World Nursery Rhyme Week

World Nursery Rhyme week runs from 13^th November -17^th November. This week celebrates all things nursery rhyme and the joy and benefits these rhymes bring to our young children. There is a well-researched and documented link between a child’s exposure to rhymes and songs at an early age and their communication and literacy development. But most of all Rhyme and Storytime sessions are good fun.

Derbyshire libraries run Rhymetime sessions in many of our libraries every week. They are free, fun and welcoming. Some of our libraries are taking part in World Nursery Rhyme week and nursery and pre-school settings may be getting involved as well. Every year the team behind WNRW pick five rhymes to learn and enjoy and this year they are:

• Jack and Jill
• Head and Shoulders knees and toes
• Row row row your boat
• The wheels on the bus
• Twinkle Twinkle little Star

Take a look at the WNRW here. 

You can find a full list of the Rhymetimes and Storytimes that take place in our libraries here.

The History of Bryan Donkin Co. Ltd,

A Parable of British Engineering

Chesterfield Library - Thursday 2 November at 10 am

Join us for a talk for and on behalf of the Bryan Donkin Archive Trust, by Martin Sanderson.

This event is free, and no booking is required.

For more information call Chesterfield Library on 01629 533400

Baille Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The Baillie Gifford Prize has gone from strength to strength and is now widely recognised as Britain’s pre-eminent non-fiction book prize. The winner will be announced on Thursday 16 November at an award ceremony and via all their social media channels. Last year’s winner was Katherine Rundell for Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. A common theme on this year’s shortlist is shedding of new light on familiar periods of history by bringing to life forgotten stories and exploring new perspectives. 

Why not try one of the shortlisted titles? To request a title go to the online catalogue. For further details of the shortlist click here.

Derbyshire Record Office

Early Black presence in Derbyshire

October was Black History Month, so on the Record Office blog we took a look at how far back the county’s Black History goes – it may be earlier than you think!  Black History was also on our mind because a very rare textile in our collections was the focus of an exhibition at the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery as part of the British Textile Biennial last month.  It is the only known sample in the world of textiles used to clothe enslaved people, so we’ve also been exploring what we know about the people on the Turners Hall plantation in Barbados who wore the cloth. You can read these blogs and more Black History Month posts here.

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Sample of Penistone cloth (D239/M/E/20785)

Work Continues at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery During Temporary Closure

Peak Buildings, which house Buxton Museum and Art gallery, has been temporarily closed for building structure investigations by Derbyshire County Council’s Property Services. Museum staff are currently removing 1,500 artefacts from display so the investigations can continue. Many of these items have been in Derbyshire for hundreds or thousands or even millions of years so every care is being taken to ensure they get packed and moved safely.

At the moment, it is difficult to estimate how long the building will need to be closed for, but regretfully investigations and remedial work are likely to take some time to complete.

Further information can be found here, or follow the blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Have you heard Voices from the Peak?

Escape into a landscape of sound with voices and music bringing to life tales of the enduring popularity of stone circles, the ancient art of well dressing, and ravens returning to the Peak District, with three new audios by Derbyshire performance poet and recording artist Mark Gwynne Jones.

The newly released Nine Ladies, The Blessing of Water, and Raven Tor audios are available to listen to for free, for a limited time, here. 

To celebrate the new work, Mark Gwynne Jones is performing his award winning one-man show Voices from the Peak – Live! and delivering a funny and captivating in-person presentation of this popular series that rediscovers the stories that connect us to the land.

The next show is on Friday 1 December, 7.30pm, at Taddington village hall. Tickets are £12, book by phone: 07929 151 688 or 01298 85384.

For more performance dates and news as the tour develops, click here.

To enquire about bringing the show to your community, contact alison.riley@peakdistrict.gov.uk.

Voices from the Peak is funded by Arts Council England and supported by the Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council.

Photo by Dave Sturt

Are you a Carer or are you interested in working in the Care Sector?

Kick start or progress your career.

You can gain qualifications in both Child and Adult Care with us.

Our courses are flexible, offering online and face to face learning to fit around your life.

Many of our courses are free for Derbyshire residents who are unemployed or on a low wage. We can also provide information on Learner Loans for people who would not be eligible for this subsidy.

If you would like more information on any of the following courses, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

• Level 1 Caring for children
• Level 2 Support for teaching and learning in schools
• Level 2 Early years practitioner
• Level 2 Diploma in care (adults)
• Level 3 Diploma for the children and young people's workforce
• Level 3 Diploma in children's learning and development (early years educator)
• Level 3 Specialist support for teaching and learning in schools
• Level 3 Diploma in adult care

For more information please email: workplace.learning@derbyshire.gov.uk

New Adult Books Coming in October

We’ve chosen to highlight three books published in October for you to enjoy. You can reserve them via our online catalogue.

The White Lie by J G Kelly

The legend 1913. Captain Scott and his four companions reach the South Pole to find their Norwegian rival Roald Amundsen has won the race. Defeated, they set out on the 850-mile journey to their ship. Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the explorer sent out to meet them at One Ton depot, peering South through thick spectacles, sees only an infinity of white, and turns back. A year later Scott's pitched tent is found, just ten miles from the depot, and the bodies within speak of hunger and the brutal winter cold. They lie in a tomb of ice. Cherry is left forever tormented by thoughts of what might have been. The truth 1969. Ten years after Cherry's death, Falcon Grey receives a bequest: a small red notebook that was found in Scott's tent. A diary that states that they were not victims of the cold, or hunger, but murder, in the coldest of blood. Vital clues lie in the tent, so Falcon goes South to the ice to see it for himself.

In the Greek Midwinter by Mandy Baggot

It was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime. But when Jen's boyfriend David suddenly cancels their romantic Paris trip, needing to urgently travel to Athens for work, it's best friend Bonnie who suggests they surprise him. Having already booked the time off from her events company - Christmas Every Day - Jen decides an impromptu and romantic gesture might be just what their relationship needs. Arriving in Greece and finding David is not there, Jen has a lot of questions. And when she gets her answers she has a choice - should she go home or should she stay awhile?

Space - the Human Story by Tim Peake

From author and astronaut Tim Peake, this is the captivating story of humans in space. Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. In this book, astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of these remarkable men and women who have forged the way, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson. Full of exclusive new stories, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, the book conveys what space exploration is really like.

Multi Use titles 

Every month we get a new selection of titles on our BorrowBox app of both eBooks and eAudiobooks that can be taken out by multiple users at one time. These stay multi-use for 60 days, so if you have a book club and you're looking for your next title then one of these could be your next choice! 

You can find these titles on the main BorrowBox page, identified as a collection with 'No Waiting!' or 'Available Now!'

Titles available from November are:

In eBook & eAudiobook:

• The cursed girls - Caro Ramsay
• Too many reasons to live - Rob Burrow
• Before the coffee gets cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

eBook only:

• Daisy Darker - Alice Feeney
• We’ll meet again - Anton du Beke

in eAudiobook only: 

• Wishing on a star - Mandy Baggot
• Mental Fitness- Ant Middleton

This Month We Recommend You Read...

One of our favourite things to do is recommend amazing children's books to you! This month we recommend you check out these titles:

Glassborn - Peter Bunzl

Seed of hope, in my hand, become the door to Fairyland. The year is 1826, and the Bell siblings arrive at their new home in Tambling Village, where everyone they meet has a tale of an encounter with fairies. That night, as the clock strikes thirteen, Acton Bell is called to Fairyland. The cruel Fairy Queen seeks the lost Glimmerglass Crown, and she believes Acton is the prophesied one who can find it for her. When Cora, Elle and Bram realise their brother has been taken, they set out on a quest to rescue him. But Fairyland is full of dangers.

Life at Extremes -  The Poles - Josy Bloggs

From the icy poles to the deepest parts of the oceans, humans have explored Earth's most challenging environments, and have even journeyed on into space. But how did these places form and what are the features that make them unique? How do humans live and work in these harsh landscapes? Most importantly, how is human activity impacting them and their natural inhabitants and wildlife, and what does the future hold for them? 'The Poles' explores the wonders of Earth's polar regions - comparing and contrasting the landscape and life of these two icy realms. It reveals the unique ways in which people, animals and plants have adapted to survive the freezing temperatures and long spells of darkness and how summer brings new life to the Poles.

Hilda and the Fairy Village & Hilda and the Faratok Tree - Stephen Davies and Luke Pearson

Join our beloved blue-haired heroine as she visits her Great Aunt Astrid in Tofoten. Hilda is surprised to discover that it's a fairy village - her mother had never mentioned that. Hilda becomes troubled by a crackly radio presenter, ominous dreams and soon finds herself in peril. Fantastic creatures and daring adventures are all just part of another average day for Hilda, but will her questions be answered?

A trip to the castle ruins leads to a brand-new, daring adventure for our beloved blue-haired heroine. When she stumbles across the faratok tree and finds herself in the Time of Giants, Hilda learns all about the Giant Slayer. Desperate to help the Giants and negotiate peace, can Hilda change the past, whilst struggling with her own?

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