April 2005 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

This month's book list, chosen by Noe Valley branch librarian Carol Small and Voice bookworm Karol Barske, features short stories by Dave Eggers, recipes by Maya Angelou, and the story of a kitten's first look at the full moon. To find out which books are available at the library, go to www.sfpl.org, call 355-5707, or visit the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro Street. Besides books, the branch offers magazines, newspapers, DVDs, music CDs, Internet access, and the archives and index to the Noe Valley Voice. Library hours are Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 1 to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Adult Fiction

- A number of imperiled animals, including an anteater and a talking dog, make an appearance in Dave Eggers' collection of stories How We Are Hungry.

- The Autobiography of God, by Julius Lester, is about a female college counselor who is asked to read God's autobiography--by the author himself.

- The narrator in J. California Cooper's latest novel, Some People, Some Other Place, is an unborn child who can influence who her mother will be.

- Set in North Beach, Chasing the Dragon, by Domenic Stansberry, is an homage to the hard-boiled detectives of noir mysteries.

Adult Nonfiction

- In Amerika, edited by Mikhail Iossel and Jeff Parker, Russian writers expound on American culture, language, and politics.

- The Merry Recluse is a collection of essays by the late Caroline Knapp, author of Drinking: A Love Story and Pack of Two.

- The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib, edited by Karen J. Greenberg and Josh L. Dratel, includes the full text of some controversial government memos and reports.

- Maya Angelou shares memories, anecdotes, and 73 favorite recipes, starting with dishes from her grandmother's Arkansas kitchen, in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.

New Children's Fiction

- A kitten tries and tries to get the treat she sees in the distance, but in the end gets something even better in Kitten's First Full Moon, a recent Caldecott winner written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. Ages 2 to 5.

- Author/illustrator Steve Jenkins uses cut and torn paper collage, and a few important facts, to show the huge variation of size in the animal world, in Actual Size. Ages 3 to 7.

- A girl with a photographic memory also uses verbal clues to help solve mysteries in Young Cam Jansen and the New Girl Mystery, by David A. Adler, with illustrations by Susanna Natti. Ages 5 to 7.

- In Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Unseen, 12-year-old Xandra stops feeling like an outsider in her family after she finds a magic feather and a new friend. Ages 10 and up.

Some Old Favorites

- If you want to have some fun with poetry and a friend, and improve your reading skills too, spend some time with You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together, by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley. Ages 6 to 8.

- In Edward Eager's Half Magic, four siblings who expected to have a boring summer have wonderful adventures that involve time travel and a bit of math. Ages 8 and up.

- Anna and Caleb, who live on the prairie, wonder if they will like their father's mail-order bride on her way from Maine, in Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Ages 8 and up.

- Jonas starts to receive the feelings and memories of his community, but rather than store them all, he thinks he may leave the "perfect" community where he has grown up, in Lois Lowry's The Giver. Ages 10 and up.

LIBRARY EVENTS

Saturday Lapsits

- Infants and toddlers, with a parent, will enjoy the stories, songs, and fingerplays at lapsits, at 10:30 a.m. on Satudays, April 2, 9, 16, and 23. The library address is 451 Jersey Street, between Castro and Diamond.

Preschool Story Time and Films

- Children ages 2 to 5 are invited to attend a preschool story time at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, April 5, 12, and 26. An hour of short films will be shown for kids 3 to 5 on Tuesday, April 19, at 10 and 11 a.m.

Whodunnit?

- The Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library would greatly appreciate your castoff paperback mysteries, published in the last five years. Bring book donations, in good condition, to the adult reference desk in the branch, at 451 Jersey Street near Castro.