Next Monday, October 21, sees the return of Library@Nite at the Downieville Library. This opportunity will take place on the third Monday of each month, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
This coming Monday will feature a reading of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree, beginning at 6:30 PM. In the book, we will meet a group of boys, including Tom Skelton, who go out together trick-or-treating, and end up on a journey through time and space in an effort to save their friend, Joe Pipkin, from whatever fate awaits him. They are guided on this journey by the mysterious Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. On their journey, they will discover the roots of Halloween in the cultures of ancient Egypt and Rome, Celtic Druidism, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, and the Day of the Dead in Mexico.
Come and join us for this preview of Halloween. Let’s see how far we get in the book — and if we need to continue it at some future date.
Our good friend of the Downieville Library and The Mountain Messenger, Lena Bembery, recently sent our library a couple of books from the Reading Corner Library which she created for the children of Detroit, Michigan. Here, then, are two new books to be found in the Downieville Library children’s section:
Valentine and His Violin, by Philip Hopman: I know that one of the reasons I fell in love with this book is that the violin was my instrument in my much younger years. So, I can totally empathize and sympathize with the difficulties that Valentine undergoes. However, Valentine, himself, doesn’t appear to realize just how bad his playing really is. And, it is that lack of self-awareness (at least, when it comes to the violin) that allows him to benefit everyone with whom he comes into contact.
This book is found on the Easy Reader shelf in the children’s section.
Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales, by Nelson Mandela: This is a compilation of 32 folktales from 16 countries in Africa. The stories have been collected and re-presented by 17 authors and scholars, and are accompanied by the artwork of 19 artists.
In these tales we discover the mythos and culture of many African peoples. Many of the stories feature animals, including hares, hyenas, snakes, lions, cats, wolves, elephants, and others — and we learn about their cultural roles as both tricksters and givers of gifts. There are other stories that feature people — from the poorest common-folk to the wealthiest royalty. And, some of the stories feature a combination of animals and people, with a whole range of messages for the hearer and reader.
Part of what makes this book so appealing is the man who created it: Nelson Mandela. His life and commitment to Africa, its peoples, and its cultures lays the foundation for the folktales he has selected. And, even though we lost Nelson Mandela (though not his spirit) in 2013, because of him these folktales live on in our lives.
This book is found on the Juvenile shelf in the children’s section.
The following book came to us from the Plumas County Library, and can be found on the non-fiction shelf in the children’s juvenile collection:
Finding My Dance, by Ria Thundercloud: The author’s actual name is Wakaja haja pįįwįga, which means “Beautiful Thunder Woman”. She is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin and the Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico. She shares that in both of those tribes dance is an important value. She began to take part in their cultural dances at a very early age, and would travel with her family to dance at powwows in many places.
As she grew older, Ria Thundercloud expanded her dance repertoire to other types of dance, including modern, tap, jazz, contemporary, and ballet. She became a professional dancer, and performed both in this and other countries around the world. But, it is the dances of her own culture that speak to her most deeply.