Boogie Knights, by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Mark Siegel, takes place in a castle on a very special night. When the clock strikes twelve, it’s time for the Madcap Monster Ball! Look who all is invited–the werewolves hustle, the zombies bustle, the mummies mamba, and the serpents samba, and all the while upstairs seven boogie knights (Sir Veillance, Sir Prize, Sir Loin, Sir Round, Sir Cumference, Sir Ender, and Sir Vivor) awaken one by one to the sounds of monsters mashing, bogeys bashing, witches waltzing, and wizards wiggling. The castle’s small prince witnesses it all from the shadows until he meets a ghost princess, and then they join in the fun! You can join too! Groove with goblins, jitterbug with jesters, turn your living room into a veritable discotheque with the help of Boogie Knights!
Picture Book
Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog
Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog is the third in a bestselling series by authors William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, and Elizabeth Gundy, and illustrator Audrey Colman about the titular gassy canine. In this installment, Professor Kompressor claims to have a secret formula to stop Walter’s flatulence. Father and Mother think it’s working perfectly, but the farts are just building up inside, turning Walter into a blimp! One night he floats away from home! He floats to the edge of town, before he finds a way to get down, saving some frozen butterflies in the process. Finally his owners accept him for the wonder dog that he is!
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is by frequent collaborators author Neil Gaiman (well-known for his fantasy work for adults) and illustrator Dave McKean. The trouble begins when our narrator offers to swap everything in his room for his friend Nathan’s two goldfish. But Nathan’s not interested, so he offers up his dad (against the advice of his little sister). It seems like a fair trade, but Mom is not pleased, so the boy goes to swap the fish back. Unfortunately Nathan has swapped Dad to Vashti for an electric guitar. And Vashti swapped him to Blinky for a cool gorilla mask. And so on. To what lengths must our narrator go to get his dad back? Find out in this funny book.
Bats at the Library
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies is an adorable book about some winged rodents who find a window ajar to the public library and spend the night amongst the stacks. These bats are not unlike most of our patrons! They look up books, log on to computers, even make copies! Some of the bats get lost in stories, imagining themselves as characters (Lies treats us to bat versions of such literary stalwarts as Dorothy Gale and Bilbo Baggins). The young bats gather round for a nocturnal version of a children’s classic, “Goodnight Sun.” As morning arrives, the bats fly off, hoping the librarians will leave the window open again soon!
Twelve Terrible Things
Twelve Terrible Things by Marty Kelley begins with a warning: “If you turn the page you’re going to see some terrible things. Some really terrible things. This book is full of them. Didn’t you read the title?” Well, he’s right. What follows are some of the most awful things a kid could think of, including monsters under the bed, trips to the dentist, scary clowns, dead goldfish, and a lunch lady demanding “What do you mean you don’t like gravy? Everybody likes gravy.” This book will remind parents of what it was like being a kid, when one of worst things you could think of was getting your cheeks squeezed by your grandma, and it can lead to fun discussions with your child about other truly terrible things!
Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
This book brings tears to my eyes every time I read it (I’m a very emotional librarian). Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope is an inspiring biography of our country’s 44th president by Coretta Scott King Award winning author Nikki Grimes and illustrator Bryan Collier. A young boy named David asks his mother who that man on TV is andwhy people are shouting his name. She tells him the story of a boy with inter-racial parents who grew up in Hawaii. He pursued higher education, and longed to change the world. That boy was Barack Obama and he grew up to be our president asking, “Can we make America better? Can we work together, as one?” Yes. We can.