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Picture Books (Updated 1/11/12)
All Kinds of Kisses by Nancy Trafuri
Mommies and babies aren't the only ones who enjoy sharing kisses. All
throughout the farm, animal families snuggle up with their little ones,
offering them warmth and love.
Let's Go See Papa! by Lawrence Schimel
The little girl in this story likes Sundays best of all — it’s the day
her father calls. She hasn’t seen him for over a year because he works
far away across the ocean in the United States. She writes in her
notebook every day, keeping a record of everything that happens to share
with him when she finally sees him again. And she thinks about the fun
they used to have when he was home — taking their dog Kika to the park
and buying freshly baked bread together. Then one Sunday her father asks
if she and her mother would like to join him, and she’s surprised by
her mixed feelings. It means leaving her grandmother, her friends . . .
and Kika behind.
Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid
It came in the night. "Perfect!" said Scott. "Snow!" said Jim. At recess
the schoolyard is full of happy kids. Scott is making snowmen, Jim is
working on the world's greatest snow fort. At lunchtime they join forces
to create a perfect snow surprise! The winner of Canada's prestigious Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon
Illustrator's Award in 2010, this distinctive picture book will find an
appreciative audience in the Snow Belt (and might inspire some snow envy in Cape Girardeau!).
George Washington's Birthday : A Mostly True Tale by Margaret McNamara
From award-winning author Margaret McNamara and New Yorker artist
Barry Blitt comes this partly true and completely funny story of George
Washington's 7th birthday. In this clever approach to history, readers
will discover the truths and myths about George Washington. Did George
Washington wear a wig? No. Did George Washington cut down a cherry tree?
Probably not. Readers young and old who are used to seeing George
Washington as an old man, will get a new look at the first president—as a
kid.
Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith
Rabbit waits for the moon. But the moon takes its time, so Rabbit hops back to his burrow and goes to sleep. What happens in the world when Rabbit isn’t looking?
Well . . . magic. And moonlight. . . . The goats on the mountainside see it. The deer, birds, and raccoons see it. Even the fish see it. And finally, happily, Rabbit does, too. Do you?
The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole (One of Hornbook's Best Picture Books of 2011)
When Pa brings a turkey poult home to fatten for Christmas dinner, he
assures Ma that it will be no trouble since it can live in a box by the
stove and eat table scraps--and just think of the money we'll save! But
it's not quite so simple to raise a turkey in a tiny flat in a
nineteenth-century New York City tenement. Can Pa and the children
manage the willful and growing Alfred and keep the neighbors happy until
Christmas? Pa finds a solution for every difficulty--until he
encounters one that threatens to ruin Christmas completely. How the
family joins together to solve this last difficulty makes for a very
funny and satisfying holiday story.
Chapter Books (Updated 1/11/12)
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinare! by Polly Horvath
In this hilarious chapter book mystery, meet a girl whose parents have
been kidnapped by disreputable foxes, and a pair of detectives that also
happen to be bunnies! When Madeline gets home from school one afternoon
to discover that her parents have gone missing, she sets off to find
them. So begins a once-in-a-lifetime adventure involving a cast of
quirky and unforgettable characters. There's Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who
drive a smart car, wear fedoras, and hate marmots; the Marmot, who loves
garlic bread and is a brilliant translator; and many others. Translated
from the Rabbit by National Book Award-winning author Polly Horvath,
and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, here is a book that kids
will both laugh over and love.
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
May Amelia Jackson captured readers' hearts in the Newbery Honor Book
Our Only May Amelia. Now, after over ten years, Jennifer Holm is
bringing this beloved character back in a beautiful way. The Trouble
with May Amelia is a gorgeously written story that's as heartbreaking as
it is funny. May Amelia lives in pioneer Washingon State in 1900, and she just can't
act the part of a proper young lady. Working a farm on the rainy Nasel
River isn't easy - especially when you have seven brothers and a Pappa
who proclaims that Girls Are Useless. May Amelia thinks she may have
finally earned her father's respect when he asks her to translate for a
gentleman who's interested in buying their land and making them rich.
But when the deal turns out to be a scam, Pappa places all the blame on
May. It's going to take a lot of sisu - that's Finnish for guts - to
make things right.
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo (One of School Library Journal's Best Fiction Books of 2011)
When Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel
trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this
town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of
nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie
meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his
father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes
him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can
two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s
longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost
souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone
seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial.
Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booraem Ever since she was teased for believing in fairies, Mellie has adopted a
strictly scientific and logical approach to life. But when her parents
inherit her grandfather's inn, she learns that for generations, her
family members have been fairy guardians. The fairies exchanged some of
their powers for this protection but now they want their magic back. An
evil temptress in disguise wants the magic too, and before she knows it,
Mellie is turned into a frog, her grandfather is discovered alive, and
her parents are trapped in an evil spell that only lets them see the
truth (which can be awfully brutal). Thank goodness for Timmo - the cute
boy next door - and Durindana, a fairy outcast, who help Mellie save
the day and encourage her to loosen up her views on family, fairies, and
friendship. This is a hilarious, irreverent, and highly sarcastic take on fairies - who, by the way, just hate to be called fairies.
Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston are Thomas Jefferson's children by
one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, and while they do get special
treatment - better work, better shoes, even violin lessons - they are
still slaves, and are never to mention who their father is. The
lighter-skinned children have been promised a chance to escape into
white society, but what does this mean for the children who look more
like their mother? As each child grows up, their questions about slavery
and freedom become tougher, calling into question the real meaning of
"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet
On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find
themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze
salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Maya’s own
worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple eyes .
. . nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from
Maya?
Kindred Souls by Patricia MacLachlan
Jake’s grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight
years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake
knows that everything will go on as always. But there’s one thing Billy
wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him
this one special thing? From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about
what we do for the ones we love, and how the bonds that hold us together
also allow us to let each other go.
Crow by Barbara Wright
The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses.
He's growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny
butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his
mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are
good times, too. He's teaching his grandmother how to read. For the
first time she's sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his
father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of
power they've earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But
not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will
do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to
maintain the status quo. One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American
community—enfranchised and emancipated—suddenly and violently loses its
freedom in turn of the century North Carolina when a group of local
politicians stages the only successful coup d'etat in US history.