Babies, Babies Everywhere!

I'm not sure if it's the stage of life I'm in or something else in the air, but everyone I know seems to be starting a family or expanding their existing family. In my frenzy to make homemade gifts for baby showers, serve as a supportive friend in conversations about pregnancy and hone my doula skills I've turned to library books for ideas and insight. Our Urbana Free Library new book shelf has some books that are quite fitting for these topics.

 The Pregnant Body Book by Sarah Brewer is an excellent week-by-week illustrated reference book that shows the female body as it changes during pregnancy. This book describes the anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system. It includes scans, photos and 3D imaging of both the female body and the baby inside it through pregnancy. 

To Baby With Love: 35 Gorgeous Gifts to Make for Babies and Toddlers by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell is a great resource for gift ideas once that new little person in your life greets the world. There are baby quilts, toddler toys or decorations for a baby room. I think you'll find this book inspiring and useful to make a gift that's special.




If you're looking for more books about pregnancy and childbirth check out our book display at the top of the stairs on the second floor or ask a reference librarian to help you locate more.

2Cute 2B Ignored

Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches
by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa

Indulge in the latest trend from Japan. Turn your favorite food into cute little edible tidbits and create charming little boxed lunches that will appeal to your kids and those you love.

Yum-Yum Bento Box is also the perfect cook book for those of you who enjoy craft projects. You will need some basic tools to form and sculpt the food into chickens or kitties or mushrooms or little elves. Most of the ingredients are commonly available, but you might need to visit your favorite oriental food department to obtain components such as nori or rice flour for some recipes.

Make your food come adorably alive--visually that is! If you'd like to take this delightful new book home, place a hold or give us a call at The Urbana Free Library. 217-367-4405 or email us at reference@tufl.info.

Want to know more? Visit the book's website to see more delightful food pix. And learn how to make the Three Little Pigs bento featured in the book by watching a brief video.

Forget to recycle your electronics? We have the book for you!

Champaign County, Urbana, Champaign, Savoy and the News-Gazette have been sponsoring wildly successful recycling events where you can drop off your old, outdated household electronics, such as computers, scanners, cell phones and VHS players. If you missed the drop-off this past weekend, a couple more are planned for later this year--August 7th and November 6th.

In the meantime, what can you do with those old gizmos and gadgets you don't use anymore? Why, use 'em for craft and productivity projects! And we have just the brand new book that can help--

62 Projects to Make with a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics), by Randy Sarafan, (Workman, 2010).

This new guide is chock full of creative ideas for your old, cherished equipment that range from jewelry to toys to truly useful items.

Yeah, you do need to be handy with screwdrivers and similar tools, but the author provides excellent directions and pictures. Plus, the introductory chapter presents precautions about how to be careful around electronic equipment. Don't assume old electronics are immediately safe just because they're unplugged.

My favorite projects? A scanner compost box, power-strip bird feeder, laptop digital photo frame, and "Mouseracas"--maracas made from old mice. This book truly has something for everyone feeling overwhelmed by the ever-growing pile of outdated computer stuff that we all seem to be accumulating nowadays.

Hope to see ya around the library, especially if you bring your re-purposed cell phone flashlight to show us!