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Contact: Erica Dean Glenn
Senior Librarian, Children’s Services
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6223

Children’s Book Illustrators, Author
Come Celebrate Children’s Book Week at the Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, April 24, 2015—One of the best things about children’s books are the illustrations. Pictures bring the stories alive. We invited two outstanding book illustrators to celebrate Children’s Book Week (May 4-10, 2015) at the Berkeley Public Library. Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Annually, commemorative events occur nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes -- wherever young readers and books connect.

First, we welcome children’s book author/illustrator Jon Agee to the North Branch at 1170 The Alameda, on Wednesday, May 6 at 3:30pm. Mr. Agee has written and illustrated many delightful and humorous books for children, including: Terrific, Milo’s Hat Trick and many popular wordplay books about palindromes, oxymoron, anagrams and more. His newest, It’s Only Stanley, is about a dog whose tinkering and inventing is keeping the humans in his household up all night. Meet Mr. Agee, hear him read from some of his books, and learn what it is like to be a children’s book author.

Come to Central Library’s fourth floor Children’s Room as we welcome Christian Robinson, illustrator/animator and 2014 recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Award for outstanding new illustrator of children’s book. Robinson visits us Saturday, May 9 at 3:30pm at 2090 Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue. He won the award for the book Rain by Linda Ashman. He has worked with Pixar Animation Studios, The Sesame Street Workshop and illustrated a number of award-winning books including Josephine, (Chronicle) a biography of Josephine Baker written by Patricia Hruby Powell that won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. His book illustrations have won a Robert F. Silbert Honor, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor. He also worked on Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio (Atheneum) which was named a Best Book of 2014 by Horn Book, Kirkus and Amazon. Robinson leads an interactive illustration activity and talks about books he has illustrated, including his newest New York Times bestseller Last Stop on Market Street, (G.P. Putnam & Sons), written by Matt De La Peña.

These free events are sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: http://www.berkeleylibraryfriends.org/

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Isobel Schneider or Dan Beringhele
Librarian
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6150
ischneider@cityofberkeley.info

Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe: Art & Science with  
Lynette Cook, Scientific Illustrator at Berkeley Public Library

Berkeley, April 17, 2015—You have seen those life-like paintings of swirling galaxies that make you gasp in awe at the beauty of the Universe. Dramatic images of giant meteors striking our prehistoric planet bring astronomy alive. Who and how are these pictures created?

Find out when Lynette Cook, artist and award-winning scientific illustrator of extrasolar planets and other space subjects, visits the Berkeley Public Library on Sunday May 3, 2015 at 2:00 – 3:30 pm. She shares her images and explains how she creates art pieces accurate enough for use by researchers. These images also captivate the layperson with the wonder and mystery of outer space. Join us in our third floor Community Meeting Room in the Central Library for this free event. For questions regarding this program, call 510-981-6150.

Lynette Cook was the Artist/Photographer at the Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for 16 years and worked with researchers and science educators at the forefront of scientific discoveries including astrophysicist Dr. Geoff Marcy who with his collaborators discovered hundreds of extrasolar planets. Cook’s space images were used in publications worldwide. Among those are: Astronomy, BBC Television, CNN, The Discovery Channel, Japan Public Television, NASA, Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, Time, UCLA, and US News & World Report (a partial list) and on ABC7 News (KGO) and in USA Today.

Nearly 70 of her illustrations are featured in the book, Infinite Worlds: An Illustrated Voyage to Planets Beyond Our Sun, co-authored with Ray Villard. She also illustrated a children's book, Faraway worlds: planets beyond our solar system, by Paul Halpern. Both titles are available at the Berkeley Public Library. For more of Lynette Cook's work see her websites: extrasolar.spaceart.org and www.lynetteinthestudio.com.
This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: www.berkeleylibraryfriends.org.

The Central Library is located at 2090 Kittredge Street and is open Monday, noon-8:00pm, Tuesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm, and Sunday from 1:00pm-5:00pm.  

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Shani Leonards
Supervising Librarian, Claremont Branch
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6280

Claremont Book Club discusses Redeployment by Phil Klay @Claremont Library

Berkeley, April 14, 2015—A new generation of veterans are starting to tell their stories. What is it really like on the front lines of today’s wars? Written by Phil Klay, a Dartmouth College graduate and Marine Corp veteran who served in Iraq, “Redeployment is hilarious, biting, whipsawing and sad. It’s the best thing written so far on what the war did to people’s souls” - Dexter Filkins, NYT Review of Books, 3, 6, 2014). Redeployment won the 2014 National Book Award for fiction.

Read this searing collection of short stories on the Iraq War book and then discuss your views on Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30pm at the Claremont Book Club. “A limited number of copies are available at the Claremont Branch and staff will be glad to help reserve the book when those copies are gone.

The Claremont Book group meets one Wednesday a month at 6:30 p.m. In even-numbered months, participants bring a favorite book to share. In odd-numbered months, members read a book selected by the group in a twice-yearly vote. For dates, titles of upcoming books and more information call 510-981-6280.

This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: www.berkeleylibraryfriends.org

The Claremont Branch is located at 2940 Benvenue @ Ashby, Berkeley CA 94705, and is open: Monday, 10:00am-6:00pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Thursday 12 noon-8:00pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm.

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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Contact: Shani Leonards
Supervising Librarian, Claremont Branch
Berkeley Public Library
510-981-6280

“Piano Chat” for Seniors @Claremont Branch Library

Berkeley, April 14, 2015—Are you one of those people who practiced piano as a child but forgot how to play? Or do you think you are too old to pick up a new skill? Never! Why do you think we have libraries? Join us at the Claremont Branch of the Berkeley Public Library from 1:00-2:00pm any Wednesday in May: May 6, 13, 20 or 27, 2015 for “Piano Chat” a relaxing introduction to piano chords.

Local pianist and teacher Brenda Becker leads Piano Chat. No prior piano experience is necessary and all levels are welcome. Space is limited to six seniors per hour-long session. Please leave your piano at home. Sign up for one or more sessions. For more information about this series, or to reserve your space, please call 510-981-6280.

Brenda Becker has shared her love of piano with students, friends and fellow Berkeleyans for several decades. Brenda believes there is joy in the process of exploring the piano. She has played the piano since grade school and has a degree in Music Education from Temple University in Philadelphia.

This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library: http://www.berkeleylibraryfriends.org/

The Claremont Branch is located at 2940 Benvenue @ Ashby, Berkeley CA 94705, and is open: Monday, 10:00am-6:00pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Thursday 12 noon-8:00pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm. For more information about this program, call 510-981-6280.

Wheelchair accessible. For questions, to request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, please call (510) 981-6195 (voice) or (510) 548-1240 (TTY); at least five working days will help ensure availability. Please refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. Visit the library’s website: www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

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