Mo Willems

Author and illustrator Mo Willems, called “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's" by the New York Times Book Review, has just published The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, 6th in the Caldecott Honor Award winning pigeon series. Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for television, and has received six Emmy Awards, three Caldecott Honors, the Geisel and Carnegie Medals. Check out the rest of his books, too!

Beat the high cost of gas

With gas prices at such a high level, many people are trying to reduce the amount of driving that they do. One way to accomplish that - and increase your fitness at the same time - is by biking more. The library has all sorts of books on bicycling, ranging from how to repair them to where to ride them. A few of our bike books are listed below:

Bicycle Repair: Maintenance and Repair of the Modern Bicycle




Complete Bike Book






Urban Bikers' Tips and Tricks: Low-Tech & No-Tech Ways to Find, Keep and Ride a Bicycle



Road Biking Minnesota: A Guide to the Greatest Bike Rides in Minnesota




The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling: Build the Strength, Skills, and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want

At the library this week

On Friday, August 1 at 11am, come see the WonderWeavers Storytellers as they pull stories "Out of the Magic Cooking Pot."



On Saturday, August 2 from 9am until noon is the bi-annual Friends of the Library used book sale. Lots of great books and lots of great bargains!

Children's book series

As many parents know, kids like books that come in series. It can be difficult to figure out how many books are in a series or what the order of the books is. Fortunately, the folks at Mid-Continent Public Library have created just the thing: a database of over 24,500 books (and growing!) from children's series and sequels. You can search by series title, by book title, by book author or by series subject and they've classified them by age (Young Adult [YA] – for 6th through 12th grade readers, Juvenile [J] – for 2nd through 6th grade readers and Juvenile Easy [JE] – for birth through 2nd grade readers). It's a great resource for readers of all ages!

True Crime

New at the library is The Monster of Florence, the incredible true story of writer Douglas Preston's attempt to uncover a serial killer responsible for the deaths of fourteen young lovers near Florence, Italy. True crime books are extremely popular and the library owns many books in the genre, just a few of which are listed below.




Devil in the White City








Strange Piece of Paradise







Too Late to Say Goodbye

At the library this week

Get a jump on the Maud Hard Lovelace nominees while you eat your lunch. For those in grades 4-6. Please register ahead at the library reference desk. Wed. July 23, at noon.

Come and meet Minnesota author Marie Fritz Perry Saturday morning at 10:30 am. Perry, author of the children's books A Gift for Sadia and Cecil's New Year's Eve Tail, will give a brief talk, answer questions and sign books. The program is presented by Friends of the Library and no registration is required.

New DVDs

Among the latest DVDs to arrive at the library are:

Sicko (Rotten Tomatoes rating 93%)






Breaker Morant (Rotten Tomatoes rating 100%)






Semi-Pro (Rotten Tomatoes rating 21%)







Cracker: A New Terror (the final episode of the series)






Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (the complete fourth series)

Telephone problems

Some of you have experienced dropped calls when phoning the library. The City IT staff, along with engineers from the phone system's manufacturer, are working on a solution. The City's phone system utilizes a newer technology (Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP) and we appreciate your patience as we work through the 'bugs' of a new system.

James Lund
Library Director

Life & death on Mt. Everest

New at the library is Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest, the incredible story of Australian mountain climber Lincoln Hall. From the publisher: "Hall likes to say that on the evening of May 25, 2006, he died on Everest. Indeed, he attempted to climb the mountain during a deadly season in which eleven people perished. And Hall, in fact, was pronounced dead, after collapsing from altitude sickness. Two Sherpas spent hours trying to revive him, but, as darkness fell, word came via radio from the exhibition's leader that the Sherpas should descend the mountain in order to save themselves. The news of Lincoln Hall's death traveled rapidly from mountaineering websites to news media around the world, and ultimately to his family back in Australia. Early the next morning, however, an American guide, climbing with two clients and a Sherpa, was startled to find Hall, sitting cross-legged on the summit ridge, just staring at them."

Other great stories of adventures on Mt. Everest available at the library include:

Into Thin Air







Everest: Alone at the Summit








Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine

Come see The Flyers!

Performing at the library this week will be The Flyers, a husband and wife singing team. Their show "Songs for the Whole Family" is interactive and features movement, props and humor. Come check it out on Thursday, July 17 at 11 am!

Goodhue County Red Cross Seeking Donations

The Goodhue County Red Cross is seeking cash donations for those affected by Thursday's storm. The donations will be used to provide food, clothing and housing.

Donations can be dropped off at the Red Cross building in Red Wing at 460 Guernsey Lane or mailed to P.O. Box 29, Red Wing, MN 55066.

Starting Saturday, July 12, volunteers will bring water and snacks to those cleaning up damaged areas.

New DVDs

Among the latest DVDs to arrive at the library are:

Corpse Bride (Rotten Tomatoes rating 84%)






Choking Man (Rotten Tomatoes rating 38%)






John Adams (HBO miniseries)






Bucket List (Rotten Tomatoes rating 42%)







Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Rotten Tomatoes rating 59%)

Nothing to Lose

Nothing to Lose, the latest book in Lee Child's phenomenally successful Jack Reacher series is now available at the library. Those who enjoy these thrillers may also like books found on our If you like Lee Child booklist.

Kids' cookbooks

Are your kids looking for something to do this summer? How about learning how to cook? Check out just a few of the kids' cookbooks we have available at the library:


Grow it, Cook it






Around the World Cookbook




Kids Cook 1-2-3: Recipes for Young Chefs Using Only 3 Ingredients






Salad People and More Real Recipes : a New Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up

The Zoo Man will be here tomorrow!

The Zoo Man and his live animals are back! As usual, because of the popularity of his shows, there will be 2 shows (one at 11 am and one at 1 pm). Free tickets are still available for both (but the afternoon show is considerably less crowded).

New DVDs

Here are some of the latest DVDs to arrive at the library:

Upstairs, Downstairs (All 81 episodes! Winner of 9 Emmy Awards)







8 Below (Rotten Tomatoes rating 71%)





Brokeback Mountain (Rotten Tomatoes rating 87%)






Vantage Point (Rotten Tomatoes rating 36%)






Untraceable (Rotten Tomatoes rating 15%)

Graphic novels for children

Graphic novels are close relatives to comic books (some would say identical twins) but often are longer and bound like books. However you define them, they are incredibly popular. Along with graphic novels for teens and adults, the library has ones for the younger crowd - elementary and middle school age children. Here are just a few:


Jellaby






Hannah Montana: Secrets and Super Sneaks






Fantastic Four: Family of Heroes





Amulet: Book 1, The Stonekeeper







Nancy Drew: The Demon of River Heights

Now accepting credit cards!

In an effort to enhance customer service and increase convenience for our patrons, the library will now accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) as a means of payment.