Kids Blog: Book List
National Garden Month for Kids!
Every April communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month. Gardeners know, and research confirms, that nurturing plants is good for us: attitudes toward health and nutrition improve, kids perform better at school, and community spirit grows. Join the celebration and help to make America a greener, healthier, more livable place!
National Gardening Organization
Kids Gardening
Books to Browse
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2013 2X2 Reading List
Check out the Texas Library Association's recommendations for age 2 to grade 2 for 2013!
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Mommy Board Book Picks
Board books are the perfect compromise for my little ones: they can touch and feel a book and I'm not afraid of them ripping the pages apart. I save the picture books and readers for those times when I am sitting right next to them, reading to them and helping them read. And my favorite part of these books is that it makes reading time fun for me as well as for them!
Find more "coming soon" board books in our catalog.
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Laureen's Top 5 of 2012
#1 The first book I’ll mention is Jangles: A Big Fish Story by David Shannon. This picture book was a big surprise to me. I loved the illustrations and think Shannon should win the Caldecott Award for his artwork. This tall tale is funny and speaks to the storytelling tradition that Public Libraries take part in. Right on, David Shannon. You might remember this author’s name from his Oh! David books.
#2 I am always looking for good books at Thanksgiving for my public storytime on that subject. I tend to not like the turkey outwits the human books. Todd Parr came to the rescue this year with The Thankful Book It is brightly colored and easy to understand. Its main theme is being grateful for everyday things, that we often take for granted.
#3 I read a review of Sadie and Ratz that said it was the best children’s book of the year. I tend to agree. In just 59 pages, Sonya Hartnett did an astute job of describing sibling rivalry. This story is based on a real incident in Hartnett’s life, in which a niece named each of her hand s and “they” then proceeded to act out her feelings and fantasy. Unique.
#4 I used Fireboy to the Rescue: a Fire Safety Book by Edward Miller in a fire safey Booktivity this past summer. This book is a graphic novel but it reads well out loud. I remember the Fire Chief being impressed by what he heard in this book. It is simple but very practical. I certainly learned more on this subject when I read it.
#5 Another book that I used in a summer Booktivity program was Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco. The program was on static electricity and this book deals with the dreadful fear that some children have during lightning storms. This is not a new book (1990) but it still speaks to that fear and a grandmother’s attempt to assuage her granddaughter. The 2 people in the book slowly gather ingredients to make a “Thunder cake” and the recipe is in the back. The secret ingredient in the cake will surprise you but don’t let it hold you back from trying new moist chocolate cake recipe.
#6 History was my favorite subject in school and I am still drawn to it. I read the juvenile version of Bill O’Reilly’s adult book, Killing Lincoln: the Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. The shorter version is Lincoln’s Last Days: the Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. There is much to learn in this book, even for people who have read a lot about our 16th president. It is a quick but interesting book in content and illustration. I recommend it.
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Topics:
4th through 6th Grade, Book List
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Dawn's Top 5 of 2012
I read different types of children’s books throughout this year from picture books that are great read-alouds to books about exciting real life experiences. Here are my favorites from the past year.
5. If Waffles were Like Boys by Charise Mericle Harper- This book is silly fun about imagining how ordinary things, such as waffles, socks, and toothbrushes, would become exciting if they were more like fun, adventurous boys.
4. Oh! What a surprise! by Suzanne Bloom- Bear and Goose are back for another sweet tale with a new friend, Fox. When Fox finds his friends making surprise gifts, he decides to make them each a gift. If you have not had a chance to read the whole series, start with A Splendid Friend, Indeed.
3. Snow in Summer : fairest of them all by Jane Yolen- Jane Yolen is one of my favorite authors and she wrote my favorite type of stories-fairy tale retellings! She recasts the story of Snow White and set it in West Virginia in the 1940s with a stepmother who is a snake-handler.
2. Chicken Big by Keith Graves- This story about a giant chicken that hatches from an enormous egg, but the other chickens cannot accept that he is one of them. It is a laugh out loud tale when the chickens think this huge animal could not be a chicken but proclaims he is one ridiculous object after the other.
1. Trapped : how the world rescued 33 miners from 2,000 feet below the Chilean desert by Marc Aronson- A great non-fiction book for 5th & 6th graders about thirty-three miners trapped in a copper-gold mine in San Jose, Chile. It told the amazing account of these brave mine workers as they survive underground while experts from around the world--from drillers to astronauts to submarine specialists--came together to make their remarkable rescue possible. This is my favorite book from 2012.
Tell us what books you read over the past year and loved. Leave a comment.
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Cristen's Top 5 of 2012
5. I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black - We've all had days when we feel bored - wouldn't it be wonderful if you had a potato to help entertain you. But what would happen if that potato thought you were boring too. This funny and entertaining book by comedian Michael Ian Black is sure to bring a smile to your face.
4. Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr - Wonderful tale for toddlers and babies about ten little caterpillars navigating their way in the world. With wonderful illustrations by Lois Ehlert, this beautiful book with rhyming text is sure to engage younger children. I especially like the names of the different caterpillars at the end of the book.
3. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin - This book is silly fun about how much dragons love tacos. Apparently they really love tacos - all kinds of tacos.I guess we have that in common because tacos are delicious. And if you want to have a dragon come to your party, then you have to serve tacos. However, be careful about serving salsa to dragons because everything can go terribly wrong.
2. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems - Anything Mo Willems writes is wonderful. I've read his books so many times in story time and for school visits that I think I have them memorized. But his latest book takes a different spin on a familiar tale that is both entertaining and hilarious. Make sure you look at the posters in the background and try and catch all the little details that may be lost on younger children.
1. Gold Star for Zog by Julia Donaldson - I am a huge fan of Julia Donaldson. Her book, the Gruffalo, is one of my favorite books of all time. In her new book, a dragon named Zog wants to excel in dragon school, but he is really clumsy and always messes up. His dream is to finally receive a gold star, and with some help from a princess with dreams of her own, he just might get his wish. I love books that have a strong female character and combined with a story that is inspiring and funny, this is my favorite book from 2012.
Tell us what books you read over the past year and loved. Leave a comment.
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Sarah's Top 5 of 2012
4. Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
When David is sent to his grandmother’s for the summer instead of staying in Florida to work on his basketball technique, he doesn’t know what to expect. Staying in rural Washington for an entire summer is definitely not his idea of fun. And when he pulls up to his grandmother’s bed and breakfast, which is covered in cheesy space decorations, the idea he might scrape up something interesting to do over the summer crumbles before his eyes. Until he discovers each room contains intergalactic teleporters…
This current Bluebonnet was heartwarming, hysterical and my favorite for the current list. Hoping it wins the Bluebonnet Award this year! And If you like this one, don’t forget the sequel: Aliens on a Rampage.
3. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke and Giants Beware! Jose Aguirre
Ok. I am not the biggest fan of graphic novels. I prefer to let my mind weave the image created by the author’s words. Well, Ben Hatke and Jose Aguirre are changing my mind. I love both of these books and thrilled they are both nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. I can’t wait for the further adventures of Zita and Claudette!
Zita the Spacegirl is the tale of what can happen when you decide to push that oh-so-tempting large red button in the middle of a crater. And then get lost in the unknowns of space trying to save your friend who got sucked up when you pressed the oh-so-tempting large red button. Don’t forget the sequel Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.
Giants Beware! follows Claudette and her adventure to kill the baby-toe-eating giant! Yeah, a giant who eats baby’s toes. It just begs to be vanquished by a kid and her tricked into coming friends.
2. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Magic is slowly fading from the world which is bad for 15-year-old Jennifer Strange who happens to run a magician for hire company after the owner mysteriously disappeared. As visions begin to pour in about the possible death of the last dragon in the world, who incidentally may or may not be the only source of magic left, Jennifer is left wondering how she can prevent the total collapse of her company and maybe even the world as she knows it.
I like Jasper Fforde’s quirky worlds, especially his Thursday Next series. When I saw he was doing a book with dragons for middle grade readers, I knew something good was coming. And you know what, I didn’t know the half of it. I was intrigued from the moment I picked it up and was kept guessing until the very end. And I can’t wait for the sequel!
1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente
So I finished the first book on the last day of last year and it didn’t make it on last year’s list. However, the sequel is here and now I can talk about both! I have shown certain passages to everyone I know. I love the second book better than the first. And, WOW, the language is wonderfully, incredibly descriptive! If you like fairy tales and are looking for a new one, this is it. Seriously, put them both on hold now!
Tell us what books you read over the past year and loved. Leave a comment.
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New Bluebonnet Reading List for 2013-2014!!
Over the weekend, the Texas Library Association announced the new nominees for the Bluebonnet award for 2013-2014.
Get a head start and reserve your copy today!
Do you notice something different about this list than previous years?
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Miss Amy's Favorite Middle Grade Fiction Trilogies!
I work with Teens, but guess what? Some of my very favorite books to read are what some folks like to call middle grade fiction. These books are usually for 4th, 5th and 6th grade readers, but sometimes readers a bit younger or a bit older may enjoy them, too. Even adults (like me!) have fun reading these books. If you were to visit me in my home, you would find that I have an entire bookcase double-stacked with mostly middle grade fiction! I have everything from Captain Underpants books to Goosebumps and everything in between. Today I want to share with you some of my favorite middle grade fiction that you can find at the Arlington Public Library.
I absolutely LOVE Jacqueline West's Books of Elsewhere series! Miss Sarah is the person I have to thank for introducing me to these books. She knows I love cats and a good spooky story filled with mystery, and this series has all of that. In the first book, Olive Dunwoody and her goofy, mathematician parents move into a crumbling old house filled with odd paintings. When Olive discovers a pair of eye glasses that allow her to walk into the paintings, she learns that the house - and the three cats who live there - are anything but ordinary! Explore Jacqueline West's incredible website to learn more about Olive, Horatio, Leopold, Harvey and the author herself. I also recommend the audiobooks, because narrator Lexy Fridell is fantastic as Olive and all the other characters!
This is probably one of the most ridiculous and most awesome trilogies I have read in a long time! If you like science fiction, then Philip Reeve is an author you don't want to miss. Describing these books is a bit of a trick because they do not fit into one genre. The first book in the trilogy, Larklight, follows the mis-adventures of Arthur Mumby and his very irritating sister, Myrtle, as their home - a huge house called Larklight that orbits Earth - is attacked by giant, mutant spiders and they must escape in order to save their own lives. This book is set in the 1850's, which I think is fantastic. From daring, alien space pirates to hover hogs that move about in zero gravity by eating crumbs left about the house and expelling...well...gas, each book is hilarious and packed with outrageous adventures.
Lian Tanner's two books, Museum of Thieves and City of Lies are soon to be joined by the third and final book, Path of Beasts. I am so excited that I can hardly stand waiting for last book! These books follow a girl named Goldie Roth who lives in a city called Jewel. Jewel is a city that believes in protecting their children at all costs, even if that means chaining them to an adult until they are deemed old enough to be on their own. In book one, Goldie escapes her chains and finds herself in the very odd and mysterious Museum of Dunt, a place where the rooms move around and where she learns the skills necessary to become a thief (but not the kind of thief you would expect). This is another series that I would highly recommend listening to on audiobook. Actress Claudia Black narrates them in her wonderful, Australian accent.
What are YOUR favorite middle grade fiction books? I would love to hear what your favorites are! Or would you like more suggestions? Leave me a comment or send me a message.
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