Browsing Date: December 2020 (30)

Blog Articles

It's that time of year again for my annual list of favorite books from the Philbrick Hall Fiction Department at Parkway Central Library . It's been a hard year for a lot of people, and… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2020

By written by Dena    December 31, 2020   

What can I say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? The Coronavirus pandemic completely turned the world upside-down and forced many of us to hunker down in our households, work from… continue reading New Year's Resolutions: Moving Forward by Taking a Step Back in 2021

By written by Kamilah C.    December 31, 2020   

December is coming to an end and soon we will be wishing everyone a Happy New Year.  That is always a nice feeling: a fresh new start, a new beginning. 2020 has been a difficult year in many… continue reading Picture Book Highlights | Happy New Year

By written by Monica C.    December 30, 2020    1

The longest year ever is coming to a close. (Amen.) That means that it’s time to peruse some Best of 2020 book lists! Across the web you can find tons of these kinds of lists. Two of my… continue reading What Philadelphia Read in 2020

By written by Jamie B.    December 30, 2020   

As we wind down 2020, I have a few choice words that I can think of to describe the year... but none that would be appropriate to print here. Luckily for us, Merriam-Webster added plenty of new… continue reading 2020's Newest Word Additions and Definitions to the Dictionary

By written by Peter SM    December 29, 2020   

If ever there was a time to lose oneself in the extraordinary stories and colorful illustrations of comic books—2020 was that year! While not necessarily a "Top 10" (especially… continue reading 20 Great Graphic Novels and Comics from 2020

By written by Peter SM    December 28, 2020   

If there’s one thing we’ve learned during these pandemic times, it's the importance of learning to be mindful of our thoughts and feelings, of the present and of the world around… continue reading Picture Book Highlights | Mindfulness

By written by Monica C.    December 24, 2020    1

Written by Alex Evenson, Philabundance Nutrition Educator, with additions from Caity Rietzen, Culinary Literacy Center Supervisor Frozen peas, canned beans, and potato chips. What do these three… continue reading Stocking Up Food for the Winter

By written by Caity R.    December 23, 2020   

Unlike many of the other holidays and traditions that we celebrate, Kwanzaa is one of the newest, at only 54 years old. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 as a way for African American… continue reading The History of Kwanzaa

By written by Kamilah C.    December 22, 2020    3

Planning and hosting the Free Library's Social Justice Symposium for young people has become an important tradition at the Philadelphia City Institute Library . We held the first Symposium in… continue reading The Social Justice Symposium Turns Five!

By written by Erin H.    December 21, 2020    1

Space western adventures! Out of this world creatures! And one cute green baby (Yoda)! We're talking about The Mandalorian , the latest installment in the ever-expanding Star Wars universe of… continue reading This Is The Way... to Mandalorian and Star Wars Reads

By written by Peter SM    December 18, 2020   

"Beginning Readers" are books aimed at those who are just learning to read. They have easy to read text accompanied by illustrations that reinforce reading comprehension. These books are… continue reading Books for Emerging Readers | Something for Everyone!

By written by Monica C.    December 17, 2020   

One of my favorite treats for the holidays is making gingerbread! Did you know that gingerbread was derived from Greece in 2400 b.c and was originally meant to preserve ginger? Gingerbread was a… continue reading Celebrate the Holidays with Gingerbread

By written by Naquawna L.    December 16, 2020   

Healthy Communities just wrapped a fall series of A Taste of African Heritage with instructor Paul O. Mims, who recently spoke with Oldways about Cooking, Culture, and Community During Covid… continue reading A Taste of African Heritage for Kwanzaa

By written by Aurora S.    December 15, 2020   

For many Philadelphians, library access to free ebooks and audiobooks has been a lifesaver during the pandemic. We may not be able to go anywhere we want, but we can travel vicariously through… continue reading How to Recommend a Digital Book

By written by Jamie B.    December 14, 2020    4

Pomegranates! They are unique red fruits filled with many juicy seeds, with a sweet and tart taste. While these fruits grow in warmer climates, they can be available in some local Philly stores in… continue reading Cooking with Pomegranates: Seeds the Day!

By written by Shayna M.    December 11, 2020    1

This winter, Free Library Youth Services are working together to bring your family stellar virtual programming through the socially-distant holiday season and beyond. For the Whole Family Enjoy an… continue reading Winter Programming for Children and Families at the Free Library

By written by Emily S.    December 11, 2020   

I wanted to write a blog post about my favorite picture books of 2020; all the books that touched me through their text and art... but that is not an easy thing to do. There are so many wonderful… continue reading Picture Book Highlights | My Favorite Books of 2020

By written by Monica C.    December 10, 2020   

The night of Thursday, December 10 begins the Jewish Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah. That much we can agree on, eh? Well, err, kind of. Yes, the holiday begins on Thursday evening, but what… continue reading The Jewish Festival of Lights

By written by Jenn D.    December 10, 2020   

The Business Resource and Innovation Center ’s (BRIC) free business resources are accessible anywhere! That means you can conduct business research at your leisure from the comfort of your… continue reading At Home with BRIC: Take a Deep Dive Into Company and Demographic Research with Reference Solutions

By written by Gillian R.    December 9, 2020