Author jeanboone1

The photograph depicts a tray of colorful watercolors next to two paintbrushes and a pile of painted papers, against a background of golden twinkle lights.

January is International Creativity Month

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The photograph depicts a tray of colorful watercolors next to two paintbrushes and a pile of painted papers, against a background of golden twinkle lights.

by Jean B.

Are you ready to stir up your creative juices, push your comfort zone, and generate some innovation in your life?   

Experts agree: creativity is in all of us. It’s something you can boost and develop at any age. The ways we encourage creativity in children — with open-ended exploration, unstructured time, stories and story-telling, and playful experiences — are strategies available to all of us.   

But where to begin? It may feel risky to commit to an unfamiliar activity and expensive to invest in all the necessary equipment and supplies. Don’t worry – just look to your library! Not only are our buildings filled with books about everything under the sun (including how to be creative), but HCLS also offers instructors, speakers, experiences, tools, facilities, and spaces that alleviate the cost of trying something new.  

You might start by changing your environment. Make your imagination soar by putting a Picasso on your wall or streaming music you’ve never heard before. At our Central and Glenwood branches, you can borrow new, inspiring art every six weeks, then attend art classes at the Elkridge DIY center to create a personal masterpiece. Borrow a ukulele, then join a jam session of the Savage Ukes or use a recording booth at Glenwood to stretch those creative muscles even further. Once you are inspired by the masters, you may find it easier to produce something yourself. 

If your imagination produces more than your home equipment can support, come to HCLS for maker tools and machinery. At Elkridge Branch’s DIY Center you might borrow a sewing and embroidery machine and create beautiful textiles. At Glenwood Branch’s Makerspace, access a 3D printer and laser cutter engraver, or just play around with building toys like LEGOS, K’nex, and planks. If you get inspiration from sharing with others, you can join fellow makers at a Pins and Needle Arts class at Central Branch or Miller Branch, where conversation fuels creativity and learning. 

Young creators can get inspired at the library, too! Borrow some puppets from the HCLS toy collection to retell familiar stories and produce original tales. Visit the Glenwood Branch Builders Barn, where children enter a material-rich space to explore, discover, and create. Check out the children’s and teen’s class schedules to find art, engineering, music, and technology offerings to feed every kind of passion.

Happy Creative New Year! 

Papermaking Lab! 
Monday, January 9, 6 – 7:30 pm          
HCLS Miller Branch
Ages 11-18.
DECLUTTER then CREATE! Shred, blend, and mix to transform those old notebooks and paper into beautiful new papers! (We’ll have recycled paper, too). Experiment by adding seeds for plantable paper or denim scrap. Come back during the Wednesday Wellness class (drop-in, no registration required) on Wednesday, January 11 from 4 – 5 pm to turn your paper into a gratitude journal.

Registration suggested, drop-ins allowed if space permits. Register here.

Get to “Snow” the Laser Cutter Engraver 
Wednesday, January 11, 6 – 8 pm
HCLS Glenwood Branch
Step up your craftiness with the Makerspace! Using the laser cutter engraver, create custom snowflakes. Learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator, then send your project to be cut. Absolute beginners welcome; all materials supplied.

Ages 11 and up welcome; any participant under 18 years of age must have a parent/guardian present. Register here.

Artapalooza! 
Wednesday, January 18, 2 – 4 pm  
HCLS Miller Branch
Ages 11-18.
Spend your early dismissal day creating! Let your creativity soar in an open studio art space. We provide the supplies, you bring the imagination.

Registration preferred, drop-ins allowed if space permits. Register here (registration opens Monday, January 11 at 2 pm).

Goal Setting With Vision Boards 
Wednesday, January 18, 1 – 3 pm  
HCLS Savage Branch
Ages 11-18.
Start 2023 off right with some personal goal setting. We discuss and share different areas we’d like to improve in as well as areas that we are doing well in, then create vision boards. 

Drop-in.

Ingenious Inventions! 
Wednesday, January 25, 7 – 7:45 pm 
HCLS Miller Branch
Ages 6-10.
Don’t let history be a mystery – learn about some inventions. Includes stories, activities, and a craft. 

Ticket required. Tickets available at the children’s desk 15 minutes before class.

Slime Cafe
Monday, January 23, 3:30 – 4:15 pm
HCLS Central Branch
Ages 6-10.
Read a yucky story and learn how to combine different ingredients with a basic slime recipe to create your own unique slimes. Materials provided (unscented shampoo, corn starch, and food coloring). Dress for mess. 

Registration required.  Register here (registration opens Monday, January 16 at 3:30 pm).

The contents of the On the Go Literacy Activity Kit displayed against black background, including toy vehicles, books, and tip sheets.

National Education Week: Let’s Play

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The contents of the On the Go Literacy Activity Kit displayed against black background, including toy vehicles, books, and tip sheets.

by Jean Boone, Central Branch

“When we treat children’s play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that’s to be found in the creative spirit. It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.” said Fred Rogers.

By definition, PLAY is FUN but that doesn’t make it unimportant. For a child’s development, it’s serious business. Play feeds a child’s imagination and creativity, and it helps them explore and discover their capabilities and their world. As it spurs brain development, play becomes a pathway for learning and creates the foundation for literacy and school readiness.

To support children and their families in growing and learning through play, we offer some incredible resources.

The toy collection includes more than 300 wide-ranging, developmentally appropriate and safe items:

  • Does your child love pretend play? Borrow a wooden sandwich-building set or the bilingual (English-Spanish) EnSALADa play set for some imaginative cooking!
  • Is your child always on the move? Take home a parachute, trucks and other vehicles, and push and pull toys for building motor skills.
  • Help your child learn their letters, numbers, shapes and colors with toys like the Counting Carrots Stacker, Rocket Shape Sorter, or Oscar the Grouch stacking cans.
  • Encourage storytelling with a set of puppets like the Three Billy Goats Gruff or Peppa and George Pig, or music-making with My First Piano or the Hedgehog Accordion.
  • Promote problem-solving with all kinds of puzzles, for toddlers to kindergartners.

Literacy Activity Kits combine themed books, toys, games, and hands-on activities that are both educational and entertaining. Created for three distinct age groups, the kits also include a bilingual parent guide with ideas for how to engage your child with these materials.

For 0-4 year olds, kits focus on essential concepts with books, music, and toys:
Numbers and Shapes
Colors and Letters
Bilingual English and Spanish
Things that Go
Barnyard Animals

For 5-7 year olds, kits contain books and problem-solving projects and games:
The Three Little Pigs
The Gingerbread Man
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
Fun with Words
Dive into Dolphins and Sharks

For 8-10 year olds, kits offer books, worksheets, and games that strengthen literacy skills:
Super Spelling and Wonderful Writing
Stretch Your Storytelling
Pass the Poetry
Focus on Fluency

All of these materials can be borrowed for three weeks, just like a book. Come into your nearest branch and bring home some serious fun!

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

The picture is of the National HIstory Day logo, with black lettering on a white background and red stripes in between the lines.

Crossing the History Day Frontier

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The picture is of the National HIstory Day logo, with black lettering on a white background and red stripes in between the lines.

by Jean B.

Middle and high school students participating in the 2023 National History Day competition can count on HCLS to be their partner as they explore the theme, Frontiers in History. It’s easy to cross the frontier into your neighborhood library for support and materials. In fact, many HCLS resources are available to you without leaving home! Go to our History Day web page where you can find details on the local, state, and national contest rules and timelines, and a gateway to curated support for your journey:

Inspiration and guidance. You’ll find classes and workshops at many HCLS branches where you can meet History Day judges and learn important tips and tools, from choosing a topic, to thinking about a research strategy, to completing an annotated bibliography. Search National History Day on our calendar of events for dates, locations, and details.

Personalized support. Once you have an idea for your project, sign up for a one-on-one meeting with an HCLS teen instructor to develop your thesis, learn how to use library research tools, access appropriate primary and secondary source materials, or have your work reviewed. Request an appointment at hclibrary.org/new-a-main/students/history-day-research.

Authoritative primary source materials. Did you know that you can read The Ellicott City Times from the 1920s to the 1950s on microfilm at the Central Branch? That’s one classic way to cross history’s frontiers! But with your A+ Student account and a computer, tablet, or phone, you can access the vast range of historical documents found in HCLS’ online databases, like these:

  • American Periodicals: Includes more than 1,500 magazines and journals published from 1740 – 1940.
  • Archives Unbound: Includes Maryland’s city and business directories from 1752 – 1929, letters and reports from the War of 1812, and Confederate newspapers.
  • Baltimore Afro-American Archives: Search issues of the most widely circulated African American weekly newspaper on the East Coast (1893-1988).
  • Indigenous Peoples of North America: Find short films, photos, newspaper articles, manuscripts, and much more about Native Americans.

Hitch your wagon to HCLS for History Day success and start your journey today.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

The cover depicts the title character, author Parker Curry, looking up at the portrait of Michelle Obama that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Literary Day Trips with Kids

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The cover illustration shows Benjamin Banneker with a timepiece in the palm of his hand; he has opened the cover of it and is examining its inner gears.

by Jean B.

Books can take you anywhere – you can discover all kinds of places and people from the comfort of home. But books can also lead you OUT into real life adventures. This summer, check out some of these children’s books with local connections then take a family excursion to live it yourself!

Interested in ingenuity? For an adventure in Howard County’s backyard, read TickTock Banneker’s Clock by Shana Keller. Learn about the African American colonial scientist Benjamin Banneker, then explore the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park in Oella. Tour his restored colonial cabin and gardens, hike woodland trails, and participate in fun summer programs with nature and colonial history themes.

The cover depicts the title character, author Parker Curry, looking up at the portrait of Michelle Obama that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Fascinated by famous faces? Read Parker Looks Up by Parker and Jessica Curry. Visit the National Portrait Gallery to see the portrait of Michelle Obama for yourself, as well as those of many other interesting Americans of the past and present.

The cover is an illustration of baseball player and home run king Babe Ruth.

Seeking sports glory? One of baseball’s legends, Babe Ruth, grew up in Baltimore. Explore his childhood story and how he was introduced to the game – you may be surprised! – with the book Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares. Then visit the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, or go to a baseball game at Camden Yards or Bowie.

The book cover depicts a boy carrying two lanterns and looking over his shoulder, with the masts of ships in the background and a knapsack slung over his back.

Intrigued by history’s mysteries? Take a drive to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and you’ll find the quaint waterfront town of St. Michael’s. Before your visit, check out the picture book by Lisa Papp, The Town that Fooled the British: A War of 1812 Story, to uncover the clever trick that saved St. Michael’s from destruction 200 years ago.

The book cover depicts a grinning skeleton in a blue wash, almost as if at the bottom of the sea.

For the ambitious, a trip to Jamestown, Virginia could be like a true crime investigation when combined with the award-winning nonfiction book, Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker. This fascinating (and sometimes gruesome) account shows how forensic scientists are studying skeletons found in Jamestown’s colonial ruins to decipher exactly who these bones belonged to, how they lived, and how they died.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

Collage of black and white photos and color blocks in red, green, blue and yellow with "Summer of Soul" overlaid.

June is African American Music Appreciation Month

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Collage of black and white photos of musicians and color blocks in red, green, blue, and yellow with "Summer of Soul" overlaid.

by Jean B.

Count Basie. Billie Holliday. Duke Ellington. I am an enthusiastic jazz fan, and I appreciate that sliver of African American music all year long, not just in June. But the musical expression of Black experience and artistry certainly isn’t limited to jazz or any other single genre. Gospel, rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop, rap, classical, rock and roll, techno, musicals – African American Music Appreciation Month provides a great opportunity to acknowledge and explore the tremendous breadth of African American musicians, composers, styles, and music entrepreneurs. Established in 1979 as National Black Music Month, it has been proclaimed by every U.S. President from Jimmy Carter to Joe Biden. So for this 43rd annual celebration, use HCLS as a portal to enjoy more of what you already like or discover something entirely new.

Expand Your Playlist
If you’re looking for new tunes, HCLS offers thousands of CDs across all genres to borrow. Using your library card and PIN, you also can stream music from Freegal. Not only can you search for favorite artists or songs, but you can find already curated Black Music Month playlists – like the one created by the Central Arkansas Library System with ten hours of music, ranging from Jimi Hendrix, to Sister Rosetta Tharpe; from Kendrick Lamar to Miles Davis. That’s a lot to appreciate!

Experience Live Concerts
Do you want to imagine you’re there, in concert? Documentary DVDs can bring the live concert experience right into your home. Check out Questlove’s Oscar-winning documentary, Summer of Soul, about the epic 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that features performances by artists like Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King, and more. Or watch Eminem, Nas, and other hip-hop artists perform on Something From Nothing: the Art of Rap. From our Kanopy service, stream films like Rejoice and Shout: Gospel Music and African-American Christianity, which features legends of gospel like The Staple Singers and The Dixie Hummingbirds, to trace the 200-year evolution and contribution of gospel music in American pop culture.

The cover of I'm Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream features the outline illustration of a red figure playing a black tuba, framed by text.

Explore the Lives of African American Creators
If you’re curious about the life experiences that produced the music you hear, check out some great nonfiction. Be blown away by the memoir of Baltimore native Richard Antoine White, whose dream of classical tuba performance took him from a homeless childhood to a prestigious symphony orchestra career, an extraordinary story he tells in I’m Possible: A Story of Survival, A Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream. Or be swept up in the incredible combination of poetry, art, biography, and music history in Jazz A-B-Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits, where Wynton Marsalis writes wordplay jazz. I love his ode to Ellington, “a most elegant man” who sought “to educate, to elevate, to urge the earthbound ear and heart alike to soar,” just like the resources at HCLS!

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

The illustration shows two hand clasping a book with the Earth the backdrop, with the text across the hands and book reading, "Books Unite Us." The rest of the text reads, "Banned Books Week. September 26-October 2, 2021. ALA American Library Association. The illustration is in shades of purple, lime green, and orange.

Banned Books Week (Sep 26 – Oct 2)

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The illustration shows two hand clasping a book with the Earth the backdrop, with the text across the hands and book reading, "Books Unite Us." The rest of the text reads, "Banned Books Week. September 26-October 2, 2021. ALA American Library Association. The illustration is in shades of purple, lime green, and orange.

by Jean B.

 “Any time we eliminate or wall off certain narratives, we are not getting a whole picture of the world in which we live…we limit our vocabulary, which complicates how we communicate with one another.”  

– Jason Reynolds, the acclaimed Maryland author named Honorary Chair for Banned Books Week

A library may be held together with walls, but it’s the doors and windows that really matter — doors open for all people and windows that illuminate all perspectives. During Banned Books Week, we celebrate the freedom to read and the commitment by libraries, publishers, teachers, writers, and readers to promote access to materials that the ALA Freedom to Read Statement says, “enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression.” Established in 1982, Banned Books Week responds to efforts across the country to challenge and censor books and focuses attention on how restricting access to information, ideas, and stories harms American cultural and political life.   

In a time when divisions cut across our nation like fault lines, the 2021 Banned Books Week theme reminds us that books can be a force for unity, even – or especially – when they convey a wide variety of views and experiences, including those that are marginal, unconventional, or unpopular. The freedom to read strengthens our ability to communicate with one another.

In a democracy, we trust individuals to learn and decide for themselves.  But to make informed choices, citizens require free access to all viewpoints and all kinds of ideas in the process of self-education. Where can people go for free access to ideas and information? Their public library! As essential institutions of democracy, public libraries implement intentional collection policies to ensure the breadth and inclusivity of materials available to their communities. For Howard County Library System, this translates into a collection that reflects a wide range of voices, including controversial and conflicting ideas.  

As the HCLS Board of Trustees affirms, while, “anyone is free to reject for [themselves] books or other materials of which [they] do not approve, [they] cannot exercise this right to restrict the freedom of others.” The freedom to read strengthens our citizenship. Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) publishes a list of the ten most frequently challenged or banned books across the nation. This snapshot reflects only a small percentage of the challenges that take place in schools and libraries.  The ALA estimates that 82 – 97 percent of requests to remove materials are unreported. As this list illustrates, the challenges come from all directions and perspectives. The freedom to read protects all points of view.

So this year, in honor of Banned Books Week, open the library door and explore our extensive collections.  Look through the windows of stories into all different kinds of lives, familiar and unfamiliar.  Explore HCLS’ Brave Voices, Brave Choices campaign to discover a wide range of experiences in our own community. It’s all free to you, and you are free to choose.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

A picture of the author in weathered, natural tones appears to the left of the book cover: which shows blue sky above scrubby green hills.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

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The title appears against a painting of a green landscape and blue sky with white clouds, with a silhouette of a girl leading a horse and cart in the bottom left

By Jean B.

I love a book with a map, so News of the World captured me even before page one. Throughout my reading, I pored over the sepia endpaper map of Texas circa 1870, with its bright red line tracing a path from Wichita Falls along the northern border with Indian territory, all the way down to San Antonio and the Rio Grande. As you might guess, given the map, this is a book about a journey – across both rough territory and psychological barriers. As the characters made their way along the bright red line, Giles’ beautiful prose transported me into this time and place and into the lives of Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, age 71, and Johanna Leonberger, age 10.  

It’s the Reconstruction era in Texas, a time of political turmoil and uncertainty, random violence and unexpected kindness, across an incredibly varied landscape. Captain Kidd, a survivor of three wars, has dedicated his life to connecting people through information. He is alone, having lost his wife and his printing business in the Civil War. Kidd now makes his living by traveling through small towns, performing live readings of newspapers from around the country and the world to isolated residents hungry for stories of faraway places and remarkable events. Suddenly, his nomadic routine is disrupted by an unsought responsibility – he must deliver Johanna, a traumatized orphan who has lived as a captive of the Kiowa tribe for six years and knows no other family, back to her relatives near San Antonio. Traversing that 400 mile path, the characters must overcome challenges small and large and, in the process, build mutual trust and companionship.

I would not call myself a fan of Westerns, in either novels or movies, but Paulette Jiles’ exquisite descriptions of the plants, weather, and settlements of this landscape drew me in. Her writing made me want to ride a horse through the hills, canyons, and prairies of Texas (minus the deadly threats along the way). Maybe I’ll do that someday, but in the meantime, luckily, we can get the visual experience by watching the 2020 movie based on the book! Starring Tom Hanks as Captain Kidd, the movie garnered four Oscar nominations, and you borrow the DVD from HCLS.  

While both the book and the movie open a window into a beautiful yet treacherous moment in Texan history, News of the World goes much deeper than a travelogue. Across the miles, the tragic characters discover the power of empathy to leap differences in age, language, experience and loss. Although the book is barely 200 pages, it paints a picture of great historical and personal complexity. If you’re looking for some armchair traveling this summer, News of the World is a journey worth taking – and it comes with a map!

Available in print, large print,audio CD,  ebook, and eaudio, as well as DVD.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch. A fan of historical fiction and nonfiction, she also enjoys exploring the natural world through books and on foot.

The cover shows the title and author's name against a background of brightly colored, wavy stripes in blues, greens, yellows, purples, oranges, and reds.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

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The cover shows the title and author's name against a background of brightly colored, wavy stripes in blues, greens, yellows, purples, oranges, and reds.

By Jean B.

The summer camp directories are out, and though summer will still be COVID-impacted, these camp listings have me thinking about the freedom and fun of summers past. Do you have any cherished (or miserable?!) summer camp memories? Do you think of s’mores or lakes or mosquitoes? While there are all kinds of camps and camp memories, one universal camp experience, it seems, is the intensity of friendships that form in that time-bounded space. When kids are briefly brought together from various places and situations and thrown into the intimate, shared life of a camp routine, something special happens.  

That powerful camp-created bond lies at the core of Meg Wolitzer’s engrossing novel, The Interestings. Six teenagers become friends at Spirit of the Woods camp in the summer of 1974, and the relationships they form with one another shape the rest of their lives. Spirit of the Woods is an arts camp, a place designed to foster talent and passion. Julie Jacobsen isn’t sure she belongs in this place but is thrilled when the self-named clique “The Interestings” enfolds her into their circle of specialness.

As the six kids grow, age, and build their lives and careers, Jules continues to measure her life against those of her camp friends and to use their experiences as a guide to what makes a life successful. Their diverse talents – so glittering in their camp days – play out in many ways in adulthood, and though the bonds of friendship provide a lifeline through crises, they also drive wedges as Jules’ and her friends’ fortunes diverge.  Through Jules’ eyes, readers can consider the question: what would you do for a friend?  

This beautifully written story made me think about my own friendships and how they’ve evolved over time. It swept me into the juicy world of these characters’ lives and relationships but also gave me lots to chew on – it’s both ice cream and salad, a perfect summer feast!  If you’re looking for something fun and, well, interesting, check out Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings.

 Available in print and audio CD, or as an ebook and eaudio on Libby/OverDrive.

Jean B. is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch and loves reading books for all ages when she isn’t enjoying the outdoors.

The cover shows a portrait of President Grant in his Union general's uniform, with a faded beige-toned battlefield landscape in the background.

Grant by Ron Chernow

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The photograph in black and white, by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, shows Grant standing, wearing the frock coat of his Union uniform.
Ulysses S. Grant, circa 1864, photographed by Matthew Brady

Review by Jean B.

Biographies, especially those by Ron Chernow, can be a heavy lift – literally. At more than 900 pages, Chernow’s acclaimed 2017 book examining the life of Ulysses S. Grant can be exhausting to hold for more than 30 minutes of reading. So now is a perfect time to tackle this large but highly satisfying tome, when you can read or listen to it electronically on a lightweight device and maybe have extra reading time in your day! Available through OverDrive in both ebook and eaudiobook formats, Grant offers a fascinating, detailed look at both the man and his era.  

I love to read history, biography, and historical fiction, but I’m always discovering how many episodes in history I really know nothing about. The Civil War era has been recorded in myriad ways, and yet, with Grant I gained new perspective on the war — learning details of the Western front that, as a Pennsylvanian whose education focused on Gettysburg, I hadn’t appreciated. More startling, I discovered how little I understood about the Reconstruction Era and the immense challenges that faced President Grant in securing the rights of newly freed slaves to work, vote, and be full citizens in the re-established Union.  

Ron Chernow sets out to correct the one-dimensional and largely negative portraits of Grant by earlier historians which portrayed him as an ineffective political leader tainted by scandals, corruption, and a chronic drinking problem. Though Chernow clearly admires his subject and goes above and beyond to compile contemporary opinions and statements to bolster his case in Grant’s favor, Chernow’s portrait has such depth, complexity, and humanity that I was persuaded, too, by the end, of Grant’s impressive leadership, moral courage, and devoted service to the ideals of a united nation and racial equality.  

And along the way, I enjoyed getting to know so many of the supporting (and often traitorous!) characters in Grant’s life, from his overbearing father, to his society-loving wife, to the infamous General William Tecumseh Sherman, to conniving Gilded Age businessman Jay Gould. It’s all here — family intrigue, dramatic changes of fortune, battles and blood, comradeship and bitter betrayal. Download and dig in!

Jean is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the HCLS Central Branch who enjoys participating in book clubs with both kids and adults.