Can you guess which animal this describes?

• They’ve got thick skin.

• They are constantly eating.

• They communicate through vibrations.

No, it’s not your average teenager!

• You can tell the three species apart by their ears.

• They’re the world’s largest land animal.

• Their trunks have mad skills.

• Their tusks are actually teeth.

Yes, that made it easy to guess!

Why elephants?

Our theme for summer reading is inclusion. That’s a big buzz word at the moment, but let’s turn it around and look at exclusion. We sometimes exclude others based on who they are, how they look, what they do, etc.

According to Taishi Kawamoto (Kawamoto, T., Ura, M., and Nittono, H. 2015. Intrapersonal and interpersonal processes of social exclusion), we often use the term “painful” to describe the feeling we have when we are being excluded. Kawamoto lives in Japan.

In Japan, he uses the word “pain” to describe his feelings when he is excluded from an activity. It is quite possible you also use a similar word to describe your feelings under similar circumstances.

Prior social neuroscience studies have shown similar areas in the brain are activated when we experience physical pain and social pain. An area of the brain called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) became activated. The dACC is also known to activate when we experience aversive feelings of physical pain, suggesting social and physical injuries are similarly processed by the brain.

Why elephants?

Amy will be using books and games to illustrate this theme with younger children over the summer. “Strictly no Elephants” by Lisa Mantchev, is a story of an elephant who is excluded from the pet club and how his young friend solves the problem.

We aim to include everyone here at the library. Causing pain is not our aim! We may not always get it right, but our intentions are to involve everyone in the activities we run here, have fun and, of course, always read as much as we can.

NEW BOOKS

Fiction: “The Wind Knows My Name,” Isabel Allende; “The First Ladies,” Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray; “Robert B. Parker’s Bad Influence,” Alison Gaylin; “The Paris Daughter,” Kristin Harmel; “The Five-Star Weekend,” Elin Hilderbrand; “The Last Sinner,” Lisa Jackson; “Yellowface,” R.F. Kuang; “Clive Cussler Fire Strike,” Mike Maden; “The Happiness Plan,” Susan Mallery; “Circle of Death,” James Patterson and Brian Sitts; “Private Moscow,” James Patterson and Adam Handy; “The Only One Left,” Riley Sager; “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women,” Lisa See; “Palazzo,” Danielle Steel; “Good Night, Irene,” Luis Alberto Urrea; “Zero Days,” Ruth Ware; “Welcome to Beach Town,” Susan Wiggs

Nonfiction: “King: A Life,” Jonathan Eig; “The Trial of the Century,” Gregg Jarrett; “Long Illness: A Practical Guide to Surviving, Healing and Thriving,” Meghan Jobson, M.D., Ph.D.; “Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street: One Hundred Years in the Neighborhood That Refused To Be Erased,” Victor Luckerson; “My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds,” Hannah Pick-Goslor; “The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man,” David Von Drehle; “The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West,” Chris Wimmer

Juvenile: “The Bad Guys in Let the Games Begin!” Aaron Blabley, “Freewater,” Amina Luqman-Dawson; “Firefly Summer,” Morgan Matson; “Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars: Fun Projects, Skills and Adventures for Outdoor Kids,” Steven Rinella; “The Deadlands: Hunted,” Skye Melki-Wegner; “The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire),” Tui T. Sutherland; “Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre,” Carole Boston Weatherford

Young adult: “The Night in Question,” Kathleen Glasgow; “All the Dead Lie Down,” Kurie McCauley; “A Long Stretch of Bad Days,” Mindy McGinnis; “Lying in the Deep,” Diana Urban

Children’s picture books: “The Cousins Are Coming,” Kay Jones; “How To Go Hiking,” Jean Reagan; “Max and Moonbean,” Rob Scotton; “The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie,” Channing Tatum; “A Very Dinosaur Birthday,” Adam Wallace; “Diggersaurs Mission to Mars,” Michael Whaite