Staff Recommendations

December 2007

Children's Books | Adult Books | Teen Books | Movies | Music

Below you'll find materials recommended by library staff.

Children's Books

I Love You: A Rebus Poem, by Jean Marzollo (E Marzollo) “Every bird loves a tree/Every flower loves a bee/Every lock loves a key/And I love you.” Marzollo's simple rebus rhymes coupled with charming illustrations by Suse MacDonald are a book that almost every child can “read” with their parent. Try singing it to the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down” as the rhyme and meter are a perfect match. It makes for an unforgettable snuggle moment, and will definitely catch the interest of little ones. A picture book for young readers. --Shannon, Head of Youth Services
Please Puppy Please, by Spike Lee (E Lee) Though a celebrity book, Please Puppy Please, by Spike Lee, is a hit with almost anybody that reads it. The mischievous puppy causes all sorts of good-natured havoc, much to the consternation of the kids in charge. The simple repeating line of “please puppy please” comprises almost all of the text, but it should be read with varying enunciation. It's a wonderful and lighthearted look at puppy antics that proves irresistible to young children. Other works by Spike Lee and illustrator Kadir Nelson are also highly worthy of recommendations. A picture book good for pre-K and up. --Shannon, Head of Youth Services
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George (J George) It's a Walden for kids that speaks of the desires for freedom and connection to nature. Young Sam Gribley relates his experiences of living alone in the Catskill Mountains for a year, his struggle for survival and his connection to nature including animal friends. It’s even more beautiful when you realize that it’s part of trilogy that includes On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain. A chapter book of 170 pages, good for parent and child alike. --Shannon, Head of Youth Services
Here Lies the Librarian, by Richard Peck (J Peck) Award winning author Richard Peck brings us a delightfully quirky novel set in 1914. Full of cars, comedy, rowdy librarians, and just a dash of coming-of-age issues, this chapter book of 145 pages is a delightful read. Three copies grace our shelves for eager readers of about third grade and up. --Shannon, Head of Youth Services

Adult Books

Chopin's Funeral, by Benita Eisler (B Chopin) Chopin's Funeral starts, as you would expect, with the composer's funeral. It was a big affair with four thousands invitation-only guests, held in a cathedral, with music chosen by Frederic Chopin himself. Rich friends paid for the affair, which masked the near poverty in which he died. Despite the title, the focus of the book is Chopin's life, especially his unlikely nine-year relationship with the French novelist George Sand. He and the novelist were in many ways opposites. She was more gregarious, and some of the friends that she chose shocked him. She was a socialist, and he longed for a good monarchy. They also disagreed about how Sand should raise her daughter. Look for Chopin's Funeral in our biography section. --Rick, Head of Adult Services
Now Batting, Number ... : The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball Uniform Numbers, by Jack Looney (796.357 Loo) With the major league baseball season over and our favorite teams resting, it is a good time to turn our attention away from the daily games and toward some baseball books. New at Thomas Ford is Now Batting, Number ... , by Jack Looney, a big book about uniform numbers. The main section of the book is "Team Rosters," a team-by-team, year-by-year list showing every player that wore a uniform number, 1916-2005. Browsing the book, you will realize that not many players ever get through their careers with only one uniform number. The great players who stick to one team, such as Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski, and the "one cup of coffee" players get only one. Check out the book and look up your favorite players. --Rick, Head of Adult Services
Off the Beaten Path series (917s) After too many long and uncomfortable airport and airline experiences, have you considered taking a leisurely road trip? In the time it takes to check into an airport, you could be relaxing in your car, already out of the state. Lacking a spontaneous nature, I find that there are three indispensable ingredients to a proper road trip: great regional food, comfortable accommodations, and interesting things to see and do. For travel in the U.S. and Canada, the Off the Beaten Path series of travel guides are indispensable. These are great sources of lesser-known local restaurants, smaller, privately run accommodations like beds and breakfasts or inns, and fascinating places to visit, hike, drive through, and just enjoy. On a recent trip to Iowa, we found a Presidential museum, the oldest ice cream parlor in America and a gourmet meal cooked by a nationally know chef tucked into a come-as you-are local diner (where they also served hamburgers). The books are available for individual states, territories, and provinces. Information is straightforward, providing contact information, addresses, and even some directions. They are paperbacks, and easy to tuck into a travel tote. By the way, an easy way to find them in the library catalog is to do a keyword search for “off the beaten path” --Lynnea, Adult and Youth Services
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen (Fic Gruen) This is a great read for summer--good storyline, transports you to another time and place--a traveling circus in 1931. The author did quite a bit of research, so the novel has a feeling of authenticity. --Nancy L., Reference Librarian, Adult Services
A Spot of Bother, by Mark Haddon (Fic Haddon) A light comedy/semi-drama that revolves around a man's life crisis, a wedding, an affair, and a gay relationship. Very witty--laugh out loud at times. Fast read. Very enjoyable. --Julie L., Head, Magazine Desk
Free Food for Millionaires, by Min Jin Lee (Fic Lee) Free Food for Millionaires is a great story with memorable characters and lively dialogue. The best thing about it is the exploration of ideas seldom seen in other novels: What is it like to be a Korean-American in the 21st century? How can credit cards and gambling seduce and enslave us? When does fashion--fastidiously described--operate as frivolity, corporate armor, a link to the past, or a talisman for the future? --Christine Ricker, Circulation
How to Talk to a Widower, by Jonathan Tropper (Fic Tropper) A lighthearted, funny, sad tale of a widower who must confront his life a year after his wife's death. Well written, from a man's point of view. A fast read. Could not put it down. --Julie L., Head, Magazine Desk
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards (Fic Edwards) This story is about a twin with Downs Syndrome who is abandoned at birth. What I hoped for was insight into the rewards and challenges of raising a Downs child. What I got was superficial characters with superficial emotions, and no substance. Too sappy for me--I didn't finish it. --Nancy L., Reference Librarian

Books for Teens

Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier (YA Marillier) 416 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers. 2007. 16-year-old Jenica and her four sisters live on an old estate in Romania and are ordinary girls until the full moon comes out. Then, the girls put on their dancing gowns and travel by portal from their bedroom chambers to the enchanted fairy realm. There they dance and socialize with all manner of creatures, from elves and dwarves to the dreaded Night People. Jenica also has a pet frog named Gogu, who seems much more human than frog. But when their father becomes ill and must go away for his health, Jenica and her sisters' way of life is threatened by their overbearing cousin Cezar. Worse, Cezar knows about the fairy realm and has plans to destroy it. Complicating everything is the fact that Tatiana, the second sister, has fallen in love with one of the feared Night People. Will everything that Jenica and her sisters know be ruined forever? --Jamie, Teen Librarian
Stoner & Spaz, by Ron Koertge (YA Koertge) 176 pages, Candlewick. 2004. Ben Bancroft has cerebral palsy and a movie addiction. Colleen Minou is a stoner and has a drug addiction. When the two meet at Ben's favorite movie theater, the Rialto, an unlikely relationship begins. Ben, a self-proclaimed spaz whom nobody notices, sparks to life when he's with Colleen. Colleen doesn't seem to mind Ben's disability and takes him to her various hangouts for wild nights. As Ben learns and grows as a person, he realizes that Colleen's drugs might mean more to her than he does. Can he continue his newfound freedom while letting go of the girl who got him there? --Jamie, Teen Librarian
London Calling, by Edward Bloor (YA Blo) 289 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers (2006) This is a great historical fiction novel with a fantasy twist. Martin Conway hates his exclusive prep school, where he is considered an outcast and a charity case. After a fight with the resident bully, Martin requests to work on projects at home for a semester. He begins to do research on his dead grandfather's World War II-era radio, and soon, the radio transports him back in time to London during the Blitz. There he meets a local boy, Jimmy, who desperately needs his help. Martin spends the book trying to figure out what Jimmy needs, how the radio works, and how he can come to terms with his alcoholic father. Full of action, adventure, and tension. --Jamie, Teen Librarian
The Key to the Golden Firebird, by Maureen Johnson (YA Johnson) 304 pages. This book deals with the three Gold sisters as they deal with the sudden death of their father. Brooks is the oldest and a great softball player. May is the central character and the middle sister, the one who tries to hold everything together as their mother's job takes her away more and more frequently. Palmer, the youngest, is also a softball star following in Brooks' footsteps. As Brooks deals with her pain by drinking, and Palmer withdraws with panic attacks, May finds herself turning to her neighbor, Pete, for comfort. Pete is obnoxious and annoying, but he's determined to teach May how to drive. And little do the girls know that the father's golden Firebird, sitting unused in the garage, will turn out to be the key to their healing. --Jamie, Teen Librarian

Movies

Wordplay (DVD WOR NF) In the first half of this documentary film, we meets the country's best puzzle minds and some celebrities who love to do the daily New York Times puzzles, including Jon Stewart, the Indigo Girls, Ken Burns, and former president Bill Clinton. Puzzler Merl Reagle shows us how crosswords are created, and Will Shortz tells us the story of the 1996 NYT Election Day Crossword. The second half of the movie takes us to the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, where the contestants do six puzzles on Saturday and a final big puzzle on Sunday. The players with the top three scores then compete for the championship on stage, using erasable markers on large crossword boards. With a former champ, a frequent contender, and a young whiz on the stage, the drama is intense. --Rick, Head of Adult Services

Yesterday (DVD YES E) Yesterday is a young woman nearly alone in her husband's Zulu village. Having no friends or relatives, she spends most of her time alone with her young daughter Beauty, while her husband is away with most of the men, working in the mines near Johannesburg. Filmed in the Bergville region of Kwa-Natal, Yesterday is a starkly beautiful film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. The landscape is broad and nearly barren, and it is difficult to imagine the troubles of the industrial world in such an isolated spot, but the miners bring back diseases unknown to their wives. Yesterday is a sad film about AIDS in Africa. --Rick, Head of Adult Services

Music

Avenue of the Saint, by Dana Robinson (781.62 Rob) Avenue of the Saint is a fine collection of songs, most written by Robinson, evoking many moods. Thanks to his clear voice, listeners understand what he sings and can pick up on the choruses. They will especially want to join in on the lively song "What Would Woody Do?"--a modern tribute to Woody Guthrie. He is also a talented strings player. Many listeners will enjoy "Susquehanna/Casper & Dots" on which Robinson plays a mandolin and is accompanied by friends on accordion and banjo; the slow shuffle of the first piece moves into a bouncy bluegrass reel. Look for this CD with a Friday at the Ford sticker in the folk music tray. (Rick)

La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi (782.1 Ver) The Lyric Opera of Chicago starts its 2007-2008 season with Verdi's classic opera. If you are unable to attend, check out our 1991 recording of the opera with James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus with principle guest artists Cheryl Studer, Luciano Pavarotti, and Juan Pons. In La Traviata, a reluctant young meets the beautiful young woman that he has loved from afar, their poverty interferes with their affair, and in the end the heroine dies from tuberculosis at her his feet. Follow along in the Italian libretto with English translation. Look for this recording with our collection of operas on compact discs. --Rick, Head of Adult Services

• What's New?
• Bestsellers
• Staff Recommendations
• Patron Picks
• Book Lists