of genres. Your writing can be memoirs, creative non-fiction, poetry, song lyrics, science fiction, plays,essays, you name it!  We just want to hear what you have written and support each other as we grow as writers.

Third Tuesday of the Month: January 15, February 19, and March 19                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1 p.m. — 3 p.m.

BOOK CLUB…The Baghdad Clock

The Baghdad clock 

Shahad al-Rāwī

translated from the Arabic by Luke Leafgren

Shortlisted for the international prize for Arabic fiction 2018. For fans of The Kite Runner comes this remarkable debut, the number one bestselling title in Iraq, Dubai and the UAE. Baghdad, 1991. In the midst of the first Gulf War, a young Iraqi girl huddles with her neighbours in an air raid shelter. There, she meets Nadia. The two girls quickly become best friends and together they imagine a world not torn apart by civil war, sharing their dreams, their hopes and their desires, and their first loves. But as they grow older and the bombs continue to fall, the international sanctions bite and friends begin to flee the country, the girls must face the fact that their lives will never be the same again. This poignant debut novel will spirit readers away to a world they know only from the television, revealing just what it is like to grow up in a city that is slowly disappearing in front of your eyes, and showing how in the toughest times, children can build up the greatest resilience.

Book Club meets the first Tuesday of the Month @ 1 p.m.

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