Blog Tag · Picture-books · Whitefish Bay Public Library

Blog Tag · Picture-books

Code Talkers

by Laura Reilly on Aug 10, 2022

August 14th is National Navajo Code Talkers Day, a day to celebrate the contributions made by Native Americans during World War ll. The day was officially recognized in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan and in 2001 President George Bush presented each of the original 29 Navajo marines with a Congressional Gold Medal. The Navajo Code Talkers played a critical role in the war effort by using their complex language for coding and transmitting messages in a time when secrecy was crucial. This code was so complex that it was never broken by the Japanese military. The Navajo Code Talkers transmitted over 800 messages successfully and were instrumental in the success of World War ll. To learn more about these amazing Code Talkers and other spy related novels try:

That Summer Feeling

by Taylor Camara on Jun 27, 2022

The arrival of Summer always conjures one feeling or memory, as the sunshine and warm breeze transport you back to that special moment of playing outside as a kid, going to the beach, or even those warm summer nights spent with family and friends. Lovingly titled, “That Summer Feeling” musician Jonathan Richman captures this feeling in song. A staple of any summer playlist, “That Summer Feeling” has inspired a recent picture book display at our library!

Read the Rainbow for Pride Month

by Scott Lenski on Jun 18, 2022

June is Pride month, celebrating all things LGBTQIA+. Pride month was started to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. It is celebrated in small and large cities across the United States. Milwaukee has its own Pride celebration at the Summerfest grounds and it is usually the first festival of the season. Librarians Scott and Valerie have assembled a list of titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters.

March is Women's history month

by Taylor Camara on Mar 12, 2022

March is Women’s History Month! Celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women all over the world throughout history and today by checking out biographies and non-fiction books displayed in our Youth Services area! From board books to chapter books, no reader is too young to be inspired, empowered, and educated on the vital role of women throughout history. Our Women’s History Month display highlights a variety of authors, scientists, doctors, artists, activists, politicians, and more. Here are some books to read, share, and love during Women’s History Month!

Native American Heritage Month

by Taylor Camara on Nov 19, 2021

November is Native American Heritage Month! Dedicated to recognize, celebrate, and raise awareness of the traditions, culture, and contributions of indigenous people across North America, this month provides an opportunity to dive deeper into indigenous stories and authors.

Celebrating Ice Cream!

by Taylor Camara on Aug 5, 2021

July was National Ice Cream month! As if anyone needed another excuse to get a cold treat on a Wisconsin summer day, you can also satisfy those cravings with a few titles from our picture book collection! If you’d like to know how it’s made, all about ice cream trucks, sharing your ice cream with friends, and more, I’ve complied a few titles from our collection here at the library to share with your family, friends, and classroom. Lastly, if you’d like to truly celebrate National Ice Cream Month with reading AND eating (but please, not at the same time!) I’ve also paired some great local ice cream spots in the Milwaukee area with the titles.

Women's History Month- Titles For Kids

by Sam Spottek on Mar 7, 2021

March is celebrated as Women’s History Month! It is a month dedicated to commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history, both in years long past and those we look up to today in our contemporary society. From scientists to artists, politicians to athletes, our world and our world’s history is full of trailblazing women, and what better way to celebrate them than picking up a book and discovering their story? Over in the children’s department, we have pulled books from all over our collection to put on display and encourage parents and children to learn about some amazing women! While I can’t mention every single book we have on display, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorites to share:

Halloween Picture Books for Younger Kiddos

by Laura Gravander on Oct 8, 2019

The days are getting shorter, there’s a little chill in the air, and you know what that means—it’s Halloween season! Whether you and your family prefer your Halloween stories frightening or not-so-scary, we have Halloween picture books for younger kiddos that you will love to read together! We have a Halloween section within our Holiday picture books if you’d like to come in and browse books to check out, or you can put a Halloween book on hold from home using the CountyCat website or app. Here are just a few spooky Halloween titles to get started!

Picture Books about Art & Community

by Valerie Morris on Sep 5, 2019

Art is the self-expression of feelings, a vision, beauty, or a stance. Art can also unite communities when that art is placed in public view or brings the neighborhood together to create. This is a collection of picture books about inspired individuals and communities that used art as a way to improve their neighborhoods, share, and make a statement. These books are a great way to inspire children to create art of their own and have a voice.

Back to School

by Laura Gravander on Aug 14, 2019

It’s hard to believe, but summer is starting to wind down and we’re getting ready for the start of school! Whether this is your family’s first school year or you’re old pros, the library has lots of books to get everyone pumped for this new beginning. The start of school is a great time to read books together about kindness, separation anxiety, understanding others different from ourselves, and being proud of who we are. Read on for some back-to-school inspiration.

Biographical Picture Books

by Valerie Morris on Jul 10, 2019

Are you looking for some summer reads to share with the kids? Here is a list of some wonderful and inspiring nonfiction picture books that are new on our shelves. These books are perfect for kids in grades 1-5.

Playing Outside

by Laura Gravander on Mar 22, 2019

It’s finally spring in Wisconsin! The sun is shining, the snow is melting, the birds are chirping—and after being cooped up inside for months, it’s finally time for kids to get outside and PLAY! Now that the weather is looking up, let’s take a look at some picture books that will inspire your family to put down the devices and get outside! All of these books are available to be checked out or put on hold at the Whitefish Bay Public Library, so stop in today! In a hurry? You can put items on hold by phone at 414-964-4380 or by using the CountyCat online catalog: https://encore.mcfls.org.

Snow Books

by Laura Gravander on Jan 28, 2019

Winter is here, and now is the perfect time to cozy up with your kiddo and read stories about the snow! Our picture book reorganization is complete, which means we now have a whole section in the picture books dedicated to winter. Come on in and we can show you how easy it is to find picture books by topic using our new picture book organization.

Picture Books Galore!

by Valerie Morris on Jan 22, 2019

The Whitefish Bay Public Library’s Youth Services department has completed the reorganization of the picture books by subject! We started this project at the end of July 2018 and have finished this month after reading and reviewing thousands of books and making thousands of decisions on the best place for our patrons to find the books they need and want! We are excited for our patrons to browse our picture book collection and read new discoveries.

What in the World is Happening with the Picture Books?

by Valerie Morris on Sep 1, 2018

If you have visited the Youth Services department recently, you have probably noticed that your favorite picture books are not where they used to be; there are a lot of empty shelves; and there are new colored labels. Youth Services staff is reorganizing the picture books by subjects or categories instead of by the author’s last name. The collection is under construction!

Everyday Diversity in Children's Picture Books

by Valerie Morris on Jan 19, 2017

In the world of children’s picture books, there still exists a lack of diversity in the illustrations and themes available to children. Improvement has been made over the last few years due to increased awareness through organizations like We Need Diverse Books. It is vital for children of all colors and cultures to read books with multicultural faces and characters that reflect the world around us. While there are multicultural picture books that are written and illustrated to reflect a theme specific to a culture there is also a movement toward books with everyday diversity that depict diverse characters doing everyday activities. The most famous and earliest example of everyday diversity is the book The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats. Here a few of my favorite everyday diversity picture books.

Picture Books by Native Americans

by Valerie Morris on Jan 4, 2018

Recently I have been reviewing the Whitefish Bay Public Library’s picture book collection focusing on books by and about Native Americans/First Nations. Unfortunately, many of the books reinforced stereotypes of Native Americans and many more told native stories inaccurately and disrespectfully. So, I would like to share this list of picture books written by Native American writers that we have in our collection.