On Monday April 6th, comedian and tv writer/producer Stephanie Wilder-Taylor is scheduled to appear on the Oprah show. Her memoir, Sippy Cups Are Not For Chardonnay describes the author's transformation into the perils of parenting. From sharing parental responsibilities to the science of the Diaper Genie, this book combines laugh-out-loud humor with sassy wit and is a refreshing, honest look at modern motherhood.

The recent release of the Marley and Me DVD got me thinking...
If you plan on getting a new dog or already have a pooch that could improve his doggie manners, check our dog training section here at the library.  From puppy training to teaching an old dog new tricks we've got a wide selection of books and DVDs to help you better understand and train your dog.

National Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry first introduced in 1996 by the "Academy of American Poets", as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. It is celebrated every April in the United States and (since 1999) in Canada as well. Since 2000 Great Britian has celebrated a National Poetry Month each October. (Wikipedia)

April 1 marks the beginning of a new national observance dedicated to celebrating the diversity that exists within our workplaces, schools and communities.

Hey kids, enjoy this April Fool's Day with Bart King's The Pocket Guide to Mischief. You can read about some funny historical practical jokes and get tons of ideas for harmless, but hilarious pranks you can pull on people you know. Hope the day is a ton of fun for you!

Herbs by William Denne is a new addition to the library's rich collection of gardening books. As I've come to expect from DK books, it has crisp, colorful photos that complement and illustrate the concise and informative text.

With the Final Four rapidly approaching, college basketball fever is at the tipping point!

[Update: YouTube released YouTube EDU this week]
While YouTube is great for entertaining videos, you have to dig pretty deep to find educational stuff (or know what you're looking for). Below is a short list of educational video sites:

Academic Earth - Selected lectures from top professors at Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. Subjects range from Astronomy to Religion.

Amaze your friends, family and co-workers with your encyclopedia knowledge of the game of college basketball.  The DVD March Madness allows you to relive the most spectacular and dramatic moments of this annual college tournament.

Donalyn Miller, Teacher Magazine blogger and author, couldn't find a book that demonstrated her love for reading to her students so she decided to write one herself. It's a shame we aren't born with the desire to love books. We have to discover the world of books on our own, or from parents and teachers. Many of us have cherished childhood memories of visiting the library and happily leaving with an armful of books.

White Fang? Black Tooth? Bill Kennedy's Sunday movie? If any of these bring back fond memories of growing up in Detroit then you should definitely check out the exhibit currently running at the Detroit Historical Museum. Detroit's Classic TV Personalities pays tribute to several of the entertainment and news broadcasting legends that many of us grew up watching. Included in this exhibit are salutes to Soupy Sales, movie host Bill Kennedy, Emery King, Amyre Makupson, John Kelly and Marilyn Turner.

Researchers in Camaroon have studied the effects of taking extracts from the African mango seed and have discovered that it may inhibit fat production.  Although more research needs to be completed, this discovery may be promising for the increasing problem of obesity.  Are you trying to lose weight?  Check out the library's extensive collection of

This was chorus of a song titled Low Bridge, Everyone Down written in 1905. Constructed between 1817 to 1825, the Erie Canal was the first transportation route between New York City and the Great Lakes. Before modern-day construction equipment, "The Ditch That Made New York Rich," was mostly made on the backs of Irish immigrants. Bond of Union, is a fascinating account of how one of the greatest achievements in U.S. History was built.

Do you speak a language other than English? Are you studying a language in school? Do you want to learn another language for your own enrichment? If you answered YES to any of those questions, you need to check out the children's international language collection.

Last year we added non-English juvenile feature films and learning DVDs and all languages available in the Muzzy language learning series, and this year we've eliminated the old book/cassette language kits and have updated with book/CD kits.

Welcome to Spring, everyone! One artist who embodies the feeling of floating on a springtime breeze in the sunshine, at least for me, is Claude Monet.  His impressionistic works capture the way subtle changes begin to take place with flowers blooming, light breezes blowing, and the days getting ever so slightly longer.

Most people think of architecture when they think of Frank Lloyd Wright, but he also created some stunning gardens, showcased in The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright by Derek Fell. In addition to being drool-worthy, they also provide inspiration and some great ideas for planting combinations.

Our first new International Language books for 2009 are in Kannada. Just on the shelf today are cookbooks such as 150 vividha sihi tindigalu, poetry such as Akkana vachanagalu, and much more. This is only the first part of the books in Kannada we've purchased, so there are more on the way!

 

Filing for unemployment benefits just got a little easier with the release of Filing your claim for unemployment benefits & finding a job - a joint effort of the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) and the Michigan Works! Agencies. This 17 minute DVD provides information on the claims-filing process for unemployment compensation and answers many of the typical questions asked by unemployed workers. Multiple copies are available at the Library.

One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes. I love the way his words weave pictures of Jazz, big cities, and the roaring 20s.

Have a product you're trying to market? Looking for advice on how to run your business or even just your life? Seth Godin breaks down complex principles in a very readable way. Here are some of his recent hits:

Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us -- how to leverage informal communities, even on the web

Meatball sundae : is your marketing out of sync?