1. Small persons with wings = fairies

    A quote from about.com’s “Books for Harry Potter Lovers” with NYPL’s Elizabeth Bird —

    “Small persons with wings refers to fairies. You don’t want to call them fairies. If you do, then they will hurt you.”

  2. This 1885 children’s illustration - entitled “a cat and her kittens came tumbling in” - was drawn by none other than legendary artist Randolph Caldecott, the man for whom the Caldecott Medal is named. We thought the drawing (currently in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection) would be a fun Caturday post (plus, according to the title, the cats are ALREADY Tumbling, so c’mon. It was meant to be). Happy Caturday!

    This 1885 children’s illustration - entitled “a cat and her kittens came tumbling in” - was drawn by none other than legendary artist Randolph Caldecott, the man for whom the Caldecott Medal is named. We thought the drawing (currently in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection) would be a fun Caturday post (plus, according to the title, the cats are ALREADY Tumbling, so c’mon. It was meant to be). Happy Caturday!

  3. Little Lions: Book Recommendations for the Younger Reader →

    Little Lions is the name of our new column over at Mommy Poppins. Each month, a different children’s librarian will recommend books for the younger crowd. Since Mommy Poppins spent a bit of time exploring Manhattan’s Chinatown this month, Stephanie Whelan of nearby Seward Park Library recommended some Chinese culture-themed books. As Mommy Poppins says of our children’s librarians, “Because really, who better is there to suggest educational and engaging titles for our kids?

  4. Spooky stories are one of the best parts of Halloween, and the Dad Hoc blog knows it! Here’s the latest installment of Dad Hoc’s series with Mulberry Street Library’s Susie Heimbach. BOO!

    The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams (author) and Megan Lloyd (illustrator)

    The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey 

    Pumpkin Faces: A Glowing Book You Can Read in the Dark! by Emma Rose (author) and Judith Moffatt (illustrator)

    Ghosts in the House! by Kozuno Kohara

    A Dark and Noisy Night: A Silly Thriller with Peggy the Pig by Lisa Thiesing

    Froggy’s Halloween by Jonathan London (author) and Frank Remkiewicz (illustrator) 

  5. Susie, children’s librarian at Mulberry Street Library, is once again a video star, thanks to Dad Hoc, an ad hoc dad blog! The name of this video says it all: Susie Brings Books: 6 Great Space Books for Aspiring Astronauts.  Because almost all children love space — adults should too, it’s our final frontier — and putting on spacesuits and driving rocket ships. The links below make getting these books from your library easy:

    Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin

    I Wonder Why Stars Twinkle and Other Questions About Space by Carole Stott

    Team Moon: How 400,000 People landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

    I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton

    Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca

    Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey

  6. Back to school time is here, and our librarians are prepared! Here is a video of Susie Heimbach from our Mulberry Street Library recommending books for children getting ready to start or go back to school (kindergarten, first and second grades).  Dad Hoc, an ad hoc dad blog, made this video, and we love it! We have all of these books available at the library, so go to our website, log on, and have them sent to your local branch!

    These are the books Susie recommends:

    The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson

    Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell

    Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

    Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall

    I Hate School by Jeanne Willis


  7. We’re all about summer reading. On a beach, in a park, or in an air-conditioned home — books can go everywhere. For school-aged children, summer reading is a serious must; it keeps the mind going and ready for the upcoming school year. But no worries; there are plenty of fun books out there, with great pictures. We’re currently showing off several in our exhibition Children’s Book Illustrators and Authors Come Alive at the Children’s Center at 42nd Street. This illustration by Paul O. Zelinsky is included in the exhibit; it’s titled “But the Gale Nearly Blew Angel Off” and is from the book Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs. Other children’s books highlighted include Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, Me…Jane (about Jane Goodall), and Henry in Love. Next time you’re on 42nd Street, stop by the Children’s Center and take a look, with or without a young one!

    We’re all about summer reading. On a beach, in a park, or in an air-conditioned home — books can go everywhere. For school-aged children, summer reading is a serious must; it keeps the mind going and ready for the upcoming school year. But no worries; there are plenty of fun books out there, with great pictures. We’re currently showing off several in our exhibition Children’s Book Illustrators and Authors Come Alive at the Children’s Center at 42nd Street.

    This illustration by Paul O. Zelinsky is included in the exhibit; it’s titled “But the Gale Nearly Blew Angel Off” and is from the book Dust Devil by Anne Isaacs. Other children’s books highlighted include Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, Me…Jane (about Jane Goodall), and Henry in Love. Next time you’re on 42nd Street, stop by the Children’s Center and take a look, with or without a young one!

  8. This is how many of us remember our father — big, strong, handsome, someone we look up to. This Sunday’s the one day a year that the card companies want us to show our love and admiration in writing. You got it, Father’s Day is this coming weekend! Consider this your prompt to buy your card/make the dinner reservation/buy the baseball game tickets/whatever you want to plan for your Dad. There are lots of good books for the younger child (ages 4-8) to read about their daddy. Imagine a dad reading a book about Father’s Day to his young daughter or son. Heartwarming! Jill Rothstein, the Library Manager at NYPL’s 67th Street Library, has a few book suggestions, all of which are available to check out at the Library: Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz (for baby/toddler) Father’s Day by Anne F. Rockwell Happy Father’s Day by Mercer Mayer Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes A Father’s Day Thank You by Janet Nolan A Perfect Father’s Day by Eve Bunting Kevin and his Dad by Irene Small Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros The Daddy Book by Todd Parr The image above is from the New York World’s Fair 1939-1940 records in NYPL’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.

    This is how many of us remember our father — big, strong, handsome, someone we look up to. This Sunday’s the one day a year that the card companies want us to show our love and admiration in writing. You got it, Father’s Day is this coming weekend! Consider this your prompt to buy your card/make the dinner reservation/buy the baseball game tickets/whatever you want to plan for your Dad.

    There are lots of good books for the younger child (ages 4-8) to read about their daddy. Imagine a dad reading a book about Father’s Day to his young daughter or son. Heartwarming! Jill Rothstein, the Library Manager at NYPL’s 67th Street Library, has a few book suggestions, all of which are available to check out at the Library:

    Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz (for baby/toddler)

    Father’s Day by Anne F. Rockwell

    Happy Father’s Day by Mercer Mayer

    Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes

    A Father’s Day Thank You by Janet Nolan

    A Perfect Father’s Day by Eve Bunting

    Kevin and his Dad by Irene Small

    Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros

    The Daddy Book by Todd Parr

    The image above is from the New York World’s Fair 1939-1940 records in NYPL’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.

  9. Hello, teachers, tutors, librarians, and heck, all of those interested in middle school literature about the great P.T. Barnum, founder of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus!  Tomorrow at 4 pm, NYPL is hosting a Summer Reading Kick Off event with author Candace Fleming. Fleming will discuss her new book The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum. All attendees will receive a free copy of the book (note: It is for the middle school crowd but is getting fantastic reviews as being a really well-researched, fun read.) Click here for more details!

    Hello, teachers, tutors, librarians, and heck, all of those interested in middle school literature about the great P.T. Barnum, founder of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus!  Tomorrow at 4 pm, NYPL is hosting a Summer Reading Kick Off event with author Candace Fleming. Fleming will discuss her new book The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum. All attendees will receive a free copy of the book (note: It is for the middle school crowd but is getting fantastic reviews as being a really well-researched, fun read.) Click here for more details!

  10. We love children’s books! Last night, the Library, with the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, presented the 2011 Ezra Jack Keats Awards for New Illustrator and New Writer. (You can see the book covers above.) Both winners were gracious and interesting, and there are a few quotes we couldn’t help but write down. Upon receiving the New Illustrator award, Tao Nyeu (Bunny Days) stated that she was often chastised for her book’s contents by well-meaning friends: “That’s funny, but that’s not appropriate. You can’t put bunnies in a washing machine.” (It seems that you can, “for pretend”.) I Know Here author Laurel Crowza’s acceptance was a bit more emotional, as she told the audience that she wrote the book after having lung cancer surgery and after her doctor told her to start living her dream. “My goal is to one day receive an old writer award,” she told the Keats Awards audience.

    Both of the books are fantastic, and you can check them out here and here.