CELEBRATE CHILDREN AND POETRY
Young People's Poetry Week is April 15-21 this year. This celebration of poetry is sponsored by The Children's Book Council, in cooperation with the Academy of American Poets and the Library of Congress' Center for the Book. This is an ideal opportunity to share a favorite poem with a child you know. Listed below are some suggested books.
In addition, April is National Poetry Month. One New Hampshire event is a visit by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky (1997-2000) to the Palace Theater in Manchester on April 30th. The event is sponsored by the NH Humanities Council.
RC 12431 The Best Loved Poems of the American People. A representative collection of popular poems.
RC 20564 The Random House Book of Poetry for Children. More than 500 poems by various poets
RC 28583 Sing a Song of Popcorn: every child's book of poems. A collection of more than 100 poems by well-known writers.
RC 44601 Classic Poems to Read Aloud. Poetry selected from many cultures, beginning with the creation stories of various religions.
RC 50086 The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury. Anthology of 211 poems by poets from Dr. Seuss to John Ciardi.
RC 50546 The Oxford Book of American Children's Poems. Anthology of American poems from Native American cradle songs to contemporary pieces.
VIDEOS
Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to add new titles to our collection of described videos. These special videos allow our visually impaired patrons to enjoy motion pictures, thanks to a descriptive narration added to the soundtrack. They work on regular video players. We have published an updated list of the videos available in our collection. Our patrons are welcome to borrow up to two videos at a time, for a period of two weeks. They can be sent through the mail, as free matter, just like our recorded books. We ask that you be gentle with the videos, they are expensive to purchase. Also, please be prompt to return them, the collection is small and in demand. For your copy of the list of described videos, call us at 1-800-491-4200.
WHAT IS NEW HAMPSHIRE READING IN 2002?
Each year the New Hampshire Humanities Council sponsors the reading and discussion series "What is New Hampshire Reading?" The theme for the 2002 series is "With Earth in Mind." Participants will explore classics of nature writing and books that ask questions about our place on earth. Scholars will lead discussions at selected libraries and bookstores throughout the year. For more information visit the Council's website at www.nhhc.org or inquire at your local library. Some of the selected titles are available in our recorded collection.
RC 34371 Second Nature: a Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan. Pollan describes his efforts to garden five acres of a rocky hillside in Connecticut. In the end he admits that in spite of his efforts, "nature is bound to have the last word."
RC 35033 Under the Sea Wind by Rachel Carson. Scientific information is presented in the form of an adventure story involving various sea creatures.
RC 33685 Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan. In this novel set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, oil is discovered on the land where Native Americans have been resettled, bringing violence, fraud, and betrayal.
RC 25835 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A monster, endowed with life by a young scientist, later turns on his creator.
CASSETTE PLAYER MILESTONE
Since 1983, one million C-1 cassette players have been manufactured for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The familiar yellow machine for talking books is manufactured by Telex Corporation. On December 12, 2001 the millionth player rolled off the assembly line, on its way to a talking book patron!
YOU SAW THE MOVIE-NOW READ THE BOOK!
Hollywood, in its constant quest for new ideas, often turns to literature for inspiration. Many popular books have become motion pictures. Sometimes the movie is good; often the book is better. In our collection we have many titles that were translated into film. I have listed some of the more recent examples below. Try both and compare.
RC 47486 The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. First book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The hobbit Frodo must protect a magic ring from the powers of darkness by undertaking a long, dangerous journey. The acclaimed film Lord of the Rings: the fellowship of the ring (13 Oscar nominations) brings Middle-earth to life.
RC 47595 A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. Biography of John Nash, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. Nash made many contributions to mathematical studies before age 30, when schizophrenia took its toll. Russell Crowe stars in the Oscar-nominated film.
RC 49086 Chocolat by Joanne Harris. On the first Sunday in Lent, newcomer Vianne Rocher opens a chocolate shop near the church in a small French village. The priest and Mlle. Rocher compete for the townspeople's attention. Juliette Binoche plays the lovely Mlle. Rocher in the film version.
RC 49104 A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. Pious, bible-carrying Jamie Sullivan asks 17-year-old Landon to co-star with her in the Christmas play written by her preacher father. As they spend time together, Landon realizes he's falling in love. The movie is a clean teen romance starring pop singer Mandy Moore.
RC 48028 Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. Nonfiction account of the U.S. military operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Oct. 3-4, 1993, when 99 American soldiers were surrounded and trapped. The planned one-hour mission turned into an overnight fight for survival. The recent film portrays the events through the eyes of the soldiers.
RC 50012 Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Twelve-year-old Trevor tackles a school assignment to improve the world. He performs three favors, and each recipient must perform favors for three more people. Young Haley Joel Osment stars in the film with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey.
RC 50315 The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. Unscrupulous Tom Ripley is commissioned to persuade expatriate Dickie Greenleaf to leave Italy and return to his family. But Ripley is so taken with Dickie's lifestyle, he decides to become Dickie - by murdering him. In the film Matt Damon is Ripley, Jude Law the unfortunate Dickie, and Gwyneth Paltrow the love interest.
RC 52469 Pearl Harbor by Randall Wallace. Childhood friends become pilots and compete for the love of a navy nurse, during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The movie, starring heartthrob Ben Affleck, features impressive battle scenes.
NEWSLINE
The National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE service goes nationwide as of March 1, 2002. NFB-NEWSLINE transfers the archived text of newspapers into synthesized speech which eligible patrons may access from any touch-tone phone.
Patrons of this newly expanded free library service will now dial the toll-free number, 1-888-882-1629, to access this service. From the Wall Street Journal to USA Today, the Milwaukee Journal to the Los Angeles Times, NFB-NEWSLINE offers a choice of over 50 daily papers and Sunday papers. Unfortunately, no New Hampshire newspapers are represented yet.
To be eligible, library patrons must be blind or visually impaired, and have subscribed to this free service through a NFB-NEWSLINE application. To request an application, call us or contact the National Federation of the Blind at (410) 659-9314, extension 356. Applications are also available on the Web site, www.nfb.org.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY SERVICES
The New Hampshire Historical Society's Tuck Library received the gift of a closed circuit television (CCTV) from the New Hampshire Association for the Blind. The CCTV magnifies printed materials from 4 to 40 times, enabling sight impaired patrons to read the materials. The Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing New Hampshire history. The Tuck Library is a research library for historians and genealogists. They are at 30 Park St., Concord NH (603-225-3381).
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
The National Book Award has been a prestigious American literary award since 1950, when it was first begun. The goal of the award is to "promote reading and appreciation of exceptional American literature". Winners in four literary categories (Fiction, Non-fiction, Young People's Literature, and Poetry) are chosen each year. In November 2001 the latest award-winning books were announced. The winning books are listed below, and will soon be available through our talking books program. In addition, playwright Arthur Miller was awarded a medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Some works by Miller are in our collection.
RC 53073 The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. An elderly housewife seeks to gather her grown children together for a last Christmas with their dying father in this satirical novel which won the Fiction award.
RC 52298 True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff. 15-year-old Lavaughn clings to her goal of attending college, while dealing with religion, friends and boyfriends. Young People's award.
RC 53027 The Noonday Demon: an atlas of depression by Andrew Solomon. Examines the mental illness depression from cultural, personal, and scientific viewpoints. Non-fiction award.
The Poetry award winner is Seven: new and complete poetry by Alan Dugan. It is not available in the talking book collection. |
