Learning Library

Until the Meiji Era, the Kimono’s purpose was only something to wear. However, after the Meiji Restoration, the Kimono was called, “wafuku” which meant, “Japanese wear”. This Japanese designation was necessary to distinguish the difference between original clothing from Japan and that of western cultures. Once again Japanese clothing became known as the Kimono. Soon, everyone was wearing clothing from other cultures and the Kimono was again known as the traditional clothing of Japanese culture. Kimono experts invented various methods and techniques in the creation of the Kimono as well as the...

Mr Ross lives on an island where no visitors come. He stops people from taking photographs of him. He is young and rich, but he looks sad. And there is one room in his house which is always locked. Carol Sanders and her mother come to the island to work for Mr Ross. Carol soon decides that there is something very strange about Mr Ross. Where did he get his money from? How can a young man buy an island? So she watches, and she listens - and one night she learns what is behind the locked door.

In a house in Oxford, three people are having breakfast: Carol, her husband Jan, and his father Josef. They are talking about Prague, because Carol wants them all to go there for Christmas. Josef was born in Prague, but he left his home city when he was a young man. He is an old man now, and he would like to see Prague again before he dies. But he is afraid. He still remembers another Christmas in Prague, many long years ago - a Christmas that changed his life forever.

In a city in Arabia there lives a boy called Aladdin. He is poor and often hungry, but one day he finds an old lamp. When he rubs the lamp, smoke comes out of it, and then out of the smoke comes a magical jinnee (genie). With the jinnee’s help, Aladdin is soon rich, with gold and jewels and many fine things. But can he win the love of the Sultan’s daughter, the beautiful Princess Badr-al-Budur?

One day, a farmer tells a farm boy to take everything out of an old building and throw it away. ’It’s all rubbish,’ he says.In the middle of all the rubbish, the boy finds a beautiful old piano. He has never played before, but now, when his fingers touch the piano, he begins to play. He closes his eyes and the music comes to him - and the music moves his fingers.When he opens his eyes again, he knows that his life is changed for ever.

Becky is the new girl in class 3A, and she's a great big copycat! She's trying to be just like Katie's best friend Suzanne. She follows Suzanne around, dresses like her, and steals Suzanne's class report topic. Suzanne can't stand Becky! Then, the magic wind turns Katie into Becky. Will Suzanne change her mind about the new girl? Will Katie turn back into herself without causing too much trouble?

It's been a couple of weeks since Katie turned into the class hamster, and she's beginning to hope that maybe her transforming days are through. But more excitement lies ahead for Katie as she becomes Lucille, the cafeteria lunch lady! Unfortunately, the principal isn't too happy with a lunch lady who throws egg salad and starts food fights...so it's up to Katie (back in her own body) and her classmates to save the day.

When Katie's teacher moves in next-door, Katie can't believe her bad luck! Nothing could be worse than your own teacher living next-door: or could it? Mrs. Derkman hates dogs, and she wants the dogs on their street to be kept on leashes at all times! Katie is furious. Then the magic wind blows, turning Katie into her own dog, Pepper. Will she be able to convince her teacher that dogs are not all bad?

Katie Carew is fed up. Everything keeps going wrong. If only she could be anyone but herself! But Katie has to be careful what she wishes for...it just might come true!

Although he started out as a teacher without aspirations to be an activist or politician, Harvey Milk found himself captivated by the history-making movements of the 1960s. He would eventually make history of his own by becoming the first openly gay elected politician in California. While in office, Harvey Milk advocated for equal rights for the gay community.

On August 8, 1974, millions sat stunned as they watched Richard Nixon on TV when he announced he was stepping down as the President of the United States. How could Nixon, a man who had been reelected in a landslide victory just two years earlier, now be leaving office in disgrace? Author Megan Stine takes listeners through President Nixon's life - from his childhood and military experiences during World War II - to his long political career and the Watergate scandal that tarnished his legacy and deepened American's mistrust of the government.

From Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Gloria Steinem and Hillary Clinton, women throughout US history have fought for equality. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, women were demanding the right to vote. During the 1960s, equal rights and opportunities for women - both at home and in the workplace - were pushed even further. And in the more recent past, Women's Marches have taken place across the world. Celebrate how far women have come with this inspiring listen!

Even though he's best known for his successful PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Fred Rogers never dreamed of working in television. In fact, he hated the very first program that he ever watched! Join author Diane Bailey as she takes listeners through the journey that brought Mister Rogers into our living rooms. From his childhood interest in puppet-making and music, to his courageous visit to Russia during the Cold War, this audiobook details Mister Rogers' quest for kindness and his gentle appeal to be more neighborly.

In Hall Monitor, it's time to pick out the week's hall monitor at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, and SpongeBob is next in line! But when SpongeBob SquarePants reports for duty, he takes his new authority out of the school yard and into Bikini Bottom! The unsuspecting citizens will never be the same after SpongeBob wreaks total havoc in this uproarious underwater tale.

It's the Cookie, Mr. President highlights our eclectic elected by way of a common denominator - the cookie. The wordplay that connects the recipes and the quotes is inspiriting. The book revives quotes from forty-four U.S. Presidents, with a refreshing combination of words and sugar. The book is short and sweet, with approachable recipes and clear instructions.

Tomie invites listeners to share in his childhood memories as he prays for his brand-new baby sister to get over pneumonia and finally learns to read.

Cuba has fought three wars for independence, and still she is not free. Her people have been rounded up in reconcentration camps, where there is always too little food and too much illness. Rosa knows how to heal sickness with medicines made from wild plants. But with a price on her head for helping the rebels, Rosa dares not go out in the open. Instead, she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her.

You can be an A - an architect, a B - a biochemist, a C - a computer software developer, and so much more! It's all about doing what you love and putting your heart into everything that you do. In this alphabet book of careers, the options run from A to Z! And six-year-old social media sensation Sam White and his dad, Bobby, want every kid out there to know that they can reach for the stars and make their dreams come true, whatever they want to become. Just don't be a Z - a zombie and let the world pass you by.

On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to demand equal rights for all races. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, and it was this peaceful protest that spurred the momentous civil rights laws of the mid-1960s.

Dorothy Ann Willis hailed from a small Texas town, but early on she found her voice and the guts to use it. During her childhood in San Diego and her high school years back in Texas (when she dropped the "Dorothy"), Ann discovered a spark and passion for civic duty. It led her all the way to Washington, DC, where she, along with other girls from around the country, learned about the business of politics. Fast forward to Ann taking on the political boys' club: she became county commissioner, then state treasurer, and finally governor of Texas.