Backyardigans

I consider myself a connoisseur of children's TV. Or maybe that's "curmudgeon" ... I get those words mixed up. ;-) A lot of children's TV doesn't have much to offer adults, and so it's hard to watch because it's boring. A few shows work on multiple levels, though, and my daughter and I recently discovered one of them: The Backyardigans.

The Backyardigans is a show (produced by Nick Jr) about the imaginary adventures of Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, Tasha, and Austin, who are computer-animated animal characters. All of their adventures take place in their back yards, and they're fun and engaging stories; but throughout every episode, they sing and dance, and that's what makes the show work.

The musical sensibility that this show offers is outstanding. The animators convey a real sense of style with the dance numbers, and the songs - all with original lyrics - are done in a variety of musical styles: jazz, blues, folk, rock, traditional, even polka in the Polka Palace Party episode.

My favorite episode is "The Yeti," in which Pablo pretends to be a yeti, and Uniqua, Tasha, and Tyrone track him. Tasha insists that there's no such thing as a yeti, and Uniqua says there is - in a song that reproduces the back and forth of children arguing that is pitch perfect. Tyrone tries to mediate by getting them back on task and looking for the yeti, or whatever it is.

At one point they find an igloo and go inside to check it out. While they're inside, they hear Pablo making his yeti noise outside, and the argument breaks out again:
Uniqua: I say yetis are really real.
Tasha: And I say that's just silly!
There's no yeti, not at all!
Uniqua: They're really real, yes really!
Tasha: No way.
Uniqua: Yes way!
Tasha: No way.
Uniqua: Yes way!
Tyrone: Going back and forth all day
Is no way to decide.
We should prob'ly go outside!

ACPL owns just one of the DVDs so far: It's Great to Be a Ghost is the title of the DVD, but it has two other episodes as well. Here's hoping we'll order the other two that are currently available soon! Polka Palace Party has four episodes in all, and The Snow Fort offers another three (including "The Yeti").

New Heritage Quest Online Database

Heritage Quest Online, one of the many genealogy electronic resources available to ACPL users, recently released the latest addition to their collection of databases. Popularly known as the Freedman's Bank, the database contains information pertaining to depositors of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, a banking institution created specifically for former slaves that operated from 1865 to 1874. The bank records are extremely valuable for African American researchers because they often contain a great deal of personal and family information. The Historical Genealogy Department also has the Freedman's Bank records on microfilm, along with several other collections of documents related to the administration of the institution. In addition, researchers can explore the Freedman's Bank records at Ancestry.com, yet another database available to users at any ACPL computer in the Main Library or at one of the thirteen branches. Give it a try!

2006 award winners!

The winners of these various American Library Association (ALA) awards were announced this morning at the Midwinter meeting in San Antonio:

• Newbery Award: Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins


• Caldecott Award: The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka


• Sibert Award: Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker


• Printz Award: Looking for Alaska by John Green Our Mock Printz participants also chose this title as a winner!