On the Shelf

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

Recommended for Kids

The Book Hog

by Leave a Comment

The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Hog has quite the growing collection of books. He scoots around town on his moped and searches out great deals on them too. He’ll look anywhere–from garage sales to garbage cans! Any books that Hog gets his hands are sure to become part of his collection. There’s only one problem…Hog can’t read a single one of his beloved books. In fact, he doesn’t know how to read at all!

One day, out on his search for more books, Hog stumbles into his local library and joins in a storytime. With the help of a friendly librarian, Hog gains confidence in himself and strives to learn to read. And slowly but surely, he does! By the end of the story, Hog becomes a frequent library patron who no longer needs to buy books to enjoy a good story.

Pizzoli’s The Book Hog contains charming illustrations and is an absolute joy to read. It also highlights the fact that the value of libraries cannot be defined simply in terms of their material offerings, but rather in the additional services they offer such as their dedication to encouraging early literacy skills. This fun story with its book-lovin’ main character would be a great read to share with young children curious about reading on their own.

Find it in the catalog.

 

Dungeons and Dragons

by Leave a Comment

Image result for dungeons and dragonsDungeons and Dragons by Wizards of the Coast, (Created by Gary Gygax)
Format: Nonfiction
Who it’s for: Everyone

This is less of a review of a book as it is a review of a resource. The Player’s Handbook, along with the Dungeon Master’s Guide and the Monster Manual, make up the core books needed to play the popular tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons. D&D has recently been popularized by live series such as Critical Role and the Adventure Zone, featuring live games and intriguing personalities, and both of these have spawned graphic novels that we happen to carry. So what do you need to play outside of these core books? Some dice, a few friends (anywhere from 2 to 5 is recommended,) and a bit of creativity. You can also purchase maps, figurines, and other knick-knacks to spice the game up, in fact we have a 3D printer waiting to be used if you want to make some of your own!

Ever wanted to write your own story? You can! Featuring your friends as the main characters you can craft an adventure of any kind. You can be a warrior with a haunted past, a wizard seeking the lore of a long vanished civilization, a bard who has a penchant for finding trouble, or anything that you can possibly imagine. You can solve a murder, fight a dragon, or save the kingdom from the plots of an evil noble. Any story you can think of you can play! The library gives you a chance to try out something you may have only heard about before, a game that has spawned hundreds of novels, shows, and more. Celebrities from Vin Diesel and Joe Magnellio to Stephen Colbert and the Big Show are all avid fans of the game. I myself have run a number of games and continue to play it weekly. It’s been a passion of mine and has lead me to making a number of friends I’d have never met without it. We also have a number of authors with series influenced by their adventures or even officially affiliated, such as R.A Salvatore, Junot Diaz, and George R.R Martin (have you heard of Game of Thrones?) The game turned cultural phenomenon has been around for over 40 years now, and is now sitting on a shelf near you!

Creaturepedia: Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth

by Leave a Comment

Creaturepedia: Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth by Adrienne Barman
Format:  Book
Who it’s for:  Children

This delightful children’s book is recommended for children ages 5-8 or kindergarten-3rd grade.  The clever cover illustration immediately draws one in to the fun and knowledge waiting inside.  This book covers more than 600 creatures of all kinds—animals, insects, birds, sea creatures, reptiles and even vanished species and dinosaurs.  These wonkey-eyed critters have such intriguing expressions on their faces—surprised, curious, sleepy, fierce, loving, sad, mean, bored, flirtatious, suspicious, intelligent, silly, cunning and more.  Some appear to be looking at the camera when the flash went off.  The eyes are everything.  The creatures are listed in categories such as big-eared, vanished, camouflaged, striped, show-offs, spotted and other categories.  The facts of each one are brief and can lead to interesting questions that beg for more information.  This book is beautifully illustrated by the author, Adrienne Barman.

Find it in our catalog

 

1-2-3 A Calmer Me: Helping Children Cope When Emotions Get Out of Control

by Leave a Comment

1-2-3-A Calmer Me: Helping Children Cope When Emotions Get Out of Control by Colleen A. Patterson and Brenda S. Miles
Format: Children’s Picture Book
Who It’s for: Children and Caregivers

In this story, a little girl explains how she can get angry and frustrated sometimes. Like when she loses her balloon in the park. It is OK to get mad, but when you do, you can recite this rhyme.
1-2-3 a calmer me, 1-2-3 I hug me, 1-2-3 relax and b-r-e-a-t-h-e, 1-2-3 a calmer me.
The story introduces children to a simple rhyme they can use to slow down their bodies and stop mad feelings from spinning out of control.
The mantra or rhyme appears several times throughout this picture book whenever the little girl finds herself becoming upset from conflicts with friends, family and even while playing sports.

By memorizing the simple mantra, a child can use it to slow down their immediate reactions and replace them with words that are more comforting. The idea is based on the psychological principles of relaxation and mindfulness.

Find it in the Catalog

Harriet Gets Carried Away

by Leave a Comment

Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima
Format: Book
Who it’s For: Kids

Harriet loves dressing up and wears different costumes every single day. When it’s time for her dress-up birthday party, Harriet is so excited to go to the store and get all the supplies they’ll need to throw an amazing party. But when Harriet gets to the store, dressed in her super special penguin costume, she finds dozens of penguins who take her in as one of their own and fly her to the South Pole. Harriet must enlist the help of an orca whale and a flock of pigeons in order to get back home in time for her birthday party.

Harriet Gets Carried Away is another wonderful, whimsical work by Jessie Sima, author of Not Quite Narwhal. The book encourages imagination, creativity, and determination in the face of a challenge. The story is amusing, and the artwork is adorable.

Harriet Gets Carried Away is a new addition to our Side by Side collection! Pick up a copy for fun activities and discussion questions connected to the book.

Find it in the catalog!

Rough Patch

by Leave a Comment

Written and illustrated by Brian Lies
Format: Book
Who Its For: Kids

Have you ever had a super-good friend? Have you ever lost a friend?  In The Rough Patch, Evan experiences both.  Evan and his dog are best friends. They go everywhere and do everything together, in all weather, year in and year out. Their very favorite thing is working in Evan’s amazing garden, where they grow beautiful things to see and eat. Then one terrible day, Evan’s doggy friend dies. He is heart-broken, bitter, angry and alone. What will he do without his best friend? No longer able to stand the sight of their beautiful garden, when he feels so dark and sad inside, Evan chops it all down! He then turns his garden into the saddest, loneliest spot he can, a place that grows only terrible plants with thorns and bad smells, until the day a pumpkin vine creeps in under his fence. He begins to care for it and slowly, as it grows, he begins to remember happier times. That vine produces a HUGE pumpkin and Evan decides to enter it at the Fair, where at last he shakes off his darkness and, very unexpectedly, makes a new friend.

Gloriously illustrated by the multiple award winning author of Bats at the Beach, this is an honest and hopeful book about friendship, healing and the ways we deal with loss. A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book

Find it in the catalog!