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Recommended for Kids

Orion and the Dark

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Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Orion is afraid of many things but his very biggest fear is the dark. Every night at bedtime he struggles to face his fear as his room gets darker and darker. Frightful noises become louder and Orion wonders what kind of creepy things are happening outside his window. Suddenly, Orion is startled when the Dark himself comes into his room! Reluctantly, Orion embarks on an adventure with the Dark and he learns to enjoy the night.
Playful illustrations with vibrant colors draw the reader to explore mysterious noises all around the house. A perfect lap sitting book, Orion and the Dark offers many options to talk with young children about the noises of the night. Through the friendly guidance of the Dark, children can explore the truth behind creepy noises they hear before bedtime.
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Gravity Falls

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Gravity Falls
Format: TV series on DVD
Who it’s for: Kids, Teens, Adults, Everyone

Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines have been sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend the summer with their Great Uncle, or Grunkle, Stan, who runs the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap that peddles overpriced merchandise to anyone interested in Bigfoot, flying saucers, unicorns, and the like. But very soon after their arrival Dipper discovers a journal that leads him to believe the mythical things in Grunkle Stan’s shop could be based in reality, and Gravity Falls might be a hotbed of paranormal activity. It turns out there really are zombies, minotaurs, real live gnomes, and a number of other oddities in the woods surrounding the Mystery Shack, and Grunkle Stan may not be as oblivious to it all as he lets on!

This show is truly enjoyable for all ages. It’s got delightful humor for the kids and delicious mysteries for the grown-ups. The twins are the heart of the show: Dipper is slightly neurotic, Mabel is a bottomless well of effervescence, and they have a sweet, supportive sibling relationship. The cast includes the voices of Kristen Schaal, T.J. Miller, J.K. Simmons, Nathan Fillion, and Nick Offerman. It’s basically The X-Files meets Twin Peaks meets The Simpsons on the Disney channel and I am here for it. Are you? Find Gravity Falls in our catalog!

Quiet Please, Owen McPhee!

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Quiet Please, Owen McPhee! by Trudy Ludwig
Format: Book
Who it’s For: Kids

“We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak” Epictetus.
Owen McPhee talks too much. WAY too much, according to his friends, his teachers and his hound dog Hannah! He talks so much that it gets in the way of his listening, with pretty serious consequences for his friends and their science projects… But the next day Owen wakes up with LARYNGITIS! No voice? No TALKING?? What’s a super-chatty kid to do? Read on and see how Owen deals with his laryngitis and learns something about listening and friendship in the process. Make sure to check out Owen’s calendar on the very last page! There are even questions in the back for further discussion with your own chatty ones.

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Finding Langston

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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Kids

In 1946, Langston and his Dad move to Chicago from rural Alabama.  His mother recently passed away and he is feeling a little lost in this big city.   The city is so noisy and everyone calls him “Country boy” because he has an accent and wears overalls.  He hasn’t made any friends and is experiencing bullying from a few kids in his class.  In order to avoid the bullies, one day he goes a different way home from school and discovers the George Cleveland Hall Branch Library.

The library becomes his home away from home.  He never imagined such a wonderful place and they allow colored folks!  The first book he finds is by Langston Hughes and he wonders if he was named after him?  He finds he has a lot in common with Mr. Hughes and soon discovers more poetry and writings by other Negro writers.

Langston’s journey to discovering himself is beautifully written by Ms. Cline-Ransome.  This is truly a lovely book.  It’s a love story for libraries and writers.  And, it’s a story about the Great Migration when many blacks from the South migrated to the North after World War II.

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Tradition

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Tradition by Brendan Kiely
Format: Book & Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens & Adults

Jules Devereux is starting her senior year at Fullbrook Academy, an elite boarding school in New England, and is already counting the days to graduation so she can leave behind her ex-boyfriend, her ex-best friends, and everything she thinks is wrong with Fullbrook.
Always an outspoken advocate, Jules finds herself strangely silenced when she becomes the victim of sexual assault at the annual fall drinking party. Finding an administration unwilling to act, she and her new found friends launch a plan to get everyone’s attention and challenge what is accepted just because it’s always been that way.

I heard the author, Brendan Kiely, speak at a conference and his genuine concern for responsible and respectful behavior made me want to read this book.  It’s thought provoking and made me see how we often let things stay the same for no better reason than that’s how it’s always been. Brendan Kiely also co-authored the 2016 One Maryland One Book: All American Boys.
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My Pictures After The Storm

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My Pictures after the Storm by Eric Veille
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Children, adults that like puns and clever jokes

My pictures: Pail.  Slide.  Ice cream cone.

My pictures after the storm: Puddle.  ǝpᴉlS.  Ice cream gone!

My Pictures after the Storm, written and illustrated by Eric Veille, is one of the cleverest children’s books I’ve read in a log time.  To put that statement in context, I am a professional children’s librarian and reading children’s books and being aware of what children’s books are coming out is a significant portion of my job.  There is very little that comes out that I don’t at least offer a cursory thumb through and this book has impressed me with some of its downright ingenious use of wordplay and visual humor.

My pictures: Mother.  Child.  Father.

My pictures after the baby: High Chair.  Rattle.  Bassinet.  Nightlight.  Baby Food.  Formula.  Bib.  Bottle.  Teddy bear.  Crying little sister.  Scared big brother.

The way that Veille is able to arrange the images in such a way as to hit the joke home is one of his strongest qualities.  In the above example, not only is it funny because with a new baby comes a deluge of stuff for that baby, but the images are arranged in a big circle around the baby with the older brother siting  nearby with look of agitation on his face.  This further illustrates how life can feel as if it literally revolves around a new baby, as well as depict how a first born may feel when they have a baby brother or sister.

My pictures: Apple.  Bread.  Boiled Spinach.

My pictures after lunch: Core.  Crumbs.  Boiled Spinach.

Maybe it’s the dad in me, but I’m always down for a good pun. In terms of wordplay and visual humor My Pictures after the Storm is an example of this style of humor at its very best.  Find it in the catalog.