February 2011
Current Size: 100%
text sizeTrash Can Gourmet
Rotten Ralph, Sarah’s less than cooperative cat, won’t eat his healthy home-cooked meal. “Why should I?” He thinks, “when there are all those wonderful trash cans waiting for me in the alley?” So, Ralph sneaks out at night and dines on a green chicken wing, a furry fish, and for dessert? Mmmmm! Moldy blue cheesecake! Rotten Ralph has horrible nightmares and feels really sick after his foul feast. Will Sarah be able to get him to the vet in time? Are Rotten Ralph’s dumpster diving days over? Maybe eating out of trash cans is too rotten even for Ralph. Find out in Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten by Jack Gantos. This book is just one in a series of Rotten Readers. Check out Rotten Ralph’s further adventures.
Trading Places, Jane Austen Style!
2011 marks the 200th anniversary of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's first published novel. For 200 years, people have enjoyed Jane Austen's interesting characters and plots as well as her dry humor. Laurie Viera Rigler has written two novels about two different women who adore Jane Austen's novels.
In Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Courtney Stone, a young woman from 21st century Los Angeles, finds her self mysteriously transported to England in the early 1800's. Not only does Courtney find herself in a new time period and a new country, she also finds herself in a new body, that of a a young woman by the name of Jane Mansfield. Courtney has to adapt to different clothing, and different etiquette. While Courtney wonders if she will ever return to her old life, she decides to try to enjoy her new life, and not make too many mistakes. This novel is available in the following formats: book spoken CD spoken ebook
In Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, Jane Mansfield, an unmarried daughter of a nobleman, finds herself mysteriously transported to Los Angeles in the year 2009, into the body of Courtney Stone. Although Jane appreciates modern marvels such as modern plumbing, electronics and the freedoms of independent women, she is still puzzled by other modern things such as skimpy clothing and public displays of affection between unmarried people. Jane also discovers that her favorite anonymous writer, the authoress of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Predjudice is named Jane Austen, and that she has written a total of six novels. Jane adapts to her new life as much as she can; however, she still misses her old life. This novel is available in the following formats: book spoken CD
Would you like to read Jane Austen's novels?
They are available in various formats. Film adaptations have also been made of her novels. Graphic novel adaptations of her first two novels have also been published.
Sense and Sensibility - first published in 1811
book ebook spoken ebook spoken CD dvd graphic novel
Pride and Prejudice - first published in 1813
book ebook spoken ebook spoken CD dvd graphic novel
Mansfield Park - first published in 1814
book ebook spoken ebook spoken CD dvd
Emma - first published in 1815
book ebook spoken ebook spoken CD dvd
Northanger Abbey - first published in 1817
book ebook spoken CD dvd
Persuasion - first published in 1817, but dated 1818
book ebook spoken ebook spoken CD dvd
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Wilbur, the naked mole rat, likes to wear clothes. The only problem is, he's a naked mole rat. None of the other mole rats like to wear clothes, so they think Wilbur is weird. Wilbur is called before the wise community elder for a hearing on his odd behavior. What's a naked mole rat to wear to such an occasion?
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed teaches kids how it's just fine to be different from everyone else, and in the end, you might get a great surprise for being yourself.
If you like this book by Mo Willems then check out the library catalog for other delightful titles by the same author!
Knitting Circle at Rose Garden
If you missed the Stitches West Knitters Convention last weekend at the Santa Clara Convention Center, don’t fret. The Rose Garden Library has a knitting circle that meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month in the Community Room downstairs and the library has a myriad of knitting pattern titles that provide inspiration for your next creative project. The following titles are the latest to arrive at Rose Garden Branch:
Knitting Green by Ann Budd
Modern Top Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan
Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers by Carri Hammett
For Your Browsing Pleasure...
Looking for a good browsing book with which to pass a short amount of time? Are you a trivia fan? Do science and history books appeal to you? Go to the children's section of the library and peruse the Eyewitness Books! Don't let your chronological age deter you. Eyewitness Books have appeal whether you're 9 or 99.
There are likely dozens of Eyewitness Books at the branch library convenient to you. At the moment I type this, I have six Eyewitness Books on my lap: Vote, Weather, Everest, Invention, Ancient China and Castle. Every Eyewitness Book has a logical overall arrangement. For example, the Invention book starts off with Stone Age axes and ends with silicon chips. Along the way, it touches on wheels, timekeeping devices, navigation, surveying, printing, internal combustion engines, television, radio and flight, to name a few categories.
But the key attraction of Eyewitness Books, their trademark, is the plethora of illustrations large and small, artistic and photographic, scattered on every page. A short description accompanies each illustration. It's sort of like a museum display-case in a book.
Enjoy your browse! Impress your friends! Who knows when you'll need the exact bit of information gleaned from an Eyewitness Book for a trivia game?!
Need Non-Fiction Titles for First Grade?
Recently we were asked to help a class of first graders find non-fiction books which include a table of contents. We located the Checkerboard Animal Library series. Each book in the series follows a standard format providing information on a particular animal and includes a table of contents, glossary, bibliography and index relating to that specific animal. Titles provided in the bibliographies are older and may be difficult to locate.
An example of a book from this series is Dog-Faced Bats by Pamela J. Gerholt. The young reader is given an overview of these bats, including habitat, size, shape, senses, defense, food eaten and babies. Information is provided using clear and relatively simple language, with photographs on every other page.
Soccer Song
Soccer Song by Patricia Reilly Giff introduces us to Jill, a girl who loves sports. She uses her strong hands and long arms to play many outdoor games and even rescues a cat! But you cannot use your hands or arms when you play soccer! Can Jill use her head and find a way to be really good at soccer? A story written especially for young children all about trying to do your best. This is a Green Light Readers Level 2 series book.
The Nice Mice in the Rice
In The Nice Mice in the Rice by Brian P. Cleary, the author uses silly sentences and rhyming words to teach young children long vowel sounds. Lots of fun illustrations and repetition of words help ease children along. The sentences become more challenging as the book progresses, including what the author calls “discovery” words – extra words for the young reader to locate. Part of the “Sounds Like Reading” series.
Mission Projects
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It’s that time of year again, and California Mission Projects are in full stride. Because everyone has to do a project on a particular Mission, chances are that someone else beat you to book you wanted. No need to worry because the San José Public Library offers a great way to learn about your particular Mission of interest and explore all the other Missions across California. The Missions of California link on the SJPL eBook page provides online access to the California Mission books you typically find at your local Library. These online books are a great source of information for your Mission projects and even more info about the Missions is available at the SJPL’s History Reference Center. If you can’t find a book on your Mission this is a great way to finish your project without having to use a single book!
Michelle Richmond
On Saturday February 12, 2011 in celebration of 2011 Silicon Valley Reads, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library had the privilege to host the author Michelle Richmond. The author spoke about her book The Year of Fog and the audience enjoyed the presentation during which the author read from her book, spoke of her experience as a writer, and the interpretation of her writings. Questions were asked concerning the plot, characters, and scenes from Ms. Richmond’s books. Ms. Richmond explained how she embedded many themes in her writings including memory, Costa Rica, photography and a darkroom. The audience had a wonderful time asking questions about The Year of Fog and enjoyed the interaction with the author. If you weren't able to attend Michelle Richmond’s presentation, there are many other additional 2011 Silicon Valley Reads activities.
