Rio 2016 Paralympics review

This year at the Paralympic Games the New Zealand team absolutely nailed it! In fact, we came 13th place overall – rather impressive for a country with such a small population!

Our incredible athletes did particularly well in the athletics and swimming events, making up for a whopping 19 out of our total 21 medals. Lets have a look at our medal winners…….

Sophie Pascoe, our very own swimming sensation, made history as the most successful New Zealand Paralympian ever. Sophie won gold medals in the women’s 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley, as well as silver medals in both the women’s 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle.

Nikita Howarth, New Zealand’s youngest ever Paralympian, also won multiple medals in the pool, scoring herself a gold medal in the women’s 200m individual medley and a bronze in the 50m butterfly.

Other successful New Zealand swimmers are Mary Fisher, who came first in the women’s 100m backstroke, Cameron Leslie, who earned gold in the men’s 150m individual medley, and Rebecca Dubber who won a bronze medal in the women’s 100m backstroke.

Now onto the athletic wins. Liam Malone, the dude on blades, came first in the men’s 200m sprint as well as the men’s 400m, and second in the 100m, earning him two golds and a silver medal.

William Stedman won multiple medals in running events too, coming third in both the men’s 400m and the men’s 800m.

Rory McSweeney also won a bronze medal in the men’s javelin throw.

Several of our female paralympians also had success in the athletic category. Anna Grimaldi won gold in the women’s long jump, Holly Robinson scored silver in the women’s javelin throw, and Jessica Hamill came in at third place in the women’s shot put event.

And lets not forget cycling duo Emma Foy and Laura Thompson who won silver in the women’s individual pursuit at the end of week one, and bronze in the women’s road race in week two.

What a fantastic couple of weeks we had at the Paralympic Games 2016 in Rio. The New Zealand team did an amazing job and managed to smash the target of 18 medals, winning 21 overall. Huge congratulations to all the athletes for their hard work and dedication, you have done our country proud!

 

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games: History

The 2016 Olympics finished less than a month ago, but already we are on to the next biggest worldwide sporting event: the Paralympic Games.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics give athletes with disabilities from all around the world the opportunity to compete for international success.

The disabilities of competitors in the Paralympic Games are wide ranging and are divided into categories and classifications. Some examples include people in wheelchairs, people with missing limbs, blind people, and people with an intellectual disability like down syndrome or autism, just to name a few.

Before the first official Paralympic Games was held in Italy in 1960, athletes with disabilities participated in the Olympics. However, smaller competitions like the International Wheelchair Games held in 1948 and 1952 were so popular that an organised event especially for athletes with disabilities was needed.

At first, only wheelchair-bound people could compete, but this changed in 1976 when athletes with lots of different disabilities were included in the Paralympics.

Nowadays, the Summer and Winter Paralympics happen on the same year and in the same country as the Olympic Games, usually very shortly after.

This year the Paralympics, which started yesterday, is held in Rio, Brazil. Head over to the Rio Paralympic Games website to check out the sports and to keep track of the medal board.

The New Zealand Paralympic team has 31 athletes in the team this year, who will be competing against over 4,000 others from nearly 180 countries around the globe. TVNZ will also be showing the Paralympics on TV for the first time in 10 years, so keep an eye out for our Kiwis in black and wish them well!

 

Olympic Games 2016 review

Olympics Week One round up for Team Kiwi!

On the morning of Friday 12 August as we slept, kiwi rowers Eric Murray and Hamish Bond won New Zealand’s first gold medal of this years Olympics in Rio. The duo also won gold at the last Olympic Games in London in 2012, when they set a world record. In fact, Eric and Hamish have been working so hard over the last few years that they have been undefeated in the last 69 races they have competed in. Phew, that’s a lot of wins! Lets have a look at how the rest of the New Zealand team did….

 

Mahe Drysdale also received a gold medal in rowing when he defended his first place title in the men’s single sculls in week two of the Games. Mahe, who went to school in Tauranga, won gold in the same event at the 2012 London Olympics, and is a five-time world champion.

In yet another rowing win, Genevieve Behrent and Rebecca Scown claimed a silver medal in the women’s pair event. This is the second medal for Rebecca, who won bronze in 2012, and a great comeback for Genevieve, who returned to rowing last year after taking a break in 2014.

 

Another successful Olympian from Tauranga, Luuka Jones scored a silver medal for her amazing efforts in the K1 canoe slalom, where competitors have to paddle downriver and upriver through hanging gates. Luuka came in at 14th place four years ago at the London Olympics, so she must have been training hard.

Natalie Rooney made Olympic history at the beginning of the first week when she won a silver medal in the women’s shooting event . Natalie, from South Canterbury, achieved the best shooting result ever for New Zealand after her Aussie competitor bet her by one point.

 

A silver medal was also awarded to Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins of the New Zealand track cycling team. Ethan, Sam and Eddie, who came first in the Cycling World Championships in March, said they were very proud to win silver after the British team beat them by less than a second to snap up the gold.

This was the fourth Olympics for well-known kiwi athlete Valerie Adams, who won a silver medal this year for shot put. Valerie had been the world’s top women’s shot putter for the last 10 years, having won gold in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, but was beaten by her American competitor who set a national record at this years Games.

 

Finishing off our silver medal winning streak is the New Zealand women’s rugby Sevens team, who came in at second place after their game against Australia. The team, who are Rugby World Cup champions, played a great game, with member Portia Woodman toping the scoring charts for the Olympic events.

 

A huge well-done and congratulations to all our talented and dedicated Olympic athletes, you have done New Zealand proud!

Check out the library catalogue and the New Zealand Olympics website for more information.

 

Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games

Equestrian is the sport of horse riding. It is one of the few Olympic sports in which men and women can compete against each other and is the only Olympic sport that involves animals.

Olympics EquestrianIt is a unique sport in that both horse and rider are considered to be a team, and both are declared medal winners. This is to recognise that it takes many years of training by horse and rider to develop the special skills required for these events.

Equestrian has three different disciplines. They are jumping, dressage and eventing. For each of the three disciplines, there is an individual and a team event.

Equestrian events date back to the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The Greeks would train their horses to be useful during times of war. In 680BC, chariot races and horseraces were both contested at the Greek Games.

Jumping was the first equestrian event to be included in the modern Games. It was introduced in 1900. Dressage and eventing were added in 1912.

New Zealand has 8 member in the 2016 Equestrian team. They include riders such as Sir Mark Todd, Jonathan Paget and Jonelle Price. You can find lots of information about each team member here.

You can also find out lots of information relating to equestrian and other sports here at Rio 2016 Olympics.

Go New Zealand!!!!!!

Swimming events at the Olympic Games

The swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are scheduled to take place from 6 to 13 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. The open-water marathon will be held on 15 and 16 August in Fort Copacabana.

Olympic SwimmingA breath-taking sport (literally!), swimming has been in the Olympic Games since Athens 1896. Men and women participate in 16 events, including relays and individual competitions in four strokes – freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke. Swimmers must complete a set distance inside the pool, in some cases using any of the above styles, in the shortest possible time

The swimming pool at the Rio Olympics is divided into eight competition lanes, each 2.5m wide.

Most events start from starting blocks, except for backstroke, where the swimmers start from inside the pool. Swimmers must not dive in before the starting pistol is fired – if this happens, a false start is declared and the swimmer at fault is disqualified.

At the Rio Olympics there are 789 athletes from 173 different countries competing in 32 swimming events. You can find out who’s competing from New Zealand at the NZ Olympics website.

Did you know: The pool at the Rio Olympics actually consists of two pools? One for the competition events, and another for warming up. The whole huge building is temporary – it’s designed to be dismantled after the Olympics Games have finished.

 

School yourself like a fish about swimming! Here’s some awesome books from our library collection:

   

 

 

History of Brazil – the Olympics host nation

The 2016 Olympics are being hosted by a South American country called Brazil. The events will all be happening in and around one of it’s main cities – Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is just slightly smaller than the United States of America and is the largest country in South America.

The population of Brazil is made up of AmeriIndian indigenous people, and people of Spanish and Portuguese descent.  In the year 1500 the country was colonised by Portugal and with them came the sad tradition of slavery, which impacted the lives of the indigenous population greatly. Then over the following centuries many people came from other countries arrived because they were escaping wars, looking for a warm and beautiful country and seeking adventure.

This diverse mix of different cultures has created lots of different religious, music and culinary culture that is specific to Brazil.

One really good website to find information on Brazil is ManyAnswers.

Some cool Brazil facts: Brazil is the country which has the greatest number of animal species. Two of the major cities in Brazil are Rio de Janeiro and Saō Paulo. To fid out more you can take a look at the many interesting books about Brazil in the library collection.

 

Rio de Janeiro:

Rio de Janeiro (known as ‘Rio’) is a large city in Brazil and is the host city of the 2016 Olympics. It was the first capital city of Brazil. It has a Portuguese name and was founded in 1565, but didn’t become the capital city of Brazil until 1763.

In 1960 another city called Brasilia was founded and became the new Capital City instead of Rio. A famous Brazilian architect named Oscar Niemeyer designed the city of Brasilia. It is a planned city and it is designed to look like an aeroplane when viewed from above.

Rio de Janeiro has a large Roman Catholic population, so one of it’s most famous landmarks is the large statue called Jesus Christ the Redeemer, which is on top of Corcovado Mountain and looks out over the city.

The city is also famous for a Mountain called Sugarloaf Mountain which has a cable car.

A famous dance called The Samba comes from Rio, which is a mixture of African and Brazilian music and dance. Every year before the start of Lent near Easter time there is a Festival with a big parade called a Carnival. Lots of people get dressed up for it with very elaborate costumes and dance along the parade route and go on floats. People come from all over the world to see the Carnival.

Rio is also known for its famous beautiful beaches. The Copacabana, Ipanema, Barra da Tijuca. The Copacabana beach is where some of the big Olympic events are taking place.

Many places around Rio are being use as Olympic venues, and some have had to be specially built for the Olympic sports. It must be very exciting for the people who live in Rio.

6 New Non Fiction that will keep you entertained and… safe.

We know you love the new books – they are always flying off the stands in the libraries. They smell nice, the covers are shiny, and there’s no weird stains; what’s not to love?! Here are 6 new books to find in your local library or catalogue.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStar Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary.

Everything you think you know about Star Wars is about to change. Read the complete visual guide to the entire Star Wars saga and gain a wealth of unique information. Holds  a fascinating visual gallery of characters and creatures of the entire Star Wars saga as they appear nowhere else. Overall one book you must get your hands on!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsBookSpeak!

Poetry about books – crazy! But this one is actually pretty cool. Trust us.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndeticsStone, bronze and iron ages.

Travel back to the time of the stone, bronze and iron ages! What was Britain like over 6,000 years ago? Who lived on the island and what was it like? Explore these ancient civilisations to understand how prehistoric people have influenced the way we live today. Discover the artefacts that give evidence of their way of life.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsArt, Culture and Sport.

This is not just another atlas! From the biggest movie producers around the world to the most attended festivals; from astounding architecture to global sporting achievements, Art, Culture and Sport takes a unique look at our globe. Using innovatively designed maps alongside infographics, graphs and icons, this book explores the bigger picture of topics such as cultures around the globe, scientific achievements, amazing sporting feats and the arts.

 

 

Keep yourself safe series

Here’s a new series of books about staying safe. No one likes to be scared or hurt, so find out how to avoid the bad feels.

image courtesy of syndeticsBeing Safe with People.

Being Safe with People looks at how to act safely and sensibly with people you meet, whether family, friends or complete strangers. It explains what ‘stranger danger’ is and gives tips on what to do if you encounter it; it explores what to do if friends are unkind or if you are bullied and it also looks very sensitively at how to deal with inappropriate behaviour from adults, even when you know them.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsBeing Safe out and about.

Being Safe Out and About looks at some of the potential dangers for children as they begin to go out and about more independently. Without being sensationalist or scary, it explains, amongst other things, how to cross the road and road safety generally, how to play sensibly in the park and to avoid risk when near water.

 

 

 

 

 

6 new New Zealand and fairy tale non fiction just in time for winter.

Operation Nest Egg Chick.

“Deep down in a dark burrow, a father kiwi snorts and snuffles in his sleep. Underneath him , a large creamy egg lies snug and safe from pilfering predators.” Read more in Operation Nest Egg Chick, a creative non-fiction story about a BNZ Operation Nest Egg chick. Each page features beautiful illustrations, photographs and text boxes about how kiwis are being saved. A must have read!

 

Snow White : 4 beloved tales.

Retells the classic German version of Snow White, together with three similar tales–Marigo of the Forty Dragons from Albania, The unnatural mother and the girl with a star on her forehead from Mozambique, and The magic needle from Turkey

 

 

Rapunzel : 3 beloved tales.

Retells the classic German tale of Rapunzel in the tower, along with the similar tales of Clotilde from the Philippines, and Petrosinella from Italy.

 

 

 

Little Red Riding Hood Stories Around the World: 3 Beloved Tales.

Retells the classic German version of the fairy tale of a girl and a wolf, along with similar tales from Italy and Taiwan.

 

 

 

Alices food A-Z : edible adventures.

Written by Alice Zaslavsky – one-time Masterchef contestant and the host of TV quiz show Kitchen Whizz, this book contains information about all the things you ever wanted to know about food… and some things you probably didn’t. Packed to the brim with funny food facts, clever cooking tips and kidfriendly recipes, this is a book for the fact-hungry, food-obsessed or those who like to mess about in the kitchen. A great book to have on hand, especially with winter around the corner.

 

 

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame : 25 Kiwi champions.

This book features information about 25 famous New Zealand sportspeople across a wide range of different sporting disciplines. Includes a caricature, an action photograph, a profile of the person, timeline, inspirational quote, description of the sport, training regime and trophy board. One book you must read!

New Non Fiction: Prepare to go Bear Crazy, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and brace yourself because the Doctor is in!

The Doctor is in!

Boys and Girls, brace yourself because Wellington City Libraries two new Junior Non Fiction Books on Doctor Who and just in time… before the school holidays.

Doctor Who: Essential Guide to 50 Years of Doctor Who.
By reading this book, you learn all the  fascinating facts on all eleven incarnations of the Doctor’s adventures in space and time, as well as his helpful companions and fearsome foes. Find out all about the Doctor’s TARDIS, his regenerations, and much, much more! Overall a great book that many fans of the series would enjoy, however might be suitable for ages 10 and up. If this book interests you, you might also want to check out  Doctor Who: The Official Doctionary.

 

 

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics
Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary.

This book presents an introduction to the popular science fiction television program, dsicussing its characters, plot lines, villains, gadgets, monsters, aliens, weaponry, and spaceships. Overall not a bad read. The style and presentation of this book is similar to Star Wars visual dictionaries. Another book that will be enjoyed by Doctor Who fans. If this book interests you, you might also want to check out Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary.

 

 

 

 

 

RSPCA Animal Care.

The RSPCA  or the Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the United Kingdom has published two new books on animal care.

image courtesy of syndeticsimage courtesy of syndeticsAll About… Cats and Kittens and All About… Rabbits and Other Small Animals

Overall I think these pet guides are fantastic. Would be ideal for children 9 years and over. Contains lots of information on how to care for rabbits/cats, helping it settle in, types of of behavior to grooming, playing, popular names for  rabbits/cats, and going to the vet.  Also contains some history of The RSPCA in the United Kingdom.
You also might want to check out Looking after Cats and Kittens and Looking after Rabbits.

FACT ABOUT CATS: While chocolate is bad for a cat, yogurt makes a tasty treat. According to Pet Smart NZ, the organisms in yogurt can be especially helpful when your pet is on antibiotics since these medications can alter the “good’ bacteria in the intestines. Most pets will enjoy the addition of a tablespoons of yogurt to their food.

FACT ABOUT RABBITS: Pet rabbits are related to the wild rabbits, hares and pikas. Hares are bigger than rabbits, with longer ears and stronger legs which enables them to run very fast, while pikas are smaller than rabbits and live in North America and Asia.

 

 

 

Bear Crazy…!

image courtesy of syndetics
Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue.

Brace yourself for cuteness and… an orphaned polar bear. This book tells the story of orphaned polar bear Kali (pronounced Cully) as he is rescued and whisked away to the Inupiat village of Kali (Point Lay in English), then being raised and reared at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, with zookeepers filling in for his mother and finally finding a permanent home at the Buffalo Zoo with, Luna, a female polar bear as a companion. Overall I enjoyed this book. Absolutely loved the photographs that chronicles Kali’s infant hood. I reckon this is a book that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all age groups and a fantastic addition to the junior non fiction collection just in time for  the school holidays.

You will also like Vicks: The Polar Bear Cub and My Polar Animals Journal : In Search of Polar Bears, Penguins, Whales and Seals.

FACT ABOUT POLAR BEARS: Male polar bears pee down, while female polar bears pee straight behind them.

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Wild About Bears.

Wild about bears? You will be after reading this book. This book contains facts and pictures of eight different bear species, ranging from polar bears, sun bears and sloth bears. You will learn everything there is to know about bears, including information about their traits, characteristics and habitat.

 

 

 

 

 

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

image courtesy of syndetics
Brutal Games! History’s most dangerous sports.

Forget sports like Rugby, Gymnastics and Horse riding, this book on history’s most dangerous sports takes words like ‘dangerous’, ‘extreme sports’ and ‘life and death situations’ to a whole new level. After reading this book, two words come to mind:  adrenaline rush. Facts about bull riding, cave diving, jousting and gladiator games, you will have all the information you need to release your inner daredevil.

 

 

 

 

If you like the Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders series, you might want to give these two new series a go.

Hard Nuts of History.image courtesy of syndetics image courtesy of syndetics

To kick things off, Check out Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, which is part of Hard Nuts of History series. Read all about history’s hardest hard nuts. Who were the most famous (and not so famous) ruthless, brave, fearless and intrepid men and women of all time? Could you fight in the greatest battle ever, or wow the whole world with your brain power?
These awesome books are bursting with remarkable tales of triumph and bravery. You will be amazed and astounded by some of history’s hardest heroes. The books have a similar tone as Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders series, comes complete with the silly bits, but perhaps without the gory bits. There is a lot less pages and the text is more simplified, so I think this series will appeal to younger audiences.

 

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics

image courtesy of syndetics

image courtesy of syndetics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What They Don’t Tell You About….

In the ‘What They Don’t Tell You About….’ series by Bob Fowke, there are books on Romans in Britain, Ancient Greeks and Vikings.  If you are looking for another series to read after Horrible Histories, I would recommend the ”What They Don’t Tell You About….’ series. There is a lot of history, gory bits,  silly humor and the odd puzzle in these books, so prepare for lots of reading… and laughing! Definitely no boring bits in this series. Great for anyone who is a fan of Horrible Histories and Weird World of Wonders. Also great for anyone who likes/is interested in History, comics, puzzle books and silly humor.

New Non Fiction: Lego Mania and World Cup 2014 Winter-fest.

Lego Fanatics, brace yourself. There are two awesome books to read that will inspire your Lego creativity… and addiction. Believe it or not, according to Inner Child Learning,  Lego Bricks have been applauded by teachers and parents as one of the best toys for learning, building creativity, and strengthening fine-motor skills. Lego Bricks are an open-ended toy, meaning they can become just about anything a child or adult imagines, including an educational tool.

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Cool Creations in 35 Pieces.

There is only one word to describe this book – WOW! This is definitely to book that will bring out your inner child (note for parents/adults) and inspire your creativity. Sean Kenney will take you on a journey by showing you 75 models he has constructed by just using a minimum of 25 Lego pieces. Who have thought you could create things like a camera, an electric guitar, a bat and a frog out of Lego pieces? After reading this book, I am beginning to regret not keeping my own Lego sets from childhood. Great for ages 4 to 8 years.

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics

The Lego Movie Handbook.

Seen the movie? (I haven’t – Naughty me!) Now is the time to read the movie handbook. Join Brickburg, Wyldstyle, Unikitty, Batman and the rest of the gang in reading this book where you will learn everything you need to know about the Lego Movie, including Stories from Bricksburg’s happiest residents, a special message from President Business and a never before seen episode of Where Are My Pants. Overall I enjoyed this book. It was very funny, humorous, gave me the opportunity to revisit and embrace my inner child and has inspired to go and see the movie.  Also check out the move trailer.

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary.

Ah, you can never have enough Star Wars… and Lego! This visual dictionary presents the Star Wars line of LEGO action figures and playsets, detailing a history of the toy line and how each playset connects to the events in the Star Wars films. As always, when it comes to Star Wars and Lego, it always delivers on its promise of providing  facts and information that will keep kids amused and entertained for hours. Great for kids aged 7 years and over.

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Zoobots : wild robots inspired by real animals.

Zoobots! Yes, you heard right! This is a great book to read if you want to learn about robots inspired by animals and robot engineering. Contains great images and interesting facts. Even included images and information on a robot that can infiltrate human society with deceptively lifelike appearance and behavior.

 

 

 

 

image courtesy of syndetics image courtesy of syndetics

Watercolors.

This book is enclosed with lively text and step-by-step instructions that will show kids on how to complete various watercolor art projects. Great for kids who is interested in perfecting their technique in watercolor painting.  My personal favorite art projects enclosed in this book are the dot flower bouquet and Stylish Mr. Fox. You will also like Acrylics, if you are interested in creating a variety of projects using acrylic paints.

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Record Busters: World Cup Football.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is only days away.  Why not take the opportunity to come on down to the library and grab all the books that tell your everything you need to know about the history and past games that too place during the FIFA World Cup, like Record Busters: World Cup Football. This is a fantastic book to read that contains stunning photos and amazing record-busting facts about the top teams and greatest players of the biggest football competition in the world.