LIBRARY NEWS

Spanish and bilingual children’s books plus a Spanish medical encyclopedia added to the collection

By Carole Howard and the Library Staff

For parents and other Spanish-speaking adults, we have a new medical encyclopedia called “Manual Merck de Information Medica General,” which contains more than 1,500 pages of general information in all fields of medicine. As well, many new Spanish and bilingual books for children have been added to our collection:

• Four books for ages three and up are from the very special bilingual “I Can Read Spanish” series: “Get Dressed, Robbie/Vistete, Robertito,” “Space Postman/El Cartero Especial,” “Happy Birthday!/Feliz Cumpleanos!” and “George the Goldfish/Jorge el Pez Dorado.” These books include helpful notes for parents and teachers, an attractive picture dictionary with the key words, and a simplified pronunciation guide.
• Another excellent bilingual series for children includes the universally loved story “The Princess and the Pea/The Princesa y el Guisante,” plus “The King of Kings/El Rey de las Cosas,” “Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el Bombero,” A Cat and a Dog/Un Gata y un Perro,” “My Diary from Here to There/My Diario de Aqui Hasta Alla” and “Waiting for Papa/Esperanda a Papa.”
• We also have new Spanish books for youngsters that include “Pato para Presidente” and “Sopa de Piedras.” Another, “Cuenta los Insectos” teaches words and numbers to little ones.

As well, we want to thank the Archuleta County Education Center for donating 49 Spanish-language textbooks to the library. These elementary-school level books cover math, geography, history, nature and grammar. They are excellent resources for parents and grandparents who want to help their children with homework or for English speakers learning Spanish.

Chess classes for kids

Library staffer David Bright has started a basic chess class on Thursdays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. for youngsters in the first through sixth grades. He plans a tournament with prizes at the conclusion of the program, which ends July 27.

Chess is not only fun but also a strong tool to help with all types of learning. In fact, an article in the August 2006 issue of Scientific American magazine explained that we should be encouraging youngsters to play chess because it helps them improve their skills in reading, writing and arithmetic.

Save the date for book sale

Mark your calendars for Friday evening, July 20 for the Friends of the Library annual meeting and Saturday morning, July 21 for the annual public book sale. Details will be forthcoming next week.

A huge hit for boys

“Dangerous Book for Boys” by English brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden is written for boys around the age of 10 and tries to answer the question: What do boys need to know? It also is aimed at boomer dads, who nostalgically yearn for their lost boyhoods. It includes instructions on how to skip stones, fold a paper hat, make a battery, hunt and cook a rabbit, speak some Latin and play Texas Hold ‘Em poker. Its unapologetic message is that boys need a certain amount of danger and risk in their lives. This book, a huge hit in England and Australia, now is breaking sales records in the U.S.

Non-fiction: Politics and world events

“Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989” by Michael Beschloss offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of presidents coping with the supreme dilemmas of their lives. “At the Center of the Storm” is George Tenet’s news-making story of his time at the head of the CIA from 1997 to the beginnings of the War in Iraq. “Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States” by counterterrorism expert Harvey Kushner reveals how extremists in our country are here and ready to attack. “Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond” by Don Cheadle and John Pendergast details heart-wrenching atrocities in Darfur and Northern Uganda and outlines six strategies for help bring about change.

Appreciating the wilderness

“Hike Your Own Hike: Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America” tells what Francis Tapon learned while hiking the Appalachian Trail – and that includes life lessons as well as information about Mother Nature.

New fiction: Mysteries and coming of age

“The Wrong Hostage” by Elizabeth Lowell is a suspense thriller about a female federal judge whose son is kidnapped. “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” by Pulitzer-prize winner Michael Chabon is a mystery set in the Alaska panhandle. “Tallgrass” by Sandra Dallas is a young woman’s coming-of-age novel that is being compared by reviewers to “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Snow Falling on Cedars.”

Western history

“The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends and Lore” by David Dary tells the story of the trail from 1610 to the 1860s through the eyes of Native Americans, mountain men, traders, trappers, freighters, surveyors and soldiers. “Castner’s Cutthroats: Saga of the Alaska Scouts” by Jim Rearden is the tale of several Alaska Scout heroes including a renegade Colorado cowboy who play key roles in the Aleutian campaign of World War II.

Real-life stories

“I am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility” is Trish Meili’s account of her survival and growth after one of the most shocking crimes ever to take place in New York City. “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver tells of her family’s moving from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life where they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves or learn to live without it.

Thanks to our donors

Our gratitude to Jackie Ramsey Cox for her monetary donation, and to Windsor Chacey for three Amish dolls for the children’s room. For books and materials this week we thank Sandra Gabel, Jim & Karen Gavic, Sharee Grazda, Kathy Hamilton, Karen Hoch, Carole Howard, Fran Jenkins, George Love, Charles Martino, Sheila McKenzie, John Neill, Linda Van Patter, Joyce Ryan and Natalie Tyson.

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