If You Like the Pets of American Girl, Try...

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

If you enjoy reading about all the animals and pets featured in the American Girl series, like Felicity's horse Penny or Melody's dog Bo, you might enjoy some of these titles.

Fiction

It's not Destiny : an Abby story by Kelsey Abrams

Ten-year-old Abby Ramirez, who is on the autism spectrum, has her hands full when an anxious German shepherd, Destiny, shows up at the Second Chance Ranch animal rescue. While Abby helps Destiny learn to trust people again, Abby has to learn to overcome old habits of her own.

Lives of the Artists

June 18, 2018 | strande

Explore the lives of many artists. The books below are found in our children's collections, but may appeal to wider audiences. Find more artists and art in our collections: just ask any librarian.

Vincent can't sleep : Van Gogh paints the night sky by Barb Rosenstock

Describes how Van Gogh's insomnia, possibly a symptom of mental or phyical illness, allowed him to view the night sky while everyone else was asleep and influenced how he saw the world around him.

The iridescence of birds : a book about Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan

A story inspired by the life of the influential French master artist considers how he transformed his dreary childhood community in northern France through his expressions of color and form.

If You Like the Games of American Girl, Try...

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

If you like reading about the games, contests, and toys in the American Girls series, you might enjoy some of these titles.

 

Fiction

The puzzling world of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin
Also available in: e-book

Puzzle-crazy, twelve-year-old Winston and his ten-year-old sister Katie find themselves involved in a dangerous mystery involving a hidden ring. Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.

Add a Little Enchantment to Your Summer: Magic Reads

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

Find a story to incorporate some magic in your life. Some suggestions to get you started are included below: books intended for older audiences are toward the bottom of the list.

Room on the broom by Julia Donaldson
Also available in: video

A witch finds room on her broom for all the animals that ask for a ride, and they repay her kindness by rescuing her from a dragon.

Tell me a dragon by Jackie Morris

Kate Greenaway Medal nominee Jackie Morris presents in stunning pictures a range of dragons, describing many different varieties of the beast, and why their owners find them so entrancing.

Books with No Words

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

Have you ever been drawn to a wordless picture book, but been unsure how to read it or share it with your child? Check out these helpful tips, and remember that wordless picture books can be a great tool to enhance your child's literacy, whether or not he or she knows how to read. They can also be exceptionally beautiful and enjoyed by any age.

These picture books don't need words to tell their story:

Hug by Jez Alborough

Bobo the chimp seeks hugs among various jungle animals and their young, but he does not get what he wants until he is reunited with his own parent.

Red sled by Lita Judge

At night, a host of woodland creatures plays with a child's red sled.

Campfires and S'Mores, Oh My

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

National Campfire Day is the first Saturday in August, followed shortly by National S'Mores Day on August 10. Either way, curl up with a good book and a marshmallowy treat around a campfire. Suggested titles are below, with those intended for older audiences at the bottom.

Sleepless knight by James Sturm

The Knight and his trusty horse Edward go on a camping trip, but the Knight cannot sleep when he discovers he has left his beloved teddy bear behind.

Nightlights by Paul Paolilli

Celebrates all the ways, after the sun goes down, light finds a way to shine, from lighthouses and fireflies to moonlight in an owl's eyes and a crackling campfire.

If You Liked Hillbilly Elegy, Try...

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

If you're looking for a readable memoir, browse this list of suggestions for your next read.

Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Also available in: e-book | audiobook | large print

For Ta-Nehisi Coates, history has always been personal. At every stage of his life, he's sought in his explorations of history answers to the mysteries that surrounded him -- most urgently, why he, and other black people he knew, seemed to live in fear. What were they afraid of?

This title can also be checked out in multiple copies for a book discussion.

Can't we talk about something more pleasant? by Roz Chast

When it came to her elderly mother and father, Roz practiced denial, avoidance, and distraction. But after her elderly mother's encounter with a ladder, the tools that had served Roz well through her parents' seventies, eighties, and into their early nineties could no longer be deployed. The themes here are universal: adult children accepting a parental role; aging and unstable parents leaving a family home for an institution; dealing with uncomfortable physical intimacies; managing logistics; and hiring strangers to provide the most personal care.

Tickled Pink

June 18, 2018 | strande

 

June 23rd may be the unofficially recognized National Pink Day, but there's no reason to put limits on the color. It can be enjoyed anytime, by anyone. Try out one of our pink material suggestions below, roughly organized by audience appeal beginning with the youngest age.

What is pink?

Displays pictures of animals and describes what part of them is pink.

Pink by Nan Gregory

A touching story about longing for something beyond reach and finding something better close to home..

Share a Story: Green Storytime

May 21, 2018 | strande

 

Did you miss our Green Storytime this week? Don't worry, here's what you missed, plus a few more suggestions to inspire a colorful storytime you can do at home. 

 

From Storytime

The great big green by Peggy Elizabeth Gifford

A lyrical ode to the planet poses a riddle that invites children to identify an enormous object that is green everywhere it is not blue and is covered with green plants and creatures.

Share a Story: Dancing Storytime

May 18, 2018 | strande

 

Did you miss our Dancing Storytime this week? Don't worry, here's what you missed, plus a few more suggestions to inspire a rhythmic storytime you can do at home. 

 

From Storytime

What Degas saw : with reproduction of works by Edgar Degas by Samantha Friedman

Edgar Degas walks through the streets of Paris observing life in the city and creating art based on some of the things he sees. He stops at the opera house to watch the ballerinas.

Pages