By Tiffany James, Program and Social Media Associate

Want to know what people are watching on the Pratt Facebook page? Look no further! Check out the Top 5 Most-Watched Pratt Videos of July 2020.

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#1: Pratt Virtual Storytime with Mr. Matt

https://www.facebook.com/theprattlibrary/videos/668725787012545/?extid=ynMQN1l0zpg2fAaK

Get ready for Pratt Virtual Storytime Live! Groove and sing along with Pratt Librarian Matt, while he plays children’s rhymes on his guitar. Also, enjoy a read aloud of “I Know a Lot of Things” by Ann & Paul Rand, read with permission from Chronicle Books. You can join the fun Mondays and Thursdays at 11 AM.

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#2: Tracing Your Family History Using Maryland Property Research

https://www.facebook.com/34954845480/videos/3476303789055754

Every building has history. In this video, Julie Saylor, from the Maryland Department, shows how to use Maryland land records to conduct your own property research. Whether you are looking for the history of a house or conducting genealogical research, you won’t want to miss this informative recording.

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#3: Maryland Cooking: Historic Cookbooks of the Old Line State

https://www.facebook.com/theprattlibrary/videos/220894892315644/

Fun Fact: Did you know the oldest cookbook in the Pratt’s Special Collections Department dates back to the nineteenth century? Learn about some traditional Maryland recipes and the factors that classify cookbooks as historical documents.

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#4: Astroblak and The Golden Record

Embark on an interstellar adventure during this third and final episode of Astroblak and The Golden Record. Along the way, you’ll learn deep listening skills as well as how to appreciate album art and inner liner notes, adding value to the vinyl experience. 

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#5: Tuesdays at Two: Never Judge a Queen by the Cover

https://www.facebook.com/theprattlibrary/videos/294515894991415/

Enjoy the musical talents of Evon Michelle, Baltimore’s 2020 Drag Performer of the Year, and friends as they cover some of the music industry’s beloved divas and musical artists. Be sure to join us Tuesdays at 2PM for a new live musical performance.

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For more videos like this, check out our upcoming virtual programs on the events page of our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

by Sylvie Merlier-Rowen, Children’s Librarian

Prairie Lotus is Linda Sue Park’s newest historical novel. I read it soon after I read A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata, and I could not help but notice a few similarities between the two novels. Even though we find ourselves in a very different environment in Prairie Lotus, Hanna, the main character, has a lot in common with Hanako.

After losing her Chinese mother, Hanna’s father wants to start a new life away from California that has been Hanna’s only home. Prairie Lotus starts with Hanna and her father on the way to their final destination, just like Hanako is on her way to Japan at the beginning of A Place to Belong. The two girls are both going to an unfamiliar place that should become their new home. They both are scared and excited at the same time. They both have suffered from prejudices, and they both lost someone or something dear to them.

Yet, Hanna’s environment is so different from Hanako’s. Hanna’s story is set in the year 1880 in Dakota Territory. She and her father are going to a town called LaForge, where everything is new, and everyone has great hopes for the future. Hanna loves to sew and she dreams of designing dresses. Her immediate goal though is to finish high school and get her diploma. That should be easy to achieve, but Hanna knows all too well that being half-Chinese could pose a problem. Prejudice is at the heart of Prairie Lotus. Hanna and her father have been on the road for three years unable to settle anywhere because of xenophobia. They have high hopes in LaForge because Hanna’s father has a friend who lives there. His name is Mr. Harris, and he is the town’s Justice of the Peace.

Shortly after their arrival in LaForge, Mr. Harris gives permission to Hanna to attend school. The first day she goes to school, she keeps her hat on to hide her face, but she decides to take it off on the second day. By evening, the people of LaForge are up in arms against Hanna going to school with their children. Through them, Linda Sue Park depicts the most primal form of prejudice, the one that is born out of ignorance, fear, and insecurity. This is the same hurtful prejudice they have against the Native Americans from whom they stole the land. It is fitting that the author includes a few Sioux women who Hanna befriends. The group of Sioux women and children are dignified by the author’s writing. She also contrasts Hanna’s shy friendliness and interest in them with the LaForge people’s hostility and lack of respect.

Hanna is not alone in this battle against prejudice. She has a few adult allies and one or two school friends, but is that enough for her father and her to defeat the demons of prejudice, and settle in LaForge?

Gotham. Batman. Joker. Each one of these famous names invoke meaning. Gotham, the city of monsters and madness; Batman, the dark knight and defender of Gotham; and Joker, the infamous crime lord who revels in madness with a smile. Then there is Harley. Harley Quinn, is the harlequin or joker-esque equivalent to the crowned prince of crime. Infamously, Harley is known as the right-hand woman of the Joker, but who was she before she painted her face with a smile?

In this origin story, we meet Harleen Quinzel, a struggling young psychiatrist who is determined to prove that her revolutionary rehabilitation theory can help save the citizens of Gotham from its haunting  madness. To test her theory, she is given the opportunity to conduct her research at Arkham Asylum. Her study eventually leads to her fateful encounter with the Joker.

This story is fascinating in that you get an origin for Harley Quinn through the eyes of her alter-ego, Harleen Quinzel. Although this is the same woman, Harleen and Harley come across as completely different . The writing is not too crazy and over the top, as Harley Quinn can be portrayed, but comes off as sophisticated. We also get the opportunity to see the city of  Gotham  through Harleen’s perspective in this unorthodox romance novel. The script is also very  intriguing in that it  does a great job of diving into the study of criminal psychology.

What I love most about this is that it’s not just an origin story for Harley Quinn. This novel highlights other very prominent Gotham characters  and Harleen’s encounters and decisions serve as a catalyst for their own. Who could they be? Well, you have to read it to find out!

The art and story were both by Stjepan Sejic. This is great because at times you may get a really great team of writers and illustrators who collaborate on a graphic novel series (e.g. Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan for Saga, Image), but this can possibly become detrimental to the story if the great minds don’t think alike . However, there is nothing more satisfying than the storyteller being able to appropriately illustrate how they’d like to tell  their tale. I  also enjoy how the artwork is used to capture the story. You can see how Stjepan plays with the color scheme, inspired by that of Harley Quinn’s costume, by giving  hints of red and black on each page. The  artwork is also quite dynamic in how it helps express character thoughts, feelings, memories and actions.

Novel Recommendations: More of Stjepan’s work as well as Joker or Harley Quinn related comics and novels on Hoopla, RBDigital, and Overdrive.

Stay tuned for the next focus of Comics 411 where there will be a readers’ advisory for DC Black Label’s Luthor.

Other cool recommendations for adult graphic novels- Graphics Galore: Graphic Novel Recommendations by Deborah on the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/theprattlibrary/videos/230461271329936/

Don’t forget Enoch Pratt’s Summer Challenge is also for adults! (Summer Challenge info for adults) Imagine Your Story!