You've heard of William Saroyan (we have a theater named after him here in downtown), and probably Gary Soto, and maybe even Juan Felipe Herrera (he's our national poet laureate). Did you know they're all Fresno folks? Yes, they are also all prolific writers - hurray for Califoria Writers Week!
You may also have heard of Doris Gates - the Central location of the Fresno County Public Library has a children's room named after her. She used to work there, and write on her days off - she was a librarian AND a local writer! Her most lasting work is Blue Willow, set during the Dust Bowl migration into California, but she wrote many more titles. Most of them are sadly out of print. A local writer whose work is not out of print is Chris Colfer. You may know him better as the author of the Land of Stories Series - the fourth book, Beyond the Kingdoms, just came out. He's young, so we can hope for lots more from him. Margarita Engle is an award-winning local writer with beautiful fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose. Her Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: a Memoir makes me feel like I've lived (for a few moments) as a beloved child in Cuba as well as in California. Of course, our own Dorina Lazo Gilmore, mother of two Kepler kids, is a writer as well, with Cora Cooks Pancit as her most recent work. Sarah Torna Roberts, mother of four Kepler kids, is also a writer. She has had a blog for some time, and recently began writing for the Washington Post. Her most recent article tackles having uncomfortable but important conversations with your kids. These are only a handful of the great writers working in and around Fresno - California Writers Week should have one day just for the Central Valley! Full disclosure: None of these authors (except the Kepler folk) know me, and none of them are in any way influencing me to talk about their writing, nor does anyone know me at Booksource or Amazon, the vendors whose links are in this post. Buy these books or others (or borrow them while you're deciding whether you like them enough to buy them) from anyone you like.
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The third week of every October is officially California Writers Week. You may not know the sheer volume of great writers we have (or have had) in our fair state - it's pretty amazing. This poster's list is not comprehensive - there are still more! See this link for a larger version. Stay tuned for a focus on Valley writers.
Earlier this year students offered recommendations for titles they'd like to see on the new library shelves. Some students had specific requests, like White Fang, Fly Guy, Serafina and the Black Cloak, My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, Percy Jackson series, Smile, Harry Potter series, Wonder, and many more. Some students suggested categories, such as graphic novels, nonfiction, audio books, books that became movies, and magazines.
Would you agree with any of these suggestions? Do you have other suggestions to make? Thanks to those of you who bought used books to support our library, and thanks to those of you who ran the table! The library made $85 dollars!
I was "next door" at the California Writer's table - there are so many great local writers, and last night I got to learn about more! Three different people told me about authors who live in Fresno or Clovis. If you like picture books, you might want to check out Amy Dixon's Marathon Mouse or Sophy's Animal Parade. If you like cooking or Fresno history, Janice Stevens has Cooking With Saroyan with is filled with recipes, watercolors, and stories. A few folks were surprised to know that one of our authors is really local. Dorina Lazo Gilmore, author of Cora Cooks Pancit, has children who attend Kepler. Thanks for talking to me about local authors! We'll look at California Writers again in a couple of weeks, when it's officially time to celebrate. In the meantime, if you think of someone I might have missed, I'd love to hear about it! Want some new-to-you books? Want to help Kepler's Library? Come out Neighborhood Night tonight from 5:30 to 7:00 and stop by our book sale table. We'll have paperbacks for fifty cents and hardbacks for a dollar. Help us buy new books for the library, and get something new-to-you for your own shelf!
Even if you're not an animal lover, you may enjoy seeing people from a different, imagined perspective. One of the best books I have read recently is the story of a 12 year old boy, Peter, and his fox. Pax, by Sarah Pennypacker, starts off with a rush. The first chapter is Peter leaving his fox in the woods on the way to live with his grandfather. Peter and Pax take turns telling the story of their efforts to reunite. Pax's chapters are full of sensory details, and Peter's chapters give a slow reveal of the larger problems he faces.
What animal stories have you read and loved? Some books are so beautifully illustrated that they need no words to tell the story. A childhood favorite, The Chicken's Child by Margaret A. Hartelius, is a great example. The expressions on the faces of the farmer and the chicken and her surprise baby are clear enough that a high school friend found himself halfway through it before realizing there were no words.
Some, like The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, require careful observation. Her illustrations are deceptively simple--what happens in the story is surprisingly complicated but satisfying. David Wiesner's books are all beautiful to look at: Sector 7 is funny; Flotsam has a mysterious camera wash up on shore, Tuesday has a very few words, and follows flying frogs through an evening of mischief. Do you have a favorite wordless book? What is great about it? Did you know September is National Love Your Library Month? Fresno County Public Library has some very fun ways to celebrate - stop in and sign up for a library card, or if you already have one, tell your librarian what you love about your library. One of the prizes may or may not be ice cream...
You can also love your Kepler Library. We aren't open yet, but we are taking donations. If we are able to use your book in the library, you can look forward to seeing it on the shelf after we open our new facility doors. If we are not able to use your book in the school library, it may support reading in a class library, or go onto our book sale table to raise funds for new books (and kids will get new-to-them books at a very reasonable price--win-win!). "The reading which has pleased, will please when repeated ten times." --Horace
Some books are worth reading again because you want to visit that place again, or meet that character again. Others are worth re-reading because you find something new. When I was a little girl, I loved the Little House on the Prairie series because I wanted to imagine having to live (and play!) with no more than my family, our skills, our dog, and the good land we lived on. When I was a parent, I admired Ma's strength and ability to amuse her children while doing chores, and her focus on getting an education for her girls. When I started learning to be a teacher, Laura's school experience and teaching experience were riveting. What do you love to read again? What do you like about it? Do you want to learn how to do something? Do you already have a favorite non-fiction book that tells how to do something? This summer at our house we read a how-to crochet book, a how-to jewelry book, and lots of Minecraft how-to. We even read the hilarious How to Be Perfect In Just Three Days, which starts with wearing broccoli on a string around the neck for 24 hours. Yes, that one is fiction. I don't want to give away the ending - decide for yourself if Milo is satisfied with the results.
What how-to book would you recommend? What how-to book would you love to find? |
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June 2019
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