Submitted by Ms. Sue!
Brand-New Baby Blues by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. The arrival of a new baby brother has this sister remembering the past, when it was only her. She tells her story of days gone by, when she was the only one, the cat’s pajamas, the moon and the sun. Now everything is different, and her whole life is rearranged. “Not now” is all mama answers, when her baby brother takes up all mama’s time. With her brand-new baby brother, she has the brand-new baby blues! This story in rhyme is cute and familiar to anyone with siblings, and could be sung to your child in a bluesy tune for fun. The full page illustrations utilize soft shades, further enhancing the quality of this book. See this book listed in our catalog
Family
Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth!
Submitted by special guest blogger Ms. Judie from the Charlotte Hall branch!
Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth by Sarah Weeks. Sophie Peterman is a beacon of truth in the picture book world. She lays it all on the line, and gives us the skinny on baby brothers. And the skinny is not pretty: baby brothers smell bad, they mess up your stuff, they look like aliens, and they SOMEHOW manage to convince the grown-ups that they’re cute. As an older sibling myself, I know from experience that everything Sophie tells us is true, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sophie learns how important she is to her baby brother and starts to see how maybe having him around could be okay. This book will be hilariously familiar to anyone who has had to endure a baby brother (or sister) and somehow learned to like it. See this book listed in our catalog
Whatever
Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!
Ungrateful. That’s one word to summarize Billy, a character from the book Whatever by William Bee. No matter what is done for Billy, “whatever” is his only expression of thanks. His father, aiming to please, shows him extraordinary things: a very tall giraffe, the world’s curliest trumpet. He even flies him to the edge of outer space! But, unfortunately all Billy can say is, “whatever.” *Sigh* Then, one day, the world’s hungriest tiger comes along, and things change for Billy. This is a snarky tale of a boy who doesn’t appreciate the effort of others and in doing so, learns a valuable lesson… the hard way. The words and pictures are simple, but the message is loud and clear. This is a book for parents looking for a platform in which to explore the values of appreciation and gratefulness, told in true fairy tale fashion. See this book listed in our catalog
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way
Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way by Thad Kranesky. Emmy is an adorable three year old who gets into trouble left and right. She spills juice on Daddy’s pants, but doesn’t get in trouble, “after all… she is only three.” She “trips” over her brother Tom’s toy race car track and destroys it, but gets out of trouble by making a “tiny little scene, and Mom yells at Tom, after all… she is only three.” She builds a dollhouse out of her sister Suzie’s stuff and Suzie get a time out for not sharing, after all Emmy is only three! She plays pirate queen and buries all her loot ( her brothers boot, she sister’s rings, and half the silverware) — when her Dad finds her, he makes her clean up, even though she is only three! Emmy gets into more and more trouble through out the book until finally Mom has had it. She dresses up her brother’s pet lizard, floods the upstairs hall, soaks her sisters shoes, and throws the lizard into her mother’s lap. After all that, Emmy is finally punished, possibly until she is four! This is a cute book about being spoiled. It is written in rhyme, and is sure to make you giggle. The great pictures depict all the trouble Emmy gets into, as well as her sweet faces, and the fits she throws to get out of trouble! See this book listed in our catalog
You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum
Submitted by Catherine from Charlotte Hall!
How much trouble can a balloon cause? In You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum, by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Weitzman, we find out that balloons can cause all sorts of mischief. In this beautiful wordless book, a little girl and her grandmother are off to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time, but the guard explains that balloons have no place in museums. Having no wish to be left out of the fun, the balloon makes a break for it, and leads the guard on a chase around New York City. While the little girl examines paintings and sculptures from all different eras and artists, the balloon leads the guard to places in New York City that reflect the art at the museum. Reproductions of famous pieces of art contrast nicely with the detailed, yet sparsely colored illustrations showing the antics of the little girl and her wayward balloon. Any child or adult with a love of art, or just a need for a funny story, will love this wordless masterpiece! See this book listed in our catalog
Two at the Zoo
Submitted by Tammy, driver of the WoW van!
Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith, illustrated by Valeria Petrone, is a delightful rhyming counting book about a young boy who decides to take his grandpa to the zoo for the day. They start the day out by getting matching safari hats to block the sun. Children will love following along as they count their way through the zoo, encountering a variety of animals from lions to zebras, penguins to chameleons! This book is set up so each two page spread displays a loving relationship between the young boy and his grandpa in bright colors with friendly animals, while the short, rhymed text encourages little ones to join in as they too venture through the zoo. The story comes to an end with a tired boy taking his “tired” grandpa home, as they ride a choo-choo to the end of the zoo saying goodbye to all the animals. See this book listed in our catalog