It's Not Easy Being Green

This year I decided to do a display at the library for St. Patrick's Day.  Since the few St. Patrick's books we have go out so quickly, I decided to instead focus on the color green.  So the display contains books that feature items that are green.  And for the display title I picked one of my favorite characters and songs of all time -- Kermit the Frog's "It's Not Easy Being Green".

1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker
Busy little peas engage in their favorite activities as they introduce the numbers from one to 100.

The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long
Frogs sing and do their own version of the Hokey Pokey.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Rambunctious Froggy hops out into the snow for a winter frolic but is called back by his mother to put on some necessary articles of clothing.

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great-grandfather, as expressed in his topiary garden.

The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
A family moving into a new house discovers in their bathtub a talented crocodile named Lyle, who soon becomes an important part of the family.

Raisin and Grape by Tom Amico
A young grape and his grandfather, a wrinkly raisin, enjoy spending time together telling jokes and going to the park.



More Books Featuring the Color Green --
Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack
Alberto, the Dancing Alligator by Richard Waring
And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano
Beware the Frog by William Bee
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
Don't Let the Peas Touch! and Other Stories by Deborah Blumenthal
Duck and Cover by Jackie Urbanovic
Egad Alligator! by Harriet Zierfert
Emeraldicious by Victoria Kann
An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni
Finklehopper Frog by Irene Livingston
For Pete's Sake by Ellen Stoll Walsh
The Frog Principal by Stephanie Calmenson
A Frog Thing by Erich Drachamnn
Froggie Went A-Courtin' by Iza Trapani
Froggie Went A-Courting by Marjorie Priceman
Froggy series by Jonathan London
The Frogs and Toads All Sing by Arnold Lobel
Gator Gumbo by Candace Fleming
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan
Good Luck, Bear by Greg Foley
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Green as a Bean by Karla Kulkin
The Green Bath by Margaret Mahy
Green Beans by Elizabeth Thomas
The Green Line by Polly Farquharson
Green Shamrocks by Eve Bunting
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator by Mo Willems
How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans by David LaRochelle
Hug Me by Simona Ciraolo
I, Crocodile by Fred Marcellino
Jump! by Scott Fischer
The Kindhearted Crocodile by Lucia Panzieri
Leaf by Stephen King
A Leaf Can Be -- by Laura Salas
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
The Little Green Goose by Adele Sansone
The Little Pea by Eric Battut
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Lizette's Green Sock by Catharina Valckx
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile series by Bernard Waber
The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein
Mortimer's First Garden by Karma Wilson
My Crocodile Does Not Bite by Joe Kulka
My Lucky Birthday by Keiko Kasza
The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg
The Pea Blossom by Amy Poole
The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas by Tony Wilson
The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child
Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan
The Snake Alley Band by Elizabeth Nygaard
Snakes! by David Greenberg
The Story Goes On by Aileen Fisher
Sylvie & True by David McPhail
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin
Too Many Frogs! by Sandy Asher
Underground Gators by Tina Casey
Verdi by Janell Cannon
Very Boring Alligator by Jean Gralley
The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-To-Be by Mini Grey


These books will be on display at the Arnold Branch through March 20, 2015.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Tiger lives in a town full of civilized animals.  Everything was very proper and well-mannered.

Mr. Tiger was bored.

So Mr. Tiger decides to start going just a little big wild . . .


Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is a great stories about being true to yourself.  It also shows how just one person can make a huge difference in the lives of those around him.

Sports Stories for Teens

Sports books are stories filled with underdogs, becoming your best, and overcoming difficulties.  They are stories of becoming who you are.  Here are some great sports stories for teens . . .

Final Four by Paul Volponi
Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large.

Hard Hit by Ann Warren Turner
A rising high school baseball star faces his most difficult challenge when his father is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Soccerland by Beth Choat
Flora Dupre has a chance to fulfill a life-long dream when she receives an invitation to tryout for the Under-15 US Girls' National Soccer Team at the International Sports Academy.

Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy Powell
During their humorous search to find a fourth player for their flag football team, three high school juniors are forced to examine their long friendship, their individual flaws, and their inability to try new experiences.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students.


More Sports Stories --
Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Pena
Boost by Kathy Mackel
Crash Course by Matthew Reilly
Game Changer by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
Hard Ball by Will Weaver
Kick by Walter Dean Myers & Ross Workman
The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Open Ice by Pat Hughes
Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian
Pop by Gordon Korman
Rebound by Bob Krech
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Summerland by Michael Chabon
Winger by Andrew Smith


Sports Stories for Teens will be on display at the Arnold Branch through March 14, 2015.

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin

Lorelei's new school is amazing.  The students get to decide whether to study what the teacher is teaching.  They can walk out of the classroom whenever they like.  They're fed two mouth-watering meals a day and given bowls of candy at their desks.  And the playground is every child's dream.

But there is something sinister going on at Splendid Academy!

Lorelei's teacher Ms. Morrigan seems to be fattening up the students with all the food she is forcing them to eat.  Lorelei and her new friend Andrew start to wonder if she is actually a witch who wants to eat the kids.

But that can't be true, can it?

Evil witches are only in fairy tales . . . .


This was a great fantasy / fairy tale story for kids in grade school.  The mix of the fairy tale witches working together is truly wicked.  A sinister story for those in a creepy mood.

Me & My Family

Family stories are great to read.  Whether the idealized family that we all long to have or the dysfunctional family that makes us feel better about our own, family stories are fun to read . . . .

Family Ties: The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Relatives by Gary Paulsen
'I'm the greatest family member you'll ever meet.' Kevin Spencer has a history of big ideas going completely awry. This time around, it's personal--suddenly he's kind of in charge of a double wedding in his backyard, and a whole tribe of wacky relatives is crowding him out of his own house.

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

Jack Strong Takes a Stand by Tommy Greenwald
Tired of being forced to participate in sports and take extra lessons and tutoring to become well-rounded in anticipation of college, middle-schooler Jack Strong stages a sit-in on his couch until his parents ease up.

Tracking Daddy Down by Marybeth Kelsey
Daredevil eleven-year-old Billie has an exciting summer, in spite of her overprotective stepfather, when she figures out where her father and uncle are hiding after robbing a bank and enlists her cousin's help in convincing them to surrender.

Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
In Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay, put-upon butler Tristan Benway writes a memoir of his years spent working for the chaotic and eccentric Bellweather family in their lighthouse, as he prepares for his long-awaited departure from indentured servitude.


More Family Stories --
Andrew North Blows Up the World by Adam Selzer
The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm by Patricia McLachlan
Brother from a Box by Evan Kuhlman
Cupcake Cousins by Kate Hannigan
Finding Family by Tonya Bolden
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
The Magic Half by Anne Barrows
My Invisible Sister by Beatrice Cohn
Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family by Kimberly Willis Holt
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
Trophy Kid, or, How I Was Adopted by the Rich and Famous by Steve Astinksy


These books are on display at the Arnold Branch through March 7, 2015.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital
Columbus, Ohio,
USA --
a country caught

between Black and White.

Jacqueline Woodson's memoir written completely through poems tells of her childhood from being born in Ohio, living with her grandparents in South Carolina, and moving to New York City with her mother and siblings.  She spends her early years in the racially divided South where they march for equal rights.  Her grandmother gives her religion.  Her grandfather becomes her "Daddy".  She later moves to New York City just before starting school where she has problems reading quickly like the other kids.  Yet she wishes and dreams that one day she will be a writer . . .

Each day a new world
opens itself up to you. And all the worlds you are --

gather into one world

called You

where You decide

what each world
and each story
and each ending

will finally be.


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is the 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Medal winner for most distinguished book by an African-American author, a 2015 Newbery Award Honor Book for best book for children, and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Award Honor Book for best information book for children and teens.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm . . .

Farm books are always a popular topic with kids.  We recently put up a display of farm picture books for young children.  Here are a few of my favorites from that display . . .

Hungry Hen by Richard Waring
A greedy fox watches a hungry hen growing bigger every day, knowing that the longer he waits to eat her, the bigger she will be.

The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown
Early one morning, a little scarecrow whose father warns him that he is not fierce enough to frighten a crow goes out into the cornfield alone.

Chicken, Chicken, Duck by Nadia Krilanovich
Easy-to-read, rhythmic text about a group of farm animals, led by a tenacious duck, who play a noisy game together.

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
While all the other animals on the farm enjoy eating their regular food, the cow chooses to eat the one thing that she loves best.

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
The sounds of the farm animals create a lively beat that keep Farmer Sue, the chicks, sheep, and other farm animals awake.

A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Minerva Louise, a snow-loving chicken, mistakes a pair of mittens for two hats to keep both ends warm.


More Farm Picture Books --
Albert & Lila by Rafik Schami
April Foolishness by Teresa Bateman
Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Century Farm: One Hundred Years on a Family Farm by Cris Peterson
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Cock-A-Doodle Quack! Quack! by Ivor Beddiel
Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin
Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner
Farm by Elisha Cooper
Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman
A Farmer Boy Birthday by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round by Teri Sloat
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
The Farmer in the Dell by John O'Brien
Grandpa's Tractor by Michael Garland
Leon and Albertine by Christine Davenier
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch by Anne Isaacs
No Milk! by Jennifer Ericsson
Oink-A-Doodle-Doo by Jef Czekaj
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon by Ken Baker
On the Farm by David Elliott
Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Princess Pig by Eileen Spinelli
Rooster Can't Cock-A-Doodle-Doo by Karen Rostoker-Gruber
Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson
Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown
Serious Farm by Tim Egan
Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli
Zinnia and Dot by Lisa Campbell Ernst

These and more stories about farms will be on display through February 28, 2015.