If you are a patron of the Whitefish Bay Public Library, you are probably familiar with our HOT READS. These are new, in-demand titles that cannot be put on hold and check out for 14 days. This year, Friends of the Whitefish Bay Public Library have generously offered to buy these books for the library. This will mean that we will be able to purchase more of the popular titles that our patrons are interested in. We are also changing the name from HOT READS to LUCKY DAY. They will be located in the same place, in the bookcase near the adult reference desk where the new books are.

I’m grateful for warm days, bikes, my family and all their quirks; for friends that never leave your side and loyal dogs that love to cuddle. I’m grateful for new books, good food, and movement. What are you grateful for this holiday season? For every one of us the memory and relevance is different, but equally important. Giving thanks and expressing gratitude is one of the simplest forms of joy. It invites others to express their gratitude and is contagious in its form.

The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910. However, it was not until 1972 that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States. This year, Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 19. Here are some books, both fiction and nonfiction, that feature fathers.

November is Native American Heritage Month! Dedicated to recognize, celebrate, and raise awareness of the traditions, culture, and contributions of indigenous people across North America, this month provides an opportunity to dive deeper into indigenous stories and authors.

July was National Ice Cream month! As if anyone needed another excuse to get a cold treat on a Wisconsin summer day, you can also satisfy those cravings with a few titles from our picture book collection! If you’d like to know how it’s made, all about ice cream trucks, sharing your ice cream with friends, and more, I’ve complied a few titles from our collection here at the library to share with your family, friends, and classroom. Lastly, if you’d like to truly celebrate National Ice Cream Month with reading AND eating (but please, not at the same time!) I’ve also paired some great local ice cream spots in the Milwaukee area with the titles.

There is an easy way to relieve our daily stresses from work, school, technology, and the Covid pandemic. The answer is a walk in the woods. The naturalist John Muir once said “Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill.”

Here is another part in our series of posts by guest author and historian Thomas Fehring. In this week's post he highlights another fun outdoor family activity.

How comes so many of us love musical feature films? Love them or hate them (or just secretly love them), musicals are here to stay. While many love the escapism they provide, others can’t get past the fantastical idea of breaking into song every time something dramatic happens. I for one sure love them and here are a few of my all-time favorites.

In the world of children’s picture books, there still exists a lack of diversity in the illustrations and themes available to children. Improvement has been made over the last few years due to increased awareness through organizations like We Need Diverse Books. It is vital for children of all colors and cultures to read books with multicultural faces and characters that reflect the world around us. While there are multicultural picture books that are written and illustrated to reflect a theme specific to a culture there is also a movement toward books with everyday diversity that depict diverse characters doing everyday activities. The most famous and earliest example of everyday diversity is the book The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats. Here a few of my favorite everyday diversity picture books.