Hot Off The New Books Display!

The New Picture Books display is probably my favorite browsing spot in the library. There is almost always something exciting just begging to be seen in its shiny new plastic cover. This morning was one of those mornings when I happily found several new books by consistently wonderful authors. As my eyes scanned the shelf my mutterings (yes, I was alone) sounded something like this, "Oooo, a new Emma Dodd book. Oohhh, a new David McPhail. Whoa, a new Phillip Stead book. Wow, and a new Rosemary Wells!"



I Love My Mommy

By: Giles Andreae Illustrated by: Emma Dodd



A very sweet and simple rhyming book that lists all of the things baby loves about his mommy.









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Pig Pig Returns

By: David McPhail



Poor Pig Pig. The last thing he wants to do this summer is take a road trip with his aunt and uncle. Along the way Pig Pig sees all kinds of wonderful things and, despite his worries, begins to enjoy his adventure.



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Hands Off, Harry!

By: Rosemary Wells



Harry is a bit of a trouble maker who spends a lot of time in the "Thinking Chair" in his kindergarten class. After a series of accidents resulting from Harry not respecting his classmates personal space his teacher finally gets him to understand how to be more respectful.



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Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat

By: Philip C. Stead



When Jonathan loses his best friend Frederick he decides to set sail to find him. This book is absolutely beautiful and chock-full of imagination. The best in the bunch, in my opinion!



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--cm

New Picture Book Review: The Last Day of Kindergarten

By Nancy Loewen
Illustrated by Sachico Yoshikawa
Call Number: E Loeman, N.
Best for Ages 4-7

I’ve been waiting for summer and now it’s just around the corner! Time to review one of our new picture books: Nancy Loewen’s Last Day of Kindergarten.

In this story we follow a girl through her last day of kindergarten with all of her colorful pink-cheeked friends in Mrs. Popinski class—she reminisces about what it was like on the first day of kindergarten—when her crayons were all pointy and new, and all the fun things they did in the school year like playing Grocery Store, or dressing up for Halloween, and even losing her first tooth.

During the last day of kindergarten her class cleans up the room, then dons mortarboards (those funny flat graduation hats) made from construction paper and yarn and has a graduation ceremony for friends and family (which explains the predominance of little boys wearing neck ties to kindergarten—something that didn’t seem quite normal in the first few pages.)

My favorite part about The Last Day of Kindergarten is that it really captures the feelings of the last day of school: sadness that something is ending, but excitement for summer, and anticipating what the next school year will bring. In first grade the class will eat lunch in the cafeteria, make new friends and play on the big kid’s playground. While the details of this girls’ story may not fit exactly with what happens with your child’s last day of kindergarten this certainly is a great book to check out and discuss with your class or to read one-on-one with your child getting ready for their last day of school.

Click here to view this title in the catalog

-JW-

Fortune Cookies

by Albert Bitterman (2011)

A little girl receives a box of seven fortune cookies, one for each day of the week. Each day she opens one up and reads the typical fortune cookie message, for example on monday the cookie says, "You will lose something you don't need." Then she loses a tooth!

Each cookie on the page actually has a pull out message that you can slide out and then back in. After you see the message there is the repeating phrase, "And guess what?" The next page tells you. Each fortune seems to come true and the story is adorable.

The book has little text and bright simple pictures that will appeal to young children. On the cute meter, this one's reading is way up there.-SC-

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New Picture Book Review: Ribbit Rabbit

By Candace Ryan

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Call Number: E Ryan

Best for ages 2-8

Frog and Bunny are best friends, and they do practically everything together from swimming, eating Peanut Butter sandwiches, fighting monsters, to playing with robots. But like most friendships, sometimes they don’t get along very well.

In fun playful language*, we learn not only about sharing, but about friendship, compromise. Frog and Bunny’s play is creative and Mike Lowery’s illustrations are simple enough for a child to emulate, and still full of movement and emotion. Whether you’re needing books on sharing and friendships, or just looking for a fun word-play check out Ribbit Rabbit and enjoy.

Click here to view this title in the catalog

* Well, with a title like “Ribbit, Rabbit” we KNOW there’s going to be some awesome word play to build up phonological awareness. If you aren’t sure what Phonological Awareness means be sure to check out the Early Literacy workshops happening this month!

-JW-

2011 Award Winners

The committees have spoken and the winners were announced this morning! For a complete list of winners and honorees check out the Press Release. Meanwhile, take a peek at the books we have that you can check out or put on hold...

Newbery Medal

"Moon Over Manifest," written by Clare Vanderpool. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Newbery Honor Books
"Turtle in Paradise" written by Jennifer L. Holm. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Heart of a Samurai" written by Margi Preus.Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night" written by Joyce Sidman. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"One Crazy Summer" written by Rita Williams-Garcia. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Caldecott Medal

"A Sick Day for Amos McGee" illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Caldecott Honor Books

"Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave" illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Interrupting Chicken" illustrated and written by David Ezra Stein. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Sibert Medal

"Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot" written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Sibert Honor Books

"Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring" written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"Lafayette and the American Revolution" written by Russell Freedman. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Geisel Award

"Bink and Gollie" written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile. Click here to view this title in the catalog

Geisel Honor Books

"Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" written and illustrated by Grace Lin. Click here to view this title in the catalog

"We Are in a Book!" written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Click here to view this title in the catalog . Click here to see our review of this title.

-JW-

Library Books

A few great picture books about our favorite place...the library.

Bats at the Library

By: Brian Lies

"Bored with another normal, inky evening, bats discover an open library window and fly in to enjoy the photocopier, water fountain, and especially the books and stories found there. "

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The Library Pages

By: Carlene Morton

Want to see your favorite librarian squirm? Read them this cute story about a group of kids who take over the library when their school librarian is away.

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Library Lion

By: Michelle Knudsen

"A lion starts visiting the local library but runs into trouble as he tries to both obey the rules and help his librarian friend."

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Goin' Someplace Special

By: Patricia McKissack

"In segregated 1950s Nashville, a young African American girl braves a series of indignities and obstacles to get to one of the few integrated places in town: the public library. "

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-cm

New Picture Book Review: Monsters Eat Whiny Children

By Bruce Eric Kaplan
Best for Ages: 4-8
Call Number: E Kaplan, B.

Need a good New Year’s resolution-- How about less whining? These kids probably should have had that as their goal BEFORE the monsters came to eat them.

In this book we learn how a monster steals Henry and Eve away from their home and takes them back to his lair to make a delicious whiny child salad. But the monster’s wife has doesn't like the salad he's prepared, and the monster’s neighbor would much prefer whiny child burgers. Between whiny child salads, whiny child burgers, whiny child cake, and whiny child vindaloo we discover that grown up monsters can be just as whiny as whiny children. And, boy is whining ridiculous!

Using simple line drawings with accents of color, you might recognize Kaplan’s drawings from the New Yorker, or his kooky style of writing from the tv show Seinfeld. For example “The Monster’s wife said she couldn’t eat sweets because her bottom was too big. Everyone told her she was crazy.”

Making good food choices, less whining, and more reading time, are all perfectly good New Year’s resolutions, and checking out “Monsters Eat Whiny Children” is a great way of starting out the year with lots of laughter.

Click here to view this title in the catalog
-JW-

How To Raise a Dinosaur

How To Raise a Dinosaur

by Natasha Wing (2010)

There are lots of different kinds of pets you could get: dogs, cats, gerbils and even lizards. But why not get a dinosaur? First you need to figure out what size of dinosaur you want, and what size a space you have to put him in. You need to know how many times to walk and feed him a day. You need to pick up after him, if you know what I mean. You'll need lots of toys for him, too. Most importantly, you need to love him.

The tips in this book are useful no matter what kind of pet you decide upon. The pages add a lot of interest with unusually sized and shaped pages, and lift-the-flaps. The graphics are colorful and vibrant, and sure to catch your child's attention. This book is perfect for dinosaur lovers, or pet lovers in general! -sc-

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New Book Review: The Cow Loves Cookies

By Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Marcellus Hall
Call Number E Willson
Best for ages 2-8

I, for one, love cookies. And so does the cow. We follow the farmer feeding all the animals what they like to eat, in a wonderful rhythm and rhyme that build a pattern on one another through the entire story. The illustrations have bold black lines and bright water colors and have a nostalgic- old-fashioned feel to them.

This is a great book for read-aloud both for groups and one-on-one with a great refrain that kids will want to read along with- after all “the Cow loves Cookies.”
Click here to view this title in the catalog

-JW-

We Are in a Book!

By Mo Willems
Call number: ER Willems
Best for kids ages 4-8

He has done it again! Mo Willems has produced another book that makes me laugh my pants off. You may remember Mo from his excellent Pigeon books.* His early reader series Elephant & Piggie is a great introduction for first time readers, with Gerald the Elephant and his dear friend Piggie speak in simple speech bubbles and solve complex problems such as having a bird on one’s head and being invited to a party for the first time. (What if it is a fancy-pool-costume party? You MUST be ready!)

In this newest installment, Elephant and Piggie realize they are in a book. They discover they can make the Reader say ANY word they want… but what happens when the book comes to an end?

Check out We are in a Book to find out!

Click here to view this title in the catalog

-JW-

*Psst! Don’t forget to sign up for the Pigeon Party! Registration begins Oct. 22.

Importance of kindness

Nico & Lola: Kindness shared between a boy and a dog

By: Meggan Hill

I was excited to see this book on the shelf because it reminded me of a series of picture books I LOVED as a kid which featured children and their pets, illustrated with photographs. After reading it I was happy to discover that Nico & Lola is a very sweet story with a very simple and important message, be kind.

When Aunt Sue asks Nico if he,"would be kind enough" to watch her beloved dog Lola while she was away, Nico happily agrees and begins thinking of all the ways he can be kind enough to Lola. Nico takes great care to treat Lola with love and kindness by taking her for walks, sharing food with her, fixing her up when she is hurt, and treating her as he would like to be treated. The photographs of Nico and Lola that illustrate the book enhance the experience of the story and really bring it to life.

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Hey, Daddy

In honor of Father's Day, some stories that celebrate all those amazing dads doing all those amazing dad things!

My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen
It's true, dads do know just about everything there is to know.

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The Father's Are Coming Home by Margaret Wise Brown.
One by one the fathers come home for the day until the very last one, a sailor, arrives home from the sea.

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Oh, Daddy by Bob Shea
Sometimes dads get confused and need a little help from you.

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I Love My Dad by Anna Walker
Yes, it's true, I really do.

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Zoomer by Ned Young
What's a dog dad to do when his little dog son won't get ready for school?

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-gw

Market Basket

Welcome back our own Beaverton Farmer's Market with a shopping trip through these picture books.







To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda

Don't let your food get loose in the kitchen!



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To Market! To Market! by Anushka Ravishankar

All the sights and sounds of a market in India.



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My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme by Stella Blackstone

Buy a flying carpet at the market and use it to do your shopping around the world.



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Market Day by Lois Ehlert

Folk art illustrations highlight all the delights of a trip to market.



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Market Day by Carol Foskett Cordsen

Cows and markets don't mix!



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How Many Donkeys?: An Arabic Counting Tale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald

Jouha gets confused counting the donkeys carrying his dates to market.



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Oh, Mama!

Mother's Day is fast approaching. Here are some new picture books all about all those wonderful moms.


Pouch by David Ezra Stein

Sometimes it takes a few tries before you are ready to leave the pouch.

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My Mother Is So Smart by Tomie DePaola
Moms do know everything, even how to drive a truck!

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A Mother's Song by Janet Lawler
A mother and her daughter share their love throughout the seasons.

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Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
What happens when mommy won't go to bed?

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One More Hug for Madison by Caroline Church
Madison needs just one more thing before bedtime.

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-gw-

Celebrate Arbor Day

Arbor Day is April 30th. To celebrate, read about the gifts trees give to each and every one of us.














The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward
A tree gives a home to all kinds of animals.

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A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry
This Caldecott Award book explains all the things trees do for us every day.


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One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert
Trees give us delicious things to eat.


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This Tree Counts by Alison Formento
Listen closely and this tree will count out the ways it helps people and animals.



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We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow
Many families, many trees, many different places but the gift of a tree means the same the world over.



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Curious George Plants a Tree by Monica Perez
Everyone's favorite monkey does his part for the environment.



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-gw-

Mud-O-Rama

Spring has been (so far) cold, wet and rainy. That means mud. The only thing more fun than playing in the mud? Reading stories about it!












Mud by May Lyn Ray
An ode to the thawing of the earth after the long winter.

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Mud Tacos by Mario Lopez and Marissa Lopez Wong
Let's make mud tacos out in the backyard. Yum!

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The Mud Fairy by Amy Young
Can Emmalina the fairy earn her wings by playing with the frogs in the mud?

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Stuck in the Mud by Jane Clarke
Little chick needs lots of help after getting stuck in the barnyard mud.


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I'm Dirty by Kate and Jim McMullan
It's a backhoe's duty to get dirty.

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-gw-