National Picture Book Month

November is National Picture Book Month! What a great excuse to talk about picture books. I freely confess, I'm a picture book fanatic. When we get shipments of new books at the library, the picture books are usually the ones I'm most excited about. Picture books offer so much, in both words and pictures. They …

Foodie Movies

Cold days, colder nights. It's a great time of year to indulge in foodie movies. Many of these are so rich that one can almost smell and taste the gastronomic wonders. Make sure you have some good snacks at hand -- you're likely to get hungry watching these! Chocolat is one of my favorite movies. …

The Shortest Day

December. Short days, long chilly nights. As we drive to work in the dark, and drive home in the dark, we begin to wonder, will we ever see the sun again? If we feel this way in these modern, enlightened times, imagine how it must have felt millenia ago, when the sun seemed to struggle …

The Creepiest Month

It's October, and thoughts often turn to skeletons, ghosts, zombies, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night. To prepare, I've been reading (or re-reading) some of the creepiest books out there, and I'm sharing some of my favorites with you. Scary stories have been around for a long time. The 19th century …

It’s time for school!

All across the country, kids are starting school -- either for the new school year or for the first time. Some schools are already in session, while others start in the next few weeks. Of course, this got me thinking about books related to the start of school. As usual, my thoughts first jump to …

Picturing Mental Health

May is Mental Health Month across the country. In our libraries, you can view displays, attend programs, and check out books and videos related to mental health. One place you might not think to look for mental health resources is the picture book section of your library. But there are amazing, wonderful picture books that …

Winter Comfort Food

While the weather outside is chilly, thoughts in our kitchen turn to hearty fare. Those dishes that seem too heavy in the bright hot days of summer suddenly seem very appealing. And so, I share with you some of my favorite winter foods. Probably my single most favorite wintertime cookbook (at the moment this is …

MakerTools!

Thanks to a generous grant from LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), makertools are arriving at all FRL libraries this winter. But what are makertools? You may have heard the term "makerspace" in recent years -- MakerTools is FRL's take on that concept. MakerTools are the equipment and knowledge needed for making, learning, exploring, and …

Winter Wonderlands!

All my life I've had a fascination with winter. Maybe it's because I grew up in coastal Southern California, so winter for us was a novelty, an annual drive up into the mountains to experience sledding, snowmen, and other winter fun. But we always went on a clear day (so as not to get stuck …

Discovering Kids Films on Kanopy

Kanopy, the free-with-your-library-card film streaming service provided for FRL card holders, recently added a large section of films for kids. If you haven't browsed through it yet, you are really missing out! It's easy to access; from the Kanopy homepage, just click on "Kids" at the top. Here you will find a wealth of films and …