MPL Kids Podcast: Show Notes

Article from Parents Magazine.
Want your child to feel good in their own skin? Start now with these tips from the author of Body Kindness.

Ellyn Satter's Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family takes a leadership role in the grassroots movement back to the family table. More a cooking primer than a cookbook, this book encourages singles, couples, and families with children to go to the trouble of feeding themselves well. Satter uses simple, delicious recipes as a scaffolding on which to hang cooking lessons, fast tips, night-before suggestions, in-depth background information, ways to involve kids in the kitchen, and guidelines on adapting menus for young children.

In chapters about eating, feeding, choosing food, cooking, planning, and shopping, the author entertainingly helps readers have fun with food while not eating unhealthily or too often. She cites current studies and makes a convincing case for lightening up on fat and sodium without endangering ourselves or our children.

The book demonstrates Satter's dictum that “your positive feelings about food and eating will do more for your health than adhering to a set of rules about what to eat and what not to eat.”

A picture book about a mermaid named Mabel, who unlike the rest of her family does not have a moustache, and the seven-armed octopus who becomes her friend and helps her see that she is just right the way she is!

Ladybug is a great hugger. But will her friends let her hug? Find out in this surprising book all about consent.

GoNoodle gets kids moving so they can be their best. Great resource for caregivers who are interested in incorporating more movement for their kids!!

Excellent resource for at home yoga for different levels!

*Contains Adult Language not recommended for younger audiences*

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

Stay tuned onour facebook page @MPLkids for a very groovy christmas story time live on December 15th at 10AM!

Stay tuned on our facebook page @MPLkids for our special Happy NOON Year celebration! On December 31st at 11:30AM!

This video explains some of the things you can try when you feel overwhelmed by your thoughts. After the video, take a few moments to observe your thoughts with curiosity, paying attention to how each one makes you feel. Paying attention to your thoughts and sorting through them takes practice and patience.

When our children are at their worst, they need us to be at our best—or as close to it as we can be. Educator and family counselor Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting, offers techniques that simply and directly shift these damaging patterns in communication and parental behavior. These grounded and practical strategies will help you:
• Slow down the interaction
• Be more in control of your reactions
• Open up a much wider range of helpful responses
• Sense what your child’s deeper needs are even though they are misbehaving
• Respond in a way that gives your child a feeling of being heard and still puts a boundary in place

Payne’s meditative approach can be done anywhere, anytime; it lifts you out of old, unwanted patterns of action-reaction and prepares you so that the voice you speak with is closer to the parent you want to be. His concrete and simple techniques can help you, and your children, be at your best, even in the most challenging of times.

Tom Junod's Esquire profile of Fred Rogers, "Can You Say... Hero?," has been hailed as a classic of magazine writing. Now, his moving story of meeting and observing the beloved host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is the inspiration for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster.

Here, Junod's unforgettable piece appears for the first time in book form alongside an inspiring collection of advice and encouragement from Mister Rogers himself. Covering topics like relationships, childhood, communication, parenthood, and more, Rogers's signature sayings and wise thoughts are included here. Pairing the definitive portrait of a national icon with his own instructions for living your best, kindest life, this book is a timeless treasure for Mister Rogers fan

An inspiring collection of thoughts to take with us on the paths we travel in life.

For all the roads we choose to travel, and even those we don't, Fred Rogers has an observation, a story, some insights to share. Whether you're facing graduation, a new job, a new baby, marriage, any change in your life--expected or not--the wisdom that Mister Rogers offers can contribute mightily to the grace with which you handle the change.

With sections titled Who You Are Right Now, Loving and Being Loved, and Guided Drift, Fred addresses the scope of human transitions. It all comes down to knowing we're valuable, and that we're worthy of that value. As Fred would say, "You don't have to be anything more than who you are right now."

Adolescents are no strangers to stress. Here's a book just for them that explores the science behind that sweaty, heart-racing, under-pressure feeling they sometimes get as they struggle to navigate their changing world. It covers the fight-or-flight reaction to sudden danger, how people cope with chronic stress, how trauma can affect the brain, the ways athletes put pressure to work and the surprising treatments scientists have found for stress in everyday life. By examining how pressure affects the human body and different ways to manage it, this book allows middle graders to get a handle on what normal stress is and isn't --- and how to deal with it either way. Because knowing the facts can make all the difference.

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS.

Delightful colour photographs of cats bring to life familiar characteristics such as sensitive hearing, scampering at the first sign of being stroked, and particular eating habits.

Touching, humorous and insightful, this book evokes the difficulties and joys of raising a child who is different and leaves the reader with a sense of the dignity, individuality, and potential of people with AS.

Habitica is a free habit-building and productivity app that treats your real life like a game. With in-game rewards and punishments to motivate you and a strong social network to inspire you, Habitica can help you achieve your goals to become healthy, hard-working, and happy.

It’s been shown that if you write down three good things that happen to you everyday, your happiness and positivity increase. Three Good Things, a happiness journal, enables you to do exactly that with a simple user-interface and gamification to encourage engagement.

Sesame Street once again delivers a helpful and valuable educational experience with Breathe, Think, and Do with Sesame. Kids may quickly make their way through the five scenarios, but each is worth revisiting, especially in the moment if kids are struggling with a particular problem. Don't miss the parent section, which is chock-full of free resources such as tips and strategies (including video clips to watch with kids), as well as options to personalize the encouraging audio messages kids hear when playing the app, which can be played in English or Spanish.

Join Miss Sandra as she shows us some fun, easy-to-make recipes with a Thanksgiving theme!

Miss Heather shows you how to make amazing art with just a few simple materials!

Make some yummy mummy dogs with this simple recipe!

Try these tasty pudding "dirt" cups with this easy to follow recipe!

Check out this WITCHY sugar cookie recipe!

Parents Magazine gives us some sweet and safe ideas to celebrate Halloween this year!

Parents Magazine article on how to manage Halloween this year!

Presents recipes of humorous and disgusting dishes that appear in Dahl's books, such as Willy Wonka's Nutty Crunch Surprise and Stink Bugs' Eggs from James and the Giant Peach.

Do you like learning about outer space, planets, and stars? Do you like to cook? Then Astronomy You Can Nibble is the right book for you! Learn about what astronomers do and what they have discovered. Then explore astronomy further by making delicious snacks.

Check out the entire Super Simple Science You Can Snack On series for more tasty STEM fun!

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends a Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy, but if Bod leaves, then he will come under attack from the man Jack -- who has already killed Bod's family

Check out our Halloween recommendations for Kanopy streaming service!

Check out this Disney halloween playlist curated by Spotify! It features all your favorite spooky and villian-y tunes!

A halloween playlist curated by us just for you!

Miss Heather reads us a page from this spooky book middle grade book! Check it out for yourself!

Ever since her near-fatal drowning, Cassidy has been able to pull back the "Veil" that separates the living from the dead and see ghosts, not that she wants to, and she was really looking forward to a ghost-free summer at the beach; however her parents are going to start filming a TV series about the world's most haunted places, starting with Edinburgh with its graveyards, castles, and restless phantoms--and Cass and her personal ghost companion, Jacob, are about to find out that a city of old ghosts can be a very dangerous place indeed.

Our South Texas Book Festival (STBF) 2020 this year has gone VIRTUAL. Join us Thursday, October 29-Sunday November 1st, 2020 as we stream all of our sessions LIVE.

Please follow the link to our STBF website for more information about our virtual schedule, how to access the event, and the authors and presenters that will be presenting virtually!

Tune into a storytime with our Palm View Branch!

Read a bit about the history of banned books week!

The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. Every year, the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF from communities across the U.S.

The Top 10 lists are only a snapshot of book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges – documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries – remain unreported and receive no media.

This iconic story has inspired a movie, an opera, and the imagination of generations. When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. But then from far away across the world, Max smells good things to eat...

Let the wild rumpus continue as this classic comes to life like never before with new reproductions of Maurice Sendak's artwork. Astonishing state-of-the-art technology faithfully captures the color and detail of the original illustrations. Sendak himself enthusiastically endorsed this impressive new interpretation of his art.

A little bunny bids goodnight to all the objects in his room before falling asleep.

Check out Professional Book Nerds Episode on banned books!

September 25 - October 1st marks Banned Books Week and as a library company full of librarian employees, OverDrive feels very strongly about the importance of reading banned and challenged books. Adam and Jill decided to talk to some of their OverDrive colleagues to find out what they'll be reading for Banned Books Week and to also find out why they celebrate the freedom to read.

A book club of unsolicited opinions. We are best friend bibliophiles discussing our favorite and most eye-roll worthy pieces of classic and modern literature.

Miss Heather read us page one of this frequently challenged awarding winning book! Check it out for yourself!

When people look at George, they see a boy. But George knows she’s a girl.
George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part … because she’s a boy.

With the help of her best friend Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte – but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

Cuando la gente mira a George, ve a un chico. Pero George sabe que es una chica. George es una historia tierna, genuina y conmovedora sobre un valiente niño que tiene muy claro quién quiere ser realmente en la vida. George piensa que tendrá que mantener su identidad en secreto. Con la ayuda de su mejor amiga, George pone en marcha un plan. No solo conseguirá ser Charlotte, la protagonista de la obra de teatro del colegio sino que, además, podrá revelarle al mundo quién es en realidad.

Come learn about how music works with Miss Cat and Amanda as they teach you a little bit about music theory!

We are learning solfege! That is Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do!

Miss Sandra has a a magical book to share! And an even more magical experiment! Tune in to find out more!

This is Miss Heathers monthly online book club, for children reading 3rd grade level books and higher.
Click the link for instructions on how to register!

Use this website to apply for EBT (food stamps) WIC, and other state benefits. Need help filling out your application? Drop by MPL!

A full list of all our FREE electronic resources for kids, teens, and adults! Scroll to the bottom of the page for tutorials. Some services require a McAllen library card.

Watch a video on how to use our FREE tutor.com service.

Chat with a live, online tutor to get help in any school subject, including essay writing. Adults can also get resume and cover letter help. SAT and ACT exam review material from the Princeton Review also available. FREE with McAllen library card.

Animated Read-Along Story Books, Easy Readers, Non-Fiction Books, Graphic Novels and Chapter Books! No library card required, no check out, no waiting time. Titles available in English, Spanish, and French. FREE, no library card required.

Unlimited streaming video for kids! Features PBS shows such as Sesame Street and Wild Kratts, award-winning movies, animated picture books with celebrity narration and more! FREE with McAllen library card.

Find out more about the computer labs at our three branches and our new wireless printing services!

Lucky dog Arfy has a home. When he discovers a homeless kitten, Arfy hopes Scamper can come live with him, but--achoo --his person is allergic to cats So, Arfy writes persuasive letters to prospective owners about what a great pet Scamper would make. But somehow these matches aren't made in heaven. If Scamper can't live with any of them, where will he go? He needs a quiet home where he could make people as happy as they'll make him, full of laps, pats and purrs, and yarn balls....Arfy thinks he knows just the place.

A beautifully illustrated biography of Eugenie Clark, a scientist as impressive as the sharks she studied.

At nine years old, Eugenie Clark developed an unexpected passion for sharks after a visit to the Battery Park Aquarium in New York City. At the time, sharks were seen as mindless killing machines, but Eugenie knew better and set out to prove it. Despite many obstacles in her path, including trying to break into the scientific field as a woman, Eugenie was able to study the creatures she loved so much. From her many discoveries to the shark-related myths she dispelled, Eugenie's wide scientific contributions led to the well-earned nickname "Shark Lady," as she become a fixture in the world of ocean conservation and shark research.

The Homeschool History Podcast from BBC Radio 4 has fun history lessons for the whole family, presented by Horrible Histories' Greg Jenner. Full of facts and jokes, the series brings to life a broad range of historical topics.

Artsy Anthems for Creative Kids is a playlist put together by our very own Miss Heather! This playlist has great background music for coloring, painting, dancing, studying or your favorite creative activity.

Here's the article Miss Erin remembered about easy stress relievers, including using relaxing music to slow your heartbeat and ease anxiety. From the New York Times, August 6, 2020.

Miss Heather read us page one of this fun mystery chapter book, now check it out for yourself!

When Atticus receives a mysterious message asking him to a meeting in a sleepy coastal town, he packs his bags and sets off. The world's greatest cat burglar likes a good mystery and this time curiosity has got the better of him. The writer of the message, it turns out, is none other than Jimmy the Magpie, gang leader. He wants Atticus to steal all the jewels in town and leave the humans baffled. And what could be more straightforward? But when Atticus moves in with Inspector Cheddar and his family, he starts to wonder if a life of crime is really for him . . .

Need books for your kids but don't have time to come inside? Order a Book Bundle and we'll pick books and activities just for you! Then pick them up at our convenient drive-thru window.

Miss Erin invites you to watch our NEW series Babies in Bloom, where we'll share ways to read, talk, sing, and play with your baby as they grow!
Join us every Monday at 10:00am, starting September 14!