Start Smart! August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month.

School is back in session - help get your child off to the bestg possible start by making use of the many resources available here at our library : educational toys located in the Parent Resource Center, board books and early reader books located in our Children's Department, books on how to help your child learn to read in our Adult Nonfiction, and more.  

We also have resources that you can access online on your own devices at home.  You can find links on the front page of our online catalog ( https://wcvpl.biblionix.com/catalog/ ) under Electronic Resources.

*Visual reposted from the Rauch Foundation

Getting Your Children Ready for School

 In Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education, author Susan Wise Bauer highlights the failure of our modern education system. "Our K–12 school system is an artificial product of market forces. It isn’t a good fit for all―or even most―students. It prioritizes a single way of understanding the world over all others, pushes children into a rigid set of grades with little regard for individual maturity, and slaps “disability” labels over differences in learning style. Caught in this system, far too many young learners end up discouraged, disconnected, and unhappy. And when they struggle, school pressures parents, with overwhelming force, into “fixing” their children rather than questioning the system. With boldness, experience, and humor, Susan Wise Bauer turns conventional wisdom on its head: When a serious problem arises at school, the fault is more likely to lie with the school, or the educational system itself, than with the child. In five illuminating sections, Bauer teaches parents how to flex the K–12 system, rather than the child. She closely analyzes the traditional school structure, gives trenchant criticisms of its weaknesses, and offers a wealth of advice for parents of children whose difficulties may stem from struggling with learning differences, maturity differences, toxic classroom environments, and even from giftedness (not as much of a “gift” as you might think!). As the author of the classic book on home-schooling, The Well-Trained Mind, Bauer knows how children learn and how schools work. Her advice here is comprehensive and anecdotal, including material drawn from experience with her own four children and more than twenty years of educational consulting and university teaching.
Rethinking School is a guide to one aspect of sane, humane parenting: negotiating the twelve-grade school system in a way that nurtures and protects your child’s mind, emotions, and spirit." (from Amazon.com)

"Angela C. Santomero, MA, the award-winning creator of children’s television phenomena like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Blues Clues knows this better than anyone and has spent decades working to instill confidence in her young viewers. In Preschool Clues: Raising Smart, Inspired, and Engaged Kids in a Screen-filled World, she breaks down the philosophy behind her shows—educating, inspiring, and empowering kids—into concrete strategies that parents and educators can incorporate into their family and classroom to set their preschoolers up for success, such as:

• Intentionally pausing to foster bonding, independence, and resilience
• Developing empathy and confidence through soliciting preschoolers’ help
• Becoming “fluent” in the language of preschoolers: Play
• Igniting your preschooler’s curiosity
• Being an involved co-player everyday
• Designing a healthy media diet

In Preschool Clues, Angela shares the latest research from top thinkers in child development and education. Through her practical, straightforward advice and inspiring, conversational approach, you will not only understand exactly what your children are learning from the shows they watch and why these shows are so effective, you’ll know exactly how to apply these same proven approaches in your daily life and with the same powerful results." (from Amazon.com)

Sarah Mackenzie teaches parents to connect with their children through storytime with The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids. "Connecting deeply with our kids can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven lives. Reading aloud offers us a chance to be fully present with our children. It also increases our children's academic success, inspires compassion, and fortifies them with the inner strength they need to face life’s challenges. As Sarah Mackenzie has found with her own six children, reading aloud long after kids are able to read to themselves can deepen relationships in a powerful way. Founder of the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, Sarah knows first-hand how reading can change a child’s life. In The Read-Aloud Family, she offers the inspiration and age-appropriate book lists you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home. From a toddler’s wonder to a teenager’s resistance, Sarah details practical strategies to make reading aloud a meaningful family ritual. Reading aloud not only has the power to change a family—it has the power to change the world." (from Amazon.com)

Authors Richard L. Simpson and Ellen McGinnis-Smith help parents who have children on the autistic spectrum with Social Skills Success For Students With Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism."Provide students the social skills instruction they need to succeed in school and in life! This practical resource provides evidence-based strategies for enhancing social skills of children and adolescents who have Asperger Disorder and other forms of high-functioning autism. Case studies, vignettes, classroom materials, checklists, and templates will help you:

• Deliver interventions that model desirable behaviors and provide opportunities for students to practice
• Support students in navigating social situations, forming relationships with peers and adults, and following rules and routines
• Develop, implement, and evaluate social skills intervention and support programs" (from Amazon.com)

In How to Raise Kind Kids: and Get Respect, Gratitude, and a Happier Family in the Bargain, Thomas Lickona helps parents to teach their children not only how to be kind, but why they should be kind. "We all want our kids to be kind. But that is not the same as knowing what to do when you catch your son being unkind.  A world-renowned developmental psychologist, Dr. Thomas Lickona has led the character education movement in schools for forty years. Now he shares with parents the vital tools they need to bring peace and foster cooperation at home. Kindness doesn’t stand on its own. It needs a supporting cast of other essential virtues—like courage, self-control, respect, and gratitude. With concrete examples drawn from the many families Dr. Lickona has worked with over the years and clear tips you can act on tonight, How to Raise Kind Kids will help you give and get respect, hold family meetings to tackle persistent problems, discipline in a way that builds character, and improve the dynamic of your relationship with your children while putting them on the path to a happier and more fulfilling life." (from Amazon.com)

Only Two Weeks Left Until the Beginning of a New School Year

The Vicksburg Warren School District new school year kicks off on Wednesday, August 7.  Don't forget to take advantage of the many resources we have to offer here at the library.  Not only do we have hundreds of books available to check out, we also have numerous online resources that you can access on your own devices from home.

Go to our catalog home page at https://wcvpl.biblionix.com/catalog/ and look under Electronic Resources to see what we have to offer - everything from 'Tumblebugs' for beginning readers to 'Universal Class' for adult continuing education - all free to access for our patrons.

Make this the best school year ever!

Summer Eating!

According to National Day Calendar (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/july-monthly-observations/), July is National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, and National Picnic Month. It is also National Baked Bean Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Horseradish Month, and, apparently, National July Belongs to Blueberries Month. So, in honor of all this, here are a few cookbooks to help you through this tasty, tasty month!

In Buttermilk & Bourbon: New Orleans Recipes with a Modern Flair, author Jason Santos cooks up a boatload of traditional New Orleans dishes with a story or two and a whole lot of flair. "On screen and in the kitchen, Jason Santos is known for two things: his smack-you-in-the-mouthflavored dishes and his larger-than-life personality. Buttermilk & Bourbon, the name of Jason’s wildly popular restaurant and his standout cookbook, showcases incredible recipes inspired by the exciting flavors and culture of New Orleans.Jason has gathered his best Southern-inspired recipes―the ones that restaurant-goers write about impassioned letters and the ones even his line cooks can’t resist―and laid them bare for you. Make his signature dishes at home like Literally the Best Fried Chicken Wings in the History of Chicken and Flamin‘ Hot Cheeto Mac & Cheese. Binge on Smoked Gouda Cornbread or go all in on New Orleans BBQ Shrimp with Jalapeño Grits. Finish with a signature cocktail like Voodoo on the Bayou and desserts like Fresh Fried Beignets." (from Amazon.com)

Emma Frisch offers up easy tantalizing recipes for camping season in Feast by Firelight: Simple Recipes for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors. Amazon.com calls the book "A transporting, lushly photographed book with easy-to-prepare recipes for gatherings at campgrounds and cabins alike. Feast by Firelight offers solution-oriented recipes that make cooking outdoors feel effortless and downright fun and it shows how to utilize clever cooking methods, prep food at home, and pack smart. The book includes recipes for camp cooking as well as detailed menus, shopping and equipment lists, and tips showing how to prepare before you leave. Featuring 70 accessible recipes, it is the first of its kind in the outdoor-cooking niche to pair useful information with evocative photography of finished dishes and useful illustrations (such as how to pack a cooler and how to build a fire), setting a new standard for camping cookbooks."

Want some recipes to take to the beach? Why not try The Beach House Cookbook: Easy Breezy Recipes with a Southern Accent? According to Amazon.com, "You don’t have to own a beach house to enjoy Mary Kay Andrews’ recipes. All you need is an appetite for delicious, casual dishes, cooked with the best fresh, local ingredients and presented with the breezy flair that make Mary Kay Andrews’ novels a summertime favorite at the beach. From an early spring dinner of cherry balsamic-glazed pork medallions and bacon-kissed Brussels sprouts to Fourth of July buttermilk-brined fried chicken, potato salad, and pudding parfaits to her New Year’s Day Open House menu of roast oysters, home-cured gravlax, grits 'n’ greens casserole, and lemon-cream cheese pound cake, this cookbook will supply ideas for menus and recipes designed to put you in a permanently carefree, coastal state of mind all year long."

Author Carlo Sernaglia kicks the summer season in high gear with food and drink pairings from the Margaritaville restaurants. "Warm sun, cool drink, and nowhere to be―that’s Margaritaville! It’s a celebration of relaxation and an invitation to enjoy good food and good company. Margaritaville: The Cookbook is filled with recipes that bring the flavor of island living and the spirit of Jimmy Buffett's iconic song straight into your home. The first official cookbook from the beloved world of Margaritaville features laid-back favorites like the explosively good Volcano Nachos and the heaven-on-earth-with-an-onion-slice Cheeseburger in Paradise, alongside more sophisticated options that will wow your guests (Coho Salmon in Lemongrass-Miso Broth, anyone?). With its combination of recipes, stories, and gorgeous full color food and lifestyle photographs throughout, it is sure to put you in a Margaritaville state of mind! Margaritaville isn’t confined to single spot on the map -- the recipes draw inspiration from around the world, from Jerk Chicken to Tuna Poke with Plantain Chips and Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya. And we've got you all covered, from family-friendly Aloha Hotdogs to drool-worthy Vegetarian Burgers. It's 5 o'clock somewhere and no vacation is complete without a cocktail―preferably a margarita, of course! Margaritaville: The Cookbook is loaded with drink recipes to inspire your blissful island cocktail hour―from Jimmy's Perfect Margarita and Paradise Palomas to Cajun Bloody Mary's and the quintessential Key West Coconut and Lime Frozen Margarita." (from Amazon.com)

Have You Tried the July Reading Challenge Yet?

In addition to the above, we have over fifty other tiles (both fiction and non-fiction) that have the word 'flag' in the title.  Why not explore and check one out today?

Happy Fourth of July!

Summer Library Program - July Events

July is right around the corner - look at what is coming up!

Tuesday July 2, 1 PM - 3 PM - Interstellar Gaming (ages 8+)

Tuesday, July 9, 1 PM - 3 PM - Build a Rocket (ages 6+)

Thursday July 11, 1 PM - 3 PM - Moon Landing Anniversary (all ages)

Saturday, July 13, 10 AM - Noon - Astronaut Training at YMCA Field (ages 5+)

Thursday, July 18, 10 AM - Noon - Closing Celebration

The Past and the Possibilities

"As the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, the award winning historian and perennial New York Times bestselling author Douglas Brinkley takes a fresh look at the space program, President John F. Kennedy’s inspiring challenge, and America’s race to the moon.

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”—President John F. Kennedy

On May 25, 1961, JFK made an astonishing announcement: his goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In this engrossing, fast-paced epic, Douglas Brinkley returns to the 1960s to recreate one of the most exciting and ambitious achievements in the history of humankind. American Moonshot brings together the extraordinary political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled the birth and development of NASA and the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects, which shot the United States to victory in the space race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Drawing on new primary source material and major interviews with many of the surviving figures who were key to America’s success, Brinkley brings this fascinating history to life as never before. American Moonshot is a portrait of the brilliant men and women who made this giant leap possible, the technology that enabled us to propel men beyond earth’s orbit to the moon and return them safely, and the geopolitical tensions that spurred Kennedy to commit himself fully to this audacious dream. Brinkley’s ensemble cast of New Frontier characters include rocketeer Wernher von Braun, astronaut John Glenn and space booster Lyndon Johnson. A vivid and enthralling chronicle of one of the most thrilling, hopeful, and turbulent eras in the nation’s history, American Moonshot is an homage to scientific ingenuity, human curiosity, and the boundless American spirit." (from Amazon.com)

"When the alarm went off forty thousand feet above the moon's surface, both astronauts looked down at the computer to see 1202 flashing on the readout. Neither of them knew what it meant, and time was running out...ON JULY 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon. One of the world's greatest technological achievements-and a triumph of American spirit and ingenuity-the Apollo 11 mission was a mammoth undertaking involving more than 410,000 men and women dedicated to winning the space race against the Soviets. Set amid the tensions of the Cold War and the upheavals of the sixties, and filled with first-person, behind-the-scenes details, Shoot for the Moon by James Donovan is a gripping account of the dangers, the challenges, and the sheer determination that defined not only Apollo 11, but also the Mercury and Gemini missions that came before it. From the shock of Sputnik and the heart-stopping final minutes of John Glenn's Mercury flight to the deadly whirligig of Gemini 8, the doomed Apollo 11 mission, and that perilous landing on the Sea of Tranquility-when the entire world held its breath while Armstrong and Aldrin battled computer alarms, low fuel, and other problems- James Donovan tells the whole story." (from Amazon.com)

 

"First airing in 1966, with a promise to “boldly go where no man has gone before,” Star Trek would eventually become a bona fide phenomenon. Week after week, viewers of the series tuned in to watch Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise as they conducted their five-year mission in space. Their mission was cut short by a corporate monolith that demanded higher ratings, but Star Trek lived on in syndication, ultimately becoming a multibillion-dollar media franchise. With merchandise spin-offs, feature films, and several television iterations—from The Next Generation to Discovery—Star Trek is a firmly established part of the American cultural landscape. In Star Trek: A Cultural History, M. Keith Booker offers an intriguing account of the series from its original run to its far-reaching impact on society. By placing the Star Trek franchise within the context of American history and popular culture, the author explores how the series engaged with political and social issues such as the Vietnam War, race, gender, and the advancement of technology. While this book emphasizes the original series, it also addresses the significance of subsequent programs, as well as the numerous films and extensive array of novels, comic books, and merchandise that have been produced in the decades since. A show that originally resonated with science fiction fans, Star Trek has also intrigued the general public due to its engaging characters, exciting plotlines, and vision of a better future. It is those exact elements that allowed Star Trek to go from simply a good show to the massive media franchise it is today. Star Trek: A Cultural History will appeal to scholars of media, television, and popular culture, as well as to fans of the show." (from Amazon.com)

 

Summer Reading is for Adults Too!

The whole world - and beyond - is
at your library!

Check out some of our selection such as one of these collections and settle down for a cool read on a hot day,

Isaac Asimov Presents The Golden Years of Science Fiction - Second Series (813.0876 A832gy)

Contains wonderfully imaginative and timeless short stories and novellas by the true great masters of the genre including Isaac Asimov, Anthony Boucher, James Blish, Hal Clement, Lester Del Rey, C.M. Kornbluth, Theodore Sturgeon, A.E. Van Vogt and many others.

The Great Book of Amber (F Zelazny)

Among his more than fifty books, arguably Zelazny’s most popular literary creations were his extraordinary Amber novels. The Great Book of Amber is a collection of the complete Amber chronicles—featuring volumes one through ten—a treasure trove of the ingenious imagination and phenomenal storytelling that inspired a generation of fantasists, from Neil Gaiman to George R.R. Martin.










Earth is the Strangest Planet (808.83 E125e)

Every story is set on Earth.  Stories include :
'And Lo! The Bird' by Nelson Bond 
'Narrow Valley' by R.A. Lafferty 
'The Empire Of The Ants' by H.G. Wells
'The Night That All Time Broke Out' by Brain W. Aldiss
'Davy Jones' Ambassador' by Raymond Z. Gallum
'Rock Diver' by Harry Harrison
'Or All The Seas With Oysters' by Avram Davidson
'The Chrysalis' by P. Schuyler Miller
'The Rotifers' by Robert Abernathy
'When We Went To See The End Of The World' by Robert                   Silverberg





These and many more are waiting for you here.

A Universe of Stories

Virtual Sabotage is a novel by Julie Hyzy. "Don’t believe everything you think. Kenna Ward is a “lifeguard for the brain,” an envoy for Virtu-Tech, the preeminent virtual reality provider whose implants allow consumers to experience exhilarating imagined adventures—all while remaining perfectly safe. Most of the time, that is. In the rare instance when a participant mistakes an overwhelming situation as real, it's up to Ward to enter their scenario and pull them back to reality. But when Ward’s partner goes rogue and the system begins responding in odd and dangerous ways, she delves deeper, uncovering a sinister conspiracy to dominate not only the virtual reality world, but the real one as well. Ward must stop this devastating attack before there are no more independent minds left to control." (from Amazon.com)

Jack Jetstark's Intergalactic Freakshow is a novel by Jennifer Lee Rossman. "Jack Jetstark travels the universe to seek out the descendants of superpowered freaks created long ago by VesCorp scientists. The vibrations encoded in a particular song transform the members of Jack’s crew into a firebreather and an angel, a wildman and telepathic conjoined triplets, so they hide the truth of who they really are with the theatrics of a carnival. The song plays every night through the receptor Jack carries with them, but when one night it has a different ending and their temporary powers become permanent, Jack believes the change is a signal from the woman who sent him on this quest in the first place. He and his freaks must navigate a universe at war to protect the love of his life. But does the ruler of VesCorp really need protecting?" (from Amazon.com)

Uncompromising Honor is the 19th Honor Harrington novel by author David Weber."The Solarian League's navy counts its superdreadnoughts by the thousands. Not even its own government knows how enormous its economy truly is. And for hundreds of years, the League has borne the banner of human civilization, been the ideal to which humanity aspires in its diaspora across the galaxy. But the bureaucrats known as the "Mandarins," who rule today's League, are not the men and women who founded it so long ago. They are corrupt, venal, accountable to no one . . . and they've decided the upstart Star Kingdom of Manticore must be destroyed. Honor Harrington has worn the Star Kingdom's uniform for half a century and served her monarch and her people well. In the course of those years, the woman the newsies call the Salamander has grown from a tactically brilliant but politically naïve junior officer to supreme fleet command and a seat on the highest military and political councils of the Grand Alliance. Honor knows the Grand Alliance must find a victory that doesn't require incursions deep into Solarian space, doesn't leave a legacy of bottomless hatred, and the strategy she supports has been working.But the Mandarins have embraced a desperate new strategy, and in pursuit of that strategy, the SLN has committed atrocities such as the galaxy has not known in a thousand years. The League have violated its own Eridani Edict against mass civilian casualties, violated the Deneb Accords prohibition on war crimes. And they have finally killed too many of the people Honor Harrington loves. Hers is the voice of caution and compromise no longer, and the galaxy is about to see something it has never imagined. The Salamander is coming for the Solarian League, and Hell is coming in her wake." (from Amazon.com)

Alliance Rising is a novel from C. J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher. "For years, the stations of the Hinder Stars, those old stations closest to Sol, have lagged behind the great megastations of the Beyond, like Pell and Cyteen. But new opportunities and fears arise when Alpha station receives news of an incoming ship with no identification. The denizens of Alpha wait anxiously for news about the outsiders, each with their own suspicions about the ship and its origins. Ross and Fallon, crew members of the Galway, believe the unidentified ship belongs to Pell and has come to investigate another massive ship docked at Alpha, The Rights of Man. Though Rights is under the command of the Earth Company, it is not quite perfected--and its true purpose is shrouded in mystery. James Robert Neihart, captain of Finity's End--a huge faster-than-light ship flown by one of the Merchanter Families--has heard whispers of The Rights of Man and wonders at its design and purpose, especially as Sol struggles to rival the progress of the Farther Stars. Now docked at Alpha, he must convince the crews that there is more to The Rights of Man than meets the eye. Because the reasons behind the creation of The Rights of Man, and its true plans, could change everything--not just for Sol, but for the Hinder Stars and the Beyond itself." (from Amazon.com)

The City in the Middle of the Night is a novel by Charlie Jane Anders. "January is a dying planet--divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk. But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside. Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.But fate has other plans--and Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world." (from Amazon.com)