Published in 1976, One Potato, Two Potato contains a wealth of information on children's folklore, songs and chants. The authors, Mary and Herbert Knapp, have researched rituals and games passed along in schoolyards and street corners. Some are offensive, some are disgusting, and all are interesting. Chapters include "The Games Children Play," "Prestige and Power" and "Coping with the Here and Now." Each section is devoted to different subject matter. There are telephone jokes (such as the well-known "Prince Albert in a can" inquiry), riddles, clapping games, and parodies of vintage advertising jingles. This is a useful sociological work, but it's also a delight to browse.

Federal Budget Online

Citizens wanting to learn more about President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget can browse an authenticated copy via the government’s federal digital system. Along with the budget, there are three other budget volumes of interest:

• The Appendix;
• Analytic Perspectives;
• and Historical Tables.

Read Michigan Governor’s Budget

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s proposed executive budget for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 is available at the State Budget Office’s website, along with other budget documents.

Wednesday and Thursday evening activities: Food, Fun, Prizes, Crafts – all for FREE! Tuesday evening volunteer opportunities. The teen summer reading program runs from June 11 - August 7. Program dates forthcoming.

Not too long ago suspense writer Harlan Coben offered some summer reading suggestions on the Today show. One of his choices was Ann Packer’s new book Swim Back to Me featuring two novellas and three short stories. Initially I was surprised that he was recommending shorter fiction for summer reading. But as a long-time fan of the format and Ann Packer in particular, I decided to give it a go, and I am glad I did. Packer hits all the right notes as she examines the daily lives of characters trying to make their way in the world, whether it’s the two teens in the opening novella “Walk for Mankind,” whose relationship is complicated by their growing romantic attraction and their complicated family lives, or the mother in “Molten” who is mourning her late adolescent son while listening to his extensive music collection.

If you're looking for information about the general election on November 8, 2011, look no further. The League of Woman voters has once again compiled information on many of the candidates and issues you'll be voting on come November. If you're curious about the League of Women Voters, please check out their official website. For more information about the Michigan chapter of the League of Women Voters, please check out their website. Below you will find a series of links to voter guides in Southeast Oakland County. If your city isn't listed, please check out the complete list at the SE Oakland County LWV site. For other Michigan LWV leagues, please go here.

We have updated our list of local organizations that lend a helping hand to those in need during these difficult economic times. A list of South Oakland Warming Centers will be available around Thanksgiving. The Welcome Inn Day Center for the Homeless will be open Monday through Friday from December 19, 2011 through March 16, 2012. It is located in the Unity Church, 2500 Crooks Road near Northwood Drive.

Long-time Detroit automotive writer Bill Vlasic will visit the Library Wednesday, June 6 at 7:00 PM to talk about his book Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America’s Big Three Automakers – GM, Ford and Chrysler.

Vlasic visited corporate offices, factory floors and union halls to tell the tale of the decline of the Big Three and how they ultimately came back from the brink – with the help of a government bailout in the case of GM and Chrysler. Vlasic, Detroit bureau chief for The New York Times and formerly with the Detroit News, examines what led auto executives to appear before Congress in 2008 asking for financial help and how all three automakers pulled out of the decline that threatened to kill the U.S. auto industry.

Join the Royal Oak High School students of PushPLAY as they "Scoop Up Literacy." Support your local libraries while enjoying your favorite ice cream at Treat Dreams in Ferndale at 22965 Woodward on May 19 from 12:00 noon - 10:00 PM. Donate a gently used book or bring in the flyer below, and Treat Dreams will donate 50% of your purchase to the libraries. Donations will be used to purchase new books and media to support literacy in our communities.

In honor of the Battle of the Books, Treat Dreams will feature custom-designed ice creams for each of our competitors: Royal Oak Public Li-Berry and Ferndale Public Library Reading Rainbow. The library with the best-selling flavor (first to sell out) will receive an additional $50.00 donation from Treat Dreams.

Saturday, June 9 - Friday, July 27. Stories, Books, Live Animals, Puppets, Music, Magic, Crafts and Plenty of Reading Ideas and Choices!

Opening Day!

Join us for activities beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 9!

• Traveling Farm with live animals
• Live Music provided by Suzuki students and Detroit School of Rock and Pop
• American Girl Doll Raffle
• Tumbling and Physical Activities sponsored by South Oakland YMCA
• Register for Summer Reading in the Friends Auditorium
• Opening Day Festivities are sponsored by OUR Credit Union

Sam Keen's Faces of the Enemy  presents illustrations of the opposing side during wartime. Readers can browse posters, cartoons, and advertisements to find the different ways in which the enemy has been portrayed for the past century or so. Color plates show propaganda posters from WWI, WWII, and beyond. One such image portrays a 1940s-era German Poster of the British Empire as Lady Macbeth, scrubbing blood off of her hands. A section on "The Enemy as Beast Reptile or Insect" pictures Hitler as a rat, cornered by a Soviet soldier with a bayonet. A German poster shows the Nazi party as a snake, threatening innocent looking civilians. The book is fascinating to peruse, and deserves to keep its place in the ROPL collection. Place a hold on it today!