Winter Books Already!?

It sure is feeling like winter outside and winter is such a great time to snuggle up inside with a good book. We have some fabulous winter non-fiction books here at the library—everything from folk tales, to poems, to winter crafts and games. The non-fiction section is always a great stop for fun relaxed learning and “cold-day-stuck-inside” ideas. Here are just a few of the titles we have:

Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur
This is a beautiful book that goes through the alphabet with acrostic poems. Each poem describes a different wintertime theme or occurrence. The poems are short and the illustrations are beautiful. This would be a great book for younger and older children to read together—young kids will appreciate the alphabet and older kids will likely get a kick out of the fun acrostic poems.

Rabbit’s Snow Dance by James & Joseph BruchacHave you ever wondered why rabbit runs

so fast and has a short fluffy tail? Search no more! In Rabbit’s Snow Dance, a traditional Iroquois story, you can learn both! Plus, it never hurts to read a story that highlights the importance of patience and listening to your friends.

Winter Day Play! by Nancy F. Castaldo
This is a book full of activities, crafts, and games to enjoy indoors and out! There are tons of ideas in here to make any snowed-in day lots of fun.

Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart
This is a beautiful book about what animals in nature are doing in the winter while we’re all out playing in the snow.  It is wonderfully illustrated and shows lots of animals from ladybugs napping in rock walls to wood frogs frozen solid in scattered leaves on the forest floor. This would be a great book to read before a hike in the woods on a snowy day.


I hope you head to the library and check out some of the great non-fiction (and fiction!) winter books! There’s lots of choose from and winter is the perfect time to stalk up, snuggle in, and read.


Posted by Meredith, Library Intern

Dorrie the little witch

We’re doing some weeding here at the library and are stumbling across some really great, seemingly forgotten books.

It’s well known that kids love books that are part of a series—that way you don’t have to leave the characters you know and love; you just get to know them better!

One character worth getting to know is Dorrie the little witch. We have a bunch of Dorrie books, written by Patricia Coombs.

These books would be great as a read aloud book for youngsters making the transition from picture books to chapter or early reader books. There are beautiful, fun and lively illustrations that document Dorrie and her cat Gink in all of her adventures living in Glumglen with all the other witches.  Dorrie has adventures that range from getting turned into a frog to “teaching herself” how to fly to troubles with a mysterious houseguest to more! There is lots of fun to be had when you’re a little witch whose hat is always crooked and socks never match.

Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on witches, ghosts and ghouls! They’re fun all year long.

Pick up a Dorrie book today and enjoy getting to know this spunky little witch.

Posted by Meredith, Library intern

Celebrate the Sox with some good books!

It’s no secret that the Red Sox won the World Series, why not celebrate by picking up some great Red Sox books at the library? We have several that cover different topics related to the Sox: famous players, kids’ experiences at games, and even a Fenway  alphabet! Here are a few of the titles:

There goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived 
By Matt Tavares
This is a biography of legendary hitter Ted Williams. It has large beautiful full page pictures and is easy to read aloud or independently. Plus, Matt Tavares is a local author/illustrator living in Ogunquit, Maine—so that doubles the fun!

Zachary’s Ball 
By Matt Tavares
This is a picture book about a child’s experience at a baseball game and even involves a magic baseball! It’s sure to be a hit with any young (or not as young!) baseball enthusiasts in your household. 

Ballpark Mysteries: The Fenway Foul-Up
By David A. Kelly, Illustrated by Mark Meyers

This is a short chapter book for baseball fans. It is the first in a series of ballpark mysteries—each taking place at a different famous stadium. This is a great mystery for younger readers and has illustrations scattered throughout the story. 

F is for Fenway Park: America’s oldest major league ballpark
By Jerry Pallotta, Illustrated by John Dykes

Explore Fenway Park with your young readers with this alphabet book! It has rhyming poems and information on topics that range from the green monster to Kenmore Square! What better way to meet baseball in Boston? 

I hope baseball fans of all ages will enjoy these titles and come check them out at the library! 

Posted by Meredith
Library Intern

ABC at the Library

The selection of alphabet books available has really changed since I was young. I remember alphabet books with simple illustrations and one or two words about a subject—“A is for Apple” “B is for Bumblebee.”  We have a great collection of creative and exciting alphabet books that explore the topic from a variety of angles.

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

This books follows a cute puppy’s plot to devour a delicious and freshly made apple pie. The illustrations and words are simple and great for young readers or as a read aloud book. What’s more appropriate for the season than apple pie? Yum.

Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham

This book is a hoot. We begin the story with Zebra trying to keep all animals and objects in line to be photographed for his alphabet book. Everything is going great through letter “C” and then Moose comes along. Moose is so excited to be in an alphabet book that he shows up in the strangest of places and causes quite a ruckus. This is a quick and very funny read with a wonderful twist at the end.

D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet by Carol Crane (Non-Fiction)

This is a great alphabet book for older readers. It explores China through the alphabet and has both short rhyming text that accompanies the beautiful pictures and longer paragraphs that discuss the topics in more depth.  This could easily function as a resource for a paper or project about China for school.

A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet by Stephen T. Johnson (Non-Fiction)

This is also an alphabet book that could draw in older readers. It shows abstract art images and then has crazy –rhyming- tongue-twisting text to go along with each. This would be a lot of fun to read aloud and see
who could conquer the word aerobics present on each page. This book could also function as a “Look and Find” book, an example would be—“on the B page, find the broken bowl.” Most pages lend themselves well to this and some “Look and Find” challenges are even written into the text.


So before you dismiss alphabet books or think they are just for very young readers—come see all the alphabet books available here at the library, you might be surprised! 







Posted by Meredith, Library Intern

If you loved Ivy & Bean, try these...

Moving from beginning readers into longer chapter books is exciting, but finding books that appeal to your child, especially boys, without overwhelming them can be a challenge. Then you find books your child LOVES, but that author just doesn’t keep up with your child’s voracious reading appetite. I’m thinking about the Ivy & Bean series. One can read ten books pretty quickly. Fortunately, we can introduce some equally engaging stories. Unfortunately, they are written for girls, not boys. I don’t understand why publishers seem to think girls read more than boys.

Anyway, if you like Ivy & Bean, then try the following series.

Ling & Ting by Grace Lin. Ling & Ting are identical twins that people think are exactly the same. In each book, the sisters prove they are different. Enjoy Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same and Ling & Ting Share a Birthday.

British author Hilary McKay has created an endearing character in Lulu. A lover of animals, each of the titles – three so far – finds Lulu helping either a duck, dog, or cat find a new home. The black & white illustrations intersperse throughout the book make it a winner for those reading longer stories.

New to our shelves is the series about Heidi Heckelbeck written by Wanda Coven. Heidi has been homeschooled, but goes to public school in second grade. Each book in the series – eight so far – addresses a particular problem that will resonate with young readers. For example, in book one, Heidi Heckelbeck has a Secret; Heidi must learn how to deal with bully, Melanie Maplethorpe.

We have plenty of other suggestions to keep your child interested in
reading.

Some of my favorite stories

Robert Bright was inspired to write his Georgie the Ghost series after he caught his children peering under their bed looking for a ghost. Considered a classic, the stories follow the adventures of Georgie, a friendly ghost who lives with the Whittakers.

We have several different variations of the traditional tale about the Teeny Tiny Woman who discovers a bone while walking outside. Placing it in her cupboard, she is awakened in the night by a voice demanding, “Where Is my bone!”  Try the Teeny Tiny Woman by Arthur Robins.
 
Prolific author, Tony Johnston pens another of my all-time favorite ghost stories, The

Ghost of Nicholas Greebe. Set in Colonial Massachusettes, the ghost of the recently-buried Nicholas Greebe haunts his farm after a dog takes one of his bones on a long journey that spans almost 100 years.

In The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg the origins of a stranger seem to have a mysterious connection to the weather. A good book to share for those who love to pore over illustrations.

And no list would be complete without a Henry and Mudge story. Here, in Henry and Mudge and the Yellow Moon by Cynthia Rylant, Henry and his dog Mudge watch the leaves turn, meet with some Halloween spooks, and share Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Reading.
Mrs. C

Have you tried the author Claudia Mills?

Claudia Mills has been a prolific author for many years. One of my favorite is the Gus and Grandpa series for emergent readers. Friendships are important to children and here we read about the close relationship between seven-year-old Gus and his seventy-year-old Grandpa. Grounded in real life, Gus and Grandpa have many exciting adventures.

In her chapter books for students in grades 3 and up, Mills tackles some all-too-true dilemmas children face.

Dealing with overprotective parents is the topic in How Oliver Olson Changed the World. Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.

Kelsey Green Reading Queen shows the darker side to those with a competitive nature. When the principal of her school says he will shave off his beard if students read over 2,000 books in a month, Kelsey Green is determined to read the most books, thus getting her name on a plaque. In order to meet that goal, Kelsey reads very short books, not the longer ones she usually enjoys. Of course, by the end of the book Kelsey discovers what’s important: that reading for fun is a lot better than reading for a competition.

And, in her latest, Zero Tolerance, Mills places seventh grade honor student Sierra Shepard in a difficult situation. Sierra comes up against her school’s zero-tolerance policy after she accidentally brings a paring knife to school. While spending her days in detention with the so-called troublemakers, Sierra learns that the lines between right and wrong can be very blurry.

I have a few more books by Mills that are favorites. Stop in and ask me what they are.