Lil' Mama Wants You To Pick Up A Book, Read This Summer

Rapper Lil' Mama stopped by to talk about her participation in the Brooklyn Public Library Summer Reading Block Party.

Summer Reading is a great way to connect with others who like to read, while reading what you want at your own pace. Fun activities are happening in libraries all summer long, and everyone in New York City, from babies and children to teens and adults, can sign up. Best of all, it's free! Other celebrity partcipants in the program are Darren Aronofsky, Joy Behar, David Blaine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jamie Hector, Lance Reddick, John Turturro and Rhea Perlman.

This project has special meaning to Lil' Mama (born Niatia Jessica Kirkland), as she born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn. She also attended Edward R. Murrow High School of which is also the alma mater to Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauchh, Foxy Brown and Marisa Tomei. Her hit singles include "Lip Gloss," "Shawty Get Loose" and "Block Party." Lil' Mama has also collaborated with Avril Lavigne, T-Pain and Chris Borwn, among others.

She is also a judge for America's Next Best Dance Crew. New York City auditions for the show will take place on June 14. Season 4 of the show will premiere in August. For more information, visit dancecrew.mtv.com.

For more information, visit www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/summerreading.

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY SUMMER READING BLOCK PARTY SCHEDULE
Thursday, June 4
Where: Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library, Grand Army Plaza

10 AM - Louie Miranda from Jerry Joy Music in Dweck
11AM-11:30 AM - Lil Mama speaks
11:30 AM-12 PM - Ringling Brothers perform on Plaza
12 PM - Lil Mama autograph signing
12-1 PM - Lost in the Stacks performs (BPL librarians’ band)
1:15-2 PM - Capoiera team performs (students from KIPP AMP Academy)
2:15- 3 PM - Ballet Folklórico Quetzalcoatl
3:30 PM - Care Bears on Fire Perform

Other Activities Throughout Day:
- Balloon Sculptures with Special Officer Ray Santana
- Kidsmobile and Bibliobus
- Eco-friendly arts-n-crafts from Habana Outpost
- Face painting

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CELEBRITY BOOK LISTS

Darren Aronofsky
Writer, Director, and Producer
Favorite Children's Books
1. The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
2. The Arrival, by Shaun Tan
3. Stone Soup, by Jon J. Muth

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead
2. Gentleman of the Road, by Michael Chabon
3. Song of the Silent Snow, by Hubert Selby Jr.

Joy Behar
Comedian and co-host on ABC’s The View
Favorite Children’s Books
1. Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans
2. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
3. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
4. Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss

David BlaineMagician
Favorite Children's Books
1. Oh, The Place’s You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss
2. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
3. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (translated by Katherine Woods)
4. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
5. The Way of The Peaceful Warrier, by Dan Millman

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
2. Catcher in The Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. Candide, by Voltaire
4. Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
5. Siddthartha, by Hermann Hesse

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Actress
Favorite Children's Books
1. Tell Me A Mitzi, by Lore Groszmann Segal and Rosemary Wells
2. Outside Over There, by Maurice Sendak
3. Charlotte and the White Horse, by Ruth Krauss and Maurice Sendak
4. Knuffle Bunny, by Mo Willems
5. Slow Loris, by Alexis Deacon

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. Another Country, by James Baldwin
2. A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry
3. Where I'm Calling From, by Raymond Carver
4. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy (translated by Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky)
5. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

Jamie Hector
Actor (The Wire, Heroes, Max Payne)
Brooklyn Neighborhood: Crown Heights/ East Flatbush
Favorite Children's Books
1. The Emperor's New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen and Virginia Lee Burton
2. Jack and the Beanstalk, by Joseph Jacobs
3. Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
2. My Soul To Keep, by Tananarive Due
3. Gifted Hands-The Ben Carson Story, by Cecil Murphey
4. Perfume, by Patrick Suskind

Lance Reddick
Actor (The Wire)
Favorite Children's Books
1. Curious George, by Margaret and H.A. Rey
2. Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand, by Richard Reeves
2. Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl
3. A History of Knowledge, by Charles Van Doren

John Turturro
Actor
Favorite Children's Books
1. Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson
2. Lois Burdett’s Shakespeare series
3. MacMillan Book of Greek Gods and Heroes, by Alice Low
4. Louis the Fish, by Arthur Yorinks
5. Company’s Coming, by Arthur Yorinks

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes, by Daniel L. Everet
3. Twisted Head, by Carl Capotorto
4. Italian Folktales, by Italo Calvino
5. The Great Bridge, by David McCullough

Rhea Perlman
Actress and Children’s Book Author
Favorite Children's Books
1. Matilda, by Roald Dahl
2. The BFG, by Roald Dahl
3. The Twits, by Roald Dahl
4. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
5. Maximum Ride, by James Patterson (I loved this as an adult)
6. Captain Underpants By Dav Pilkey
7. The Time Warp Trio By Jon Scieszka
8. Otto Undercover By Rhea Perlman
9. The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales By Jon Scieszka
10. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent
11. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz
12. Alistair’s Elephant by Marilyn Sadler

Favorite Adult Summer Reads
1. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
3. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
4. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski