Monday, January 28, 2019

When It's Cold & Snowy . . . Snuggle Up with a Good Picture Book

This week, I'm sharing some great winter-themed picture books.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Bears in the Snow by Shirley Parenteau
The little bears are ready to play in the snow. But, uh-oh, their sled is too small! It's not as fun sledding when they can only go two at a time. What can they use to carry them all? Luckily, Big Brown Bear has an idea.

Blizzard by John Rocco
After a massive blizzard, a boy becomes a hero when he manages to walk to the local store and bring supplies back to his neighborhood which has been snowed in for days. 

A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
Hedgehog, who hibernates through the winter, wants to know what winter feels like, so he asks his friend Rabbit to save him a little bit of winter to share in the spring.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
Katy is a crawler tractor who saves the city when it is snowed in by a blizzard.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathon 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.


More Winter Picture Books --
Axle Annie by Robin Pulver
Cold Winter's Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas
Diamond in the Snow by Jonathan Emmett
Dinos in the Snow by Karma Wilson
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
The First Snow by David Christiana
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Hello, Snow! by Hope Vestergaard
Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara
Hush Up and Hibernate! by Sandra Markle
I See Winter by Charles Ghigna
The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
No Two Alike by Keith Baker
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
On a Wintry Morning by Dori Chaconas
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Pablo in the Snow by Teri Sloat
Samson in the Snow by Philip C. Stead
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
Snow Beast Comes to Play by Phil Gosier
Snow Day! by Lester Laminack
Snow Music by Lynne Rae Perkins
The Snowy Day by Komakio Sakai
Supertruck by Stephen Savage
Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins
Willow and the Snow Day Dance by Denise Brennan-Nelson
Winter Is Here by Kevin Henkes
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
The Wolf-Birds by Willow Dawson

Check out these and more winter picture books at the Arnold Branch on display through February 15, 2019.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown

The Coolest Creatures You've Never Heard Of

This book definitely lives up to its slogan of giving information about cool animals you've haven't seen before.  It lists nearly 25 different animals that are relatively unknown to people.  This is a great browsing book for someone looking to learn a little while filling some time.  I would definitely recommend it to all kids.

Monday, January 14, 2019

Best Books of 2018 - Teen Books

This week, I am sharing some of the best teen books from 2018.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it's that the universe can deliver romance when you least expect it--like meeting Ben at the post office.

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Meyer
During a layover at LAX, Flynn, her older stepbrother Amos, and their sister Poppy decide to ditch their family Christmas vacation in Bora Bora, where their parents plan to announce their divorce, and the three siblings instead spend three days in Los Angeles.

Fruits Basket Another, v. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Sawa Mitoma, a nervous, skittish girl who prefers minimal human interaction, has just started high school, and it's already not going well... until she meets the "it" boys--the "prince-like" Mutsuki and the sharp-tongued Hajime. But little does she know, they're Sohmas?! It's Fruits Basket... again!

Save the Date by Morgan Matson
When seventeen-year-old Charlie Grant's four older siblings reunite for a wedding, she is determined they will have a perfect weekend before the family home is sold, but last-minute disasters abound.

Royals by Rachel Hawkins
When Daisy's older sister gets engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland, Daisy makes the royal rule-book all her own.


More Best Teen Books --
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil
The Belles by Dhonielle J. Clayton
The Button War by Avi
The Cheerleaders by Karta Thomas
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi
Everless by Sara Holland
A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
Light Years by Kass Morgan
Meet Cute by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
Ship It by Britta Lundin
That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger


Check these and more books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 18, 2019.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Drift & Dagger by Kendall Kulper

Mal used to have a home.  It might not have been the greatest home with everyone on Prince Island looking down on him for being a penniless orphan but it was still a place to call his own. 

Then his best friend Essie reveals that he is a blank -- a person unaffected by magic -- and he loses that home. 

Now he travels the world, hiding his secret to stay safe, while hunting for magical creatures to sell. 

Then he hears rumors of a knife that steals magic from those it cuts and Mal decides it will be the perfect revenge.



This is a book set in the same world at Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper.  This was an interesting take on a person in a magical world that has no magic.  It's also a great book about revenge. 

Monday, January 7, 2019

Best Books of 2018 - Chapter Books

This week, I'm sharing some of the best chapter books of 2018 for children.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier
In nineteenth-century England, after her father's disappearance Nan Sparrow, ten, works as a "climbing boy," aiding chimney sweeps, but when her most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem.

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
When his poor sharecropper father is killed in an accident and leaves the family in debt, twelve-year-old Little Charlie agrees to accompany fearsome plantation overseer Cap'n Buck north in pursuit of people who have stolen from him.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel
When an inkblot, who can write, listen, learn, and draw, jumps out of Mr. Rylance's sketchbook, Ethan believes he may be the answer to their problems and names him Inkling.

My Father's Words by Patricia MacLachlan
Declan O'Brien always had a gentle word to share, odd phrases he liked to repeat, and songs to sing. His family loved him deeply and always knew they were loved in return, but a terrible accident one day changes their lives forever. What words are there to guide them through such overwhelming grief?


More Best Chapter Books --
The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods
Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott
The Key to Everything by Pat Schmatz
Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans by Russell Ginns
The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
The Tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
Very Rich by Polly Horvath

Check these and more books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 11, 2019.