Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow - Andy Griffiths
In these ten easy-to-read stories there is a mixed-up cow that says "miaow," a mole called Noel who plays rock 'n' roll in a hole, and a boy named Mike who rides a bike with a very big spike!

Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta - Jarrett J. Krosoczka
The school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, investigates a suspicious author after he visits the school and the gym teacher goes missing.

My Havana - Rosemary Wells
Relates events in the childhood of architect Secundino Fernandez, who left his beloved Havana, Cuba, with his parents, first to spend a year in Spain, and later to move to New York City.

Binky the Space Cat - Ashley Spires
Binky's blast-off into outer space (outside) to battle aliens (bugs) is delayed when he realizes he's left something behind--and it's not the anti-gravity kitty litter.

A Bedtime for Bear - Bonny Becker
A small but effervescent overnight guest tries the patience of a curmudgeonly bear who needs absolute quiet to fall asleep.

Whaam!: The Life and Art of Roy Lichtenstein - Susan Goldman Rubin
Explores Roy Lichtenstein's work, life, and his groundbreaking influence on the art world. In Roy's long career as a teacher, artist, and innovator, he changed the way that people thought about art and how artists thought about their subjects.

Groundhog Weather School - Joan Holub
When Groundhog realizes he needs helpers all over the country to accurately forecast the weather, he establishes a school to teach young groundhogs how to properly determine when spring will arrive.

The Retired Kid - Jon Agee
Although he enjoys some aspects of his retirement, eight-year-old Brian gains a new perspective on his job of being a child after spending time in Florida's Happy Sunset Retirement Community.

New Baby Train - Woody Guthrie
An illustrated version of the song that answers the question "Where do little babies really come from?"

Sabertooth - Patrick O'Brien
With only ancient bones--and massive teeth--to guide them, scientists are learning amazing facts about these enormous prehistoric cats.

Mammoth - Patrick O'Brien
Describes what is known of this prehistoric ancestor of the elephant, based on the preserved remains of mammoth bodies.

Winning Words: Sports Stories and Photograph - Charles R. Smith, Jr.
In this collection of short stories and photographs, Charles R. Smith Jr. shows young athletes overcoming their fears and challenging themselves to do their best.

I Wonder Why Columbus Crossed the Ocean and Other Questions About Explorers
Explores common questions about how and why explorers did what they did when exploring the world.

Big Wolf & Little Wolf: The Little Leaf That Wouldn't Fall - Nadine Brun-Cosme
When Big Wolf decides to surprise Little Wolf in the dead of winter by fetching a little leaf from an otherwise bare tree, both of them are rewarded in different ways by Big Wolf's effort.

Roman Diary - Platt, Richard
On a sea voyage from her native Greece to Egypt, Iliona's ship is boarded by pirates and she ends up sold as a slave in Rome. Includes information on Roman culture.

When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat - Muriel Harris Weinstein
After dancing to music on the radio before she goes to bed, a young girl learns how to sing scat when Louis Armstrong comes to her in a dream. Includes facts about Louis Armstrong and scat singing.

Voyage to the Pharos - Sarah Gauch
A young boy in ancient times embarks on an adventurous sea voyage to Alexandria, Egypt, home of the famous Pharos Lighthouse.

El Conejito Knuffle - Mo Willems
Trixie, Daddy and the toy Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood laundromat, but their adventure takes an unexpected turn when Trixie realizes that Knuffle Bunny is missing. Trixie hasn't learned to talk yet, so she has a hard time communicating her problem to her dad. When her stuffed rabbit is found, she speaks her first coherent words.  (In Spanish)

New Books

Beauty & the Beast: A Pop-Up Book of the Classic Fairy Tale - Robert Sabuda
The classic fairy tale is illustrated with pop-up castles and characters.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty - G. Neri
A graphic novel based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago who shot a young girl and was then shot by his own gang members.

The Secret of Zoom - Lynne Jonell
Ten-year-old Christina lives a sheltered life until she discovers a secret tunnel, an evil plot to enslave orphans, and a mysterious source of energy known as zoom.

Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley - Stephanie Greene
A girl in a large family is looking forward to her first "double digit" birthday, but soon discovers that growing up brings some unwanted changes.

Albert Einstein - Kathleen Krull
This biography profiles the life and times of German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, whose contributions to the field earned him a Nobel Prize.

Half-Minute Horrors
An anthology of very short, scary stories by an assortment of authors and illustrators including Chris Raschka, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, Jack Gantos, and Lane Smith.

Hold Still - Nina LaCour
Ingrid didn't leave a note. Three months after her best friend's suicide, Caitlin finds what she left instead: a journal, hidden under Caitlin's bed.

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean - Sarah Stewart Taylor
Grace, an aspiring young journalist, is excited when Amelia Earhart arrives in her town of Trepassey, Newfoundland, on June 4, 1928. Earhart wants to become the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. Grace is there to see them--and to receive Earhart's telegram announcing their arrival in Ireland after twenty hours and forty minutes in flight.

The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans - Rick Geary
New Orleans right after the First World War is a scene of murder. Grocers are being murdered by someone grabbing their axe and hacking them right in their own cushy beds. The pattern for each murder is the same : a piece of the door is removed for entry, the axe is borrowed on the property, and the assailant aims straight for the head.

Bystander - James Preller
Thirteen-year-old Eric discovers there are consequences to not standing by and watching as the bully at his new school hurts people, but although school officials are aware of the problem, Eric may be the one with a solution.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

New Nonfiction Books

Babe Ruth: A Twentieth-Century Life - Wilborn Hampton
Born into a poor family in Baltimore, George Herman Ruth Jr. was sent to a Catholic reform school at age seven, where he learned how to play baseball. Initially a talented southpaw, the Babe went on to shatter every home-run record on the books--when fewer games were played in a season and a heavier ball was used.

Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me
A memoir in which Condoleezza Rice, who served as National Security Advisor and as Secretary of State during the George W. Bush administrations, looks back over her life, discussing her childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1950s, her career in education, and her service in the government, and sharing stories of her family.

Mysterious Messages - Gary Blackwood
From the ingenious ciphers of Italian princes to the spy books of the Civil War to the advanced techniques of the CIA, codes and code breaking have played important roles throughout history.

The Black Death - Diane Zahler
This book discusses the pivotal moment in history when one out of three people died and changed the course of world history, the Black Death.

The Iranian Revolution - Brendan January
The Iranian people despised their leader, Reza Shah, who catered to foreign businesses while ruling Iran as a dictator. In 1979 discontent boiled up into all-out revolution. Led by the charismatic Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian people seized control and created a new government based on the Islamic religion.

Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" - Michael O. Tunnell
Describes the efforts of US Air Force Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen to aid the children in Russian-blockaded West Berlin by dropping packages filled with candy from the air. Features personal photographs, along with letters and drawings from the children of Berlin.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

New Puppets

Red Fox Hand Puppet

Cow Stage Puppet

Elephant Hand Puppet

Pig Stage Puppet

Horse Stage Puppet

Rat Hand Puppet

Sheep Stage Puppet

Alligator Hand Puppet

Wyvern Dragon Hand Puppet

Red Hen Hand Puppet

Wolf Hand Puppet

Camel Stage Puppet

New Children's Books

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci - Joseph D'Agnese
A biography of Leonardo Fibonacci, the 12th century mathematician who discovered the numerical sequence named for him.

A Beach Tail - Karen Lynn Williams
When his father tells him not to leave the lion he is drawing on the beach, a little boy starts making a very, very long tail--and a trail to follow back.


LMNO Peas - Keith Baker
Busy little peas introduce their favorite occupations, from astronaut to zoologist.

Back of the Bus - Aaron Reynolds
From the back of the bus, an African American child watches the arrest of Rosa Parks.

Mama Miti - Donna Jo Napoli
The story of Wangari Maathai, who in 1977 founded the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization, and in 2004 was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

AlphaOops: H Is for Halloween - Alethea Kontis
While putting on a Halloween pageant, the alphabet mixes things up with some spooky, and funny, results.

Lafayette and the American Revolution - Russell Freedman
Recounts how the aristocratic Frenchman, who disdained court life and craved battlefield glory, came to the aid of the Continental Army and ended up one of George Washington's closest associates and friends. From Lafayette's mostly fatherless childhood and military career to his exile for his part in the French Revolution and his final, vindicated days.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Books by Illustrator David Slonim

He Came with the Couch
When a family acquires a new couch, they discover that something else comes along with it, and they gain a new friend in the process.


Moishe's Miracle
Moishe, a milkman who is kind to everyone in his poor village of Wishniak, receives a magic frying pan that produces an unlimited supply of delicious Hanukkah latkes.

You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy?
The tooth fairy explains how she does her job.

Squeal and Squawk: Barnyard Talk - Susan Pearson
A collection of humorous poems about barnyard animals and activities.

Who Swallowed Harold? and Other Poems about Pets - Susan Pearson
An illustrated collection of children's poetry about pets and animals.

New YA Books

Clash of the Sky Galleons - Paul Stewart
Quint leaves his studies at the Knights Academy in Sanctaphrax to assist his father Wind Jackall in his obsessive and dangerous quest to track down and bring to justice the evil Turbot Smeal.

The Winter Knights- Paul Stewart
Quint finally begins his training at the Knights Academy, Maris adjusts to life in Undertown, and Sanctaphrax shivers in anticipation of a legendary storm, while a storm of a different kind brews between sky-scholars and earth-scholars.

Lucky Breaks - Susan Patron
Having reached the mature age of eleven in the tiny California town of Hard Pan (population 43), Lucky discovers that there is still much to learn about friendship, parental trust, and the Milky Way galaxy.

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. - Kate Messner
Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross-country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization--and her grandmother's declining health--seem destined to keep her from finishing.

The New Deal: Rebuilding America - Stephanie Fitzgerald
Discusses America on the brink of economic disaster and how Franklin Roosevelt promised a new deal for America.

The Mozart Season - Virgina Euwer Wolff
Allegra spends her twelfth summer practicing a Mozart concerto for a violin competition and finding many significant connections in her world.  Phoenix Award, 2011

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother.

Forge - Laurie Halse Anderson
Separated from his friend Isabel after their daring escape from slavery, fifteen-year-old Curzon serves as a free man in the Continental Army at Valley Forge until he and Isabel are thrown together again, as slaves once more.

New Children's Books

Dog at the Door - Ben M. Baglio
It's up to Mandy to find out who left a distressed golden retriever tied up outside the Animal Ark Veterinary Clinic.

Titus Rules!- Dick King-Smith
Queen Elizabeth's youngest corgi prevents a series of disasters at Windsor Castle and earns the title "king among dogs."

A Mouse Called Wolf - Dick King-Smith
A mouse with an unusual name shares his musical gift with a widowed concert pianist.

Counting Your Way through Africa - Jim Haskins
Uses the Swahili words for the numbers from one to ten to introduce the land, history, and culture of Africa.

Chickens May Not Cross the Road and Other Crazy (but True) Laws - Kathi Linz
A collection of humorous laws from across the country, along with information on why we have laws, how they are established, and why some of these may not be as funny as they seem.

The Day of Ahmed's Secret - Florence Parry Heide
A young Egyptian boy describes the city of Cairo as he goes about his daily work and waits for the evening to share a special surprise with his family.

What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best - Laura Numeroff
One side of this upside-down book celebrates all of the things grandmas do for their grandchildren. Turning the book over and around produces a similar celebration of grandpas.

What Sisters Do Best/What Brothers Do Best - Laura Numeroff
This delightful flip book by renowned author-illustrator team Laura Numeroff and Lynn Munsinger celebrates all the wonderful things brothers and sisters can do together, from climbing trees and sharing snacks to playing sports and making music. After reading what brothers do best, simply flip the book over and enjoy the story again--from a sister's perspective!

What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best - Laura Numeroff
Mothers and fathers participating in everyday activities show their love for their children in very similar ways. Mommies can do lots of things, like teach you how to ride a bike, sew a loose button on your teddy bear, and read you a cozy bedtime story. But what do they do best? The answer is made perfectly clear in this irresistible celebration of parents and the everyday things they do. Daddies can do lots of things, like bake you a birthday cake, play with you in the park, and take you trick-or-treating. But what do they do best?

New Children's Books

Baby Woof Woof - Dawn Sirett
From fluffy kittens to cute puppies, babies will love meeting the baby animals in this chunky board book. Watch as they lift flaps and explore the shape and texture of the tactile tabs.

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream: A Mathematical Story - Cindy Neuschwander
Amanda loves to count everything, but not until she has an amazing dream does she finally realize that being able to multiply will help her count things faster.

Aggie the Brave - Lori Ries
Although Ben is worried about his dog Aggie when the veterinarian spays her and while she recovers, he laughs at her problems with the cone she must wear on her head until her stitches are removed.

Lost Boy: The Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan - Jane Yolen
Brief biography of the Scottish writer who created the story of Peter Pan, as well as other works of literature.

Another Important Book - Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrations and simple rhyming text describe how a child grows from ages one through six.

Carl's Birthday - Alexandra Day
Carl the rottweiler and the toddler in his care watch the preparation for Carl's surprise birthday party.

Carl's Afternoon in the Park - Alexandra Day
Carl the rottweiler, in charge of a baby and a puppy, takes advantage of Mom's absence to lead them on a wild romp through the park.

The Curious Garden - Peter Brown
Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city.  E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books, 2010

Fun with Roman Numerals - David A. Adler
Introduces the seven symbols and their values, shows how to add and subtract to make numbers. Teaches how the symbols interact and about the bar across the top and the open box that are used for larger numbers. Shows Roman numerals in real life settings: on clocks, in books, and on buildings.

Olivia Claus - Einhorn, Kama
On the night before Christmas, Olivia discovers that her favorite stuffed monkey, Mathilda, is missing, as are other favorite items from around the house.

New Pop-Up Book

DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book - Matthew Reinhart
An introduction to the superheroes and villains of DC Comics with profiles of superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and others that feature twenty-five pop-up illustrations, and includes a battery-powered, light-up Bat-Signal.

Monday, October 18, 2010

New Children's Books

Chalk - Bill Thomson

A wordless picture book about three children who go to a park on a rainy day, find some chalk, and draw pictures that come to life.

Perfect Snow - Barbara Reid
A perfect snow has fallen, and first-grader Scott and fourth-grader Jim have been daydreaming the morning away, making plans, doodling sketches of snowmen and snow forts, all in anticipation of recess and the endless possiblities of this perfect snow.  Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Medal, 2010