- Mikayla Wobrak
- Oct 14, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
As some of you may know, I have been a Northsider for awhile now. I moved there for the ability to be close-ish to work (as far as those pesky bus routes are concerned) and close to all the exciting amenities of the of the city. But what I didn't realize was how much I'd fall in love with the Northside itself! So today, I want to recommend some neighborhood highlights and things you should do if you make the journey across two whole rivers:
Mayfly Market - a little corner market and deli; check out local favs Gilligan's Sorbet and Brothmonger soups available there (and follow @brothmonger on Instagram to have your mouth water daily!)
Huszar - a family-owned Hungarian restaurant; come for the Goulash, stay for the Chicken Paprikas!
Sampsonia Way - Take a stroll down Sampsonia Way to see the City of Asylum painted houses, visit the Mattress Factory Museum, and stop and smell the roses at the CoA Alphabet Garden, as well!
Finally, I recommend that you come visit me at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh! You heard that right... I will sadly be leaving Crafton at the end of the month for a position as a Children's Librarian at CLP-Allegheny. I am sad to be leaving, as I have met so many wonderful people here and have felt so honored to serve the Crafton community over the last nearly 3 years. But I am also excited for where this new journey will take me. So if you're ever on the Northside, please don't hesitate to stop by the library and say hello!
- Mikayla Wobrak
- Oct 14, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
I don't remember how I found this newsletter, but I've been aware of Emily Oster's work since beginning to put together CPL's new Parenting Collection last year. She has authored several New York Times bestselling books on parenting and pregnancy, including Expecting Better, Cribsheet, and The Family Firm. She is also a professor of economics at Brown University, and all of her work is firmly data-driven and meant to help parents make informed decisions about their child's care.
This is where her newsletter comes in! ParentData succinctly tackles recent trends in parenting research, with topics ranging widely from screen time to sleep training to the question "has the pandemic lowered babies' IQs?" (Before you worry, the answer is not likely, as there are several validity concerns with that particular study.) You can subscribe for free to have this newsletter delivered directly to your inbox twice a week!
Subscribe at https://emilyoster.substack.com/.
- Mikayla Wobrak
- Oct 4, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2022
Title: Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up
Authors: Alex Morss, Sean Taylor
Illustrator: Cinyee Chiu
Publisher: Words & Pictures
Audience: Children (ages 3-6, pre-k - 1st grade)
Genre: Nonfiction
Pages: 32
Published: March 16, 2021
My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
BUSY SPRING by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss tells the story of two young girls who join their father out in the garden for a day of exploration as the seasons change from winter to spring. As a children's librarian, I have read many, many books about the changing seasons, so it can be difficult to find a unique angle to talk about it from. However, I think the authors did an incredible job with this book, as did the illustrator. I was honestly amazed by just how informative this book was and how much detail was included—from observations about life cycles and food chains, to the ideas of composting and transformation, this book addresses so many unique aspects of the season in depth. Additionally, the book includes a few pages of non-fiction resources on plants, animals, and nature's symbioses. Finally, it includes some resources and potential action steps for how young readers can help the environment. This book would definitely be a little text-heavy for use in storytime programming, but I would certainly purchase this text for my library's collection and it is a sweet, interesting, and informative book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this text for review!