We’ve all heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, in libraries a book’s cover is often the first thing that gets the attention of a potential reader. How important are covers in your book selections? I remember that when I was a young adult I was frequently drawn to books with blue covers.

In April the library is having a display of favorite books of staff members. I’ve noticed that my recent juvenile favorites all have a cover with a white background and bright colors. The covers weren’t actually the reason I read the books (I read them for a Children’s Literature class). However, I think it’s interesting that the stories I liked had similar looking covers.

It’s not surprising that I like books with cheerful colors on the covers as I like to make crafts using bright colors. On Saturday, April 21st we will have our drop-in craft from 10:30am-11:15am. We will be making a thunder and lightning cloud craft and a rainbow craft. The Children’s Room page of the library’s website has booklists of recommended books for various topics. Check out the A Rainbow of Colors booklist on books featuring colors.

posted by Lisa

You’ve probably heard by now that this coming April 15 is the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic disaster. Over 1500 souls lost their lives in the sinking of the “virtually unsinkable” ocean liner.

But did you know that Waltham has some connections to the tragedy? At least two of the victims had been carrying Waltham watches, one of which fetched a pretty penny recently at auction. One of the crew members had a relative, a sister, living in Waltham. The famous Titanic explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard, has a business here. Our Hovey Players have performed a play based on the disaster called Scotland Road and a local dance group is holding a Titanic Weekend. Of course, our newspaper covered the event with admirable tastefulness.

If you find this intriguing, come see the display outside the Waltham Room. It will be up for several months.

Another year. Another very long Oscar ceremony. Here is WPL’s annual point/counter point on Oscar fashion. Sorry for the delay. Blame Laura! Feel free to agree (or disagree) about our picks in the comments section:

Marialice’s turn:

Once again I have the watched the annual Oscars just to see the fashions. I tune in about an hour late, fast forward through all the speeches and minutes of commercials to ogle the frocks, hair and bling. I must admit, I never notice the men at all, except for maybe the bad hair on the otherwise good looking Brad Pitt (hello Moneyball).
Being extremely critical, I find it much more fun to find fault than to give praise.
But a few of the stars did look good:Octavia Spencer for example–even though I thought The Help was a big snooze and I had never heard of her before. Thank goodness for Spanx. Loved Michelle Williams –the color and the sparkly bow. Glenn Close looked pretty good too. And Natalie Portman–unpregnant perfection.
Now for the bad:
Virginia Madsen–one hot wrinkled messy dress and hair to match.
Anna Faris had a dated disco dress and a ‘do like my cousin Marie 20 years ago. And what happened to the usually stylish Sandra Bullock–too severe hair and and an ill fitted blah dress. Melissa Leo never gets it right and could we have a little help please for Meryl Streep? Yikes, too gold, too big. Bet Mr. Oscar had to close his eyes!
Also bad–Viola Davis–too green, too tight, too small on to; Rose Byrne channeling Anna Faris. Jlo is a beautiful woman, but why does she like to look so cheap or maybe she just can’t help it with all the junk in her trunk!
And for the ugly–Melissa McCarthy’s dress–oh my. And Emma Stone who was in danger of being choked to death by her unhappy dress.
Better luck next year, ladies. Oh wait, I forgot Angelina and
her pasty white complexion and spider leg. But I will give points for my favorite red lipstick.

Laura’s Turn:
Ah, I actually liked Viola Davis and Meryl Streep’s outfits. Okay, so Streep did look like she was auditioning for the role of the Oscar Statue’s twin sister and Davis had a lot of help from the accessory on her arm. (Her lovely looking date). And neither dress was probably one that I would get for myself. But at any rate, I thought they both wore their dresses well and looked lovely.
As for others who looked stunning:

• Penelope Cruz: I’ve decided that Cruz is one of these women who would look good even wearing a paper bag. That being said, love the color of this dress and I thought her hairdo was adorable. I would love to be able to wear this dress, although truthfully I’m probably too short to make it work.
• Octavia Spencer: I have been a fan of Spencer’s since she played this wacky role on Ugly Betty, and I am so glad to see her finally getting the recognition that she deserves. Her great acting range aside, though, she looks amazing in this dress, and her hair matches perfectly.
• Natalie Portman: This dress looked like so much fun and fit Portman perfectly. I think this dress has finally made me forgive her for contributing to the ruination of the Star Wars franchise for me.
• Jean Dujardin: And here is my token guy for the list. Granted, I came into this with a bit of bias because I loved The Artist so much but he did look quite smashing.

Now for the not so stunning:

• Rose Byrne: I am in complete agreement with Marialice on this one. And, oddly enough Boston.com listed her as one of the best dressed! I also wasn’t a huge fan of Byrne’s Bridesmaids co-star, Ellie Kemper’s dress, either, though she was also on multiple best dressed lists. I did, however, love both of their hairstyles. And Byrne and her other badly dressed co-star, Melissa McCarthy get points for this bit. So, I guess all in all the cast of Bridesmaids gets a pass on the dress choices.
• Emma Stone: Oh that bow! I think it has its own zip code.
• Angelina Jolie: I would not have minded this dress so much if it weren’t for the pose. I need to start watching the show Community more often now that one of its costars and co-winner of the best screenplay award for The Descendants mocked it on stage.
• Rooney Mara: The hair is the real killer, here.
• Zoe Saldana: Oh Zoe, I really want to like your dress. I love Star Trek and you kicked butt as Lt. Uhura in the J.J. Abrams Trek movie. But, the extra material on the bottom seems completely unnecessary. Please hail all frequencies open and ask someone in the galaxy to send you another dress.

I Can’t Decide Category:
Well, there is really only one person here and that’s Gwyneth Paltrow. I love the dress but what is up with the cape?

Posted by Marialice and Laura

Did you know that by one measure it is already spring? March 1st is the first day of meteorological spring. See more here.

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. On Saturday, March 10th join us for the drop-in craft from 10:30am-11:15am to do a lion craft and a lamb craft.

The Children’s room will have a spring program for children aged 6-10 (and their caregivers) featuring Waltham Fields Community Farm on March 13th and March 20th. Join us for an afternoon of reading stories and activities focused on living things on the farm. Sign up is required. Click here or call 781-314-3425 x4 to sign up.

Also, checkout our booklist about critters on the farm and our books about spring.

posted by Lisa

For children Valentine’s Day is about celebrating friends. Making and keeping friends is more complicated than handing out valentines though. You can find books to help young children with friendship in the Feelings section of the Children’s Room Parent Teacher Corner.

Children also like to read about friends.  There are many examples of stories about friends.  You can read children picture books like the George and Martha series, Henry and Amy which is about two friends who are very different, New Friends, True Friends, Stuck-like-glue Friends, or Paul Stewart’s books about Rabbit and Hedgehog.

For beginning readers there are stories like the classic Frog and Toad series or the newer Joe and Sparky series. For slightly older readers there are stories like those in the Amber Brown series, the Ivy and Bean series, or the book Marty McGuire which explores what happens when friends develop new interests.

On Friday, February 10th from 2:30pm-4:00pm the Children’s Room will be having a Valentine’s Fun program.  Click here to sign up.  If you can’t make it on Friday, join us for the same crafts during the drop-in craft on Saturday, February 11th from 10:30am-11:15am. Also, check out our books on Valentine’s Day.

posted by Lisa

Here in the Children’s Room we like to celebrate the diversity found in our city. We currently have books on display about Martin Luther King Day and in the near future we will have a Black History Month display. There is a Multicultural section in our Parent/Teacher corner. We have a Language section where you can find books to read in various languages as well as items to help you learn other languages. There is also a section where you can find books in Braille as well as books about sign language. In row 2 look for the books at j305.8 that provide information about Americans of various nationalities or the books at j394.26 that provide information about holidays around the world. In row 4 look for books at j641.59 that provide information about cooking the foods of different cultures.

Chinese New Year begins on January 23rd this year. It will be the year of the dragon. It will be the year 4710 according to the Chinese calendar. To learn more click here.

Children are invited to make a simple Chinese dragon during our drop-in craft from 10:30am-11:15am on Saturday, January 21st. Also, check out our selection of books on Chinese New Year.

Posted by Lisa

Here are two great reads to start out the New Year.  Now that you are probably back to work, why not read about some very unusual workplaces?  You will feel much better about your job after you read these two books, believe me!

Let me start with Orientation and Other Stories by Daniel Orozco.  The title story of this book is hilarious!  Here is a quote from the story:

“Those are the offices and these are the cubicles. That’s my cubicle there, and this is your cubicle. This is your phone. Never answer your phone. Let the Voicemail System answer it. This is your Voicemail System Manual.”  The story goes on to become more and more absurd.  Other stories leave you gasping for breath.  One of them is about a man who is so severely overweight, he can not get up and walk but must rely on gadgets and medical help for even the simplest maneuvers.  The writing is superb.

Read an interview with Daniel Orozco in the Boston Phoenix here.

The next title that I must highly recommend to you is:  Underground Time by Delphine De Vigan.

Mathilde and Thibault are both doing their best to survive in Paris.  Mathilde is a widow who has found solace in her company job and identity.   One day, however, her boss, Jacques turns on her and her whole life and identity comes into question.  Thibault has loved a woman, Lila, who is so diffident that he knows he must break things off.  Will these two struggling Parisians meet as they travel the streets of Paris?  Will they find each other? Will they find redemption?  This book has been shortlisted for the 2009 Prox Goncourt.

Read more about the author and her book here.

[caption id=”" align=”alignnone” width=”320″ caption=”Donna Reed suffering a fate worse than death.”][/caption]
(Part one of Holiday Movies Dos and Don’ts)

So to recap from yesterday, yea on the original The Grinch who Stole Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street. Stay away from the remakes of both of those. Yes to Reginald Owen, Alastair Sim, and Vanessa Williams in their versions of A Christmas Carol. And, remember the combination of Jim Carrey and Christmas do not make a good movie.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a well known Christmas classic and one that has been parodied several times. (see last episode of Dallas, for example.) It held a certain charm during my childhood, mainly because it was on tv all the time, due to the fact it was in the public domain for several years starting in the 1970’s. It was entirely possible that one could channel surf between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and find it on three different channels, at three different points in the movie. In the mid-1990’s, the film was no longer considered part of the public domain, and so is shown far less frequently. It’s a Wonderful Life is one of those movies that people either love or hate. I was discussing this with my co-worker, yesterday who expressed her displeasure with the movie. Personally, I really like it, and have tried to catch it on the big screen when I can. And, of course we librarians are equally amused and bemused by this scene and this scene.

Comedies are a popular genre of Christmas movies. My other co-worker was sharing with me this morning her family tradition of watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation every year. It’s not my favorite in the series (that would be European Vacation), but it is definitely funny. It will give you a whole new appreciation for your neighbors who put up a ridiculous amount of Christmas lights.

Other fun family comedies include the first two Santa Clause movies, Elf, and Scrooged (that could have also fit under A Christmas Carol adaptations). I used to include Home Alone on this list, but that movie seems to get less funny the older I get. Do avoid the third movie in the Santa Clause series, and any sequels in the Home Alone series.

Of course, the best Christmas comedy classic is A Christmas Story, based on a series of Jean Shepherd’s stories. It manages to capture the spirit and the season without having one serious moment. Taking place in pre-World War II Indiana, it’s the story of Ralphie Parker who wants a ,”A Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time” for Christmas but too many people warn him that he’ll shoot his eye out. Of course, this is only the backdrop for a movie which teaches a lot of important life lessons, such as Palmolive is the most delicious option when it comes to soap, don’t lick flagpoles in the middle of winter, and sometimes a lamp may be a major award. There were two sequels made to this movie, and I say avoid them both.

Here is the rest of my list, of movies that are nice and movies that are naughty.

Check These Out

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: that poor little tree
• Holiday Inn: Not just a Christmas movie but it did introduce the song “White Christmas”. Plus, I like this movie better than White Christmas.
• Meet Me in St. Louis: Not specifically a Christmas movie, either, but it features Judy Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. Just skip the next scene with Margaret O’Brien’s Tootie having an inexplicable breakdown.
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: An elf who wants to be a dentist. The Island of Misfit Toys. Big Daddy from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof disguised as a snowman. I can’t get enough of this one.
• The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov: This was the version shown on PBS throughout my childhood. While not everyone likes an adult Clara, the dancing from both Baryshinikov and Gelsey Kirkland are beautiful. Being a Bostonian, I still prefer the Boston Ballet’s production, but this is a great alternative.

Don’t Even Bother Looking for These

• Twas the Night Before Christmas: I know I won’t make friends by putting this on the list but I have always disliked this special. Santa is creepy looking. I can’t get the song, “Christmas Chimes are Calling” out of my head. It’s named after a poem which actually has a different name. And what’s with the mice? Such a beautiful poem. Not a beautiful cartoon.
• Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986) and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (1993): The first has gorgeous sets designed by Maurice Sendak’s which are also used as his illustrations for E.T.A. Hoffmann’s book. The production has an extremely creepy tone, though. The production also can’t decide if Clara is a little girl or an adult, so she’s both, which is odd. The second title isn’t so bad except it features a prepubescent (non ballet dancer) Macauley Culkin as the Nutcracker Prince. Kevin Kline’s narration is also completely unnecessary.
• Fred Claus: The premise is kind of clever and it has potential to be very cute but it’s just, well, not.
• Anything produced by the Hallmark Channel or starring Valerie Bertinelli

What are your favorite specials and movies? Which are the ones you’re tired of seeing on tv every year? Write them in the comments below.
posted by Laura

I love ordering urban fiction for the library.   Here is a great place to read about street lit.

Did you know that we have a display in the fiction room of current urban fiction?

Did you further know that I would love to hear your suggestions for titles that you would like to see here at the WPL?

posted by Louise

[caption id=”" align=”alignnone” width=”307.5″ caption=”The Muppet Christmas Carol answered the age old question: What would happen if Miss Piggy and Kermit reproduced?”][/caption]
Gearing up for Christmas? Counting down the days until New Years? Have you been lighting your Chanukah candles? (Walgreens has some really nice ones, by the way, if you’ve been slow on getting them). Finding yourself with you (and your kids) a lot of time off. Happily, many of you will be spending time with family. On the other hand, many of you will be spending time with family. So, if you’re trying to avoid spending time with the relatives, or if you’re sad because the relatives are far away and you won’t be with them, this year, why don’t you try getting a holiday themed movie from the library? Here are a few tips on getting a good one.

There are a lot, and I mean, a lot, of Christmas type specials and movies out there. A lot of them are great. And some of them are really not very good. And others are just downright bad. For example, while the classic cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is fantastic, the Jim Carrey live action version is not. Give me Boris Karloff reading Dr. Seuss over Jim Carrey being, well, Jim Carrey any day.

Watching the original Miracle on 34th Street is always a treat. Natalie Wood was an amazing child actor, and even I believed that Edmund Gwenn was Santa Claus. Stay far away from the 1994 remake, however. Even that cute little girl from Matilda can’t save it.

There are so many versions of A Christmas Carol and considering that the library is closed half day on Saturday, and all day Sunday and Monday, I really don’t have the work time to list them all. Definitely see the 1938 version featuring Reginald Owen as Scrooge and pretty much the entire Lockhart family. (Lassie fans will recognize a very young June Lockhart, aka Timmy’s mother, as one of the Cratchit children). 1951’s Scrooge is excellent and is considered by many to be the best film version of Dickens’s original story. And, I shouldn’t admit this in a public forum, but in spite of myself, I did enjoy Vanessa Williams in A Diva’s Christmas Carol. That could be the Ugly Betty fan in me, though. As for one to avoid, I hate to say that I was really disappointed with A Muppet Christmas Carol. The movie wasn’t bad, but the the Muppets had to play second fiddle to adults too much throughout the movie. (I love Michael Caine, but not when he’s stealing screen time from Kermit as Bob Cratchit). The best part of viewing this version is that we finally see what Kermit and Miss Piggy’s offspring would look like. (For the record, the boys are frogs and the girls are pigs.) Another one I would avoid is Mickey’s Christmas Carol, but that may be my bias because it scared me when I was a child. Also skip Disney’s A Christmas Carol with a Jim Carrey voiced Scrooge. (Notice a theme here regarding Jim Carrey and Christmas movies?)
posted by Laura
Read part two of this post.