#FDL: Books for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Read one of these books and learn about the many cultures and histories that make up the AAPI community.
-Annotations from the publishers
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
FDL Reads: The Paris Library
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this book about? In 1939, a young woman in Paris, Odile Souchet, applies for her dream job at the English-speaking, American Library in Paris while political tensions mount across Europe. In 1983, a young girl, Lily, lives in Montana next door to the widowed “war bride,” Odile Gustafson. Alternating between these two settings, we follow Odile’s journey through the German occupation of Paris during WWII while also seeing who she has become as a result of her life choices. Forty years after WWII, Odile keeps to herself in the small town of Froid, Montana until 12-year-old Lily makes an unexpected overture of friendship. Lily wants to know everything about her elusive foreign neighbor, but Odile is good and keeping secrets, especially her own. What happened to Odile during the war? Is she scarred by trauma, or racked with guilt? Can Odile overcome her past to save Lily from repeating the same mistakes?
My Review: I enjoyed listening to this book, not only for the historical insight, but also because much of it was written from the point of view of a librarian during a worldwide hardship. I realize that war is not the same thing as a pandemic, but the desire to keep patrons engaged and informed even while is still something that is very strong in the “library world” even today. The reader is able to see the lengths librarians went through to keep patrons reading, to send books to soldiers, to keep culture alive despite overwhelming pressure to suppress it. The life lessons that were learned during hard times by Odile are passed on to Lily in ways that are subtle and charming. Over the course of their friendship, Odile seems to find a way to redeem and forgive herself by guiding Lily into adulthood.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Insightful, Validating, Redeeming
Give This a Try if You Like…The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
FDL Reads: The Vanishing Half
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Mallard, Louisiana, never existed on any map, and twins Stella and Desiree see running away when they’re sixteen as their only way to escape the tiny, rural black community founded by their ancestors. But then Stella disappears, leaving Desiree to struggle through life on her own. Stella forsakes her family to build a new life passing as white, while Desiree is eventually forced to return home, though she never stops searching for her other half. Some bonds just can’t be broken, no matter the miles, years, and lies that pass, and the choices each sister makes will impact their own daughters in ways they never imagined.
My Review: For a novel that deals with such heavy themes of identity – race, colorism, and gender – Bennett manages to reach a depth that somehow isn’t crushing. Each character’s story is told with a tender realism that makes their pain and burdens worth bearing as they create and hide and reinvent their own identities within the inescapable webs of history, heritage, and community. I dreaded the twins’ reunion, expecting the worst, but it was just achingly abrupt and bittersweet. There’s a subtle power to this story that I can’t quite articulate, an evocation of empathy that’s quiet and unforced. Regardless, this story will stick with me for some time, and I hope you take time to read it. (Watch for the upcoming HBO adaptation, but definitely read this book!)
Three Words That Describe This Book: Moving, Complex, Brilliant
Give This a Try if You Like… The Mothers by Brit Bennett, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
One World, Many Stories: Bilingual Children’s Day Story Time
Welcome to a special bilingual story time on Children’s Day/Book Day (El día de los niños/El día de los libros)! This holiday is all about celebrating children, families, and the joy of reading, so join us as we read and sing songs that celebrate our diversity.
Song: Hello, Friends
(using ASL, to the tune of Goodnight, Ladies)
Hello, friends! Hello, friends!
Hello, friends! It’s time to say hello!
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Song: Open Them, Shut Them / Abre, cierra
English Lyrics:
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!
Spanish Lyrics:
Abre, cierra
Abre, cierra
Da una palmadita, -ta
Abre, cierra
Abre, cierra
Mantenlas juntitas, -tas
Sube, sube, sube, sube
Hasta la barbilla, -lla
Abre la boquita pero…
¡No metas los dedos!
Source: NCO Bilingual Storytime
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Book: Book Fiesta
Written by Pat Mora and published by HarperCollins.
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Song: Yo Te Amo Lullaby
Yo te amo, yo te amo
All day long I’ll sing this little song to you.
Yo te amo, yo te amo
Darling I love you!
Je t’aime, Je t’aime
All day long I’ll sing this little song to you.
Je t’aime, Je t’aime
Darling I love you!
Wo ai ni, Wo ai ni
All day long I’ll sing this little song to you.
Wo ai ni, Wo ai ni,
Darling I love you!
Source: Jbrary
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Book: Juna’s Jar
Written by Jane Bahk and published by Lee and Low Books.
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Song: Petit Escargot / Little Snail
French Lyrics:
Petit escargot
Porte sur son dos
Sa maisonnette
Aussitôt qu’il pleut
Il est tout heureux
Il sort sa tête!
English Lyrics:
Little Snail
Carries on his back
His little house
As soon as it rains
He’s all happy
He comes out of his shell!*
*literal translation: His head comes out!
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Book: Elephant in the Dark
Written by Mina Javaherbin and published by Scholastic Press.
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Craft: Chinese Tangram
Craft kits are available to pick up from the Youth Services department and the drive-up window while supplies last.
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Song: The Goodbye Song
English Lyrics:
Goodbye
So long
To you
My friend
Stay well
And fine
Til we meet
Again
Spanish Lyrics:
Adios
Adios Save
A ti
Mi amigo
Cuídate
Muy bien
Nos vemos
Otra vez
Credit: Burlington Specials
– Miss Alice and Miss Haley
Story Time (Online) – Spiders
Not only are spiders super cool, they’re also really fun to read about! Miss Alice shares a couple books about these lovely arachnids in today’s story time!
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!
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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)
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Book: Frank the Seven-Legged Spider
Written by Michaele Razi and published by Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch Books.
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Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy, bitsy spider went up the waterspout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Up came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the itsy, bitsy spider went up the spout again.
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Song: Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey. (imitate eating from a bowl)
Along came a spider that sat down beside her (imitate a spider crawling down)
And frightened Miss Muffet away! (shout and make a scared face)
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Book: I’m Trying to Love Spiders
Written by Bethany Barton and published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group.
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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)
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Book: Bear’s Scare
Written by Jacob Grant and published by Bloomsbury Publisher.
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Craft: Cupcake Liner Spiders
Craft kits are available to pick up from the Youth Services desk or the drive-up window while supplies last.
Source: I Heart Crafty Things
Instructions:
Glue down your string, then glue your cupcake liners over the string so your spiders can hang on the “web.” Glue down the eyes next! Use a marker or crayon to draw on the spider legs and finish out their face. Try giving your spiders a nice smile! What are the names of your spiders? Draw in some mosquitos or flies to give your spiders some food!
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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
Trending Fantasy Books
Check out a few of the most popular fantasy books right now. Place a hold through the links to our catalog.
A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series, Book 4) by Sarah J. Maas
Fantasy Romance
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it. The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other. Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
YA, Mythological Fantasy
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man—now a god—responsible for their deaths. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last of the original gods, now gravely wounded. The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and a way to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to rejoin the hunt, binding her fate to Athena’s, will come at a deadly cost—and it may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash Series, Book 1) by Jennifer Armentrout
Paranormal Fantasy, Fantasy Romance
A Maiden…Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers. A Duty…The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Historical Fantasy
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientèle. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate, and not everyone will survive.
-Annotations from the publishers
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.