http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 23 May 2008 14:58:02 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Pride Month We have books from the picture books like King & King, to novels like Annie on My Mind and Totally Joe, short stories like Am I Blue? as well as nonfiction and multimedia examining the lives and contributions of gays and lesbians Fathers’ Day Come celebrate Abba, Dad or Daddy with stories and poems. Shavuot Check out the Shavuot stories and books about this celebration of harvest and the Torah. ALL BOOKS ARE DUE JUNE 11 Please return all books. Any books that cannot be found by the end of the school year must be paid for so that they can be replaced. Be sure to visit your local public library this summer and join their Summer Reading Program. Games, prizes, and excitement as well as a wonderful selection of books and magazines await you at your public library. Check it out! Happy Reading!]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/june.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/june.html Fri, 23 May 2008 14:58:02 -0800 May Day Find out about the labor union movement and the many contribution of Jewish organizers. We have books about the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire, United Farm Workers’ and Pullman Porters’ organizing, Mother Jones, A. Philip Randolph and Emma Goldman. A new book, a Sydney Taylor Award winner, After I Said No by Sheila Johnson explains the life of young girls in the garment industry and the beginning of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union through the eyes of a young, Russian Jewish immigrant. Israeli Independence Day Israel is turning 60. We have history, geography, biographies and lots of fiction. Come learn and celebrate. Cinco de Mayo Biographies, nonfiction and fiction at all reading levels celebrate Mexican-American history and culture. Mothers’ Day We have wonderful books honoring the mothers and others who love us. We can also return to the day’s original purpose with books about peace. Julia Ward Howe, most famous for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic, called for a Mothers’ Day for Peace in 1870. Her proclamation read in part, “Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.” Memorial Day We have books about those who have served in the military throughout history. May Author/Illustrator Birthdays Milton Meltzer J.M. Barrie Peter Sis Edward Lear (May 12 is Limerick Day) George Selden L. Frank Baum Bruce Coville Eloise Greenfield Gary Paulsen Tom Feelings Arthur Dorros Arnold Lobel Susan Cooper Margaret Wise Brown Walt Whitman ]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/may_1.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/may_1.html Fri, 23 May 2008 14:55:50 -0800 April is National Poetry Month. Come check out our large and lively poetry collection! And April is full of reasons to read: April Fool’s Day What better time to read funny, foolish fare? Chelm stories, Daniel Pinkwater, James Howe, Judith Viorst, Jon Scieszka, Joanna Hurwitz and Mark Twain—plus lots of joke and riddle books. We even have a picture book called April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman. Watch out for tricks! Pesach/Passover We have books about Pesach, stories set at Pesach and lots of beautiful Haggadot. Earth Day We have books about the earth, ecology and environmental protection. And we have books that celebrate the earth in poetry and prose for all reading levels. National Library Week is April 13 – 19. Celebrate the contributions of libraries. Democracy depends on access to information and freedom of expression. America’s libraries (and librarians) have been staunch advocates of both. Come by here and visit your local public library. April ends with National TV Turnoff Week. Read instead! Maybe you should start with Betsy Byar’s The TV Kid! April Author/Illustrator Birthdays Hans Christian Andersen (April 2 – International Children’s Book Day) Richard Peck Grahame Base David Adler Beverly Cleary Gary Soto Gertrude Chandler Warner William Shakespeare Patricia Reilly Giff Ludwig Bemelmans]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/april_1.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/april_1.html Fri, 23 May 2008 14:53:24 -0800 megillah” and then some—including the wonderful Jewish “Cinderella” story, Raisel’s Riddle, in which the heroine is chosen at the Purim celebration for her intelligence instead of the way she looks. Read about women’s contributions to history and their struggle for human rights in fiction, non-fiction and biography—from Mother Jones to Winona LaDuke, from Clever Beatrice to Brave Margaret—we have books to keep you reading all month and into April. Three new books include: Lies and Other Tall Tales collected by Zora Neale Hurston (adapted and illustrated by Christopher Myers) introduces a new generation to this writer and anthropologist who broke all kinds of ”rules” about race and gender to live her life and inspire Alice Walker and other contemporary authors. Yatandou by Gloria Whelan gives children a glimpse into the lives of women and girls in Mali, West Africa when an eight-year-old girl describes her village and the changes that come when they are able to purchase a millet grinder. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom by Tim Tingle tells the story of a young Choctaw girl who is able to help her friend and his family escape slavery by crossing the Bok Chitto river in Mississippi onto the Choctaw reservation. Newbery honor winner, Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson is based on her discovery that her great-grandmother had homesteaded in Montana during WW I. She created Hattie, an orphan from Iowa, who inherits her uncle’s claim in 1917, but faces many hardships—not only from the harsh climate and terrain but also from the prejudices sparked by the war. Like Pam Munoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising (which is based on her grandmother’s experience of going from a life of wealth in Mexico to migrant labor in the Central Valley during the Great Depression) history is taught from “the inside out” through the voices of young girls. March Author/Illustrator Birthdays Diane & Leo Dillon Dr. Seuss (Happy Read Across America Day – March 2) Dav Pilkey Peggy Rathman Mem Fox Chris Raschka Kenneth Grahame Lois Lowry Wanda Gag Ezra Jack Keats Virginia Hamilton Barbara Cohen Ellen Raskin Sid Fleischman Kate Greenaway Bill Martin, Jr. Louis Sachar Margaret Mahy Randolph Caldecott Betty MacDonald Dick King-Smith Byrd Baylor Andrew Lang]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/march_1.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/march_1.html Fri, 23 May 2008 12:57:38 -0800 Black History Month My years at Tehiyah have taught me the importance of L’Dor V’Dor—from generation to generation. Sharing your story—your family’s story; your people’s story-- from grandparent to parent to child who becomes parent and then grandparent & on & on for hundreds and then thousands of years. “Why is this night different?” “There was only enough oil for one day, but it burned for eight.” “Sarah laughed.” “And Miriam danced….” BUT what if you were stolen violently away from your family, and taken in chains across an ocean where you were sold like a piece of farm equipment? What if no one around you spoke your language? What if you did manage to grow up and have a family, but they were sold away from you as soon as they were able to pick cotton--so you never saw them again? What if you risked your life to learn to read, but found that the history books had been written by those who stole you or your ancestors away—and that you, and they, had been left out of the story? This is what happened to Carter G. Woodson, son of slaves, who spent his childhood working in Kentucky coalmines but started high school at 20, graduated in 2 years and went on to get a PhD from Harvard. He found nothing in history books about the contributions of his ancestors so he set out to change that—first by doing research and publishing it in a new history journal--and then by starting Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week in Feb. because it included Feb. 14, the day Frederick Douglass, the great African-American abolitionist, celebrated as his birthday (because he was born a slave he did not know the actual date). Later Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12 was included because he had signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves. In 1976 Negro History Week became Black History Month. We continue to celebrate the many accomplishments of African Americans: Visual artists like Romaire Beardon, Faith Ringold & Jacob Lawrence; writers like Phillis Wheatley, James Weldon Johnson, Christopher Paul Curtis & Lucille Clifton; musical artists like Alvin Ailey, Marian Anderson & Scott Joplin; scientists and inventors like Dr. Charles Drew, Garrett Morgan, Benjamin Banneker, Elijah McCoy; educators like Mary McCloud Bethune & Booker T Washington; athletes like Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Wilma Rudolph, & Muhammad Ali; political heroes (and sheroes) like Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisolm, Joseph Rainey & Barbara Jordan; those who fought for their own and others’ rights like Ruby Bridges (who was 6 years old at the time), Sojourner Truth, & Medgar Evers. The many who worked behind the scenes in human rights struggles like Daisy Bates, W.W. Law & Jo Ann Robinson. And so many, many more… May you all grow up to help create a world where Black History Month is no longer needed because we will have recognized that Black history is American history and your children learn it every day. And if you want to learn more NOW come see me in the library! New Books You can start with Christopher Paul Curtis’ new book, Elijah of Buxton. Curtis has taught us more history while making us laugh and cry than anyone I know. This book is no exception. Buxton is a real place—a settlement for escaped slaves in Canada. Elijah is fictional, the first freeborn child in the settlement. He’s eleven when the story begins and a little “fra-gile”. But his adventures tracking down a thief who stole money meant to purchase a family’s freedom cures that! A new picture book biography called Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights by Jim Haskins tells the story of a letter carrier who led the fight to desegregate Savannah and succeeded before the Civil Rights Act. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine is a fictionalized telling of Henry Brown’s creative escape from slavery by mailing himself north. Kadir Nelson illustrated. Lunar New Year Celebrate Lunar New Year with folk tales, history, biographies, and fiction at all levels from China, Viet Nam, Cambodia & Korea. Ed Young’s Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac will “explain” how the animals were chosen to represent years with humor and his usual beautiful illustrations. Lenore Look has another funny book about Jenny, Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding. How can she still be his number-one girl with a new aunt always around? American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn follows a young boy as he decides how to spend his Chinese New Year money. His generous decision is a lesson to us all. Learn about California history, especially the contribution of Chinese immigrants, in Yin’s books, Coolies and Brothers. This is a history too few of us know told in engaging stories with beautiful illustrations in these two picture books. Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain by Li Keng Wong is an autobiography telling her story of immigrating in 1933 to join her father. Her family endures racism and poverty in pursuit of “the American dream”. Local author, Ying Chang Compestine’s autobiographical novel, Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party, describes what the suffering created by the Cultural Revolution was like through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl. February Authors/Illustrators Birthdays Langston Hughes Jerry Spinelli Judith Viorst Russell Hoban Laura Ingalls Wilder El L. Konigsburg Jane Yolen Jamake Highwater Paul Zelinsky W.E.B. DuBois Wilhelm Grimm Cynthia Voigt]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/february.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/february.html Fri, 23 May 2008 11:34:57 -0800 Begin the New Year with some new books. E. L. Konigsburg has done it again. The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World is not a sequel but again features characters from earlier books. With her characteristic humor and compassion, she introduces us to the Nazi theft of art through the story of Amedeo Kaplan, his new friend William Wilcox and their eccentric elderly neighbor, Mrs. Zender. You’ll learn something while being enormously entertained. Where do dreams—and nightmares—come from? Lois Lowry offers a wonderfully fanciful and exciting explanation in her new novel, Gossamer. She has created a book The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a novel of the holocaust narrated by death full of humor, compassion and heartbreak. A story of the Nazi regime that focuses on a working class German family that you won’t be able to put down until it is finished—and that will haunt you afterwards. The brilliant physicist, Stephen Hawking, has written a children’s novel that “includes the latest ideas about black holes” plus lots of adventure. It’s called George’s Secret Key to the Universe. Learning about astrophysics was never before this much fun! January Author/Illustrator Birthdays Isaac Asimov J.R.R. Tolkien Jacob Grimm Carl Sandburg Remy Charlip Robert O’Brien Clement Hurd Charles Perrault A.A. Milne Harry Allard Vera Williams Rosemary Wells Michael Doris Lloyd Alexander With Peter Asbjornson, Jacob Grimm and Charles Perrault all born this month, this would be a great time to re-examine folk and fairy tales. We think of these as stories for little children, but that was not their original audience! They are full of darkness, passion and big questions. Check some out!]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/january_1.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2008/05/january_1.html Fri, 23 May 2008 11:32:21 -0800 Read by the Hanukkah Light! We have lots of books about Hanukkah and wonderful Hanukkah stories. Come check them out. Be sure to come by to check out plenty of books to read over winter break! The New Book Cart is loaded with new titles we picked up at the Hanukkah Book and Gift Fair. Thanks to all the volunteers and shoppers who supported the library at the fair! December Author/Illustrator Birthdays include: Jan Brett David Macaulay Munro Leaf Kim Kjelgaard James Thurber Mary Norton E. H. Shepard Marilyn Sachs Eve Bunting Jerry Pinkney Ingri d’Aulaire Diane Stanley Molly Bang Mercer Mayer Toast their birthdays with a cup of cocoa while you read their books!]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/december.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/december.html Book News Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:43:24 -0800 Hanukkah Book and Gift Fair Come shop for Hanukkah and support our library at the Book and Gift Fair from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16. We have books from Cody’s and Afikomen, books, Judaica, art, and crafts from members of the TDS community. This year we feature items from A World of Good, a fair-trade company founded by Tehiyah alumni, David Guendelman. We have a chance to “shop our values” giving as much consideration to those who make our gifts and to those who receive them. Hanukkah Book Fair Hours: Nov. 13 noon to 4:00 Nov. 14 8:45 to 6:00 Nov. 15 8:45 to 6:00 Nov. 16 8:00 to 4:00]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/november_1.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/november_1.html Events Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:41:41 -0800 Native American Culture Month Come check out our collection of books about Native American cultures and history, biographies, folk tales and fiction. National Children’s Book Week Nov. 12-18 Come see what is new on the New Book Cart to celebrate National Children’s Book Week. November Authors/Illustrators include: Sterling North Armstrong Sperry Lois Ehlert Pat Cummings Marjorie Weinman Sharmat Robert Louis Stevenson William Steig Astrid Lindgren Daniel Pinkwater Jean Fritz Robin McKinley Yoshiko Uchida Marc Brown Kevin Henkes Ed Young Louisa May Alcott Madeleine L’Engle Mark Twain It’s an especially long list with a wide variety of from which genre to choose]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/november.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/november.html Book News Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:31:39 -0800 Sukkot Check out our books about and stories of Sukkot, including my favorite, Patricia Polacco’s Tikvah Means Hope. This beautiful picture book recounts the story of a sukkah and a cat named Tikvah that survived the Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991. Black Poetry Day – October 17 We have a new biography of Langston Hughes by Alice Walker and books by Nicki Grimes and Nicki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, James Weldon Johnson as well as wonderful collections like Pass It On and Ashley Bryant's ABC of African-American Poetry. October birthdays include: Molly Cone Karen Cushman Donald Sobol Faith Ringold Johanna Hurwitz James Marshall Joseph Brucac Eric Kimmel Katherine Paterson Ursula LeGuin Mystery, fantasy, historical and contemporary fiction, humor and folk tales--they're all represented by this month's birthday authors.]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/october.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/october.html Book News Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:26:14 -0800 Welcome back to school. Please come by to see the many new books acquired over the summer. Labor Day Learn about the struggle of workers to organized for better wages and safer working conditions through history books, biographies and wonderful fiction. Katherine Paterson’s Bread and Roses, Too is just one example. Based on actual events in 1912 as seen through the eyes of twelve-year old Rosa, we learn about the living conditions of mill workers and the sacrifices made to improve them. We also have books on the many Jewish labor organizers, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Mother (Mary Harris) Jones and many others. Celebrate the High Holy Days with books! We have a large selection of books about and stories of Rosh ha-Shana and Yom Kippur. September Author/Illustrator Birthdays Demi Aliki Syd Hoff Paul Fleischman Jack Prelutsky Jon Scieszka Roald Dahl Mildred D. Taylor John Steptoe Tomie dePaola Robert McCloskey Joanne Ryder H. A. Rey Taro Yashima Bernard Waber Celebrate them by reading their books! Did you know that H.A. Rey escaped Vichy France with the manuscript of Curious George?]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/september.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/september.html Book News Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:24:57 -0800 Fill your summer with reading! Be sure to visit your local public library often. Sign up for their summer reading program. They are offering activities, prizes and lots of great books Happy Reading! http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/summer.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/12/summer.html Book News Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:21:23 -0800 May is blooming with reasons to read! May Day Find out about the labor union movement and the many contribution of Jewish organizers. We have books about the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire, United Farm Workers’ and Pullman Porters’ organizing, Mother Jones, A. Philip Randolph and Emma Goldman. Cinco de Mayo Biographies, nonfiction and fiction at all reading levels celebrate Mexican-American history and culture. Mothers’ Day We have wonderful books honoring the mothers and others who love us. We can also return to the day’s original purpose with books about peace. Julia Ward Howe, most famous for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic, called for a Mothers’ Day for Peace in 1870. Her proclamation read in part, “Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.” Shavuot Check out the Shavuot stories and books about this celebration of harvest and the Torah. Memorial Day We have books about those who have served in the military throughout history. May Author/Illustrator Birthdays Milton Meltzer J.M. Barrie Peter Sis Edward Lear (May 12 is Limerick Day) George Selden L. Frank Baum Bruce Coville Eloise Greenfield Gary Paulsen Tom Feelings Arthur Dorros Arnold Lobel Susan Cooper Margaret Wise Brown Walt Whitman ]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/05/may.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/05/may.html Events Mon, 14 May 2007 12:30:07 -0800 April is National Poetry Month. Come check out our large and lively poetry collection! And April is full of reasons to read: We may be on vacation on April Fool’s Day, but what better time to read funny, foolish fare? Chelm stories, Daniel Pinkwater, James Howe, Judith Viorst, Jon Scieszka, Joanna Hurwitz and Mark Twain—plus lots of joke and riddle books. We even have a picture book called April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman. Watch out for tricks! Pesach/Passover We have books about Pesach, stories set at Pesach and lots of beautiful Haggadot. Earth Day We have books about the earth, ecology and environmental protection. And we have books that celebrate the earth in poetry and prose for all reading levels. National Library Week is April 15 – 21 Celebrate the contributions of libraries. Democracy depends on access to information and freedom of expression. America’s libraries (and librarians) have been staunch advocates of both. Come by here and visit your local public library. April ends with National TV Turnoff Week. Read instead! Maybe you should start with Betsy Byar’s The TV Kid! April Author/Illustrator Birthdays Hans Christian Andersen (April 2 – International Children’s Book Day) Richard Peck Grahame Base David Adler Beverly Cleary Gary Soto Gertrude Chandler Warner William Shakespeare Patricia Reilly Giff Ludwig Bemelmans]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/04/april.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/04/april.html Book News Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:59:25 -0800 Announcing the 4th and 5th Grade TDS Library Book Club Educators and librarians are always trying to find a way to prevent the decline in recreational reading that happens in middle school. Fourth and fifth graders still tend to enjoy reading for pleasure. To encourage them to continue taking delight in books, we will begin a 4th-5th-grade book club in the TDS Library. The children and I nominated over twenty titles to read together for our first selection, and they voted on ten. In a very tight election, the winner was The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin; a clever, funny and exciting mystery full of challenging puzzles. We will meet every other Thursday in the library at lunch. March is Women’s History Month To celebrate Women's History Month, Tehiyah mom, Linda Press Wulf, will visit 5th-7th grades on Wednesday, March 7 to talk about her process as an author writing The Night of the Burning: Devorah's Story. This beautiful and important book tells the story of Linda's mother-in-law who survived a pogrom in Poland in 1920 and was rescued from an orphanage by South African philanthropist, Isaac Ochberg. We will be selling autographed copies of the book that day. And Tehiyah parent, Diane Wolf, will do a reading from her new book Beyond Anne Frank: Hidden Children and Postwar Families in Holland as a benefit for the Tehiyah Library on Sunday March 11th at 3 p.m. A former hidden child from Holland will be present to answer questions. Parents and middle school students are invited. We have many books about Women’s History from new picture books like Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor, Julia Morgan Builds a Castle, and If This Bus Could Talk about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to new collected biographies like Latina Women and histories of the women’s movement like The Untold Story of the Iroquois Influence on Early Feminists. We also have many individual biographies and wonderful picture books folk tale collections and novels that celebrate strong and creative women. One such novel is the new Newbery award winner, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. This is an exciting story about a delightful and resourceful young girl. The controversy surrounding the use of one word is, in my opinion, overblown. The word (scrotum) is used appropriately to describe where a rattlesnake bites a dog. March Author/Illustrator Birthdays Leo Dillon Dr. Seuss (Read Across America Day) Dav Pilkey Mem Fox Thacher Hurd Kenneth Grahame Lois Lowry Wanda Gag Ezra Jack Keats Virginia Hamilton Anno Louis Sachar Randolph Caldecott Robert Frost Dick King-Smith Celebrate spring with books!]]> http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/03/march.html http://www.tehiyah.org/Learning_at_Tehiyah/Library/weblog/2007/03/march.html Events Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:27:41 -0800