MADreads

Me...Jane Wins Charlotte Zolotow Award
A review of Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

 Today's MADreads post features a guest review by staff of the Cooperative Children's Book Center.  Me...Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, is the fifteenth annual winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book. The award is given by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, a library of the School of ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on January 20, 2012 | 0 comments

Author Gene Luen Yang in Madison October 5
A review of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

 The Monkey King is tired of his second-class status. Adored by his own subjects, he is snubbed by human deities until he perfects his powers and literally beats them into submission. “I am not a monkey” he proclaims. “I am the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven!” Jin Wang is the only Chinese American student at his school. When Wei-Chen Sun arrives from Taiwan, Jin Wang thinks, “Something made me want to beat him up.” Still, it’s not long before the two boys become best friends. Blond-haired ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on September 30, 2011 | 0 comments

What's at the bottom of the ocean?
A review of Down Down Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

 Young readers can explore the ocean with this fabulously-illustrated picture book which introduces the creatures you'd find if you were to travel to the bottom of the ocean. Children will delight in the well-known favorites (sharks, squid, sea turtles and manta rays) in the Sunlight Zone. Next, they'll discover the lesser known sea creatures in the Twilight Zone and the Dark Zone, and eventually will travel seven miles to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Marianas Trench. Jenkins' torn ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on September 9, 2011 | 0 comments

Registration Opens for the Book Club Café


Registration opens today for the Friends of Madison Public Library's 14th annual Book Club Café, an event for book clubs and other book lovers. This year's featured speaker is Dayton, Ohio author Katrina Kittle. The event is Tuesday, May 3, 7-9 pm, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave. Register by March 29 for priority seating and inclusion in the commemorative Book Club Favorites booklet ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on March 1, 2011 | 0 comments

Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2009


As the new year begins, and we settle in for the rest of the winter with "can't-miss" books from the year before, there's often a group of readers that goes overlooked. The cooks have their books, and the ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on January 13, 2010 | 0 comments

Get the Smartest Card Around - and a Gift!


September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and Madison Public Library wants to make sure that Madisonians have the smartest card of all - a free library card. A library card gives you access to the library's many materials and resources, including computer access, research databases, job and business resources, free movies and music, and much more. During the month of September, Madison Public Library will be giving a small gift to everyone who signs up for a new library card, adults and children ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on September 2, 2009 | 0 comments

Meet author Jacquelyn Mitchard at Sequoya Library
A review of The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard

 Bestselling author and Madison-area native Jacquelyn Mitchard will be appearing at the Sequoya Library on Thursday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss and read from her newly published young adult novel The ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on August 12, 2008 | 0 comments

Off the Beat - what Madison police are reading


Ever wonder what Madison police officers do when they're not on duty?  Sometimes they read!  From Charles Darwin to George Orwell, Willa Cather to Dr. Seuss, officers on the downtown beat read a little of everything.  See their picks at our Off the Beat booklist - and check out some great pictures of the officers with S. V. Medaris' artwork from her exhibit, ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on November 2, 2007 | 0 comments

Meet activist Greg Pahl, author of The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook
A review of The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook by Greg Pahl

 Join us this evening at the South Madison Branch at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his newest book on community solutions for renewable energy. Greg Pahl has been involved in environmental issues for more than 20 years. In the 1970s he lived "off the grid" in a home in Vermont with a wind turbine. He has written numerous books and articles about biodiesel, ...read more

Reviewed by Tana on June 20, 2007 | 0 comments

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