Many Faces of the American Revolution Event

The Fort Cooper Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will honor President Washington's Birthday with a wide variety of fun-filled activities at the Lakes Region Library on Monday, February 21, 2011 from 2 - 4 pm.

The Sons of the American Revolution, in period costumes, will present the colors.

DAR and SAR members will perform skits about the Patriots who fought with both pen and musket to win our Independence and form our new nation.

This event is an active and fun way for everyone to learn about the American flag, colonial music, clothing, toys, a day in the life of a farm family and Patriot Ancestors.

Because there is no school in celebration of Presidents Day, presenters encourage adult attendees to bring youngsters in their family or neighborhoods. Handouts will be included, and students will receive a certificate for participation, which they can present to their teachers.

For more information phone 352-726-2357

Laurie Halse Anderson's CHAINS

If an entire nation could seek its freedom, why not a girl?

Promised freedom upon the death of her owner, Isabel, a 13 year old slave, becomes the property of the Lockton's of New York City, a couple who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Isabel and her sister. Will Isabel find the strength to spy on her owners to help the Patriot cause?

CHAINS was chosen for the 2009 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults list. In its sequel, FORGE, the drama shifts from CHAINS’ domestic town houses to graphically described bloody battlefields.

African American Read-In features When Marian Sang

Please join us at Citrus County's 4th Annual celebration of African American Read-In Day at the CF Conference and Learning Center in Lecanto on Sunday, February 13th at 2 pm.

Short readings from a wide assortment of African American writers will be presented along with a musical interlude featuring a narration of Pam Munoz Ryan's When Marian Sang accompanied by a community choir.

When Marian Sang

When Marian Sang, written by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick is a beautiful picture book introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and the first African American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera. She is best known for her historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which drew an integrated crowd of 75,000 people in pre-Civil Rights America.

Click here to learn more about the author and illustrator and to view a recording of the author reading an excerpt from the book.

Citrus County Libraries have copies of the hardcover book available for checkout at J 782. 1092 RYA. A book with accompanying audio CD offering a narrated version of the book with excerpts from original recordings made by Marian Anderson is also available at J CD 782. 1092 RYA.

Native American Craft Workshop

In celebration of National American Indian Heritage Month the Lakes Region Library offered a craft workshop on Saturday, November 13, 2010, presented by members of the Red Eagle Lodge. Families came to enjoy traditional Native American stories, view authentic artifacts and try their hand at traditional crafts and Thanksgiving projects.

To see photos from the event click here.

American Indian Heritage Month

With so many Native American stories set in the past, it's great to have a children's book like Eagle Song about an Iroquois boy who lives in a city in the present. Danny Bigtree doesn't like living in Brooklyn: the other kids in his fourth grade class tease him about being different and he can't seem to fit in. The author interweaves this modern day realistic story with traditional tales Danny's father shares with him of his people's history and heroes, stories that give Danny the courage to stand up to schoolyard bullies and make friends with his classmates.

Joseph Bruchac is the prolific author of poetry, short stories and novels that reflect his Abenaki Indian heritage and Native American traditions. For more information about him and Eagle Song see Scholastic's Book Wizard.

The Killer Angels

July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, loyal to Lee but against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War.

In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara recreates the Battle of Gettysburg, reconstructing the actions of the generals and their men over the three days of the battle.

Michael Shaara was a novelist, short story writer, and educator. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1928, earned a B.S. from Rutgers University and did graduate work at Columbia University and the University of Vermont. He spent two years in the service, worked as a policeman and a sailor, and became associate professor at Florida State University in 1961. He had many short stories published in magazines at the beginning of his writing career but it was a simple family vacation to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1966 that gave him the inspiration for his greatest achievement, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, originally published in 1974. Shaara died of a heart attack in 1988. Today there is a Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction, established by his son Jeffrey Shaara, awarded annually.

The novel is also available in Spanish translation, Aneles Asesinos.

The Killer Angels is the basis for the motion picture, Gettysburg, starring Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, & Martin Sheen.

Civil War Show

Lakes Region Library

1511 Druid Road, Inverness FL

Saturday, October 23, 2010

10:00 am. - 4 p.m.





Representatives from the Sons of Union Veterans and other Civil War re-enactors will be at the library to share their knowledge of civilian and military life during the War Between the States. This all-day program, running from 10 am – 4 pm, will feature exhibits and demonstrations in the Library’s Community Room and outside on the grounds. There will be Civil War era artifacts, flags, and firearms on display, as well as tents and a small artillery cannon set up outside the library.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is a volunteer, non-profit, charitable, fraternal, patriotic, and educational organization. Some of the participants in attendance at this special living history event will be: Commander Daniel W. Hans and Secretary/Treasurer Harvey K. Linscott from the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Captain Ray Smutko and members of the 1st New Jersey Light Artillery, Battery B; Commander Eugene Dake from the Marion Light Artillery, Sons of the Confederate Veterans; State Commander Randy Kerlin from the Military Order of the Star and Bars; and Captain Scott Renz, Robert Mann and members of the 8th Florida, Company B.

Constitution Week

Want to learn more about our Constitution? The following books are available at your library:

• Amar, Akhil Reed. America’s Constitution: A Biography.
  



• Arnheim, M. T. W. U.S. Constitution for Dummies.
  



• Hennessey, Jonathan. The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation.
  



• Monk, Linda R. The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution.
  



• Rakove, Jack N. Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution.
  



• Stewart, David O. The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution.
  

To explore the history of the Constitution with younger readers share:

• Cheney, Lynne V. We the People: The Story of our Constitution.
  



• Fradin, Dennis Brindell. The Founders: The 39 Stories Behind the U.S. Constitution.
  



• Fritz, Jean. Shh! We're Writing the Constitution.
  



• Maestro, Betsy. A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution.
  

HITCH by Jeanette Ingold

This book, written for middle and high school aged youth, is a good choice for older readers as well. When seventeen-year-old Moss Trawnley loses his job at an airfield in Texas in the depths of the Depression, he rides the rails out to Montana to try to find his father and make sure he sends money back to their family in Louisiana. But Moss' father is not to be depended on, so Moss ends up signing on for a six-month "hitch" with the Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC), a government program that pays poor young men to work on conservation projects. Moss makes new friends, surprises himself by becoming a leader at the camp, and learns how hard work and teamwork can produce results in spite of formidable odds.

To see more about this book, including a discussion guide, visit the author's website at http://www.jeanetteingold.com/Hitch.html

A Celebration of Constitution Day

Homosassa Public Library
September 17, 2010
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Please join us in celebrating the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution with a presentation of the colors by costumed representatives of the Sons of the American Revolution followed by short readings by local dignitaries and other library supporters.

Homosassa Public Library
4100 S. Grandmarch Avenue
352-628-5626

Bookshelf collections now available

"A More Perfect Union" bookshelf collections are now on display and available for check out at Citrus County Library locations.

NEH Awards We the People Bookshelf collection to Citrus County Public Libraries

Books explore theme of "A More Perfect Union"

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the We the People Bookshelf, a free collection of 17 classic books for young readers (K-12) to each of the five Public Libraries in the county. The Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history.

This year’s theme, “A More Perfect Union,” invites reflection on the idea of the United States as a “union” as the 150th anniversary of the Civil War approaches. The “more perfect union” envisioned by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution was torn asunder by the war between the North and South, which began in 1861.

The books included in the “A More Perfect Union” Bookshelf are:

• Kindergarten to Grade 3: Tico and the Golden Wings by Leo Lionni; When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan; A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy and Giulio Maestro.
  
  
• Grades 4 to 6: César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand; Darby by Jonathon Scott Fuqua; Eagle Song by Joseph Bruchac; The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz.
  
  
• Grades 7 to 8: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson; Hitch by Jeanette Ingold; Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered by Barry Denenberg; Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals.
  
  
• Grades 9 to 12: American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph Ellis; Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson; Killer Angels by Michael Shaara; Lincoln in His Own Words by Milton Melzer; Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose; The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. DuBois.

In addition to the books for young readers, the “A More Perfect Union” Bookshelf features a DVD edition of The Civil War, the award-winning documentary by Ken Burns; the companion book to The Civil War series; and Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document, edited by Christian Y. Dupont.

The Bookshelf is awarded through NEH’s We the People program, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture. The Bookshelf offers libraries and local communities additional educational resources that may not otherwise be available.