Folklore Fun: World Tour!
In honor of WPPL's Welcoming Week, we're going on a whirlwind trip around the world! Let's ease in with some broader collections. The books will feature familiar tales, as well…
Folklore Fun: China
I started this blog post with zero knowledge about Chinese folklore. Fortunately, WPPL has a great selection of both traditional tales and modern adaptations! I was soon acquainted with The…
Medium Monday: Printmaking
What Is Printmaking? E. B. Goodale uses monotype prints in The Moon Remembers Printmaking is actually an umbrella term for several different methods. At the most basic level, it is…
Medium Monday: Colored Pencil
What Is Colored Pencil? Colored pencils are just what they sound like. A thin outer layer of wood makes a stylus with a pigmented core that leaves a mark when…
Folklore Fun! Nigeria
I have a giant spreadsheet of books with folkloric influences. The main challenge I have with these blog posts is figuring out how to group countries so that I have…
Mammoth Math by David Macaulay, pp. 84-85
David Macaulay: When Art and Science Meet
There is no one like David Macaulay. His picture book Black and White won the Caldecott medal for it's unique split-screen storytelling (four narratives play out side-by-side, leaving the reader…
Medium Monday: Watercolor
What Is Watercolor? Watercolor paint usually comes as a solid cake or a tube of gel. Both substances are a highly concentrated pigment, meant to be diluted with water. The…
Folklore Fun! Oceania and the Philippines
Ohio is not known for its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. And since the Westlake Porter Library does such a great job curating the collection with its patrons in mind,…
An Illustration Celebration!
We all know the saying: picture is worth a thousand words. But do we really need to pit them against each other? Art and language have long been partners in…
The Doctor Is (Still) In
Theodor Geisel, known by millions worldwide as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904. Over a hundred years later, educators still celebrate Dr. Suess' legacy in the month of…
A Quick History of Black Cartoonists
American comic strips have been around for just over a century. The newspaper business took off around 1900, and comics were one way to draw more readers to the paper.…
An Awesome Array of ABC Adventures
We all know the classics---Sandra Boynton's lovable board book and Dr. Seuss's wacky easy reader have been prominent for decades. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is another perennial favorite, and its…
Folklore Fun! Winter Traditions
Ohioans are no strangers to winter weather. December means low temperatures, big sweaters, and sometimes even snow! This time of year, citizens of the northern hemisphere are bundling up and…
The Benefits of Water, Inside and Out
Humans and water are inseparable. We drink it, work with it, exhale it, and play with it. The human body can only last mere days without it. It has been…
Folklore Fun! Slavic Tales
Just when I stared considering my next folklore post, I saw The Castle of Tangled Magic on display. Those beautiful domes on the cover reminded me of St. Basil's Cathedral,…
Making the Survivor Tree
September marks a significant day in U.S. history. The impact of 9/11 stretched across America, changing everything in an instant. Christina's Corner, located in the Youth Services area of WPPL,…
Suma Vacation
Hello everyone! Suma the Puma here. I love being the beautiful face of the Westlake Porter Library's Youth Services department, but sometimes I wish for a little more adventure in…
Folklore Fun! Indigenous Tales of North America
I did a lot more reading than usual while I was prepping for this blog post. Until now, I've covered cultures that I had already researched on my own time,…
Graphic Novels and the Fate of Literacy
Visit my webcomic, No Pizza After Midnight, for more fun comics! Don't make the same mistake I did! Check out all these great graphic novels: Bone, American Born Chinese, Robot…
Folklore Fun! African American Tales
Where people go, stories follow. The African diaspora, unjustly facilitated by the brutal Atlantic Slave Trade, forcibly sent African folklore abroad, where it mixed with new environments and grew into…
Folklore Fun! Scandinavia
What do the God of Thunder and Disney Queen Elsa have in common? Popular movie franchises? Well, yes. Flashy elemental powers? Um, also yes. However, the answer I'm looking for…
J is My Favorite Color: An Introduction to Synesthesia
A is a pretty boring gray-tan. B is brown. C is where it gets good: the exact color of Crayola's "Macaroni and Cheese" crayon. My initials, J and M, are…
Folklore Fun! Japan
For my first focused Folklore Fun post (say that five times fast!) I decided to feature Japan! I had some preexisting familiarity with the culture and was interested to see…
Folklore Fun! A World of Stories
Wherever there are people, there are stories. Stories about why flowers are red, and how the world was made, and what happened when your cousin had a run-in with a…