Today's Book

I recently The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. A new addition to the children's library, I have seen it showing up on many mock Newbery lists. The book cover shows a hound dog and kittens underneath a porch and the jacket flap leads one to believe that it is a simple animal story. Rest assured, there is nothing simple about this multi-layered fantasy about good and evil, love and hate and all its power.
The story is set in a bayou where an evil man, known as Gar Face, lives with a hound dog. His is a sad story but he is not a sympathetic character. He traps and skins animals and mistreats the old dog. A mother cat, seeking refuge, moves in with the dog under the porch despite the constant threat that she and her kittens will be discovered. The kittens are special and must survive.
There is an old tree, dying in the bayou. At its roots is a jar containing a cotton mouth snake, a selkie thousands of years old. Her story is told alternately with the cat's story in a gripping tale that you can't put down. The past and the present collide in an unforgettable climax that the reader won't soon forget.
Expecting one thing in a book and getting another was not wholly unpleasant. This story grabbed me and held me from beginning to end with a satisfying enough ending which demonstrates while evil and hate are strong, love can conquer all.
This book is suitable for readers at the 4th or 5th grade level and above. If you read it, let me know what you think.

Beginning Readers Moved

When you come to visit, you may notice that things are not in their usual places. Don't panic! We are revamping the children's area to make it more efficient. The beginning readers are not gone, they have been moved behind the picture books. We are removing the shelves where they formerly sat to make room for a new computer desk. If you can't find what you need, please be sure to ask one of us for help.

New Titles at the Library

We are so excited about our new picture books. There are books by some of our favorite authors and some exciting new choices. Some of our new titles include Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson, Mouse Island by Eve Bunting, Aaaarrgghh Spider! By Lydia Monks, Finklehopper Frog by Irene Livingston, The Boy Who Loved Bananas by George Elliott, Mother, Mother I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins, I’m a Duck by Teri Sloat and Animals Are Sleeping by Suzanne Slade,

For beginning readers, we have added more titles by Harriet Ziefert. These books are written with 50 words or 100 words. The Reader’s Clubhouse books are phonics based.

Fans of the Dog Watch series by Mary Casanova will be happy to see books 4-6 in the series. There is a new series called Time Spies written by Candice Ransom which combine history, biography, mystery and adventure in one package for readers on a third grade level. Mystery lovers will enjoy the new Cabin Creek mysteries by Kristiana Gregory.

We have added some great new nonfiction titles as well. Chickens May Not Cross the Road and Other Crazy But True Laws by Kathi Linz; two Boys’ Life titles, Real-Life Robots and Really Big Things; two new art books, 123 I Can Draw and 123 I Can Make Prints by Irene Luxbacher and an Extreme Reader series by Teresa Domnauer including the titles Arachnid Attack, Odd Birds, Peculiar Pets, and Warning Snakes.

Buggy Picnic

Can you believe that the summer reading program will end next week? We have had a lot of fun these past two months. The Buggy Picnic is the finale of the summer and is scheduled for Thursday, July 24th at 11:00 am. Everyone who has participated in the program this summer is invited. Awards and prizes will be handed out to all participants. Reserve your spot by visiting or calling the children's desk and getting your name on the list. See you there!

Update

Wow! It was a really busy month at the Children's Library in June. Almost 600 children attended story time programs with their parents. It has been really great to see everyone in the library! Keep it up!!!
I won't be posting a book of the day until after the end of summer reading. You probably knew that since I didn't post at all in June. We will get back on schedule in August, at least that is the plan.
Watch for all the green Catch the Reading Bug t-shirts around town. Thanks again to the Friends of the Library for purchasing them for the summer reading participants.
Have a great holiday weekend. Be safe and hope to have some updates on the Premier Bugologist competition up next week.

Book of the Day

Tonight we are having a Fancy Nancy party at the library. Everyone is going to dress in their fanciest clothes and have fancy snacks and fancy crafts with lots of glitter! There are lots of books for the fancy readers out there.
Jane O'Connor has written three Fancy Nancy picture books which are illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. These are Fancy Nancy, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy and Fancy Nancy, Bonjour Butterfly. These books have hardly stayed on the shelf. We added two Fancy Nancy beginning readers: Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris and Fancy Nancy at the Museum. On a book shopping expedition last week, we were able to get the latest book Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words. From A to Z, she has a fancy word for every letter.
If you like other fancy books, check out Pinkalicious and Purplicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann. These are also great favorites among our fancy crowd.
Another new book on the shelf is Sassafras Goes to Hollywood by Lynn Hirshfield. Princess Sassafras is not an ordinary poodle. She is a Royal Bedrosian Long-Necked Spotted Poodle and she finally has her chance to go to Hollywood. Will she make it or will her ego get in the way? It's a fun adventure and a great story.

Book of the Day

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems arrived today. It is every bit as funny as the previous pigeon books. The Pigeon talks to the reader about why he really, really wants a puppy. Does he? The simple illustrations are expressive. As always, you feel everything that Pigeon feels. This is a wonderful continuation of the Pigeon series.

Book of the Day

If you enjoyed Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, you will have to read Punk Farm On Tour. The first book showed our punk rock barn band holding a local concerts without Farmer Joe finding out. The rendition of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" is hilarious. The second book has the animals going on tour across the country while Farmer Joe heads to the National Tractor Society Conference in Reno. As they roll in the Rock Van, they perform their unique rendition of "Wheels on the Van". Will they get back to the farm before Farmer Joe? The illustrations are clever and the text is engaging. These are a must read for all the little rock & roll barn band fans out there.

Book of the Day

Tex & Sugar: A Big City Kitty Ditty by Barbara Johansen Newman is a wonderful book about making dreams come true. Tex Mex Rex and Sugar Lee Snughead are country singing cats who leave home looking to make it big and the stage. Life in the big city isn't as easy as they think until they meet each other. This is a fun read aloud with great illustrations and has a wonderful feeling. A great book to share.

April Is...

Wow! April is a busy month. I have really fallen behind in my book and poetry posts. There are a lot of holidays still coming up. We have books for every occasion.

National Library Week - Check out The Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen or The Boy Who was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris.

Earth Day and Arbor Day - This is a great time to read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss or Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel.

National Dance Day - Read Angelina Ballerina by Katherine Holabird or Katy Duck, Dance Star by Alyssa Satin Capucilli.

El Dia de Los Ninos/Children's Day - We have lots of great bilingual books and Dora & Diego books to celebrate the day.

Baseball Season - Our favorites are Casey Back at Bat by Dan Gutman and Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Check out the Step up to the Plate @ your library promotion and get your game book here.

Of course, we are celebrating National Poetry Month. We have great selections for all ages.

Stop by. We look forward to seeing you!

Poem of the Day

Banananananananana

I thought I'd win the spelling bee

And get right to the top,

But I started to spell “banana”,

And I didn't know when to stop.

~~William Cole

For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone

Book of the Day

Moo Who? by Margie Palatini is a fabulously funny book. Hilda Mae Heifer gets conked on the head by a cowpie and forgets how to moo. Will she get her memory back? The book is clever and children will love to make the animal sounds when the book is read aloud. It is a good story for preschoolers and up.

Poem of the Day

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you,

Let the rain beat upon your head with liquid silver drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night--

And I love the rain.

--Langston Hughes

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems

Book of the Day

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is a fun adventure of imagination. When asked what he is doing with the box, the rabbit says it is his not-a-box and imagines all sorts of uses for it. The pictures are simple but encourage children to use their imaginations. A great companion to Not a Stick by the same author.

Poem of the Day

A Poem is a Little Path

A poem is a little path
That leads you through the trees.
It takes you to the cliffs and shores
To anywhere you please.

Follow it and trust your way
With mind and heart as one,
And when the journey's over,
You'll find you've just begin

~Charles Ghigna

Book of the Day

One of the new favorites in the library is Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann. This is a fun book about Pinkalicious, a little girl who loves the color pink more than anything. She especially loves to eat pink cupcakes. When she eats too many, she turns pink. Will she stay pink forever? This is a popular picture book, perfect for little girls. If you like Pinkalicious, check out its companion Purplicious. Both are in the picture book section of the library filed under J KANN.

Poem of the Day

Keep a Poem in Your Pocket
~Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

Keep a poem in your pocket
and a picture in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed.

The little poem will sing to you
the little picture bring to you
a dozen dreams to dance to you
at night when you're in bed.

So--

Keep a picture in your pocket
and a poem in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed.

Book of the Day

I love the book Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. If you have ever dealt with a child who is a picky eater, this is a must read for you both. Little Pea hates having to eat candy at every meal but can't have dessert unless he does. The humor is tongue in cheek, the text is simple and the illustrations are charming. It's new to our shelves and has been a popular choice among parents and young readers.

Early Literacy Strategies - Print Awareness

The third skill is Print Awareness. A child with print motivation is interested in and enjoys being read to. What can you do to help your child develop this skill?

• Use board books or cloth books and have your child hold the book.

• If there are only a few words on the page, point to each word as you say it.

• Read aloud every day – print labels, signs, menus. Print is everywhere!

• Let your child turn the pages.

• Let your child hold the book and read or tell the story.

• Hold the book upside down. See if your child turns the book around.

• Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.

Early Literacy Strategies - Print Motivation

The second skill is Print Motivation. A child with print motivation is interested in and enjoys being read to. What can you do to help your child develop this skill?

• Begin reading books early – even to your newborn.

• Make book sharing time a special time with just you and your baby or toddler.

• Let your child see you reading.

• Visit your public library often.

• Read together every day. Identify pictures, concepts and ideas as you read the book together.

It is important to remember that children who enjoy being read to will want to learn how to read.

Early Literacy Strategies- Vocabulary

Early literacy is what a child learns about reading and writing before learning to read and write. There are six pre-reading skills that are essential in order to learn to read.

Parents and caregivers play a major role in helping children develop these skills. The activities used to teach these skills also change with the child's age.

By the time a child is two years old, she can understand 300-500 words. What can you do to help your child develop vocabulary skills?

• Talk to your child about what is going on around you. As the child gets older, add conversations about feelings and ideas.

• When your child babbles or talks, listen and add details to what he says.

• Ask your child lots of questions, even if he can't answer you. The child learns that questions are invitations for response

• Speak clearly and in the language that is most comfortable for you.

• Read together every day. Identify pictures, concepts and ideas as you read the book together.

For a list of great books or for more information about the Every Child Ready to Read program, ask at the children's desk.

Young Writer's & Illustrator's Workshop

It is time for the 14th annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrator's contest, brought to us be the great folks at KPTS. The children's library will host a workshop on Saturday, February 2nd at 10:30 am in the library meeting room. The workshop is designed to teach kids to compose a story. It is open to the public.

The contest is open to children in grades K-3. Each public television station hosts an area contest. First, second and third places are awarded and published. First place stories move to the next level. KPTS would like to see 500 stories from their viewing area entered this year. For an entry form or more information, contact the children's desk.

News

Hard to believe that January is almost over. One of my resolutions for the new year was to post more frequently. Maybe February.

Part of our January work is to look at our numbers from last year. We are very proud of the fact the we added over 1100 new titles to the shelves. We strive to keep a good selection of books available, both new and classics, fiction and non-fiction, so there is something to interest everyone.

Preschool story time started back up in January. We meet every Thursday morning at 10:00 am for stories, songs and crafts. We would love to have you join us.

Watch the door to the children's department. We will post upcoming library events as well as on Channel 5 and the Wellington Daily News.