Previous: Early Tunnels Tunneling is generally performed by either boring or the open cut method. Bored tunnels are cut entirely underground. Chicago’s early tunnels used this method. Workers chopped away the clay by hand. Deeper tunnels in the limestone bedrock were drilled and blasted with explosives. Modern tunnels also use boring machines. The open cut…
Early Tunnels: Underground Chicago
People rarely think much about what is under their feet, yet much of what makes a modern city livable is hidden underground. This impressive underground infrastructure includes water to drink and bathe in, sewers to take away smelly and unhealthy waste, gas to heat our houses, electricity to light and cool us, and telecommunications to keep…
Love The Zookeeper’s Wife? Try More Books by Diane Ackerman
The 2007 book The Zookeeper's Wife by naturalist, poet and author Diane Ackerman has been adapted for the big screen. The movie release is a great reason to learn more about this singular talent. Ackerman's beautiful blend of imagery and lush descriptions are perfectly balanced with science and fact. First her language will take your breath away, and…
Wheatless Mondays: The 100-Year Anniversary of WWI
Before gluten-free and soy milk became common at the grocery store, Americans needed a bit of coaxing to embrace wheatless Mondays, meatless Tuesdays, porkless Saturdays and ice cream made without sugar or cream. Like our One Book, One Chicago selection, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, World War I or the "Great War" urgently required citizens to…
Women at Work: Books About How Women Contribute
Lots of attention is paid in popular culture to two specific questions about women in the working world: Are we leaning in? And can we have it all? While those are great and worthwhile questions, sometimes it's fun to explore women in the working world from different angles. This Women's History Month, let's pair some…
Siblings: No Returns, No Exchanges
Do you have a little brother or sister? Then you might relate to these fun reads about new siblings. Elmore has a sweet life. His very own room and no one messes with his toys...until IT arrives. Elmore wishes The New Small Person would go back where it came from. When the small person steps in…
Celebrate International Children’s Book Day
Have you ever read a book from another country? We celebrate International Children's Book Day on or around April 2 every year, so this is a great time to try a book from another place. And of course we have ideas to get you started. Each year, a group of children's librarians gives the Mildred A…
Books for Teens: Writing Fiction & Comics
Have you ever gotten a great idea and then sat down to write it, only to find it you had no clue how to get it from inside your head onto the paper? Don't worry, you're not alone. If you're a teen interested in writing fiction, comics or graphic novels, here are some books that can help…
New Teen Novels in Verse
You don't need to read old-school Shakespeare to celebrate National Poetry Month. These new novels in verse capture teens' thoughts and feelings in modern language. If you want a clever Shakespeare retelling, Ronit & Jamil updates Romeo and Juliet with a modern political plot. Set in present-day Israel, the novel reveals how Ronit, an Israeli pharmacist's daughter, and Jamil, a…
Teen Novels Hit Big and Small Screens
Adaptations of some extremely popular teen novels are debuting on television and in theaters this month. Thirteen Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher's 2007 book, will start streaming on Netflix on March 31. The TV series breaks the story down into 13 episodes, one for each cassette tape Hannah leaves behind after her suicide. Thirteen Reasons Why is…
1 - 10 of 30
- Go to page 1
- Go to page 2
- Go to page 3
- Next page