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The Menagerie Revisited

The monkeys, a Christmas gift from a thoughtful colleague and friend.

The giraffe is the newest member of the menagerie.

One of the many cool things I learned in the Alan November Technology Leadership Institute

Get a Voki now!

A Tree Grows in the South Bronx

From the collection: Gorillas and Their Infants

Everyone loves baby animals. This new Pebble Plus series highlights the lives of animal offspring, including how they are born, what they look like, how they compare to mature animals, and how they eat, play, live, learn and grow. Pebble Plus offers the same high-quality nonfiction topics and low reading levels of Pebble Books in an enlarged, graphically enhanced format. This series explores and supports the standard "The Living Environment: Diversity of Life, Heredity, Cells, Interdependence of Life, and Evolution of life," as required by Benchmarks for Science Literacy: Project 2061.

From the collection: The Chimpanzees I Love

Jane Goodall might be a household name for most grownups, thanks to her pioneering work with chimpanzees and more recent efforts at habitat preservation. But many kids don't know the Goodall story and will love this chance to hit the ground in Tanzania and learn about the remarkable scientist and her beloved chimp friends. With dozens of vintage photographs, Goodall recounts her early research in Gombe National Park, including a recap of her childhood and how she came to know Louis Leakey and first enter the bush. With clear and careful prose, Goodall explains her findings about chimp communities and communication, the role of hierarchies, and what sort of threats chimpanzees face today. Best of all, Goodall's account always keeps curious young readers in mind, even relating some of her mistakes, such as when she became too close to her subjects and interfered with her own research.

New DVD : Jane Goodall's Return to Gombe

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall makes her annual RETURN TO GOMBE in this exciting and somewhat heartbreaking visit to the chimpanzee research station she made famous. It seems a revolution has broken out among her favorite group of chimps and its brutal and bullying leader, Frodo, has been overthrown. With a power struggle imminent among the other chimps, Jane searches for Frodo and reminisces about the groundbreaking research, thoughts, beliefs and emotions she has invested in these wild chimpanzees and protecting primates around the world. RETURN TO GOMBE makes for a fascinating and unforgettable journey.

New DVD : Gorillas - From the Heart of Darkness

As seen on National Geographic Romain Baertsoen, A Belgian Diplomat, arrived in Rwanda in 1966 and started to film one of the country's most closely quarded secrets - the gorillas of the Viruga Mountains.. He had to learn to behave with these enormous animals. He filmed the gorillas as well as the Congo's erupting volcanoes. A thrilling view of fantastic flora and fauna.

New DVD : Nature: Chimpanzees

Learn more about these creatures from the wild, who really aren't that different from us! Program 1: Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees - Jane Goodall provides privileged access to an absorbing family saga in the wilds of Tanzania. Observe the family’s complex day-to-day life through intimate communications and relationships. Program 2: Monkey in the Mirror - Chimps and primates use tools, language, politics and even culture. How does their intelligence compare to our own? This program investigates the answers in both the laboratory and the wild.

New DVD : Nature: Chimpanzees - An Unnatural History

Nature, the eight-time Emmy-winning PBS series, kicked off its 25th season with this powerful episode. In 1959, the United States Air Force captured dozens of baby chimpanzees in Africa, transporting them to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where they and their offspring were to endure a grueling life as the ultimate human stand-ins. From experiments in space travel and high-velocity crash tests, to pharmaceutical testing and hepatitis and AIDS research, to roles on the silver and small screens, these original Air Force chimpanzees and others that followed gave their lives to benefit humankind. Now, a few extraordinary people are working to give those lives back. Emmy Award-winning producer and director Allison Argo (Extraordinary Dogs) narrates this compelling and powerful program that witnesses the efforts of rescuers at sanctuaries like Fauna Foundation, Save the Chimps, and Center for Great Apes to see that the traumatized residents they have saved from a life of confinement and suffering can finally be allowed to live and feel like chimps.

New DVD : Nature: The Gorilla King

From the mountains in Rwanda comes an extraordinary story of destiny and triumph. At 33 years old, Titus, a 400-pound silverback gorilla, has ruled for nearly half his life. He still rules over 25 gorillas, an astonishing feat given the early trials he faced. When Titus was four, poaches slaughtered his father. Shortly after, an interloper named Beetsme killed his infant sister in a coup attempt. His mother and other sister fled, leaving him orphaned and abandoned. But something in his character led to greatness in a remarkable life that researchers--beginning with world-renowned primatologst Dian Fossey and young researcher Kelly Stewart, daughter of actor James Stewart--have chronicled since the day he was born. Unprecedented footage of silverback behavior, archival footage of Titus as a newborn, and observations by researchers and conservationists chart his dramatic rise to power, and the challenge to his throne today. Is Titus' great reign at an end?

New DVD : Romeo and Juliet: A Monkey's Tale

In the mountains of Thailand, two young monkeys from rival factions are falling in love. This is the story of their lives, as the two groups of the local simian population declare war to keep them apart.

New DVD : Orangutan Island - Season 1

A desperate struggle for survival is raging deep in the heart of Borneo's forests. Illegal logging is rapidly destroying the Bornean orangutans' last stronghold in the wild -- leaving hundreds of orangutan babies orphaned and homeless. Their future seems bleak but a ground-breaking project provides real hope for ensuring the survival of the species. Meet the 35 classmates of Forest School 103 at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. These precocious red-haired "children of the forest" will get the opportunity, through this innovative project led by Lone Droscher-Nielsen and her team, to live wild on a protected island. Orangutan Island is the foundation for the largest primate rescue project in the world. Go with them on their journey to adulthood as they struggle to form their own society and learn how to live free on Orangutan Island.

New DVD : Jane Goodall's When Animals Talk

Just like any pet owner, Jane Goodall believes that all animals can talk -- it's just that we don't always understand what they're saying. When Animals Talk recounts the amazing stories of animals that have changed the lives of the people they've touched. We witness how animals can learn our language and find unique human-animal partnerships that make the world a better place. We also will discover how we humans can learn the languages of animals through science. We will listen in on the "conversations" that can take place between animals and humans, and the amazing results that these mutual comprehensions can yield. Dr Goodall's message is that communicating with animals brings humankind closer to another world, and that such liaisons can bring about unexpected benefits to both.

New DVD : Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees

Did you know that chimpanzees and humans have 98 percent of their DNA in common? You will after watching this absorbing 75-minute (including extras) documentary, featuring and partially narrated by renowned researcher Jane Goodall, who's been on the chimps' case for more than four decades. We see these African apes on the ground and in trees, playing, grooming, teaching, even killing one another. The scenes of them "fishing" for termites and ants using a stick for a pole make for extraordinary viewing; indeed, the film's principal message is that they and we are very much alike. And while the small screen can't capture the full majesty of what began as an IMAX film, one can sense the almost palpable three-dimensionality of the original. The DVD is also loaded with bonus features, including a 15-minute behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process and more.

New DVD : IMAX Mountain Gorilla

Named Outstanding Film Documentary by the Genesis Awards (the major award for works about animal issues) and filmed in the lush mountain cloud forests of Rwanda, Africa, Mountain Gorilla provides an amazing encounter with the highly social species that is the largest of all primates. Eat, nap, travel, eat, interact, eat: that's a typical routine for adult gorillas. But for rambunctious three-year-olds, the routine is more like play, play, play, play as they tumble, swing, wrestle and twirl. Overseeing all of the troop's activities is the proud, massive silverback male whose dominance is unchallenged - until a young silverback tries to exert his newfound sense of power.

New DVD : Nature: Koko - A Conversation With Koko

This program doesn't just talk with an ape, it carries on an intimate, decades-long dialogue with her. The story documents the incredible development of a gorilla named Koko, whose learning of American Sign Language (and understanding of spoken English) gives new meaning to the ideas of animal intelligence and inter-species communication. Witness an animal who not only expresses wants and needs but also exhibits creativity and complex, human-like emotions. After being told that her pet kitten died in an accident, Koko demonstrates deep and sincere sadness-and seems to express exactly that when left alone that night. Most amazingly, she maintains a deep and enduring friendship with her human teacher and playmate, Dr. Penny Patterson. But will Dr. Patterson's innovative experiment end with Koko? Or will Koko give birth and transmit her knowledge to a new ape generation? Narrated by Martin Sheen, this inspiring, unforgettable program seeks the answers. The Gorilla Foundation - The mission of the Foundation is to bring interspecies communication to the public, in order to save gorillas from extinction, and inspire our children to create a better future for all the great ape.

New DVD: Chimps : So Like Us

For three decades, Jane Goodall has studied the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park in Tanzania. There, living simply amid the lush greenery on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, she has become the world s foremost authority on man s closest relative. In CHIMPS: SO LIKE US, Goodall provides a glimpse into this special universe, sharing her vision and passionate concern for her simian neighbors.

The film opens gently in the quiet forest, where, with Goodall as guide and interpreter, the chimpanzees' remarkable similarity to humans is revealed before the camera. Like humans, chimps live in family units, make tools, eat meat and express complex emotions. The distinction between man and animal blurs as scenes of love, jealousy, friendship and war are played out within chimpanzee society.

Yet, chimps' genetic closeness to man is also their curse. In explosive counterpoint to the chimpanzees' balanced life in their natural habitat, the film reveals the shocking conditions under which many chimps suffer in poorly maintained research labs. With uncompromising conviction, the film argues the case for the chimpanzees' right to live in freedom in their natural habitat and for humane treatment when in captivity.

TV/DVD playing Koko: The Talking Gorilla

Getting ready for my first class

Circulation Desk

Fiction Section

The Couch

The Menagerie

New DVD: Mozu: The Snow Monkey

Meet Mozu, a heroic Japanese macaque who overcame severe disabilities to live a long and productive life. Learn some exciting things about snow monkey research, including the importance of macaque mothers, and find out what happens when monkeys and humans share living space.

Two new DVDs

Gorillas on the Brink The recent mysterious killings of four critically endangered gorillas in the Virunga National Park, bordering Rwanda and Congo, sent shockwaves through the international conservationist community. In a twist of fate, Animal Planet recently filmed a television special documenting gorillas from this region and their desperate struggle to survive. Golden Globe winner and Oscar®-nominated actress Natalie Portman (Closer, Garden State, the Star Wars trilogy) partnered with Animal Planet to appear in this new special as part of her recent travels to Rwanda. There, she witnessed firsthand the plight of the diminishing number of gorillas in the region shortly before the recent accounts. Welcomed by the Rwandan government, Portman and animal icon Jack Hanna spotlight the gorillas — who so closely resemble humans — in an international effort to bring attention to their dire crisis. GORILLAS ON THE BRINK, slated to air this fall as part of Animal Planet's Emmy® Award-winning series SAVING A SPECIES, is an intimate journey through the mysterious lives of these endangered primates.

Koko : A Talking Gorilla In 1977, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder and cinematographer Nestor Almendros entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate, to create the captivating documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla. The film introduces us to the remarkable Koko at the age of three, recently brought from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford University by Dr. Penny Patterson for a controversial experiment—she would be taught the basics of human communication through American sign language. An entertaining, troubling, and still relevant documentary, Koko: A Talking Gorilla sheds light on the ongoing ethical and philosophical debates over the individual rights of animals and brings us face to face with the amazing "individual" caught in the middle.

From the collection: Koko-love! : conversations with a signing gorilla

More in the saga of Koko, the communicating gorilla who has pet kittens and continues to learn new language skills, is related by her surrogate mother, Dr. Patterson, and illustrated with good color photographs of various sizes showing Koko's activities and accomplishments in a lively format. She paints pictures, uses a computer, plays with a male gorilla friend who also signs, brushes her teeth, and wants a baby of her own. The simple, clear text traces the gorilla's life to date, cites actual conversations she has had with her human friends, and includes two pages of photos of Koko signing various words, from apple to visit.

From the collection: Koko's Kitten

This is the true story of Koko the gorilla and her kitten, All Ball — how they met, how Koko loved and cared for All Ball, and how Koko grieved when All Ball died. The story is told by Dr. Patterson, the first person to communicate with a gorilla using American Sign Language. Over thirteen years, Koko learned about five hundred words from Dr. Patterson, which she used to communicate her feelings and desires. One of the desires she was able to express through ASL was for a kitten. At first, Dr. Patterson was not sure how Koko would treat a little kitten, but there was nothing to worry about. Koko treated the kitten as though it was her own baby. The affection and caring in the relationships between Dr. Patterson and Koko and between Koko and her kitten are captured in Ronald Cohn's beautiful photographs.

Pygmy Date Palm on its way

This lovely treasure will sit in the donut hole of the couch.

From the collection: Elephants can paint, too!

When Thailand recently began to conserve trees that previously would have been harvested, domesticated elephants lost their jobs hauling lumber. Subsequently, many died of neglect because they could no longer earn their keep. This book highlights an unusual project implemented by the author. In simple text, she explains that she teaches art in two schools, one urban and one in the jungle, and that some of her students have hands. Others have trunks. Then tells how she trains elephants to paint and compares the work of her human and elephant pupils.

The Solar Wheel

This wheel is solar powered. When the sun hits the solar panels, this wheel spins on its own and creates a cool lava lamp type effect.

New History Section

Panoramic View

The Globe

The Computers

From the collection: Owen & Mzee

In December 2004, a frightened young hippo, separated from his family by a devastating tsunami, bonded with an Aldabra tortoise named Mzee. The 130 year-old tortoise accepted Owen as his own, and an inseparable bond was forged. Text and color photos tell the true story of the friendship that developed at a Kenyan wildlife sanctuary.

The History and Geography Section

Art, Music, Poetry, Sports and Literature Section

The Science Section

The Dinosaur Shelf

The Day the Books Went on the Shelves

The fiction section.

The nonfiction section.