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Ms. Karen

Southwest Sunrise

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Southwest Sunrise by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Wendell Minor
Format: Book
Who Its For: Kids

Jayden is a New York City boy through and through. He does NOT want to move to the New Mexico desert with his family, not even a little. Already missing the skyscrapers and the familiar sonic background of the city, he expects this desert to be a “place of shadows”, all “browns and tans”, which does not appeal to him at all! However, Jayden is a curious boy by nature and the brilliant gift of a field guide from his mom prompts this desert newbie to begin exploring. He finds beauty enough to be grateful for in the colorful flowers, trees, rocks and wildlife, and begins to think that, just maybe, he could call this place home after all.

Nikki Grimes’ gorgeous poetic language is stunning, and the watercolor illustrations are beautiful (I LOVED the emotion in the picture of Jayden on the plane). Any child who has ever had to move or is facing an unwelcome move will certainly relate to this lovely book.

Find Southwest Sunrise in the catalog.

Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!

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Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!  Written by Rosemary Mosco, illustrated by Jacob Souva
Format:  Book
Who Its For:  Kids

Everybody loves a butterfly! These beautiful insects float gently through our gardens with their colorful wings, sipping nectar from flowers… and also eating moldy fruit. And dead animals. And even poop!  Yes, its a close-kept secret that butterflies are, well, gross! There is so much to learn in this informative book about butterflies; for example if you get near a Red Cracker butterfly it might fly RIGHT AT YOU and make a cracking noise. Most caterpillars (butterfly babies) eat leaves, but did you know that some hunt bugs? Some caterpillars sound and smell like an ant and real ants are tricked into taking care of it till it grows up! Fascinating butterfly facts abound in Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!. If you have or are a kid who loves nature in all its weirdness, this book is for you!

Find Butterflies are Pretty…Gross! in the catalog

Perfect Plan

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The Perfect Plan, Written and illustrated by Leah Gilbert
Format: Book
Who It’s For: Kids

Maya has a Perfect Plan, a plan to build her dream tree fort, the coziest, comfiest, most incredible tree fort in the absolute whole world!! She has designed it herself of course, and even found the right sort of trees in the wood to hold this special place for reading and dreaming. However, when Maya starts to build she just cant seem make it work, no matter how hard she tries. Maya has two choices- give up, or find someone who can help. Plucky Maya turns to her friends the animals, who provide the just-right help needed for each part of the project. Then a huge storm comes up, which chases her home and threatens to undo all their hard work! What will Maya find when she returns to her amazing tree fort? This book is a sweet fantasy about creating something of your own, asking for help and, of course, the magic of talking to animal friends! I loved the beautiful illustrations in this book as well.

Find The Perfect Plan in the catalog

Boardwalk Babies

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Boardwalk Babies, Written by Marissa Moss, illustrated by April Chu
Format: Book
Who its For: Kids

In years past, fairs had unusual sideshows to see. Bearded ladies, fire eaters, 3 legged men were common. But tiny BABIES??

Long ago hospitals thought premature babies, born early and too small, weren’t worth caring for. Then Dr. Budin in Paris invented an incubator to keep babies warm and help them grow. The hospitals were still not interested; how could he show them that “miracle machines” could save babies’ lives? He sent a young doctor, Martin Couney, to show the incubators at a large fair, but no one cared about empty boxes. Martin needed actual babies to show what the incubators could do. He begged a local hospital to let him care for some of their babies. The idea of putting infants in a display sounded wrong, but since the hospital couldn’t help them anyway, they agreed to let Martin and his nurses care for six tiny babies. He took them to the fair, placed them in the incubators, and opened his “exhibit”. It was a huge success! Crowds lined up to see the babies, watching them grow week after week. Best of all, every single one survived! Martin took his incubators to fairs all around the world, and in 1903 finally stopped at Coney Island Amusement Park in New York where he continued his “mini-hospital” exhibition. Preemies of every race, nationality and religion had excellent care around the clock from skilled nurses and doctors. Ticket sales covered every cost- families didn’t pay a penny!  For 40 years the “Baby Incubator” exhibit continued to save babies (even Martin’s own daughter Hildegard) until 1943, when hospitals finally began using incubators regularly.

Martin Couney’s dedication and love saved approximately 6500 children and encouraged hospitals to use incubators to save millions more! Your history and biography-minded littles (and their grownups!) will enjoy this unusual, true story of an innovative man who did everything he could to save premature babies.

Find Boardwalk Babies in the catalog

 

 

Barbara Throws a Wobbler

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Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Written and Illustrated by Nadia Shireen
Format: Book
Who It’s For: Kids

Have you ever “pitched a fit”? Or maybe “had a tantrum”? Yep, me too. But I bet you’ve never “thrown a wobbler”! That’s just what happens to Barbara in this lovely book about moods.

It started with a small problem in the morning, but then came another and then another. Barbara was in such a Very Bad Mood by midday that nothing made her happy, not even sharing an ice cream with a friend. Suddenly, wham! Barbara threw a Wobbler. Except this time, her Wobbler was real, hanging in the air right over her head! It grew and grew until it swallowed her up and the only thing Barbara could see or feel was the Wobbler. “Am I going to be stuck inside here forever? she cried. She thought and thought till she realized that she had made this Wobbler herself. If she made it, could she un-make it? Or will she be trapped inside her angry Wobbler forever? Read Barbara Throws a Wobbler to find out. A great book for kids about moods and tantrums, how they feel and what we can do about them.

Find Barbara Throws a Wobbler in the Catalog

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