Blog Post
New BabyLit Primer Board Books
by PizzaPuppy
Jennifer Adams' BabyLit primer board book series are new to the shelves and proving to be a great way to introduce your young child to literary classics! The BabyLit primer series takes well-known literary classics such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Wuthering Heights and Moby Dick, and introduces children to these novels in a way that is both easy to digest and unbelievably delightful. These books feature brilliant and engaging illustrations, simple phrases or quotes from the original texts, and present important vocabulary for your child to interact with.
Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and A Christmas Carol are color primers and therefore feature color vocabulary as related to their respective books. Learn about Old Marley's silver chains or Oz's yellow brick road and green Emerald City. Help familiarize your child with numbers by reading Jane Eyre or Romeo & Juliet, both counting primers.
There are primers on familiar topics, such as opposites, animals and sounds, as well as categories as diverse as fashion, anatomy or nonsense. There is even a primer on learning Spanish! These beautiful books are a great addition to any bookshelf and can help set in motion a love of reading to last a lifetime.
Blog Post
PreK BITS – “X” = Expedition on Extinct !
by ryanikoglu
Ms Rachel did stories with extinct creatures in them.
ME WANT PET ! by Tammi Sauer is about a little Neanderthal child who wants to bring home pets.... Mama say, "No can keep!"
We went on a "Dino Hunt", found some bones, and put them together like a dinosaur exhibit.
The CD MOST AMAZING DINOSAUR SONGS brings us “Dem Bones” and other activity songs related to dinosaurs.
There was a box we found in the room ... and in that box was another box. What did we find? Someone will remember.
If you want more books for your expedition on extinct try the following:
DINOSAUR vs. BEDTIME and other books by Bob Shea
IF The DINOSAURS CAME BACK is an imagination tale by Bernard Most, who loves dinosaurs best.
TEA REX by Molly Schaar Idle
DINOSAUR STARTS SCHOOL by Pamela Duncan Edwards.
DINOSAUR THUNDER by Marion Dane Bauer.
DINOSAUR PARADE by Shari Halpern.
DINOSAUR BONES by Bob Barner.
NEVER ASK A DINOSAUR To DINNER! by Gareth Edwards.
DINOSAUR ALPHABET and other preschool concepts presented with dinosaurs by David West.
Now get in your time machine and go "Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .... back in time to extinct !"
'Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !"
Blog Post
Read Across America Day & National Reading Month
by manz
Today is Read Across America Day!
Read Across America Day was founded in 1997 “to promote the joy and importance of reading and to celebrate the birthday of beloved author Dr. Seuss.” It has become a nationwide event celebrated by schools, libraries and bookstores across the country. You just mind find an elementary school principal dressed up like Thing 1 or Thing 2, and some students may end up eating green eggs and ham for lunch. How wacky! How Seussy!
Did you know that there will be a NEW Dr. Seuss book coming out in July? The manuscript for Which Pet Should I get was recently found by his widow.
Be sure to check out your favorite Dr. Seuss titles and get some reading done! Hooray for reading! It's not just today, the entire month of March is National Reading Month.
Blog Post
New Picture Books With a Twist!
by manz
Sometimes new picture books come out that are presented in a nontraditional format. Here are three great examples of books that feature a messy story with interruptions, a story that’s read backwards and upside down, and story with a choose-your-own-ending.
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story
In this classically cute story by Patrick McDonnell, Louie becomes angry when the story in which he appears is ruined by messes from jelly, peanut butter, finger prints, and other things that do not belong in books. It’s quite funny! In the end he realizes that it’s still a good story – messes and all.
The Story Starts Here:
Little Wolf decides to do things his way, including starting his story at the back of the book instead of the front, wearing pants on his head, and playing piano with his toes. But at some point the book has to turn upside down in order to turn things right side up.
Milo and the Mysterious Island:
Milo wishes to see what’s beyond the horizon and he and the other mice build a raft and set off on a voyage. The book reads as normal, then you get to a point where there are split pages. One set of pages finishes the story with a happy ending, and the other set of pages finishes the story with a sad ending – you get to decide which one you want to read! Or of course you can read both. Written by Marcus Pfister, author of Rainbow Fish.
Blog Post
New Non-Fiction for Kids: Inventions that could have changed the world... but didn't!
by eapearce
Over the course of history, a lot of people have changed the world. Of course, even more people have also WANTED to change the world… but it hasn’t quite worked out. The brand new book Inventions That Could Have Changed the World… But Didn’t! describes some of the toys, games, household and office aids, and general contraptions that have been thought up but didn’t quite succeed in actuality. From a combination pogo stick/helicopter to Toaster Bacon, this fun book is filled with goofy and fascinating inventions from the ages. Inventions That Could Have Changed the World also has interesting and easy-to-understand information about patents and tips for getting your OWN invention to succeed.
Interested in other books about inventions and inventing? Try 100 Inventions That Made History, The Story of Inventions, or Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women.
Blog Post
Big Magic for Little Hands!
by PizzaPuppy
Are you a kid looking for something new to do? Never fear! Big Magic for Little Hands is the latest and greatest authority on how to become a real-life magician. Inside are 25 astounding illusions for young magicians. Discover how to perform amazing magic tricks, such as how to levitate your brother, how to perform a Houdini-inspired escape, how to vanish your homework, and more! Learn the biggest tricks of the trade, such as how to conquer stage fright! Find out magic's biggest rules (and when to break them). You can even look to history's most famous magicians for more inspiration... Adelaide Hermann and Matthew Buchinger are just a few of the magicians featured in this book.
Authored by the champion of the World Magic Seminar, this fantastic book features step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) leading you through each and every trick. Along the way are cool facts about other aspects of producing magic. For other resources (and for additional illusions), be sure to check out our other books about magic. As the late great Roald Dahl once said, "A little magic can take you a long way".
Blog Post
Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse
by PizzaPuppy
In Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse, a very curious mouse wakes up one day, only to discover that all of the other mice have disappeared. The reason? The invention of the mechanical mouse trap! Our little mouse friend knows he must reach his friends and family in America, but with hungry cats guarding the ships at the harbor and owls following him each night, the little mouse knows his journey will not be easy. Late one night, the little mouse spies bats flying in the distance, and (in a stroke of pure mousy genius) realizes that he must fly to America. The mouse will build his own little wings for the long journey overseas. Although difficult at first, our furry protagonist constructs his very own pair of wings, and sets off across the Atlantic.
This story hinges on it's beautiful and breathtaking illustrations, and readers will connect easily to the mouse at the center of this inspiring story. The mechanical aspects of this book greatly reminded me of the illustrations and overall feel of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Other great mouse stories with similar themes include Mousenet, Young Fredle, and Ratatouille.
Blog Post
Is Your Teacher A Monster?
by manz
Peter Brown, author and illustrator of the popular and fabulous picture book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, brings us a new bit of fun in My Teacher is a Monster. In this picture book Bobby has a big problem at school. Her name was Ms. Kirby. She was the meanest teacher who stomped and roared and did not allow paper airplanes in class. She was a monster. But then one day something happens and Bobby sees her in a whole new light.
The book is delighfully illustrated in true Brown fashion, and would be a fun read whether your teacher roars or not.
Blog Post
Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space
by PizzaPuppy
Looking for a cool new non-fiction book with a twist? Look no further: Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space has just arrived! Join Professor Astro (a very smart kitty!) as he leads readers through our galaxy and beyond, stopping along the way to explain and explore our solar system. Have you ever wondered how a rocket works? Or maybe you've always wanted to know how to find your favorite constellation in the night sky? Professor Astro is here to help!
Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space is overflowing with cool information, and covers varied space topics such as the life cycle of stars, the Apollo missions, the International Space Station, how modern space suits work, constellations, telescopes, and many more cool space topics. Much of the information is delivered through funky and retro illustrations. This is the kind of book you can spend hours with, pouring over the small details. This book was created by Dr. Dominic Wallman (who holds a PhD in Quantum Physics) and award-winning illustrator and comic book creator Ben Newman, making it both scientifically accurate as well as very visually appealing. This is a great book for all ages, and comes highly recommended!
Interested in learning even more about space? Try out the DK Guide to Space or The Story of Astronomy and Space for more information.
Blog Post
At the Art Table: Shapescapes!
by manz
At the art table in the downtown youth department we're featuring playable art! This time it's Shapescapes. Shapescapes are amazing, colorful and sturdy shapes that are interlocking. They can be put together in a myriad of ways to form a variety of neat sculptures! Children will enjoy putting them together, taking them apart, and creating something all new with the same pieces. Check it out and start shapescaping!