Diane C.

  • Talkin’ Turkey

    What do you call it when it rains turkeys?  Fowl Weather (of course!) Most times, these ungainly strutting birds get no respect, not even as dinner’s main course. Take the Butterball Turkey Helpline—most new cooks are baffled by such a huge rotund bird for which large roasting pans and big ovens are required—as their many… Continue reading

  • Gene Luen Yang: National Storyteller

    If we were to conjure a favorite high school teacher, one who’s smart, funny, innovative, caring, honest, and ever so talented, Gene Luen Yang would fit to a T. So personable a speaker, he can reach you through his website videos. Most writers share their deepest thoughts and ideas through their books, but to also… Continue reading

  • Children’s Literature Saves Lives

    After the raucousness of politics last fall, I overheard a woman say that she had been binge watching Hallmark Channel love stories. I could certainly relate as I retreated for weeks on end to exclusively reading children’s fiction, where issues are surmountable and endings often good. Truth be told, the writing and illustrating for children… Continue reading

  • Summer Time When the Reading is “Natural”

    When Children’s and Teen Librarians visit schools before summer vacation begins, we are often armed with a plethora of “good reads” and entice the kids to come to their local branch to check them out. The Summer of Learning program this year proclaims “Astounding Tales of Nature!”  The “oohs and ahs” that came from the… Continue reading

  • Read Globally in 2016

    -posted by Diane C.             For the Global Reading Challenge–the acclaimed reading program done in partnership with many Seattle Public Schools’ fourth & fifth graders–the selection of ten titles each year is the most sacred of undertakings. There is a fine balance that needs to be considered for kids’ interest,… Continue reading

  • As the Lava Flows

    By Diane C. Volcanoes are spectacularly in the news now.  We’ve recently learned of a dramatic, unexpected eruption in Japan, and of ongoing lava flows in Peru, Iceland, and East Java Indonesia.  The one that most concerns me is the creeping leg of an offshoot originating from Kilauea Crater on the Big Island of Hawaii,… Continue reading

  • A Milestone for the Beacon Hill Branch

    ~posted by Diane In July of 2004, the Beacon Hill Branch Library moved into a brand new 10,000 sq. ft. building, a sea change from the 3,000 sq. ft. storefront that had been our home since 1962.  Now 10 years old, we will celebrate with a neighborhood birthday party on July 12th from 12:30-5:30 p.m.… Continue reading

  • Haiku blossoms in April

    Posted by Diane “Winter moon hovers powerlines ripple the dark crows fly toward home.” This haiku at the Beacon Hill Library is one of four carved onto large rocks in the landscaped grounds.  The haiku were composed by folks in our neighborhood and were selected to be engraved when the new building opened in 2004. … Continue reading

  • Gracias, Sylvia Mendez!

    Sylvia Mendez is part of one the most important families in the struggle for civil rights.  Her story became even more widely known when the children’s book, Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling, was selected for The Seattle Public Library’s 2014 Global Reading Challenge.  The book chronicles two tragic events in American history—the internment of Japanese… Continue reading

  • Catch a Tiger by its Tale

    An absolutely gripping true story that reads like a mystery is John Vaillant’s award-winning science book called The Tiger:  A True Story of Vengeance and Survival.  The story is set in the frigid Maritime Territory of Russia, where an Amur (Siberian) Tiger killed three hunters in 1997.  The reader is transported to the tiger’s natural… Continue reading

  • Librarian suggestions for kids’ summer reading

    Just before school ended earlier this month, our children’s librarians were out “school visiting” to promote summer reading. In addition to information about joining our Summer Reading Program, children in our local elementary schools hear their neighborhood libraries do a show-and-tell style of talking about great books. You can find various neighborhood and school book suggestion… Continue reading

  • A new year of hope and forgiveness by Cambodians

    The New Year that begins for Cambodians in April is called Chaul Chnam Thmey in Khmer language, which literally means “Enter the New Year.” April 13-15, 2013 marks the end of the year 2556 BE (Buddhist Era) and the start of 2557—a sacred festival of an ancient culture. White Center in southwest Seattle, just a hop and… Continue reading

  • Crime: Inappropriate morality tales – Mysteries for teens

    “Do you have something inappropriate?” asked a teen patron at the Beacon Hill library. “Lots,” I countered and pulled out Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan. What can be more horrific than plotting to kill your teacher? “No,” he whispered violently, “I mean like sex.” Oh, that kind of inappropriate, I chortled inside. Continue reading

  • Los Dias de los Muertos

    Several years ago a recently retired teacher who lived in the Beacon Hill neighborhood asked me if she could add a “decoration” (previously used in her classroom) to a branch program. Skeptical but intrigued, we were willing to host her Los Dias de los Muertos altar and we were subsequently awestruck at the charming and… Continue reading