It's a Celebration!

This week, I'm sharing picture books about parties and celebrations.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk
When lonely Miss Spider tries to host a tea party, the other bugs refuse to come for fear of being eaten!

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
Bear thanks his friends for bringing food dishes to his dinner party and finds a way of sharing something of his own.

Dozens of Cousins by Shutta Crum
At a family reunion, dozens of 'beastie' cousins spend the day running wild, playing in the creek, filling up on food, and making mischief.

The Entertainer by Emma Dodd
Arriving at a little boy's birthday party, an entertainer in a big cuddly bear costume delights the children with his antics and surprises them when his costume will not come off.


More Books --
The Birthday Presents by Paul Stewart
Boom Chicka Rock by John Archambault
Bulldozer's Big Day by Candace Fleming
Chato and the Party Animals by Gary Soto
Come to the Fairies' Ball by Jane Yolen
Dance by the Light of the Moon by Joanne Ryder
Duck, Duck, Moose! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
How Do You Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle
Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown by Eric Litwin
Happy Birthday, Bunny! by Liz Scanlon
Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin
If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Joffe Numeroff
I'm Not Invited! by Diana Cain Blumenthal
It's My Birthday, Too! by Lynne Jonell
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats
The Lion's Share by Matthew McElligott
Little Whistle's Dinner Party by Cynthia Rylant
Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan
My First Sleepover by Charlotte Guillain
Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore by David McPhail
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin
She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain by Philemon Sturges
Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman
Ten Kisses for Sophie by Rosemary Wells
Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst
While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat by Amy Reichert
Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park

Check these and more celebration books out on display at the Arnold Branch through February 16, 2018.

Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular by Mayim Bialik

The transitions from child to teen to adult is tricky for girls.  There are many factors that play into how we develop into the adult women we want to become.

This book gives information and advice to girls on how to manage that transition.  It covers all aspects of life including our bodies, eating, relationships, stress, school, and community causes.


The author Mayim Bialik was the star of 1990's Blossom and is currently on The Big Bang Theory.  She took time off from acting to attend college and get a PhD in neuroscience.  This conversational book is a great self-help resource for girls of all ages.

My Favorite Picture Books from 2017

This month in story time, we are sharing some of our favorite picture books published in 2017.  Here are some of mine . . . .

Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
A group of cats sleep and play, until they decide to start stacking and unstacking.

Chicken Wants a Nap by Tracy Marchini
With the sun up and grass warm, a barnyard chicken is optimistic that it will be a comfortable day for a nap. However, forces keep conspiring against her--until it becomes a bad day for someone else.

Carrot & Pea by Morag Hood
Although he is different in size, color, and shape, the peas like and accept their friend, Colin the carrot.


More Books --
Accident by Andrea Tsurumi
The Black and White Factory by Eric Telchin
Claymates by Dav Petty
Colette's Lost Pet by Isabelle Arsenault
Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko
A Greyhound, a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins
Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood
His Royal Highness, King Baby by Sally Lloyd-Jones
In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes
La La La by Kate DiCmaillo
Me Tall, You Small by Lilli L'Arronge
Morris Mole by Dan Yaccarino
My Very Own Space by Pippa Goodhart
The Mystery of the Haunted Farm by Elys Dolan
Naptastrophe! by Jarrett Krosoczka
Sleep Tight, Charlie by Michael Escoffier
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through February 28, 2018.

Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Denton is going to die tomorrow.

He's known this almost his own life.  Everybody knows their deathdate.  It's determined at birth by AstroThanatoGenetics.

Still, it's weird.

He attends his own funeral and gives his eulogy.  He spends quality time with his best friend, girlfriend, and family.

He thought he was ready to die.  But is he really?



This is funny look at how we face death.  Also, how we deal with relationships with all the people in our lives.  This would be a great book for teen boys.

Father Knows Best?

This week I am sharing some teen books featuring fathers.  But do these fathers really know what is best for their children?

12 Things to Do Before You Crash and Burn by  James Proimos
Sixteen-year-old James "Hercules" Martino completes twelve tasks while spending two weeks in Baltimore with his Uncle Anthony, and gains insights into himself, his uncle, and his recently deceased father, a self-help author and daytime talk show host who was beloved by the public but a terrible father.

The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon
Yanked out of his city life and plunked down into a small Montana town with his father and his father's boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Ben, angry and resentful about the changed circumstances of his life, begins to notice that something is not quite right with the little boy next door and determines to do something about it.

Hothouse by Chris Lynch
Teens D.J. and Russell, life-long friends and neighbors, had drifted apart, but when their firefighter fathers are both killed, they try to help one another come to terms with the tragedy and its aftermath.

Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
Jaden's summer visit with her meteorologist father, who has just returned from spending four years in Russia conducting weather experiments not permitted in the United States, fills her with apprehension and fear as she discovers that living at her father's planned community, Placid Meadows, is anything but placid.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Seventeen-year-old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his notorious "Dear Old Dad," but believes he has a conscience that will help fight his own urges and right some of his father's wrongs, so he secretly helps the police apprehend the town's newest murderer, "The Impressionist."


More Books --
Breaker by Kat Ellis
Character, Driven by David Lubar
The Compund by S.A. Bodeen
Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Crazy by Han Nolan
The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
Game Seven by Paul Volponi
Grandmaster by David Klass
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Hunted by Meagan Spooner
The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes
King of Screwups by K.L. Going
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
The Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Sure Fire by Jack Higgins
Tender by Valerie Hobbs
Things I'm Seeing Without You by Peter Bognanni
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 12, 2018,