The Importance of Fairy Tales

When you walk into the Children's Room you will notice a collection of Fairy Tales on display. Not only is the library getting excited for the release of Disney's live action Cinderella on March 13, but we also want to highlight the wonderful value of sharing Fairy Tales with your children.

Fairy Tales are more than just great stories; they have strong moral lessons and help children develop critical thinking skills. Lessons of "good versus evil" and "right and wrong" are abundant in Fairy Tales. Even though the hero doesn't always win in the real world, the message is still worthwhile: be the good guy, not the bad. Often the characters in Fairy Tales are not who they seem, and many characters are faced with a challenge to overcome. Children learn that sometimes in life you must make a difficult decision, and if you make the right one, things just might turn out OK.

Fairy Tales open the door to a child's imagination. These stories transport the reader to magical places and let children imagine things beyond the world they know. They also serve as a way of introducing children to unfamiliar cultures and customs. Cinderella, for example, has over 500 version found in Europe alone. Every culture from Native Americans to the Middle East seems to have their own story of the "little cinder girl." Many renowned authors and illustrators have taken on a Fairy Tale. Some of the most beautiful picture books in our library's collection are Fairy Tales.

So, the moral of my story - share your favorite Fairy Tales with your children and discover some new ones at the library!

-Amanda

Caldecott Awards 2015

Looking for a book where the pictures just stand out?

Try a Caldecott!

The Caldecott Medal is awarded every year to the "most distinguished American picture book for children." Each year there is one Medal winner and several "Honor" books.


Some of the most famous picture books of the last century are included on this list. Stop by and grab an old favorite! Here's just a few:

• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans - 1940 Honor Book
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - 1942 Medal Winner
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey -1949 Honor Book
• The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader - 1949 Medal Winner
• Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss - 1950 Honor Book
• Anatole, illustrated by Paul Galdone; text: Eve Titus - 1957 Honor Book

• Little Bear's Visit , illustrated by Maurice Sendak; text: Else H. Minarik - 1962 Honor Book
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats - 1963 Medal Winner
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni - 1964 Honor Book
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - 1964 Medal Winner
• Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola - 1976 Honor Books
• Freight Train by Donald Crews - 1979 Honor Book

• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg - 1982 Medal Winner
• King Bidgood's in the Bathtub , illustrated by Don Wood; text: Audrey Wood - 1986 Honor Book
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg - 1986 Medal Winner
• Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young - 1990 Medal Winner 
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann - 1996 Medal Winner

• When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang - 2000 Honor Book
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type illustrated by Betsy Lewin, written by Doreen Cronin - 2001 Honor Book
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus  by Mo Willems. - 2004 Honor Book
• Zen Shorts illustrated and written by Jon J. Muth - 2006 Honor Book
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - 2008 Medal Winner

• The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney - 2010 Medal Winner
• This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen - 2013 Medal Winner
• Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker - 2014 Honor Book
• Locomotive, written and illustrated by Brian Floca - 2014 Medal Winner

This year's books span fiction, biography, and graphic novel. Check out these new winners and honorees!

2015 Winner: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat

Honor Books:

• Nana in the City written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo
• The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art, illustrated by Mary GrandPré, written by Barb Rosenstock 
• Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett 
• Viva Frida, written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant 
• This One Summer, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, written by Mariko Tamaki

--Stephanie

Kirsten is here!

You may have seen the signs at the library about the new addition to our American Girl® Collection. Well she's finally arrived!

Kirsten is the daughter of a Swedish immigrant family in Minnesota. She is brave, steadfast, and adventurous. Living on the American Frontier in the 1850s is hard enough, but Kirsten and her family are brand new to the United States. Initially, Kirsten does not feel like she will ever belong in America but after her journey and some time on the farm she starts to feel like an American. She is quite sensitive towards animals and children and makes friends easily. Kirsten represents the American Pioneer Era.

The American Girl® Doll kit at the library includes the doll, a blanket, bed, hairbrush, and the first book - Meet Kirsten. Just to make the experience extra special, kits also include a brochure put together by the Heinz History Center about what Pittsburgh would have been like during Kirsten's time, as well as a notebook for you to record your adventures with Kirsten.

The Allegheny County Library Association has put together this collection in order to create county-wide access to an educational and fun toy. Many of the dolls are second-hand or donated, while others were purchased with funds raised specifically for this project. Through the Collection, we hope to promote childhood literacy, female empowerment, and an interest in local history!

More information about the county's Collection is available here. If you'd like to donate to the project and ensure its continued success, donations can be made by check payable to "ACLA American Girl Collection" and dropped off at the library or mailed to:

ACLA,
Attn: Carrie Lane, Youth Services Coordinator
22 Wabash St.
Suite 202
Pittsburgh PA 15220

If you'd prefer to donate online, please visit our Crowdrise site.

Whether you love American Girl®, want to explore history in a fun way, or just want to see what all this is about, visit the library to check out our new Kirsten American Girl® Doll kit. The Kirsten kit does check out, so check with library staff to see if it's available when you visit.

-- Stephanie