Hi, my name is Lisa. I usually host the Opening Act(ivity) program at Northtown once a week. Since we cannot meet at the library, we are bringing the activity to you!
Sometimes it is hard to start a project. Please take a moment to copy the attached document.
I have randomly placed a dot on a piece of paper. You can draw, write, build, paint anything you want.
The project starts at the dot. Happy creating!
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by reading from an author of Latinx heritage! Reading from the perspective of another can help us to expand our worldview and see life in a new and different way. Check out some of these authors now or when the month is over.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
eBook | Book en Espanol | Book English
It Is Wood, It Is Stone by Gabriella Burnham
Book
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Book | eBook
Tertulia by Vincent Toro
Audiobook
I Am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L Sanchez
Book | eBook
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Book | eBook
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez Garcia
Book
Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago
Book
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Book | eBook
Shadow of the Wind by Carols Ruiz Zafon
Book | eBook
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Book | eBook
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Book | eBook
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Book
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Book | eBook | Audiobook
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Book | eBook | Audiobook
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
Book
Here in Berlin by Cristina Garcia
Book
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Book | Audiobook
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Book
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Book | eBook
Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
Book
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
Book | Audiobook | eBook
Dear America: notes of an undocumented citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Book | eBook
Retablos: stories from a life lived along the border by Octavio Solis
Book
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Book | eBook
Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Book
Where We Come From by Oscar Cásares
Book
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Book | eBook
A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande
Book
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
Book
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Youth Services librarians put together this book list to highlight works from Latinx and Hispanic authors and illustrators. The following books are considered #OwnVoices, a term used to describe books where the author writes from their own experiences and perspectives to create characters that share their marginalized identity.
Picture Books
Across the Bay written and illustrated by Carlos Aponte
Book
Salsa: un poema para cocinar by Jorge Argueta, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
Book
Planting Stories: the life of librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar
Book
Gustavo The Shy Ghost written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago
Book
Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael López
Book
Tia Isa Wants a Car by Meg Medina, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz
Book
Dreamers written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Book | eBook
My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña
Book
¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl the Third
Book
¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raúl the Third
Book
Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War by Duncan Tonatiuh
Book
Junior/Middle Grade
Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez
The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz
The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel
Young Adult
Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
The Closet I’ve Come by Fred Aceves
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx culture with Spokane Public Library! View our selection of pre-recorded video programming below to learn more about Latinx cultures:
How to Cook: Tortillas! featuring Jocelyn Nunez.
Preparing Sopa (Soup) with Vanessa! featuring Vanessa Delgado
How to Make a Spanish Omelette featuring Dr. Andres Aragoneses
Latinas in Mariachi | ¡Yo También soy Mariachi! featuring Marcella Godina
What is a Mexican Quinceañera Celebration?
Agricultural Labor in the Columbia Basin featuring Alexis Guizar-Diaz
Eastern Washington University Mariachi Las Aguilas*
Making To’äm (Guatemalan Maya Dish) featuring Ingrid Sub Cuc and Maria Cuc
Check out book lists and other resources to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month:
Hispanic Heritage Month Book List
Hispanic Heritage Month | Book List for Kids
* EWU’s Mariachi Las Aguilas does not charge a fee for guests to attend their performances. The credits to the songs they cover are listed below in order of appearance:
Hi, this is Lisa from Northtown Library. I usually host the Opening Act(ivity) program once a week at Northtown. Since we are closed, we are bringing the activity to you.
Today’s activity is a spin-off from one of my UNEEK Writer’s Workshops.
Since I can’t play compact discs for you, please visit SPL’s Freegal app or place some holds for curbside pickup. I like to use instrumental music. Choose a song or several songs to play. Try to write during the song and after it is finished set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes to continue writing. It is basically a musical prompt for writing.
There’s Norwegian granite on a building in downtown Spokane? Yes! All too often, we walk through downtown with blinders on, intent on where we’re going but not seeing the amazing historic buildings and stone all around us. Going on a self-guided walking tour to see new things is a fun way to learn about our city. Whether you are interested in history, geology, or just pretty marble, we’ve got you covered!
You can begin the self-guided tour anywhere, but the Davenport Hotel is a good starting place if you are meeting a friend for a physically-distanced visit. You’ll see several examples of marble here and can use the map to either take the western loop or head out east. You can use mobile data on your phone to follow the Google map or simply open the PDF version on your phone and look at it as you go. If you would like to print it out, that works too! In fact, you can request a printed copy to pick up with your curbside pickup.
If you’re interested in learning more about geology, check out these books from the library. And Spokane’s office of Historic Preservation has some great information about the buildings and neighborhoods of our region.
This walking tour was first written in 1981 by a team of geologists who gave us permission to update it. Unfortunately, some of the buildings on the original tour are no longer standing. Who knows what another forty years will bring for these landmarks! Please abide by any building or street closures and keep safety in mind when walking downtown.
Adapted from Cornerstones of Spokane A guidebook to the building stones of downtown Spokane McKelvey, G. E.; Bunning, Bonnie B.; Burnet, F. William; Hamilton, Mike; Swanson, Byron, 1981, Cornerstones of Spokane—A guidebook to the building stones of downtown Spokane: Northwest Mining Association, 46 p. Used by permission. Updated by Eva Silverstone and Vanessa Strange
Thanks for joining the Northtown team for Opening Act(ivity). Today, we will learn about Macrame.
You can use these for key chains, backpack pulls, zipper pulls, necklaces. A half knot (Spiral) and square knot are featured in the video.
When I was younger, we made Friendship Bracelets. It’s a great way to connect with family and friends. Here is a link to learn the history of Friendship Bracelets.
Click this link to view the video!
Classics
The Three Bears by Byron Barton
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall
Hansel and Gretel by Rika Lesser and Paul O. Zelinsky
Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman
Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney
Lon Po-Po: a Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young
Sleeping Beauty by Mahlon F. Craft and Kinuko Craft
Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen, Erik Haugaard, and Arlene Graston
Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault, Fred Marcellino, and Malcolm Arthur
The Frog Prince by Kathy-Jo Wargin and Yvonne Gilbert
The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone
New Versions & Fractured Fairytales
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: a worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman and Julie Paschkis
Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith
Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar and Troy Cummings
Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and Melissa Sweet
La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney
Reading Beauty by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt
Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt
Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson and Kevin O’Malley
Hi, my name is Lisa. I host the Opening Act(ivity) on Wednesday mornings at our Northtown location. While we are social distancing, we are bringing the activities to you!
Today’s activity involves a field trip and a scavenger hunt. Please visit one of Spokane’s local neighborhood districts. Take a walk through the district and find words/objects that begin with the letters A-Z.
Please consider supporting businesses in the area.
Later this year, Spokane Public Library will be moving our digital ebooks and audiobooks from RBdigital to the Libby app as part of our OverDrive collection. You will continue to be able to browse, borrow, and enjoy all the same great ebooks and audiobooks you loved in the RBdigital app, now available in Libby. If you have already been enjoying the Libby app, there will be no change, other than you may notice even more great titles available for you to borrow.
Transition from RBdigital
If you currently have a book checked out in the RBdigital app, it will be available through the remainder of the lending period, so you can finish your title without disruption or risk of losing your place in the book. Holds will not be moved, but you may export your Transaction History from the Profiles section of the RBdigital app. You can place holds on those titles again in Libby. For the time being, you can continue to use the RBdigital app to access magazines.
Getting Started with Libby
Our library is proud to continue to offer you a wide selection of digital titles for you to access anytime, anywhere through Libby, the one-tap reading app. If you haven’t tried the Libby app yet, all you need to get started is your library card number and PIN number. The Libby app is easy to use and will guide you through the setup process and get you connected to our library in just a few minutes.
New to ebooks and audiobooks?
In just a few taps, you can start reading or listening instantly on your phone or tablet. The digital library is available 24/7 without leaving home and is free from our library. Choose from bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, books for kids, and more. Download the Libby app today.
Do you have a favorite word? I have several. I love the word viscosity (especially when it refers to chocolate milkshakes). I also love the word epistolary. It means “related to the writing of letters.” When paired with novels – “epistolary novels,” it means that the novel is written in letters. As an avid letter-writer myself these books appeal greatly to me. The definition of an epistolary novel can be stretched to include books where the “letters” are diary entries or text messages between friends or letters never sent. Check out my video on correspondence here for inspiration to write your own letters and check out some of my favorite epistolary novels here!
The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is probably one of the best-known epistolary novels and I resisted reading it for quite some time because it was so popular. I don’t know why because it was charming, and I LOVED it. The movie version is excellent as well!
You have to say the title of Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn out loud to get it and how it works in this sweet book about a community, the alphabet, and how their lives are affected by it. This would be a great read for teens, also.
A great way to introduce younger children to letter writing is through Alma Flor Ada’s sweet books where classic characters write to one another. Check out Yours Truly, Goldilocks to start.
I happened upon Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Eleanor Pruitt Steward while looking for books that could be read on KPBX’s Bookshelf program. This fascinating account of a woman’s time in Wyoming in 1909 opens a window to a world so different than today’s one of convenience and comfort! Check out a copy or listen to the reading on KPBX.
I read 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff in one sitting not because it’s short but because I was so charmed by the characters in this actual correspondence between a writer in NY and the staff of a London bookshop over the course of 40 years.
What’s next for you? Writing some letters or reading some letters? Do you have any great epistolary novels to recommend?
Coffee or Crafting: How about both?
Here is a way to enjoy your cup of joe with a splash of creativity. I’m a fan of using different items to create art. For today’s activity, we will be using watercolor paper, coffee, Qtips, plastic forks, and chopsticks. As your painting dries, there will be subtle changes.
Thanks Jordan and Tanya for joining me at the craft table!
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