Cheshire

Books to Read To or With Children Entering Kindergarten

/ Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

Do you have a child starting Kindergarten or Preschool this fall? Or perhaps you have an older child that still enjoys sitting and sharing a picturebook or even a board book with you on occasion. There are a ton of great books that come highly recommended and find themselves on the countless “100 Picturebooks to Read before Kindergarten” lists. Since I cannot leave well enough alone, I have made my own list of books that my children and I loved and I think should be on those lists. I am trying to avoid the classics like Goodnight Moon and aim for the lesser known books that you might not run across otherwise.

1.Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

2. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

3. This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

4.Pete the Cat : I love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin; art by James Dean

5. Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

6.Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

7. Spoon  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

8. Ten Apples up on Top! by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSieg

9. Elmer by David McKee

10. Skippyjon Jones Up & Down by Judy Schachner

And as usual, I cannot stop there! Here are some more suggestions: Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse by Judy Schachner, The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone,Runny Babbit: a Billy Sook  by Shel Silverstein, And to Think that I saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems, Naked Mole Rat gets Dressed by Mo Willems, I Want my Hat Back by< Jon Klassen, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, Wolf Won’t Bite! by Emily Gravett, SuperHero ABC  by Bob McLeod, and Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

Getting Excited to Go Back to School

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
It’s time to start thinking about going back to school, starting school, or starting at a new school. Here are some fun books to help soothe the nerves and get some of our younger kids eager to set off to school come the last week in August.
It’s Back to School We Go: First Day Stories from Around the World by Ellen Jackson,  illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman; illustrations by Tamara Schmitz
Louise the Big Cheese and the Back-to-School Smarty-Pants by Elise Primavera; illustrated by Diane Goode
Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George; illustrated by Merel Eyckerman
Robert and the Back-to School Special by Barbara Seuling; illustrated by Paul Brewer
Back to School by Maya Ajmera, John D. Ivanko; with a foreword by Marilyn Jachetti Whirry
Back to School for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos; illustrated by Nicole Rubel

At the Library: Puppy Love

/ Mary / 2 Comments

Once upon a tdogime (just a few months ago on a Saturday, actually) a family came in to the Cheshire Public Library to use the library’s computers. They wanted to fill out an application to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter in North Carolina.

The family (dad, mom, son, and daughter) was excited about adopting this dog. They showed his picture, which included his name, to Cara, the librarian on duty. She agreed the dog was a cutie.

It was near closing time, and the application was a long one. The family needed to provide a lot of information and had to make a few calls to get names and phone numbers for references. Cara tried to disable the computer reserve system, which automatically shuts off all computers at closing. To her dismay, the computer shut off before the application was submitted.

“Did we get the dog?’ the little girl asked excitedly.

She did not realize they had just lost all their information. The application had to be submitted by 5:00PM on that same day. The family did not have a working computer at home.

The library was closing so the family left knowing they missed the application deadline.

Feeling bad about what had happened, Cara returned to her computer, found the website, and after some searching located the dog the family wanted to adopt. She sent an email to the animal shelter, explaining what had happened, describing how the entire family had come in together to fill out the application and how much they wanted the dog. She asked the shelter to not make any decisions until Monday when the family could return and use the library’s computers to submit an application.

She thought about the family and their dog for the rest of the weekend. She never expected to hear back from the shelter.

But hear back she did. The woman from the shelter who responded to her email was impressed that she had taken the time to contact them about the family and was delighted that the entire family had been so involved with the application process. She agreed to wait for the application.

In the meantime, the family found a friend with a computer and submitted their application that weekend.

A few days later, the family returned with flowers for Cara. The shelter had told them what she had done for them. In addition, the shelter said that her description of their family and their excitement for owning the dog, plus the fact that Cara had thought highly enough of the family to send the first email, were the best recommendations that they could have had. The shelter knew, the woman told them, that they were sending the dog to a good home.

So a rescue dog has a new family and a family has a new pet to love.

Librarians can make a difference in your life.

If you’d like to learn more about adopting a dog, try our non-fiction shelves under 636.7!

Summertime Stargazing for the Whole Family

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
Warm summer nights are the perfect time for stargazing alone, or as a family. Learning about space, the night sky, and how to find objects in the sky is free, can be lots of fun, and is a great way to spend some summer night with the whole family.  So, if you have a youngster that is fascinated by the stars, or if you would have some interest and would like to encourage that interest in other family members or friends, here are some great children’s books about the stars and getting started stargazing.
1. Stargazers by Gail Gibbons
2.Night Sky Atlas by Robin Scagell
3. Awesome Astronomy by Raman Prinja
4.A Black Hole is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano; Illustrated by Michael Carroll
5. Universe by Robin Kerrod
6.The Kids Book of the Night Sky by Ann Love & Jane Drake; illustrated by Heather Collins
7. Once Upon a Starry Night: a Book of Constellation by Jacqueline Mitton, Christina Balit
8. The Young Astronomer by Harry Ford

9.Where are the Stars During the Day?: a Book about Stars by Melvin and Gilda Berger; illustrated by Blanche Sims
10.Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More by Mary Kay Carson

 

Want more great books about the night sky and space include: Is there Life on other Planets?: and Other Questions about Space by Gregory L. Vogt, 11 Planets: a New View of the Solar System by David A. Aguilar,Exploring the Solar System: a History with 22 Activities by Mary Kay Carson, Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories in the Stars by Joan Marie Galat, and 101 Things Every Kid Should Know about Science by Samantha Beres.

 

Still not enough information, or looking to study more study about space, the night sky, and stargazing? In the adult nonfiction department you might want to check out: Stargazing with Binoculars by Robin Scagell, Firefly Guide to Stars and Planets by Sir Patrick Moore, Astronomy Hacks by  Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, An Intimate Look at the Night Sky by Chet Raymo,A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets by Jay M. Pasachoff, Discover Planetwatch : a Year-Round Viewing Guide to the Night Sky with a Make-your-own Planetfinder by Clint Hatchett, or The Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky by Mark R. Chartrand.

Summertime Picturebooks to Share

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

I know that while the summer heat is beating down on us we might want to hide away in the air conditioning and avoid the heat and sun. However, there are plenty of great things about summer, especially when you are a child. Here are some great picturebooks about summer for young readers to explore on their own, or for you to share with them, that will make you forget about the heat and enjoy the good things about summer together.

The Twelve Days of Summer by Jan Andrews. On each successive day of summer, a youngster finds an increasing number of animals and other natural wonders in the surrounding world and leaves behind a remembrance of the day’s discovery.

Carl’s Summer Vacation by Alexandra Day. Although told to take a nap by her parents, Madeleine and her favorite canine companion, Carl, head out to explore their surroundings and have fun taking a canoe ride on the lake, picnicking under the trees, and eating tasty blackberries straight off the bush.

The  Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes. During the summer a family of bears enjoys the comforts of life at a cottage by a lake, alongside the human visitors.

Now it is Summer by Eileen Spinelli.  A young mouse is encouraged by his mother to enjoy summer while waiting for autumn to come.

Summer: an Alphabet Acrostic by
Steven Schnur. Describes the summer season, with its recreation, heat, insects, and garden vegetables, and when read vertically, the first letters of the lines of text spell related words arranged alphabetically, from “awning” to “zodiac.”

Looking for more? We currently have a  display for summer related books in the children’s room, and I have further suggestions here. Summer is Summer by Phillis and David Gershator, It’s Summer! by Linda Glaser,  A to Z of Summer by Tracy Nelson Maurer, Lionel in the Summer by Stephen Krensky, The Summer Playground by Carl Emerson,  Summer Beat by Betsy Franco, What Happens in Summer? by Sara L. Latta, Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse, and Before the Storm by Jane Yolen.