Books & More - Fondulac District Library | East Peoria, IL

Books to Film in 2021

These books are all set to be movies later this year. Check one out before it hits the screen.

France, 1939 – In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband. Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The Last Duel by Eric Jager

In 1386, a few days after Christmas, a huge crowd gathers at a Paris monastery to watch the two men fight a duel to the death meant to “prove” which man’s cause is right in God’s sight. The dramatic true story of the knight, the squire, and the lady unfolds during the devastating Hundred Years War between France and England, as enemy troops pillage the land, madness haunts the French court, the Great Schism splits the Church, Muslim armies threaten Christendom, and rebellion, treachery, and plague turn the lives of all into toys of Fortune.

Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin

Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz’s pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world. Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-to make a life for Maddy.

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy

John Kelly, former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran, is still getting over the accidental death of his wife six months before, when he befriends a young woman with a decidedly checkered past. When that past reaches out for her in a particularly horrifying fashion, he vows revenge and, assembling all of his old skills, sets out to track down the men responsible, before it can happen again.

-Annotations from the publishers

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2021-03-26T11:45:33-05:00March 26th, 2021|

Story Time (Online) – Trains

All aboard! This week’s story time is all about trains!!

Song: Clap and Sing Hello!

We clap and sing hello.
We clap and sing hello.
With our friends at story time.
We clap and sing hello!
(Wave and sing hello; stomp and sing hello.)

Fingerplay: The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider,

Went up the water spout.

Down came the rain,

And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun,

And dried up all the rain.

And the itsy bitsy spider,

Went up the spout again.

Source: dltk-teach

Book: Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

Written by Emma Garcia and published by Boxer Books, an imprint of Sterling Publishing

Flannel Board: Five Little Steam Engines

Five little steam engines, chugging down the track.
One hit a bump and he went smack.

Four little steam engines, chugging down the track.
One took a wrong turn and ran into a haystack.

Three little steam engines, chugging down the track.
One stopped to talk to a boy named Jack.

Two little steam engines, chugging down the track.
One got hungry and stopped for a snack.

One little steam engine, chugging down the track.
He got to the depot and was glad to be back.

Source: Stratford Library

Book: Snakes on a Train

Written by Kathryn Dennis and published by A Feiwel and Friends Book, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC

Flannel Board: This Little Train

(Tune: This Old Man)

This little train, painted gray, takes us places far away.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home.

This little car, painted black, keeps us chugging down the track.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home

‘

This little car, painted white, keeps things cold both day and night.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home

This little car, painted green, it’s the fanciest car you’ve seen.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home.

This little car, painted blue, it has seats for me and you.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.
This little train goes chugging home

This caboose, it is red, it goes chugging off to bed.
With a choo-choo, clicky-clack, hear the whistle blow.

This old train goes chugging home.

Source: Mel’s Desk

Book: Where Do Steam Train Sleep at Night?

Written by Brianna Caplan Sayres, illustrated by Christian Slade, and published by Random House

Movement: I’m a Little Choo Choo Train

I’m a choo-choo train,

(bend arms at sides)

Chugging down the track.

(rotate arms in rhythm)

First I go forward,

(rotate arms forward)

Then I go back.

(rotate arms backward)

Now my bell is ringing,

(pretend to pull bell cord)

Hear my whistle blow.

(toot into closed fist)

What a lot of noise I make,

(place hands over ears)

Everywhere I go!

(stretch arms out at sides)

Source: Literary Librarian Kim

Craft: Egg Carton Engine

Pick up a craft kit from the Youth Services department or the drive-up window while supplies last!

Kit Supplies:

1 egg carton cup
1 paper towel tube or toilet paper roll
8 paper circles for wheels
1 small tube for the chimney
1 paper circle for the cone on the top of the chimney

Home Supplies:

Glue
Scissors
Paint or Markers (if you want to decorate your engine)

Directions:

If you want to decorate your engine, it’s easier to paint or color the pieces before you assemble.

Glue the egg carton cup to the paper towel tube.
Make a cone out of the green circle
Glue the cone to the small tube.
Glue the small tube to paper towel tube.
Glue the wheels to the paper towel tube.

Source: The Craft Train

Song: We Wave Goodbye like This

We wave goodbye like this.
We wave goodbye like this.
We clap our hands for all our friends.
We wave goodbye like this.

(Repeat)

– Kris, Youth Services Specialist

Beth Weimer2021-03-25T12:36:27-05:00March 25th, 2021|

Books Highlighting Native Languages

When I realized that several of my favorite books were from Native American authors and illustrators, I started digging deeper to find more books like them. What I found was a treasure trove of incredible books! Pick one up if you are looking for a cute, fun book to share with your child. Introduce a Native language to your family, or explore your heritage with others who share your experiences. Dig into stories from different nations, or simply enjoy some heartfelt Own Voices books by Indigenous authors and illustrators.

Dual Language Books

Bowwow Powwow (Bagosenjige-niimi’idim) by Brenda J. Child

Illustrated by Jonathan Thunder

English and Anishinaabemowin

My Heart Fills with Happiness (Ni Sâkaskineh Mîyawâten Niteh Ohcih) by Monique Gray Smith

Illustrated by Julie Flett

English and Plains Cree

Fox on the Ice (Maageesees maskwameek kaapit) by Tomson Highway

English and Cree

Books with Words from a Native Dialect

Wild Berries (Pikaci-Minisa) by Julie Flett

English and Cree n-dialect or Swampy Cree

We Are Grateful (Otsaliheliga) by Traci Sorell

Illustrated by Frane Lessac

English and Cherokee with the Cherokee syllabary

Itse Selu: Cherokee Harvest Festival by Daniel Pennington

English and Cherokee

Dzání Yázhí Naazbaa’: Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home by Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie

English and Navajo (Ages 9-12)

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorrell

English and Chinuk Wawa (Ages 8-12)

Books Written by Native American Authors

First Laugh – Welcome, Baby! by Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood

Illustrated by Jonathan Nelson

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

Illustrated by Michaela Goade

When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith

Illustrated by Nicle Neidhardt

The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo

Illustrated by Paul Lee

– Cassie, Youth Services Assistant

Beth Weimer2021-03-23T15:53:58-05:00March 23rd, 2021|

FDL Reads: The Pioneers

The Pioneers by David McCullough

Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant

Genre: Non-Fiction

Age Group: Adults

What is This Book About? David McCullough, one of the country’s best-known historians, has written the story of the heroic settlers who first came to homestead in the Northwest Territory during the late 1700’s. These pioneers brought with them the puritan ideals of New England and were strongly opposed to slavery and advocates for freedom of religion and free universal education. McCullough relates the historical details by telling the story through the lives of five major characters, Manasseh Cutler, Rufus Putnam, Cutler’s son Ephraim, Joseph Barker, a carpenter turned architect, and Samuel Hildreth, a physician. These men and their families played a key role in the establishment of Marietta in what is now Ohio. The impact these men had, however, spread throughout the region and has had long-term implications for the area. The time period of the book is from 1787 to 1863. Although this book is history and is well-documented, it reads almost like a novel.

My Review: I enjoyed this book. McCullough makes history interesting and absorbing. Manasseh Cutler was one of the drafters of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and an early pioneer in the settlement of Marietta in southeastern Ohio. Although Manasseh did not actually live in Marietta, he did help in the initial settlement and was among the first to travel to the new territory and many years later, his son, Ephraim Cutler was a prominent resident of the community, an Ohio legislator and the leader in establishing a system of public education throughout the territory. Ephraim also established the “Coonskin Library,” the first public library in the wilderness, where the purchase price for books was raised collecting and selling raccoon skins. Due to the Ohio River, shipbuilding developed as an industry in Marietta as had been predicted by the early settlers. I was fascinated by the creativity and the abilities of these early pioneers. I do not usually read history for fun, but McCullough’s storytelling ability and his ability to develop the character of the historical figures made this book read like a novel. I highly recommend it.

Three Words That Describe This Book: True, Engrossing, Detailed

Give This a Try if You Like: Any other books by David McCullough or are a history buff

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

Susie Rivera2021-03-18T19:14:54-05:00March 18th, 2021|

Story Time (Online) – Construction

Today’s construction site story time is bustling with exciting books. Bulldozers, diggers, and so many other trucks to explore!

Song: Hello, Friends

(using ASL, to the tune of Goodnight, Ladies)

Hello, friends! Hello, friends!

Hello, friends! It’s time to say hello!

Song: Open Them, Shut Them

Open them, shut them, open them, shut them.

Give a little clap, clap, clap!

Open them, shut them, open them, shut them.

Put them in your lap, lap, lap!

Creep them, creep them, slowly creep them,

Right up to your chin, chin, chin!

Open wide your little mouth,

But do not let them in!

Song: Ten Little Fingers

I have ten little fingers, and they all belong to me. (point to self)

I can make them do things. Do you want to see? (point to eyes)

I can squeeze them up tight. I can open them up wide. (squeeze hands shut, then open them)

I can put them together. I can make them all hide. (clap, then hide hands behind back)

I can make them jump high. I can make them jump low. (wiggle fingers above head, then reach down)

I can fold them up quietly and hold them just so. (fold hands and place on lap)

Book: Dalmatian in a Digger

Written by Rebecca Elliott and published by Picture Window Books.

Song: Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill, (hold pointer fingers in the air)

One named Jack, one named Jill. (fingers bow to each other)

Fly away Jack. Fly away Jill. (hide each finger behind your back)

Come back, Jack! Come back, Jill! (bring each finger to front)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a pole, (hold pointer fingers in the air)

One named Fast, one named Slow. (fingers bow to each other)

Fly away, Fast. Fly away, Slow. (hide fingers behind your back, quickly and slowly)

Come back, Fast! Come back, Slow! (bring fingers to front, quickly and slowly)

Two little blackbirds flying through the sky, (hold pointer fingers in the air)

One named Low, one named High. (fingers bow to each other, exaggerated low and high voice)

Fly away, Low. Fly away, High. (hide fingers behind your back, exaggerated low and high voice)

Come back, Low! Come back, High! (bring fingers to front, exaggerated low and high voice)

Book: Bulldozer Helps Out

Written by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Song: Pudding on a Plate

(using stuffed animals)

Pudding on a plate, pudding on a plate, (lean animal back and forth)

Wibble wobble wibble wobble, pudding on a plate.

Sausage in a pan, sausage in a pan, (turn animal to face left and right)

Turn the sausage turn the sausage, sausage in a pan.

Rice in a bowl, rice in a bowl, (bounce by alternating tip toes with left and right feet)

Tip toe tip toe, rice in a bowl.

Popcorn in a pot! Popcorn in a pot! (bounce animal up and down)

Pop pop pop pop, popcorn in a pot!

Book: Billions of Bricks

Written by Kurt Cyrus and published by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt and Company.

Craft: Build a Truck

Pick up a craft kit from the library and build your own truck using the shapes!

Song: I am Special

(to the tune of Frere Jacques)

I am special, I am special, (point to self)

You can see, you can see. (point away from self)

Someone very special, someone very special, (hold hands out in questioning motion)

That is me, that is me. (point to self)

– Miss Alice, Youth Services Manager

Beth Weimer2021-03-18T12:41:34-05:00March 18th, 2021|

#FDL: Biographies of Brave Women

Place a hold on one of these biographies for Women’s History Month in March!

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog

Mary Brave Bird grew up fatherless in a one-room cabin, without running water or electricity, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Rebelling against the aimless drinking, punishing missionary school, narrow strictures for women, and violence and hopeless of reservation life, she joined the new movement of tribal pride sweeping Native American communities in the sixties and seventies. Mary eventually married Leonard Crow Dog, the American Indian Movement’s chief medicine man, who revived the sacred but outlawed Ghost Dance. Originally published in 1990, Lakota Woman was a national best seller and winner of the American Book Award. It is a unique document, unparalleled in American Indian literature, a story of death, of determination against all odds, of the cruelties perpetuated against American Indians, and of the Native American struggle for rights.

The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia Murad was born and raised in Kocho, a small village of farmers and shepherds in northern Iraq. A member of the Yazidi community, she and her brothers and sisters lived a quiet life. Nadia had dreams of becoming a history teacher or opening her own beauty salon. On August 15th, 2014, when Nadia was just twenty-one years old, this life ended. Islamic State militants massacred the people of her village, executing men who refused to convert to Islam and women too old to become sex slaves. Six of Nadia’s brothers were killed, and her mother soon after, their bodies swept into mass graves. Nadia was taken to Mosul and forced, along with thousands of other Yazidi girls, into the ISIS slave trade.

*Annotations provided by each publisher

-Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2021-06-04T11:19:32-05:00March 13th, 2021|

Book Talk for Kids – The Screaming Staircase

Alice shares the first book of one of her all-time favorite book series – The Screaming Staircase! The Lockwood & Co. series is great for middle grade readers who love ghosts and supernatural stories, and FDL has The Screaming Staircase available in book, audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook formats. (And keep an eye out for the upcoming TV series!)

Beth Weimer2021-03-12T16:36:40-06:00March 13th, 2021|

Story Time (Online) – Noise

Good morning and welcome to story time. I’m Miss Sharon, and today we’re going to read about noise! Think about some of the noises you hear everyday. Cars and trucks, a dog barking, or a bird chirping – maybe a baby sister or brother crying. Noise is everywhere!

Opening Song: The More We Get Together

The more we get together, together, together,
the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.
Cause your friends are my friends,
and my friends are your friends,
the more we get together the happier we’ll be!

Source: Supersimple A Place To Learn and Grow

Book: Holler Loudly

Written by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Barry Gott, and read with the permission of Dutton Children’s Book.

Flannel: Five Noisy Robots

5 noisy robots in the toy shop,

Shiny and tall with antennae on the top.

Along came a girl with a penny one day.

Bought a noisy robot and took it away.

4 noisy robots in the toy shop,

Shiny and tall with antennae on the top.

Along came a girl with a penny one day.

Bought a noisy robot and took it away.

(continue with 3, 2, 1 noisy robots)

Source: Storytime Katie

Book: Trixie Ten

Written and illustrated by Sarah Massini and read with the permission of Henry Holt and Company.

Song: The Noisy Monster Song

This is the way a monster goes, (stomp like a monster)

He has big feet, (lift and shake each foot)

And furry toes, (wiggle your toes)

He stamps a lot, (stamp feet)

His feet go bang, (clap hands loudly)

And when he smiles, (make a toothy smile)

He shows his fangs! (gnash your teeth!)

This is the way a monster goes, (stomp like a monster)

With goggly eyes and a (peek through circled fingers)

Very big nose! (gesture a big nose)

With spiky horns and (gesture big horns on head)

Big sharp claws, (hold fingers out like claws)

And terrible breath (waft hand under nose)

Whenever he ROARS! (roar loudly!)

Source: Lets Play Music

Action Rhyme: Loud and Quiet

Quietly, quietly not a sound
I’m listening and I’m listening
As I look around
No sounds as I nod (nod)
No sounds as I clap (clap)
No sounds as I tap my hands on my lap (tap)

Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
Loudly, loudly, stamp and clap (stamp and clap)
All that noise, well fancy that!
Credit: Preschool Storytime Outlines

Book: Can I Just Take a Nap?

Written by Ron Rauss, illustrated by Rob Steppherson, and read with the permission of Simon & Schuster.

Song: Skinnamarink

Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Put your left elbow in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to eye)
Love (Cross your arms over your heart)
You! (Point to audience)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left elbow in right hand)
Skinnamarinky Doo (Right elbow in left hand, wave)
I (Point to your eye)
Love (Cross arms in front of heart)
You! (Point to audience)

I love you in the morning (Cross arms above your head)
And in the afternoon (Cross arms around your chest)
I love you in the evening (Cross around your tummy)
And underneath the moon! (Cross arms above head again)
Skinnamarinky dinky-dink (Left arm in right hand, wave)
Skinnamarinky doo (Right arm in left hand, wave)
I (Point to your eye)
Love (Cross arms in front of heart)
You (Point to audience)
Too (Show two fingers)
Boo boop we doo! (Wave and kiss!)

Craft: Paper Plate Noise Maker

Craft kits are available to pick up in the Youth Services department or the drive-up window while supplies last.

Kit supplies:

Large paper plate
Dried beans

What you’ll need from home:

Crayons/markers
Stapler/tape

Directions:

Color and decorate the back of your paper plate.
Fold the paper plate in half and staple well around the edges. Leave a hole open at the top.
Add the dried beans to the plate through the hole. Staple the hole shut. Make sure that you staple close enough together to prevent the beans from escaping.

Note: If you do not have a stapler, you can use tape.

Closing Song: Thanks for Coming

(Tune: Oh My Darling Clementine)
Thanks for sitting, thanks for listening,
Thanks for coming here today!
Now that story time is over
Hope you have a lovely day!

Source: Literary Hoots

Join Miss Alice next week for story time!

– Miss Sharon, Youth Services Specialist

Beth Weimer2021-03-11T14:53:54-06:00March 11th, 2021|

FDL Reads: Dust Bowl Girls

Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory by Lydia Reeder

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Assistant

Genre: Sports History, Non-Fiction

Suggested Age: Teen, Adult

What is This Book About? The women’s basketball team from Oklahoma Presbyterian College for Girls, the Cardinals, did something amazing during the 1931-32 school year. Their winning streak was unprecedented. This book follows the story of young women who would otherwise not have been able to afford a college education during the Great Depression if not for basketball. In a time when there was debate about whether women should participate in competitive or non-competitive sports, these ladies played to win, and win, and win.

My Review: This is a heartwarming tale of women who were able to pursue a sport they loved during a time where women who played competitive sports were often seen as too manly. These young women were plucked out of poor communities and awarded college scholarships that helped them breakaway from poverty during the Great Depression. I enjoyed learning about this not-so-well-known bit of history. Interspersed among the main storyline were detailed backstory components about people, locations, and even local politics. Sometimes this broke up the main story a bit more than I’d like, but it was still interesting. Listening to the narrative portions of the games could have easily been mistaken for a radio broadcaster calling the shots. I listened to the audio version of this book that is available on hoopla, and it felt more like I was listening to historical fiction: an entertaining story and not just a regurgitation of facts. Considering the author is a relative of the Cardinals’ coach at the time, Sam Babb, I think she must have been able to access some little-known tidbits to fill in what might have been awkward gaps.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Interesting, Endearing, Underdogs

Give This a Try if You Like… Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, Fly Girls by Keith O’Brien, or the movie A League of Their Own

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

Susie Rivera2021-03-11T12:03:56-06:00March 10th, 2021|