Mythlopedia: All in the Family by Steven Otfinoski

A Look-It-Up Guide to the In-laws, Outlaws, and Offspring of Mythology

This is one of four books in the Mythlopedia series. You think you know Greek mythology?  Family life around Mount Olympus was a real odyssey.  Heroes went to war and got lost coming home, a king traded his golden touch for a pair of donkey ears, and everybody wanted to be a star.  It was enough to give a mortal a complex!  Here’s an excerpt from the book:

Cybele’s Revenge: Atalanta and Melanion offend a goddess.  Atalanta and Melanion were very much in love.  Maybe a little too much in love.  When the goddess Cybele caught the pair cuddling in her temple, she blew a fuse!  To punish the couple, she turned them into lions.  Then, to add insult to injury, she yoked the pair of lions to her chariot.”

Do you like scary books?

Take a look at Robert D. San Souci’s latest --Dare To Be Scared 4: Thirteen More Tales of  Terror. In this new addition to the series, author Robert D. San Souci and illustrator David Ouimet join forces to present 13 deliciously frightening tales. Elements of urban legend and folklore are utilized to weave powerful and suspenseful (yet age-appropriate) stories that young readers are sure to revisit, finding new meaning — and shivers — with each reading. In Dare to Be Scared 4, the stories range from "Fairy Godmother" to "A Really Scary Story" that should bear a label warning: Books can be dangerous! In "Snow Day," Connor soon discovers that you can't make big magic without paying for it big time. It's best to have a flashlight for under-the-covers story-reading that reveals what's really behind the closed doors of the "Principal's Office," on the railroad tracks at dusk in "Heading Home," and the eerie fate of 13-year-old Peter in "Moonrise." David Ouimet's unique scratchboard illustrations and Robert San D. Souci's compelling prose make this a welcome jaunt through the world of ghosts and ghouls along with the children trying to escape their clutches!

Poetry Writing Workshops with Tom Daley

Tom Daley returns to the Westwood Library!  On April 29, Tom will host 2 poetry writing workshops as part of the library’s Positively Poetry series. Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 will meet from 2:45 – 4:00, and students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will meet from 4:15 – 5:30. Registration is required. To register, email us at westwoodpoetry@yahoo.com, or call 781-320-1042.  The poems produced at the workshops will be included in the library’s 2010 Poetry Anthology.

Tom Daley teaches poetry writing at the Boston Center for Adult Education, and poetry and memoir writing at Lexington Community Education. In addition, he is a member of the faculty of the Online School of Poetry, serves on the tutorial faculty of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, and has been a guest instructor at Brown University, Stonehill College and SUNY Cobleskill. He has also been served as visiting poets at several schools.

Tom Daley’s own work has been published in numerous journals, including Harvard Review, Prairie Schooner, Barrow Street, Vox, Diagram, and Hacks: The Grub Street Anthology.

Positively Poetry at the Westwood Public Library

Positively Poetry at the Westwood Public Library is a celebration of poetry that includes the publication of an anthology of original poetry by students in grades 3 - 12, a public reading from the anthology, and sometimes a writing workshop or two!

Send us your poems for The Westwood Library's 2010 Poetry Anthology. All students in grades 3 - 12 are invited to send one original poem for inclusion in our 2010 anthology. Poems should be no longer than 30 lines, and must have family friendly language and content. Deadline for submissions is April 16. Email us at westwoodpoetry@yahoo.com and include your full name, grade, name of your school, phone number and email address. Check out our poetry blog at westwoodpoetry.blogspot.com, where some of the poems will be published.

Reid’s Read-Alouds: Selections for Children and Teens by Rob Reid

Rob Reid, the author of the popular Book Links magazine column “The Reid-Aloud Alert” offers his suggestions  for books that work well as read-alouds for children and teens.  Reid says, “The books that were chosen for this collection are a mixture of strong read-alouds aimed at readers from elementary school through high school.  I looked for variety and a balance of genres, topics, and perspectives, particularly in regard to gender.  Some of the books are award winners, and some will cause literary critics to roll their eyes.  They all appeal to young listeners, however.”  Not only does Reid offer summaries and age ranges, for each book he gives instructions for a 10-Minute Selection, such as the following for Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler: “Read chapter 1, which opens with the actual kidnapping.  Ella is alone in the house with Sam.  Their parents are out, and Finn has snuck out to be with his friend.  Ella hears a strange tapping noise downstairs.  She investigates and freezes in horror.  ‘Reflected in the glass was a figure standing behind her in the doorway.’ She eludes him at first, but he eventually overpowers her and takes her away.”

Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales

Check out this new book by Usborne that includes 10 favorite fairy tales in one small (very heavy!) book.  Includes: Sleeping Beauty, The Emperor and the Nightingale, Beauty and the Beast, The Dragon Painter, The Frog Prince, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Swan Princess, The Emperor’s New Clothes. 

Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff & Craig Hatkoff

Do you like books about animals?  This new book by the authors of Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World and Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship tells the story of a 3-month-old bottlenose dolphin who was rescued from a crab trap in Florida.  Not only was she exhausted from her struggle to free herself from the trap, but her tail was damaged beyond repair.  She was rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium where she was nursed back to health, but her tail fell off, and she couldn’t swim properly without it.  This book tells the amazing story of a dolphin being fitted with the first-ever prosthetic tail!