Children’s Room

On Our Shelves: New Picturebooks

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Just in time for back to school, we have been cataloging new books in the children’s area like mad. In the process I have seen some great books, and had to check some out to read for myself and share with my own children. There have even been some that are staff storytime picks.  Here are some of my favorite picturebooks that have recently been added to our collection.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems. The  latest entry in the best-selling series that includes the Caldecott Honor-winning Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! finds a mussy Pigeon refusing to take a bath and insisting he had one a month earlier

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won. Elevated from a bad mood when he receives an exciting new hat, Elephant cheers up his equally grumpy friend Zebra before marching to the homes of other downcast friends who join them in a fabulous hat parade

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio and Christian Robinson. After a chance encounter at the park and a switch of places, Antoinette the bulldog and Gaston the
poodle learn that family is about love, not appearances, in an adorable doggy tale from a New York Times best-selling author.

Ninja! by Arree Chung. A little boy flexes his ninja chops in an adventure that finds him silently creeping through his home and overcoming formidable obstacles, like the coffee table, to pounce upon his unsuspecting father’s tummy.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. An imaginary friend waits a long time to be imagined by a child and given a special name, and finally does the unimaginable–he sets out on a quest to find his perfect match in the real world.

As usual, I cannot stop there. Here are some more new picturebooks,  and a few easy readers thrown in for good measure, as suggestions for some fun and family friendly reading. My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems, Brimsby’s Hats by Andrew Prahin, Poppy the Pirate Dog’s New Shipmate by Liz Kessler, Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey,  Tulip Loves Rex by 
Alyssa Satin Capucilli, How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth by Michelle Robinson, Little Big Horse: Where’s my Bike? by Dave Horowitz, and The Loch Mess Monster by Helen Lester.

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

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.