How to Love Your Neighborhood

Do you love where you live, or is it starting to wear on you? Maybe you recently moved and still haven't decided how you feel about your new location? Melanie Warnick author of This is Where You Belong says walking can help. Of course, science has proven that walking is good for your mental, emotional, and physical health, but Warnick argues it's also good for your "place attachment."

Here's how it works. First, walking helps you know where you are. You are more likely to understand the lay out of your streets, restaurants, grocery stores, malls etc. if you walk rather then drive. Walking is slower and allows you to absorb more of what you see then a car windshield. You also will start to notice little things you might otherwise miss such as: whose kids play in the yard all the time, that neighbor only plants purple flowers, this neighbor has the same dog as you, or that neighbor must be an expert on berries. This noticing and memorizing your streets increases what is known as "place attachment" or how much you love where you currently live.

Warnick says that loving where you live is a lot like falling in a love with a person. You need to put in time and effort. And no, a drive through date with your block while you are late for a doctors appointment doesn't count as a relationship. So, if you are wondering how to begin building the bond with your new home, or you need to shore up the relationship with your long time home - go for a walk. Go on lots of walks. Put some time into knowing your neighborhood and you just might fall in love.

Talk it up, Mom and Dad

Did you know that there is a huge difference between kids whose parents talk to them a lot and those whose parents don't.  Studies show that kids with talkative parents can start kindergarten having heard as much as 30,000 more words than kids with less talkative parents.  The more words kids hear, the better readers they will be because it is much harder to learn to read a word you have never heard before than one you already know. 

The best way to talk with kids is through two way conversation.  Don't just give directions, like, "Come here," or "Turn of the TV." Ask questions and listen to your child's answers, and then listen and answer when they ask you questions. Conversations involve more complex grammar and sentence structure than simple commands.  By using these complex patterns early with your child, their brain develops structures ready to understand the wonderful richness of language.

To learn more about Early Literacy visit our Early Literacy 

Most Popular Picture Books: Willems and Seuss on the Loose!!

The Library has over 8000 picture books.  Have you ever wondered which ones check out the most? During 2019 two authors dominated the top ten, Mo Willems and Dr. Seuss.  Most people know who Sr. Seuss is, but if you haven't had a pre-schooler in the house in the last ten years you might not know Mo Willems.  If you don't you are in for a treat!  Wickedly clever and amazingly funny, there is a reason he is on this list over and over again.  Stop by the Library and check him out.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy: by Mo Willems
The Lorax: by Dr. Seuss
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog: by Mo Willems
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: by Mo Willems
The Pigeon Needs a Bath: by Mo Willems
Oh, the Places You'll Go!: by Dr. Seuss
We are Growing!: by Mo Willems
If I Ran the Circus: by Dr. Seuss
Dragons Love Tacos: by Adam Rubin
Emeraldalicious by Victoria Kann

BTW

Many of the Pigeon books are available as video through Overdrive?  Why not keep one downloaded on your phone for "long check-out line" emergencies.

Click on the Top Ten label on the right to see other top 10 lists from last year.

Time for a change!

Hi Highland Library Friends

We have been posting book reviews on this blog for about a year and decided it was time to change things up a bit.  Stay tuned for new kinds of posts full of fun and interesting facts about the library and about life.  When we do, let us know what you think.  If you like a post, comment and let us know so we can do more of the same. If you think of something you would like us to post about, let us know that, too, and we will see what we can do.

Crispin and the Cross of Lead

Crispin and the Cross of Lead
by Avi
Hyperion Books for Children, 2002, Intermediate Fiction, 262 p.
Astor's son has always lived with his mother on the edge of starvation in a small town in 14th century England.  The mother has been shunned for some reason her son doesn't understand, and he shares in her status.  When she dies of illness, Astor's son doesn't know where to go or what to do, but he soon discovers that the overseer of the manor wants him dead as well.  A kindly priest gives him a cross that used to belong to his mother, tells him his birth name is Crispin, and urges him to flee the city.  Out on the open road Crispin meets a juggler, called Bear, who takes him on, first as a servant and then as an apprentice.  The juggler is also more than he seems, and soon both he and Crispin are running from the magistrates.  Will Crispin ever truly be free?

Avi gives a "warts and all" view of life in medieval England.  Crispin is an authentic character for the time period, having grown up without any hope of ever being free from servitude.  The beauty of the book is how he slowly learns to see himself as a free soul who might choose his own path. This book won the Newbery Award in 2003 and is a great choice for  a junior high age student who is required to read a historical fiction or for anyone who likes the per-renaissance.

The Boy Who Dared

The Boy Who Dared
by Susan Bartoletti
Scholastic Press, 2008, 202 pg., Youth Historical Fiction

Helmuth does not want to die. He had known the risk he was taking with the radio. He had known how dangerous it was to write his pamphlets. He does not want to die. But he did what was right. He will not apologize for that.


This story is - incredible, shocking, unbelievable - but it is based on a real boy. Helmuth was born in Germany and grew up in during Hitler's rise to power. He was a talented boy, but he was also just a boy. He used his talents to think for himself and found he did not agree with what the Nazi party preached. Even though his was taught to obey the laws of his country, even if he did not like them, he was also taught to do what was right. It is difficult to imagine what to do in moments such as that. It is even harder to realize that for Helmuth his choice came at a price. This is a fantastic book about what courage, forgiveness, and truth looks like in life's darkest moments. This is a great book for anyone who likes history, WWII, or true stories. Sensitive readers should be aware that this books deals with the harsh realities of Hitler's regime. Those who like The Dairy of Anne Frank may be particularly interested in the book.

Lost and Found

 

Lost and Found
by Orson Scott Card
Blackstone Publishing, 2019, Young Adult Fiction, 288p
Ezekiel Bliss is a loner and likes it that way, or he did, until he meets Beth and she wants to walk with him to school.  She is a proportional dwarf, so she looks like she is about seven years old, even though she is 14.  Zeke and Beth find in each other the friend neither knew they needed and Beth and one of the counselors at school help Zeke embrace a talent, or "mico-power" he has.  He can sense lost things and instinctively knows how to return them to their owners. Although his talent has gotten him into trouble before, it now might help save someone's life.

I always associate Card with Ender's Game and the Alvin Maker series.  I was a bit surprised that this new offering from the award winning author isn't more "high fantasy." There is a fantasy element, but mostly this is a mystery and a teen relationship story.  That said, I really liked it. I don't know how a 68-year-old author channels at teen boy's mind so well.  The character of Ezekiel is spot on and his relationship with his dad is both sweet and authentic.  I also like his relationship with Beth. It is a true friendship, unfettered by romantic interest.  Although there is no romance, this is squarely a teen book because Card mentions some tough stuff related with child pornography and there is some "off stage" violence that is pretty gruesome.  Still, I think both teen boys and girls will like this one. (2019, 288 p)