Staff Favorites
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Spring is Here! |
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A Giraffe Goes To Paris - Mary Holmes & John Harris, illus. by Jon Cannell An unusual historical tidbit – the gift of a giraffe, from the Pasha of Egypt to the King of France in 1827, is the basis for this endearing and visually pleasing picture book. Giraffe Belle’s journey, featuring an 8 week walk from Marseille to Paris (!), is told in the imagined words of her young caretaker Atir, as well as in visuals including photos of 19th C artifacts and etchings. |
| Insect Detective - Steve Voake, illus. by Charlotte Voake. Yucky Worms - Vivian French, illus. by Jessica Ahlberg. Two fact-filled picture books that use a story format to follow a young child as they explore and engage with nature. Each of these books does a superb job of impressing a sense of respect and wonder for even the smallest things around us, as well as introducing curious children to tools like the included indexes so they can continue to learn. |
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Little Rabbit And The Meanest Mother On Earth Kate Klise, illus. by M. Sarah Klise. The charming mother and child bunnies from “Shall I Knit You a Hat” return in this slice of life tale with dialogue that will ring true to any parent. Even though Little Rabbit reneges on his part of the bargain (to clean his room), he is still outraged when him mother cancels the planned reward of a trip to the circus. What’s a spunky rabbit to do but expend his indignation in a scheme selling tickets to see (his very own) Meanest Mother On Earth! |
| Little Red Hen and The Passover Matzah - Leslie Kimmelman, illus. by Paul Meisel. This humorous variation on the Little Red Hen story is perfect for sharing any time of the year as a comparative folktale, and for its sparkling text and message of forgiveness. The detailed drawings from the lives of the hardworking hen and her lazy neighbors amplify the wit of the text. As an added plus at Passover time, the book includes information about the holiday and a matzah recipe. |
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Milo Armadillo - Jan Fearnley. You can feel the disappointment when Tallulah doesn’t get the pink fluffy rabbit she has her heart set on, although she does accept the pink armadillo her grandmother has mistakenly knit with good grace, and tries her hardest to have fun with him. This heartwarming story really takes off when Milo himself determines to do whatever it takes to provide Tallulah with a pink rabbit. In almost losing Milo, Tallulah comes to a light bulb moment of discovery: sometimes what we didn’t even know we wanted is what we end up loving the most. From the pink yarn endpapers to the collage highlights of yarn and fabric patches brightening the illustrations, this book has “read it to me again!” written all over it. |
| Over At The Castle - Boni Ashburn, illus. by Kelly Murphy. Finally – a book about knights and castles appropriate even for preschoolers! “In this variation on the folk song “Over in The Meadow”, the occupants of a medieval castle spend their day spinning, cleaning, cooking, and dancing, until they receive a special surprise from their dragon neighbors” (CIP citation) |
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The Popularity Papers - Amy Ignatow Lydia and Julie have a plan (spend their last year of elementary school observing popular girls), a methodology (conduct experiments to imitate the behavior of those girls), and a goal (what else, to become popular themselves). Of course nothing goes as planned, and the girls no sooner extricate themselves from one tricky situation than they are on to the next. This hilarious tongue in cheek graphic novel mimics the look of a journal that Lydia and Julie take turns writing in. It’s easy to relate to Lydia and Julie, and their inherent niceness subtly reinforces the values of empathy and of being a true friend. |
| Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors - Joyce Sidman, illus. by Beckie Prange. In this eye-opening blend of science and poetry, the poems are arranged in order of their subject’s appearance in evolutionary time, from the earliest bacteria and mollusks to newcomers like dandelions and coyotes. There is information about each species (their spread, what helped them prosper, etc.) and handsome linocut illustrations surrounding the poems, and an intriguing timeline on the endpapers. This author and illustrator team also created the stunning and award-winning Song Of The Water Boatman And Other Pond Poems. |
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~Winter Favorites~ |
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Archie And The Pirates - Marc Rosenthal. A shipwrecked monkey’s tropical island paradise is invaded by tough talking pirates (HAR!), but Archie and friends soon outwit them in this delightful romp. |
| Otis - Loren Long Otis the tractor is replaced by a newer model, but the little calf who is his friend doesn’t want any substitutes for Otis! A gentle story in the spirit of classics like Mike Mulligan. |
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Nubs: The True Story Of a Mutt, A Marine & a Miracle - Major Brian Dennis. The strong bond between animals and humans takes many shapes. It took Nubs, a homeless dog in Iraq, 70 miles alone across the desert in search of the soldiers who had befriended him. And it resulted in those Marines moving a mountain of bureaucracy to send Nubs on a safe journey to America. |
| The Tree That Time Built - by Mary Ann Hoberman. Science, nature and literature intersect in this amazing and thought provoking poetry anthology that features poems about the majesty and mystery of the diversity of varied species on our world’s tree of life. |
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The Brooklyn Nine - Alan Gratz. The history of baseball, as told by following one family of 19th century German immigrants, and items of baseball memorabilia they come across, through 9 generations. |
| The Evolution Of Calpurnia Tate - Jacqueline Kelly Callie lives in a sleepy Texas town in 1899, but when her eyes are opened to the wider world by her grandfather’s passion for science, she hopes there is more in store for her than the ladylike future her mother envisions. |
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Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld. Fans of Airborn and Mortal Enemies will like this inventive alternate history adventure, set in the months leading up to WWI. A young Austrian Prince, on the run in one of his country’s elaborate tanks, meets up with an incredible airship made of living creatures used by the British forces. |
| When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead, Miranda receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future and hint that she can prevent a tragedy, in this unique puzzle of a novel – a page turner from the very start. |
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