Noe Valley Voice September 2001
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More Books to Read

This month's new books list, provided by librarians Roberta Greifer, Lea Rude, and Carol Small, features Robert Sapolsky's study of Kenyan primates, a look at the new Yugoslavia, and a Pilgrim boy's colonial journal. To check out a book's availability, call 695-5095, or visit the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street, just off Castro Street. Besides books, the branch offers magazines, CDs, videos, an outside deck, computers with Internet access, and the archives and index to the Noe Valley Voice. Hours are Tuesdays, 10 to 9; Wednesdays, 1 to 9; Thursdays, 10 to 6; Fridays, 1 to 6; and Saturdays, 10 to 6.

Adult Fiction

- In A Student of Weather, the first novel by Canadian author Elizabeth Hay, the tragic rivalry between two sisters is interwoven with the seasonal changes on a Depression-era farm in Saskatchewan.

- Barbara Mujica has boldly portrayed the dramatic and painful life of Frida Kahlo through the eyes of an adoring, yet resentful sister in Frida: A Novel.

- Emmanuel Boundzeki Dongala brings magical realism to Africa with The Fire of Origins, in which Mankunku, an outcast because of his unusual green eyes, sees his world devastated by colonialism.

- And Give You Peace, by Jessica Treadway, explores a family's reaction to devastating loss.

Adult Nonfiction

- Robert M. Sapolsky, who spent more than two decades living with wild baboons in the Kenyan bush, recounts his experiences in A Primate's Memoir.

- In Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear, Jan Bondeson explores our fear of and obsession with being buried alive.

- Travel writer Zoë Bran visited Yugoslavia in 1978 as a tourist and returned in 1991 to a very different land; she reflects on her journeys in After Yugoslavia.

- Local author Forrest Hamer's poems weave memories from his Southern childhood with insights from his daily life in California in Middle Ear, winner of the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award in poetry.

Annotations by Lea Rude

Librarian, Noe Valley Branch

Children's Fiction

- Once again, Eileen Christelow's protagonists show how resourceful they are in Five Little Monkeys Wash the Car. Ages 3 to 5.

- David Wojtowycz combines whimsical illustrations with witty wordplay in Animal Antics from 1 to 10, a wacky counting book that will have children giggling while they count. Ages 3 to 7.

- The Caribbean Carnival, or Mas´, is celebrated from A to Z in Play Mas´! A Carnival ABC, by Dirk McLean, with festive watercolors by Ras Stone. Ages 4 to 8.

- Fourth-grader Curtis finds out the hard way that even a beloved pet needs training in One Small Dog, by Johanna Hurwitz. Ages 6 to 9.

- A 14-year-old boy records the events of his first year and a half in America, in the historically accurate The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce: A Pilgrim Boy, Ann Rinaldi's latest in the My Name Is America series. Ages 9 to 12.

- Kira lives in comfortable surroundings in the Council Edifice, but also feels a strong connection to the world beyond it in Lois Lowry's futuristic novel, Gathering Blue. Ages 10 and up.

Children's Nonfiction

- Dance, by Andrée Grau, explores the world of dance, from ballet to Flamenco, in brilliant color and detail. Ages 9 to 12.

- Animal lovers will be delighted to learn about the life of Koko the Gorilla in Koko-Love! Conversations with a Signing Gorilla, by Koko's "mom" and trainer, Dr. Francine Patterson, with color photographs by Dr. Ronald H. Cohn. All ages.

Annotations by Lea Rude and Carol Small
Librarians, Noe Valley Branch

What's Up at the Library

Unless otherwise noted, events are at the Noe Valley ­ Sally Brunn Library, 451 Jersey St. * 695-5095

Noe Valley History Day

- Historian Mae Silver will show slides and discuss her latest book, Rancho San Miguel: A San Francisco Neighborhood History, at 2 p.m. Tye the Magic Guy performs comedy for all ages at 3:30 p.m. A photo exhibit of Noe Valley in the 1930s and 1940s will be on display, and refreshments will be served, on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Preschool Story Time

- Children ages 3 to 5 will hear short and tall tales at the library's preschool story time,
at 10 a.m., Tuesdays, Sept. 4, 11, and 18.

Tuesday Movies

- Preschoolers 3 to 5 can enjoy films, including Foolish Frog, Rosie's Walk, and Three Billy Goats Gruff, at 10 and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Wednesday Lapsits

- Come enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplay with your baby or toddler at the library lapsits, on Wednesdays, Sept. 5, 12, and 19, at 7 p.m.