Tag Archives: book

Pretty Poisonous Posies

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It’s perhaps one of our most spectacular story times yet! Not only did kids get to craft the poison garden of their dreams, they got to visit a very mysterious garden in the library, and meet two very special guests!

We read Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandlin (Orchard Books, 2024). When Millie Fleur La Fae and her mother move to Garden Glen, they quickly discover that the community appreciates sameness, right down to the prim matching hedges. It does not appreciate the unusual, odd, creepy, and (sometimes) poisonous plants in Millie’s garden. Ignoring the negativity, Millie invites her classmates to explore the wonderful weirdness of her garden. As more and more people show up for a tour, quirky new plants pop up around the neighborhood, making it a special place for all. Fun fact: the author was inspired to write the book after she learned of the famous Poison Garden in Alnwick Castle in England. Make sure to read all about it at the end of the book!

You’ll need:

  • 1 box (we used a 4″ x 4″ x 4″ craft box, but a small tissue box works too!)
  • 1 poison garden plant template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock
  • Drinking straws, pipe cleaners, and/or twisteez wire
  • Brown tissue paper (or paper towels)
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

This is a very simple project with lots of room for creativity. Cut the top off of a small box, then color and cut the various plants from the template. Tape them to pipe cleaners, drinking straws, or Twisteez wire, then tuck everything inside the box. Add some brown tissue paper (or brown paper towels) as “soil” to anchor everything down. Done!

Kids were also free to improvise plants of their own! We offered toilet paper tubes, construction paper, muffin cups, fabric leaves, pom-poms, and packing peanuts as well. And lots and lots of eye stickers to ramp up the spooky factor and replicate the illustrations in the book.

We also had a special side projects for caregivers…we gave them envelope “seed packets” and a blank card, and they were free to write all the things that make their little one unique. Awwww!

Everyone was delighted with their little gardens, but we had a BIG surprise ready. An entire garden tour with Millie herself. Yes, that’s our summer intern Melanie Zhang in all her awesomeness!

We spent the week building a garden in an empty back office using leftover supplies from this Hobbit event, any and all foliage on our desks, twinkle lights, LED candles, and some weird cardboard monster blocks I picked up at a yard sale for $5.

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I did say there were two special guests at the beginning of the post. Melanie was one guest, and her frog Harold was the second! In the book, Millie has a pet frog, so Melanie brought in her special buddy for kids to find in the garden. She knitted him that handsome scarf as well. Look closely and you can see him in various photos in the post!

We would like to thank Melanie (and Harold) for brainstorming, creating, crafting and guest starring at this story time. It was completely magical – and so are you Melanie!

Alston’s Awesome Alphabet

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Alexander Hay. John Alston of Rosemount, 1778-1846. Hon. Treasurer of the Glasgow Blind Asylum. National Galleries of Scotland Collection. Photo, National Galleries of Scotland.

In today’s post, Katie delves into our special collections vaults and makes some very interesting connections! Let’s join her…

Sometimes doing research in the Cotsen collection feels a bit like the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. I start looking for one title, which leads me to a different topic, and then I change directions entirely from what I was originally looking for. During a recent research excursion, I discovered Alston Type books, a new-to-me alphabet created in the 19th century to teach people who are blind or have low vision how to read.

A Selection of Fables with Wood Cuts, for the Use of the Blind by John Alston (1838). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library Collection, CTSN 40903 Eng 18, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Everyone knows Louis Braille, who became blind as a young boy and invented his namesake alphabet in 1824 when he was a student at the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris. The braille alphabet consists of 64 characters, with each letter or number made up of raised dots in a certain pattern and embossed on paper. Today, braille is universally recognized as the common writing system for people who are blind or have low vision. Before braille was used worldwide, there were other tactile reading systems; some are discussed in a post written by Library Collections Specialist Charles Doran on Princeton University Library’s Special Collections blog.

Another such system was created in 1837 by John Alston, who worked with the Asylum for the Blind in Glasgow, Scotland. Alston designed a raised font using the Roman alphabet in two different sizes: the smaller font for school-aged children and a larger version for older adults with a diminished sense of touch. Most of the Alston Type books were religious, but other topics included geography, music, natural history, and popular fables.

A Selection of Fables with Wood Cuts, for the Use of the Blind by John Alston (1838). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library Collection, CTSN 40903 Eng 18, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Alston’s desire was for every blind person in the United Kingdom to have an opportunity to read and learn from the Alston Type books. In a letter sent to directors of institutions throughout Great Britain, he stated: “The advantage to the Blind in having books printed for their use, in a distinct and tangible character is incalculable.”1 Alston was awarded a government grant to assist with printing and by 1844, more than 14,000 volumes were available for purchase. All of the sales proceeds were used to print more Alston Type books.

From A Selection of Fables with Wood Cuts, for the Use of the Blind by John Alston (1838). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library Collection, CTSN 40903 Eng 18, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Glasgow 2 Dec 1841
Sir:
I have much pleasure in presenting you with this specimen of my improved method of writing for the blind, by which they can easily decipher, and are enabled to communicate with their friends.
I am yours respectfully,
John Alston

Children trained to read using Alston Type had a much easier time learning and reading other raised type books. Most importantly and due largely in part to Alston’s contributions, it was soon considered essential by all to provide formal education to people who are blind or have low vision.

Outlines of Natural History: Quadrupeds; Embossed for the Use of the Blind by John Alston (1842). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library Collection, CTSN 19486 Eng 19, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

In a modern approach to inclusive education, LEGO introduced braille bricks in 2020. Along with a raised dot pattern on each brick, LEGO included the printed letter or character so sighted people could participate equally with the child who is blind or has low vision. There are multiple languages of braille bricks available for purchase, including French, Spanish, German and Italian.

LEGO. Play with Braille – English Alphabet. Set No. 40656 (The LEGO Group, 2023).

But the best part is the braille LEGO can be incorporated into all LEGO sets for additional ways to learn through play! LEGO also designed an online toolkit, The Braille Program, which provides professionals, teachers and families with courses, lesson plans, tips and tricks, and a multitude of ways to encourage playful learning.

Looking for picture books on this topic to add to your school or personal library? These titles come with our highest recommendation!

Image courtesy of Amazon UK

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faría (Groundwood Books, 2008) is a groundbreaking picture book written for children who are blind as well as children who are sighted. The entirely black pages throughout the book provide text in braille and printed white font on left, while the right-side pages have tactile raised line drawings of what the text is describing. It’s a beautiful way to challenge readers who are sighted to share the experience of a person who can only see by touch, taste, smell and sound.

Image courtesy of Amazon

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016) shares the story of Louis Braille’s childhood and how he overcame many obstacles and challenges to invent an alphabet for people who are blind that is still in use today.

1 John Alston, Letter to the Directors of the Institutions for the Blind in Great Britain & Ireland, 4 July 1837

Blueberries for Sal (jam edition)

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We might be edging out of blueberry season, but how about one last sweet hurrah of summer?

Robert McCloskey’s award-winning classic Blueberries for Sal is a tale of two mothers and two cubs who have a mix up in the blueberry hills of Maine. It’s also the favorite children’s book of Metadata Librarian Sal Hamerman! Sal and I had the joy of working with library intern Melanie Zhang this summer, and Melanie decided to explore both Sal’s love of the story and her own obsession with blueberry jam in today’s post. Take it away Melanie!

Picture this: you are Melanie, a very confused summer intern. It is 9AM and you have just arrived at the library to meet Sal, your new supervisor. You know nothing about Sal, except that they seem very cool. You are slightly terrified at the thought of meeting them. But then—you see it. The coolest tote bag ever known to man, emblazoned with the text “Blueberries for Sal,” and suddenly all is well.

You ask Sal about this incredible, wonderful tote bag. Do they just like blueberries a lot? Did they make this bag? Was it created specifically for them? Was it simply a miraculous coincidence? And thus, Melanie encountered for the first time the iconic picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey, Blueberries for Sal.

Tragically, I never got to experience the joys of blueberry-themed picture books as a child. But fortunately, Sal did, and was kind enough to answer a few questions for me!

When did you first read Blueberries for Sal?

I first read Blueberries for Sal with my parents and grandparents on family vacations to Maine in the summer. We went every year to Mount Desert Island/Acadia National Park and picking blueberries to make muffins and pies was an essential family activity!

What is the book about?

The book is about an adventurous young child named Sal who goes blueberry picking with their mom in Maine on the side of a mountain. On the other side of the mountain, a bear cub named Little Bear is also picking blueberries with its mom. Will the two young blueberry pickers get into trouble?

What is it like to be named Sal, like blueberries, and read a book called Blueberries for Sal?

The book is really special to me because I relate so much to the main character, as a blueberry lover named Sal! I also have a similar hairstyle to Sal from the book. It brings back really special memories of vacations with my grandparents and the beautiful landscape of Maine. I look forward to reading it to my niece and nephews the next time I see them.

Big thanks to Normal Sal for the book background! And for making me hungry for blueberry foods. Now to some jam-making, because while I have not gotten the chance to pick fresh blueberries in Maine, and do not need to store up blueberry jam for the winter as Little Sal’s mother does in the book, I still want jam.

Ingredients you will need:

  • One pint of blueberries (you can use fresh picked, grocery store, or frozen)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

This recipe’s a simple one! Pop everything into a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it comes to a boil, cook until your berries have all burst and your jam has thickened. Keep stirring so nothing burns!

One of my favorite parts of making jam is watching the fruit change. It goes from a bunch of blueberries and sugar sitting in a pot, to a bunch of blueberry bits swimming in sweet syrup, and then to a beautiful, thick jam. And it makes the kitchen smell amazing too!

One good way to test your jam thickness is to put a small (non-glass) dish into the freezer when you start cooking, then spoon a few drops of your hot jam onto the cold dish. That’ll give you an idea of how thick your jam will be when it has cooled down!

If you were Little Sal and her mom, you’d want to seal your jam in jars and then boil it in a water bath to kill the germs so it’ll stay good to eat all winter. As for me, I’m going to use my jam right away, so I won’t be worrying about that. Here she is!

Depending on what you are using your jam for, you can cook it to different thicknesses. For example, jam to spoon over ice cream or swirl into a cheesecake batter can be a little thinner. However, for my purposes—making a batch of blueberry thumbprint cookies—I went with a thicker consistency, which took around 20 minutes.

Here are the cookies! And one more question for Normal Sal, who taste tested them!

How were the cookies?

The blueberry thumbprint cookies were FANTASTIC! The jam was incredibly tasty and fresh and I’d love to eat them again any time!

Thanks so much, Normal Sal! Guess I’d better get back to baking…

Book cover image courtesy of Penguin Random House. Blog images courtesy of Melanie Zhang.