Blog Post
Huge Books about a Huge World!
by evelyn
We’ve just gotten in two amazing oversized nature books for kids and their grownups. First up is Under Water, Under Earth by the talented team Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński. I am obsessed with the work by this pair, and this book is my favorite that they’ve done yet. One side depicts life under the ground, including burrowing animals, root vegetables, infrastructures under cities, tunnels, mines, and more. Flip the book over and you are treated to views under the ocean, from fish and scuba divers to the Titanic and hydrothermal vents. The two sections meet in the middle, where they share a spread on the Earth’s core. This book is jam packed with gorgeous, detailed illustrations and tons of fascinating information.
For kids who want to learn more about plants, checkout Botanicum, which joins Animalium and Historium as part of the Welcome to the Museum collection of oversized nonfiction for kids. With a gold-embellished cover and huge illustrations of beautiful vegetables, trees, flowers, and more, this book will win over any plant enthusiast.
These lovely and big books can work independently, but they also make a great pair. Learn about root vegetables in Under Water, Under Earth and then look at the detailed drawings in Botanicum! Just be sure to bring a bag big enough to fit them both.
Blog Post
Storytimes: F is for Food!
by eapearce
Last week at storytimes, Elizabeth told stories all about food! Yum!
We heard about Gregory, the goat who is a picky eater in Gregory, the Terrible Eater and counted 15 different flavors of ice cream from Rob Reid’s 15 Scoop Ice Cream Cone. We read the classic The Wolf’s Chicken Stew and clapped along to the rhymes of Linda-Sue Park’s Bee-bim Bop! And of course, a food-themed storytime wouldn’t be complete without a “5 cupcakes” rhyme.
Visit our special Jump page for parents and teachers to see a list of storytimes at all locations.
Blog Post
Hooray for Owls!
by manz
This week at storytime Ms. Amanda brought some cute owl stories featuring a playful owl, a sleepy owl, and a reading owl. Owls sure do have a lot of interests!
In the wonderfully illustrated Hooray for Today!, Owl wakes up and is ready to play but the friends he wants to play with are still sleeping! Whooooo wants to play? This is by the same author as Hooray for Hat!, and both are recommended.
In I’m Not Reading!, Baby Owl is trying to read a story to Tiny Chick, when they keep getting interrupted by more and more bouncy chicks who also want to hear the story. It’s an adorable and cute picture book by Jonathan Allen to read together.
We then met an owl in Good Night Owl who was trying to go to sleep but he kept hearing a loud SQUEEK. He then tears his house apart searching for the noise. It’s quite silly! What’s silier than an owl in a bathrobe tearing the roof off his house?
Blog Post
The Journey: Books on Refugees and Immigration for Kids
by evelyn
If you want to explain the current refugee crisis to a little one, the new picture book The Journey, by Francesca Sanna, is a wonderful place to start. This gentle and moving book is narrated by a child who has to leave home because of a war. Sanna never specifies where the family starts from, nor the country that they are traveling to, making this story applicable to many parts of the world. The illustrations in The Journey are simply stunning. I was moved to tears by this beautiful story and would recommend it to anyone, not just children.
For other picture books on refugees, take a look at Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey and Joseph’s Big Ride. If you have children who are learning about immigration, try We Came to America, Their Great Gift, or This Land is Our Land.
Blog Post
Newbery Awards Announced!
by manz
It’s a big day in the world of children’s literature and libraries! This morning awards were given for excellence in books, video and audio books for children and young adults at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This year there were three honors given in addition to the winner.
Winner:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic.
Honors:
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran.
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
A peasant girl and her holy greyhound, an oblate on a mission from his monastery, and a young Jewish boy travel across medieval France to escape persecution and save holy texts from being burned.
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan
Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.
Blog Post
Caldecott Awards Announced!
by manz
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year there were four honors given in addition to the winner. There were some really beautiful illustrations this year!
Winner:
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocked to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art work had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. Now, award-winning illustrator Javaka Steptoe's vivid text and bold artwork echoing Basquiat's own introduce young readers to the powerful message and art doesn't always have to be neat or clean--and definitely not inside the lines--to be beautiful.
Honors:
They All Saw a Cat, written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel
In simple, rhythmic prose and stylized pictures, a cat walks through the world, and all the other creatures see and acknowledge the cat.
Leave Me Alone!, written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol,
Grandmother wants so badly to be left alone to finish the knitting for her grandchildren that she leaves her tiny home and her big family to journey to the moon and beyond to find peace and quiet to finish her knitting.
Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square.
Du Iz Tak?, written and illustrated by Carson Ellis
Readers are invited to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in the natural world, even the humblest back garden! With exquisitely-detailed illustration that will appeal to children and art-lovers alike, and a wonderfully playful invented language, we soon find ourselves speaking "Bug" ... Du iz tak? What is that?
Blog Post
Gender Identity for Kids
by evelyn
Do you know a little one who is starting to learn about the big, fun, sometimes messy world of gender and gender identity? We’ve got books for that!
Introducing Teddy is an adorable new picture book about a boy and his best friend and teddy, who wishes that she was a girl instead of a boy. Teddy is afraid to share her feelings with her friend, but when she does, she’s very glad she did! This is a wonderful book about both gender and unconditional love.
Who Are You?: The Kids’ Guide to Gender Identity is a new nonfiction book by Brook Pessin-Whedbee that teaches children about gender identity with simple language and bright, engaging pictures.
Flamingo Rampant Press is a new publisher offering picture books about gender and sexual orientation. The stories in these books are imaginative, diverse, fun, and feature all kinds of kids.
If you want more information on supporting kids in their gender exploration, take a look at The Gender Creative Child by Dr. Diane Ehrensaft. This title offers lots of information on supporting children as they grow and discover who they are. Included is information on how to talk with children about gender expression, how to make sure all of a child’s needs are getting met, how to navigate schools and other environments, and when to research medical options like hormone therapy. Raising the Transgender Child is a great resource for parents of transgender children and offers lots of detailed, science-backed, information.
For more great books on gender for kids and their grownups, take a look at this list!
Blog Post
New Picture Books!
by manz
The new book section at AADL is full of amazing finds! Fiction, non-fiction, youth, teen, and adult! Here are few favorite picture books I found recently.
Kevin Henkes does it again with Egg. It’s a darling story about eggs ready to hatch, and one that just won’t. When it finally does it's a wonderful surprise. With simple words and pretty colors the story demonstrates waiting and friendship. Kids will enjoy the repetition and simple images.
A Greyhound, A Groundhog by Chris Appelhans is a simple and silly book with repeated text featuring rhymes and tongue twisters, as a greyhound and a groundhog go around and around from page to page. I really love the watercolor illustrations in this one.
In Lucky Lazlo by Steve Light a young boy finds a rose and plans to take it to his friend’s play to give to her after her performance. But on the way a cat crosses his path and chaos ensues. The book also includes a lovely author’s note which lists the many superstitions in theater and stage that are found throughout the book. And yes, the illustrations are wonderful.
Blog Post
New Snowy Picture Books to Warm You!
by manz
A chilly winter day is a great time to play in the snow, wish for snow, or cuddle up with a cozy book featuring snowy days and a sweet story.
Samson in the Snow is by Caldecott winner Phillip Stead. In this beautifully illustrated, tender story we meet Samson, a large and friendly wooly mammoth. One sunny day he happens upon a bird gathering yellow flowers for his friend before flying off. Samson continues to wander, and sun turns to snow and Samson can no longer find the bird. As he heads out to search he finds the kind of friends he didn’t even know he was looking for. A very sweet and gentle book.
Before Morning by Newbery Winner Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Caldecott Winner Beth Krommes is simply delightful! The most gorgeous sketched illustrations set the backdrop for a day when a young child wishes snow would come so his pilot mother can stay home. Delightful, tender, with few words, this pretty and poetic book is a treat for a snowy day.
Waiting For Snow is a darling look at a group of animals waiting ever-so-patiently for snow to fall. Waiting is not easy, but it will snow in snow’s time, as badger soon finds out.
How to Build a Snow Bear is also a lesson on waiting. It snowed and it’s time to go play in it! But a sleepyhead who would be a big help in building a snow bear is still hibernating. Wait we must for the sleepy bear to wake up and help out.
Best In Snow features photographs of winter scenes paired with simple words that describe the images and the weather around the onlooker. Air warms, snow softens, it drip drip drops. A lovely book with fantastic photos of snow and animals.
Blog Post
Audio Description Track on DVD!
by Beth Manuel
AADL continues to grow its collection of films that have a Descriptive Video Service or DVS feature. More films are being produced for children & adults that are Described Video Recordings for L Card users to borrow. Some are even available by mail to our WLBPD patrons as Free Matter for the Blind. If your vision isn't what it used to be, you may want to try watching a film with described narration. That way you don't have to ask other folks what's happening on the screen and can concentrate on the film.