Books Shared at Templeton & Deer Creek Elementary

This week I had the privilege to visit students at Templeton Elementary and Deer Creek Elementary schools.  During my visits I told the kids about the 2016 summer reading program and all of the events we will be hosting at the library while school is out.  At some of the classes, I was able to tell some of the students about some new or recently new books, many of which are based on our sports and fitness reading theme. Check out this photo of the books I shared:

Does your Kindergarten through fifth grader recognize any of those book covers in this photo?  If so, we've got all those books here at the library!  (The books are not organized by reading level, but by size so I could fit them all in my snapshot!)  Here's an explanation of what sorts of books they are:

Picture Books
Are We There Yet? By Dan Santat
H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers

Early Readers

Dance Dance Underpants (Ballet Cat Series) by Bob Shea

Don’t Throw it to Mo! by David Adler 

Juvenile Biography

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

Transitional Chapter Books

Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny by John Himmelman

A Mysterious Egg (The Dino Files Series, Book 1) by Stacy McAnulty

Juvenile Fiction

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Booked by Kwame Alexander 

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Juvenile Graphic Novels

The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks 

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson 

Red’s Planet by Eddie Pittman

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm

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!

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.