HPL Kids
The Kidzone has programs galore as well as books, movies, and other cool stuff. Read our blog below for more information and check out our upcoming events to get an idea of what's happening at the Kidzone! Our main phone number is 205.444.7830.
Kidzone Blog
Jazz Appreciation Month
Have you seen the new Disney Pixar movie Soul ? It's available on DVD, but I was lucky to see it via Disney+ at my best friend's house when it debuted. I'm a longtime musician (started playing piano and singing solos when I was 8) and music enthusiast, plus a big-time Pixar fan, so I loved the movie. And it reminded me to take another listen to a genre I haven't explored in awhile -- jazz. Of course, I don't limit my explorations to listening. I have to read, too! And there are lots of wonderful books about jazz available here at Hoover Public Library. And April is Jazz Appreciation Month, which is the perfect time to check one out.
Who Was Duke Ellington? by M.D. Payne (2020)
Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman (2019)
Double Bass Blues by Andrea Loney (2019)
Sonny’s Bridge: Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Finds His Groove by Barry Wittenstein (2019-ebook on Hoopla)
Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong’s Life in Jazz by Mara Rockliff (2018)
Jazz It Up by Milo Sloan (2017)
Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong by Lesa Cline-Ransome (2016-audiobook & movie on Hoopla)
How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz by Jonah Winter (2015)
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews (2015-ebook on Overdrive & Hoopla)
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers (2006-audiobook on Overdrive)
Don't forget that Hoopla is also a great source for finding jazz albums!
And did you know that the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is located in Birmingham, Alabama?
Muslim Voices
We're well into our Youth Department staff's 2021 Reading Wildly initiative. (Remember, I talked about this in my blog post about Jewish literature?) One of the genres we're focusing on this year is Muslim literature, and I thought that Ramadan would be the perfect opportunity to share some of the newest titles by Muslim authors and featuring Muslim characters. Islam is practiced by more than 1.8 billion people worldwide. It is a very diverse, multiethnic religion that has been under-represented in the publishing industry until recently. There has been an increase in publishing Muslim-centric titles in the last five years, especially with the launching of Salaam Reads. Founded in 2016, this imprint aims to introduce readers of all faiths and backgrounds to a wide variety of Muslim children and families and offers Muslim kids an opportunity to see themselves reflected positively in published works. I have read most but not all of the titles on these lists. Each book flyer includes links to the library catalog plus information on availability via Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla, our library's downloadable services. If there's a great book that I overlooked, let me know. I want to read it!
Muslim Voices - Picture Book 1
Muslim Voices - Picture Book 2
Muslim Voices - Juvenile Fiction 1
Muslim Voices - Juvenile Fiction 2
Muslim Voices - Teen 1
Muslim Voices - Teen 2
Muslim Voices - Nonfiction
Want to learn more about Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year. The Islamic calendar follows the phases of the moon, commonly known as the lunar cycle. As a result, the Holy month of Ramadan falls approximately 10 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. The Ramadan start date for 2021 is expected to begin on Monday, April 12, 2021, following the sighting of the new moon over Mecca. Lasting for 30 days, Ramadan will end on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, with the celebratory days of Eid al-Fitr starting on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Make sure you check back with us in a few weeks! The Hoover Public Library will be distributing a Ramadan craft/information sheet similar to what we did for Hanukkah 2020.
