Submitted by Ms. Amanda!
Cinco de Mouse-o! by Judy Cox is an adventurous tale of a mouse and his first Cinco de Mayo. There are excellent descriptions of Cinco de Mayo traditions through the eyes of a mouse. It begins one morning when Mouse wakes up to a fantastic smell, a beany, cheesy, ricey smell! He follows the smell out of his hidey hole and down to the plaza, but what he doesn’t know is while he is following the smell a cat is following him! Mouse finds that in the plaza is an amazing fiesta! He sees an enticing piñata full of candy, and people all around him eating tacos, tamales, chorizos, and flan! He samples some of all the yummy foods and then dozes off to sleep, until the cat begins to chase him! Mouse runs through dancers’ stomping, tapping, pounding feet to avoid the cat. While mariachis play, and fireworks boom, Mouse hides from the cat, until he sees that it is time for the piñata! He comes out of hiding to the piñata in search of sweets for his own Cinco de Mouse-o celebration, while the cat waits below for the mouse to drop like a piece of candy from the piñata! Finally Mouse escapes the cat and find his very own candy to take back to his hidey hole! Mouse then has his own Cinco de Mouse-o celebration! See this book listed in our catalog
Foreign Culture
Mendel’s Accordion
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
I recently acquired an accordion, and am learning to play it. In hopes of incorporating my new-found accordion skills into story time at the library, I searched for children’s books featuring accordions, and was lead to the gem that is Mendel’s Accordion by Heidi Smith Hyde, illustrated by Johanna Van Der Sterre. It’s a story about a brave Jewish musician, and his immigration from Europe to America, when times were not easy for Jewish people, or immigrants. It’s a story about the power of music to heal and unify. And it’s a story about the proud tradition of Klezmer, a style of music that was originated in eastern Europe by people who typically lacked formal music training, but could play songs that easily evoked happiness, or sadness, in their audiences. It’s a fabulous book for any child curious about history, or music, or accordions! See this book listed in our catalog
Life in the Boreal Forest
Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher
Zen Ghosts
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
Happy almost Halloween everyone! As we prepare for our Halloween parties at the library, I wanted to tell you about a beautiful book, Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth. If you’re familiar with Muth’s other Zen books, then you already know Stillwater the panda, and his friends Karl, Michael, and Addy. It’s Halloween, and the kids are getting their costumes ready. Karl is going to be a monster, Michael either an owl or a pirate. Or an owl pirate. But Addy’s moon princess costume reminds Stillwater of an ancient Chinese ghost story, the chilling tale of a girl named Senjo who appears to be in two places at once… The story is an example of a koan, as Mr. Muth explains in an author’s note at the end of the book, or a question to contemplate. There is really no right or wrong answer; to intuit is the only point. This may seem like a slightly advanced concept for your child, but consider that the idea of duality is one a person begins to process very early in life: “There’s the me I am with my parents, the me I am with my friends, and there is still another me with a different group of friends.” Have a philosophical conversation with your youngster, or just enjoy a spooky story, with gorgeous illustrations, with Zen Ghosts. See this book listed in our catalog