Staff Picks for Children

This picture book explores the many types of quiet a child may encounter in their everyday lives. Quiet can be cozy and nice, shameful and remorseful, or shocking and scary. Liwska portrays these different types of quiet experiences with furry woodland friends that are drawn with a beautifully detailed hand. Children will relate to many of the examples of quiet, especially “bedtime kiss quiet.” A great story for bedtime.

This early chapter book is an abridged version of the 1964 collection, “The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales” written by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst and illustrated by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King award winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney.  It’s part of the level 4 Passport to Reading series.  According to the introduction, people in West Africa love to listen to stories and Spider is a favorite character.  This book tells three stories about Spider—why Spider is bald, why Spider has a thin waist, and why Spider lives in ceilings.  Recommended for children in 1^st grade and up who are ready for short chapter books, and this would make a good read-aloud for younger children.

Attention-grabbing large colorful pictures of dragons and a spirited plotline that parallels a child’s morning routine will win over young children in Jane Yolen’s latest picture book. A small knight awakens huge sleeping dragons, feeds them pancakes with a catapult, brushes their fangs and hurries them out so they can fly him to Knight School. Yolen is a prolific American author, a storyteller, a poet, a former teacher and an editor of folklore, fantasy, and children’s books. Children love her dinosaur titles including How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? and  How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? Her picture book Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal in 1988 (the little girl in the book is modeled after her daughter Heidi). She is often called “America’s Hans Christian Andersen.”  http://janeyolen.com      Recommended for ages 3-8.

Sinister Scenes is the 3rd book of the series about the eerier town of Spooking.  Joy Wells is the heroine of the book. When a movie company comes to Spooking to film a movie based on one of E. A. Pengeot’s horror books, Joy is convinced that Spooking will be recognized as the hometown of her favorite author.  Joy is also an advent admirer of aviator Melody Huxley, who was a former occupant of her home.  When the young star of the horror movie disappears, Joy is asked to audition for the role.  This is the beginning of many events that Joy must face, with the help of her friend and gypsy, Madame Portia, and Al, the elderly groundskeeper.  Subplots include her new role as a movie star, her graduation from elementary school, the upcoming school dance, her crush on Louden Primrose, her annoying brother, and her confrontations with the “villain” Mr. Phipps.  All of these events will lead Joy on a roller coaster ride that will climax at the town’s cemetery.

This is a humorous scary horror story that will keep you guessing.  Joy is a lovable and warm hearted character. You will want to find out what happens to Joy and the movie, what she finds out about Melody Huxley and her connection to E. A. Pengeot. 

The story is a good read on its own, but I would recommend reading the first two books in the series first in order to find out more about the characters, the book’s plot, and the history of Spooking.

The series is recommended for middle school age students in grades 4 through 7.

The state legislature has declared 12/12/12 “Aaron Rodgers Day” in Wisconsin, in honor of the Green Bay Packers star quarterback with the uniform number 12.  Young readers can celebrate the success of this remarkable athlete with two books added to the library’s collections this past year.

  Aaron Rodgers by Sloan MacRae, one of the “Sports Heroes” biography series by PowerKids Press,  focuses on the quarterback, his talent and passion for football, his early experiences, and his rise to success against many odds, proving wrong many sports experts and fans who counted him out as a truly great player.  Divided into several two- page sections, and peppered with trivia, statistics, and numerous photos of Aaron in action, all framed in green and gold graphics, the book will attract young fans.  It includes a glossary of football terms and other vocabulary-building words, as well as a web address for the publisher’s list of links to updated information relating to Rodgers and the Packers.

Another book, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV by Michael Sandler, is one of the "Super Bowl Superstars" series by Bearport Publishing.  It focuses on Rodgers leading his team in an outstanding 2010-11 season, ending with a Super Bowl victory over another stellar team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first half of the book gives some background about Aaron’s early life and career, his natural talent and leadership skills; his first years as a backup to Packer superstar quarterback Brett Favre, then as a starter with big shoes to fill after Favre’s departure; and the challenges he faced in proving himself to both fans and opponents in achieving the goal of success for himself and his team.  The second half of the book provides details of the exciting Super Bowl XLV game between the Packers and the Steelers on February 6, 2011.  With photographs from some of the more dramatic and important moments, and mention of the key players during the game, it’s a fun read for young fans.  This book also includes a glossary, and the publisher’s links to more information on the topic.  It can be found in both print, and in e-book format through the Wisconsin Digital Library. 

These books are recommended for ages 7-11.

A little brown bunny and a little blue bird become friends one spring and play with one another until it is time for the bird to fly south. The friends miss each other through the long winter months until they are reunited again the following spring. This book showcases the theme of friendship with a beautiful message that distance can’t hinder friendship. Berger’s illustrations are the showpiece of this picture book, containing backdrops of loose-leaf and graph paper, newspaper clippings embedded in objects, and illustrations that look textured.

Middle school student and troublemaker Donovan Curtis is well known for his pranks around school.  Due to a big mistake and miscommunication, Donovan is transferred from his "normal" middle school to the "Academy for Scholastic Distinction" for highly gifted students.  Multiple characters, including adults, take turns telling the story, and it becomes clear than Donovan doesn't belong at ASD due to his ungifted status, but could it be that the students at ASD need Donovan, as he slowly leads them to normalcy? In this entertaining yet thought-provoking novel, Gordon Korman asks us to evaluate what it means to be normal, and Donovan Curtis does just that.

For grades 5-8

Logan suspects that missing pet dogs are being dognapped by invading aliens and forms the Intergalactic Canine Rescue Unit with his friends. He communicates with a female alien who speaks for the big Boss alien, is kidnapped himself, and through quick thinking and clever negotiating, Logan becomes a hero. Dognappers is a fast read appealing to middle-graders with its gross humor, surprising adventures with aliens and mysteries.

An intriguing action story for reluctant readers. Read more about the author and his books at www.patrickjennings.com.   Recommended for ages 8 – 12.

Book 2 of the Keepers Trilogy

In this second book, Goldie Roth is accompanied by her friends from the first book on another adventure. New characters are introduced and assist Goldie and Toadspit in their adventure. Goldie is reluctant to become the fifth Keeper of the mysterious Museum of Dunt. Even though she wants to be a keeper, she feels a duty to protect and take care of her sick parents.

While going to the museum to give them her answer, she meets Toadspit and his sister, Bonnie. Bonnie is kidnapped and the two of them stow away on a boat to follow the child-stealers to the neighboring city of Spoke. Along the way, Toadspit is captured also, and Goldie is caught up in the Festival of Lies, where every word she says means something else and no one can be trusted. Some of the characters that Goldie meets includes the two street urchins, Pounce and Mouse, Mouse’s pet mice, a mysterious cat, the Museum’s slaughter bird, Morg, the bandmaster, and the villains, Cord and Smudge.

The plot becomes more intriguing and mysterious when Goldie becomes involved in a “Big Lie”. She learns some hidden secrets about the kidnappers and the villainess Fugleman back in the city of Jewel. This fast-paced and lively fantasy sequel to Museum of Thieves will keep readers involved with finding the solutions. The end of the novel leads the group back to Jewel to fight the Fugleman.

The story is appropriate for grades 4 through 8, and even older readers will enjoy the series.