Toy Story 3 – Available on PS3/Xbox360/Wii

As Andy prepares to leave for college, his loyal toys find they have been donated to the Sunnyside Daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it’s all for one and one for all as they join Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants, and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear to plan their great escape and ensure that no toy gets left behind.  Help Woody, Buzz and the rest of the Toy Story characters ensure that no toy gets left behind. Choose between Story Mode and Toy Box Mode.

Brave – Available on PS3/Xbox360/Wii

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands. Brave tells one such tale, one of the courageous Merida, who confronted tradition and challenged destiny to change her fate. Inspired by the Disney/Pixar animated fantasy movie, Brave invites players to run, jump and battle their way through the rugged landscape of mythical and mysterious Scotland. By using wits and bravery, players are able to wield a sword and bow to defeat fierce enemies, break a magical curse and save a kingdom.

Rango – Available on PS3/Xbox360/Wii

Rango, kooky pet chameleon, accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt, a lawless outpost populated by the desert’s most wily and whimsical creatures. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt, until he starts to become the hero he once only pretended to be.

In the Children’s area at the Library we have a World Languages section you might have missed. This is not the language learning area, but contains books in non-English languages. I counted 27 languages, alphabetically, from Arabic to Vietnamese, including Braille! Some are only represented by 1 or 2 books, others by hundreds. A number are bilingual, meaning that they are in English and another language, so a learner or speaker of either can enjoy the story while being introduced to the look and (maybe) sound of the other language.

Children are fascinated by different alphabets. Enjoy a book in Hindi and see the lovely flow of the script. Look at a Harry Potter book in Chinese and marvel at what the human brain can learn.

Read a bilingual book in Hopi or Navajo, get out the map and point out the southwest United States, talk about Haskell Indian Nations University right here in our town. How’s your Spanish? We have everything from Good Night Moon  to Diary of a Wimpy Kid , to Eragon.

Check out this list of children’s books in many languages!  The languages are arranged alphabetically.

Portal 2 – XBox 360 (Also Available on PS3)
It’s difficult to describe and classify the exact genre of Portal 2.  It’s best described as a first person shooting puzzle platformer.  A player must use creative manipulation of portals that can be shot on the walls, floors, and ceilings to make it through obstacle filled rooms.  Portal 2 has received nearly universal critical acclaim for its unique play experience, and it’s a game that needs trying out to fully understand and appreciate.

Angry Birds Trilogy – Playstation 3
The popular phone-app makes its way to the console and your television!  Known for its simple but addictive gameplay, a player must control the flock of angry birds to rescue the eggs from the thieving pigs  Game contains the first three titles in the angry birds series:  Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio.

Playstation 3 – MLB 12 – The Show
So real, it’s unreal. Take your player from the Minors to the Majors in an improved Road to the Show mode.  The first Show in the series to be fully compatible with the Playstation Move!

XBox 360 – Major League Baseball 2k12
For the first time ever, play along with the real-life MLB season as it unfolds over a six month period. Just as in real life, opposing pitchers and hitters will learn your tendencies from one at-bat to the next, challenging you to mix up your approach on both sides of the plate as each game unfolds. A revamped throwing system presents a classic risk vs. reward situation, as you choose to queue up throws before fielding the ball to save time, or take a moment to set your feet for better accuracy. All-new player types let you decide your path to the Majors, as goals, expectations, ratings and progression are all customized by position and player type.

Nintendo Wii – Mario Super Sluggers
Join Mario and his friends in a baseball game with Wii controls. Use a pitching motion to toss the ball and swing the remote to smack a home run. Challenge up to 3 friends, control over 40 playable characters, explore Baseball Kingdom, and recruit new teammates.

When I was growing up I drew almost constantly.  Peanuts comics and Mad Magazine were always close at hand and I never went anywhere without paper, pencil, and eraser.  The walls of my room were covered with drawings.  I spent hours going through comic books, carefully copying (not tracing) my favorite characters and creating my own stories.  Eventually, I sought out ways to improve my skills by poring over the few “how to draw” books available to me at the time.  Fortunately, the non-fiction section of the Children’s Area at the Lawrence Library offers a much larger selection of “how to draw” and related books.

These popular books (j 741.2 in the children’s non-fiction collection) teach the materials, concepts, techniques, and good habits needed to achieve a professional look and personal style.  In Drawing: the only drawing book you’ll ever need to be the artist you’ve always wanted to be by Kathryn Temple one can learn about light and shadow, perspective, proportion and scale, as well as many tips and tricks that can help take one’s art to the next level.  Many books such as Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station , provide step-by-step illustrations showing the evolution of a drawing from a simple gestural sketch to the finished product.

Other books like How to Draw Superheroes  by Jim Hansen and John Burns and How to Draw Pokemon by Tracy West focus on specific styles or characters popular today. Nearby the ‘How to draw” books one will find general interest books on art and the works of popular cartoonists like Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate), Jim Davis (Garfield), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and Charles Schultz  (Peanuts).  And don’t forget our Graphic Novel (j GN)  section near the children’s computers where hundreds of characters from Babymouse to Zeus are waiting to inspire you.