ASK!

ASK! about Anything & Everything

A book may be defined . . . as a written (or printed) message of considerable length, meant for public circulation and recorded on materials that are light yet durable enough to afford comparatively easy portability. Its primary purpose is to announce, expound, preserve, and transmit knowledge and information between people, depending on the twin faculties of portability and permanence. Books have attended the preservation and dissemination of knowledge in every literate society.

Therefore, in order to “make” a book, its contents first have to be written. Thereafter, it has to be published so that the written contents can be made known to others. Depending on circumstances, other steps such as editing and translating of contents may be included in the book-making process.

If you are interested in writing and publishing your own book, there are several resources available online and at our libraries that can help you get started.

[i] Singapore Writers Centre
.
This is a valuable resource website for any aspiring writer in Singapore. Here you can find links to writing-related events and activities. You can also find other useful tools like a Writers Kit and links and contacts to book dealers and publishers for your publication needs.

Website last accessed on 19 Nov 2007.

Books you might be interested to refer to:

Title: Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell your own Book
Author: Dan Poynter
Call No.: 070.593 POY

Title: How to Write a Children’s Book and Get it Published
Author: Barbara Seulin
Call No.: 808.068 SEU

Title: Writing a Children’s Book: How to Write for Children and Get Published
Author: Pamela Cleaver
Call No.: 808.068 CLE

Title: The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 days
Author: Fern Reiss
Call No.: 070.593 REI

You may check the availabilities of these titles online at: http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg

Answered by Mr Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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ASK! about Health & Fitness

There are many different types and branches of yoga with some of them very rarely practised nowadays.

There are four paths of Yoga: 1) Jnana, the path of knowledge or wisdom; 2) Bhakti, the path of devotion; 3) Karma, the path of action; and 4) Raja, the path of self control. Hatha Yoga, which includes postures and breathing, and is the form most popular in the West, is actually part of Raja Yoga, the path of self control. The path most followed in India is thought to be Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion. Within Hatha Yoga there are many styles, such as Iyengar, Astanga, Integral, Kripalu and Jiva Mukti, to name a few. These Yogas all share a common lineage back to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a text outlining the basic philosophy and practices of Classical Yoga. It was written sometime between the second century B.C. and the first century A.D. (www.yogasite.com)

Some book recommendations about Yoga:

1) The way of Yoga – Cheryl Isaacson
Call no.: 613.7046 ISA -[HEA]
2) The Yoga minibook for stress relief: a specialized program for a calmer, relaxed you – Elaine Gavalas
Call no.: 155.9042 GAV -[HEA]
3) Practical Yoga: restoring the body, mind and spirit – Shakuntala Zakheim & Kaitlin McComb
Call no.: 613.7046 ZAK -[HEA]

Website recommendations:
1. Styles and Types of Yoga
main page: http://yoga.org.nz
http://yoga.org.nz/what-is-yoga/
yoga_styles.htm
last accessed: 27th Oct 2007

2. Types of yoga styles
main page: http://yoga.about.com
http://yoga.about.com/od/typesofyoga/
Types_of_Yoga.htm
last accessed: 27th Oct 2007

3.) Yoga Styles Guide
main page: http://www.yogasite.com
http://www.yogasite.com/yogastyles.html
© 2004 Yoga Site Inc.
last accessed: 27th Oct 2007

Answered by Ms Joycelyn Tay, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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Kids ASK! about Science & Technology

“April 12 was already a huge day in space history twenty years before the launch of the first shuttle mission. On that day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.”

Source : ” Yuri Gagarin: First Man in Space” on NASA. (Article is found at: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/
shuttle/sts1/gagarin_anniversary.html)

If you want to find out more information on the topic, you may refer to the following books:

The first man in space by David Cullen
Publisher : Tunbridge Wells : Ticktock Media, 2003
Call No. : J English 629.450092 CUL

Space exploration by Clive Gifford
Publisher : London : Franklin Watts, 2005
Call No. : J English 629.4 GIF

Yuri Gagarin : the first man in space by Heather Feldman
Publisher : New York : PowerKids Press, c2003
Call No. : J English 629.450092 FEL

All websites are last accessed on 24 Dec 2007. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered by Ms Azizah Osman, Librarian, Children’s Services

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Kids ASK! about Environment

[ASK! Editor speaks]
To conserve the Earth’s resources and save our planet from further damage from pollution, countries all over the world are embarking on energy conservation efforts and recycling. In Singapore, Recycling Day 2007 was held on 24 Nov 2007. To read more about it, please visit the article “RECYCLING DAY 2007″ on the National Environment Agency website. (The article can be found at app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=2984.)

And here are some books on recycling that our librarians would like to recommend to you:

You can save the planet by Jacquie Wines
Publisher : London : Buster Books, 2007
Call No. : J English 333.7 WIN

A sustainable future : saving & recycling resources by Louise Spilsbury
Publisher : Oxford : Raintree, 2006
Call No. : J English 338.9 SPI

The recycling centre by Sue Barraclough
Publisher : London : Franklin Watts, 2006
Call No. : J English 363.72 BAR

To find more books on recycling, please look for books under the call number J 363.72 in the Children’s Section.

All websites are last accessed on 21 Dec 2007. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Originally answered by Ms Adeline Tan, Librarian, Children’s Services

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ASK! about Fiction

Do fairy tales always end with “happily ever after..”?
Check these out for some creative perspectives and surprises!

(1) Title: The unfairest of them all
Author: Granowsky, Alvin, 1936-
Call no.: J English 398.2 GRA -[FOL]
Summary: After reading the classic tale of the beautiful princess who takes refuge from her wicked, jealous stepmother in the cottage of seven dwarfs, the reader is invited to turn the book upside down and read an updated version told from the point of view of the stepmother.

(2) Title The three little wolves and the big bad pig
Author Trivizas, Eugenios.
Call no.: J English 398.2 TRI -[FOL]
Summary: An altered retelling of the traditional tale about the conflict between pig and wolf–with a surprise ending.

(3) Title The frog prince, continued
Author Scieszka, Jon.
Call no.: J English 398.2 SCI -[FOL]
Summary After the frog turns into a prince, he and the Princess do not live happily ever after and the Prince decides to look for a witch to help him remedy the situation.

Source:
Title: The big book of teen reading lists : 100 great, ready-to-use book lists
for educators, librarians, parents, and teens.
Author: Keane, Nancy J.
Publisher: Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, c2006.
Call no.: R English 028.55 KEA -[LIB]

Answered by Ms HENG HUEY BIN, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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ASK! about Fiction

Mythology conveys enduring messages that fascinate us beyond the limitations we perceive. Here’s some recommended titles as an invitation to be charmed over and over again by the heroes/heroines of the past :-

1) Title: Nobody’s princess
Author: Esther Friesner
Call number: Y English FRI
Summary: Determined to fend for herself in a world where only men have real freedom, headstrong Helen, who will be called queen of Sparta and Helen of Troy one day, learns to fight, hunt, and ride horses while disguised as a boy, and goes on an adventure throughout the Mediterranean world.

2) Title: song : the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice
Author: Michael Cadnum
Call number: Y English CAD
Summary: Expands on the myth of Orpheus, a young poet and musician who undertakes a terrifying journey to ask the rulers of the Underworld to return the princess Euridice, his beloved bride, after she is killed by a venomous serpent.

3) Title: Ithaka
Author: Adèle Geras.
Call number: Y English GER
Summary: The island of Ithaka is overrun with uncouth suitors demanding that Penelope choose a new husband, as she patiently awaits the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War.

4) Title: Psyche in a dress
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Call number: Y English BLO
Summary: A young woman, Psyche, searches for her lost love and questions her true self in a modern retelling of Greek myths.

5) Title: The great god Pan
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Call number: Y English NAP
Summary: A retelling of the Greek myths about Pan, both goat and god, whose reed flute frolicking leads him to a meeting with Iphigenia, a human raised as the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra.

6) Title: The talisman
Author: Lynne Ewing
Call number: Y English EWI
Summary: As Maggie reflects on the difficulty she will have with her final duty as mentor to the daughters of Moon Goddess Selene, she recalls her first battles with the evil Atrox, two thousand years earlier when she was a youth in Athens.

7) Title: Aphrodite’s blessings : love stories from the Greek myths
Author: Clemence McLaren
Call number: Y English MAC
Summary: Atalanta, Andromeda, and Psyche, three female characters in Greek mythology, tell the stories of their marriages. Includes information on love and marriage in ancient Greece.

8) Title: Lost in the labyrinth: a novel
Author: Patrice Kindl
Call number: Y English KIN
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Princess Xenodice tries to prevent the death of her half-brother, the Minotaur, at the hands of the Athenian prince, Theseus, who is aided by Icarus, Daedalus, and her sister Ariadne.

You may check the availabilities of these titles online at: http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg

Answered by Ms NORAH Binte Ismail, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

It’s about 10 days to Christmas and while we do not get snow, we sure get more than enough rain to make the idea of snuggling by a fireplace extremely appealing. Christmas is one of my favourite seasons because there is something magical about it, with tinsel and lights and people buying presents for one another, you can actually smell the Christmas spirit in the air. If there is one time in the year where you can smell happiness, December would be it. Just breathe… Can you smell it?

Of course when one thinks magic, one thinks of fairytales, castles, dragons and princesses… just look around at the Christmas theme in shopping malls. If it is not a fairytale Christmas, it is a princess Christmas. So I thought why not poll for ASK enquiries related to fairytales and I got one such interesting one.

So… why does the cat in “Puss in Boots” (I assume the pussy cat in question is Puss in Boots) wear boots instead of roller skates or any other shoe for that matter?

First things first, this story comes from a fairytale written by Charles Perrault hundreds of years ago, 1697 to be exact. However, the trickster cat story is fairly common even before Charles Perrault wrote his story of the trickster cat who wore boots.

The cat is like a human being in the story, behaves and talks like one and therefore it wears human clothes. The boots thing is probably historical more than anything else. They did not have roller skates at the time when the story was written. Boots were the common thing to wear during those days in Europe, the same way you and I would wear our sports shoes. Boots were hardy and durable and good for journeys. Therefore, it was a natural choice for Puss to choose boots as his traveling shoe.

If the story of the trickster cat was written now, the cat could very well be wearing other types of shoes and not just boots and there have been modern stories with Puss wearing other shoes like cowboy boots. You can always read some of the books below to find out.

Heiner, H. A. (2000 Oct). History of Puss in Boots. Retrieved December 14, 2007, from SurLaLune Fairy Tales Web site: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/
pussboots/history.html

A random selection of “Puss in Boots”-type stories

Puss in Cowboy Boots by Jan Huling
Publisher: New York : Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, c2002
Call Number: J English 398.2 HUL -[FOL]

Cinderella, Puss in Boots, and Other Favorite Tales as told by Charles Perrault
Publisher: New York : Abrams, 2000
Call Number: J English 398.2 PER -[FOL]

The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales by Malachy Doyle
Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Barefoot Books, 2005
Call Number: J English DOY

Fairy Tales from Eastern Europe by Neil Philip
Publisher: New York : Clarion Books, c1991
Call Number: J English 398.2 PHI -[FOL]

All websites are last accessed on 14 December 2007. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

By Ms Felicia Chan, Librarian, Children’s Services

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[ASK! Editor speaks]

The Christmas season is upon us all and it’s certainly a time for merry-making and spending the holidays with family, friends and loved ones. Exchanging gifts, singing carols and kissing under the misletoe – these are all things commonly associated with Christmas. But, have you ever wondered how the date, December 25, was chosen for Christmas?

“The precise origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus is unclear. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Jesus’ birth, Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son.”

Source: Christmas. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://library.eb.com/eb/article-9082431

In the spirit of giving, here are some books that you may like to pick up on Christmas.

Information on Christmas:

It’s Christmas by Tina Burke
Publisher : La Jolla, Calif. : Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2007, 2006
Summary: Reading “It’s Christmas” is a great way to get young children motivated to take part in making the magic that is Christmas. Each page pictures an activity you and your child can do together, from baking cookies to decorating the Christmas tree. For such a simple toddler’s picture book, the ideas and excitement that come from it are endless.
Call No. : J P 394.2663 BUR

Christmas : season of peace and joy by Dori Hillestad Butler
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, 2007
Summary: Describes the history and meaning of Christmas and how it is celebrated today.
Call No.: J P 394.2663 BUT

Christmas by Trudi Strain Trueit
Publisher : New York : Children’s Press, 2007
Summary: Color photographs and simple text introduces readers to the traditions and festivities of Christmas.
Call No. : J P 394.2663 TRU

The night before Christmas by Clement C. Moore ; illustrated by Ted Rand
Publisher: New York ; London : North-South Books, 2004
Summary: The cherished classic is brilliantly illustrated in full-color, capturing all the magical enchantment and joyful good cheer of Saint Nick’s annual visit. A timeless Christmas tradition for children of all ages.
Call No.: J P 811 MOO

Horrible Christmas by Terry Deary ; illustrated by Martin Brown
Publisher : London : Scholastic, 2000
Call No. : J 394.2663 DEA

Stories about Christmas:

I’ve seen Santa! by David Bedford ; illustrated by Tim Warnes
Publisher: London : Little Tiger Press, 2007
Summary: It’s Christmas Eve and Little Bear can’t wait to see Santa! “Santa will come just as soon as you go to sleep,” Mommy Bear says. But Little Bear doesn’t want to go to sleep. He wants to see Santa! Suddenly. . . glug, glug, glug, glug! What’s that noise? Someone is downstairs! Will Little Bear really get to see Santa? Expertly capturing all of a child’s anticipation and excitement on Christmas Eve night, David Bedford’s cozy family tale is a joyful read-aloud for the holiday season.
Call No.: J P BED

Santa knows by Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith ; illustrated by Steve Björkman
Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Dutton Children’s Books, 2006
Summary: Armed with the facts, young Alfie sets out to prove to the world that Santa Claus does not exist but no one pays attention, especially his sister Noelle, whose only request of the man in red is a nicer big brother.
Call No.: J P SMI

Peiling and the chicken-fried Christmas by Pauline Chen
Publisher: New York : Bloomsbury Children’s Books : Holtzbrinck Publishers, 2007
Summary: Fifth-grader Peiling Wang wants to celebrate “a real American Christmas,” much to the displeasure of her traditional, Taiwanese-born father.
Call No.: J CHE

When Santa fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke
Publisher: New York : Chicken House/Scholastic, 2006
Summary: When he and his caravan come crashing down to earth during a thunderstorm two weeks before Christmas, Santa is befriended by two children, Charlotte and Ben, who try to help him save the holiday from the tricks and moneymaking schemes of Gerold Geronimus Goblynch and to take off in time for his annual rounds.
Call No.: J FUN

You may also visit these online website for more information about the history of Christmas:

1) http://www.history.com/minisites/christmas/ – “Each year, during the month of December, millions of homes across America are decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights. But how much do you really know about this festive holiday? Explore our site to find out the true history!”

Source: The History of Christmas. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from History.Com Web site: http://www.history.com/minisites/christmas/

2) http://www.allthingschristmas.com/
traditions.html – “When was the first Christmas card sent? Why do we kiss under the mistletoe? Learn the origins of Christmas and fun facts about some of our favorite christmas traditions and symbols.”

Source: Christmas Traditions. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from All Things Christmas Web site: http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html

All websites were last accessed on 8 Dec 2007. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.
All book summaries are taken from book descriptions, www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.
All images are extracted from www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Posted by Ms Elizabeth Lee, Librarian, Children’s Services

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ASK about Events and Outreach

Librarians, Roy, , Joycelyn, Cheng Soon, Peck Keong and Mei Jun participated in the Disability Awareness Public Education (DAPE) 2007 fair at Sengkang Community Centre on 2 Dec 07. The cheerful lady borrowing a book in the photo above is from Bizlink, one of the organisations at the fair.

DAPE was launched in 2006 with the aim of promoting the employment of individuals with special needs. The event on Sunday started off with a Thematic Walk. Though it was a really hot day, the walkers were undeterred by the sun, and arrived at the exhibition tent (where booths like ours were set up) boisterous and sweaty after the work out. Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean also took part in the walk and visited our booth.

What does NLB have to do with this fair? We are the middle man of information. The library is after all a treasure trove of information. We brought down books related to the employment and engagement of handicapped people which people can borrow and read. If you are interested in reading about the subject, below are some inspiring stories about these ‘extraordinary’ people:

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
Call No.: Y English HAD
About a teenage with Asperger’s Syndrome who tries to solve the murder of a dog, and discovers strength in himself along the way. An award-winning book. Haddon himself has ever worked with Asperger children, which is perhaps why he is able to relate the story in such realistic light.

Reflections of a peacemaker: A portrait through heartsongs by Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Call no.: 811.54 STE
A moving collection of poetry by a child called Mattie since he was three. Mattie has been afflicted with a life-threatening muscular disease since birth, and has passed away in 2004. Before his death, Mattie asked his mother if he had ‘done enough’ in his life to contribute to hope and peace for the future. His optimism and motivation lives on in his Heartsongs, poetry he penned to express his life experiences, poetry he wrote as a gift to inspire others.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Call no.: Y English SPY
A classic about a swiss orphan leaves her grandfather and home to care for a wheelchair-bound girl in the mountains of Frankfurt, Germany.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Call No.: J English BUR / Y English BUR
A classic about an orphan child who meets a boy who thinks that he is destined to be a useless cripple.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun, Adult & Young People Services

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ASK! about Anything & Everything

Once, at Tampines Regional Library, a gentleman commented how common it is that Singaporeans mispronounce common English terms, such as the alphabet “W”. Instead of “double-u”, it is “da-beu”. Thus, I took notice of this enquiry here, “Why is “W” pronounced as “double-u” instead of “double-v”?”.

How the word/sound of “W” came about:
“After the Norman invasion of Britain in the 11th Century, the Anglo-Saxon language was written down using Roman letters. There was no letter for the w sound of Anglo-Saxon, which didn’t exist in Latin. At first, they used the Runic wen which looks like a narrow triangular p, but it was too easy to mix up with an actual p, so they started to write it using a double u, hence the name ‘double u’. At that time, there was only one letter for both the vowel sound u and consonant sound v, and it looked like a V, so W looks like two V’s. The W was placed in the alphabet beside the V to which it was related.”

“English uses the Latin alphabet of the Romans. However, this had no letter suitable for representing the phoneme /w/ which was used in Old English, though phonetically the sound represented by /v/ was quite close. In the 7th century scribes wrote uu for /w/; later they used the runic symbols known as wynn. European scribes had continued to write uu, and this usage returned to England with the Norman Conquest in 1066. Early printers sometimes used vv for lack of a w in their type. The name double-u recalls the former identity of u and v, which is also evident in a number of cognate words (flour/flower, guard/ward, suede/Swede, etc.).”

Source:
1. BBC, The Development of the Western Alphabet, www.bbc.co.uk/home/d/, retrieved: 4 Dec 07, URL: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2451890>
2. Ask Oxford.com, www.askoxford.com, retrieved: 4 Dec 07, URL: www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/
aboutenglish/doubleu

Below are some books related to history or origins of languages and writing you might be interested in:
1) Title: The alphabet : unraveling the mystery of the alphabet from A to Z by David Sacks
Call no: 421.109 SAC

2) Title: Alpha beta : how our alphabet shaped the western world by John Man
Call no: 411.09 MAN

3) Title: The beginning of writing by Lois Warburton
Call no: Y 652.1 WAR

Answered by Ms Ng Hui Hong, Librarian, Adult & Young People Services

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