We are very excited to announce that the library has uploaded its first vlog entry to YouTube. It's a little four minute video of a virtual tour of the library in photos; it is narrated by our director, Sheila.
Here is the direct link to the video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=swOPZXgVq2U.
The library's channel or site on YouTube can be visited here:
http://www.youtube.com/matthewslibrary
We hope you'll take the time to check out this video, and leave us a comment either here on our blog or on YouTube.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Words Are Categorical
I couldn't resist reviewing this gem of a series we have here on our shelves at the library: Words Are Categorical penned by Brian P. Cleary and illustrated by Jenya Promitsky and Brian Gable. It's a great resource for both teachers and parents.
There are five titles in the series: Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is An Adverb?; Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is An Adjective?; A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink: What Is A Noun?; To Root, To Toot, To Parachute: What Is A Verb?; and Under, Over, By The Clover: What Is A Preposition?
Each title focuses on one of the five parts of speech and even lists a definition for that part of speech at the beginning of the book. Cleary then uses rhyme and repetition of sounds to take the reader on a zany adventure that reviews examples of that part of speech. Cleary's verse is combined with colorful, eye catching, fun illustrations that re-inforce the content of the text and the examples of that part of speech. This fun and zany series is wonderful for a young elementary level patron who has just learned their parts of speech in school or for middle school level patron who wants a fun way to review the parts of speech for English class. I know, I know, what kid in their right mind willingly and spontaneously checks out a book about boring, old grammar? These books take a lot of the pain out of learning the parts of speech by making the journey creative and colorful with illustrations and poetry.
This series of books can be found at J/428.2/CLE on shelf at the Matthews Library. I hope you'll check them out sometime!
--Reviewed by Ms. Angie
There are five titles in the series: Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is An Adverb?; Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is An Adjective?; A Mink, A Fink, A Skating Rink: What Is A Noun?; To Root, To Toot, To Parachute: What Is A Verb?; and Under, Over, By The Clover: What Is A Preposition?
Each title focuses on one of the five parts of speech and even lists a definition for that part of speech at the beginning of the book. Cleary then uses rhyme and repetition of sounds to take the reader on a zany adventure that reviews examples of that part of speech. Cleary's verse is combined with colorful, eye catching, fun illustrations that re-inforce the content of the text and the examples of that part of speech. This fun and zany series is wonderful for a young elementary level patron who has just learned their parts of speech in school or for middle school level patron who wants a fun way to review the parts of speech for English class. I know, I know, what kid in their right mind willingly and spontaneously checks out a book about boring, old grammar? These books take a lot of the pain out of learning the parts of speech by making the journey creative and colorful with illustrations and poetry.
This series of books can be found at J/428.2/CLE on shelf at the Matthews Library. I hope you'll check them out sometime!
--Reviewed by Ms. Angie
Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
It's our first review ever at A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews!
The title is Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough. This is one of my favorite children's books. It's about a little boy named Eddie who loses his teddy named Freddie. Eddie goes on a search for his teddy, and he can't believe his eyes! The story is suspenseful but ends with a happy finale. If you enjoy this story, you may also enjoy the sequel, It's The Bear! by the same author. It is just as charming and suspenseful.
You can find both of these titles here at the Matthews Library at E/Alb in the children's section.
Have you read this book with your kids? What did you think? Let us know by posting a comment!
--Reviewed by Kathy
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to the Matthews Public Library's blog. This is our inaugural entry, and we are very excited to be able to introduce to you A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews.
Library staff will use this space primarily to post reviews of books and movies we have read or watched; we may also post reviews of music or other library held materials about which we are currently excited. These reviews may take the shape of the written form in typed entries posted on the blogspace as well as the audio/visual form in uploaded video entries to youtube that we link to from this blog. This space online offers us myriad opportunities to interact and communicate with our community both at a local and global level. It also offers us the opportunity to stretch our creative muscles in writing and video.
We at the Matthews Library are very excited to communicate and interact with you about all things related to the library and books. We look forward to growing this new endeavor with your help.
And now I'd like to engage you in a discussion in answer to this question: What book(s) has had the most impact on your life and why?
To start off the discussion I'll share one of the books that had an immense impact on my life. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is one of those books that stays with you long after you have finished reading it. It is creative. It is unique. It is haunting in both its subject matter and its writing. The novel is narrated by a fourteen year old dead girl named Suzy who has been brutally raped and murdered. Bones is not just her story, but also the story of her family and the aftermath of her disappearance. Ultimately, it is a novel that tells of one family's journey to healing in the face of tragedy. Sebold has a talent for hauntingly beautiful prose, and it has been a very (very) long wait for her follow up to Bones: The Almost Moon, which will be released in the coming weeks. I am also looking forward with great anticipation to the film adaptation of The Lovely Bones that has been undertaken by Peter Jackson, the man who brought Lord Of The Rings to the big screen.
Now you can post your own answer to the question "What book has had the most impact on your life and why?" by using the post comment feature at the bottom of this entry. We look forward to hearing from you.
Library staff will use this space primarily to post reviews of books and movies we have read or watched; we may also post reviews of music or other library held materials about which we are currently excited. These reviews may take the shape of the written form in typed entries posted on the blogspace as well as the audio/visual form in uploaded video entries to youtube that we link to from this blog. This space online offers us myriad opportunities to interact and communicate with our community both at a local and global level. It also offers us the opportunity to stretch our creative muscles in writing and video.
We at the Matthews Library are very excited to communicate and interact with you about all things related to the library and books. We look forward to growing this new endeavor with your help.
And now I'd like to engage you in a discussion in answer to this question: What book(s) has had the most impact on your life and why?
To start off the discussion I'll share one of the books that had an immense impact on my life. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is one of those books that stays with you long after you have finished reading it. It is creative. It is unique. It is haunting in both its subject matter and its writing. The novel is narrated by a fourteen year old dead girl named Suzy who has been brutally raped and murdered. Bones is not just her story, but also the story of her family and the aftermath of her disappearance. Ultimately, it is a novel that tells of one family's journey to healing in the face of tragedy. Sebold has a talent for hauntingly beautiful prose, and it has been a very (very) long wait for her follow up to Bones: The Almost Moon, which will be released in the coming weeks. I am also looking forward with great anticipation to the film adaptation of The Lovely Bones that has been undertaken by Peter Jackson, the man who brought Lord Of The Rings to the big screen.
Now you can post your own answer to the question "What book has had the most impact on your life and why?" by using the post comment feature at the bottom of this entry. We look forward to hearing from you.
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