11.01.2018

Read Aloud Favorites

November is Picture Book Month! Celebrate with selections from this list of the Children’s Library’s favorite picture books to read aloud.

Picture Books

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee

(Children Picture Book + AGEE)

Very strange noises that keep awakening the Wimbledon family one night have an even stranger source.

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

(Children Picture Book Lg ANDRE)

Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.

Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

(Children Picture Book + ANTON)

Mr. Panda has a plate of doughnuts to share, but most of the other animals forget to say “Please.”

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

(Children Picture Book + BEATY)

Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to find things out and understand the world.

Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol

(Children Picture Book + BROSG)

Grandmother wants so badly to be left alone to finish the knitting for her grandchildren that she leaves her tiny home and her big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

(Children Picture Book BROWN)

A little bunny bids goodnight to all the objects in his room before falling asleep.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

(Children Picture Book CARLE)

Follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

(Children Picture Book + CORNW)

“Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for” — Amazon.com.

Dragon Was Terrible by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

(Children Picture Book DIPUC)

When a dragon has a temper tantrum, no one can tame him, except for a little boy with a good book.

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

(Children Picture Book + GRAVE)

Excited about their trip to the zoo, a young girl and her stuffed monkey delight in mimicking all the animals they see, such as a hopping kangaroo and stomping elephant, during their wonderful outing together.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

(Children Picture Book + HENKE)

Chrysanthemum loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.

Real Cowboys by Kate Hoefler

(Children Picture Book HOEFL)

Real cowboys are gentle, patient, and creative as they move hundreds of cattle, make camp, and dream under the stars.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

(Children Picture Book + KLASS)

A bear almost gives up his search for his missing hat until he remembers something important.

Drawn Together by Minh Le; illustrated by Dan Santat

(+ Children Picture Book LEMIN)

A boy and his grandfather cross a language and cultural barrier using their shared love of art, storytelling, and fantasy.

Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes by David Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

(Children Picture Book + LITWI)

As he walks down the street, Pete the cat sings about his brand new white shoes as they change from red to blue to brown to wet.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

(Children Picture Book + MARTI)

An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.

The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Olshan

(Children Picture Book + OLSHA)

In Paris, France, more than a hundred years ago, a small man named Lalouche is let go from his job as a mail carrier and discovers that he has great skill as a fighter.

Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root

(Children Picture Book ROOT)

Four children set off into the woods to find a moose.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

(+ Children Picture Book RUBIN)

Dragons love tacos. And if you have plenty of tacos, nothing could possibly go wrong at your party. Right?

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

(Children Picture Book + SANTA)

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.

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima

(+ Children Picture Book SIMAJ)

While shopping with her two dads for supplies for her birthday party, Harriet, who is wearing a penguin costume, is carried away by a waddle of penguins and must hatch a plan in order to get herself back to the store in the city.

Sebastian and the Balloon by Phillip C. Stead

(Children Picture Book + STEAD)

“When Sebastian launches himself on a journey in a hot air balloon made entirely of Grandma’s afghans and patchwork quilts, his boring day turns into the adventure of a lifetime”– Provided by publisher.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

(Children Picture Book STEIN)

Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.

How To Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens

(Children Picture Book + STEPH)

Iris understands that grown-ups are afraid of lions, but when she finds one in her playhouse she knows he is kind so she keeps him hidden from her parents for as long as possible.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

(Children Picture Book WILLE)

After Trixie and daddy leave the laundromat, something very important turns up missing.

10.03.2018

Monsters

Picture Books

The Serpent Came to Gloucester by M.T. Anderson; illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

(Children Picture Book Lg ANDER)

Rhyming text tells of a sea serpent that plays off the coast of Massachusetts the summer of 1817, and is hunted upon its return the next year. Includes a page of facts upon which the story is based.

Monster Needs His Sleep by Paul Czajak; illustrated by Wendy Grieb

(Children Picture Book + CZAJA)

Monster needs to go to sleep but keeps finding things to stay awake for until, finally, he admits that he is afraid of the dark and gets help with his bedtime problem.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

(Children Picture Book + EMBER)

Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.

The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Gris Grimly

(Children Picture Book GAIMA)

As two children and their pet gazelle sneak out of the house in search of treasure, they come across a world beneath the city that is inhabited with monsters and pirates.

Greedy Greeny by Jack Gantos & Nicole Rubel

(Children Picture Book GANTO)

A little monster, having disobeyed his mother by eating the watermelon intended for the family’s dessert, suffers for his greed in a subsequent dream.

Friends by Mies van Hout

(Children Picture Book + HOUT)

Little monsters become friends, laughing and playing, but also teasing, arguing and making up in this book about relationships.

The Very Worst Monster by Pat Hutchins

(Children Picture Book HUTCH)

Hazel sets out to prove that she, not her baby brother, is the worst monster anywhere.

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty

(Children Picture Book + MCCAR)

A young boy who spends most of his time alone in his bedroom makes new friends after the monster in his drawing becomes a monstrous nuisance.

The Legend of the Jersey Devil by Trinka Hakes Noble; illustrated by Gerald Kelley

(Children Picture Book + NOBLE)

Relates the origins of the Jersey Devil, a monstrous creature that has reportedly haunted the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey since 1735 menacing townspeople, worrying livestock, and causing all manner of ills.

The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party by Leslie Patricelli

(Children Picture Book PATRI)

Puppy siblings Andy, Penelope, and Jack help their sister Petra overcome her fear of a nighttime monster.

Mommy? by Maurice Sendak; scenario by Arthur Yorinks; paper engineering by Matthew Reinhart

(Children Picture Book SENDA)

In this almost wordless story with only two words: mommy and baby, a very young child stumbles into a house to find his mother; he finds, instead, a collection of monsters, including a vampire, mummy, and werewolf before he finds her.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

(Children Picture Book SENDA)

A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.

Gullible’s Troubles by Margaret Shannon

(Children Picture Book + SHANN)

Although Gullible Guineapig believes everything his aunt, uncle, and cousin tell him, they dismiss his warning about what is in the basement.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman; illustrated by S.D. Schindler

(Children Picture Book SILVE)

A witch trying to pick a big pumpkin on Halloween discovers the value of cooperation when she gets help from a series of monsters.

Rotten Island by William Steig

(Children Picture Book + STEIG)

Rotten Island has always been a paradise for nasty creatures, until one awful day a beautiful flower begins to grow, threatening to spoil the island forever.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

(Children Picture Book Lg WILLE)

Leonardo is a terrible monster—he can’t seem to frighten anyone. When he discovers the perfect nervous little boy, will he scare the lunch out of him? Or will he think of something better?

The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit by Chris Wormell

(Children Picture Book + WORME)

A monster who is shunned for his ugliness finds relief from loneliness when he befriends an inanimate rabbit he carved from stone.

Simon’s Book by Henrik Drescher

(Children’s + PZ7.D78383 Si 1983)

Simon flees from a friendly monster with the aid of some drawing pens and a bottle of ink.

I’m Coming to Get You by Tony Ross

(Children’s + PZ7.R71992 Im)

After eating all the planets in outer space, a horrible monster gets a big surprise when it comes to Earth and tries to capture a little boy.

Chapter Books

The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham; illustrations by Pétur Antonsson

(Children’s PZ7.D9337 Luc 2014)

Eleven-year-old Rye O’Chanter and her two friends delve into the secret lore of their village when mysterious creatures of legend reappear on the night of the Black Moon, leading them to the notorious secret society, the Luck Uglies.

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

(Children’s PZ7.H1385 Pr 2015)

“Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!”—Provided by publisher

How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks; illustrated by Sarah Watts

(Children’s PZ7.J5754 Ho 2013)

In 1870s London, a young orphan girl becomes the apprentice to a man who traps monsters for a living.

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

(Children’s PZ7.S83218 Eme 2011)

Kate, Michael, and Emma have passed from one orphanage to another in the ten years since their parents disappeared to protect them, but now they learn that they have special powers, a prophesied quest to find a magical book, and a fearsome enemy.

Young Adult

Bull by David Elliott

(Young Adult PZ7.E4685 Bu 2017)

“Much as Lin-Manuel Miranda did in Hamilton, David Elliott turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, Bull will have readers re-evaluating one of history’s most infamous monsters.”—Provided by publisher.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd; illustrations by Jim Kay

(Young Adult PZ7.N4954 Mno 2011)

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill–an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

(Young Adult PZ7.P8865 Hat 2004)

Tiffany Aching, a young witch-in-training, learns about magic and responsibility as she battles a disembodied monster with the assistance of the six-inch-high Wee Free Men and Mistress Weatherwax, the greatest witch in the world.

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

(Young Adult PZ7.S8475 Ni 2015)

“Nimona is an impulsive young shape-shifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.”—Provided by publisher

09.19.2018

Staff Book Suggestions Autumn 2018

Zoe Burnett

I Am Murdered by Bruce Chadwick

(Library of Congress NEW HV6555.U62 R42 2009)

Do you enjoy Colonial American history? Do true crime procedurals have you turning pages? If either of these niche interests fits your reading list, then Bruce Chadwick’s I Am Murdered; George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the Killing That Shocked a New Nation will keep you company in this season’s weary days. Wythe was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and mentor of Virginia’s most prominent sons, including Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall. Despite his lofty position and professional success as a judge on the Virginia Court of Chancery, Wythe was revered by all who knew him for his fortitude of character and gentleness of manner. Not once does Chadwick list a bad word spoken against Wythe, who maintained his office up until his unexpected, grisly end at the age of eighty. Indeed, the extreme generosity shown to his alleged and likely murderer, his reprobate grand-nephew George Wythe Sweeney, is one of the many ways in which Chadwick illustrates why and how Wythe was revered by his contemporaries. 

Chadwick’s text reads much like a true crime special, first describing the murder to grab the reader’s attention, then examining the people and places surrounding the event. His approach is meticulous, providing the reader with the background and motives of each man tasked with confirming or denying Sweeney’s guilt. In doing so, Chadwick gives us a look at the shining new republic’s scurrilous underbelly. Williamsburg and Richmond’s socioeconomic classes did not exactly become integrated as these cities grew in population and diversity, but the wealthy, educated elite often brushed more than elbows with the cities’ lower elements. Members of the democratized gentry frequented alehouses, gambling dens, and “houses of ill repute,” creating a cocktail of debt and danger that plagued Virginia society and ensnared Sweeney. 

The span of research Chadwick conducted for I Am Murdered is evident, yet like all procedurals, it takes some time to reach the actual murder after its initial preview. Plentiful anecdotes are interspersed with comprehensive biographies of the investigation’s key players, and some of Chadwick’s descriptions can border on the repetitive or excessive. Information is provided that seems more suitable for footnotes, sometimes cluttering the text with protracted lists. However, just as the reader may become distracted, Chadwick nimbly transitions to the next subject and recaptures our attention. When the narrative finally arrives at the autopsy and trial’s gritty details that true crime lovers relish, he turns on the documentary flair with a multitude of rhetorical questions. These are duly answered as he describes the trial’s frustrating outcome. A verdict more than two hundred years old is difficult to spoil, and unfortunately the conclusion of I Am Murdered is still relevant to American readers. Aggressive ignorance and willful blindness remain great enemies of truth in our country. Until these silk masks are pried from the eyes of those in power, the guilty will continue to be acquitted despite crowds of pointing, marginalized fingers.

Maria Daniels

Get In Trouble by Kelly Link

(Library of Congress PZ4.L7575 Ge 2015)

Raise your brain a notch with this Pulitzer Prize finalist story collection from Massachusetts resident Kelly Link, famous for opening portals into wildly imaginative, sinister, dazzling, and delightful worlds. If you’ve ever wondered what happens in summer houses when the residents are away, or considered the logical—or surreal—escalations of celebrity culture, this book is for you.

The Signal Flame by Andrew Krivák

(Library of Congress PZ4.K9361 Si 2017 ​​)

Readers with a taste for the lyrical will devour this moving novel by a Somerville writer and National Book Award finalist. Set in rural Pennsylvania in the early 1970s, the story unearths the most wrenching emotions of the Vietnam era in a family still grieving the aftermath of the Second World War. Heartache, loss, and hope unfold in a harsh and beautiful landscape.

Daria Hafner

The Black Prince by Michael K. Jones

(Library of Congress NEW DA234 .J66 2017)

Michael K. Jones takes on the myths and history surrounding the medieval warrior known as the Black Prince, the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Prince of Wales. Jones provides a detailed examination of the life of Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine during the fourteenth century, focusing on his military prowess, religious convictions, and contributions to the early stages of the Hundred Years War between England and France. Although he uses a wide range of historical documents, Jones narrates The Black Prince in a way that makes it accessible to both scholars and lay-readers alike. I highly recommend this book to medieval history lovers and those who are interested in learning more about chivalry in fourteenth-century Europe.

Andrew Hahn

The Prodigal Tongue by Lynne Murphy

(Library of Congress NEW PE2808 .M87 2018)

Though this is an autumn list I decided to offer a fall suggestion. In this well researched book, Murphy presents the intertwining, converging, and diverging of American and British English. For those interested in words, and particularly for those with bookmarks to the OED, this book avoids the bellicose dismissals of the English found on the other side of the Atlantic, whichever side that may be, and instead offers a more nuanced and historical view.

Carolle Morini

Small Country by Gaël Faye, translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone

(Library of Congress NEW PZ4.F281 Sm 2018​​)

One of the best books I’ve read in 2018. Very powerful and beautifully written. Burundi, 1992. The main character is a ten-year-old boy named Gabriel who lives with his French father, Rwandan mother, and little sister Ana, as well as with a close group of friends. As they go about their lives it is soon drastically disturbed when Burundi and neighboring Rwanda are brutally hit by war and genocide. 

Kaelin Rasmussen

Blake or, The Huts of America: A Corrected Edition by Martin R. Delany; edited and with an introduction by Jerome McGann
(Library of Congress NEW​ PZ3.D3726 Bl 2017​)

Martin R. Delany’s extraordinary speculative novel Blake (originally published serially about 1859–1862) imagines the antebellum South poised on the edge of a revolution. The story follows Henry Blake, who, after his wife is sold away, escapes from a southern plantation and travels in the U.S., Canada, Africa, and Cuba on a mission to reunite his family and to unite blacks of the Atlantic region in the struggle for freedom. In direct opposition to his fictional contemporary Uncle Tom, Blake advocates violent rebellion rather than resignation as a response to the outrage of slavery, and he rejects outright the slaveholders’ false Christian piety. Blake’s journey lays the foundation for a massive, coordinated uprising in the American South. Traveling on to Cuba in search of his wife, Blake encounters slavery under the Spanish rule, and resolves to overthrow it. Martin R. Delany (1812–1885) was a free African American abolitionist and advocate for emigration. He traveled the South observing slavery and would later become an officer in the Union Army. Blake stands as his only work of fiction, and (fair warning!) it is incomplete, the final chapters being lost. It is a surprising and powerful work, less a novel than a summation of Delany’s revolutionary ideas and his empathy for the oppressed. Jerome McGann’s 2017 edition offers the first correct printing of the work and an authoritative introduction.

Mary Warnement

East West Street: On the Origins of “Genocide” and “Crimes Against Humanity” by Philippe Sands

(Library of Congress KZ7180 .S26 2016)

Autumn seems an appropriate time to return to serious subjects, and East West Street certainly qualifies. Most reviews have commented with surprise that a book by a lawyer specializing in international law—with a focus on mass murder—could be so enjoyable. He humanizes his subject by including his own family’s past, coincidentally linked to the place where the two men lived who independently developed the terms “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”

Sands connected with others who had family stories to tell, most notably Niklas Frank and Horst von Wachter, both sons of Nazis who have reacted quite differently to their fathers’ deeds. Sands treats both with a sensitivity one doesn’t expect from a lawyer. In fact, he and Niklas became friends, and Sands opens the book by describing their visit to Nuremberg together. I was at first shocked to read Niklas refer to the courtroom where his father was sentenced to death as “a happy room, for me, and for the world” (5). That story doesn’t continue till page 221. Sands then tells the story of the city, his family, and the atrocities suffered by both. He outlines his research as well as shares his thoughts and doubts with a light touch.

Sands was close to his grandfather Leon and yet knew so little of his life. How many of us ever know our parents or grandparents as youngsters? He asks hard questions about their behavior. Why didn’t they leave together? Was his grandmother having an affair? Was his grandfather gay? Many would ignore the evidence or write to titillate, but Sands writes with both respect and honesty.

He mentions exchanging memories and ideas with a woman on a train: “It was an intimate journey, a moment of acknowledgment and remembrance, and we never exchanged names”(41). It’s often easier to share with a stranger; one has fewer expectations, no worry about disappointment or judgment to stay one’s tongue.

If this interests you but you’re not quite ready to invest in 425 pages about genocide and crimes against humanity, try Sand’s briefer essay in Pushkin Press’s republication of Wittlin’s early twentieth-century description of Lviv/Lvov/Lemberg. The city’s frequent name changes evoke all that happened there in the past 150 years.

08.04.2018

Cats

Picturebooks

Michael and the Cats by Barbara Abercrombie, illus. by Mark Graham

(Children Picture Book ABERC)

On a visit to his aunt and uncle, Michael is delighted by their two cats but must learn the proper way to make friends with them.

City Cat by Kate Banks

(Children Picture Book BANKS)

An easy-to-read book about a globe-trotting cat that crosses paths with a vacationing family in the great cities of Europe. Includes facts about the cities.

Little Beauty by Anthony Browne

(Children Picture Book Lg BROWN)

When a gorilla who knows sign language tells his keepers that he is lonely, they bring him a very special friend.

Cunning Cat Tales by Laura Cecil, illus. by Emma Chichester Clark

(Children + PZ8.C295 Cu 2001)

Clever tales including Puss In Boots, The White Cat, and Sir Pussycat.

Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj

(Children Picture Book CZEKA)

Important secrets about how best to live a cat’s life will be revealed only to those who can prove that they are genuine cats.

Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos

(Children Picture Book GANTO)

Ralph, a very, very, nasty cat, finally sees the error of his ways—or does he?

The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein

(Children Picture Book + GERST)

Sylvie the cat persuades her boy to go into the darkness very late at night, where they’re greeted by the shadows of roses and other flowers, and by nocturnal animals who whisper, “It’s almost here.”

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani

(Children Picture Book GHAHR)

Cats of all shapes and sizes scamper, yawn, and stretch across the pages of this playful counting book. And every now and then, some of them pile into the purrfect cat stack!

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

(Children Picture Book + HENKE)

When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.

Cat, You Better Come Home by Garrison Keillor, paintings by Steven Johnson and Lou Fancher

(Children + PZ8.3.K27 Cat 1995)

Dissatisfied with her life, Puff the cat leaves home and becomes a rich and glamorous model, but eventually returns having found out that it’s better to be who you are.

Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illus. by James Dean

(Children Picture Book + LITWI)

As he walks down the street, Pete the cat sings about his brand new white shoes as they change from red to blue to brown to wet.

The Tale of Kitty-In-Boots by Beatrix Potter, illus. by Quentin Blake

(Children PIcture Book + POTTE)

A young black cat gets more of an adventure than she bargained for when she goes from predator to prey on a hunting trip. With appearances from Mrs. Tiggy-winkle and Peter Rabbit.

Posy by Linda Newbery, illus. by Catherine Rayner

(Children Picture Book + NEWBE)

Posy the kitten has lots of adventures catching spiders, swiping crayons, tangling yarn, and cuddling.

A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann

(Children Picture Book + ROHMA)

As four kittens who have never seen winter watch the seasons pass, three of them declare the reasons they will dislike snow when it arrives, while the fourth cannot wait to experience it for himself.

There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz

(Children Picture Book + SCHWAR)

The reader is invited to lift the flaps and follow the cats as they play with yarn, boxes, pillows, and fish.

Ginger by Charlotte Voake

(Children Picture Book VOAKE)

When Ginger the cat gets fed up with dealing with her owner’s new kitten, it takes drastic measures to make the two of them friends.

They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel

(Children Picture Book WENZE)

In simple, rhythmic prose and stylized pictures, a cat walks through the world, and all the other creatures see and acknowledge the cat.

Mr. Wuffles! By David Wiesner

(Children Picture Book WIESN)

“Mr. Wuffles ignores all his cat toys but one, which turns out to be a spaceship piloted by small green aliens. When Mr. Wuffles plays rough with the little ship, the aliens must venture into the cat’s territory to make emergency repairs.”—Provided by publisher

The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan, illus. by Anthony Browne

(Children PZ7.M153 Day 1994)

An imaginative ten-year-old boy, who is best understood by his family, recounts some of the adventures he has while daydreaming.

Easy Readers

Three Stories You Can Read To Your Cat by Sara Swan Miller

Children Picture Book MILLE

A cat hears three stories about a dull rainy day, a yummy bug, and a good day of destruction in the house.

Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret by Bob Shea

Children Picture Book SHEA

While Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are trying to decide what to play, they each share an important secret.

Chapter Books

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

(Children PZ7.A6455 Un 2008)

An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner’s run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy

(Children PZ7.D3525 Ch 2011)

A community of mice and a cheese-loving cat form an unlikely alliance at London’s Cheshire Cheese, an inn where Charles Dickens finds inspiration and Queen Victoria makes an unexpected appearance.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

(Children PZ7.D383857 Cat 2013)

Twelve-year-old Lillian, an orphan who loves roaming the woods looking for fairies when her chores are done, is bitten by a deadly snake and saved through the magical forest creatures.

Catwings by Ursula K. LeGuin

(Children PZ7.L5215 Cat 1988)

Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live, finally meeting two children with kind hands.

Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant

(Children PZ7.R982 Go 1995)

When a storm separates Stumpy the squirrel from her newborn babies, her animal friends come to the rescue.

Tabitha by A.N Wilson and Sarah Fox-Davies

(Children PZ7.W686 Tab 1988)

Five episodes in the lives of Pufftail, father of many cats, his favorite daughter Tabitha the gray tabby, and the other cats of their neighborhood.

Whittington by Alan W. Armstrong

(Children PZ8.1.A75 Wh 2005)

Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick Whittington’s famous cat of English folklore, appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and restores harmony while telling his ancestor’s story.

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

(Children PZ10.3.B935 In)

A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.

Poetry

Cats are Cats by Nancy Larrick, illus. by Ed Young

(Children + PS595.C38 I3 1988)

A collection of thirty-six poems about all kinds of cats, from old grumbling cats to proud cats who sit tall, by poets including Eve Merriam, Jane Yolen, John Ciardi, and T. S. Eliot.

Young Adult

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

(Young Adult PZ7.P8865 Am 2001)

A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king.

Non-Fiction

Dogs and Cats by Steve Jenkins

(Children + SF426.5 .J46 2007)

Are you a cat lover? A dog person? Either way, this book is for you! Read about how your favorite companion came to be a pet and how its body works. Then, flip the book over and find out about the other kind.

07.28.2018

Dogs

Picturebooks

Norman, Speak! by Caroline Adderson and Qin Leng

\(Children Picture Book ADDER)

After a family adopts a dog from a local shelter, they cannot understand why he doesn’t respond to commands, until a chance encounter in the dog park reveals that their new dog only understands Chinese.

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee

(Children Picture Book + AGEE)

Very strange noises that keep awakening the Wimbledon family one night have an even stranger source.

A Stone for Sascha by Aaron Becker

(Children Picture Book BECKE)

A young girl, still reeling from her dog’s death, finds solace while picking up stones on the beach during her family’s vacation.

Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans

(Children Picture Book Lg BEMEL)

A hound rescues a schoolgirl from the Seine, becomes a beloved school pet, is chased away by the trustees, and returns with a surprise.

Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book by Sandra Boynton

(Children Picture Book BOYNT [Board Book])

Dogs of all shapes and sizes bark from one to ten.

Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day

(Children Picture Book DAY)

Carl leads his infant mistress on a wild adventure—the instant after her mother has left the house.

Boot and Shoe by Marla Frazee

(Children Picture Book + FRAZE)

Boot and Shoe are dogs that live in the same house, eat from the same bowl, and sleep in the same bed but spend their days on separate porches until a squirrel mixes things up.

Lassie, Come-Home: An Adaptation of Eric Knight’s Classic Story by Susan Hill

(Children Picture Book + HILL)

After losing his job, Joe’s father has no choice but to sell Joe’s beloved collie, Lassie, to a wealthy duke, but when the duke takes her to the far north of Scotland, Lassie undertakes a 1000-mile journey to be reunited with her boy.

Sally Goes to the Farm by Stephen Huneck

(Children Picture Book Lg HUNEC)

Sally, a black Labrador retriever, goes to a farm where she enjoys various activities.

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon

(Children Picture Book + SHANN)

Except for his bath, Fergus experiences the perfect doggy day, from chasing cats and motorcycles to being scratched on his favorite tickle spot.

Harry: The Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

(Children Picture Book + ZION)

When a white dog with black spots runs away from home, he gets so dirty his family doesn’t recognize him as a black dog with white spots.

Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh

(Children + PZ7.M51273 Mar 1992)

Problems arise when Martha, the family dog, learns to speak after eating alphabet soup.

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

(Children + PZ7.P6314 Do 1994)

Hally, the Tosis family dog, has such bad breath that Mr. and Mrs. Tosis plan to give her away, until she proves to be an invaluable watchdog.

Chapter Books and Easy Readers

The Good Dog by Avi

(Children PZ10.3.A965 Go 2001)

McKinley, a malamute, is torn between the domestic world of his human family and the wild world of Lupin, a wolf that is trying to recruit dogs to replenish the dwindling wolf pack.

Biscuit in the Garden by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

(Children Picture Book CAPUC)

Biscuit the puppy is eager to see the plants and make friends with the animals in the garden.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

(Children PZ7.D5455 Be 2000)

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

(Children PZ7.E749 Gi 2000)

The disappearance of a new puppy named Ginger and the appearance of a mysterious man in a mustard yellow hat bring excitement into the lives of the Pye children.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

(Children PZ7.G173 St 1980)

Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather’s farm with the purse from a dog sled race he enters.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

(Children PZ7.G4393 Ol)

At first, Travis couldn’t stand the sight of Old Yeller. The stray dog was ugly, and a thieving rascal, too. But he sure was clever, and a smart dog could be a big help on the wild Texas frontier, especially with Papa away on a long cattle drive up to Abilene. Strong and courageous, Old Yeller proved that he could protect Travis’s family from any sort of danger. But can Travis do the same for Old Yeller?

Survivors: A Hidden Enemy by Erin Hunter

(Children PZ7.H916625 Emp 2012)

“In the aftermath of the Big Growl that destroyed his city, a Lone Dog named Lucky must find a way to work with other dogs in order to survive in this frightening new world.”—Provided by publisher.

Survivors: The Empty City by Erin Hunter

(Children PZ7.H916625 Hid 2013)

“Lucky and the rest of the Leashed Dogs have settled in the forest–but a vicious Pack has claimed the land, and will stop at nothing to ensure that it is theirs alone.”—Provided by publisher.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

(Children PZ7.N24 Sh 1991)

When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog’s real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

The Hundred and One Dalmatians: Or, the Great Dog Robbery by Dodie Smith

(Children + PZ7.S6447 Hu 2017)

“Famously adapted by Walt Disney in 1961, Dodie Smith’s classic tale of a great dog robbery was inspired when a friend idly remarked that Smith’s own Dalmatian, also called Pongo, would make a lovely fur coat. While the film may have captured the spirit of the story, it lacks the style and moments of charm and humour that can only be found in Smith’s inventive novel: the vivacious antics of Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler, the reason why Cruella, as one feisty pup discovers, tastes of pepper, and the mystery behind the identity of the hundred and oneth Dalmatian.”—Provided by publisher.

Graphic Novels

Laika by Nick Abadzis

(Children PZ7.A125 Lai 2007)

This is the journey of Laika, the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth’s first space traveler. With the blending of fact and fiction, this story intertwines three compelling lives.

Apocalypse Bow Wow by James Proimos III, illus. by James Proimos Jr.

(Children PZ7.7.P76 Apo 2015)

Apollo and Brownie are unaware that the apocalypse is at hand, but when their owners do not return and they run out of food and water, the dogs venture into the world, where they team up with a police dog, a flea that quotes Sun Tzu’s The art of war, and others in an attempt to survive.

Poetry

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

(Children PZ7.C8615 Lo 2001)

A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.

Non-Fiction

Dogs and Cats by Steve Jenkins

(Children + SF426.5 .J46 2007)

Are you a cat lover? A dog person? Either way, this book is for you! Read about how your favorite companion came to be a pet and how its body works. Then, flip the book over and find out about the other kind.

Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner, illus. by Yan Nascimbene

(Children SF426.5 .T87 2004)

Relates the true story of a dog who accompanied his master to and from a Tokyo train station for a year and, after his master died, continued to wait for him there every day for many years.

07.03.2018

And Kindness For All

A list of books about immigrants, refugees, and empathy. For more, see the March 2017 list Immigrants and Refugees.

Picture Books

Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago, illus. by Rafael Yockteng

(Children Picture Book BUITR)

“In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border. They travel mostly on the roof of a train known as The Beast, but the little girl doesn’t know where they are going. She counts the animals by the road, the clouds in the sky, the stars. Sometimes she sees soldiers. She sleeps, dreaming that she is always on the move, although sometimes they are forced to stop and her father has to earn more money before they can continue their journey. As many thousands of people, especially children, in Mexico and Central America continue to make the arduous journey to the US border in search of a better life, this is an important book that shows a young migrant’s perspective.” — Provided by publisher.

Walk With Me by Jairo Buitrago, illus. by Rafael Yockteng

(Children Picture Book BUITR)

A little girl imagines a lion taking the place of her father who no longer lives with her family, an animal that keeps her safe on her travels from school to home.

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

(Children Picture Book + CHOI)

After Unhei moves from Korea to the United States, her new classmates help her decide what her name should be.

The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline

(Children Picture Book + FLEIS)

Follow a girl’s perusal of her great-grandfather’s collection of matchboxes and small curios that document his poignant immigration journey from Italy to a new country.

Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson, illus. by Diane Goode

(Children + PZ7.L5796 Wat 1985)

Grandma tells about her mama’s journey to America by boat, years ago.

Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora, illus. by Raúl Colón

(Children Picture Book + MORA)

While helping his family in their work as migrant laborers far from their home, Tomás finds an entire world to explore in the books at the local public library.

Just in Case by Yuyi Morales

(Children Picture Book + MORAL)

As Señor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle’s birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illus. by Thi Bui

(Children Picture Book + PHI)

“As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father’s long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. Between hope-filled casts, Bao’s father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam.” — Provided by publisher

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

(Children Picture Book SANNA)

What is it like to have to leave everything behind and travel many miles to somewhere unfamiliar and strange? A mother and her two children set out on such a journey; one filled with fear of the unknown, but also great hope. Based on the author’s interactions with people forced to seek a new home, and told from the perspective of a young child.

The Princess and the Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh

(Children Picture Book TONAT)

“Award-winning author Duncan Tonatiuh reimagines one of Mexico’s cherished legends. Princess Izta had many wealthy suitors but dismissed them all. When a mere warrior, Popoca, promised to be true to her and stay always by her side, Izta fell in love. The emperor promised Popoca if he could defeat their enemy Jaguar Claw, then Popoca and Izta could wed. When Popoca was near to defeating Jaguar Claw, his opponent sent a messenger to Izta saying Popoca was dead. Izta fell into a deep sleep and, upon his return, even Popoca could not wake her. As promised Popoca stayed by her side.” — Provided by publisher

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. By E.B. Lewis

(Children Picture Book + WOODS)

When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya’s shabby clothes and refusing to play with her.

Teacup by Rebecca Young, illus. By Matt Ottley

(Children Picture Book + YOUNG)

A boy must leave his home and find another. He brings with him a teacup full of earth from the place where he grew up, and sets off to sea.

Chapter Books

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

(Children PZ 7.B3978 Lu 2018)

In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

(Children PZ7.C218 Ep 2018)

Arturo’s Miami summer is marked by the arrival of poetry enthusiast Carmen, who helps him use the power of protest to fight the plans of a land developer who wants to demolish his Abuela’s restaurant.

Lulu and the Dog from the Sea by Hilary McKay

(Children PZ7.M191 Lud 2013)

Seven-year-old Lulu and her cousin think their vacation house is the most perfect place ever until they find a trouble-prone, stray dog living on the beach.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

(Children PZ7.P42 Fi 2017)

Twelve-year-old María Luisa O’Neill-Morales (who really prefers to be called Malú) reluctantly moves with her Mexican-American mother to Chicago and starts seventh grade with a bang—violating the dress code with her punk rock aesthetic and spurning the middle school’s most popular girl in favor of starting a band with a group of like-minded weirdos.

Esperenza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

(Children PZ7.R9553 Es 2000)

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

Young Adult Novels

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi

(Young Adult PZ7.A1255 La 2018)

After their home in Syria is bombed, Tareq, his father, and his younger sister seek refuge, first with extended family in Raqqa, a stronghold for the militant group, Daesh, and then abroad.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

(Young Adult PZ7.C5255 Ho 2001)

“ The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, whose neighborhood is one of harsh realities and harsh beauty. Esperanza doesn’t want to belong–not to her run-down neighborhood, and not to the low expectations the world has for her. Esperanza’s story is that of a young girl coming into her power, and inventing for herself what she will become.” — Provided by publisher

Refugee by Alan Gratz

(Young Adult PZ7.G77 Re 2017)

” … three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers — from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.” — Provided by publisher

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

(Young Adult PZ7.S1273 Ar 2012)

“Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.” — Provided by publisher

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

(Young Adult PZ7.S1273 In 2017)

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

(Young Adult PZ7.S1975 Iam 2017)

“Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought.” — Provided by publisher

Graphic Novels

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

(Children Lg PZ7.T16123 Ar 2006)

In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.

Non-Fiction

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, illus. by Shawn Harris

(Children E 159.E39 2017)

In this honest look at the literal foundation of our country, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris investigate a seemingly small trait of America’s most emblematic statue. What they find is about more than history, more than art. What they find in the Statue of Liberty’s right foot is the message of acceptance that is essential to an entire country’s creation.

Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle, illus. by Rafael López

(Children + E 184.S75 2017)

“Bold, graphic portraits and beautiful poems present famous and lesser-known Latinos from varied backgrounds who have faced life’s challenges in creative ways.” — Provided by publisher

Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare

(Children + HV 640.L355 2017)

“A desperate last hope for safety and freedom. The plight of refugees risking their lives at sea has, unfortunately, made the headlines all too often in the past few years. This book presents five true stories, from 1939 to today, about young people who lived through the harrowing experience of setting sail in search of asylum: Ruth and her family board the St. Louis to escape Nazism; Phu sets out alone from war-torn Vietnam; José tries to reach the United States from Cuba; Najeeba flees Afghanistan and the Taliban; and after losing his family, Mohamed abandons his village on the Ivory Coast in search of a new life.” — Provided by publisher

This Land is Our Land: A History of American Immigration by Linda Barrett Osborne

(Children + E 184.A1 O83 2016)

“This book explores the way government policy and popular responses to immigrant groups evolved throughout U.S. history and the fundamental ways in which immigration forms an essential part of the American identity. The book also recounts the experiences of three centuries of immigrants in their own words.” — Provided by publisher

Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, illus. by Kerascoet

(Children Picture Book + YOUSA)

“As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.” —Provided by publisher

06.13.2018

Staff Book Suggestions Summer 2018

Daria Hafner

One Goal: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together by Amy Bass

(Library of Congress NEW GV944 .U6 B37 2018)

This is a wonderful book for those who have been inspired by the recent events of the World Cup or who simply have a love of the game. Lewiston, Maine, the home of Bates College and a former mill town once mainly comprised of the descendants of French-Canadian immigrants, has become home to a large community of refugees fleeing Somalia. While many residents opened their arms to the refugee community, the influx has not been without controversy. Amy Bass describes the changes in the Lewiston community and the challenges faced by the new and old residents alike. Focusing on the Lewiston High School boys’ soccer team, Bass discusses how the team helped to unite a divided community. I found this to be a very topical read and I highly recommend it to soccer fans and those looking for a positive dialogue about the American refugee experience.

Evan Knight

Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin

(Library of Congress  PZ4.B18 Goi​)

I thought I’d re-read Sonny’s Blues. Why not the other stories too? Hot days in Harlem. Young people facing all sorts of challenges—from within, in the streets, or at home. The challenges are portrayed vividly and seem like very real, tangible, awful monsters. The stakes are serious. Some are swallowed up by violence, drugs, inner turmoil; some find reprieve, at least for a time. I think Baldwin’s really good at locating pain and describing anguish, usually so hidden and hard to put into words.

Eleanor of Aquitane by Amy Kelly

(Library of Congress  DA209.E6 K45 1950​​)

This meticulously-researched historical narrative is interesting. Together, with Eleanor as our lens, we learn about the philosophical “scene” of 12th Century Paris; the Second Crusade with her husband Louis, the King of (Ile de) France; the power struggle for England, after her divorce and re-marriage to Henry Plantagenet; many other regional power struggles; court intrigues and courtly romance; and personal rivalries. We travel through Paris, Constantinople, Antioch, Poitiers, Limoges, Tours, Angers, Canterbury, Westminster, and more. Trying to understand those parts of world in the 12th century are the best parts of this book, and the author sets exciting scenes that are as historically accurate as can be. Some downsides: the prose gets very purple at times, and the narrative can lose Eleanor, focusing on the politicking of characters in her family, i.e., Henry Plantagenet and their sons.

Carolle Morini

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

(Library of Congress PZ3.J27 Su 2008​​)

The​ twenty-two vignettes​ are the perfect size to read while waiting for the train​. This novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl ​and her​ grandmother as they spend the summer on an​ island in the Gulf of Finland. They discuss things that matter to young and old alike: life, death, God and love​ while discovering and rediscovering the island and all its inhabitants and visitors.

Emma Newcombe

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

(Library of Congress GV791 .B844 2013​​)

Brown recounts the fascinating, at times nail-biting, true story of the University of Washington’s 1936 crew team and its rise to fame in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Brown weaves the personal lives of individual team members together with the complex politics of a world teetering on the edge of the Second World War. Whether you are a fan of sports, history, or narratives of personal triumph, this is a book worth picking up.

Hannah Ovaska

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson

(Children’s PZ7.A54385 Sp 2018)

Speak: The Graphic Novel will bring you on a visual storytelling journey about some of the most painful and stigmatized topics today, including sexual violence. Emily Carroll’s illustrations are captivatingly dark and breathe new life into Anderson’s story. If you’ve been interested in reading a graphic novel, I suggest you start with this one!

Kaelin Rasmussen

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

(Library of Congress PZ3.H9457 Th 1990)

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston; edited by Deborah G. Plant; foreword by Alice Walker

(Library of Congress NEW E444.L49 H87 2018)

Both of these books evoked, for me, a sense of the intensely hot Southern summer.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the great classics of African American literature. It is a beautifully written story of a young African American girl in the South growing up and coming into her own as the arbiter of her own destiny, and it is also one of the first novels (if not the first) to tell an African American love story, written by an African American woman. I was interested to learn that later in her life Hurston’s popularity as a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance waned, and she and her works were all but forgotten until the 1970s (more than a decade after her death), when the author Alice Walker wrote an article crediting Hurston as a foremother of African American women’s writing. The BA’s copy also contains an excellent critical essay by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Their Eyes Were Watching God has been on my list for years, and I am sorry now that I waited so long to experience it!

Barracoon was completed in 1931, but never published until this year. It is an oral history transcribed by Zora Neale Hurston but told by Cudjo Lewis, born Oluale Kossola, the last surviving victim of the Atlantic slave trade. As a young man in a West African village, Kossola was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He and other men and women from the same area were held in cages called “barracoons” while they waited to cross the Atlantic. They were smuggled into Alabama in 1860 (it had been illegal since 1807). After emancipation, they remained together and established their own community near Mobile, keeping with them the memory of Africa. Hurston interviewed Kossola over a period of several years, visiting him and encouraging him to tell his story during hot summer afternoons. She describes his joy that someone wanted to hear about his life in Africa, and his sadness as he recounted the hardships of his life. Alice Walker’s foreword, and editor Deborah G. Plant’s essay and supplementary materials situate this extraordinary work in its context: as one of only a handful of first-person narratives of survivors of the Middle Passage. Kossola never learned to read or write, but Hurston has told us his story in his voice. Though most often remembered as a novelist, she was a passionate and empathetic anthropologist and folklorist who believed that African American cultural heritage was the greatest source of cultural wealth in this country.

Michelle Slater

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

(Library of Congress PZ4.B8793 Re 2014)

Not exactly relating to summer—but set on mars, Red Rising makes for a great summer read. This breakout novel is the first of a continuing series, which you will want to keep reading. Red Rising is an introduction into the intricate world that Pierce Brown develops, building on current technology and sociopolitical events to imagine a colonized solar system and the future of civilization. The reader’s understanding of the world builds at the same pace as the main character, Darrow, discovers it himself; delving into the future-history, technology, and social systems that set the stage for Darrow’s story to unfold. This series does not disappoint, and Red Rising is only the jumping off point. Enjoy!

Mary Warnement

The Seabird’s Cry: The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers by Adam Nicolson

(Library of Congress NEW QL678.52 .N53 2017)

Nicolson’s title was inspired by a Seamus Heaney poem:

What came first, the seabird’s cry or the soul

imagined in the dawn cold when it cried?

Nicolson has written an intelligent description, combining summaries scientific and literary often birds, accompanied by personal observation, photos, and paintings. Each chapter opens with a painting of each of the birds by Kate Boxer. The Athenæum holds the British edition whose cover features the painting of the puffin with his orange webbed feet and cheeks, calling to my mind Penguin books for children, but Nicolson explained (67) the puffin’s “life stands outside the cuteness in which we want to envelope it.” Just the reminder I needed.

Nicolson opens with an anecdote that draws in the reader, all our assumptions, and welcomes us to listen. He relays how he was asked his favorite seabird and received this reaction, “Ah yes, they’re delicious roast, aren’t they?” Nicolson sees the bird’s beauty but also recognizes their brutality, and there are some brutal stories that seem straight out of mythology rather than scientific observation. Infanticide, siblicide, cannabalism.

“The aim of this book, using tradition and science as a kind of twin pronged tuning fork, is to bring together some of those modern revelations with the older understanding that seabirds are somehow symbolic of the state of ocean and world” (15).

His last chapter outlines the sad facts of what seems a drastic decline in seabird populations. What number did he share? Over 140,000 bird species have gone extinct? But his last chapter ends hopefully, and not just with his comment that “no doubt, in our present catastrophe,” there will be survivors. On the Shiants, his own remote island getaway off the coast of Scotland that his father bought and where he seems to have developed and honed his interest in seabirds, there is resiliency in seabird life and if humans take action to counter the damage humans have done, then perhaps there is hope.

Hannah Weisman

An American Marriage: A Novel by Tayari Jone

(Library of Congress NEW PZ4.J7948 Am 2018)

Tayari Jones explores the strength and limits of human relationships in a carefully constructed novel told from the perspective of three protagonists: Roy, a young entrepreneur who is wrongfully convicted of rape and sentenced to 12 years in prison in Louisiana; Celestial, a young Atlanta-based artist who is married to Roy; and Andre, Celestial’s childhood friend on whom she leans during Roy’s incarceration. Jones deftly sheds light on the impact of mass incarceration of black men in the United States through a touching story of three well-crafted, complex characters.

06.06.2018

Portal Fantasy and Time Travel

Picture Books

Journey by Aaron Becker

(Children Picture Book BECKE)

In this first book of a planned trilogy, a lonely young girl, using a red marker, draws a door on her bedroom wall and through it enters another world, where she experiences many adventures, including being captured by an evil emperor.

Quest by Aaron Becker

(Children Picture Book BECKE)

The sudden and magical appearance of a king startles two friends in a city park. The king pushes a map and some strange objects at them, but before he can explain, the king is captured by hostile forces and whisked back into his enchanted world. Just like that, the two friends are caught up in a mad dash to rescue the mysterious monarch. They embark on a quest to unlock the puzzle of the map and, they hope, save the king and his people from darkness.

Return by Aaron Becker

(Children Picture Book BECK)

“Welcome the much-anticipated finale of Caldecott Honoree Aaron Becker’s wordless trilogy—a spectacular, emotionally satisfying story that brings its adventurer home. Failing to get the attention of her busy father, a lonely girl turns back to a fantastic world for friendship and adventure. It’s her third journey into the enticing realm of kings and emperors, castles and canals, exotic creatures and enchanting landscapes. This time, it will take something truly powerful to persuade her to return home, as a gripping backstory is revealed that will hold readers in its thrall. Caldecott Honor winner Aaron Becker delivers a suspenseful and moving climax to his wordless trilogy, an epic that began with the award-winning Journey and continued with the celebrated follow-up Quest.” — Provided by publisher.

Chapter Books

The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs

(Children PZ7.B413 Tr 1998)

Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass discover a trolley which transports them back to Constantinople in 1453 as the Turks are invading the Byzantine Empire.

An Angel for May by Melvin Burgess

(PZ7.B9166 An 2013)

Faced with his parents’ divorce, Tam is unhappy, but when he’s given a way out, will he take it? Even if it means being stuck in the past forever?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

(Children PZ7.C2361 Al 1969)

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

(Children PZ7.C677475 Re 2013)

In Victorian London, Albert Garrick, an assassin-for-hire, and his reluctant young apprentice, Riley, are transported via wormhole to modern London, where Riley teams up with a young FBI agent to stop Garrick from returning to his own time and using his newly acquired scientific knowledge and power to change the world forever.

The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

(Children PZ7.D6295 Mi 2005)

As twelve-year-old Anand continues his studies to become a full-fledged member of The Brotherhood of the Conch, he journeys back to Mogul times, where he encounters powerful sorcerers, spoiled princes, noble warriors, and evil jinns.

Hatching Magic by Ann Downer

(PZ7.D767 Ha 2003)

When a thirteenth-century wizard confronts twenty-first century Boston while seeking his pet dragon, he is followed by a rival wizard and a very unhappy demon, but eleven-year-old Theodora Oglethorpe may hold the secret to setting everything right.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende; translated by Ralph Manheim; illustrated by Roswitha Quadflieg

(Children PZ7.E66 Ne)

Inkheart Cornelia Funke; translated from the German by Anthea Bell

(Children PZ7.F935 In 2003)

Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can “read” fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

(Children PZ7.G125 Co 2002)

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster; illustrated by Jules Feiffer

(Children PZ7.J98 Ph)

A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.

Elidor by Alan Garner

(Children PZ7.G18417 El)

Three brothers and a sister take the responsibility of possession of a length of iron railing, a keystone, two pieces of wood, and a cracked cup which symbolize the power of a spear, a sword, a stone, and a cauldron to generate light for the Kingdom of Elidor

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

(Children PZ7.L5385 Wr)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

(Children PZ7.L58474 Ch 1988 bk.1)

Four English school children find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson; illustrated by Donna Diamond

(Children PZ7.P273 Br)

The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm.

Starcross: A Stirring Adventure of Spies, Time Travel, and Curious Hats by Philip Reeve; illustrated by David Wyatt

(Children PZ7.R25576 Sta 2007)

Young Arthur Mumby, his sister Myrtle, and their mother accept an invitation to take a holiday at an up-and-coming resort in the asteroid belt, where they become involved in a dastardly plot involving spies, time travel, and mind-altering clothing.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

(PZ7.S80857 Wh 2009)

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, “The $20,000 Pyramid,” a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente; with illustrations by Ana Juan

(Children PZ7.V232 Gir 2011)

Twelve-year-old September’s ordinary life in Omaha turns to adventure when a Green Wind takes her to Fairyland to retrieve a talisman the new and fickle Marquess wants from the enchanted woods.

Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson

(Children PZ7.W7677 Tan 2006)

Eleven-year-old Silver sets out to find the Timekeeper—a clock that controls time—and to protect it from falling into the hands of two people who want to use the device for their own nefarious ends.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

(Children PZ8.B327 Wh 1956)

Young Adult

London Calling by Edward Bloor

(Children PZ7.B6236 Lo 2006)

Seventh-grader Martin Conway believes that his life is monotonous and dull until the night the antique radio he uses as a night-light transports him to the bombing of London in 1940.

Ripped: A Jack the Ripper Time-travel Thriller by Shelly Dickson Carr

(Children PZ7.C2177 Ri 2012)

“Katie Lennox wishes her parents were still alive. Having to leave Boston to live with Grandma Cleaves in London was hard, but she’s making new friends, working on her British accent and even learning some Cockney rhyming slang. London’s cool and actually feels like home in some ways, like she’s been here before, belongs here. When a museum visit with her cousin and his cute friend turns funky, Katie finds herself in a long, uncomfortable dress, wearing a ridiculous hat, wondering what happened to her jeans and high-top sneakers? And where’s her iPhone?… It’s London, 1888. Smart and gutsy, Katie knows she’s here to stop Jack the Ripper. The serial killer didn’t just slash his victims’ throats; he butchered the women. Katie has read about the Ripper, knows the names of his victims and where and when they were killed. She’s watched her fair share of CSI. Can Katie save their lives?”—from Amazon.com.

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

(Children PZ7.F4995 Ob 2013)

When his father disappears while experimenting with a black mirror that is a portal to both the past and the future, Jake encounters obstacles when he tries to use the mirror to find his father.

Half World by Hiromi Goto; illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

(Children PZ7.G6936 Hal 2010)

“Melanie Tamaki is an outsider. She is unpopular at school. At home, where she and her loving but neglectful mother live in poverty, she has had to learn to take care of herself. Melanie is just barely coping. Everything changes on the day she returns home to find her mother is missing, lured back to

Half World by a nightmare creature calling himself Mr. Glues kin. Soon Melanie has embarked on an epic and darkly fantastical journey to Half World to save her mother. What she does not yet realize is that the state of the universe is at stake…” —P. [4] of cover.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

(Children PZ7.H1164 Fo 2008)

When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.

04.26.2018

Rats and Mice

Picture Books

The Maid and the Mouse and the Odd-Shaped House: A Story in Rhyme by Paul O. Zelinsky

(Children + PZ8.3.Z34 Mai)

An oddly-shaped house takes on the appearance of a cat as the maid and mouse who live there make various changes in it.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jenny Broom; illustrated by Nahta Nój

(Children + PZ8.2.B6678 Li 2014)

“How can a humble little mouse save a great and mighty lion? Find out in this fresh retelling of one of Aesop’s most popular fables. Interactive artwork makes you the storyteller! Release the mouse from the lion’s claws and free the lion from his net simply by turning the page.” —Cover.

The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson

(Children Picture Book + DONAL)

A very bad rat rides his horse along the highway stealing travelers’ food, from a rabbit’s clover to a spider’s flies, until clever Duck introduces him to her “sister.”

The Story of a Little Mouse Trapped in a Book by Monique Félix

(Children Picture Book FÉLIX)

A mouse trapped inside the pages of a book chews his way out and escapes to the countryside on a paper airplane.

The Further Adventures of the Little Mouse Trapped in a Book by Monique Félix

(Children Picture Book FÉLIX)

A mouse trapped inside the pages of a book chews his way out to an ocean and sails away in a paper boat.

The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood; illustrated by Janice Nadeau

(Children Picture Book + HOOD)

Introduces readers to the Tooth Mouse, France’s version of the tooth fairy, and to Sophie, a sweet young mouse who must prove she is brave, honest and wise enough to take over this important job.

Matthew’s Dream by Leo Lionni

(Children Picture Book + LIONN)

A visit to an art museum inspires a young mouse to become a painter.

Nicolas, Where Have You Been? by Leo Lionni

(Children Picture Book + LIONN)

Mishap turns to adventure as a young mouse learns that all birds aren’t the enemies he thought they were.

The Mouse Mansion by Karina Schaapman

(Children Picture Book Lg SCHAA)

Best friends Sam and Julia love spending their days exploring the many rooms and secret hiding places of the Mouse Mansion, where they live with their families.

Tiny’s Big Adventure by Martin Waddell; illustrated by John Lawrence

(Children Picture Book Lg WADDE)

Katy Mouse teaches her younger brother, Tiny, the names of some of the things they see, including a boot, a snail, and a pheasant, when they go to the cornfield to play games.

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

(Children Picture Book WILLE)

Wilbur, a naked mole rat who likes to wear clothes, is forced to go before the wise community elder, who surprises the other naked mole rats with his pronouncement.

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

(Children Picture Book + YOUNG)

Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind men discovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance. The illustrations depict the blind arguers as mice.

Beginning Readers

Little Rat Rides by Monika Bang-Campbell; illustrated by Molly Bang

(Children Picture Book BANGC)

Little Rat overcomes her fear and learns to ride a horse, just like her daddy did when he was young.

Little Rat Sets Sail by Monika Bang-Campbell; illustrated by Molly Bang

(Children Picture Book BANGC)

With a little courage and a lot of practice, Little Rat overcomes her fear of sailing.

Chapter Books

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

(Children PZ7.D5455 Ta 2003)

The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

The Orphan and the Mouse by Martha Freeman; illustrated by David McPhail

(Children PZ7.F87496 Or 2014)

In 1949 Philadephia, Mary Mouse and an orphan named Caro embark on an adventure when they team up to expose criminals and make the Cherry Street Orphanage a safe haven for mice.

The Mouse and his Child by Russell Hoban; illustrated by David Small

(Children PZ7.H637 Mr 2001)

Two discarded toy mice survive perilous adventures in a hostile world before finding security and happiness with old friends and new.

Redwall by Brian Jacques; illustrated by Gary Chalk

(Children PZ7.J15317 Re 1986)

When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall’s inhabitants destroy the enemy.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell; illustrated by Jonathan Bean

(Children PZ7.J675 Em 2007)

When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.

Bless this Mouse by Lois Lowry; illustrated by Eric Rohmann.

(Children PZ7.L9673 Bl 2011)

Mouse Mistress Hildegarde musters all her ingenuity to keep a large colony of church mice safe from the exterminator and to see that they make it through the dangerous Blessing of the Animals.

The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau; illustrated by Matt Myers

(Children PZ7.L323 In 2016)

Rat brothers Louie and Ralphie Ratso try to prove they can be as rough and tough as their father in the Big City, but every time they try to show how tough they are, they end up accidentally doing good deeds instead.

Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb; illustrated by Tom Lintern

(Children PZ7.L65755 Ra 2015)

“When Joey is bitten by a rat, he goes from aspiring seventh-grader to three-inch tall rodent, and unwittingly unlocks the sword Ratscalibur.” —Provided by publisher.

The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires; illustrated by Claire Nivola

(Children PZ7.S7547 Mo 1999)

When she moves into Emily Dickinson’s bedroom, Emmaline the mouse discovers her own propensity for poetry.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien; illustrated by Zena Bernstein

(Children PZ10.3.O19 Mi)

Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.

I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman

(Children PZ7.P968 Iw 2002)

A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat.

The Rescuers by Margery Sharp; illustrated by Garth Williams

(Children PZ7.S5315 Res 1959)

Two enterprising mice live up to the motto of the Rescue Aid Society, “We help anyone … anywhere,” when they rescue a kidnapped orphan.

Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner; illustrations by Omar Rayyan

(Children PZ7.W12417 Nig 2010)

Eleven years after the cruel Killdeer took over the Catacombs far beneath the human’s Trillium City, Juniper Belancourt, assisted by Vincent and Victor Nightshade, leads a maverick band of rats to escape and establish their own city.

Stuart Little by E.B. White; illustrated by Garth Williams

(Children PZ7.W58277 St 1999)

The adventures of the debonair mouse, Stuart Little, as he sets out in the world to seek out his dearest friend, a little bird who stayed a few days in his family’s garden.

Mouse House by Rumer Godden; illustrated by Adrienne Adams

(Children PZ10.3.G545 Mm)

There is never any room for Bonnie, the baby mouse, in the flower pot, so she goes looking for a new mouse house.

Young Adult

Half World by Hiromi Goto; illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

(Young Adult PZ7.G6936 Hal 2010)

“Melanie Tamaki is an outsider. She is unpopular at school. At home, where she and her loving but neglectful mother live in poverty, she has had to learn to take care of herself. Melanie is just barely coping. Everything changes on the day she returns home to find her mother is missing, lured back to Half World by a nightmare creature calling himself Mr. Glueskin. Soon Melanie has embarked on an epic and darkly fantastical journey to Half World to save her mother. What she does not yet realize is that the state of the universe is at stake…” —Cover.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

(Young Adult PZ7.P8865 Am 2001)

A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king.

Informational Books

Oh, Rats!: The Story of Rats and People by Albert Marrin; illustrated by C.B. Mordan

(Children QL737.R666 M28 2006)

Get ready to look at rats in a whole new way. These intelligent, compassionate creatures are greatly misunderstood.

03.29.2018

Birds

Picture Books

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott

(Children + E99.N77 M33 1993)

Raven, the trickster, wants to give people the gift of light. But can he find out where Sky Chief keeps it? And if he does, will he be able to escape without being discovered? His dream seems impossible, but if anyone can find a way to bring light to the world, wise and clever Raven can!

Peck, Peck, Peck by Lucy Cousins

(Children Picture Book + COUSI)

Pecking his way through the door of a house, an intrepid little woodpecker busily raps on a rhyming sequence of indoor objects, from a hat and a mat and a racket and jacket to a teddy bear and a book called Jane Eyre.

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc; translated from the French by Claudia Z. Bedrick

(Children Picture Book DUBUC)

“A lion finds a wounded bird in his garden and decides to care for it through the winter. When spring arrives, the bird’s flock returns. The bird goes off with its flock. Lion is sad. But autumn brings a wonderful surprise.” —Provided by publisher.

Bird Songs by Betsy Franco; illustrated by Steve Jenkins

(Children Picture Book + FRANC)

Throughout the day and into the night various birds sing their songs, beginning with the woodpecker who taps a pole ten times and counting down to the hummingbird who calls once.

Birds by Kevin Henkes; illustrated by Laura Dronzek

(Children Picture Book + HENKE)

Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

Puffin Peter by Petr Horáček

(Children Picture Book + HORAC)

When his best friend is lost in a terrible storm, an intrepid young puffin teams up with a big blue whale to mount a rescue mission and discovers that while many other birds match his friend’s description, none are quite the same.

Flight School by Lita Judge

(Children Picture Book + JUDGE)

Little Penguin, who has the “soul of an eagle,” enrolls in flight school.

Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan

(Children Picture Book + SRINI)

Little Owl enjoys a lovely night in the forest visiting his friend the raccoon, listening to the frogs croak and the crickets chirp, and watching the fog that hovers overhead.

Chapter Books

Arabel’s Raven by Joan Aiken; illustrated by Quentin Blake

(Children PZ7.A2695 Ar)

The injured raven Arabel’s father brings home can say only “Kaark” and “Nevermore” but he still manages to make great changes in the family’s life.

Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull

(Children PZ7.C2697 Sum 2012)

In the world of Down, young sisters Summer and Bird are separated and go in very different directions as they seek their missing parents, try to vanquish the evil Puppeteer, lead the talking birds back to their Green Home, and discover the identity of the true bird queen.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

(Children PZ7.H52 Ho 2002)

Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.

Wringer by Jerri Spinelli

(Children PZ7.S7546 Wr 1997)

As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town’s annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

(Children PZ7.W58277 Tr)

Knowing how to read and write is not enough for Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter Swan; his determination to learn to play a stolen trumpet takes him far from his wilderness home.

Young Adult

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

(Children PZ7.S855625 Rav 2012)

Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent’s only gift seems to be that she makes other people’s talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own — and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.

Informational Books

The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

(Children + CT275.A93 D38 2004)

As a boy, John James Audubon loved to watch birds. In 1804, at the age of eighteen, he moved from his home in France to Pennsylvania. There he took a particular interest in peewee flycatchers. While observing these birds, John James became determined to answer a pair of two-thousand-year-old questions: Where do small birds go in the winter, and do they return to the same nest in the spring?

It’s a Hummingbird’s Life by Irene Kelly

(QL696.A558 K45 2003)

An intimate view of the fascinating world of the hummingbird—a tiny bird that, from morning to night, spring to winter, works nonstop.

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman; illustrated by Meilo So

(Children + QL696.F32 S38 2008)

A red tail hawk and his mate build their nest near the top of a Fifth Avenue apartment building and bird watchers gather hoping to see the chicks in the nest.

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose

(Children QL696.P56 H66 2004)

Tells the story of the ivory-billed woodpecker’s extinction in the United States, describing the encounters between this species and humans, and discussing what these encounters have taught us about preserving endangered creatures.

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery; photographs by Nic Bishop

(QL696.P7 M79 2010)

On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last 91 kakapo parrots on earth. Originally this bird numbered in the millions before humans brought predators to the islands. Now on the isolated island refuge, a team of scientists is trying to restore the kakapo population.