Just heard that Falcon, the missing 6-year-old boy from Denver area, was found alive — and at home. So glad, though I think this is just the beginning of a real story.

This  afternoon like many others, I was captivated  by this runaway balloon that took off towards the clouds  and which set off a dramatic search. While watching the minute-by-minute film unfold with planes taking off to bring the silver bubble down, one of my colleagues Robert Marchant said it reminded him of  the 1997 novel “Enduring Love” by Ian McEwan.

That book, McEwan’s seventh novel, begins with the  story of a 10-year-old boy who sails high in a hot air balloon with his grandfather Joe trailing behind. Now today’s Colorado story was not a hot-air balloon, which some posters to LoHud.com pointed out but instead was a helium balloon. Still, the  similarities with the story remain.  It is said that McEwan’s tale was based on a real-life incident.

Isn’t it the case that fact often inspires fiction, and vice versa.

I am still trying to get a handle on the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, writer Herta Mueller.

Really, I don’t know her work, probably because only some has been translated into English.  But this award makes me want to know more about her. She is 56 and originally from Romania before immigrating to German. He  work has been censored plenty.  Some of her novels have been translated into English so I am looking forward to checking out “The Passport, ” “The Land of Green Plums” and “Traveling on One Leg,” about  life in a dictatorship and as a member of a minority.

Interesting pieces about her in NY Times and in USA Today by Bob Minzesheimer, who just might make sure his hometown library in Ossining picks up some copies of her writings. American writer Toni Morrison won in 1993. If you are curious about the entire list of past winners go to the prize’s Web site.

From the Nobel Prize’s site it notes this quote from her:

“who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed”

A quick check of Westchester Library System’s catalogs did not show any of her books available.  But this could change.

Bookstores, of course, will order anything and get in fairly quickly.

Any readers of her work want to comment?

OK, so it’s not books. But it’s writing, which is almost as good.

Here’s a press release we got from the National Council of Teachers of English:

“On October 8, the U.S. Senate unanimously agreed to S.RES.310, declaring the importance of writing to the nation and declaring October 20 the National Day on Writing.

On this day, The National Gallery of Writing will go live, unveiling over 5000 compositions in nearly 1500 local and partner galleries. Here’s the link: http://www.galleryofwriting.org/

As National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Past President Kathleen Blake Yancey notes, “People have always had the impulse to write.”  She adds that now, however, writing is “exploding” and taking on a new social dimension.

The first of its kind, the National Gallery will give the nation the opportunity to view writing from people of all ages and from all parts of the country.

NCTE established the National Gallery and the National Day to spotlight just how writing is changing.

Viewers will see an array of compositions that matter to their authors: personal writings, graphic representations, samples of work writings, videos, scrap writing, podcasts, and more. This snapshot, different from collections of school or work writing, will allow NCTE, and its 17 national partners, to begin reshaping a writing pedagogy to better develop writers of the future.”

Tomorrow, the  Westchester Library System and the Greenburgh Public Library will host the Digital Bookmobile.

This is a larger than life download experience for all ages, say library staffers who are inviting everyone to check out the interactive demonstrations and experience audiobook, eBook, music, and video download service. The program is intended to introduce readers to the many services at public libraries.

It takes place inside a  74-foot, high-tech 18-wheel tractor-trailer at Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road., Greenburgh.  Time is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free. (This photo from the right is from a previous event.)

The Digital Bookmobile is a service of WLS through funding support from Westchester County, and is operated by OverDrive, Inc.

A new book titled Hudson River Valley Farms: The People and the Pride Behind the Produce really highlights the farms of our region—40 of them to be exact and the farmers. Staff writer Linda Lombroso featured the book by Joanne Michaels in yesterday’s paper and I thought it worth of some extra attention. Here is a link.

Photographs in the book are by Rich Pomerantz and they dazzle every page. While I appreciate the shots of produce and landscape, I really, really love the ones of the animals.  I am particularly enchanted by a picture of two lambs on page 34 from Four Winds Farms in Gardiner, Ulster County. Closer to home there are shots of Cabbage Hill Farm in Mt. Kisco and Stuart’s Farm in Granite Springs.

This Sunday, Michaels  will be signing copies locally. Noon to 3 p.m. at Philipsburg Manor (381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow; 914-631-3992) and then later in the month, Oct. 18 from 2 to 3 p.m.  at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills; reservations suggested at 914-366-6200, Ext. 151 or stonebarnscenter.org).

The book is from is $29.95 and from The Globe Pequot Press.

President Barack Obama has had his hand in many issues of late — from healthcare reform to the war in Afghanistan, from corporate bailouts to trying to host the 2016 Olympics.  Now, he is emphasizing that American need to have the skills to effectively navigate the Information Age.

Translation of this: Libraries are essential to all Americans and their communities. Americans are seeking out information in printed materials and on the web. First, they  need help to  find resources, and second, they need help to evaluate what they have uncovered.  The first professional to call on this journey is the librarian. Communities in our Lower Hudson Valley have a wide variety of public libraries with open doors.

The American Library Association (ALA) is quite pleased with the president’s newest message. Here is an excerpt from today’s announcement from the Chicago-based library association:

“Yesterday, the president issued a statement proclaiming October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness Month and calling “upon the people of the United States to recognize the important role information plays in our daily lives, and appreciate the need for a greater understanding of its impact.

“The president’s statement also makes the key point that “though we may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it.

“’In libraries across the country, librarians are helping the public achieve this goal,’” ALA President Camila Alire said. “During this month of awareness, ALA encourages more Americans to visit their local libraries to take full advantage of the services they provide to help the public develop strong information literacy skills.

“Alire also said robust broadband is the critical underlying infrastructure needed to effectively navigate the Information Age. ALA commends the president on the $7.2 billion for broadband included in the stimulus and specific inclusion of libraries (public computer centers) as key hubs for information literacy.”

Celebrations of the Hudson River Quadricentennial are everywhere it seems, but the  Yonkers Public Library has a program  that will help put appreciation of this majestic river and its history into perspective.

The library hosts Frances F. Dunwell, author of “The Hudson: America’s River” (Columbia University Press)  and a conservationist with 30 years experience as a conservationist, in a talk at 3 p.m. Oct. 24.  The book tells about the Hudson and how it transformed American history, politics and culture. She also talks about the river’s scenic beauty and how it inspired people to be entrepreneurs and to be innovative.

The program is in the community  room at  the Yonkers Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center. Admission is fre. Books will be on sale with all royalties donated to the Natural Heritage Trust for the conservation of the river.

The Westchester Library System will be updating the software that runs the library catalog on Oct. 12 and 13. During that time the catalogs will be unavailable both online and in the member libraries. Many libraries will be closed Oct. 12 for Columbus Day.

“It’s kind of one of these necessary evils,” said Wayne Hay, the IT manager for the library system.

The upgrade will keep the software up to date and thus easier to maintain. For the user, the catalog will look much the same after the upgrade, he said. During the shutdown, downloadable audio books and ebooks will still be available.

We who have worked for a long, long (ok, very long) time here at The Journal News were pleasantly surprised recently to receive a package with a new novel written by an former colleague.

It’s called Pieces of Happily Ever After, and it’s written by Irene Zutell, who once covered the police beat and the usual community stuff in Scarsdale, Eastchester and Tuckahoe.

A Bronx native, Irene grew up in Eastchester.

(On the back cover, it gives a little bio on Irene: “She has written for People, Us Weekly, The New York Times, Read more of this entry »

Right about now State Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, is scheduled to be in the Kent Public Library to help introduce the library’s new Website for children. (SEE UPDATE WITH PHOTO BELOW).

Wish we could be there for the launch, but for now Book by Book will spread the word about this new site in a most appropriate way—  online right here and now.

Kids’ Port comes to the community through a legislative funding from the senator. The site is a mix of fun and educational resources for children, pre-school to 10 years old. It has games, activities, reading links and stuff for parents. To the right is one of the icons on the site which leads users to a catalog of children’s books. Finding the right books can be fun and easy.

Mid-Hudson Library System is the administrator for Kids’ Port. It can be accessed from home computers so families can check it out most anywhere. The site was designed by librarians from Mid-Hudson, a cooperative system encompassing Putnam,  Dutchess,  Columbia, Green and Ulster counties.

UPDATE—  Here are photos of the event.