Zorro Gets An Outfit by Carter Goodrich

Zorro is not a happy dog. Well, you wouldn’t be either if you had to wear an outfit. Zorro is embarrassed. He doesn’t like his outfit at all and does not want to be seen in it. But wait! Do you see that dog!?! He is fast and can do lots of nifty tricks. Is he wearing an outfit? Why yes he is! And no one is laughing at him. Maybe there is more to this whole outfit idea than meets the eye!

In Zorro Gets An Outfit, the adorable sequel to Say Hello ToZorro, Zorro must realize that wearing an outfit will not make him a social outcast. The loveable due of Zorro and Mister Bud will have you grinning from ear to ear in their new adventure. Be sure to get your copy today!

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This charming tale is made up entirely of the correspondence between Ms. Helene Hanff of New York and Mr. Frank Doel of London, England, an employee at Marks & Co Booksellers at 84 Charing Cross Road. What started as Hanff's search for inexpensive rare books evolved into a unique friendship that lasted 20 years, though the two never actually met. In an age of quick emails and text messages this book reminds us that there used to be another way to communicate, and that it was more thoughtful and personal than the path technology has led us down. And now I want to go write some letters.

One of Homewood's authors (we claim her) Amy Plum returned home to talk about her books

Library After Hours with Amy Plum, May 2012, a set on Flickr.

Z is for Moose

A is for Apple. B is for Ball. C is for Cat and D is for Moose. Wait…what? That’s not right!

 In Z is for Moose, a hilarious new ABC picture book, one over excited Moose gets too impatient to wait for his turn in the alphabet. Sometimes alphabet books can be a little boring, but not this one. This book will have you laughing out loud at this crazy moose’s antics as he works his way into random spots in the alphabet. But what till happen when it is actually his turn?

You will have to read Z is for Moose to find out!

Blogging with Children

Some people love to blog and some people do it very well and some people do it with children.                  

That is what popped into my head when I saw the cover of May's Birmingham magazine. While flipping through the Children's Department's copy, I read the article 'Mom Online"  by Carla Jean Whitley. It is a look at the growing number of local 'Moms' who are sharing their insight on everything from childcare to shopping, through blogs.

Five local blogs and bloggers are showcased in this piece: Laura Kate Whiney and MagicCityMade.com; Angie Cleland and Trish Bogdanchik and BirminghamMommy.com; Ashley Brouwer-FoodSwoon.com; Paula Coldiron-TwoEllie.com; and Christie Dedman's blog is mentioned and is found at blog.al.com/bargain-mom.

The article gives a little background on each of these blogs and the Moms who created them. While the bloggers are all Moms, the individual Moms' backgrounds are as diverse as are their blogs' philosophy, look, and content. A couple seem driven by ad sales; one is hosted on AL.com; a couple have a kind of artistic feel, like you're reading a journal; and one celebrates the area and events of the town it is named for. All the blogs share personal insight, experience, and offer tips. All are well done, which explains why local readers are making them popular.

Some people love to blog. Personally, I am not one of them. I find it completely intimidating, ergo the length of time between my posts on this site. But blogging is currently a popular genre of writing because it allows for the sharing  of lots of perspectives and ideas. There are a lot of blogs, but just like with any writing only some do it very well, and these Moms do it well and with children! That is impressive indeed. 

Happy Mothers Day to these Mom's and all you Moms this week. Where would we here in the Children's Department of the Homewood Public Library be without you!

Dona Smith

Childen's Librarian

New Books Groups!

We are very excited to announce our TWO new book groups! 

 

For more information, contact Leslie West at 332-6620 or at lwest@bham.lib.al.us

Hope to see you there!

The Accidental Feminist

The Accidental Feminist: HowElizabeth Taylor Raised Our Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice by M.G. Lord

214 pages

Pub. Date:  January 31, 2012 – Walker & Company

   I have always been a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor. I am fascinated with not only her movies, but her personal life. So when I stumbled upon a new biography of Ms. Taylor by M.G. Lord that I have not heard of, I was interested to see what else could be written about Elizabeth Taylor. The title, The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice, intrigued me. I immediately checked it out and moved it to the top of my To-Be-Read pile.

   After reading The Accidental Feminist, I realized that basically Lord had written, what felt like in my opinion, a thesis on the movie portrayals of Elizabeth Taylor and how those characters possessed feminist characteristics. She would sprinkle in tidbits of Taylor’s infamous life, but mostly the book was a critique of her movie roles. This quick read caters to those who are already familiar with Taylor’s life.

   I wish Lord would have included more of Taylor’s later philanthropic works with AIDS foundations. She does include some information about this period in Taylor’s life but the book drops off, for the most part, after Taylor’s movie roles slow down. I would recommend this book to other fans of Taylor’s who aren’t necessarily looking for a new biography of Taylor’s life, but more of a critique of her work.