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Counting Creatures

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Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sharon King-Chai
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous book this is! A simple premise of how many babies does each animal have, with sumptuous color and lift-the flap excitement makes Counting Creatures one of my newest faves. Children will enjoy guessing how many babies will be revealed under each flap and then counting them with you. The author does a great job with accurate terminology for each kind of baby as well. (Leverets, anyone?) As Donaldson gets to the end, when more and more babies come to be, she adds a surprise that will have you turning right back to the first page to start over! Snuggle up with your littles to Counting Creatures, you will love this one.

Find Counting Creatures in the catalog

In Cold Blood

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In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Format: Digital Audio and CD
Who’s it for: Adults

In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel detailing the four 1959 murders of the Clutter family in their home. The tragic event took place in Holcomb, Kansas in the early morning hours of November 15, 1959.

It took authorities six weeks find and arrest the felons.

Capote and his good friend and writer Harper Lee traveled to Holcomb to interview the town, residents and investigators of the case.

It took Capote six years of detailed, extensive research to write the book describing the lives of the murderers and the victim’s.

The murderers were two ex-convicts who had been recently paroled from the Kansas State Penitentiary. Richard Eugene “Dick” Hickock and Perry Edward Smith. They robbed and murdered Herb, his wife Bonnie, his son Keyon and daughter Nancy.

The novel chronicles the lives of the murderers, family and surrounding community members, providing an in depth look at what they were thinking and feeling.

Hickcock and Smith spent five years on death row and were finally executed by hanging on April 14, 1965. The jury only deliberated for 45 minutes before finding them both guilty.

Find In Cold Blood in the catalog.

Shady Baby

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Shady Baby by Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Shady Baby always keeps it real! Shady Baby loves fashion, fun and a good side-eye. Shady Baby also loves to stand up for what is right. After a morning of being fancy and fabulous morning, Shady Baby heads to the park to play with her friends. When one of her friends isn’t playing nicely with others, Shady Baby steps in to save the day! This book is based on Gabrielle Union’s & Dwyane Wade’s daughter Kaavia and her fun, but sassy ways. This book is a great way to teach children about getting along together and making sure they do the right thing. This was a fun, quick read with a lot of great illustrations! Be sure to check it out today!

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The Tea Dragon Society

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The Tea Dragon Society Series by Kay O’neill
Format: Book & eBook on Hoopla
Who is it for?: Everyone

Prepare yourself for an overload of adorable in a world where tea leaves grow on the antlers of tiny dragons. In volume one, Greta a blacksmith’s apprentice, meets new friends and the tea dragons that they care for. Minette is a former prophetess with a mysterious past. Hesekiel and Erik, retired adventurers, are the last remaining members of The Tea Dragon Society. Together they work to keep the knowledge of tea dragon care alive. In volume two, The Tea Dragon Festival, we meet Rinn, a forager from a small village in the mountains. On one of their quests, they meet Aedhan, a dragon from the Silver Wing Clan that accidentally took an 80-year nap. In volume three, The Tea Dragon Tapestry, Greta pursues an apprenticeship with a famous blacksmith from a faraway city and Minette has reoccurring dreams of memories she thought were lost to her.

The series touches on a lot of very important themes such as friendship, grief, and personal growth. Each volume includes pages from the Tea Dragon Handbook. Kay O’neill’s art is warm and charming. I enjoyed seeing how they “dragonified” the different kinds of teas. Chamomile is cute and sleepy while Jasmine is regal and well-groomed. This graphic novel series is perfect for someone who wants something calm, endearing, and lovely to read. Find The Tea Dragon Society in the catalog or on Hoopla!

The Barnabus Project

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The Barnabus Project by Terry, Eric, and Devin Fan
Format: Book, eBook
Who it’s for: Kids

A 2021-2022 Black Eyed Susan Book Award nominee, The Barnabus Project tells the story of Barabus, a “failed project” living in a glass jar under the Perfect Pets store. Barnabus and his friends were created in the lab under the store, but didn’t quite turn out as expected. Barnabus, half elephant and half mouse, discovers that he and his friends are about to be recycled. Cue the escape scene! Barnabus and the other “failed” projects work together to try to make it to the outside world they’ve heard so much about.

Terry and Eric Fan are known as The Fan Brothers, a writer-illustrator duo responsible for such works as The Night Gardener, named an ALA Notable Children’s Book. In The Barnabus Project, they are joined by their brother Devin in his debut. The brothers’ artistic style is almost cinematic and the details will keep everyone interested.

Some aspects of the story are a bit dark (there are scary green-suited figures, and the lab itself is depicted as quite dark and mysterious), and the story brings up questions about what “perfect” and “failed” really might mean, so parents and caregivers may want to read The Barnabus Project before sharing with the kids in their lives to be sure it will appeal to them.

Find The Barnabus Project in the catalog.

Love Lettering

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Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Love Lettering follows Meg, a calligrapher and social media sensation, as she’s confronted by a client from her past who believes she’s included a hidden message for him in the work he’s commissioned. After an awkward conversation, Meg can’t seem to get him out of her head, and she asks to see him again. What begins as an odd encounter turns to friendship, and possibly something more. 

This book was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but once Meg and Reid begin their adventure around New York City, it’s hard to put down! What makes this book great and worth a read is that it doesn’t follow your average plot for romance novels, so it was exciting to see the way Clayborn added some variety to the genre!

Find Love Lettering in our catalog!