Have your photo taken with your favorite book in celebration of National Library Week! These photos are featured on our popular "Be a Star Reader" posters. Come to the Youth Services Department any time from April 15 through April 20 and have your picture taken. Please bring a copy of your book with you. All participants will have their names entered into a special drawing. 20 lucky Star Readers will have their photos featured on READ posters that will be displayed monthly at the library. Children are welcome to keep their posters at the end of the month. Winners will be announced during the first week of May.

Did you know the Library's Youth Room has posters available to check out? Covering a variety of nonfiction topics, these are great for use in the classroom or at home. Stop by today and pick one up on endangered animals, the Presidents of the United States, science, and much, much more!

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan (J BIOGRAPHY ANDERSON): Luminously illustrated by Brian Selznick, this is a moving picture biography of Marian Anderson, singer extraordinaire, who broke through barriers of racial segregation during turbulent times.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg (J920 BRA): From King Tut to Albert Einstein, read about the gory ends of nineteen famous people. If you don’t have the guts for gore….Do not read this book!

Frindleby Andrew Clements, cleverly illustrated by Brian Selznick (J FICTION CLE): This imaginative story about a creative 5^th grader, the power of words and the influence of a remarkable teacher, will stay with you long after the book ends. This book is also available as an audio book and in downloadable format.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (CHILD AUDIO BOOK/CD Y FICTION MCK): Never accepted as full royalty, no one, not even Aerin herself, can predict her destiny – for she is to be the true hero who will wield the power of the blue Sword…This winner of the Newbery Medal for extraordinary literary merit, is a splendid story to enjoy on a family car trip.

Celebrate your crafty side and create some really unique items for your friends and family!  The Library has a vast collection of craft books and magazines, including Cricut, Crafts n' Things, Vogue Knitting and McCall's Quilting available. Learn to crochet, knit or needlepoint!    We even have our Knit n' Stitch program at 10 a.m. the first Tuesday of every month.  Let your imagination carry you away!

March 31 will mark the 124th birthday of the Eiffel Tower.  Built for the Paris Exhibition of 1889, the famous tower was named for its architect, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, and is one of the world's best known landmarks.  Check out our collection of books celebrating this iconic structure!  We also have a large collection of books just about Paris!

No doubt you will be watching The NCAA March Madness college basketball playoffs all month!  We are all hoping our favorite Michigan teams, University of Michigan and Michigan State, will make the Sweet Sixteen!  While you are waiting for all the news to break, stop by the library and check out some really great books about these unparalleled basketball programs! 

Did you know that the library has a large collection of musicals on DVD?  Musicals are always a fun way to spend time with your family.  Enjoy one from our collection today!

Susan B. Anthony – an informative poster about the most famous Suffragette. Don’t forget to look at the posters of other famous women throughout history too, including Madeleine Albright, Helen Keller and more!

Born February 12, 1809, Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States.  His presidency encompassed the tragic Civil War.  He is especially remembered for his Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863), his Gettysburg Address (Nov. 19, 1863) and his proclamation establishing the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.  The book , Team of Rivals by Doris Kerns Goodwin, is in the Library's collection and is the basis of the movie, Lincoln, directed by Stephen Spielberg and nominated for several Academy Awards.  

Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 11-17, 2013.  This week, annually celebrated in the second full week of February, raises awareness about kindness and invites people to give and receive kindness daily.  Celebrate kindness by performing anonymous kind acts all week long.  Give your neighbor or coworker a helping hand!  You may also want to check out a book by Debbie Macomber entitled: One Simple Act: discovering the power of generosity.

Check out these great books you may have overlooked in Adult Services! 

Abraham Lincoln: vampire hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith - Let your imagination run wild with this highly entertaining work of fiction.  Abraham is out to save the masses from vampires, after a vampire takes his mother's life. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - When a woman goes missing on her fifth anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in the marriage, while her husband, desperate to clear his name, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have taken place.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - When a pharmaceutical worker fails to report from her post in the Amazon, a co-worker heads on down to find out the details of the research.  While she is there she deals with ghosts from her past. 

Mountains - Packed with hundreds of glorious photographs by the world's foremost nature photographers, Mountains SuperCube invites us into a world of intense beauty.

If you love cookies, take a look at our fantastic cookie books here in the Library!  Check them out today for fantastic treats tomorrow!

The Special Needs Collection at the Bloomfield Township Public Library is a circulating multi-media collection serving youth with different needs and their caregivers. Generously funded by the Friends of the Bloomfield Township Public Library, it is one of the first public library collections of its kind in the Metro Detroit area. The collection, developed after much research and the guidance of special education staff members in the Bloomfield Hills School District, was unveiled in a grand opening celebration in January, 2009. The collection contains therapeutic toys (adapted and mainstream); speech and language therapy cards; DVDs, music & activity CDs; CD ROMs; handwriting kits; Braille books; Interactive books; and many fiction and non-fiction books for special needs kids, their peers, families, teachers, and therapists. Story Boxes are also a popular component of the collection. These special boxes contain a story and a collection of manipulatives that correspond to the items mentioned in the story. A story box is a way for children with visual impairments to experience a story. This tactual exploration of a story is not just for future Braille readers who will be using their sense of touch to decode letters and words, but also for all children who would benefit from “hands-on experiences” to help provide meaning to the words in the story.

Ellis Island was formally opened on January 1, 1892.  Over the years more than 20 million individuals were processed through the stations.  When the U.S. entered World War II  in 1941, Ellis Island became a Coast Guard Station.  It closed November 12, 1954, and was declared a National Park in 1956.  After years of disuse it was restored and in 1990, it was reopened as a museum.  The Library has several ways for you to trace your ancestors' journey through Ellis Island.  Visit our Genealogy Database page to get started. Visit the Library in person to use the Ancestory - Library Edition.  Access to this database is only allowed inside the Library.  Stop by the Adult Services Desk for more information!

On January 1, 1911, Hank Greenberg, Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman and Tiger outfielder, was born in New York City.  One of the games' most prodigious sluggers, Greenberg hit 331 home runs and drove in 1,276 runs in only nine full seasons.  Baseball's first Jewish superstar entered the Army after playing only 19 games in 1941, and did not return to the Detroit Tigers until midway through the 1945 season.  His grand slam on that season's last day won the pennant for the Tigers and propelled them toward a World Series triumph.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.  We will all be looking forward to an exciting Tigers' baseball season this year, with Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Austin Jackson!  Let's hope that 2013 brings the Tigers plenty of happiness!

The North American International Auto Show will be held January 14 - 27.  This is a wonderful time to go look at the new shiny cars and learn about new innovations.  Stop by the Library and look at Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Road and Track, and Automotive News for news about the Car and Truck of the year.  Let's hope GM, Chrysler or Ford can win the top spots!

Looking for an excuse to get out of the house?  Drop by the library for a cup of hot coffee and some great conversation with your neighbors or maybe meet a brand new friend!  Fridays 10 to 11 a.m.  January 18, February 15 and March 15!   Hope to see you there!!