Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Comin’ Down to Storytime by Rob Reid. This great picture book could definitely be used as a beginning book/song for every story time. This book is taken from the favorite song “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain!” The author uses animals to depict the children at story time. The verses include “We’ll be comin’ down to storytime when we come. Yee ha!” “hear a funny story,” “say a nursery rhyme,” “make a fingerplay,” and so on, as all the farm animals run excitedly to the barn. It ends with, “We will check out lots of books when we leave, Bye Now!” The animals exit, each with at least one book in hand, and are shown on or under a big tree, reading. See this book listed in our catalog
The Rocking Horse Angel
Submitted by Allana from Leonardtown!
The Rocking Horse Angel by Mercer Mayer gives me goose-bumps all the way through, but in a good way. A boy has grown tired of the long summer days playing in the pond looking for polliwogs, toads, snakes, and bugs. He now turns his attention to closets, cellars and attics. The attic, in particular, intrigues him, and he has decided to take a peek in there even though, instinctively, he knows he isn’t supposed to. He sees something in the shadows which frightens him a bit at first: some creature behind a large box with a head, ears, eyes… what can it be? It’s a dapple gray rocking horse! The boy climbs up to find “her” a perfect fit. He daydreams about adventures they will have, and the rocking horse senses what the boy is saying. He has vivid dreams about riding in the night sky, looking down on the farmlands below. The horse seems to be trying to tell him something, in fact in the first dream the horse is crying, the tear so big it surrounds the boy like a giant bubble which carries him into the air. In real life, during waking hours, the boy has become very sick with fever, and his parents are by his bedside. The rocking horse appears to him during the night, and each time flies him off in a dreamy adventure. But one night she tells him that this is real, and no matter how scary the ride may become he must not let go. He is riding through a terrifying storm where giant creatures are trying to stop him, and the boy has to trust the rocking horse like never before… See this book listed in our catalog
But Who Will Bell the Cats?
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
But Who Will Bell the Cats by Cynthia Von Buhler is a play on one of Aesop’s fables: long ago, all the mice convened to discuss the problem with cats’ ability to stalk them so quietly. It was suggested that all the cats wear bells, but who would bell the cats? In this story, a mouse and a bat try to think of ways to get bells on a princess’s 8 spoiled cats. They try assault, disguise, even a fashion show modelling the bells, to get the cats to wear them, to no avail. Perhaps the princess herself will have intervene… This book also features creative typeface, and stunning three dimensional illustrations. Check it out today! See this book listed in our catalog
Miles the Crocodile
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Want to raise a jazz lover? Have I got the book for you: Miles the Crocodile Plays the Colors of Jazz by Andy Blackman Hurwitz and illustrated by Andrew Cunningham! Miles is a trumpet playing crocodile here to demonstrate “that the colors of jazz can make beautiful art” through words, pictures, and music! The book comes with a CD of jazz music that corresponds with the story. My favorite track is “Blue Jazz Blue” in which Miles sings the “I Ain’t Got No Cookie Blues” lamenting “I got my milk, but I want my cookie too!” If you like this kit, look out for other books in the “Baby Loves Jazz” series like Charlie Bird, Duck Ellington, and Ella Elephant. See this book listed in our catalog
Ned’s New Home
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng. Ned is a worm that loves apples (because they are red) and apple pie. Ned lives in a red apple, and he is perfectly content until his apple starts to rot! He decides to look for a new home, but has many problems. The pear is too wobbly, the lemon too sour, and the blueberry is too small. A bird comes along and takes him, and his future cherry home up in the sky. He uses an umbrella to float down to a tree where he finds his perfect new home. It is an apple still on the tree! This book has many possibilities: It is perfect for talking to your child about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. It also is a good introduction to different fruits and their taste, size, and color. See this book listed in our catalog
An Apple Pie for Dinner
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
An Apple Pie for Dinner by Susan VanHecke. This is a cumulative story from an old English folktale, “The Apple Dumpling.” Granny Smith (notice the play on words) wants to bake an apple pie. There is only one problem–she does not have any apples! She takes the plums she has and trades them for feathers, and then flowers, etc. until she trades for a basket of apples. All of the people she meets along the way go back to her house and help her make the pie and then eat it. The baked clay and mixed media illustrations really add dimension to this wonderful book. There is an apple pie recipe included, as well as a website for fun activities to do with your child. See this book listed in our catalog