Tuesday is the Best day!

I love Tuesdays because I have my baby program followed by my toddler program.  They are both super fun and high energy.  I like to keep my programs, especially my toddler program very structured.  We do a lot of rhymes, songs, and finger plays and then I always read at least one book, sometimes two, depending on the  crowd.  It surprises me that parents are very anxious about book reading to babies, worried that if they aren't looking at every picture or looking right at you, something is wrong or they are not ready.  I feel like its never too early to read to your baby.  My mantra is everyone will pay attention, they just won't all do it at the same time. Today, we read some great books!

Mama Cat has three kittens by Denise Fleming an American illustrator who often uses paper college in her bright and lively art and focus on Fleming's love of nature.  Mama Cat has three kittens, Fluffy, Skinny and Boris.  Fluffy and Skinny are obedient and do what ever Mama asks.  Boris on the other hand is a bit of an odd duck, funny and marching to the beat of his own drum.   A simple, sweet story with lots of repetition and many avenues for conversations about cats and their habits, counting and more.  

I Like it When by Mary Murphy Bright primary colors and simple text convey the story of little penguin and her caregiver and how they share time together with chores and fun activities.  I love these books for they simple conversations they start amongst my group.  The ending with a kiss goodnight is sweetly familiar to all. 

It's always a fun day! 

Great New Picture Books

A Library Book for Bear by Bonnie Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton is the newest book about my favorite Bear- Mouse duo.  Bear is grumpy. Mouse is always the optimist. Bear sees no reason to visit the library.  He has all the books he needs at his house. But he did promise Mouse he would go. And of course their trip is delightful!  I think the best was to read any of the books about this duo is in a British accent.  They are perfect for storytime.

 Have you Seen My Dragon? cleverly written and illustrated by Steve Light (of Trains Go fame) is my favorite book this summer.  I am often homesick for NY and Light's beautiful line drawings of NY city life are just the ticket for when I am feeling blue.  Readers help a young boy find his dragon in each spread, as well as, other things to search for (manholes, pigeons, hot dogs).  There is so much to see and admire.  This is a book to read again and again- and each time you'll come away with a different experience.   

Take me out to the ball game!

Smarty Marty's Got Game by Amy Gutierrez

Marty and her brother have tickets to see Marty's favorite team against their biggest, meanest competitors!  Mickey knows very little about baseball, but luckily he is attending the game with Marty, the team's biggest fan and an expert in the ins and outs of baseball- she explains it all and makes Mickey love the game as much as she does. With this book, sports journalist and San Francisco Giants fan, Amy G. explains the sometimes confusing rules of baseball in a fun and easy way and even teaches score keeping.  Baseball is America's past-time but its also a great family tradition.  Colorful and fun illustrations by Adam McCauley are a beautiful finishing touch!

Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon 

While we commonly think of baseball as the great American pastime, Take me out to the Yakyu nicely demonstrates how baseball transcends both American and Japanese cultures.  Two little boys each attend a game with their grandfather and through them, we see the many differences and similarities of this beloved game in each country.  A great book for a young person interested in Japanese culture. 

A boat load of Picture Books!

There have been a lot of great picture books coming across my desk over that last few months!  

I have been already using some of these in programs, storytime and class visits.  
Here are a few! 

 Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?  Written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, my favorite new illlustrator! 

The rhyming hunt for Duck's missing socks is very funny and will delight both young and old.  Fortunately there is a happy ending!  

 Hooray for Hat! Written by Brian Won is a great story of friendship.  Elephant wakes up grumpy. Who can't relate to that?  He is quickly cheered up by a hat and wants to share his joy!  Proof that happiness can be contagious! 

Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli

Sam is number one at being number one.  What happens when he doesn't win?  A great fun story with a sweet resolution!  

 Sparky!  By Jenny Offill

Our narrator wants a pet and her mom agrees, so long as said pet doesn't need to be walked, fed or bathed.  After some research at the local library, our plucky narrator comes home with Sparky, a sloth.  A great story of how someone isn't exactly what you expect them to be.  I would pair this with David LaRochelle's wonderful The Best Pet of All or Peggy Rathmann's award winning Officer Buckle and Gloria. 

smells like teen spirit

One of my favorite parts of being the teen librarian is buying materials for the teen collection.  I have been reading a lot of teen angst lately and I am really enjoying it. 

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban intrigued me because it takes place at a tony boarding school in Westchester County, NY and the author happened to attend a tony boarding school in Westchester County that was not far from my home. 

As school tradition dictates, Duncan arrives for his senior year and receives a package from his room's former resident. Tim MacBeth was an albino and senior year transfer.  Tim has left Duncan a series of cd's that explain in great detail what occurred during Tim's senior year at the Irving School, in particular how the traditional senior prank went very wrong, Tim's love for Vanessa, a bright, popular girl and the girlfriend of the most popular boy on campus.  It's a story within a story- with Tim and Duncan alternating the storytelling.  Tying everything together is the Tragedy Paper, the lengthy and weighty senior project Duncan needs to complete to graduate.  This was an engrossing and quick read. Full of love triangles, rivalries and plenty of teen angst. 

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott is a quick read but a story that stayed with me for a long while. Emma is reeling from tragedy.  Her mother is brain dead but being kept alive by Emma's step-father because she is pregnant and the baby is still viable.  Emma is devastated over the death of her mother and irate at her once beloved step-father who prolonging the agony of her mother's death.  Emma feels he is selfish and cruel and this makes their living situation unbearable.  At the hospital Emma runs into Caleb, the local high school bad boy working off his community service hours. Emma's problems at home and developing friendship with Caleb, drives a wedge between Emma and her bestie, Olivia. Since he is aware of her mom's condition, Caleb is one of the few people from Emma's school life who understands her sadness.  As their friendship and eventual romance develops, Emma learns that Caleb too, has experienced tragedy and is hurting and misunderstood.  Emma and Caleb are real and their emotions are right on the surface.  A sad but wonderful book.  

      

New Picture Books

I am always on the search for some new fun picture books, for the collection, for story time or for outreach.  Here are some that I have been getting a lot of use out of lately.

Maple, the debut of author Lori Nichols is a sweet and lovely portrait of a fun-loving, free-spirited girl.  Maple's parents plant a tree in her honor when she is born.  As they both grow, Maple looks on her tree as a friend, seeking her in happy times and sad times.  A great story!

With Paul meets Bernadette, author/illustrator Rosy Lamb gives us Paul, a goldfish whose life is a rather hum-drum existence until, of course, Bernadette moves in to the bowl!  Bernadette and her exciting take on everything shows Paul a whole new world right outside his bowl.

Found, by author/illustrator Salina Yoon is a wonderful story about lost objects and found love.  Bear finds a lost toy Bunny in the woods.  He feels terrible that somebody may have lost their favorite toy and he is determined to reunite them.  While Bear posts flyers and searches for Bunny's owner, he finds himself growing attached.  What will he do when Bunny's owner is found?  So sweet. 

In Sophie's Squash, written Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf, Sophie finds a unique friend at the farm market, a squash she names Bernice.  Sophie discovers the many joys of friendship as well as the many pitfalls of befriending a vegetable.  A sweet and funny story that had me laughing out loud. 

I am back!

I started this blog a little over a year ago and had every intention of keeping up with it no matter what else I had going on. 

I really missed being a full time librarian and thought it would make me feel like I still was, if I had a place to keep track of all the books I was reading.  It also quickly became the place I would talk about how I would use all the books- library programs- my baby time and my mother daughter book club.  I had every intention of keeping up with those programs and my blog. 

In the summer of 2013 I started a full-time children's position and I felt like I was back where I belonged- the children's room.  I started to get my feet wet again with weekly programs, I made great friends at the library and I was settling in. 

Soon it became apparent to me that my dad who had been pretty sick all year, was only getting worse.  By chance I saw a children's librarian position posted for a town near my parents and thought of it as my chance to be close to him and to help my mother.

In the span of a month I flew to Florida, interviewed and got the job, gave notice, packed nearly everything I owned into storage and moved to Florida. 

My father knew I was here, there is no doubt about that but he died on December 15th.  

I started my library job, and for the most part, it is a good one.  There is a lot to do, and it keeps me busy and for that I am grateful.


Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite like I planned. At first, I found it really hard to concentrate. I couldn't read for about a month.  Slowly, I have been coming around.  I love looking for books for story-time and baby-time and lately I have been reading a good deal of teen angst.

I find myself thinking of my father a lot when I am planning my programs.  It is in his lap that my sister and I learned the joy of listening to stories and to sing silly songs.  The things that I like best, that make me really good at this  job I got from him.  

So I am sad, I feel like I got to Florida too late to help him like I wanted to. But, I can do what I do best for this little library for the time being.