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juliagertrud.bsky.social
Julia
@juliagertrud.bsky.social
370 followers 720 following 190 posts
Librarian. Storytime is the best time.

youth services & rare books and special collections
#librarylife | #bells #changeringing | #neurodivergent #NEISvoid #chronicpain #bendybrain hEDS ADHD
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juliagertrud.bsky.social
Hmmm... this sounds familiar. 😁
Photo collage showing two images: Top: a screenshot of text from the book THE LIBRARY OF UNRULY TREASURES "Step by step they went, up and up; until they reach the top, relieved and triumphant. And there at the end of the hall was the prize--a room with sunlight spilling out of it, and CHILDREN painted over the door in a rainbow of colors". Bottom: A photograph of a children's room entryway with a large curving window full of sunlight and a purple stripe above the doorway affixed to which Are rainbow letters spelling out CHILDREN. There is a marked similarity between this excerpt and the place shown in the image.
August 23, 2025 at 10:27 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
SPECTACULAR
youtu.be/rYG8_A562_A?...
Photo collage showing: (top left) a show poster with quote ["A reminder of the magic of the theater... the Gypsy you know and love, with flourishes and nods to the war Black culture has shaped show business"] over a photo of two Black women on stage gazing out towards the audience. Rose looks extremely determined, while Louise looks happy. (top right) A pre-show view of the stage from a rear orchestra seat. The red velvet curtain is down and audience members are milling about. (bottom) The marquee at the Majestic which reads AUDRA GYPSY
August 10, 2025 at 9:56 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
I do so love bluebells.
A photograph taken in a forest. In the foreground (in sharp focus) are clusters of pinkish purplish bluebells (or possibly harebells). More flowers are visible in the middle and in the background we see tall out-of-focus trees (mostly beech and pine). Sun is shining down from the top left corner of the photo and illuminating the petals of the flowers. More bluebells (classic blue purple ones this time) with a tall fluffyish conical plant (possibly horsetail?) that is a brighter green than the stem of the bluebells. Pink bluebells with blurry logs and trees in the background Camera is at eye level with a large patch of bluebells. In the background, we see some fallen logs covered in moss.
May 11, 2025 at 8:02 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
You may have already seen this, but just in case...

According to her website, it sounds like she's got another book or two in the queue first but she's definitely planning to finish Pegasus.

robinmckinley.com/biography
Screenshot from Robin McKinley's website: Oh, & the writing? Which is why you're bothering with my web site at all? & you are understandably wondering if I'm going to say anything about it? There is never a lot I can tell anyone about writing, although I'll try to answer, or re-answer, some of the obvious questions on the new FAQ. But the only thing that matters is that I am writing again. A storyteller isn't really alive or fully inhabiting her skin unless she's telling stories. There have always been fallow periods in my storytelling but the last few years have been bleak. The book I hope I'm finishing now is also bleak, but it's the one that wanted to be written, & I think it has something worthwhile to say to its readers. I can feel other stories stirring, & I hope to tell them too. Including that infamous second volume of PEGASUS. I have no idea why I didn't let my publishers put some kind of a 'to be continued' at the end. Major brain failure. Apologies. & while I've certainly had frustrated & outraged mail about it (!!!!) I haven't had as much as I might be considered to have deserved, & I hope this means that my long-term readers know perfectly well that I wouldn't leave Sylvi & Ebon parted forever. Some of you may remember my telling the story of the scene in BLUE SWORD where Harry is standing on the top of that mountain above the pass & Exciting Things Happen, & that's where the entire story started for me? I didn't, to begin with, know anything about the story but that scene. There's a somewhat similar, from my perspective, dramatic WHAT??? scene in EBON, which is the title of PEG II, where Sylvi & Ebon get back together. Wait for it. Please
May 11, 2025 at 6:19 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime books today:
FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews

ME AND THE BOSS by Michelle Edwards and April Harrison

EVERYBODY IN THE RED BRICK BUILDING by Anne Wynter and Oge Mora

(This one was an all-ages storytime with one or two infants, a few 6 and 7-year-olds, and bunch of toddlers and preschoolers)
Book cover for FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews A white background provides a high-contrast backdrop for the colorful train (we can see the edge of the green cattle car, blue gondola car, purple box car, black tender, and a black steam engine). Smoke billows up from the engine and spreads across the middle of the cover (only obscured by the silver Caldecott Honor Book sticker). The title text is in red, the author/illustrator's name is beneath the title in orange. Book cover for ME AND THE BOSS: A STORY ABOUT MENDING AND LOVE Teal background with author and illustrator names on the top right. Beneath that in large all caps sans serif purple letters that look as if they've been stitched on with white thread, is the title. Beneath the subtitle (which is in smaller, much thinner font) is the sticker indicating that this is the Coretta Scott King honor book. On the left hand side of the cover, we see a Black girl standing with crossed arms. She is wearing a polka dotted dress and her body is turned towards the title; we see her head in profile. She giving some side-eye. Seated in front of her, facing forwards, is a younger boy with an orange and blue patterned shirt. His hands are resting on a table and his face seems content. On the table, we see embroidery thread, fabric, and a sewing needle. Book cover for EVERYBODY IN THE RED BRICK BUILDING Small glimpses of the background (swirls of black and dark and slightly lighter shades of blue that evoke the night sky extremely effectively) are visible, but the cover is dominated by a large multi-story rectangular brick building depicted using what seems to be paint and cut paper collage. Characters from the story are visible in the building's windows. (We can see a child with his parrot, three children into Windows playing flashlight tag, a baby in the arms of her mother, and a girl with a toy rocket.) The title is overlaid onto the brick of the top half of the building using cut paper lettering that stands out clearly. The author and illustrator information has been placed below the second row of windows, close to the bottom edge of the cover. Cut paper collage trees frame the building and add an extra layer of depth to the illustration. A silver sticker on the right side of the cover indicates that this is an Ezra Jack Keats honor book.
February 27, 2025 at 1:27 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime book today:

FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews

(Baby Storytime today, hooray! We used shakers and talked about phonological awareness and different ways to share the same book.)
Book cover for FREIGHT TRAIN by Donald Crews A white background provides a high-contrast backdrop for the colorful train (we can see the edge of the green cattle car, blue gondola car, purple box car, black tender, and a black steam engine). Smoke billows up from the engine and spreads across the middle of the cover (only obscured by the silver Caldecott Honor Book sticker). The title text is in red, the author/illustrator's name is beneath the title in orange.
February 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime books today:

B IS FOR BABY by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank

ALMA'S ART by Roda Ahmed and Anita Cheung

HARRIET GETS CARRIED AWAY by Jessie Sima
Book cover for b is for baby. The edge of the cover Just before the spine is decorated in a bright, vibrant patterned background with stamped flowers in oranges, reds, greens, yellows. The rest of the cover Is a very pale yellow background with a large (and adorable!) Illustration of a baby with green pants, a polka dotted blue shirt, and pink orange green and blue beads in her black curly hair. The title is in turquoise, and is written in a font that looks like crayon. The author and illustrator information is written in a bold all caps typeface in magenta Book cover of Alma's Art. Vertical and horizontal geometric shapes in rainbow order (red at the top, two rows of orange rectangles, several rows of yellow shapes with space for the title in the middle, a thin line of green snowflakes, a tall row of blue rectangles, two rows of horizontal Indigo rectangles, and some pointy Violet triangles at the very bottom) decorate (and stand in clear contrast) the white background of the cover. A slightly cartoonish (and delightful ) illustration of a young Black girl holding a paintbrush Is seated atop one of the yellow rows of rectangles and appears to be painting in another one. Book cover for Harriet gets carried away. Background is a purplish gradient at top which fades to a deeper and then brighter blue at the bottom. The title is in a mix of fonts: Harriet gets is written in a smaller cursive hand, while carried away is in a higher contrast white that is bold, sans-serif typeface. Beneath the title, we see Harriet, a young girl wearing a penguin costume being carried on the shoulders of an actual penguin. That penguin is at the front of a crowd of dozens of other penguins.
February 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime book today:

BABY GOES TO MARKET
BEBÉ VA AL MERCADO
by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank

(read in both English and Spanish)
Book cover for BABY GOES TO MARKET (in English) Book cover for BABY GOES TO MARKET/BEBÉ VA AL MERCADO (in Spanish)
February 14, 2025 at 2:30 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime books yesterday (2)

RHYMING DUST BUNNIES by Jan Thomas

LILY BROWN'S PAINTINGS by Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis

THE RED FRUIT by Lee Gee Eun
Book cover for THE RED FRUIT Book cover for LILY BROWN'S PAINTINGS Book cover for RHYMING DUST BUNNIES
February 13, 2025 at 12:33 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Forgot to update this yesterday.

Storytime books yesterday:

JAZZ BABY by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie

HELLO BABY! by Mem Fox and Steve Jenkins
Book cover for JAZZ BABY Book cover for HELLO BABY!
February 13, 2025 at 12:33 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime book today:

ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME
ALMA Y CÓMO OBTUVO SU NOMBRE
by Juana Martinez-Neal

(read in both English and Spanish)

I planned to also read THE GABI THAT GIRMA WORE by Fasika Adefris and Sara Holly Ackerman, but we ran out of time. I'll have to save it for another week!
English language cover of ALMA Spanish language cover of ALMA
February 7, 2025 at 12:20 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime books today:

ZOOM, ROCKET, ZOOM! by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe

MAX AND THE TAG-ALONG MOON by Floyd Cooper

HOW TO BE ON THE MOON by Viviane Schwarz
Book cover for HOW TO BE ON THE MOON The black background is speckled with stars (white dots of varying sizes). The moon is in the center of the cover with the book title curving around it underneath. Overlaid atop the moon are drawings of a girl and a crocodile. Both are smiling. Book cover for MAX AND THE TAG ALONG MOON In the foreground, we see Max playing with a toy car on the floor. Behind him, glowing warmly, is the moon. Book cover for ZOOM, ROCKET, ZOOM! More cartoonish in style than the other books. This cover features brightly colored planets, stars, and rockets.
February 6, 2025 at 2:40 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Storytime books today:

THE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats

ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson

#saturdaylibrarian (Are we still using that hashtag?) #kidlit #librarylife
Book cover of THE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats. The cover shows a city sidewalk covered in snow. The title is overlaid an orange building in the background, while in the foreground, we see piles of snow, Peter's footprints, and Peter (a young black boy dressed in his iconic red snowsuit) Book cover of Ellington was not a street. The cover illustration by Kadir Nelson features a young black girl in a blue dress and braids holding a Duke Ellington record .
February 1, 2025 at 11:22 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Just living that chronic pain #hEDS life...

When I say that everything hurts, it isn't really much of an exaggeration.

A friend asked what bits of me hurt right now, so I colored in a skeleton. Here it is:
Human skeleton with connective tissue visible. Red marks indicating pain on one foot, both ankles, both knees, hips, lower back, rib cage, fingers, wrists, one forearm, both elbows, one shoulder, jaw, headache
January 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Before mathematicians invented permutations, bell ringers figured out the same thing and called them changes. We ring patterns based on that idea.

Here's what that can look and sound like on handbells:
Double Helix youtu.be/G-yI6j7QPMQ?...

Here's info about tower bells: youtu.be/fvdPYNtfJbg?...
Blue line change ringing chart for Double Helix Major Rows of numbers 1-8 in different orders that change by one place each row and never repeat exactly save for the very first and very last rows (which are 12345678)
December 12, 2024 at 4:22 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Also looking for all the other change ringers! #bell friends, where are you?
Change ringing bell (with rope and wooden wheel) as seen from above
November 17, 2024 at 2:34 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline.
Foreground of the image has a bright yellow dahlia with orange-tipped petals that curve under. In the background, which is quite fuzzy, we see an orange bicycle leaning against a stone wall, a curving path, and old stone houses with chimneys reaching to the sky. The sky is bright blue and half covered in fluffy white clouds.
November 17, 2024 at 1:47 AM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
An excellent idea.

@anstevens.bsky.social knows how to do this. Here are some of her crow friends!
Three crows in mid-air. They're forming a sort of triangle in the sky. On the lower left, one is about to land. Top middle is flying. Lower right, wings are spread but it is heading downwards. A fairly flat field with very large hill in the background on the right hand side. Bright green grass. Atop this grass, there are approximately 11 crows at various distances, all staring in the direction of the photographer. There is also a round object on the ground which is a modified cat toy used to attract the crows and give them a puzzle with treats.
November 16, 2024 at 11:09 PM
juliagertrud.bsky.social
Hello, everyone! If you knew me on Twitter from 2009-2022ish, you probably don't recognize my current profile photo. Here's one that might be more familiar.
A white woman with brown hair and glasses and a blue scarf is standing in front of Shakespeare and Co bookshop in Paris. There are many bookshelves in the background and the woman is smiling broadly.
November 13, 2024 at 1:18 AM