Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

I was in Hong Kong last week and I visited the four giant pandas – AnAn, JiaJia, YingYing and LeLe at the Ocean Park. This was the first time that I had such a close encounter with these giant creatures. These “national treasures” of China attracted a lot of attention from the visitors. My friend, who called herself “Auntie Panda”, spent one hour observing and taking photographs of these four adorable pandas. We also learnt that the pandas spend at least 10 hours eating and they take naps in between their meals everyday.

 
“Shhhh….YingYing and LeLe are taking a nap.”

Watch the giant pandas in action through the live web cams at the Ocean Park: www.now.com.hk/panda/

Unfortunately, some giant pandas in the Wolong Nature Reserve, one of the key panda reserves, were not so fortunate. The reserve is situated in Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu, and not far from the epicentre of the earthquake on May 12. Although the pandas narrowly escaped death, they lost most of their homes and suffered serious shortage of food for days. Fortunately, food supplies for the pandas had reached the reserve since then and some of the cubs were taken to the Beijing Zoo due to safety reasons.

Find out more about the giant pandas:
- Giant Panda Profile: animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda.html
- Giant Pandas: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/
- Giant Pandas: www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/
species/herbivores/giant_panda/index.cfm
- Pandas recovering from quake trauma: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/27/content_8264653.htm
- Pandas ‘safe’ at park after quake: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7397935.stm

Books for thoughts:

Tracks of a panda by Nick Dowson
Publisher: London : Walker, 2007.
Call No.: JP 599.789 DOW

Giant pandas by Michelle Levine
Publisher: Minneapolis, Minn. : Lerner Publications Co., c2006
Call No.: JP 599.789 LEV

Giant pandas by Jill Anderson
Publisher: Minnetonka, Minn. : Northword, 2006.
Call No.: JP 599.789 AND

Endangered pandas by John Crossingham & Bobbie Kalman
Publisher: New York, NY : Crabtree Pub. Co., c2005.
Call No.: J 599.789 CRO

You can check the availability of the above titles through our online catalogue.

All websites are last accessed on 28 May 2008. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use. 
All images were extracted from www.bn.com.

Posted by Ms Adeline Tan
Librarian
Children’s Services

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

ASK! about Anything & Everything

Here are some useful resources for those who are keen to pick up French!

Multimedia items:

1. French [interactive multimedia]/ Pro One software

Call no.: 448.242 FRE V.1

2. Everyday French [interactive multimedia]/ Laser Publishing Group

Call no.: 448.342 EVE

3.  I can speak French [ electronic resource]

Call no.: 448.242 I

French phrasebooks:

1. Countdown to French: learn to communicate in 24 hours/ Gail Stein

Call no.: 448.242 STE

2.  30 days to great French/ Jenny Barriol

Call no.: 448.242 BAR

3. French phrase book and dictionary

Call no.: 448.342 FRE

 To check availability of titles, please use our online catalogue.

Originally answered by Ms Farah Adillah, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

 Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

In recent times, the price of petrol has been going anywhere except down. If you are a driver and/or motorcyclist especially, you would have felt the pinch definately. For the driver, what used to be a $60 full-tank top-up in early last year may instead cost your wallet now $80 perhaps.

From the papers reported, the upward spiral in the petrol costs seemed to be attributed to a couple of reasons: Impending United States recession (question-mark), weakening of the greenback currency, speculative trading that pushes up the costs of the petrol, reluctance of the oil-rich countries to release their oil output, fast developing countries consuming more petrol increasingly etc.

** To retrieve past newspaper articles on the related topic, you can access the electronic database “Factiva” at terminals in NLB Library branches or also remotely from home. (Select the header “eResources” and the option “eDatabases” from NLB’s homepage)

In view of such difficult times for the average motorist, one must learn to how to stretch that dollar of petrol pumped into our vehicles as much as possible. Some good fuel-saving tips can be found at OneMotoring Singapore website and Automobile Association of Singapore website.

Recently, I came across a good website PetrolWatch Singapore. Not only this website provides a real time up-to-date information on the petrol costs by the various petrol companies in Singapore, it also has a blog as well as a forum for vehicle and petrol-related discussion for Singaporeans. Most useful indeed!!

** All websites were last accessed on 26 May 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.

Anyway let’s keep our fingers crossed and just hope for the best soon!! I would shudder at the thought of paying for a litre of petrol at the cost of my favourite bowl of Yong Tau Hu though…

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by
Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult and Young People’s Services

ASK! about Family and Parenting 

When do you celebrate Mother’s Day? It was done on 11 May in Singapore this year, but if you know the ‘politically correct’ answer (of course you do), we should celebrate our Mother’s love everyday (like Valentine’s Day). Here are some little known facts about mothers and Mother’s Day:

How did Mother’s Day begin?
In the United States, the first known suggestion for Mother’s Day was made by Julia Ward Howe in 1872.

Nation-wide observance of Mother’s Day started with Anna Jarvis in 1907. She promoted celebration of the second Sunday of May for mothers, and churches in several areas soon followed suit thereafter. Anna Jarvis is recognised as the originator of Mother’s Day.

On 9 May 1914, the day was given official recognition by President Woodrow Wilson.

Flowers for Mother’s Day
Anna Jarvis wore a white carnation during her mother’s memorial service on 12 May 1907; thus started the association of carnations with Mother’s Day. White carnations signify that one’s mother has deceased. Coloured carnations mean that the bearer’s mother is still living.

When is Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day is celebrated in USA , Australia, and Canada on the second Sunday of May.  In UK, it is called Mothering Day and falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

What does M-O-T-H-E-R mean?

A 1915 tune by Theodore Morse and Howard Johnson explained “mother” in their first verse as:

M “is for the million things she gave me”
O “means only that she’s growing old”
T “is for the tears were shed to save me”
H “is for her heart of purest gold”
E “is for her eyes, with love-light shining”
R “means right, and right she’ll always be”

Reference:
- World book encyclopedia v20, Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corp., 1917-
- “Mother’s Day”, Encyclopaedia Brittanica’s Guide to Women’s History, http://search.eb.com/women, 21 May 08, http://search.eb.com/women/article-9389227
- The new Penguin encyclopedia, London : Penguin Books, 2002.
- Newman, S. and Fittipaldi, H., 15,003 answers: the ultimate trivia encyclopedia, New York: Random House Reference, c2007.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

Editor Writes: The Rubik’s Cube is seeing a sudden resurgence. I see people playing with it in the train, at the library and it is no surprise to see people keeping one in their bag for entertainment. I have only been able to solve one side – I know there is a formula but a part of me feels that it amounts to cheating. Where is the fun in solving it if you are told exactly how to but then again, that is me and my way of looking at it. There are formulas available online if you are interested.

Erno Rubik was born in Budapest, Hungary. He was an architect, designer and university professor. Erno Rubik invented the Cube in the spring of 1974 in his hometown. He wanted a working model to help explain three-dimensional geometry and ended up creating the world’s best selling toy.

Rubik called his invention the ‘Magic Cube’. It was renamed the Rubik’s Cube by the Ideal Toy Corporation in 1980.

Source:
Rubik’s World. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from Rubik’s Official Online Site Web site: http://www.rubiks.com/World.aspx

If you want to read more about puzzles, here are books that you can check out at our library.

For Children:

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

Mind-stretching math puzzles by Derrick Niederman
Publisher: New York : Sterling, c2005
Call Number: J English 793.7 NIE

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

Sherlock Holmes’ mini-mysteries by Tom Bullimore
Publisher: New York : Sterling Pub. Co., c2005
Call Number: J English 793.73 BUL

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

Brain-tingling mazes: maze madness by Patrick Merrell
Publisher: New York : Sterling Pub. Co., 2005
Call Number: J English 793.73 MER

All websites are last accessed on 20 May 2008. 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.

Originally Answered by Koh Chee Boon,
Librarian, Children’s Services

Posted by Felicia Chan
Librarian, Children’s Services

Kids ASK! about Cookery

Editor Writes: I absolutely love cheese but I must confess I never wondered about the difference between the colour of milk and cheese. I have also seen some fairly white cheese for the records but of course there is a logical answer to every question that falls within the human scope of knowledge and here it is.

Cheese is often pale yellow or white. This is because milk contains a yellow pigment, which is gotten from the grass cows and goats eat. When cheese is made, the liquid part of milk is removed, leaving the solids behind. The yellow colour stays with the solids, resulting in a more yellow colour in cheese, compared to milk.

There are some cheeses though, that have added colouring into them. This website [http://pearlvalleycheese.com] has a list of cheeses and their ingredients. Bring your cursor over “Cheese FAQ” and click on “Cheese ingredients”.

Source:
Why is cheese yellow?. Retrieved April 30, 2008, from Food-Info.net Web site: http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fp108.htm

Check out this website http://www.cheesemaking.com, click on Recipes, on the left side, and you’ll find step-by-step pictures of how cheese is made.

If you want to read more about cheese, here are books that you can check out at our library.

For Children:

Image Retrieved from http://www.powells.com

See how it’s made: clothes, toys, shoes, food, drinks, skateboards byPenny Smith
Publisher: London : Dorling Kindersley, 2007
Call Number: J English 670 SMI

Image Retrieved from http://www.amazon.ca

From milk to cheese by Roberta Basel
Publisher: Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, 2006
Call Number: JP 664 BAS

For Adults:

Image Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/

Guide to the cheeses of the world: choosing, recognizing, tasting 1200 cheese from around the world by Roland Barthélemy
Publisher: London : Hachette Illustrated, 2005
Call Number: English 641.373 BAR

All websites are last accessed on 20 May 2008. 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.

Originally Answered by Verena Lee,
Librarian, Children’s Services

Posted by Felicia Chan,
Librarian, Children’s Services

ASK! about Anything & Everything

( ASK! editor speaks: This enquiry answered by my colleague, Peck Keong, piqued my interest. I love watching Miami Ink on cable TV!)

Books about tattoos:

Title The world of tattoo: an illustrated history

Author Maarten Hesselt van Dinter

Call no.: R 391.6509 DIN – (CUS)

Title: Written in the body : the tattoo in European and American history

Editor: Jane Caplan

Call no.: 391.6509 WRI – (CUS)

Title: Body Piercings and Tattoos

Editor: J.D.Lloyd

Call no.: Y STU 391.65 BOD

Title: Tattoos and body piercing

Author: Leanne K. Currie-McGhee

Call no.: Y 391.65 CUR

 Websites:

http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/miami-ink/miami-ink.html: all about the tv show, Miami Ink, and a gallery of the tattoos that they have done inked.

http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/gallery/tattoos/: a fun little quiz matching the tattoos to the correct celebrity.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tattoos/: Interesting look at the different purposes of tattoos around the world.

(All websites were last accessed on 18 May 2008)

Orignially answered by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

(Peck Keong is also the resident blogger over at library@esplanade)

 Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

Although Singapore lies outside the earthquake zone, an earthquake in the region may cause tremors to be felt in some parts of the island. According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), knowing these precautions to take when a tremor occurs can help to avoid unnecessary anxiety or injury:

• When tremor occurs:
- keep calm and take cover under a desk, table or against interior walls. Stay away from windows, outside doors or walls, display shelves and anything that can fall and hurt you, such as lighting, furniture or fixtures;
- Do not rush for the exit which may start a stampede;
- If you are outdoors, stay away from buildings and overhead electrical cables. Remain in the open until the tremor stops;
- Do not use candles, matches or other naked flames during and after the tremor, as there might be a gas leak; and
- If driving, stop quickly and safely and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under trees, buildings, bridges, overpasses or overhead electrical cables.

• After vibrations have stopped:
- Do not touch any damaged electrical wiring. Report any gas leaks;
- Give help to those who are injured or who require assistance. Call the Police or SCDF if necessary; and
- Check your home for any structural defects and alert relevant authorities such as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and HDB Essential Maintenance Service Unit.

(source: SCDF Civil Defence Emergency Handbook)

In addition, here are some more precautions culled from various websites:
• During an earthquake:
- The most important thing is to remain calm.
- If you are indoors, stand in a doorway or crouch under a desk or table, away from windows or glass fixtures.
- If you are outdoors, stay away from objects such as light poles, buildings, trees and telephone or electric wires which could fall and injure you.

• After an earthquake:
- Check for injuries in your family and in the neighbourhood. Seriously injured persons should not be moved unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. First-aid should be administered, but only by someone who is qualified or has a working knowledge of first-aid.
- Turn off appropriate utilities. Do not use matches, lighters or open flame, appliances or electrical switches until you are sure that there are no gas leaks.
- Keep battery-operated radios and listen for emergency bulletins.
- Be prepared for additional earthquake shocks.

Books on earthquakes can be found under the call number 551.22 in the library. For availability of book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services

Found this post interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.

If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

The saying “Touch wood!” or “knock on wood” is typically used in response to something unlucky being said, to cancel out the possible ill effects of what was said. For instance, it might be a response to a person saying “Its raining so heavily now. I sure hope I don’t get struck by lightning!”, or “The economy is not doing very well this year. I might not get the usual one month bonus”. (In the local context, it typically has the same meaning as the colloquial term “Choy!”)

There are a few variations on how this saying originated. Mystical World Wide Web (www.mystical-www.co.uk) claims it came from a time when trees were held in high regard, when people believed trees were inhabited by ‘wood’ spirits. It was believed that these spirits would protect a person if they were to touch a tree with respect. Rosary Workshop (www.rosaryworkshop.com) on the other hand explains that the practice of touching something made of wood came from the wood of the rosary. In the olden days, rosaries were made of oak and were fingered in times of distress. To deal with hardship and difficulty, Christians were rub or touch their rosaries, thus, leading to the practice today of touching something made of wood.

Found this custom intriguing? Read up more on superstitions and old traditions from these books:

Rider in the night : a tale of sleepy hollow, by Candice Ransom ; illustrated by Greg Call
Publisher : Renton, WA : Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
Call No. : J S RAN

Silly superstitions / poems, chosen by Graham Denton ; illustrated by Jane Eccles
Publisher : London : Macmillan Children’s, 2006.
Call No. : J 821 SIL

A dictionary of superstitions, edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem
Publisher : Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.
Call No. : R 398.4103 DIC (For reference only)

Knock on wood : poems about superstitions / written by Janet S. Wong ; illustrated by Julie Paschkis.
Publisher : New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2003.
Call No. : J 811 WON

Folk customs, by Ellyn Sanna
Publisher : Broomall, Pa. : Mason Crest Publishers, c2003.
Call No. : Y 398.097 SAN

Across cultures : a guide to multicultural literature for children, by Kathy East and Rebecca L. Thomas
Publisher : Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
Call No. : 011.62 EAS -[LIB]

All websites were last accessed on 11 May 2008. Please check the websites’ homepages for the terms and conditions of use.
All images were extracted from www.amazon.com

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

Posted by Galvin Soh
Librarian
Children’s Services

Which version do you relate to more? What other explanations have you heard? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment.

Editor writes:  This interesting question with its corresponding answer will settle the honour of which is the largest airport in the world currently.   

There are three mega airports recently opened – Singapore’s Changi International Airport Terminal 3, Britain’s Heathrow Airport and China’s Beijing Capital International Airport.  Which is the biggest of them all? 

The answer: Beijing Capital International Airport. 

To understand the scale of this airport, the following information was taken from the article “Beijing opens world’s largest airport terminal”, The Press Trust of India Limited, dated 29 February 2008, extracted from the Factiva database:

China today unveiled the highly futuristic and world’s largest new airport terminal in the capital in preparation for a deluge of passengers for the Olympics and for meeting the country’s booming air traffic demand.