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True Stories

Boardwalk Babies

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Boardwalk Babies, Written by Marissa Moss, illustrated by April Chu
Format: Book
Who its For: Kids

In years past, fairs had unusual sideshows to see. Bearded ladies, fire eaters, 3 legged men were common. But tiny BABIES??

Long ago hospitals thought premature babies, born early and too small, weren’t worth caring for. Then Dr. Budin in Paris invented an incubator to keep babies warm and help them grow. The hospitals were still not interested; how could he show them that “miracle machines” could save babies’ lives? He sent a young doctor, Martin Couney, to show the incubators at a large fair, but no one cared about empty boxes. Martin needed actual babies to show what the incubators could do. He begged a local hospital to let him care for some of their babies. The idea of putting infants in a display sounded wrong, but since the hospital couldn’t help them anyway, they agreed to let Martin and his nurses care for six tiny babies. He took them to the fair, placed them in the incubators, and opened his “exhibit”. It was a huge success! Crowds lined up to see the babies, watching them grow week after week. Best of all, every single one survived! Martin took his incubators to fairs all around the world, and in 1903 finally stopped at Coney Island Amusement Park in New York where he continued his “mini-hospital” exhibition. Preemies of every race, nationality and religion had excellent care around the clock from skilled nurses and doctors. Ticket sales covered every cost- families didn’t pay a penny!  For 40 years the “Baby Incubator” exhibit continued to save babies (even Martin’s own daughter Hildegard) until 1943, when hospitals finally began using incubators regularly.

Martin Couney’s dedication and love saved approximately 6500 children and encouraged hospitals to use incubators to save millions more! Your history and biography-minded littles (and their grownups!) will enjoy this unusual, true story of an innovative man who did everything he could to save premature babies.

Find Boardwalk Babies in the catalog

 

 

Seeds of Change

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Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace Written by Jean Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler
Format: Book
Who It’s For: Kids

Wangari Maathai was born in Kenya, to the Kikuyu people who loved and respected nature and taught little Wangari to do the same. Girls weren’t educated in her culture but she learned from nature and from her brother who went to school. When her parents saw how smart and curious she was, they finally sent Wangari to school too! A hard worker, she did well in her studies, even when she had to go away from home for school. At college in far-away America, she learned about science, and also learned that women could do anything! But her home and her people were always in her heart, so Wangari went back to Kenya, taking this freedom and knowledge to all Kenyan women. When she returned, she discovered the government was selling Kenya’s land to big companies who cut down many trees for lumber or coffee plantations. This destroyed the land, and dried out the rivers so crops wouldn’t grow. Her people were hungry.  What could she do? “Harambee (all pull together)!” she said to the women of Kenya. ” Together, let’s plant new trees, and make a change here!” And they did plant trees, millions of them! Throughout her life the unstoppable Wangari worked hard despite those who disagreed with her and traveled all over the world planting her “seeds of change”, showing people everywhere how to work together in caring for the Earth and all who live there. I also loved the colorful illustrations by Sonya Sadler!

Wangari Maathai is one of my heroes of the environmental movement. After reading Seeds of Change, you may just feel the same!

Find Seeds of Change in the catalog

Railway Jack

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Railway Jack: the True Story of an Amazing Baboon by KT Johnston, illustrated by Cesar Samaneigo
Format: Book
Who It’s For:  Kids

Railway Jack is the true story of South African Railway employee Jim Wide and the baboon who became first his service animal, then his best friend.

Long, long ago Jim Wide worked as a railway inspector for South African Railroad, but after he lost his legs in an accident, he couldn’t do that job anymore. Jim got a new job as a railroad signalman, the person pulling the levers that switch trains to the right tracks for their journeys. He made a cart to sit on which helped him get to work and inspect the switches, and with his new wooden legs he could stand and walk a bit. But Jim struggled to do some tasks by himself, both at home and at the station. He needed help, but what could he do?  He bought a baboon of course, a very intelligent baboon named Jack! Jack learned fast and worked hard, quickly mastering water-pumping, taking out trash and sweeping floors. He pushed Jim’s cart to the station morning and evening, jumping on the back for a ride down the hill!  Amazingly, Jack even began to recognize train signals and learned which lever to pull to switch the trains. However, one day a passenger was horrified to see a “monkey” pulling levers at the station and reported them to the railroad. The railway sent a man to investigate, who tested Jack carefully. Would he pass? Would Jim and Jack get to keep their jobs or be fired? Find out when you read Railway Jack: The True Story of an Amazing Baboon.

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Born a Crime

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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Format: Book and Audio Book on CD
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens (Young Readers version also available)

What is it like for your very existence to be against the law?  Although it might sound like a plot from a dystopian novel, this is the real life story of Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Trevor Noah’s crime at birth was that he had a black mother and white father at a time when the laws of South Africa made this a severely punishable offense.
Noah gives a frank, sometimes serious, sometimes funny account of growing up as a mixed race child in a racially stratified and oppressive society. We see through this collection of short stories all the particular challenges he had to face but we can also relate to those things that we all have in common growing up. Noah also takes the opportunity to explain the history of Apartheid laws and the underlying causes of racial unrest but does so in an engaging way that flows along with his entertaining stories.
The first story ends with his mom throwing him out of a moving bus when he was nine years old.  Don’t worry, it was really just to save his life and he obviously lived to tell about it! Check out this great collection of stories from a South African childhood.
This autobiography is now also available in a Young Readers adaptation which is essentially the same book but eliminates the occasional profanity found in the adult version. You can also choose the audio book format (available on CD) where you will be treated to Trevor Noah reading the stories to you himself!
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What the Eyes Don’t See A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City

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What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City
By Mona Hanna-Attisha
Who it’s for:  Adults

In 2014, the water source for residents living in the city of Flint, Michigan was switched from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River, which was considered less costly.  Residents were immediately concerned that the water smelled and tasted bad, and looked dirty, but public officials continued to say that the water was fine.  In August of 2015, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and professor at Hurley Medical Center in Flint was informed by a friend that the residents’ concerns were well founded.  Not only was the water dirty, it also contained very high levels of lead.  Concerned about her young Flint patients, Dr.  Mona (as she likes to be called) immediately sought out test data which would reveal whether high levels of lead were actually present in the blood tests of these children.

In What the Eyes Don’t See, Dr. Mona gives her own account of the crisis.  Armed with data that confirmed high levels of lead were present in the blood of Flint children, Dr. Mona stopped at nothing to get local government to switch the water source and save Flint’s children from the devastating, life-long effects of lead poisoning.  She shares stories of her heritage, her belief in activism, her work at Hurley Medical Center, and the small team of supporters who helped her initiate this change.       Find it in our catalog.

What the Eyes Don’t See has been chosen as the 2019 One Maryland One Book.  Take some time to read this gripping story as it is shared through discussion and programming throughout the state of Maryland this fall.  Register to join us at the Leonardtown Library for the Director’s Book Club on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 12:15 p.m..  St. Mary’s County Library Director, Michael Blackwell, will host a book discussion of this book.

Fighting with My Family

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Fighting with My Family
Format: DVD
Rating: PG-13

If you love to watch WWE, you are going to love this movie! “Fighting with My Family” revolves around Paige growing up in a tight-knit wrestling family. Paige and her brother Zak are given one ultimate shot to try out for WWE. Paige is the only one who earns a spot in the WWE training program. This movie is based on the true story of determination that leads Paige down the path that makes her a star.  This movie also stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and cameos many other WWE stars. You don’t have to be familiar with WWE wrestling to be able to understand this movie. Anyone who has fought hard for something will definitely relate to “Fighting with My Family” .

Find it in the catalog.