This Month ... 

Black History Month

   Creating a month-long celebration of the contribution of African Americans in American history began back in 1926. February was chosen because it is the birth month of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, and Langston Hughes; it is also the month the 15th Amendment was passed and the NAACP was founded.

   Visit the Patchwork of African-American Life to find a huge collection of Internet sites dealing with different aspects of African-American history. The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) (opened in San Francisco in 2005) features online exhibits, narratives, images, and all kinds of information.

   On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus and changed the course of African-American history. See images of this historic bus at The Henry Ford Museum. African Americans who have made their mark in American life (arts, entertainment, politics, science, etc.) are featured in The HistoryMakers, an oral-history archive. The site also offers a time line and list of resources.

  Two other terrific sites are: The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (chronicling his life from childhood to international leader) and National Civil Rights Museum (offering virtual exhibits that bring you closer to historical events of the civil rights era).

St. Valentine's Day

  Who was the original Valentine? Was it the clergyman who was  executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome? We may never know; but we do know when February 14 was first designated St. Valentine's day: In 496 A.D.

   Since then, February 14 has become the time to exchange cards and gifts to loved ones. According to Hallmark Cards, nearly 200 million (!) cards are exchanged every year (and this doesn't include the ones kids exchange in class). Learn more about this LOVE-ly holiday at: History.com.

Other Holidays ...

   Will we have six more weeks of winter? Click on Groundhog.org to find out. Did you know that February is also Canned Food Month, Great American Pie Month, and National Children's Dental Month?? Find out about these and other fantastic celebrations at Holiday Insights.

   This year is a Leap Year; get some Leap Year facts from Time and Date.com

Our Featured Author ... Francesca Lia Block

Author Francesca Lia Block was born and grew up  in Los Angeles in 1962. She went to college at the University of California. Weetzie Bat was her first novel (published in 1989) and was an immediate hit, receiving praise from the American Library Association, School Library Journal, and The New York Times Book Review.

   "I think I knew when I was very young that I wanted to be a writer," Block says. "I always loved to write. I loved poetry. I kept journals and took writing classes. And I read a lot. My dad read me fairytales and Greek myths. I was very lucky to have parents who gave me lots of encouragement."

   Block's numerous books have been translated into seven different languages and published around the world. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her daughter and son, and two dogs.

   Read an interview with the author at Teenreads.com, and check out her official website where you'll find information on the author and her books, as well as video, pictures (there's also a link to her MySpace page where she accepts manuscripts for editing). We have many of Ms. Block's books in the fiction section; look for them on the shelves or in the library catalog today!