Submitted by Ms. Melissa!
Enjoy these books about animal noises:
It’s Monkey Truck to the rescue! Oo! Eee! Ooo! Aaah! This helpful, banana gas burning monkey is who the Jungle King calls when the underbrush is in trouble. Are the hippos stuck? Are the snakes tied in a knot? Have no fear, Monkey Truck is near! The vivid and cartoon like illustrations add to the comedy of this tale. Delightful and fast, Monkey Truck by Michael Slack will be a treat for those little boys on the go. See this book listed in our catalog
Crush! Squash! Snatch! “I’m going to catch that fly,” or so think the Elephant, Hippo, and Tiger. But no… the tiny little fly is too smart, and it’s those big, clumsy mammals who end up in a lot of muddy muck. Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen, with illustrations by Kevin Waldron, has larger than life images that compliment this teasing tale of a fly who knows how to get by. See this book listed in our catalog
Maa! Baa! Snuffle! Cluck! Quack! Name those animals, and match that sound! That’s the point of this animal round. Bright, realistically drawn animals pile in a stack–Quack! Introduce your children to animal sounds with the book Chicken, Chicken, Duck by Nadia Krilanovich. This could be read over and over and over… in many different and fun ways! See this book listed in our catalog
Things That Go
Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile
Submitted by Ms. Sue!
Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston is the story of Dorothy Thomas, the author’s real life childhood hero, who delivered books to her when she was a child every week. Dorothy was a young girl that loved books. She also loved people. She decided to become a librarian when she grew up, so she could be in charge of a fine brick library, just like the one in her hometown in Massachusetts. She went to college, and then library school, but before Dorothy could become a librarian in a fine brick building, she got married, and moved to North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Dorothy’s house was cozy, and she had bountiful gardens of vegetables and flowers, but there was no library, so a meeting was called with all her friends that loved to read, and they decided to start a bookmobile that Dorothy would be the librarian of. When Miss Dorothy’s green bookmobile arrived, everyone came out to see. She kept her donated books in her basement, and everyday she loaded and unloaded her truck with stacks of books that she carried up and down the steep staircase. Miss Dorothy delivered books over hills and valleys to churches, schools, farms, grocery stores, and even the courthouse steps, until finally one day a reader donated a little white house to be used as a library. It wasn’t a fine brick library, but her dream had still come true! See this book listed in our catalog
Pssst!
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
What would you do if you were just walking through the zoo, minding your own business, and the animals started talking to you? That’s the premise of Pssst! by Adam Rex. A little girl is wandering past the gorilla habitat when she hears “Pssst!” It’s the gorilla! And he needs a favor. Could she get him a new tire? His swing is broken. Get two. Just in case. And he’s not the only animal in need. The javelina needs trashcans, the bats want flashlights, the penguins would like bright colored paint, the sloths yen for bicycle helmets, and the turkeys desire corn (but not to eat. to turn into clean-burning fuel). Luckily, there’s a store across the street that happens to sell all of these things, and she’s provided money by the baboon and tortoise (the peacock fishes the coins out of the fountains every night). But could these animals have ulterior motives? What else could they do with tires, lights, paint, helmets, and fuel… Find out when you read Pssst! See this book listed in our catalog
All Change
All Change by Ian Whybrow and David Melling is a story about a tiger who is very upset because he didn’t get a present for his birthday. Miss Lollipop tries to cheer Tiger up by taking him for a birthday ride. First they travel by car, then train, then boat. They even travel by whale! Each time they change mode of transportation, they add passengers who travel along with them, and they all shout “All change!” At the end of their journey they shout “all change” one last time, and they all change into their pajamas, and jump into their bed! Tiger ends up having a fun birthday after all. This book is great for showing children different kinds of transportation in a funny way. See this book listed in our catalog
Ruth and the Green Book
Submitted by Ms. Sue!
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Ruth and her parents are taking Ruth’s first road trip, in their first car, from Chicago to Alabama. During the 1950’s, most African Americans couldn’t afford to own a car, so this will be an adventure for Ruth and her parents! It feels funny to Ruth, to see her neighborhood disappear as they drive out of Chicago. Unfortunately, Ruth and her family find out that black travelers are not welcome in many service stations, hotels, or towns, and that they can be turned away due to the “Jim Crow” laws. They have a few bad experiences in places where they are not welcome, and have to spend the night sleeping in their car. Eventually, Ruth and her family are lucky enough to meet a friendly attendant at an Esso station, who shows them a book called “The Negro Motorist Green Book.” It provides a list of places that black travelers can go that will welcome them, and their business. Ruth and her parents are very relieved to have a guide book to help them make a safe journey to Grandma’s house. This story contains factual information about “The Green Book” and how it helped African Americans travel more safely. See this book listed in our catalog
A Mighty Fine Time Machine
Submitted by Ms. Tammy!
A Mighty Fine Time Machine by Suzanne Bloom. Samantha, an anteater, pulling her wagon of books, stops to see what her friends are doing beside a huge box. She finds that Grant (an aardvark) and Antoine (an armadillo) have traded twenty Yummy Gummys, and a bag of Buggy Bonbons, for a box labeled “time machine.” Samantha decides to help the boys, even though she knows they’ve been tricked. After making adjustments, they finally make the time machine roll down the hill, only to topple over, spilling them, and the books, onto the ground. The boys, who are tired, start to read Sam’s books, and give up on the time machine. Sam continues to work on the box, making her own changes, until she has a do-it-yourself bookmobile. Soon friends are stopping by to check out some of the great books at the new bookmobile! See this book listed in our catalog