so proud to be a member from way back
of the ‘look it up club’
i was very shy and quiet
but once i learned to read
the world opened up to me
i ‘mastered’ the encyclopedia
and never stopped looking things up.
—
“true merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes.”
-edward wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
a wonderful note during these challenging times, from our local library:
ann arbor district library
Today, you checked out 30,622 items from the AADL.
Last Friday, that number was 5,067.
NOW PLEASE, DON’T BRING ANY OF IT BACK!
NONE OF IT!
NO JOKE!
Seriously, please keep everything until we ask for it back.
We promise, we’ll let you know when.
—
More information on our system-wide closure: https://aadl.org/covidclosure
“the only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
—
credits: robert mccloskly, illustrator (blueberries for sal, make way for ducklings),aadl.org
my next stack to climb.
—
“I will always find peace in rain and adventure in reading.”
-viola cn
—
Katherine Rundell says – “There’s something particular about children’s fiction, that can open up new perspectives for adults. The best children’s fiction “helps us refind things we may not even know we have lost”, taking us back to a time when “new discoveries came daily and when the world was colossal, before the imagination was trimmed and neatened…” There’s also something instructive in reading books that, as Rundell points out, are “specifically written to be read by a section of society without political or economic power”. In an age whose political ructions are the result of widespread frustration at the powerlessness of the many in the face of the few, this recognition of how emboldening and subversive children’s books can be feels important.” – Book Riot -Jamie Canaves
Yes to always making time to read children’s books, no matter how old or wise we may get – or think we are.
seven
years ago today
I published my first blog post
thank you to all
who have made the time
to stop by for a visit
and sit for a moment.
—
“all human actions have one or more of these seven causes:
chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.”
-aristotle
—
painting by: bruce nutting – seven birds of blue
a quote from the wonderful matilda wormwood
in honor of world book week.
—
credits: roald dahl – matilda, purple almond
Children at San Rufo elementary school in Salerno, southern Italy, are swapping plastic for books. A bookseller/cafe owner in southern Italy is offering free books to schoolchildren who bring him one plastic bottle and one aluminum can to recycle. Michele Gentile, who founded the Ex Libris Cafe bookshop in Polla, a small town near Salerno, said he wants to encourage kids to read while doing something for the environment.
“My goal is to spread the passion and love for books among those people in Italy who do not usually read, while at the time helping the environment,” he said. “I hope the initiative becomes so viral that it affects the whole country. It will be revolutionary, not only for the planet but also for the education of children and their job prospects,” he said.
The books being donated for the initiative are the so-called “pending” or “suspended” books (“libri sospesi” in Italian), a concept introduced by Gentile a few years ago that earned him headlines in national media. The term derives from the “suspended coffee” Neapolitan tradition, born during World War II, of purchasing two coffees: one for yourself and the second one as an anonymous gift for the next customer in need who walks into the bar. Similarly, Ex Libris customers can buy one book and leave the second one “suspended” for whomever needs it.
The idea for the “plastic/metal for books” recycling initiative came to Gentile while he was looking at a huge pile of metallic waste left abandoned on a field. “It was worth at least 300-400 euros ($338-$451), enough to pay for a middle school kid’s book allowance for a year,” he said. “So, I talked to a local school, and they organized an aluminum collection. Results were extraordinary, about 2 quintals ($564) in two days.” With the money he got from the recycling center, Gentile bought books for a whole class. “So, I thought: Why not (give) away books to kids who bring me plastic bottles and cans?” he said.
His initiative, which involves individuals and schools, has already reached northern Italy, with children from Bordighera, in the Liguria region, sending him 23 bottles and 23 cans to recycle. “Yesterday alone, I donated 60 suspended books,” Gentile said. “Imagine if this becomes a small game: Every child in the world swaps a plastic bottle and a can for books. I know it’s just a dream, but why not do it?“
“it takes generosity to discover the whole through others.
If you realize you are only a violin,
you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.”
-jacques yves cousteau
—
credits: cnn world news, gianluca mezzofiore
“libraries literally aren’t just places to obtain books for free.
they’re one of the few public spaces left in our society
where you’re allowed to exist without spending any money.”
-a. killian
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image credit: ala (american library archives poster, circa 1921)
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image credit: kerrytown bookfest
