Travel/Cultures

Winter Thorndyke Closeup

 

Hey Kids,

One of my favorite reasons to read is to discover places I've never been and learn about other people. Particularly in the wintertime I enjoy this kind of traveling, and I always like improving my understanding of the worlds and its people. Africa is a continent, made up of many different countries, that sometimes seems very far away. Try some of these books to bring it a little closer.

Bear Hugs,

Thorndyke

Picture Books

Every year the Canton Public Library staff name their favorite book of the year.  This list is a mixture of  Adult, Teen, Tween, and Children's Non-fiction published between December 2016 - December 2017.

When Swedish-born Linda McGurk moved to small-town Indiana with her American husband to start a family, she quickly realized that her outdoorsy ways were not the norm. In Sweden children play outside all year round, regardless of the weather, and letting young babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is not only common--it is a practice recommended by physicians. In the US, on the other hand, she found that the playgrounds, which she had expected to find teeming with children, were mostly deserted. In preschool, children were getting drilled to learn academic skills, while their Scandinavian counterparts were climbing trees, catching frogs, and learning how to compost. Worse, she realized that giving her daughters the same freedom to play outside that she had enjoyed as a child in Sweden could quickly lead to a visit by Child Protective Services. 

Traveling to 41 countries in 2015 with a backpack and binoculars, Noah Strycker became the first person to see more than half the world's 10,000 species of birds in one year.  In 2015, Noah Strycker set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world's birds in one year. For 365 days, with a backpack, binoculars, and a series of one-way tickets, he traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents, eventually spotting 6,042 species--by far the biggest birding year on record. This is no travelogue or glorified checklist. Noah ventures deep into a world of blood-sucking leeches, chronic sleep deprivation, airline snafus, breakdowns, mudslides, floods, war zones, ecologic devastation, conservation triumphs, common and iconic species, and scores of passionate bird lovers around the globe. By pursuing the freest creatures on the planet, Noah gains a unique perspective on the world they share with us--and offers a hopeful message that even as many birds face an uncertain future, more people than ever are working to protect them.

Do you have a traveler's soul? Would you love to try food from another country? Have you ever thought about what it was like in the home country of your ancestors? Canton Public Library has a wonderful database that can help you do all those things! The Global Road Warrior database is located in our list of amazing databases that are available to you both at the library and from home with your Canton Public Library Card. Start traveling today!

Over 500 tribes of Native Americans are recognized in the United States. Learn more about Native American tribes, their cultures, and famous figures using one of the books below. 

Tribes

Apache by Wren Richmond

Introduces the Apache people, discussing their history, traditions, and daily life.

Discover Digital Photography introduces the technology that has catapulted the photographic world into the 21st century. You'll explore a broad overview of the basics of digital photography, including equipment, software, and practical uses. We'll discuss different types of digital cameras, from phones and tablets to digital SLRs, all of which offer a wide array of photographic options. We'll also help you decide what type of equipment fits your needs, and you'll have hands-on exercises so you can explore the areas that interest you.

If you enjoyed this course, Gale offers a variety of digital photography courses and photo editing courses. Some courses that may be of interest include travel photography, photographing people, and Photoshop Elements 12.

All Gale Courses are free with your Canton Public Library card, and the next set of classes will begin on Wednesday, November 8th. Learn on your own schedule, and receive a certificate of completion when you've finished. Our goal is to provide lifelong educational opportunities for you to gain new skills or improve existing ones. New sessions are offered every month. Take advantage of these instructor-led courses on our databases page!

"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not poorer, but is even richer."--Cicero (106-43 BC).  More websites to check out:

Help with Aging    Export reporting on the finances of aging.                                     

Next Avenue     "Where grown-ups keep growing."                                         

Grown & Flown      Covers the range of issue relating to raising kids ages 15-25, lessons learned from o.ther Parents and Grandparents.                                    

Top Retirement Places     Find the best retirement communities, active adult communities, and places to retire.     

Sixty & Me (for Women)          Sixty and Me is an online magazine and a global community of over 500,000 women over 60.               

Silver Century      An international website promoting a positive view of aging.                                    

Do you like stories outside the boundaries of traditional religion, stories about people grappling to stay alive and persevere in their faith, or books of inspiration and prayers for those seeking to find God or make it through difficult times? How about secret knowledge hidden in the past, lost books of the Bible, people who talk to angels or heavenly beings and experience help and healing in their daily lives? Or just plain wisdom for everyday living? All of these topics pique our curiosity, intrigue our senses, enlighten our souls, or uplift our hearts. Here are several that might brighten your way or simply bless you for reading them today.

First-time parents Joe and Tahni Cullen were thrust into the confusing world of autism when their toddler, Josiah, suddenly lost his ability to speak, play, and socialize. The diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. In their attempts to see Josiah recover and regain speech, the Cullens underwent overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial struggles. While other kids around him improved, Josiah only got worse. Five years later, Josiah, who had not been formally taught to read or write, suddenly began to type on his iPad profound paragraphs about God, science, history, business, music, strangers, and heaven. Josiah's eye-opening visions, heavenly encounters, and supernatural experiences forced his family out of their comfort zone and predictable theology, catapulting them into a mind-blowing love-encounter with Jesus.

The country of Mexico has a rich and extensive cultural history. Learn about its traditions and customs with fiction and non-fiction titles featuring Mexican and Mexican-American characters.

Picture Books

Just in case by Yuyi Morales

As Senor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle's birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all.

On the road this month?   National Institute on Aging's Go4Life suggests travelers:

Pack your fitness clothes. Be prepared. Take your sneakers or walking shoes, exercise clothing, and bathing suit. If you’re taking your laptop, you might also include your favorite exercise DVD.

Stop along the way. If you’re traveling by car, take frequent breaks; get out and stretch or walk around. Not only will it help you feel better, it will help you stay more alert while driving. If you’re flying, walk around the airport while waiting for your flight.

Stick to your routine as much as possible. Being active is one of the most important things you can do each day. If you’re a morning person, exercise before going out for the day. Work out at lunch time. Or, if your day is too hectic, unwind with a workout in the afternoon or early evening.

...and take along a good read.

A loving and hilarious--if occasionally spiky--valentine to Bill Bryson's adopted country, Great Britain. Prepare for total joy and multiple episodes of unseemly laughter. Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed--and what hasn't. Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis in the south to Cape Wrath in the north, by way of places few travelers ever get to at all, Bryson rediscovers the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly singular country that he both celebrates and, when called for, twits. With his matchless instinct for the funniest and quirkiest and his unerring eye for the idiotic, the bewildering, the appealing, and the ridiculous, he offers acute and perceptive insights into all that is best and worst about Britain today. Nothing is more entertaining than Bill Bryson on the road--and on a tear. The Road to Little Dribbling reaffirms his stature as a master of the travel narrative--and a really, really funny guy. From the Hardcover edition.

Two Centuries After James Cook's Epic Voyages of Discovery, Tony Horwitz takes readers on a wild ride across hemispheres and centuries to recapture the captain's adventures and explore his embattled legacy in today's Pacific. Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize -- winning journalist, works as a sailor aboard a replica of Cook's ship, meets island kings and beauty queens, and carouses the South Seas with a hilarious and disgraceful travel companion, an Aussie named Roger. He also creates a brilliant portrait of Cook: an impoverished farm boy who became the greatest navigator in British history and forever changed the lands he touched. Poignant, probing, antic, and exhilarating, Blue Latitudes brings to life a man who helped create the global village we inhabit today. Book jacket.
 

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