Posted on January 28, 2016 by Amy Martin

Introducing Cleo!

Is this the start of the best new middle grade series? We hope so.

Cleo Edison Oliver will be your boss someday. For now, she attends the fifth grade, endures her mom's health food experiments, and dreams up new businesses. She also wonders about her birth parents; Cleo is adopted, and has two adopted younger brothers. How should Cleo react when kids at school tease her for being adopted? And what makes her family her family? 

Cleo's world is warm and supportive, and readers will appreciate the strong depiction of a multiracial family: her father and brothers are African-American, her mother is White, and Cleo herself is Filipina and African-American. Readers who love the Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker will love Cleo, too, for her scrapes and flashes of inspiration.

CLEO EDISON OLIVER: PLAYGROUND MILLIONAIRE is by Sundee T. Frazier, and just launched this week, so keep an eye out for her! OPL has already ordered copies, and you can

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Posted on January 14, 2016 by Amy Martin

#Winning: the 2016 ALA Youth Media Awards

A banner year! Check out this year's Newbery, Caldecott, and other medal winners.

Big news from the 2016 ALA Youth Media Awards! This year's Newbery Medal went to LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET, a picture book by Matt de la Peña--notable because the Newbery is the award for outstanding writing, not illustration. There's only been one other picture book in the almost-100 years the award has existed that beat every novel released that year for the esteemed prize.

de la Peña, who's most known for his young adult novels, is also the

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Posted on January 9, 2016 by Annabelle Blackman

Preschool Adventure : Exploratorium

Discover & Go with the preschool and under set. Indoor, FREE fun during the winter.

If you have encountered me at all, chances are I have talked your ear off about OPL's Discover and Go service. It is one of my favorite services!

Museum passes for FREE! How can you not like that?!?!

If you have been raising a preschooler in California, they have spent their whole lives in drought weather, and this rainy, wetter than usual winter is driving your household crazy. 

What do you do when you can't run them ragged at the park? How are you going to expend their energy?

My answer: Discover & Go Adventure Days

This month, I'll share our Exploratorium adventure with you.

Reserving an Exploratorium pass through Discover

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Posted on January 7, 2016 by Nichole Brown

New Year, Old Me.

This year, instead of changing into someone new, resolve to embrace the old you, and celebrate your uniqueness.

Last year my New Year’s Resolution was to give up dieting. Surprisingly, keeping this was harder than it sounds. Nonetheless it was the first New Year’s resolution I kept until bathing suit season. So with this whole “new year new you” mantra upon us again, I am asking myself, what is the point? Seriously, why should I try to change anything? What if I believe the old me is pretty cool and I don’t need to change anything? Would embracing the old me change how I raise my kids? Would accepting the old me help  my child embrace his uniqueness and understand he is special in his own way?  Maybe instead of a new year’s resolution that rejects the old me for the new, this year I’ll resolve to embrace the old me.

I invite you to join me. Instead of trying to change your future, why not try looking in your past and maybe you will realize just how awesome you are. Share with your children who are our future just why the past makes them so special. Here is what I’ll be sharing with mine: 

 

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Posted on December 29, 2015 by Nina Lindsay

Has this happened to you?

No one wants to talk about accidentally damaging a library book, but it happens to everyone, even librarians.

Yesterday one of our children's librarians told me this story:

"Today a young child came to me with her mother carrying a book. Eyes downcast she explained that her three-year-old sister learned how to use scissors and handed me this":

Cut Book

"I laughed and told her the story of my library book when my three-year-old sister discovered crayons. I asked her if she kept her temper,  she admitted she lost her temper "a little, but she deserved it!"  The girl promised to keep her library books in her backpack next time. Luckily I had a back-up copy in storage anyway. The child is relieved, the mother is happy, and they checked out several more chapter books."

Baby Eating Book

We know this happens.  Your three-year-

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Posted on December 17, 2015 by Erica Siskind

Q&A: Patrons Ask; Librarians Answer. What books do you have for and about Muslim children?

Q&A: Patrons Ask; Librarians Answer. What books do you have that will help our Muslim classmates feel welcome, and give the rest of the class some idea of what it means to be Muslim? I teach reading in elementary school, so a range of reading levels would be best.

Q: I’m looking for books to help our Muslim students feel welcome, and give the rest of the class some ideas of what it means for their classmates to be Muslim. Where do you keep books about Muslims for kids? I need books for kindergarten through third grade.

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Posted on November 30, 2015 by Nichole Brown

Is Santa Real? A Librarian's Dilemma

Not all questions asked in the library have cut and dry answers. And not all can be accurately answered using a book. When a child asks me about the existence of Santa, what am I supposed to say?

In my personal life, I don't touch this question with a 10-foot pole. But when I am asked this question as a librarian; I cannot deflect. The child is asking me as a trusted professional for an accurate and factual answer. Furthermore I am obligated to provide reliable resources to justify my answer. And herein lies my dilemma; I am supposed to affirm or deny the “realness” of a “person” whose very existence is based on faith! The potential answer to this question is as dangerous as a child asking me if Jesus Christ is “real.” Now before you guffaw or laugh at me, I understand  Jesus and Santa are not the same. 

But just like everyone doesn't share the same beliefs about Jesus, everyone doesn't share a universal belief in Santa. Furthermore there are many adults who would not appreciate my answering this question contrary to their beliefs especially considering I am working in a professional capacity.   As a

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Posted on November 25, 2015 by Nina Lindsay

Winter Bingo @ Your Library!

Winter Bingo is an easy way to have fun and stimulate literacy and learning during the winter break.

It's time again for Winter Bingo!

Get your Winter Bingo card, complete five activities in a row, and bring the card back to the library anytime between December 19, 2015 and January 16, 2016 to receive a free book. There is a card for children in grades K-5, and one for you to do with your younger children.

Children can “Listen to a story” or “Read about your favorite thing,”  “Make someone laugh,” or “Bring a friend to the library,” “Dance” or “Play outside.”  Activities for you to do with your baby or preschooler include “Use a recipe to make a snack,” and “Ask your child to turn the page.”  There is plenty to choose from, so everyone can be a winner.

Winter Bingo cards will be available at your library Dec 12th,or you can print your own if you can't wait to start!

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Posted on November 24, 2015 by Nina Lindsay

What Will You Submit to the 90-Second Newbery Festival?

Now accepting submissions to the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival!

90 Second Newbery LogoOnce again, we are thrilled to host a screening of James Kennedy's 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, coming to the Rockridge Branch on Saturday, February 13, at 12noon.  

James will introduce many of the amazing films, made by kids around the country, that tell the story of a Newbery book in 90-Seconds or less. 

Will he show your film? Not if you don't submit one! The rules are all at  

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Posted on November 19, 2015 by Erica Siskind

Q&A: Patrons Ask; Librarians Answer: Which is your favorite book about Thanksgiving for ages 3 to 7?

Children’s Librarians talk with parents, caregivers, and children all day, every day. It's harvest time all around the northern hemisphere. What books could we read to our children?

Q: What's your favorite book about Thanksgiving for ages 3 to 7?

A: Any question that begins with "What is your favorite..." is hard for me to answer, because my moods change, my tastes change, and new things are constantly coming into my consciousness. Also, it's my job to imagine what might be someone else's favorite. 

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