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Myrna
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The contrary and hilarious adventures of Mother Hubbard and her dog have entertained readers for centuries. First published in 1805, The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog represented a new kind of children’s literature. The nursery rhyme book integrated text with coloured pictures and focused on amusement... Continue reading
Posted Aug 1, 2023 at Arts & Culture
Thank you for sharing your family memories of Boys & Girls House. It always lovely to hear patron stories about the branch.
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In folklore, "wee folk" have many names and forms. These fictional characters range from tricksters to helpful companions. But, these secretive and magical creatures can be difficult to spot! Peek under the toadstool at our new exhibit, Wee Folk: Fairies, Elves, Trolls and More. The exhibit runs until January 14,... Continue reading
Posted Nov 16, 2022 at Arts & Culture
It would be great to see. The Boys & Girls House archives have some scripts and planning documents from an Iliad and Odyssey themed series from that era.
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Glad you enjoyed it Joanna! It was joy to research this blog for sure.
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Just read Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail during my vacation. I love it! Enjoyed imagining that I was hiking 40 miles in the mountains when I took my little morning walks around the neighbourhood.
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For almost 200 years, Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid has captured the imaginations of readers young and old. The mermaid's story has been told and retold by generations of writers, with each writer putting their own spin on the tale of a mermaid caught between her ocean home and... Continue reading
Posted Jun 27, 2022 at Arts & Culture
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Explore the cities around the world, from Seoul to New Orleans, with recommended reads for the "a book about a city" category. Remnants of Mid-Century Toronto photographs by Vik Pahwa and edited by Matthew Blackett Every Torontonian will find a building they recognize in this tribute to Toronto's mid-century architecture.... Continue reading
Posted May 16, 2022 at The Buzz...About Books
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Mental health touches all our lives. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association "[i]n any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness." Our recommendations for the "a book about mental health" category include memoir, fiction and even some free therapy... Continue reading
Posted Apr 25, 2022 at The Buzz...About Books
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There are many ways to complete the "an illustrated book by an Indigenous creator" category. Recommendations in this post span children's picture books, graphic novels, memoir, history and arts anthologies. Dive into books by multi-talented Indigenous creators, including writers, poets, illustrators, photographers, painters, cartoonists and more. We All Play /... Continue reading
Posted Apr 11, 2022 at The Buzz...About Books
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Math phobia is nothing new. For centuries parents and educators have been seeking ways to make math fun. Our Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books has a unique collection of math and counting books available to view in person. From silly counting rhymes to demystifying factorials, these books have found... Continue reading
Posted Mar 21, 2022 at Arts & Culture
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Learning the alphabet may be "as easy as ABC," but there are many creative ways to teach it. From traditional rhymes to space age adventures, alphabet books are an ever expanding genre of children's literature. Our Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books has a unique collection of alphabet books dating... Continue reading
Posted Dec 10, 2021 at Arts & Culture
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Children's book series create a special bond with their readers, a bond that is strengthened over many volumes. Series allow readers to grow up alongside their favourite characters, from Anne of Green Gables to Franklin the Turtle. Discover the charm of children's book series, new and old, at Wait! There's... Continue reading
Posted Nov 8, 2021 at Arts & Culture
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Love comes in many forms, so it makes sense that there are many ways to complete TPL Reading Challenge's "a book about love (not just the romantic kind)" category. Library staff and Reading Challenge participants have shared their favourite books which explore romantic love, self-love, platonic love and more. Universal... Continue reading
Posted Sep 27, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books
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Reading and writing are the core of most curriculums, but how students learn the basics varies. Historical children’s books can help us understand how education has changed over the centuries. Our Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books at Lillian H. Smith Branch has interesting examples of educational books and teaching... Continue reading
Posted Aug 30, 2021 at Arts & Culture
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From celebrity memoirs to chilling dystopias, there are many ways to complete TPL Reading Challenge's "a book about fame" category. Library staff and Reading Challenge participants have shared their favourite books which explore fame, infamy and celebrity culture. Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood by Karina Longworth... Continue reading
Posted Jun 28, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books
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Explore futuristic dystopias, parallel worlds, magical lands and more with these 11 recently published science fiction and fantasy books. We asked staff from the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy to share their favourite speculative fiction reads from the past year. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke This is a... Continue reading
Posted Jun 7, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books
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In 1926, a bear named Winnie-the-Pooh walked out of the Hundred Acre Wood and into readers' hearts. But Winnie’s story began in Canada more than a decade before A. A. Milne published his first Winnie-the-Pooh book. Since the book’s publication, generations of readers around the world have enjoyed Winnie’s adventures.... Continue reading
Posted Apr 12, 2021 at Arts & Culture
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In 1888, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder appeared serialized in Harper’s Weekly magazine. The science fiction novel is by Canadian author James De Mille. It was published anonymously eight years after his death. Though the story doesn't takes place in Canada, it is Canada’s most celebrated 19th-century... Continue reading
Posted Feb 26, 2021 at Arts & Culture
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The story of the Three Bears is a familiar one. A troublesome interloper breaks into the home of three bears. She samples food and breaks furniture before being sent on her way. But, did you know that the housebreaker was originally an old woman, not a little girl named Goldilocks?... Continue reading
Posted Jan 25, 2021 at Arts & Culture
Hi JB, Here is our TPL Reading Challenge 2020: A Year in Review blog post: https://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/bookbuzz/2021/01/2020-tpl-reading-challenge-a-year-in-review.html I will pass on your feedback about our contest entry process to the TPL Reading Challenge team.
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Hi Ann, We do not know how many people participated overall. But we did create a TPL Reading Challenge 2020: A Year in Review blog post, which has some information about our participants and the books they read. https://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/bookbuzz/2021/01/2020-tpl-reading-challenge-a-year-in-review.html
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Hi JB. Thanks for your comment. We haven’t had the opportunity to complete the 2020 prize draw yet and contact winners. We hope to do that next week. We will put up a post on our Facebook Group once that has been completed. For privacy reasons, we won’t be able to share their names, but they can certainly do so if they’re interested! We’re also working on getting together a recap of the 2020 Challenge which we’ll be sharing late this month or in early February. Hope this helps!
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The TPL Reading Challenge is back for 2021! And we're kicking off our category booklists with "a book that is someone else's favourite". The question is... favourite what? Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood Priestdaddy is my favourite memoir and one of my most frequently recommended books. It tells the story of... Continue reading
Posted Jan 8, 2021 at The Buzz...About Books
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In the early 20th century, science fiction and fantasy fans were pulp magazine enthusiasts. "Pulps" were cheap, colourful and filled with exciting stories. Canadian fans eagerly purchased pulp magazines imported from America and the United Kingdom. That is until the outbreak of World War II produced a homegrown Canadian pulp... Continue reading
Posted Jan 4, 2021 at Arts & Culture