Palisades
Neighborhood Library

The Human Spirit

I am drawn to people's personal stories of triumph over adversity. I think often about the imagery and symbolism of the lotus plant. The lotus shoot has to grow through the mud of swamps and other still bodies of water. The unseen shoot struggles upward towards the light and when it pierces the surface, a beautiful flower unfurls. What these stories have in common is they explore the resiliency of human peoples despite the misfortunes that can happen in any person's life.

Dream Faraway

Let your imagination have at it conjuring up the images and feelings from these novels. A wide range of emotions as well as personal, social and political experiences are explored giving the reader a window into other cultures and points of view. The signature of all things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Live Free or Die

How does the desire to be free drive human beings to do extraordinary feats of love and courage? When a person’s freedom is abridged or violated, their pursuit of happiness is cut off. Choices then have to be may to secure freedom, a natural right endowed on all life.

Invited and Inspired to Learn

For young and younger learners, with lots of visual elements

It may be back to, or the start of, school for your young learners, so here are a few creatively presented and beautifully illustrated books which enhance the presentation of content in appealing ways. They present messages and information using awe-inspiring visual images, and one of them offers twenty one hands-on activities. All of the topics are about enthusiastically accepting diversity.

Children

Books You Can't Read

ALA's Top-Challenged Books Since 2001

Banned Books Week, held every year typically during the final week of September, celebrates the freedom to read. Librarians, readers, publishers, teachers and others join together to support the freedom to seek information, express ideas and educate oneself.

Banned Books Week

Navigating Emotions

Exploring Emotional Topics Through Picture Books

Discussing emotions with children can be a difficult task to navigate. Children might not know exactly what’s causing these new feelings, or how to process and cope with them. Convincing them to open up can be challenging, but these books will alleviate some of that pressure and will help guide conversations about difficult emotional topics like death, family separation and anger.

Prime Time Bedtime

Reading aloud for sweet dreams

Make bedtime stories special with these unique page turners. I chose these for the high levels of interaction they encourage, and their subtle, or obvious, lessons in how to enrich those sleepy 20 minutes of the day. With images and words at times funny and always affirming, they can lead to pleasant thoughts of tomorrow. Some may become you and your child’s favorites.

Introduce that upcoming trip, the gentle reader's way

What to read with your youngsters before traveling to a different space, time zone or experience

Are you interested in preparing your youngest traveler for an adventure? The following titles, fiction as well as non-fiction, were chosen for their visual appeal, to share a simple travel plot or to celebrate the enormous variety of destinations by presenting facts in a fun format. Typical places to visit, as well as offbeat experiences (like lights out in a city apartment) are described, so preparing you and your youngster as you head off to a different space, time zone or experience. Bon voyage!

Love Fashion? Read These. Hate Fashion? Read Them Anyway.

Fashion is often seen as superficial and frivolous. Not to get all Devil Wears Prada here, but as a fashion lover, I can assure you there’s more to fashion than just “blue steel.” These reads will take you deeper into how impactful fashion can be, the nitty gritty logistics of creating a fashion show and even how history influenced the perfume industry. If you’re a fashion novice, this selection of books will hopefully enlighten you. If you’re a longtime fashion fan, these will likely feed your already flourishing infatuation.

Peace, Kindness, Unity, Fairness

Children's picture books

The Association for Library Service to Children, committee of the American Library Association, recently put out a list of books to share the message of “creating unity, acting with kindness towards others, and promoting peace." Here are a few of their picture book recommendations. I included one highlighting justice, or fairness, since without justice, there can be no peace.

Palisades Neighborhood Library