New Books for Arbor Day 2016

It feels like every year I do a post on Arbor Day books.  I can't help myself.  I'm an Oregonian Tree Hugger and I'm not ashamed of it either!  I am so pleased to share even more books about trees...books that are brand new.  So place your holds now so you can be a book lover and a tree hugger (just like me!) this Arbor Day, April 29, 2016!

Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
I LOVE trees and I LOVED building forts when I was a kid.  Here's the story about a tree that is ideal for reading quietly under, plus being the foundation for the most magnificent tree fort.   It also makes for the perfect setting for about squabbling sisters.  So any way you look at it, trees are perfect for any sort of childhood situation.






The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino
Now this is the silliest tree story that I've ever read!  Who knew that cows could climb trees?  Well, Tina the Cow certainly can!  And when she does, she meets new friends up in the branches.  Her sister thinks her experience is "Impossible! Ridiculous!" and full of "Nonsense!"  Just wait until you read this one.  Readers will be in for a surprise!

From Apple Trees to Cider, Please! by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky
There's an apple festival underway at the farm and lots of work to do to make the cider. This visit finishes with a cider doughnut and a cup of freshly pressed cider. It's DELICIOUS! Told in crisp, action-driven rhymes from a young child's point of view, here's a realistic account of how apple cider is pressed, flavored with the charm and vigor of a harvest celebration.

Little Tree by Loren Long
Little Tree is very happy in the forest, where he is surrounded by other little trees and his leaves keep him cool in the heat of summer, but when autumn comes and the other trees drop their leaves, Little Tree cannot be persuaded to let his go, even after they wither and turn brown.
The Little Tree That Would Not Share by Nicoletta Costa

The Tree in the Courtyard by Jeff Gottesfeld
A horse chestnut tree lived outside of Anne Frank's window.  The tree watched her play, laugh, and write in her diary.  When strangers invaded the city and warplanes roared overhead, the tree watched the Anne peek out of the curtained window of the annex. It watched as she and her family were taken away and when her father returned after the war, alone.  Sadly, the tree died the summer Anne Frank would have turned 81, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace. Its story, and Anne's story, are beautifully told and illustrated in this powerful picture book illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Peter McCarty.

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
A peek-through hole on the cover of the book continues on each page to the very end in this book where children can view the seasonal changes of a tree..  I really love the bold and vibrant color illustrations.  Plus, this book will be a lot of fun especially for toddlers!

The 52-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths (Juvenile Fiction)
This series started off with a 13-story treehouse, now it has evolved into 52-stories.  Now Andy and Terry must try to solve the mystery of: What happened to Mr. Big Nose? Because it's hard to turn in your next book when your publisher has vanished! 

This is Just to Say...

This is Just to Say

Here is a book of poetry
each poem mean and nasty
using the perpsective of nursery rhyme characters
mostly

it might make you feel poorly about poetry
then again it might be right up your alley
so as a librarian
I recommend this book

Forgive me
I don't usually like writing that tends toward meanness
but it's so funny
and it's inspired by the famous poet William Carlos Williams
so how can you argue with that?

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is in the air!  Some of my perennials are starting to bloom and so are new spring books!  Here's a list of some titles I've recently read that will prove to be wonderful reading experiences with your child as you celebrate the new season.

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan
Everyone on Grimloch Lane enjoys the trees and shrubs clipped into animal masterpieces after dark by the Night Gardener, but William, a lonely boy, spots the artist, follows him, and helps with his special work.  This is just a tremendous imaginative piece of artwork within the pages of a book.  Every bit of detail is given to ever single leaf on each tree...which absolutely amazes me!  Each turn of the page reveals a new topiary surprise!

No, No Gnome! by Ashlyn Anstee
Gnome cannot wait to help his friends harvest the school garden! But his eagerness and excitement get him into trouble, leaving them all saying 'No, no, Gnome!".  Who knew that Garden Gnomes actually did some work?  It may not be the best work, but I think he learns his lesson.

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
Animals and children alike watch as the world transforms from the dark and dead of winter to a full and blooming spring.  Just look at those darling spring kittens!  Henkes really has a way with drawing the sweetest of creatures.  That's why I love his illustrations so much.

Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching by Laura Gehl
Peep can't wait for Egg to hatch. They will have so much fun together! But Egg isn't quite ready...yet.  With simple illustrations and a message teaching the lesson that it's OK to let go of old ways and try new things, it makes for a perfect book for toddlers.

Bloom

I am absolutely bursting to tell you about Bloom, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by David Small!!!

With mud in her hair, dirt in her teeth, and heavy footsteps that leave cracks everywhere she steps, Bloom is not your typical fairy. She makes such a mess that the citizens of the glass kingdom are relieved when she moves into the forest. But as the years go by, the glass slowly crumbles and the king just does not know what to do. He remembers that magical creature from many years ago and seeks her out in the forest. When he finds her to ask her advice for how to repair the crumbling kingdom, she sets a bucket of mud at his feet. Because the only explanation for that behavior is that she must be intimidated by his royal highness, he sends the queen, who may be more approachable. But again, Bloom leaves a bucket of mud at her feet. Finally, the king and queen send an "ordinary" girl, Genevieve, to ask Bloom for her ideas of saving the kingdom.

So what is "ordinary," anyway? Is there even a such thing? Will just an "ordinary" girl be able to solve the kingdom's problem with help from a strange little fairy?

Like lovely little Bloom herself, this lovely little (or, actually, it's pretty big!) picture book is not your typical fairy tale. This charming, empowering story is my favorite that I've read in quite awhile!

Amber's Favorite Seek and Find Picture Books

To celebrate the end of Picture Book Month, I wanted to share some of my favorite picture books that have a seek-and-find element to them. You've probably seen the I Spy books. But have you seen In the Town, All Year 'Round? For every season, there are characters to spot and story lines to follow. Turning the pages brings you through each part of town, from the country to the town center. You can watch the kindergarten building being constructed, the pond at the park ice over for skating, and friendly relationships forming over time.

When I was a kid, there was nothing more absorbing than a thorough read of Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo. Nobody knows environmental print better than Mercer Mayer, who inserts biplanes creating "brush your teeth" skywriting and flashy signs advertising one way tours the edge of nowhere at every brushstroke.

And if lovely artwork is what you need to make it through another search for a hidden object, check out Britta Teckentrup's spotting books. They are packed with cute animals and soft, rich colors. Happy hunting!

Kari's Favorite Picture Books!

Slugs by David Greenberg was an all-time childhood favorite of mine. It is a perfect mix of delightfully gross and disgustingly hilarious. In rhyming verse, Greenberg imagines more and more creative and horrible things people can do to the slimy slug while Victoria Chess's illustrations make you want to laugh and cringe at the same time. My favorite part of the book however, comes when the slugs take their revenge!

The basis for the 2007 film Meet the Robinsons, A Day With WilburRobinson by William Joyce was another childhood favorite of mine. A search for Wilbur's grandfather's false teeth leads the reader through the strange and fantastical world of the Robinson family. What I really enjoyed about the book as a young reader was that most of the action and humor took place in the illustrations. For example, the text merely mentions Cousin Pete walking the cats, but the accompanying illustration enlightens careful readers to the fact that the cats in question are in fact tigers. These delightful and often humorous details kept me coming back to re-read the story again and again to look for details I might have missed!