November 2006 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

This month's selection of new library books features an early memoir by Illinois Senator Barack Obama and a guide to self-actualization by Kermit the Frog. If you want to find out whether either book is currently available, go to your nearest branch or visit the San Francisco Library online at www.sfpl.org. (Be prepared to put your name on the waiting list--these books are popular!) Meanwhile, the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street remains closed for seismic renovation. For information, call 557-4353.

LIBRARY SELECTIONS

Children's Fiction

- Eric Carl's vibrant collages energize the story of 10 Little Rubber Ducks, adrift at sea, who bob in different directions and meet diverse creatures. Ages 3 to 6.

- Say Hi! Fly Guy to a clever fly who proves he is eligible to enter a pet show. Tedd Arnold won a Geisel Honor for this beginning reader. Ages 5 to 7.

- Julia Alvarez draws on her Dominican Republic heritage to weave a tale of family and hardship in a new land, in A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia. Beatriz Vidal's detailed gouache paintings illustrate this enchanting legend. Ages 5 to 8.

- The girl who comes in through the skylight may or may not be a real angel, but she definitely likes to be involved in the twins' activities--sometimes with chaotic results--in The Girl with the Broken Wing by Heather Dyer, illustrated by Peter Bailey. Ages 8 to 10. (Recommended by Noe Valley branch librarian Carol Small.)

- In The Ruins of Gorlan, Will hopes to train as a knight, but on Choosing Day he is apprenticed to a mysterious Ranger, who employs woodcraft and stealth to protect the kingdom. First in a new fantasy series by an Australian writer, John Flanagan. Ages 9 to 12. (Recommended by librarian Sharon Dezurick at the Glen Park Branch.)

Children's Non-Fiction

- Donna M. Jackson takes you behind the scenes into one of the country's leading veterinary hospitals, in E.R. Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room. Numerous color photographs show the doctors, vet techs, and grief counselors, and the patients and people they help. Ages 10 to 14.

--Children's annotations by Pam Ow, Children's Librarian at the Eureka Valley­Harvey Milk Library, with help from librarians Carol Small and Sharon Dezurick

Adult Fiction

- Mitch Albom, best-selling author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, addresses the idea of second chances in life in his latest book, For One More Day.

- Moral Disorder, Margaret Atwood's novel told in short stories, chronicles 60 years in the lives of a troubled Canadian family.

- Paint It Black is the second novel by Janet Fitch (White Oleander) about the harmful effects of a difficult narcissistic mother on an only child.

Adult Non-Fiction

- Kermit the Frog shares the wisdom he's acquired over the past 50 years in Before You Leap: A Frog's Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons.

- State of Denial, the third in journalist Bob Woodward's in-depth series on the Bush White House, focuses on the war in Iraq.

- Cary J. Griffith contrasts two stories of danger and survival in the northern Minnesota woods in Lost in the Wild.

- Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is Illinois Senator Barack Obama's first book exploring his identity as the son of a white American mother and a black African father.

- A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life, by Jon Katz, tells the tale of a hyperactive border collie who brought the author back in touch with nature.

--Adult annotations by Karol Barske and Sally Smith of the Voice staff

LIBRARY EVENTS

Tea and Sandwiches

- On Tuesday, Nov. 28, author Michelle Tea will host an evening of literary conversation with special guests Melody Allegra Berger, editor of the teen zine The F-Word, and Sara Steinberg, a Boston-based writer and artist. The event will be held at the Eureka Valley Library, at 1 Jose Sarria Court (16th near Market), from 7 to 8:30 p.m Tea sandwiches will be provided.

Lapsits, Story Time, and More

- Come enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays with your baby or toddler, at the Noe Valley Library's Tuesday lapsits, held at 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 14, 21, and 28, at Bethany United Methodist Church, 1268 Sanchez Street (corner of Clipper). Bethany will also host preschool story time on the same dates in November but starting at 11 a.m. This is the read-aloud program for children ages 3 to 5.

- During November, the Mission, Glen Park, Bernal Heights, and Eureka Valley branches also offer story times and lapsits, plus a variety of reading, art, music, and lecture programs. For a complete schedule of San Francisco Public Library events, for children and adults, go to www.sfpl.org.

- As usual, the Noe Valley Bookmobile will be parked at 665 Elizabeth Street near Diamond Street on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.