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Hispanic Heritage Month

This year’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month carries particular poignance for the Kansas City Public Library. In conjunction with the monthlong observance, running from September 15 to October 15, the Library annually highlights a collection of book recommendations, film offerings, and other resources that explore a rich array of the experiences and perspectives of Latino Americans.

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It’s difficult to pick only a handful of Paul Newman movies that encompass the scope and extent of his long and varied career, but these titles represent a sampling of him at his onscreen best. They’re all available on DVD at the Kansas City Public Library.

The Left-Handed Gun (1958)
As Billy the Kid, Newman made quite an impression (the role had been intended for James Dean) in this new type of psychological Western.

The Hustler

The Hustler (1961)
Newman starred as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felsen in a game where the stakes prove too high.

Hud (1963)
Newman is Hud Bannon caught up in a fierce struggle with the values of his rancher/father played by Melvyn Douglas.

Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Newman plays a convict with a mind of his own in this Oscar-winning performance.

Celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week this year (September 27 – October 4, 2008). These books were the top ten books challenged last year, a “challenge” being a request to remove the book from a school or library. To find out why these books were challenged, visit the American Library Association’s page on the Most Frequently Challenged Books & Authors in 2007 or read additional details in the Illinois Library Association’s brochure, Books Challenged or Banned in 2007-2008 (pdf).

Top ten books challenged in 2007

And Tango Makes Three book jacket

Based on a true story, And Tango Makes Three: The True Story of the Very First Chinstrap Penguin to Have Two Daddies by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell tells how two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo raise a baby after a zookeeper gives them an egg. Illustrated in watercolor, this picture book tells a heartwarming story.

The teens at Central Library recently ate their fill at the first in a "Taste Off Series"! Hungry mouths from all over the city spent a Saturday sampling six different salsas from Kansas City businesses. Throughout the event, the most common response seemed to be the panting and airing of the tongue. Even with tongues a bit scorched, the teens managed to vote for their favorites.

On October 8 at the Central Library, Richard Moe explained how the preservation of historic and older buildings should be an important component of sustainable development efforts. Explore a few books about historic preservation, green remodeling, and architectural styles before his talk.

Pigs are savers. I save letters from friends, stickers in my scrapbook, and funny noises. My computer has software that can record sounds. When I'm in my wheel barrow and writing to you, I might hear a frog croak, a bird whistle, or a beaver's tail slap the water in the stream. I record those sounds and save them. I like listening to them later. That's what's great about saving--you have something that you can share with someone else.

Pigs save money, too. That's why there are piggy banks! Pennies, nickels, and dimes add up. That's another reason that I love the Library. I can check out books and audiobooks for free.

Then I have more money for stickers.

Yours with snorts,

S. Will Burr signature

Book cover

Just a Piggy Bank

Little Critter collects his coins in his little piggy bank and saves up for something really special.

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