Port Library, Beloit KS
1718 N. Hersey
PO Box 427
Beloit, Kansas 67420
785-738-3936
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Staff and Board of Trustees
    • History of the Library
    • Contact Form
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Programs
    • Calendar of Events
    • Pre-kindergarten Programs
    • Children's Programs
    • Young Adult Programs
    • Adult Programs >
      • Past Adult Programs
  • Services
    • In House Resources >
      • In-House Public Access Computers and Wireless Internet
    • Genealogy
    • Friends of the Library
    • Reader's Advisory
    • BLOG - Port Picks, Reviews, and other Announcements
  • Policies
    • New Library Cards
    • Check out times, limits, and fines
    • Board Meeting Minutes
    • Policy Manual Selections
  • Collection
    • Catalog - Port Library's Online Public Access Catalog
    • Downloadable E-Books and Audiobooks
    • Databases via the State Library of Kansas

Sea Rex by Molly Idle

7/27/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  Our regular summer library programs are ending next week, and the library would like to thank all the young readers (and their parents!) for coming over to the library this summer. For the next five weeks I’ll be reviewing some new picture books in the library’s children’s section. These are great bedtime books, quiet time books, or anytime books for parents, grandparents, older siblings, or other loved ones to enjoy with younger kids, or on their own!

You might not think that dinosaurs would enjoy a day at the beach, but don’t tell that to the two children and their tyrannosaurus rex in this week’s review, Sea Rex by Molly Idle. Author and illustrator Idle goes about very simply telling how to get to the beach and what to do there. However, the pictures show a not-so-simple afternoon of fun. Crisp and bright colored pencil drawings show an enthusiastic little boy, his more responsible older sister, the boy’s hapless teddy bear, and of course a very excited and nearly life size T-Rex. The group gets settled on the beach under the watchful eye of a pterodactyl lifeguard, and after some sunbathing, everyone gets wet when the T-Rex splashes into the ocean! The group enjoys building sandcastles with a triceratops in a flowered bathing hat before seagulls come and steal everyone’s lunch. Don’t worry though, the sandwiches are rescued.  But to find out how, come check out this title!

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

0 Comments

Out of the Blue by Alison Jay

7/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. For the next six weeks I’ll be reviewing some new picture books in the library’s children’s section. These are great bedtime books, quiet time books, or anytime books for parents, grandparents, older siblings, or other loved ones to enjoy with younger kids, or on their own!

Today’s review is of a picture book without words. You might think that this makes reading out loud to children impossible, but wordless picture books can encourage imagination and engagement with children, and lessen the stress for adults who aren’t so confident in their own reading-aloud abilities. Out of the Blue by Alison Jay beautifully paints a story of life on the seashore for a lighthouse keeper and his young son. The paintings are bright, clear, and full of details.  A crackle finish over each page gives the storybook the look of old paintings on wood. The little boy meets another young girl on the beach one sunny morning and the two spend the afternoon exploring the beach, finding shells, rocks, and a fish misplaced in a tide pool. Just as the small fish is returned to the ocean, a dark storm brews up and everyone scurries home for the night. In the morning, something unusual has washed up on shore! A few pages in the back with text about life at the beach can help us local landlocked people explain the ocean and seaside life to our younger readers. If you find you like wordless picture books, come in and find a few more in our storybook collection by David Weisner.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

0 Comments

The Perfect Egg: A Fresh Take on Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park

7/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  

Most of my listeners probably know the ad jingle “The Incredible, Edible Egg” from radio, TV, and print advertisements.  The jingle appeared in 1977, but eggs hardly need extra advertising! They’re great in other dishes or on their own, particularly if you can find a source for farm fresh eggs.

If you are in the mood to cook your basic daily egg in a different way, or are trying to find a way to introduce eggs to a picky eater, take a look at this week’s Port Pick: The Perfect Egg: A Fresh Take on Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park. This full-color cookbook features not only egg-centric dishes, but also recipes that may not taste like eggs but are mostly composed of eggs.  As the title implies, the recipes are divided into breakfast type dishes, soups and salads for lunch, and heavier dishes for the night time. There are also snack and dessert sections. 


The book covers egg dish standards like frittatas, huevos rancheros, quiche, eggs benedict, deviled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, and crème brulee but then ventures into more daring dishes like Havarti-dill popovers, herb and cheese macarons, avgolemono soup, spaetzle with Swedish meatballs, and much more. In the front is a short but comprehensive guide to all things egg like varieties, decoding packaging, handling and storage, and basic cooking techniques used throughout the book.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”


0 Comments

Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini

7/6/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  

Happy (belated) Independence Day to all the readers out there! I hope you had something fun planned for the day. 

Readers of women’s fiction and historical fiction will want to pay attention to this week’s Port Pick. In a fourth historical fiction novel author Jennifer Chiaverini presents Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule. As the title implies this story is based on the life of the wife of Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant. Julia Dent met Ulysses Grant in 1844 and fell in love but the couple waited four years for approval from Julie’s family before marrying. Julie’s family owned slaves and Ulysses’ abolitionist family disapproved so much that none of the groom’s family attended the wedding. Despite her new husband’s objections Julie kept one slave after she married, another woman named Julie, called Jule. 

During the war Ulysses called his wife and family to his side many times, which was risky enough for a free woman, but nearly insurmountable for a female slave. These trips also meant a separation from her husband for Jule, who had secretly married in defiance of the law. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation gave Jule the courage she needed to make a bid for freedom and from then on out the book tells mostly the story of Julie and Ulysses relationship. 

If you’re looking for historical fiction that relies more on the fiction than the history, then this book is for you. Readers who rely on accounts closer to the truth may want to try The General’s Wife by Ishbel Ross, a factual biography about the former first lady.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”



0 Comments

    Port Librarians

    We like books, movies, music, games, and more and would like to tell you what you can get FOR FREE at our library!

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    RSS Feed