
Archive for the ‘books’ Category

You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Railroad!

March 4, 2015

indexYou Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Railroad!

Written by: Ian Graham

Illustrated by: David Antram

The You Wouldn’t Want to series covers a lot of ground. You can find books in the series about history, like You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Greek Athlete, and You Wouldn’t Want to be a Civil War Soldier. You can also find books about inventions that make our lives much easier, like You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Cell Phones, and You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Toilets. This wide variety of fun books teaches kids all kinds of topics with gross and funny facts that are sure to keep their interest.

You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Railroad is one of the newest in the collection of whimsical books. Starting with the timeline of the railroad, it talks about all kinds of hazards a railway workers could expect to face. There are ‘handy hints’ throughout, like “Don’t volunteer for bridge building in you’re afraid of heights!”. It discusses the good and bad of the railroad, highlighting the important changes it had for America, as well as the the effect it had on workers and Native Americans alike.

If your kids enjoy You Wouldn’t Want to Work on the Railroad, make sure you check out other books in the series:

civil electric greek ninja toilet

Recommended for Grades 3-5

Nicki P.

Schimelpfenig Library

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Kid Picks

March 1, 2015

5th grade presidentfly guyjanuary childmr puttermy blue is happynat the catsilverlicioussuper hair-o

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Nancy Knows

February 27, 2015

nancyNancy Knows

By Cybele Young

Nancy the elephant can remember all sorts of things, but she knows she’s forgetting something important! As she tries to remember, we can see all of the things she’s thinking about filling up her line art. To try and determine what she’s forgotten, she remembers things that she knows. All sorts of paper sculptures fill the elephant as she thinks about things that are similar, like the same shape or color, things that face one way, then another, things in neat rows and things that are a jumbled mess. Nancy helps the reader lean about many opposites in her quest to remember what she’s forgotten. When she finally stops thinking and lets her mind rest, the answer finally comes to her!

Nancy Knows is a precious book with lots of little details to offer. You and your little one will find yourselves examining each picture to see what all you can find in Nancy’s thoughts. Challenge your child to think of other opposites that Nancy has forgotten, like hot and cold, or high and low.

Recommended for ages 4-7.

Nicki P.

Schimelpfenig Library

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What Ship is Not a Ship?

February 24, 2015

by Harriet Ziefert

A new book in our library called What Ship is Not a Ship is a fun guessing game for you and your child.  We all take for granted certain words and their definitions.  What if you asked the question, what is a bear?  I assumed it was a large heavy animal with thick fur and sharp claws.  But what bear is not a bear?  What hat is not a hat and what pie is not a pie?  These are just a few of the questions throughout this book that make you think in a different way.  Why not challenge your child and find new vocabulary words as well as a new way to think outside the box.  I must admit I did not know the answer to what bear is not a bear?  When I turned the page a beautifully illustrated picture of a woolly bear was looking at me. The illustrations are large and colorful which adds to the enjoyment of the book as well as the answer to the question.  Some of the questions are fairly easy but a few of them will make you pause and think!

I enjoyed this book from the moment I picked it up.  It is great book for children ages 3 and up and can be enjoyed one on one or in a group situation.

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Ready Rabbit Gets Ready

February 18, 2015

Ready Rabbit Gets Readyready rabbit gets ready
by Brenna Maloney

It’s time for Ready Rabbit to get out of bed and get ready for school, but he would much rather build a spaceship or play dress up. Eating breakfast and brushing your teeth—no fun! Whether he is riding on his make-believe motorcycle or saving whales, Ready Rabbit likes to imagine, and what an imagination he has!

Brenna Maloney captures what it is to be a kid with Ready Rabbit Gets Ready. The photograph illustrations of cloth-made Ready Rabbit feature miniature furniture and toys laid out in perfect little scenes, and Ready Rabbit has a face for every feeling and expression. A fun read every child will identify with.

Recommended for ages 2 and up.

(Jocelyn, Davis Library)

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Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera

February 17, 2015

Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera and paintings by Raúl Colón.

Beautifully illustrated, this compilation of Hispanic American heroes is a gem begging to be shared with your favorite child.  Children will be inspired by the brief biographies of twenty men and women who have been part of creating a wonderfully diverse America.

And speaking of diversity, have you seen the Cultural Connections page in the library’s Engage brochure?  Page three highlights diverse programs that may interest you and your children.  On March 7, Davis Library will celebrate Holi, and on April 18, Harrington Library will celebrate El día de los niños/Day of the Child. These are just two of the many opportunities, so check out the events brochure on the library website for more!

Visit the library and enrich your life!

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Kid Picks

February 15, 2015

dumb bunny 1one man band 2babymouse 320 big trucks 4enemy pie 5alvin ho 6diary of a wimpy kid 8

 

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What’s Your Favorite Animal?

February 13, 2015

favorite animalWhat’s Your Favorite Animal?

Compiled by Eric Carle

“Everybody has a favorite animal. Some like little white dogs or big black cats or hoppy brown bunnies best. Others prefer squishy snails or tall giraffes or sleek black panthers. With beautiful illustrations and charming personal stories, 14 children’s book artists share their favorite animals and why they love them.” -from the book jacket

Artists include: Nick Bruel, Lucy Cousins, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellog, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sis, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, Rosemary Wells, Mo Willems.

I loved seeing the different illustration styles and hearing my favorite book artists’ stories. What is your favorite animal?

 

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Invisible to the Eye: Animals in Disguise

February 12, 2015

invisibleInvisible to the Eye: Animals in Disguise

By: Kendra Muntz

Many animals use camouflaging to change their outer appearance and survive in their various habitats. Camouflaging or changes in coloration can make animals blend into their environments more easily. For example, mountain goats have yellow-brown fur that blends in with rocks and mountains. In the winter, the mountain goats fur changes to white in order to blend into the snow.

This informational book goes through different habitats to demonstrate how animals use camouflage: desert, forest, polar, grassland, ocean, and mountain. Accompanying photos allow readers to see how camouflage works.

Can you spot all the animals?

Recommended for grades 3 and up.

Reviewed by: Diana (Harrington Library)

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What’s New? The Zoo!: A Zippy History of Zoos

February 11, 2015

What's New? the Zoo!: A Zippy History of Zoos CoverWhat’s New? The Zoo!: A Zippy History of Zoos

By Kathleen Krull

Illustrated by Marcellus Hall

 Believe it or not….zoos can trace their origins back 4,400 years to the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, which would be in present-day Iraq.  It wasn’t a big zoo. The King of Ur apparently just liked to keep lions to make him feel powerful or so we’ve discovered from ancient clay tablets.

From there we move thousands of years through time as we circle the globe traveling through such places as Greece, Egypt, Rome, China, France, England, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil all the way to modern day San Diego.  As we see zoos evolve from royal menageries belonging to the emperors and kings to modern day zoos focusing upon animal conservation within a more natural habitat, we learn fascinating individual factoids about each.  Each moment in time is accompanied by colorful humorous and cartoonlike illustrations which capture the reader’s attention and enhance the text.

So…before your next trip to the zoo, why not zip back in time to learn a bit about zoo history and see how far we have come over the centuries?

Recommended for children ages 4-8.

Reviewed by Connie (Parr Library)

 

 

 

 

 

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