Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Redwoods by Jason Chin is an awesome work of nonfiction. A boy on a big city subway train is reading a book about redwoods, and he imagines the book coming to life around him. The city scape gives way to these enormous trees, the tallest living things on the planet, which have been around since the time of dinosaurs. The fantastic illustrations complement the incredibly informative and interesting text (including a fascinating passage about the proper way to climb a redwood, which includes launching a rope to climb into the canopy with a bow and arrow!), and there’s an afterword from the author about the value of conserving the redwood forests. Perhaps it will even inspire you to make a trip to California to see these amazing trees up close!
True Stories
The Storyteller’s Candle
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
The Storyteller’s Candle (La velita de los cuentos) by Lucia Gonzalez and illustrated by Lulu Delacre. This story is about two cousins that moved to New York from Puerto Rico in the winter of 1929. They are missing their homeland and the sunny days of December in Puerto Rico. They are also worried about The Three Kings finding them in their new home in New York. One day, a magical thing happened at school. “A visitor appeared in their classroom, a gifted storyteller and librarian Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian in NY Public Library. She opened the children’s eyes to the public library and its potential to be the living, breathing heart of the community. The library, after all belongs to everyone – whether you speak English, Spanish or both.” The Storyteller’s Candle is a bilingual picture book. It honors the real-life Pura Belpre, the first Puerto Rican librarian hired by the New York Public Library System, who actively advocated bilingual story hours, bought Spanish language books, and implemented programs based on traditional holidays.
Beetle Bop
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming. This bug book has great boy appeal! Beetles come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and in only a few words this book tells many facts about them. The eye-catching pictures are sure to be a hit with all bug enthusiasts.
Uno: Blue Ribbon Beagle
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Uno: Blue Ribbon Beagle by Stephanie Spinner. I found this book when I was looking for some early readers and immediately fell in love with Uno. Uno is a little 15 inch beagle that won the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in February 2008. This wonderful non-fiction book tells all about Uno’s life, training, and his family. With adorable pictures it is a must read for anyone who loves dogs or wants to learn more about showing their dog.
Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude
Finally the book we’ve all been waiting for! A biography of Gertrude Stein for children! Seriously, when I first saw Getrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Calef Brown, I wondered “Is this really necessary?” But I found it to be a wonderful, kid-friendly, and interesting story. Gertrude Stein is known for her poetry (which inspires the title and text of Gertrude), her friendship with many avant-garde modern artists such as Picasso and Hemingway, her long-time companionship with Alice B. Toklas (which is summed up gracefully with “Gertrude and Alice are Gertrude and Alice”) and her poodle, Basket!
Ron’s Big Mission
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden, and illustrated by Don Tate, is a truly inspirational story. Ron McNair loved to go the library and look through books about airplanes and space. But he couldn’t check them out and take them home, because he was black, and this story takes place in the south during the time of segregation. Only white people could have a library card, and Ron thought this was unfair. One day he had enough. In protest of the unfair rules, he climbed up on the library’s front desk and refused to come down. They called the police! They called his mom! Finally the librarian gives him a card and Ron takes his books home. And Ron grew up to be an astronaut! When he tragically died in the Challenger accident, they dedicated his childhood hometown library to his memory.