Ages 5-11
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "E" is for elephants
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel brought Elephants to storytime.
SEVEN BLIND MICE is a classic folktale from India retold by Ed Young.
The song sung in the story is the same tune as “One Elephant” on the CD GREAT BIG HITS! by Sharon, Lois and Bram
Ms. Sara sang and played guitar to “Put Your Finger In The Air” ... while Ms. Rachel led the actions. There is a version of this song on the CD HONK HISS TWEET GGggg by Tom Glazer.
Then Elephant & Piggy told the story I AM INVITED TO A PARTY! by Mo Willems.
For more great elephant stories, try the following:
5 ELEPHANTS by Rob Laidlaw. 5 stories of famous “real” elephants.
ELLA by Bill Peet.
ELMER by David McKee.
17 KINGS And 42 ELEPHANTS by Margaret Mahy.
The BABY SWAP by Jan Ormerod
ELEPHANTASTIC! by Michael Engler.
NANCY KNOWS by Cybele Young.
The LAST KING Of ANGKOR WAT by Graeme Base, a master of search-and-find illustrations.
OLIVER’S TREE by Kit Chase.
For elephant silliness try ELEPHANTASTIC: a trunkful of unforgettable jokes … if you like jokes and riddles.
For an informational journey of elephants in the wild .... watch together BORN To Be WILD 2011.
For pure enjoyment of language and great storytelling try the Rabbit Ears edition of Rudyard Kipling’s jungle stories on DVD … HOW THE RHINOCEROUS GOT HIS SKIN and The ELEPHANT’S CHILD.
Blog Post
Transportation: Past, Present, and Future
by evelyn
If you’ve got a little one who loves planes, buses, trucks, cars, and more, check out some of our new transportation books, featuring images from the past, present, and future!
French illustrator Alain Grée’s wonderful illustrations from the late 1960’s have been bundled into the fabulous book Transportation, which will satisfy any young readers with an interest in cars, buses, planes, trains, and more. Simple illustrations and facts will help children learn about transportation. The plane illustration may make adults jealous of the early travelers pictured reclining in great comfort! Because this book originated in 1968, adults reading it to little ones may want to explain some anomalies, such as why almost everyone in the book is white, that Native Americans don’t actually travel by canoe anymore, and that spaceships look somewhat different than they used to.
If you want to learn about futuristic machines, we’ve got lots of new youth books that will help you out! Check out the books Hovercraft and Drones. For military machines, look at Denny Von Finn’s military planes series, or Ryan Nagelhout’s books Air Force One and Fighter Planes.
Finally, for older readers looking for a history of flight, you can’t do much better than Tim Grove’s colorful and detailed book First Flight Around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race. Published with the help of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, this book contains a plethora of pictures, maps, and primary source material. Readers will love this exciting story.
Blog Post
Gorgeous New Youth Non-Fiction
by evelyn
If you’re looking for new books with beautiful and interesting images, look no further than our Youth Non-Fiction section!
First up are the companion books Amazing Animals: A Collection of Creatures Great and Small, and Beautiful Beasts: A Collection of Creatures Past and Present. These books are light on text but littered with gorgeous drawings of all kinds of animals, from the cute to the gruesome. The animals are organized by color, but also by more unusual ways, such as speed, tails and even ear size! With some of the most lovely illustrations I’ve ever seen, these books are sure to please everyone.
If the above books leave you wanting more information about animals, check out Information Graphics’ Animal Kingdom. With bright colors, tabs dividing sections, and quick, interesting animal facts, this book wonderfully compliments Amazing Animals and Beautiful Beasts.
Finally, Matthew Burgess’ new biography of E.E. Cummings, Enormous Smallness, will delight even readers who are unfamiliar with the poet. With text that swoops all over the pages, and beautiful illustrations by the always fantastic Kris Di Giacomo, this book captures E.E. Cummings’ unique style. A chronology, selected poems, and author’s note complete this book, providing extra information to curious readers.
Blog Post
PreK BITS - "I" is for "Issues" ... with clothing!
by ryanikoglu
We had issues with clothing in Ms. Rachel’s Storytime this week.
BROWN BEAR In A BROWN CHAIR was sad and flat since nobody sees her sitting there. Is there a solution?
PETE The CAT: I Love My White Shoes keeps stepping in stuff that change the color of his new white shoes. Does he worry? Goodness NO!
"Cinderella Dressed In Yellow" is a jumping rope rhyme. You can find versions on YouTube and write your own verses.
For more stories about clothing issues try these favorites:
MR. FRANK by Irene Luxbacher … when Grandfather, the tailor, comes to live with the family.
ZORRO GETS AN OUTFIT … and how embarrassing!
PINK ME UP! when Daddy takes Violet to the Pink Girls Pink-nic. He needs a bit more pink to join in the fun.
MORRIS MICKLEWHITE And The TANGERINE DRESS … Morris loves an orange dress. It's beautiful. It's tactile. It's the color of tigers, and mother’s hair, and his cat MOO.
The GROWING STORY by Ruth Krauss. How to know you are growing ... when you think you are not.
NAKED! What's more fun than being naked?
MR TUGGLE’S TROUBLES … finds himself wearing a strange assortment of items as pieces of clothing go missing.
The KETTLES GET NEW CLOTHES. Evryone has their own opinions.
ANIMALS SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT WEAR CLOTHING! … persuasive examples in case you do not already know why.
So many issues. So little time.
Blog Post
Are you my mummy?
by LibraryMaven
Do you enjoy reading about mummies from Egypt? Are you fascinated by the Terracotta Warriors of China? If so, you should check out At Home in Her Tomb-Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui by Christine Liu-Perkins. In 1972, a tomb was discovered in Mawangdui in Hunan Province. Deep inside was Lady Dai, who died more than 2000 years ago but who was perfectly preserved, along with clothing, games, lacquer dishes, and even food! Her tomb led to many discoveries about life in ancient China and this book brings both the archaeology process and Lady Dai herself to life.
Blog Post
A Fine Dessert: a "treat" of a story!
by eapearce
What a charming and special new book! A Fine Dessert, by Emily Jenkins and Sophie Blackall, tells the story of four families in four different centuries who are all making the same delicious dessert. The ingredients for the yummy treat, blackberry fool, remain the same over the years, but the methodology for getting the materials and making the dessert changes with the times.
In the 1700s, a girl and her mother collect blackberries and then whip cream by hand from the milk from their cow. In the 1800s, a slave family in Charleston, South Carolina, picks blackberries from the plantation garden and uses a whisk made by the local blacksmith to whip the cream. In Boston in the early 1900s,a girl and her mother buy blackberries from the market and use pasteurized cream delivered by the milkman that morning. And in modern day San Francisco, a boy and his dad buy blackberries and cream at the grocery store, print a recipe from the Internet and use an electric mixer to whip the cream.
The authors do an amazing job of depicting both the similarities and differences between the families and lifestyles over time. They manage to weave in some bigger topics (slavery, gender roles) in a subtle way and provide great historical portraits of each of the time periods. And, the best news is, the recipe for blackberry fool is included at the end of the book!
Yum!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "S" is for Splendid Spring Stories
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel shared bunny tales from WAITING FOR SPRING STORIES by Bethany Roberts.
Bunnies are in each episode of “Spring Showers” and “The Wind And The Clothes”.
Since the book is out-of-print and no longer in our library, you would be able to request this title through MelCat loan.
Ms. Sara sang and accompanied the song “Wake Up You Sleepyheads” while Ms. Rachel led the action.
The Allard's sing this song on their CD Sing it! Say it! Stamp it! Sway it! : vol. 1.
For more spring stories try the following favorites:
AND THEN IT’S SPRING by Julie Fogliano.
WAKE UP! IT’S SPRING! by Lisa Campbell Ernst.
HOME FOR A BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown.
JUST PLAIN FANCY by Patricia Polacco. Two young Amish girls are concerned when one of their hen eggs hatches into an extremely fancy bird.
HANK FINDS AN EGG by Rebecca Dudley. Hank finds a lost eggs and tries to return it to its home.
MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! by Candace Fleming. Ach! Rabbits in the veggie garden!!
And then of course the classic! The TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter, with Peter’s sisters Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.
You may choose more spring stories from our public list PreK Bits – SPRING Stories for 1-6 yrs.
Blog Post
Bo and Co. are winners the second time around
by LibraryMaven
I loved Bo at Ballard Creek last year and was excited to revisit Bo, her papas, her little brother, and the world of post-Gold Rush Alaska in Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill a few weeks ago. But I was also worried: would it live up to the wonderful nature of the first book? I'm pleased to say that it did. With a new cast of characters, an expanding worldview for Bo (she moves from a town of 200 people to 500 people, for example, and learns that there are different Native Alaskan tribes throughout the state), and the same gentle humor as the first it's a worthy follow up.
If you enjoy reading or reading aloud the episodic adventures of The Little House on the Prairie or The Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich, you might be as charmed by Bo as I am. The book is also a fascinating, if oblique, view into the world of backcountry Alaska in the 1930s, when mail arrived via airplane and amenities available to the rest of the country hadn't caught up yet, so if you enjoy historical fiction you might enjoy Bo and Co. as well.
Blog Post
Boredom Busters to the Rescue!
by krayla
Need something fun to do on spring break? Never fear, AADL has it covered with brand new youth nonfiction books!
Monstergami by David Mitchell gives even the most experienced origami artists a new challenge! Make the Fangster, a fierce dragon with pointy teeth; a Sky Sprite with feathered wings; or even a monster Totem with multiple stacked heads! Other new origami books include Folding Origami and Origami X: Paper Folding for Secret Agents.
Comics: Investigate the History and Technology of American Cartooning by Sam Carbaugh is perfect for fans of graphic novels and aspiring artists! Travel through the history of how comics started with ancient civilizations, design your own unique characters, and investigate various comic styles like manga and webcomics.
Totally Washi: More than 45 Super Cute Washi Tape Crafts for Kids by Ashley Ann Laz will inspire you to get decorating right away! Washi tape is patterned tape that is actually made of paper. Maybe you already knew that you could make beautiful cards and bracelets, but did you know that you can also make cool "feather" earrings, a color-coded keyboard, or temporary wallpaper? For more washi tape fun, check out the free Crafting with Washi Tape book from Cherry Lake Publishing!
Magic Mike's Miraculous Magic Tricks by Mike Lane will keep the boredom away this spring! Astound your friends and baffle your parents with these amazing illusions, including the Coin Flip, Floating on Air, The Chosen One, and Money Morph!
For even more spring break fun, check out all of the upcoming events for kids at AADL!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "A" is for April foolishness
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel fooled around with foolish stories in Preschool Storytime.
MOST WONDERFUL EGG In The WORLD ...a story about three hens who argue over who is most beautiful. Since they can't settle the argument, the wise Queen must decide.
We made ourselves into chickens and danced the "Chicken Pokey" ... using chicken language!
DUCK ! RABBIT !... for those who don't know when to let go of an argument.
For more Foolishness, try the following favorites:
The TORTOISE And The HARE, a fable where humble wins. This version is illustrated by award winning Jerry Pinkney.
STREGA NONA: An Old Tale by award winning Tomie DePaola. The spaghetti wins !
The GREAT FUZZ FRENZY by award winning Janet Stevens. The Fuzz wins !
SHEEP IN WOLF'S CLOTHING by Helen Lester
CAMPING SPREE WITH MR. MAGEE by Chris Van Dusen.
JUST JOKING: 300 hilarious jokes, tricky tongue twisters, and ridiculous riddles
KNOCK KNOCK! WHO's THERE?