The Silicon Valley Reads 2011 selected novel is The Year of Fog by award-winning Bay Area author, Michelle Richmond.

Meet Michelle at a free author talk and book signing on Saturday, March 26, at 3:00-4:00 PM in the Community Room of Almaden Library and Community Center.

The Year of Fog “follows the journey of a young woman through the mysteries of memory and guilt after her fiance's six-year-old daughter disappears while in her care.” Michelle’s book will be on sale at the author visit, which is co-sponsored by the Friends of Almaden Library.

I have a 10 month old daughter and found out how much health and wellness resources are needed. There were times that I wanted to look up certain medications for Melanie. I also searched for information on particular symptoms that she had. San José Public Library has several health and wellness databases which have been helping me. To access most of these databases from home you'll need your library card and pin number.

Consumer Health Complete covers all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to holistic and integrated medicine. This database includes topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs and alcohol, fitness, nutrition and dietetics, and children's health.

Medline Plus has information on diseases and conditions, hospitals and physicians, and medical drugs. This database includes links to a medical encyclopedia and dictionary, and clinical trials from the National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health. The database is also accessible if you type in http://medlineplus.gov.

With all the footage of Japan coming across the media, parents of children are going to be asked some very serious questions about the earthquake, tsunami and the aftermath. It seems the younger your children are, the more you want to protect them from devastating news like this. 

Here are some resources that might help:

FEMA has a website about disaster readiness for kids that walks you through the steps of how to make a disaster plan for your family.

FEMA also has a webpage devoted to helping parents and teachers help their children cope with disasters. It is comprised of a quick overview of how different aged children cope, what their needs are and how to help them.

Terrorists, Tornados, and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life's Danger Zones by Lt. Colonel John C. Orndorff and Suzanne Harper. This book takes all sorts of dangerous situations and explains what they are and how to be better prepared to handle them if they should occur. A really good book for middle schoolers.

Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat.  This novel describes one child's experience during and after the earthquake in Haiti.

DVD - How and When to Dial 911 - situations when a child should dial 911 and what to do in case of an emergency.

More books on earthquakes for children

More books on tsunamis for children

On Tuesdays at 4 pm and Saturdays at 11:30 am the West Valley Branch Library offers free reading help for children. The Reading Buddies are trained teen volunteers that are on hand to either read to your child or to help your child practice reading. This is a great opportunity for younger children to have one-on-one time with a caring, enthusiastic teen mentor who will help them practice their reading in a low-stress environment.

Reading to Rover is another opportunity for kids to practice their reading at the West Valley Branch Library. This event  is generally held on the third Thursday of each month at 3:30 pm. At this program we pair children who want to improve their reading skills with literacy assistance dogs for some quality reading and bonding time. Come join the fun!