Bye, Bye Goldfish

The Poem:

How to bury a goldfish

When nature strikes

First, break all the rules

The Books:

How to Bury a Goldfish and Other Ceremonies and Celebrations for Everyday Life by Virginia Lang and Louise Nayer; R 306.87 L271h

The authors, who are also moms, provide suggestions for 100 different traditions and rituals that can help guide families through happy life events and more somber occasions. 

When Nature Strikes: Weather Disasters and the Law by Marsha L. Baum; 344.7305 B347w

A law professor presents the different laws related to weather events, and then she uses specific cases, legislation, and actions taken to show how those laws have been created and interpreted in the United States. 

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman; 658.4 B923f

What do successful managers know? According to authors Buckingham and Coffman, successful leaders know how to break the rules to get things accomplished.

The Simpsons Do Math!?

The Simpsons and their mathematical secrets

Figuring it out

Aha! Solutions

The Books:

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh; 510 S617s

Singh, the author of Fermat’s Enigma, decodes several episodes of the Simpsons to reveal how much math really is there, and he talks with some of the writers who obviously have a thing for math. 

Figuring It Out: Entertaining Encounters with Everyday Math by Nuno Crato; 510 C896f

How can you not be hooked with this teaser, “funny and puzzling mathematical stories?”

Aha! Solutions by Martin Erickson; 511.3 E684a

The author presents 100 problems, from the mathematical disciplines of algebra, geometry, calculus, to show how aha solutions in math can be discovered.

Un-Easy Rider

Today's book spine poem is about a motorcyclist's bad day.

Once upon a cool motorcycle dude

Off-ramps and on-ramps

Spark!

Boom!

Sixty to zero. :-(

The Books:

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O’Malley, Carol Heyer, and Scott Goto; JF O

At school a girl and a boy write their own versions of a fairy tale that includes ponies, princesses, motorcycles, and gold. 

Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success by Sylvia Ann Hewlett; 658.3 H612o

Ms. Hewlett discusses the phenomenon women who left the workforce for family reasons face when they try to re-enter the job market. 

Spark: How Old-Fashioned Values Drive a Twenty-First-Century Corporation by Frank Koller; 338.7 K81s

What do a best-selling Harvard Business Review case study, a decades-old U.S. company, and welding have in common? Check out Mr. Koller’s book titled Spark to learn about what binds those three things. 

Boom: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer—the Baby-Boomer Woman by Mary Brown and Carol Orsborn; 658.834 B879b

Two executives at Imago Creative describe how they use market research to woo baby boomer women into to buying products. 

Sixty to Zero: An Inside Look at the Collapse of General Motors—and the Detroit Auto Industry by Alex Taylor III; 338.7629 T238s

A veteran auto-industry reporter details what happened at GM and in Detroit that led to GM’s collapse.

Swimming in the Shark Tank

Today's poem:

Swimming in the steno pool

Snipers, shills and, sharks

Swim with the sharks without being eaten alive

The Books:

Swimming in the Steno Pool: A Retro Guide to Making It in the Office by Lynn Peril; 651 P444s

Author Lynn Peril, a secretary herself, peppers this book with witticisms and illustrations and photographs about female assistants in the modern workplace. 

Snipers, Shills and Sharks: eBay and Human Behavior by Ken Steiglitz; 381 S818s

The author is a real-life auctioneer and user of eBay, and he investigates the success of eBay and how humans interact with it. 

Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition by Harvey B. Mackay; 650.1 M153s

Mackay’s title says it all. Read his book to learn how to outsmart the competition and survive.

Hello, baby!

Today's book spine poem:

The Poem:

Hello baby!

Busy baby

Messy baby

Eat sleep poop

The Books:

Hello Baby!  By Mem Fox; illustrated by Steve Jenkins; JF F

All sorts of baby animals, from a hippopotamus to a porcupine, are illustrated in this non-traditional baby book.

Busy Baby by Fiona Watt; JF W

A happy baby stays busy all day and never lets his blanket leave his side in this touch-and-feel board book. 

Messy Baby by Francesca Allen and Felicity Brooks; JF A

Baby paints, plays outside, and gets messy all over, and readers can play along with a cardboard cutout of baby.

Eat Sleep Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby’s First Year by Scott W. Cohen; 618.9202 C678e

A pediatrician gives parents reassurance and information to help them during their baby’s first year of life.

Living History: A Great Constitutional

Today's poem is "A Great Constitutional"

The Poem:

Shaping America

Liberty's blueprint

The Living Constitution

American epic

The Books:

Shaping America: The Supreme Court and American Society by Edward F. Mannino; 347.7326 M284s

See the history of the United States through the lens of the Supreme Court and the many decisions its justices have decided. 

Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World by Michael I. Meyeson; 342.73 M613l

Though it may not sound cool and exciting, Mr. Meyeson’s book is part of the history of the U. S. Read it and you’ll have a better understanding of the history of the Federalist Papers and its authors. 

The Living Constitution by David A. Strauss; 342.02 S912l

In this book Strauss argues with conservative Supreme Court justices about whether or not the U.S. Constitution is a living or dead document. 

American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution by Garrett Epps; 342.7302 E644a

In this in-depth look at the U.S. Constitution, Mr. Epps describes different ways of reading the Constitution: scriptural, legal, lyric, and epic.

Peelings. Nothing more than peelings

Today's book spine poem deals with peelings—it's a food poem!

The Poem:

How are you peeling?

Food for thought

Dog food

Edible art

Working the plate

The Books:
How Are You Peeling?: Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers; JF F
Perfectly positioned fruits and vegetables display a gambit of emotions from jealousy and joy to sadness and shame in this expressive picture book.

Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers; JF F
What is funnier than a smiling pumpkin or a laughing lemon? A whole book of emotive fruits and vegetables! In this book Freymann and Elffers use carved vegetables and fruits to teach children about concepts like colors, shapes, numbers, and letters.

Dog Food by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers;  JF F
Silly dogs, happy dogs, and hot dogs, all made out of fruits and veggies, grace the pages of this exuberant book.

Edible Art: Tricks and Tools for Master Centerpieces from Carved Vegetables by Narahenapitage Sumith Premalal de Costa; 641.819 N218e
There are twenty-five carving projects, including ones for melon lanterns and butterflies, found in this book that has simple directions on how to make each creation.

Working the Plate: the Art of Food Presentation by Christopher Styler; 641.5 S938w
The author is a food stylist and writer, and he presents instructions and photographs for seven different plating styles that can inspire chefs and diners alike.

Bearing Up: Today's Book Spine Poem

Bears See, Bears Do

The Poem:

Baby bear, baby bear, what do you see?

Baby bear sees blue

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?

Orange pear apple bear

Polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear?

Frog song

The Books:
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr. illus. by Eric Carle; JF M
A baby bear looking for his mother encounters many other animals along the way. 

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff; JF W
When a baby bear wakes up from hibernating he sees colors all around him. 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr. illus. by Eric Carle; JF M
Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle craft a cumulative tale about the different things a brown bear sees, including a class of children. 

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett; JF G
With five words and a bear, author and illustrator Emily Gravett creates a delightful concept book about shapes, colors, and food. 

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin, Jr. illus. by Eric Carle; JF M
Animals at the zoo make their own unique sounds and children copy them in this brightly illustrated book. 

Frog Song by Brenda Guiberson; illus. by Gennady Spirin; JF G
Frogs from around the world are celebrated in this picture book.

Oh, Those Pesky Elephants!

Today's Book Spine Poem is "Oh, Those Pesky Elephants!"

What to do if an elephant stands on your foot?

Juggling elephants

Rising elephant

Bag the elephant!

The Books:
What to Do if an Elephant Stands on Your Foot by Michelle Robinson; illustrated by Peter Reynolds; JF R.
One young man discovers how tricky life in the jungle can be when an elephant steps on his foot.

Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done—Now! By Jones Loflin and Todd Musig; 650.1 L828j
Using elephants as a metaphor, the authors describe how to balance the many roles people have in their lives.

Rising Elephant: The Growing Clash with India over White-Collar Jobs and Its Challenge to America and the World by Ashutosh Sheshabalaya; 331.1 S554r
The outsourcing giant India is no longer seen as a place to set up call centers, but, according to the author, it is also a destination where people can get affordable medical care. Read this book to find out how India is changing and being changed by the global economy.

Bag the Elephant!: How to Win and Keep Big Customers by Steve Kaplan; 658.812 K176b
The title of this book is also a method developed by Steve Kaplan. In his book Kaplan details how people can use his tips to transform their businesses.

April is...30 Days of Poetry

April is National Poetry Month.

2014 National Poetry Month Poster

Started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets (poets.org), National Poetry Month is a way to celebrate poetry and its place in American culture. Ever think about how much a part of our culture poetry really is? Think for a minute about some of the idioms we use:

• When someone gets a payback for something bad he has done, we call it "poetic justice."
• When someone ignores rules or plays loose with facts we sometimes call it "poetic license."
• When someone speaks eloquently or in a rhythmic manner we often say that person "waxes poetic."
• When an athlete performs her sport flawlessly, we say that she is "poetry in motion."

"Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air.  Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable.  Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away."–Carl Sandburg

During the month of April, the Library and Learning Resource Center will celebrate National Poetry Month by posting on this blog and other social media sites a book spine poem every weekday. A book spine poem is simply arranging books in a stack in which the titles become the lines of a poem. Here is a sample of one of last year's book spine poems about a cow's life:

Join us throughout April as we celebrate National Poetry Month.

Watch Out for the Heels

Stiletto Network: Inside the Women's Power Circles that Are Changing the Face of Business by Pamela Ryckman

Ryckman discusses a variety of networks, from salons to dinner groups, that business women have formed to be successful in their careers.

Pair this with Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. 

Skirt Steak

Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen by Charlotte Druckman;

The author speaks with over 70 chefs, including Lidia Bastianich, Alice Waters, and Judy Rodgers, to learn their tips on surviving in the culinary world.

This book is now available in the Sullivan Lexington Library with the call #: 641.5082 D794s.

AT&T's Wake-Up Call

The Bellwomen: The Story of the Landmark AT&T Sex Discrimination by Marjorie Stockford

With qualified women being denied jobs and others being treated poorly while working at AT&T, it is no wonder why the women employees and their attorney were angry at AT&T. Ms. Stockford explains the case that affected over 13,000 AT&T employees, and she highlights three of the employees who received benefits from a $38 million settlement. 

This book is available in the Sullivan Lexington Library with the call #: 344.7301 S864b

Let the Poems Tell the Story

Poems from the Women’s Movement edited by Honor Moore

Honor Moore edits this collection of poems by poets Sylvia Plath, Muriel Rukeyser, Anne Sexton, and Alice Walker, just to name a few. These poems reflect the themes of the women’s movement from the 1960s through the 1980s. Read some and be inspired.

This book is available in the Sullivan Lexington Library with the call #: 811.5408 P744

Tough Choices

Tough Choices: A Memoir by Carly Fiorina

She worked at AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard. Find out what tough choices the former HP CEO had to make by checking out her memoir.

This book is available in the Sullivan Lexington Library with the call #: 338.761 F521t