What's New

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program partners with organizations in the community to better meet the needs of adult learners. The new partnership between the Redlands Adult Literacy Program and YMCA of the East Valley which began last summer continues to thrive by offering meeting space for adult learner teams and programs that have grown out of Adult Literacy, including Family Literacy, and Conversation Corner, a program that helps adults practice their conversational English.

The Adult Literacy Program is grateful that the YMCA provides space for individual learner-tutor teams and for group instruction in literacy. All tutoring sessions are learner-driven; volunteer tutors help adult learners reach their individual literacy goals such as reading a book, writing a letter, getting a job, or helping children with their schoolwork. At the group literacy meetings, teams of learners and tutors work together, and then gather for group instruction by reading a book together and building their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

The Family Literacy Program is an extension of the Redlands Adult Literacy Program and was designed to support adult learners who are currently enrolled or plan to enroll in Adult Literacy. Participants have family-oriented goals such as reading a book to their child, or helping their children with schoolwork. Parental literacy is directly linked to the success of children in school. Recently, participants in the Family Literacy Program met at the YMCA of the East Valley. The families talked about what a “sport” is and why sports are important and each identified their favorite sport. Everyone learned that the game of basketball was introduced in 1891 by James Naismith, who worked at a YMCA in Massachusetts and published the first rules for the game. The children were introduced to three new sports: gymnastics, basketball, and soccer. Every child received a book about sports to add to their own home library.

Following the meeting, one mother commented that the family literacy meeting “encouraged exercise and being healthy.” Another mom said that her son enjoyed learning about sports. Adult learner Lida Gadea shared, “The Family Literacy Program allows my daughter and niece to make new friends and try new things. The meetings are fun for the adults as well. We appreciate today’s book because it teaches about many different sports.”

Conversation Corner helps adults who are trying to learn conversational English, so that they have the conversational skills required for enrolling into the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Conversation Corner participants meet Tuesday mornings at 11:30 at the YMCA’s Heritage Room. Instructor Renee Kennedy welcomes adults who would like to practice speaking English in a friendly environment. Renee Kennedy shared, “Conversation Corner participants have talked about grocery products and favorite recipes, and practiced useful skills such as ways to introduce themselves to people they encounter in their daily lives. This informal setting is a great way to practice speaking English.” These meetings have a hybrid format with a Zoom option for those who are unable to meet in person.

If you know of someone who needs help in reading, writing, or English conversation, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their lives by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. All services are free and confidential.

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program seeks additional volunteers who can help motivated adults improve their reading and writing. If you would like to volunteer with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at (909) 798-7565 ext. 4138, email literacy@akspl.org, or visit the Adult Literacy website, akspl.org/literacy.

The Young Readers’ Room offers a non-fiction section of books that spans just over 25 bookshelf spaces! That is A-LOT of information to soak up! There are so many subject areas to learn about; it may be hard to choose where to begin! Fear not! The Youth Services Crew is here to help guide you to the perfect book!

We’ll begin with a new series we have available titled, “Who Would Win?” by Joseph Pallotta and illustrated by Rob Bolster. One of the titles in the series we’re spotlighting this week is “Ultimate Ocean Rumble.” This particular title encompasses many of the creatures found under the water, such as Great White Shark vs. Giant Manta Ray. This book series highlights qualities of each subject and determines which animal would win the battle. You can find this book under the call number, J591.77 P179u.

The next book selection for you to ponder is “What’s in Your Pocket? Collecting Nature’s Treasures,” written by Heather L. Montgomery and illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. This biography/nature book will have kids turning page after page to see if they can guess who the child turned out to be as a famous adult! The illustrations help speed along the adventure. You can find this book under J508 M766w.

Our next selection for your consideration is “We All Play = Kimêtawânaw” by author and illustrator Julie Flett. The author learned many of the animal habits from her father, a Cree Native American tribe member. This book is arranged in a picture book format, and at the end of this book you will find the Cree names of each of animals mentioned in the book. Please find this book under the call number of J591.5 F638w.

“How To Vanquish A Virus” written by Paul Ian Cross and illustrated by Steve Brown is filled to the last page with eight chapters breaking down viruses in kid lingo. Great illustrations, almost cartoonish, to go along with the text makes for a learning atmosphere of literature. Find this title under J616.24 C884h.

Volumes 4, 5, and 6 of the graphic novel series “Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly,” written by Jordan Quinn have arrived in the Young Readers’ Room! “Ice Dragon” is volume 6 and it’s about the Ice Festival, which is to be an amazing event. The Ice Dragon himself, who is thousands of years old, will make an appearance at the Ice Festival! Do you think Ruskin and his friends will be able to guarantee a safe event for all? Check this latest volume out soon to find out! You will find this series of books in our Graphic Novel section of books under J741.5 Q44d6.

We look forward to having you visit the Youth Services Department as soon as possible to check out some fabulous books!

“The fork is your most powerful tool to change your health and the planet; food is the most powerful medicine to heal chronic illness.” — Mark Hyman, M.D.

If you are living with an autoimmune condition, avoiding certain foods can help you manage the level of your discomfort. In his book, “Fix It with Food: Every Meal Easy,” Michael Symon identifies common food triggers and provides a host of recipes to help you heal. Some dishes to try might be Corn Pancakes with Maple and Blueberries, Smoked Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash, and Zucchini and Kale Chow Mein.

In 2003, at the age of 26, Chris Wark found out he had stage III colon cancer. After surgery, Chris decided to incorporate the healing power of a whole-food plant-based diet as part of his recovery program. Whether you are healing from cancer or wanting to reduce your risk of developing it, the recipes in “Beat Cancer Kitchen” will help nourish your body and make your mouth happy.

Danielle Walker is the author of several grain-free cookbooks, as a mother of three living with a diagnosis of severe ulcerative colitis. In her memoir “Food Saved Me: My Journey of Finding Health & Hope through the Power of Food,” Danielle shares her pain and struggles with this illness and also her discovery of the pivotal role food plays in managing it.

“The Diabetic Goodie Cookbook: Classic Desserts and Baked Goods to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth” by Kathy Kochan is a collection of nostalgic desserts designed for those who are watching their blood sugar levels. Each recipe displays a nutrition profile and contains no artificial sweeteners.

For those of you who know the heartache and frustration of cycling through multiple diets without a long-term successful solution or who can’t stop eating sugary and highly processed foods, this next book offers hope and help. “Rezoom” by Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D., with Everett Considine, explains the science and psychology of food addiction. In addition, it provides the tools you’ll need to overcome self-sabotage and experience fewer relapses on the road to living in your right-sized body.

For more books and information on health-related topics, Smiley Public Library invites you to step inside and explore our collection. We also offer MedlinePlus and Rosen Teen Health & Wellness databases on our website at www.akspl.org.

 

So, do you Dewey? That is, do you use the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) when searching for a book in the library? Do you hunt for books by the library-assigned numbers on the spines of nonfiction books? If you’re hankering for something on the subject of, say, language, in which number section would you look?

If you’re not familiar with it though, you needn’t worry; you can find what you want in the library, because you can search by subject in Smiley Library’s catalog on its website, akspl.org. Or you can ask a librarian. However, if you’d like to browse on your own with a bit of purpose, it’s helpful to get to know the DDC, broken down in numbers from zero to 999-plus into 10 general subject areas: Computer Science, Information, and General Works; Philosophy and Psychology; Religion; Social Sciences; Language; Pure Science and Mathematics, Technology/Applied Science; Arts and Recreation; Literature; and History and Geography.

If you are looking for a book on “Language,” you’d browse the “400s” in most libraries. This small but glorious section brings to life the science of language—of any and all languages, from cuneiform to internet culture. There you’ll find ideas about language structure, words, history of words (etymology), and even on the sounds that make up words (phonology). A lot of us who love books, also love words, and the 400s touch them at their roots. Language—the science (and art) of communication, is, after all, at the heart of a library.

Now I know what you may be thinking—it’s all grammar–ack! You may say, “I’ve already learned what I need to know about it; it’s boring; or I’m not going to check out a dictionary!” What if I told you that the 400s can be and are so much more. Do you like puzzles? Are you interested in trivia, current events, social issues, or learning a new language? Do you love history, or a juicy mystery? You can find it all right there.

Let me see if I can change your minds with an introduction to a few of Smiley Library’s newer acquisitions to Language. Let’s start with one of humankind’s most challenging puzzles detailed in The Writing of the Gods: the Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone by journalist Edward Dolnick. This year marks the bicentennial of the modern decipherment of the Rosetta Stone’s Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The Stone was discovered by Napoleon’s soldiers in in Egypt in 1799, and the writings on it took 20 years to decipher amid what became a nationalistic rivalry. As gripping as any whodunit novel, Dolnick engages us with a quick pace, while all along bolstering our knowledge of the history of the culture and language from which the Rosetta Stone emerged. His treatise falls into the 490 section of the DDC, Non-Semitic Afro-Asiatic languages.

In the 460s you’ll find Spanish language options, the newest of which is Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners by Olly Richards. That’s right; the 400s offer language-learning aids too. The Library does provide materials in its Language Learning section (next to the books of International Languages), but aids like this short stories volume cross over to the nonfiction language section as well. (If you prefer online language-learning, the platform Pronunciator, which offers 75 languages to study, is part of our e-Library located on our website.) Short Stories in Spanish is well-designed for the reader to easily learn while enjoying a good story. It’s meant for young and adult learners up to the intermediate level, and includes eight stories in various genres, from science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers.

Another type of thriller, The New York Times bestseller Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever is proving to be one of our more popular check-outs. Esteemed linguist and author John McWhorter explores how the use of profanity emanates from our flight or fight instinct and not from the speech centers of our brains. Besides the linguistic, he examines the historical, sociological, and political aspects of our need to ‘let loose.’ Find it in the 417s, Dialectology and Historical Linguistics.

To complicate your search somewhat, not all of the fascinating publications with ‘language love’ at their cores fall into the 400 section. Recent fiction book The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is a delightful coming-of-age novel set within the history of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the culture of the 1880s. On the other end of the spectrum is Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, also a NYT bestseller. A study by linguist Gretchen McCulloch, it examines the ways in which the inundation of internet use world-wide has caused mutations in language like never before. This little gem lives in the Library in the 302s, Social Interaction.

There are so many more books on language to love; I hope you are inspired to browse!

002 M732s  The Secret Life of Books: Why They Mean More Than Words. Computer science, knowledge, and systems: 002 The book (writing, libraries, and book-related topics)

152.4 K819d  The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Psychology: 152 Sensory perception, movement, emotions, and physiological drives. A profound little book; poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express. A NYT bestseller.

303.34 H364t  Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion. Social sciences, sociology and anthropology: 303 Social processes

400 W251s  Strange to Say: Etymology as Serious Entertainment

401.3 M258t  Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America’s Lingua Franca. 401 Philosophy and theory: international languages. From John McWhorter, author of Nine Nasty Words. McWhorter demonstrates Black English as a legitimate American dialect by uncovering its complexity and sophistication, as well as the still unfolding journey that has led to its creation.

401.9 L939k  Keeping Those Words in Mind: How Language Creates Meaning. 401 Philosophy and theory: international languages

401.9 Se28m  Memory Speaks: on Losing and Reclaiming Language and Self. 401 Philosophy and theory: international languages. From an award-winning writer and linguist, a scientific and personal meditation on the phenomenon of language loss as an immigrant, and the possibility of renewal. 

421.52 Ok6h  Highly Irregular: Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don’t Rhyme-and Other Oddities of the English Language. English and Old English: 421 Writing system, phonology, phonetics of standard English.

422 K521h  The Hidden History of Coined Words. English and Old English: 422 Etymology of standard English

423 D561  The Dictionary of Difficult and Unusual Words: Over 10,000 Confusing Terms Explained. English and Old English: 423 Dictionaries of standard English

423 W391we  Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 2020 edition. English and Old English: 423 Dictionaries of standard English

425 D623f   A Few Words About Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar. English and Old English languages; 425 Grammar of standard English

425.55 B268w  What’s Your Pronoun?: Beyond He & She. English and Old English languages; 425 Grammar of standard English

425.55 G335h  How to They/Them: a Visual Guide to Nonbinary Pronouns and the World of Gender Fluidity. English and Old English languages; 425 Grammar of standard English

425 K459i   The Infographic Guide to Grammar: a Visual Reference for Everything You Need to Know. English and Old English: 425 Grammar of standard English

427.974 W582y  You Talkin’ to Me?: the Unruly History of New York English. English and Old English: 427 Historical and geographical variations, modern non-geographic variations of English

428.2 K162b  The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: an Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-world Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes. English and Old English: 428 Standard English Usage (Prescriptive linguistics)

428.2 M464e  Everyday Grammar Made Easy: a Quick Review of What You Forgot You Knew. English and Old English: 428 Standard English Usage (Prescriptive linguistics)

428.2 W332s  Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark. English and Old English: 428 Standard English Usage (Prescriptive linguistics)

428.4 J713p  Barron’s Painless Reading Comprehension. English and Old English: 428 Standard English Usage (Prescriptive linguistics)

437 P916L  The Language of Thieves: My Family’s Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis tried to Eliminate. German and related languages: 437 Historical and geographic variations, modern non-geographic variations of German. Slang; Language policy; Political aspects.

492.1 F495c  Cuneiform. Other languages: 492 Afro-Asiatic languages. Cuneiform script on clay tablets is, as far as we know, the oldest form of writing in the world. The resilience of clay has permitted these records to survive for thousands of years, providing a fascinating glimpse into the political, economic, and religious institutions of the ancient Near Eastern societies that used this writing system. Written by British Museum curators. At the time of this book’s publication, the British Museum had the largest and most venerable cuneiform collection in the world.

495.6 K837re Reading and Writing Japanese Hiragana: a Character Workbook for Beginners. Other languages: 495 Language of East and Southeast Asia

495.6 K837r  Reading and Writing Japanese Katakana: a Character Workbook for Beginners.Other languages: 495 Language of East and Southeast Asia

As Black History Month continues, here are more new reads from Black authors, who by sharing their voices with us give us the opportunity to educate ourselves and grow.

James Hannaham’s latest work of poetry, “Pilot Imposter,” is an exploration of the self, written during a time of unrest. During the pandemic, flying has become a battleground of personal rights, and using that motif Hannaham questions what the limits of personal rights are and who truly has those rights. He also works through the meaning of personhood, the nature of leadership, and the ongoing consequences of slavery. With a background in visual art, Hannaham uses memes and artwork to aid in his search for answers and to highlight some of the absurdity we currently find ourselves in. One example of his commentary on current events is to correlate Trump’s presidency with a pilot who has never flown a plane. Inspired by the poetry of Fernando Pessoa and the history of air disasters, Hannaham’s prose and images work to answer how a human can stay aloft in the face of so many things that could go wrong.

“Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture” by Zeba Blay centers on the often confusing way in which Black women are such large contributors to popular culture, but at the same time are ostracized from it. Some examples cited include the critique of artists like Lizzo for being plus size, but also not being enough of a role model for the plus-sized community, or that most Black actresses are relegated to the sassy sidekick roles, and those that are able to score leading roles, do so with less pay than comparable actresses of different ethnicities. There are also the ramifications leftover from the Jim Crow era which lead to many women being placed in the archetypes of ‘helpful caretaker’ vs. ‘jezebel.’ She even touches on the fact that even girlhood is denied Black women. In the face of all this, Blay looks to put a spotlight on Black women in the hopes that one day society will not only recognize their contributions but celebrate them as well.

The latest book of poetry by Kevin Young entitled “Stones” is about the loss we experience as an individual and as a community and how that loss ripples through time. Connecting to his past, Young explores his roots through the places he frequented as a child and the memories that have helped to define him. He continues that connection to the future through the use of grave markers, showing reverence to those that came before and questioning where his own will sit. Young shows that connections to what we grew up with helps to define who we are, and these connections are not lost even if the items or person are. Through his poems, Young seeks to keep the past alive and also questions what will happen when his time and our own comes.

Kanopy, a streaming service free to A.K. Smiley Public Library cardholders, also offers an extensive collection of films in honor of Black History Month. So watch, read, and take the time to elevate and celebrate all month long.