Your Ticket to Discovery Awaits!

Discover new worlds, passions and dreams through books – and earn free admission with the Ticket to Discovery Book Club! This May, Baltimore area children in fifth grade and younger can visit any Pratt location and show their library card to get a Ticket to Discovery bookmark, while supplies last.

Bookmarks are only available during the month of May, though participating children have through August 31, 2022 to complete the program and visit Port Discovery. Borrow, read, or listen to someone read any five books and record them on your bookmark.  

We hope these books spark creativity and curiosity! To learn more about the Ticket to Discovery Book Club, please visit here.

 
Hello World: Backyard Bugs
by Jill McDonald 

Play with Clay 
by Jenny Pinkerton

Baby Builders
by Elissa Haden Guest

 Boxitects
by Kim Smith
 
Sunrise Summer
by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr

 Sunny Side Up 
by Jackie Davis

 Stuntboy, in the Meantime
by Jason Reynolds

 The Foodie Flamingo
by Vanessa Howl and Pablo Pino 

 The Firefly Fix
by Tom Watson

 Rocket to the Moon! 
by Don Brown 

 Sisters of the Neversea
by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Learn More about Maryland Women in History with These Resources

Guest post by Kathy Shelley, Librarian, Information Services Department at the Central Library

Did you know that some women of historic renown have lived in Maryland?

The Duchess of Windsor lived in Baltimore with her mother, as a young girl. You can read about her life in The Duchess of Windsor, by Michael Block, 1997, or The Woman Who Would be Queen, by Geoffrey Bocca, 1954.

The poet, Lizette Woodworth Reese, was widely known during her lifetime. She was “Poet Laureate of Maryland” in 1931. Take a look at the plaque outside the entrance to the Edgar Allan Poe Room, on the 2nd floor of the Central Library. This memorial tablet was commissioned by the Lizette Woodworth Reese Memorial Association. In addition, the library’s Digital Collection, has related photos of sculptures dedicated to her. Her correspondence can be found in the Special Collections Department.

Billie Holiday, the famous jazz and swing singer, grew up in Baltimore. The Fine Arts Department holds a large number of biographies about her including Billie’s Blues: Billie Holiday’s Story, by John Chilton, 1933-1959, 1975. Also, Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill by Jerry Dantzic, 2017, has a number of previously unpublished photographs.There’s a bronze statue of Billie Holiday on the 2nd floor of the Central Library, also.

Mary Young Pickersgill became well-known for having sewn the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry, during the War of 1812. What’s also interesting to note about her is that she helped start a charitable non-profit, the Female Humane Society, which assisted poor women. The Pickersgill Retirement community which began in 1802, is named for her. The Enoch Pratt Free Library has a variety of books about her and her daughter, Caroline, for both adults and children. You can find articles about her in the library’s databases including: Gale in Context: High School, Gale General OneFile, and Proquest Historical Newspapers.

Dominique Dawes was a medal winner at the Olympics, both in 1996 and 2000. She is a life-long resident of Maryland. The library has a variety of books about the Olympics in which she is included. The biography about her is Heart of a Champion: The Dominque Dawes Story by Kim Washburn, 2012, ebook.

Senator Barbara A. Mikulski is the distinguished senator from Maryland who grew up in Baltimore.  The Senator has high praise for the Pratt Library and visited the Canton branch regularly, in her youth. The Barbara A. Mikulski Room is located on the 3rd floor of the Central Library. This is where her mementos and documents from her time as Senator are on display. The room is also used for women’s leadership programming, as well as adult literacy. The library’s Digital Collection has various photos of her during her years of government service. The library has a wide selection of books and biographies about her. The Book of Gutsy Women by Hilary R. Clinton, 2019, 

The heroic Harriet Tubman who grew up in Dorchester County, Md. was a leader of the Underground Railroad. Later in her life she opened a home for the elderly in Auburn, New York. The library has a wide selection of titles about her for both adults and children. The library has the documentary, Harriet Tubman: They Called Her Moses, 2018, as well as the movie, Harriet that came out in 2019.

Books to Give Background on the Russia-Ukraine War

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to make devastating headlines, the Pratt has books to check out or download to help you understand the history of the two countries, and what led up to this conflict.

Voices From Chernobyl
By Svetana Alexievich
Book | eBook
The Man Without a Face
By Masha Gessen

Book | eBook
Imperial Gamble
By Marvin Kalb

eBook

Red Famine
By Anne Applebaum

Book | eBook
Midnight in Chernobyl
By Adam Higginbotham

Book | eBook
The Gates of Europe
By Serhii Plokhy

Book | eBook
I Will Die in a Foreign Land: A Novel
By Kalani Pickhart

Book | eBook

Blowout
By Rachel Maddow
Book | eBook
Good Citizens Need Not Fear
By Maria Reva

Book | eBook

Also, check out these films to learn more.

Chernobyl
DVD
1989—The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Watch now

The Unfolding Ukraine-Russia Crisis
Watch now

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month! To celebrate the traditions, ancestry, and culture of Native Americans, we wanted to spotlight books written by Native American authors.

Empire of the Wild
By Cherie Dimaline
Book 
A History of My Brief Body
By Billy-Ray Belcourt
Book | eBook

My Heart is a Chainsaw
By Stephen Graham Jones
Book | eBook
The Bjorkan Sagas
By Harold R. Johnson
Book | eBook
Five Little Indians
By Michelle Good
Book
The Ghost Dancers
By Adrian C. Lewis
Book | eBook
Poet Warriors
By Joy Harjo
Book | eBook
Paleto and Me
By Aparecida Vilaca
Book

Native Voices
By Cmarie Furhman
Book

Spotlight on Hispanic Writers

¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) with a new book to read. From memoirs and biographies to rom-coms and thrillers, there’s so much culture to enjoy and learn from. Happy reading!

Infinite Country
By Patricia Engel
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
Her Body and Other Parties
By Carmen Maria Machado

Book | eBook
The Soul of a Woman
By Isabel Allende
Book | eBook
The Soul of a Woman
By Isabel Allende
Book | eBook
A Taste of Sage
By Yaffa S. Santos

eBook

L.A. Weather
By María Amparo Escandón
Book | eBook
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
By Crystal Maldonado
Book | eBook
 Fruit of the Drunken Tree
By Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
A Lot Like Adios
By Alexis Daria
eBook
 Ordinary Girls
By Jaquira Díaz
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
Once I Was You
By Maria Hinojosa
Book | eBook
Island Affair
By Priscilla Oliveras
Book | eBook
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