Elephant and Piggie's New Book

Gerald and Piggie star in their latest book, I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems.  Here we find Gerald desperately wanting to take a nap.  He's tired AND cranky.  Just as he tries to lay down and take a nap, Piggie comes along asking Gerald what he's doing.  Gerald explains how tired and cranky he is and that a nap will make him feel so much better.  Piggie thinks it sounds like a good idea.  So Piggie snuggles up to take nap with Gerald.  But Gerald can't nap because Piggie SNORES!  Then the excruciating circumstances start for poor Gerald.  I can't tell you any more because that will give the story away, so you'll need to get your hand on a copy and read it yourself...it's just that good of a book!  I foresee this book growing in popularity and notoriety in the children's literary world.  I see that there's already over 30 holds on the book in the online catalog, so place your holds on the book now before the list gets even longer!  And please, take time for a peaceful nap too!  You deserve it!

Calling All Elephant and Piggie Fans!

We all know Mo Willems is an absolute genius for creating the Elephant and Piggie books, many of which that have won notoriety and awards for beginning readers.  No other books for beginners can stand even close to the books, as Mo knows how to write for this crowd and keep them interested in reading.  For years I've been trying to wrap my fingers around books that would come close in comparison to satisfy early readers who crave more books like Elephant and Piggie.  After all this time, I have FINALLY found the book!  Let me introduce you to Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret by Bob Shea!  Bob has published a number of picture books over the years, which have appealing characters and humorous plot lines.  Now BFF's Ballet  Cat and Sparkles the Horse present to readers their humor and wide range of emotions in dialogue shown in speech bubbles that is quick-witted and fast-paced.  They are sure to satisfy Elephant and Piggie fans and will leave them wanting more.  Three cheers for Ballet Cat and Sparkles!!! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray!

Two Hot New Titles!

I'm super excited about two fabulous books I read this week.  Now I know neither of these two books don't need any extra promotion, but for those of you out there who haven't heard the news, I've gotta let you know about them!  The holds lists are growing, so be sure to place your holds now before the wait gets longer!!!

Elephant and Piggie are back in their latest installment in Waiting Is Not Easy!  Piggie is sooooo excited to share a BIG surprise with Gerald.  And of course, Gerald is too excited to wait for the surprise, and keeps tormenting Piggie to give it to him right away.  Piggie insists that Gerald must wait and wait and wait.  After the agonizing wait, Gerald is met with a wonderful surprise that even the reader will be truly surprised!  Want to know what it is?  I can't tell you.  You must wait!  And believe me, it is worth the wait!  All of us in Youth Services are super excited about this book!  Miss Jaime says, "It was deliciously awesome.  Just when I thought the Elephant and Piggie books couldn't get any better, they did!" This title will be a perfect read for those of you out there who have kiddos who need a little encouragement in learning the art of patience. 

The other awesome book I read this week was book 9 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  We all know that Greg Heffley needs no introduction as he's wiggled his way into the hearts of many elementary school readers.  In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Mom Susan insists that the family take a road trip for everyone to spend some quality bonding time together.  While the trip starts off with good intentions, it ends up with one problem after another.  Bad gas stations, unbearable hotel rooms, seagulls, lost keys, a piglet, no cash, and a trip to the vet weren't what the Heffley family had in mind, but one page after another is guaranteed for some belly bursting out-loud laughs!  I'm surprised no one around me complained about my laughing while I was reading...it was just that funny!

Dogs and Tales

There are so many reasons to sign your kid up to read to the dogs.

Some kids do it because they struggle with reading, so they have the opportunity to do it in a non-judgmental atmosphere. Who could be less judging than a dog?

Some kids do it because, though they are great readers, they have a fear of dogs. What better way to expose them to this fear than with gentle certified therapy dogs while they do something they like in a place they like?

I even had one mom tell me she wanted her daughter to read to the German Shepherd because she (the mom, not the daughter), had a bad experience with a German Shepherd and she wanted to meet a nice one.

Whatever your reason, you can call the Children's Desk at 503-718-2673 today to register your child for Dogs and Tales. The program happens every Wednesday evening from 6 to 7:30. Kids sign up for a 20-minute slot. We pull the sign-up sheets out 2 weeks in advance, and your child can register every other week. On the in-between weeks, they can be put on the waiting list and if there happens to be an opening, we will call you the day of the program. Whether they are sounding out 3-letter words or reading Percy Jackson books, kids up through 5th grade are eligible.

Blue Bell, Certified Therapy Dog

Younger Judy Moody and Hank Zipzer

For those of you who are familiar with the Judy Moody and Hank Zipzer series of books for young to middle elementary school students, there are two new early reader series of books for the beginner reader crowd based on these two popular characters.. 

Let me introduce you to Judy Moody and Friends, aimed at ages 4 to 6.  These books will expand more on some of Judy's buddies mentioned in the chapter books.  The first two books in the series, Rocky Zang in The Amazing Mr. Magic and Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble will be released on February 11th.  More books will be released in September.

And for Hank Zipzer, he will travel back to second grade before his dyslexia is diagnosed in his new beginner reader series called Here's Hank.  Books to be released on February 8th include Bookmarks are People Too! and A Short Tale About a Long Dog.

I'm really looking forward to see how these chapter books transpose into beginner reader books. I hope your reader is too!

Happy Birthday Amelia Bedelia!

Happy Birthday to Amelia Bedelia!  Who would have known that she will be turning 50 years old this year?  September 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the series.  Peggy Parrish, author of the series was a third grade teacher who had students who sometimes had hillarious vocabulary mix-ups, thus becoming the idea behind the creation of the series.  I know when I was learning how to read, she was one of my favorite characters to read about.  I encourage your beginner reader to read some of her books too.  The straight-faced Amelia who literally does excactly as she is told is just hillarious, while also teaching new readers the different meanings of words and actions, adding downright reading fun.

Dogs and Tales for Fall 2012

With summer coming to and end and the schoolyear upon us, Dogs and Tales will be back in full swing starting on September 5th.  Sign-ups for scheduling an appointment to read to a dog will again be two weeks in advance.  Beginning readers through fifth graders may begin signing up on August 22nd.  Eight reading slots will be available almost each week on Wednesday evenings through mid-December.  Call the children's desk at 503-718-2656 to sign-up!

Great Early Elementary Reads

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has revised it's popular bibliography Great Elementary Reads which features recommended book titles for beginning readers.  The list contains recommendations titles for children who are just learning to read and beginning to read on their own. The books included were published between 2009 and 2011.  The library carries copies of these titles and are available for check out. 
Click on the following link to access the list: http://www.ala.org/alsc/compubs/booklists/greatreads/greatearlyelemreads and choose a PDF that best suits your computer.