Family Lockdown Challenge: Celebrate Star Wars Day at Home!

IMAGE COURTESY OF https://www.starwars.com/Attention all Jedi, Bounty Hunters and Rebels! Star Wars Day is happening again on May the Fourth, which is observed and celebrated by fans of the Star Wars franchise. Despite Level 3 restrictions, there are still ways you can celebrate Star Wars Day in the comfort of your own home… and bubbles.

Celebrate Star Wars Day at home.

Star Wars has a website dedicated to information, activities and events about Star Wars Day. Why not dress up as your favourite Star Wars character, cook and craft up a storm all in the comfort of your own home. For more ideas on how to celebrate at home, have a look at 5 ways to celebrate Star Wars Day at home.

Borrow Star Wars books from our ebook collection.

Borrow ebooks all related to anything and everything from the Star Wars universe! Check out our amazing collection on Overdrive Kids.

image courtesy of syndetics

image courtesy of syndeticsimage courtesy of syndetics
Listen to your favorite Star Wars stories read by your favourite actors.

Watch Rey (Daisy Ridley)  read “Star Wars: BB-8 On The Run,” and “Star Wars: Chewie & The Porgs,” read by Joonas Suotamo. You can also borrow “Star Wars: BB-8 On The Run,” from Overdrive Kids.



Enjoy!… and may the fourth be with you!

Aotearoa New Zealand History Books List

Aotearoa New Zealand has a long, interesting and challenging history. Many incredible people and communities have walked on this whenua and left their stories and legacies behind. These are some great recent books to learn about our sometimes sad, and sometimes amazing history.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Morris, Toby (2019)

Check out this beautifully illustrated story of our foundational national document. It’s bilingual, which means you can read it in English or Te Reo. Find out about the historical context of the Treaty, and its continuing importance in the 21st Century.

 

 

The New Zealand Wars / Werry, Philippa (2018)

As Māori land was encroached upon by the colonial government and settlers, warfare broke out in New Zealand. This book explores the violence that was experienced in New Zealand in the mid-19th century and how those that fought and died are remembered today. This book explains why the wars happened, and is filled with photographs, illustrations and paintings. We also learn about Parihaka, a peaceful community of resistance to land confiscation and encroachment. The book talks about how we remember these events today and memorial places we can go to learn more and think about our history.

 

 

Kate Sheppard : leading the way for women / Gill, Maria (2018)

A wonderfully illustrated book about the life of New Zealand suffragist Kate Sheppard! Learn about how she lead the way for women getting the vote in Aotearoa.

 

 

Syndetics book coverPeace warriors / Raymond Huber (2015)

This book tells the heroic stories of brave New Zealander’s and people around the world who used non-violent resistance to pursue paths of peace. One of the stories is of Archibald Baxter, who refused to fight in World War 1 because he did not believe in killing. He faced brutal punishment and rejection for his courageous choice.

 

 

The beach they called Gallipoli / French, Jackie (2014)

The battle for Gallipoli is at the heart of the ANZAC narrative of New Zealand’s involvement in WW1. This book explores the geography of the cove and looks at not just the ANZACs, but all the nationalities who fought there.

 

 

Bastion Point : 570 days on Takaparawha / Roxborogh, Tania Kelly (2017)

Sometimes fiction can help us understand real-life  events. This book is a fictional diary, from the perspective of a character called Erica Tito, covering the events at Bastion Point between 1977-1978. Bastion Point was Māori land confiscated by the government for public works, but decades later the government wanted to sell it for housing developments. Māori from around the country gathered to occupy the land and protect it. In the 1980s, the land was returned to local Iwi as part of a Treaty settlement.

 

 

Aotearoa : the New Zealand story / Bishop, Gavin

A colourfully delightful overview of of the history of Aotearoa New Zealand; charting a course from the big bang, to the arrival of Māori, all the way to events in the present day. Filled with interesting facts, this is a great classroom read.

Check out these books on the catalouge, your local library or pop a reserve on them to collect from your nearest branch!

Suffrage Day 2019

Suffrage Day  is a special  day in New Zealand’s history. Thursday 19 September 2019 is Suffrage Day / White Camellia Day.image courtesy of https://women.govt.nz

Why is Suffrage Day celebrated?

On the 19th of September 1893, New Zealand became the first nation in the world to grant women the right to vote. This year marks the 126 anniversary of women winning the right to vote in New Zealand. The white camellia was the symbol of the suffragists.

What is Suffrage Day?

Suffrage Day provides an opportunity for people to celebrate New Zealand’s suffrage achievements and look for ways to benefit women.

How do we commemorate this day?

  • Wearing a white camellia. Why? These flowers were worn by people supporting women’s right to vote in New Zealand.
  • Wear a The Suffrage 125 symbol. Why? The symbol draws on historical colours and icons adopted by women’s suffrage petitioners and presents them in a contemporary form.

Where can I find information about the suffragettes and and Suffrage Day?

 


image courtesy of sydnetics

Amazing women: 101 lives to inspire you.

Read this story of 101 extraordinary women of our time. Empowering and inspiring accounts of female pioneers include the likes of JK Rowling, Rosalind Franklin, Beyonce Knowles, Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai, Angela Merkel and Serena Williams. A beautiful package that rejoices in the remarkable and crucial contributions women have made to our society.
image courtesy of sydneticsWomen’s suffrage.

“Find out interesting, little-known facts such as how the suffragists were the first people to ever picket the White House and how the nineteenth amendment granting women the right to vote passed by only one vote when a legislator changed his vote to “yes” after receiving a letter from his mother telling him to “do the right thing.” The unique details, along with the clever interior illustrations, make this series stand out from the competition”– Provided by publisher.

Kate Sheppard.

“When Kate Sheppard was a young lady jauntily exploring the streets of her new home in Christchurch, the world was a different place. Women did not ride bicycles or participate in outdoor activities like sports. And they certainly were not allowed to vote. But Kate wanted to do more, and she knew that women deserved the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Her campaign would become the battle of a lifetime. Includes an end section of facts about women’s rights around the world”–Publisher information.

Eliza and the white camellia : a storyof suffrage in New Zealand.

New Zealand suffragist Eliza Wallis was a first-wave feminist who actively sought the Vote for Women. She was a founding member of the National Council of Women in 1896. Her story is told by her fourth great niece in this bilingual children’s picture book, a Suffrage 125 project.

Rebel Voices.

A beautifully illustrated celebration of the brave campaigners who fought for women’s right to vote. Tracing its history from New Zealand at the end of the 19th century, follow this empowering movement as it spread from Oceania to Europe and the Americas, then Africa and Asia up to the present day. Meet the women who rioted, rallied and refused to give up.

Suffragettes and the fight for the vote.

“This book takes up the story in the mid 19th century, when the first petition was presented to Parliament, and traces the fight for the vote through the work of suffrage organisations and the suffragettes. From peaceful demonstrations to violent campaigns and prison hunger strikes, the story is brought to life through fascinating historical photos and artefacts”–Back cover.

 


Be counted! : the diary of Amy Phelps, Dunedin, 1893.

Thirteen year old Amy goes to live with her aunt and uncle in Dunedin to continue her education. At Otago Girls’ High she pursues her dream of becoming an artist like her hero, Frances Hodgkins. Meanwhile, all Aunt Delia can talk about is the campaign to get women the vote. But Amy soon finds some girls who need more urgent help. Her efforts to find her wayward friend Mary lead her to discover a dark side lurking behind Dunedin’s stately buildings. Includes historical photographs. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.

 


Bee Aware Month!

September is Bee Awareness month and this year Apiculture New Zealand are focusing on bee health by educating us on how we can feed the bees and help protect our precious bee population.

Did you know that bees support New Zealand’s agri-industry exports by over $5 billion annually – that is heaps! Plus they help grow one third of all the food we eat as well as helping our gardens flourish and look beautiful.

There is heaps that we can do to help out our little buzzing friends and one of the easiest way is by planting bee friendly plants and flowers. Bees need food so that they can help pollinate the food we eat. Bees will feed on pollen and nectar and this helps them to grow and Bee strong which helps them to fight off disease and parasites.

Bees also need clean water so why not make a shallow container for them to drink from. Just make sure you put pebbles and twigs in the water so the bees have something to rest on while they are drinking.

Another way we can help the bees is to stop spraying our gardens with harmful pesticides which kill the bees.

Palmers Garden Centre who are supporting Bee Awareness Month have information and competitions on their website plus check out their 5 top tips for a bee friendly backyard.

The library also has heaps of books on bees so take a look and… Lets save our bees!

Mālō e lelei! Tongan Language Week 2018

Mālō e lelei! Hello!

Here, in Aotearoa, it is Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga- Tongan Language Week.

It begins Sunday 2 September and finishes on Saturday 8 September 2018 but you can continue learning and celebrating Tongan Language all year round!

Take your time and enjoy the sights and sounds using ‘ihe laipeli – your library!

 

‘Oku ke lava ‘o lea faka-Tonga?’    ‘Do you speak Tongan?’

‘Ikai.’     ‘No.’

You could start by reading  Tongan for Kids by Jahri Jah Jah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bettina Ikenasio-Thorpe’s books will help with learning the alphabet, numbers and colours in Tongan. She has three awesome books: ‘Alafapeti : Tongan alphabet with English translationNgaahi lanu : colours in Tongan and English, and Lau ‘a e taha ki he hongofulu : counting one to ten in Tongan and English.

 

‘Oku ke lava ‘o lea faka-Tonga?’      ‘Do you speak Tongan?’

‘Oku ou lea faka-Tonga si’isi’i pē’    ‘I speak a little Tongan.’

These stories are written by Carolyn Collis with an English translation on the back cover.

     

 

‘Oku ke lava ‘o lea faka-Tonga?’      ‘Do you speak Tongan?’

‘ ‘Io.’      ‘Yes.’

Aiani and the Pia Ghost  is great for Tongan speakers. Give it a go!

The International Children’s Digital Library is a great place to find books and stories from different cultures all around the world.

 

 

Would you like to know more about the people of Tonga? David Riley’s Tongan Heroes is a good place to start and has great illustrations by Michael Mulipola.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, lastly, here are some other amazing books about Tonga and Tongan stories…

 

Ko e Mali : ko e talanoa faka-Tonga mei Nuʻu Sila by Christine Nurminen

A story about a traditional Tongan wedding that takes place in New Zealand


The Mouse and the Octopus, by Lisala Halapua

Retells a traditional Tongan fable about a mischievous mouse, who is rescued by an octopus, but tricks his saviour. This represents the origins of traditional fishing lure design.

 

 

 

Kelea’s Clothes, by Jill MacGregor

Kelea, who lives in Tonga, describes some of the special clothes she wears for different occasions, including the ta’ovala and kiekie. Contains some Tongan words and glossary.

 

 

 

 

Monū’ia – Good Luck!

 

International Asteroid Day

Did you know that there is an International Asteroid Day?

Asteroid Day aims to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth, its families, communities and future generations from a catastrophic event.

It was co-founded in 2014  by Dr. Brian May an astrophysicist and rock legend, Danica Remy  president of B612 FoundationRusty Schweickart an astronaut and Grig Richters a German filmmaker.

Following on from this the United Nations General Assembly officially declared June 30th each year as the International Asteroid Day.

June 30 was chosen because it marks Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history, the Siberia Tunguska event, which occurred on the 30 June 1908 and devastated over 2,000 km2 of forest, an area the size of any major city today.

A declaration was created called the 100X Declaration where scientist and technologist who support the idea of saving the earth from asteroids were asked to sign. But the really cool thing is that everyone has the opportunity to sign. To date the 100X Declaration has been signed by more that 22,000 private citizens.

There is heaps of information, resources, movies, videos, fun stuff plus the countdown until June 30 on the official International Asteroid Day website so check it out. And don’t forget we also have lots of information and books in the library.

 

 

 

 

Great Non Fiction: Little People, Big Dreams.

Hey Kids! Check out the biographic series called Little People, Big Dreams. This features inspiring and courageous women who defied the odds and became the most influential figures in history that inspired change.

Enjoy!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsMaya Angelou.

Maya Angelou spent much of her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas. After a traumatic event at age eight, she stopped speaking for five years. However, Maya rediscovered her voice through wonderful books, and went on to become one of the world’s most beloved writers and speakers. This inspiring story of her life features a facts and photos section at the back.”–Page 4 of cover.

A great biography to read that focuses on social injustice, racism, women’s rights and a courageous woman that defied all the odds and changed the course of history forever.

 

iamge courtesy of syndeticsCoco Chanel.

Read the inspiring story of famous French fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel, known as Coco Chanel, who led an extraordinary life, had many careers as a as a cabaret singer, seamstress, hat maker, fashion designer, businesswoman and iconic figure in the fashion industry, who became famous for  her timeless designs, trademark suits and little black dresses. A great biography and also provides further information about the history of women’s fashion.

 

images courtesy of syndeticsAudrey Hepburn.

Presents information about famous actress and iconic figure,  Audrey Hepburn, from her youth in Nazi-occupied Europe, training as a ballerina and a dancer, through her rise to stardom in some of the era’s most popular films, such as Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and My Fair Lady, and to her dedication to UNICEF.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsAgatha Christie.

In the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the lives of outstanding people from designers and artists to scientists. All of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. The book follows Agatha Christie, who taught herself to read at the age of five, on her journey to becoming the most famous crime writer of all time. This inspiring and informative little biography comes with extra facts about Agatha’s life at the back.

 

 

Top 10 Children’s non-fiction September 2017

Empire vs Rebel Alliance… with the next episode just around the corner Star Wars fans are gearing up for another adventure with epic space battles, heroes and villains and new worlds. People, creatures, robots, space travel and planets are such a great source of material that it’s no wonder we have books and comics in every section of the library that delve into this galactic war, and… 3 spots in this Top 10!

Online builders are finding more ways to apply their skills with Terraria.  With books offering you tips and tricks to make the most out of crafting in 2D or 3D =)

This top 10 includes real life heroes – 100 of them! Good night stories for rebel girls, features wildlife advocates, early computer programmers, sports people and an astronaut!

 

  1. Minecraft : guide to the Nether and the End, by Stephanie Milton
  2. The LEGO ideas book, by Daniel Lipkowitz
  3. Harry Potter and the cursed child, by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany and J. K. Rowling
  4. Minecraft, by Nick Farwell
  5. Terraria, by Daniel Roy
  6. Star Wars : the visual encyclopedia, by Patricia Barr, Adam Bray and Cole Horton
  7. Pokemon deluxe essential handbook, published by Gosford, N.S.W. : Scholastic Australia
  8. Good night stories for rebel girls, by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
  9. Star Wars : The Force Awakens in pictures, by Ryder Windham
  10. Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, by Simon Beecroft and Pablo Hidalgo

Rise of the Robots: Doing it Gangham Style!

Wellington City Libraries are embracing the following trends: technology, coding and robots. To support the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) learning platform, we now have two new team members to assist library staff in this process in the form of Nao Robot twins: Blue and Red.

Blue and Red are fully automated Nao, (pronounced ‘now’) humanoid Robots. They are 58cm tall, autonomous, and fully programmable. They walk, talk, listen to you, and even recognise your face. Blue and Red can even whip out a few dance moves to Thriller by Michael Jackson, Gangnam style by PSY and more! Like most humans, if the robots fall down they manage to get themselves back up again, along with a few grunts and groans, and touch wood without any broken limbs or bones.

The robots made their official debut at Wellington Central Library on Monday 10th of July, at the ‘Meet the Robots’ event, part of the Beyond the Page literary festival for children during the school holidays. Apart from a few technical difficulties and performance anxiety issues, for both the librarians’ and robots the event proved to be a success. Blue and Red were the main attractions and stole the show. Parents and kids were whipping out their cell phones to photograph and film the robots paparazzi style! Everyone was mightily impressed with what the robots could do. They loved the performances and there were a lot of ‘ooohs’, ‘aaahs’ and giggling, and a huge round of applause at the end! Overall Blue and Red are a welcome addition to the library, as well as an ideal learning platform for teaching STEAM subjects. With the robots on our team, Wellington City Libraries can continue to work alongside organisations, such as schools, businesses and Information Technology Institutes.  Together we’ll ensure the STEAM platform is promoted and taught to the wider community – Gangnam style!

Discover your green thumb and get into gardening this summer!

Gardening is a fun activity to get involved in during the summer months, and one that many people all around the world find very fulfilling.

Gardening is also really good for you in all sorts of ways. Firstly, gardening outside is a great way to get out in the sun and soak up some vitamin D, just don’t forget to be sun smart and chuck on a sunhat and sunscreen before you head outside.

Gardening is  good exercise and an enjoyable way to keep busy and stay active in the summer months. It is also a fun introduction to science and enables us to learn about the natural world around us using all of our senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound).

But best of all, gardening makes you happy! In fact, scientific experiments have shown that when you connect with soil, your brain releases a feel-good chemical called serotonin that actually helps to improve your mood. How cool is that!?

Gardening is also a very rewarding activity, as you get to watch all of your hard work grow and flourish (and it might even end up on the dinner table).

Gardening can be a peaceful activity to do on your own, but you can have fun gardening with a friend or family member, or even in a group. You might know someone that likes gardening, perhaps your Grandparent or a neighbour, that you could help out their garden.

If you have limited outdoor space at your house, try starting small using a planter box, an old car tyre, or plant straight into a bag of compost.

The libraries have HEAPS of awesome books on gardening to inspire you and help you get started. Check out the catalogue to find out what’s available in your local branch library and don’t forget children can place reserves for free using your library card all summer long!