Celebrate Earth Day

April 19, 2021 | jonesw

Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrate to acknowledge, discover, and demonstrate support for environmental protection. The books below share stories about the Earth, as well as ways that we can support and protect our planet. What will you do to make the Earth a better place?

Picture Books

Caillou : plants a tree by 1968- Sarah Margaret Johanson

Start Living Sustainably

April 19, 2021 | jonesw

Did you know that the average person in the United States creates about 4.5 pounds of waste every day? Small changes in our daily lives can quickly add up to make a long-lasting impact on the environment. This Earth Day, take time to reflect on the ways that your actions can help reverse the devastating effects of climate change and create a better future for our Earth. The following books explore the movement for sustainability and offer tips to start your own journey!

Attainable sustainable : the lost art of self-reliant living by Kris Bordessa
Inconspicuous consumption : the environmental impact you don't know you have by Tatiana Schlossberg
Also available in: e-audiobook

Celebrate Ramadan

April 9, 2021 | jonesw

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is celebrate by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. This year Ramadan begins Monday, April 12 and ends Wednesday, May 12. Check out a picture book or nonfiction book to learn more about Ramadan or share stories with little ones. 

Picture and Board Books

The gift of Ramadan by 1981- Alexis York Lumbard

YA Novels in Verse

April 1, 2021 | jonesw

National Poetry Month is celebrated across the world in the month of April. Not sure where to start with poetry? Try a novel in verse! Like a traditional novel, these books tell a complete story, but they use the verse style of poetry. Check out the call number 811.54 for traditional volumes of poetry. 

Beauty mark : a verse novel of Marilyn Monroe by 1956- Carole Boston Weatherford
Blood water paint by Joy McCullough

Asian & Asian American Picture Books

March 18, 2021 | jonesw

Looking for a great picture book to share with little ones? The following titles feature Asian and Asian American characters, as well as beautiful artwork and storytelling.  

Don't forget to check out our children's books in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

A big mooncake for little star by illustrator Grace Lin

Reimagines the cycles of the moon as a mother bakes a Big Moon Cookie and, despite Mama's request to wait, Little Star begins nibbling at it every night.

Cora cooks pancit by Dorina K Lazo Gilmore

When all her older siblings are away, Cora's mother finally lets her help make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish. Includes recipe for pancit.

Women in STEM

March 4, 2021 | jonesw

March is Women's History Month! The biographies below feature women who made strides in the various STEM fields. Celebrate by learning about one of these groundbreaking women today!

Mae among the stars by Roda Ahmed
Ada Lovelace, poet of science : the first computer programmer by Diane Stanley

Dark Academia Syllabus

February 21, 2021 | jonesw

Dark Academia is a subculture, or aesthetic, that has increased in popularity over the last year. It revolves heavily around reading, writing, academic life, and Greek and Gothic architectural styles. These books offer twists and turns, while encompassing the Dark Academia style.

Catherine House : a novel by Elisabeth Thomas
A deadly education : a novel by Naomi Novik

New Black Stories in YA

February 17, 2021 | jonesw

The following titles are new to the Young Adult shelves. They feature both contemporary and historical characters, but all add to the rich canon of black experience. 

All boys aren't blue : a memoir-manifesto by 1985- George M. (George Matthew) Johnson

A first book by the prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist shares personal essays that chronicle his childhood, adolescence and college years as a Black queer youth, exploring subjects ranging from gender identity and toxic masculinity to structural marginalization and Black joy.

The awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz

While in Charlestown Prison in the 1940s, young Malcolm Little reads all the books in the library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam, and emerges as Malcolm X.

#BlackLivesMatter

February 15, 2021 | jonesw

Black Lives Matter is a social movement that began with a hashtag protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman in 2013. Over the next three years, thirty Black Lives Matter chapters opened throughout the country and thousands of activists took to the streets to protest the deaths and inhumane treatment of black folks, particularly by police brutality. Today, Black Lives Matter continues to grow and serves as a rallying cry for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. 

The following booklists include materials that affirm Black lives, discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, and address the fight for racial justice in America.

Image "George Floyd Protest" by Mike Von on Unsplash. 

Black Lives Matter: Teens

February 1, 2021 | jonesw

The following books for teens explore the Black Lives Matter movement directly, as well as turning an eye to the ways systemic racism affects our communities. 

Nonfiction

Black lives matter by Sue Bradford Edwards

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