Kids Corner: Karaoke Reading

“BookBox” videos are something new for our multi-lingual families to try.   Designed by an educator, each DVD presents animated stories in English and another language with same-language subtitling.  They can be used for entertainment, listening comprehension or re-enforcing reading skills.    
One or more DVDs in Chinese(Mandarin), French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish are in the Cedar Mill or Bethany Libraries.  You can find all of them in the catalog by keyword searching “BookBox”.

If/when you’ve tried one, I’d love to hear what you think of them!

Nancy

The Inside Scoop from Technical Services – In the News

If you are up on your news you know that the Mississippi River still has not crested. Meanwhile, millions of people wait to see if the Army Corps of Engineers can siphon-off enough water using dams and spillways, to keep down-river homes, businesses and communities from being swept away. Wicked river: the Mississippi when it last ran wild, by Lee Sandlin takes us back to the days before engineers and spillways when the river, and the people who lived next to it, did indeed run wild. Other new books that cover issues in the news are:

Wikileaks: inside Julian Assange’s war on secrecy, by David Leigh

 Rewired: understanding the iGeneration and the way they learn, by Larry D. Rosen

 The heart and the fist: the education of a humanitarian, the making of a Navy Seal, by Eric Greitens

 What’s gotten into us: staying healthy in a toxic world, by McKay Jenkins

 Speaking Christian: why Christian words have lost their meaning and power—and how they can be restored, by Marcus J. Borg

 In-laws, outlaws and granny flats: your guide to turning one house into two homes, by Michael W. Litchfield

     

Brush up your skills with LearningExpress Library!

Are you ready to work? Use LearningExpress Library to prepare for and take practice tests such as the GED, US Citizenship, ASVAB or SAT, as well as many civil service and occupational exams. Take courses on writing resumes, preparing for interviews. Update your math, writing and computer skills.

There are courses available for students of all ages, including elementary, middle, and high schoolers in math, reading and writing and college prep.

You will need to create your own individual username and password to take tests and track your progress. You’ll get immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of your results.

Check out LearningExpress Library with your WCCLS library card handy.

Festival of the Birds this Saturday

Festival of the Birds Saturday May 8th 9am-3pm FREE
Sellwood Park, just south of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

This Saturday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Portland and Portland Audubon are sponsoring a festival celebrating the migratory birds that make Portland their home part of the year. This free family friendly event includes guided bird tours of Oaks Bottom, bird-related crafts and activities, live storytelling and music, and a chance to meet live birds of prey up close.

Interested in Learning a Language? Check out Mango!

Did you read this – The Web Way to Learn a Language – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/bv9d5x and wonder which to pick? Try Mango Languages from your library at: http://www.wccls.org/online_resources/languages