In honor of this great story, our children’s librarian has chosen several titles that have a similar feel to Are You My Mother?.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin
Illustrations and rhyming text portray a young bear searching for its mother and meeting many North American animals along the way.

The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
Mr. and Mrs. Bird’s search for a “better” nest leads them to some peculiar spots.

Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman
When a strange egg appears in their nest, Mr. and Mrs. Bird kindly take it upon themselves to raise the “baby bird” inside.

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
Feeling too grumpy to fly, Bird begins to walk and finds out that his mood changes as other animals join him.

I Love You Just the Way You Are by Virginia Miller
Even when Bartholomew the bear is having a very bad day, his dad lets him know that he is still loved.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
A young llama asks his friends if their mamas are llamas and finds out, in rhyme, that their mothers are other types of animals.

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton
While his mother is away finding food, a newborn owl falls out of his nest and anxiously tries to find her, receiving help from various forest animals.

This year’s participating communities are:  Lansing Township, Delta Township, Delhi Township, Lansing, Williamston, Grand Ledge, Charlotte, St. Johns and East Lansing.

Go to www.walkingworks.com to sign up.  Choose Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield, then 2012 Winter Warm Up Blues Community Challenge, then select your team from the list, enter the required information, and click submit.  You’re now registered with a personal tracking page that links to your overall team page.

Weekly health themes will be discussed  in a single-page newsletter. Newsletters will be e-mailed weekly and paper copies will be available at the Lansing Mall information desk and during the Lansing Mall weekly program. If you would like to receive the newsletter by mail, contact Alicia Armstrong, Playmakers at 517-282-5035.

Community sponsores include: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, Capital Area District Library, Delta Township Parks and Recreation, Capital Area Health Alliance, City of Lansing, City of St. Johns, East Lansing Parks, Recreation and Arts, Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital, Ingham County Health Department, Ingham County Parks, Ingham Regional Medical Center, Lansing Community College, Lansing Mall, Meridian Township Parks and Recreation, Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, MSU Health4U Program, Playmakers, Sparrow Health System, and YMCA of Lansing.

- Eunice B., CADL Reference Librarian

I am happy to report that the library is now able to offer Consumer Reports Cars Best Deals Plus online. You can access it from home with your library card. While not as complete as the full ConsumerReports.org, it does offer reports on many commonly researched products.

Examples of products include: cars, washing machines, computers, TVs, mattresses, cribs and much more! When you look up a product you will see the same grids with ratings that you see in Consumer Reports magazine. The site also covers recalls.

Happy shopping!

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

The variety of graphic novels continues to expand, and there are some terrific selections for young readers who may not be ready for the sophisticated and more mature themes addressed in graphic novels for older kids. While some may argue that reading graphic novels isn’t really reading, there are benefits to making graphic novels available to kids:

• The appeal to reluctant readers can’t be denied.  Graphic novels include lots of illustration, and the pacing of the story tends to be fast and full of action, which will capture the attention of many who resist reading chapter books.
• Learning to read between the panels.  Graphic novels are more about illustration than words – but this doesn’t mean that the story is any less detailed than a standard narrative.  Rather, readers of graphic novels develop comprehension skills as they decipher how the words and illustrations complement each other to tell the story.

Give some of these graphic novels a try with your young reader:

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

Fashion Kitty by Charise Mericle Harper

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer Holm

Squish: Super Amoeba by Jennifer Holm

Chi’s Sweet Home by Konami Kanata

Dragon Puncher by James Kochalka

Johnny Boo: the Best Little Ghost in the World by James Kochalka

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka

The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier

Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? by Agnes Rosenstiehl

-Lynn H., CADL Youth Services Specialist

Local career expert Lisa (a.k.a. Recruiter Uncensored) shares some of her knowledge with us every Monday. You can read this post in its original form along with comments here.

- Lisa W-P, CADL Guest Blogger

Fiction with Michigan Lansdscapes

But some aspiring authors manage to get all the way from great idea to published book. How did they do it? There’s no one single answer to that question, which is why I’m delighted about an upcoming event at the Haslett Library called “Children’s Author Panel: The Path to Publication.” Held from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, it features four local children’s authors who have all been published by traditional publishing companies. Each of them has a different story to tell about how they did it.

The idea for the program came from our Public Services Librarian, Kate Nicholoff. “I had heard one of the authors give a presentation about getting published that was really interesting and informative,” she explains. “I was sure there would be an audience for this kind of program. People check out books about writing and publishing all the time—now they can hear first-hand how others did it. I’m excited that we were able to pull together such a star-studded panel!”

With credits ranging from picture books to middle grade novels to young adult fiction, that panel includes:

• Ruth McNally Barshaw (The Ellie McDoodle series for ages 8-12)
• Deborah Diesen (NY Times-Bestselling picture book The Pout-Pout Fish)
• Carol A. Grund (The Anna Mei series for ages 8-12)
• Amy Huntley (The Everafter, a 2009 ALA Morris Award Finalist for ages 12 & up)

After speaking about their experiences, the authors will take questions from the audience and share resources. Their books will be available for sale and signing after the program. They are also available at the Capital Area District Library; visit cadl.org/catalog to place holds and have them delivered to any branch.

If you’re an aspiring writer with a manuscript in a drawer, it’s time to take the next step! Start by coming to hear the success stories of these published authors. Then maybe next year, we’ll be featuring you in a library program!

-Ann C., CADL Haslett’s Head Librarian

Q:  Are DVDs free to borrow? How long can I have them?
A: They are always free to check out BUT you have to pay fines if they are late. New DVDs go out for three days and are $2.00 a day for every day late. Older DVDs go out for one week and are $1.00 a day for every day late.

Q: My CADL branch has a pretty small collection of DVDs. How do I get access to more?
A: Think of the library as one big DVD shelf. Go to the catalog to place a hold on titles at other branches. You can pick up and return DVDs at any CADL branch.

Q: You don’t get movies as fast as I see them in stores. What gives?
A: Some of the movie studios won’t release popular DVDs to libraries right away. For some titles we have to wait until they have been in stores for about a month.

Q:  The new DVDs are never on the shelf, help!
A:  You can put DVDs on hold before they are released, so they take a while to land back on the shelves as they make their way from person to person. To put new releases on hold, enter the title in the catalog and click Place A Hold. If you want to see a list of DVDs that are on their way to us, go to our orders lists. I also like videoETA.

Q:  Do you have BluRay?
A: We sure do. You can search for just BluRay titles by going to Find Movies. Enter your title or actor etc. and make sure only the BluRay box is checked before you click Find. If you want to see ALL of our BluRay titles, go to the catalog and under Quick Search select Call Number search. Enter BluRay

Q:  How do I find movies that a particular actor/actress is in, or that are directed by a certain director?
A:  Go to Find Movies. Enter an actor, director or actress’s name and search on that.  I sometimes use Internet Movie Database to check against the library catalog. In IMDB you can pull up every movie/show a person has participated in!

Q:  Can I get DVDs from libraries outside of CADL?
A:  Many libraries in MeLCat do not loan DVDs to patrons outside of their system, reserving DVDs for their own patrons. (CADL does not loan out DVDs outside of our system.) However, if we don’t own a title, Try MeLCat. Once in a while you get lucky. Also see suggesting a purchase below.

Q:  Can I suggest that the library buy a DVD?
A: Yes, if you have a library card. Go to Suggest a Purchase in the catalog. Remember to check the catalog to see if we already have it on order.

Happy Viewing!

-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian

Flickr user: takomabibelot

Are you interested in keeping up to date with the latest trends and news in health care?  Do you wonder what the latest research shows is the most effective treatment for various diseases?  Would you like to be more informed the next time you discuss a concern with your doctor?  While there certainly is no lack of information available from the internet, media, books, and magazines, determining which sources are credible and accurate can be tricky.  So, here are a few resources CADL offers that you can trust:

Medical newsletters:

• Harvard heart letter,  Harvard Medical School
• Harvard women’s health watch, Harvard Medical School
• Consumer Reports on Health, Consumer Union
• Mayo Clinic health letter

Magazines:

• NIH Medline Plus, National Institutes of Health
• Diabetes Forecast, American Diabetes Association
• Sully’s Living Without, allergies, chemical sensitivity
• Nutrition Action Health Letter

We can also recommend the New York Times Health section and the FDA Consumer Updates.  You can subscribe to their RSS feeds or read them online.

- Eunice B., CADL Reference Librarian

Local career expert Lisa (a.k.a. Recruiter Uncensored) shares some of her knowledge with us every Monday. You can read this post in its original form along with comments here.

When interacting with business leaders, I frequently hear remarks that shed light on the assumptions some have about the unemployed. Many believe people are unemployed by choice. That they prefer to receive unemployment rather than go out and get a job. I’m here to tell you I have yet to meet anyone excited about being on unemployment. The professionals I know are humbled, some to the point of embarrassment, over receiving benefits. Which is probably why so many of those I know never even filed to obtain them, even though they paid into the system for years.  That’s right, never filed. They are tapping into their retirement accounts, draining their savings and selling off assets in order to get by.  Milking the system isn’t the objective of those I interact with. They want a job.

Though it may be true the economy changed people’s view of the future, that doesn’t mean those who have found themselves on new career paths are only going through the motions of finding a job. Some are, of course. Necessity dictates they find some way to earn a living, like it or not. Many have come to realize, however, that enjoyment can come from a variety of career options. Fewer are defined by a career choice. More understand the professional hazard of seeing their abilities and interests in such a narrow way.

I’m coming to believe something is missing from the equation. We have job seekers embracing the concept of upgrading their skills, changing their career path and being more flexible with their options. What we don’t have is enough companies embracing these changes. I still see many running from candidates who don’t fit the mold they are most comfortable with. A corporate leader who tells a job seeker to go learn a new skill should ask himself how he would deal with that person as a candidate for a job in his company. Would the tenured automotive worker who went back to school for a Finance degree make it through his company’s initial screening process for an analyst position? Would his resume even be called or would a “no thank you” letter go out? To the corporate leader who tells the job seeker to be more flexible, how do you view the candidate who made $80,000 in his past job who is applying to your $40,000 job? He’s a flight risk, right? Surely something is wrong if he is willing to consider such a drastic cut?

We’ve all got to work together in this. There is a lot of talk about it being a buyer’s (employer’s) market. Just as there was talk a while back about it being a seller’s (candidate’s) market. The time is right for us to forget about who may have the immediate advantage in terms of being picky and realize, for our community’s greater good, we need to find a way to put the skills available in our workforce to use. We all need to get comfortable with the thought people can adjust, skills are transferable, flexibility isn’t indicative of a problem and unemployment isn’t a verdict on a person’s drive, relevance and capacity to have an open mind.

- Lisa W-P, CADL Guest Blogger