Tails & Tales: Reading Safari

 This week, I'm sharing picture books featuring animals you might find on a safari.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Learning to be a lion takes some serious lessons, but luckily, this kid has a teacher who is a real pro.

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won

Elephant wakes up in a grumpy mood, but a present on his doorstep--a hat--cheers him and he sets out to greet his neighbors who all, it seems, need hats of their own!

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

Hippos Are Huge! by Jonathan London

Presents an introduction to the hippopotamus that describes its less well-known characteristics, including its strength, speed, and deadly nature.

Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen

With a tramp and a roll and a swat, Great Big Elephant, Great Big Hippo, and Great Big Tiger try to capture Tiny Little Fly as he teases each one in turn.

More Books --

Alan's Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis

Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys by H.A. Rey

Elmer by David McKee

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

The Good Ship Crocodile by J. Patrick Lewis

Hello, Hippo! Goodbye, Bird! by Kristyn Crow

It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle

Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert

Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora

On Safari by Emma Lynch

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bergstrom

One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Anthony Browne

The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues
Rhino Romp by Jean Craighead George

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

The Short Giraffe by Neil Flory

Sloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt

Snappsy the Alligator Did NOT Ask to Be in This Book! by Julie Falatko

Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freeman

Tales from the Waterhole by Bob Graham

Tiptoe Tapirs by Han-Min Kim
The Travels of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff

Verdi by Janell Cannon

Wally Wants to Hug by Barbara M. Joosse

What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

Check these and more safari animal books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 27, 2021.

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.

Take a Dip . . . Into a Book

Kids eagerly look forward to summer . . . and swimming!  The kids at the library are always excited to be able to go swimming.  So this week, I am sharing some of my favorite books are swimming and water . . . .

Froggy Learns to Swim by Jonathan London
Froggy is afraid of the water until his mother, along with his flippers, snorkle, and mask, help him learn to swim.

America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A. Adler
Describes the life and accomplishments of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel and a figure in the early women's rights movement.

Tuck in the Pool by Martha Weston
Tuck, a little pig taking swimming lessons, overcomes his fear of the water with the help of his lucky rubber spider.

Wave by Suzy Lee
A wordless picture book that shows a little girl's first experiences at the beach, as she goes from being afraid of the roaring waves to playing on the shore while gulls soar overhead.

Otters Under Water by Jim Arnosky
This book shows two young otters frolicking and feeding in a pond.


More Books --
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer
Barnacle Is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
The Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien
Bored! Bored! Bored! by Jill Newton
Can't Catch Me! by John Hassett
Duck & Goose Go to the Beach by Tad Hills
Fruits and Suits by Jared Chapman
How to Catch a Fish by John Frank
How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran
Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian
Nugget & Fang by Tammi Sauer
Ocean Counting by Janet Lawlor
The Ocean Story by John Seven
One Lonely Seahorse by Saxton Freymann
Pond Babies by Cathryn Falwell
Rain, Drop, Splash by Alvin Tresselt
Scuba Bunnies by Christine Loomis
Sea Monkey & Bob by Aaron Reynolds
Sea Rex by Molly Idle
Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez
Splashy Fins, Flashy Skins: Deep-Sea Rhymes to Make You Smile by Cynthia Copeland
Swallow the Leader: A Counting Book by Danna Smith
Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie
Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant by April Pulley Sayre
Turtle Tug to the Rescue by Michael Slack
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck
The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

Check these and more water books out on display at the Arnold Branch through July 21, 2017.

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.

A Time to be Thankful

With Thanksgiving only two days away, the most popular request I am getting is for Thanksgiving books.  Unfortunately, the Thanksgiving books have been checked out for weeks.  With that in mind, here are some books that encapsulate the idea of Thanksgiving and giving thanks . . .

Giving Thanks by Jonathan London
A boy's father celebrates the interconnectedness of the natural world through his daily words of thanks and assures his son, who finds it a little embarrassing to thank trees and such, that it becomes a habit and makes one feel good.

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr
Easy-to-read text encourages the reader to find something every day for which to be thankful, from underwear that is just the right size to birthday cakes and the wishes they bring.

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.

Give Thanks Each Day by Steve Metzger
Animals give thanks for the things that they enjoy, such as flowers, new crayons, and a hug.