Nov. 9th
From the Rippey Library Shelves
The Young Adult section of the Library is home to many interesting books for readers of all age. Jewell Parker Rhodes weaves an intriguing fictional story in Ghost Boys with key characters, the ghosts of Emmett Till. a young black boy from Chicago killed in Mississippi in 1955 and a young black boy, Jerome, shot by police when he was holding a toy gun. The two young people journey together looking in on their family members and others who were part of their lives. The book also relates to circumstances in their communities and the country, regarding racial issues. Readers are reminded. as one of the characters states, “Only the living can make the world better. . .”
Nancy Hanaman
Nov. 3rd
From the Rippey Library Shelves
From the biography shelves is an interesting and compelling book Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelo, noted author and poet. The author shares her extraordinary life with the deepest story of her life and relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter, through the triumphs and struggles. Also worth reading is her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Nancy Hanaman
October 3rd
From the Rippey Library Shelves
Many of us cherished a favorite teddy bear as children. Some of us still have that bear. A delightful children's picture book on the Library shelves shares the story behind Winnie Pooh in Winnie" the True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the Pooh by Sally Walker.Harry Coleburn was a veterinarian with a Canadian army until during World !.. As his unit began their journey across Canada en route to England, Harry spotted the bear with a man in the train station. The mother had died and the man couldn't keep the bear. Winnie, named after Harry's home town of Winnipeg, became his company's mascot. When he was being deployed to France from England, Harry knew he had to find a new home for the bear and he did in the London Zoo where she enjoyed many years with her bear and human friends. She was so tame that children could feed her and ride on her back. Christopher Robin Milne, son of the famous children's author, A. Milne, was one of the children who visited Winnie in the zoo and named his own bear Winnie the Pooh. This is indeed a remarkable story of a real bear the the soldier who care for her.
Nancy Hanaman
Sept 7th, 2022
From the Rippey Library Shelves
There are a fascinating variety of children's books from picture books to juvenile fiction and non-fiction. As a former children's librarian, I especially enjoy roaming around in the children's books. A recent discovery is a series of
"Elephant and Piggie" books. Gerald, the elephant, is careful while Piggie is not and they are the best friends. One of these books is My New Friend Is So Fun. Piggie meets another friend and Gerald has some adjusting to do. For children of all ages, you will find this series by Mo Willems in the Easy Reader Section.
Nancy Hanaman
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August 2nd, 2022 From The Rippey Library Shelves Lou Hoover is one of the less prominent first ladies of the last century but author Anne Dunlap writes about this extraordinary woman in her 2022 book, A woman of Adventure: The Life and times of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. In her younger days, she learned to handle a rifle and ride a horse as well as anyone. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in music and physical education and in later years provided anonymous gifts to women and men for their education. After her marriage to Herbert Hoover in 1899, they began a life of equality and adventure traveling all over the world and later becoming President and First Lady of the United States. She is sometimes overshadowed by the next First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, but had a very remarkable life of her own. Readers might also enjoy novelist, Jane Smiley taught English and creative writing at Iowa State from 1981-1996 and later moved to California. and taught at the University of California-Riverside.One of her books at Rippey Library shelves is her fiction book A Thoursand Acres, the Pulitizer Prize winner in 1991.This is a very complex and often disturbing story of the lives of three daughters, their families and their father who owns a thousand acres. The story of the family dynamics and their connection to the land is narrated by the oldest daughter, Ginny.. Another of Jane Smiley's books is Some Luck, published in 2014. Each chapter of this book shares a year in the life of the Langdon family from 1920 on their family farm in Denby, Iowa. Intriguing books for interesting summer reading |
Nancy Hanaman
July 18th, 2022
From The Rippey Library Shelves
As I roamed the Biography section of the Library, a book caught my eye about a baseball player, Roberto Clemente. I had a vague memory of him and as I continued reading,
I found his background and legacy fascinating in the book Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss. Clemente began his love for baseball in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Those who watched him play from an early age witnessed "a beautiful fury" that they would never forget. After a brief time as part of the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team system, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a key player when they won the World Series in 1960 and 1971. He not only had a deep love for baseball but was a serious student of the game, especially opposing pitchers. He was one of the first Latin players to be prominent in the Major League. He never forgot where he was from nor the children in Puerto Rico and his young fans in the United States. Unfortunately his life was cut short while on a flight from Puerto on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua with aid after a massive earthquake when the overloaded, uninspected plane dropped into the sea with no survivors. His story is heartbreaking and inspiring.
Nancy Hanaman
June 29, 2022
From The Rippey Library Shelves
The Story of Diva and Flea is a delightful story featuring Diva, a small but brave and pampered dog and Flea, a streetwise cat who lives on the streets of Paris. They strike up an unlikely friendship and share their different worlds with each other and the reader. Diva and Flea reside on the Juvenile Fiction shelves.
Nancy Hanaman