Monday, November 14, 2022

November is Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month

Happy Native American Heritage Month! What does it mean to be Native American in modern times? The U.S. has a complex and fraught history with Native Americans and there are so many things that white Americans could learn in terms of the Native American experience, mired as we are in pervasive cultural stereotypes and prejudices, with a Hollywood veneer.

To delve a bit deeper into hearing their own voices and experiences, here is a list of a few books that we believe offer great insight. Please note that A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger was the winner of the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor award, and chosen as the 2022 Big Library Read (chosen by OverDrive/Libby as the global community read for the year.) For more titles, we recommend Debbie Reese’s blog: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

If you’re interested in hearing more firsthand stories from other people/groups that are battling stereotypes, be sure to check out The Communication Project at the Library this Thursday, Nov. 24, starting at 5 pm. Choose from a variety of topics and talk one on one with volunteers to hear their perspective.

Notable Native American Picture Books

(Non-fiction) Shaped by Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzalez

(Non-fiction) Sharice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman by Sharice Davids

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia L Smith

Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck

Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie

I Sang You Down from the Stars by Spillett-Sumner, Tasha

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

Notable Native American Teen Books

(Graphic Novel) Borders by Thomas King

A Snake Falls to Earth by Little Badger, Darcie

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Gansworth, Eric L.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Notable Native American Books for Adults

(Poetry) Love at Gunpoint by Nila NorthSun

Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

There There by Tommy Orange

Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

Monday, November 7, 2022

Exploring Careers, Writing Inspiration & Challenging Stereotypes

Monday, October 31, 2022

Friends of the Library Used Book Donation Day

We get lots of questions from patrons about donating used books, well now's your chance! The Friends of the Eager Free Public Library will be having another used book donation day later this week. It will take place on Saturday, November 4 from 10:00am to 12:00pm in the library's Conference Room, which is located in the lower level.

Please note that Library staff will not be accepting donations prior to the event.

The Friends will look over the books that you're offering to donate and accept the books they can use in future sales.

Here's a list of items that the Friends cannot accept:

Reference books
Textbooks
Magazines (except for quilting magazines)
Damaged books
DVDs
CDs

Monday, October 24, 2022

Change Coming Soon: Prairie Lakes Library System

Eager Free Public Library is currently part of the Arrowhead Library System, along with the other Rock County libraries. Effective January 1, 2023, we will join the Lakeshores Library System (Racine and Walworth Counties) to form the Prairie Lakes Library System. As you can see in the graphic below, Arrowhead and Lakeshores, along with Kenosha County were already all part of the SHARE Consortium. This means that we share our materials back and forth between the three library systems. So while our library system name is changing, our catalog and delivery system will remain the same. This merger should make things behind the scenes more efficient, which will result in even better service for our patrons.

Monday, October 17, 2022

Author Spotlight: Sarah Addison Allen

After a long hiatus, author Sarah Addison Allen is back with a brand new novel to get lost in. Sarah invents worlds full of magical realism that feel like you can just walk right into them. The characters she creates end up feeling like your own family or close friends. You find yourself speeding through the book to find out what happens next and then so disappointed when it's all over and you have to rejoin the real world. Other Birds was definitely worth the long wait! Summaries never quite do the book justice, but hopefully this is enough to suck you in: "Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written." If you've never read anything by Sarah Addison Allen before, now is the perfect time to dive in!

Waverly Sisters Series:

Garden Spells

First Frost

Novels:

The Sugar Queen

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Peach Keeper

Lost Lake

Monday, October 10, 2022

Wisconsin Science Festival

The Wisconsin Science Festival is this week, October 10 - 16. There are all kinds of awesome in-person and virtual programs put together by libraries, schools, museums, and other venues statewide. We would like to highlight our two official Wisconsin Science Festival programs and encourage you to unleash your curiosity!

DIY Color Changing Slime

Monday, October 10 at 11:00am

Slime that changes color when you touch it? So cool! Get messy experimenting with thermochromatic pigments in slime.

(Recommended for School Age Kids)

Eyes on the Skies: The Current Night Sky, What to Watch For, How to Observe It

Thursday, October 13 at 6:30pm

Speaker Jim Lattis will introduce bright planets, starts, constellations, and other interesting objects of the current seasonal sky. (Recommended for Adults)

In addition to these two programs, we will also have Science in a Bag STEM kits available to pick up beginning on Monday, October 10, while supplies last. These kits are courtesy of the Wisconsin Science Festival and have activities in them that are appropriate for students in grades K - 12.

Monday, October 3, 2022

"On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was."

Today is Mean Girls Day! That's so fetch! Due to the slightly dorky quote to the left, October 3rd is officially Mean Girls Day. Mean Girls was directed by Tina Fey and is chock full of other former Saturday Night Live stars. So, while being totally hilarious, it also tackles a lot of issues that high school students face. While we don't condone being a "mean girl," this movie has definitely become a cult classic. This is a must watch for people of all ages. After you watch it, you just might need to embrace your inner mean girl. Try one of the books, movies, or TV shows below.

Books:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver