LIBRARY BLOG
Happy National Reading Month!
March is National Reading Month! To celebrate, we asked TPL employees for their favorite books from our collection. Here are some pretty neat children’s books to share with your little ones!
Quick Genre Links
Picture Books
The Book With No Pictures
B. J. Novak
2014
You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .
BLORK. Or BLUURF. And even if the words include things like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and MY HEAD IS MADE OF BLUEBERRY PIZZA!
Mix It Up
Herve Tullet
2014
From the creator of ‘Press Here’ comes a joyful exploration of colour that will enchant young and old.
Strega Nona: An Old Tale
Tomie dePaola
2014
When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works in this classic Caldecott Honor book from Tomie dePaola.
Strega Nona–Grandma Witch–is the source for potions, cures, magic, and comfort in her Calabrian town. Her magical everfull pasta pot is especially intriguing to hungry Big Anthony. He is supposed to look after her house and tend her garden but one day, when she goes over the mountain to visit Strega Amelia, Big Anthony recites the magic verse over the pasta pot, with disastrous results.
In this retelling of an old tale, author-illustrator Tomie dePaola combines humor in the writing and warmth in the paintings as he builds the story to its hilarious climax.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Eric Litwin, Illustrated by James Dean
2012
Pete the Cat loves his four groovy buttons… but can he keep singing without them? Pete the Cat is back in another rock’n’roll story about staying positive no matter what life throws at you.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Eric Litwin, Illustrated by James Dean
2010
Pete the Cat goes walking down the street wearing his brand-new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change from white to red to blue to brown to WET as he steps in piles of strawberries, blueberries, and other big messes
But no matter what color his shoes are, Pete keeps movin’ and groovin’ and singing his song…because it’s all good. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes asks the reader questions about the colors of different foods and objects–kids love to interact with the story.
The fun never stops–download the free groovin’ song.
The Napping House
Audrey and Don Wood
1984
Everyone knows the cumulative rhyme “This Is the House That Jack Built,” but The Napping House (1984) is close on its heels in the race for posterity: “And on that granny / there is a child / a dreaming child / on a snoring granny / on a cozy bed / in a napping house, / where everyone is sleeping.” Included in the napping house menagerie is a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, a slumbering mouse, and a wakeful flea who ends up toppling the whole sleep heap with one chomp! Don Wood’s delightfully detailed comical illustrations are bathed in moonlight blues until the sun comes up, then all is color and rainbows and a very awake household.
Butts are Everywhere
Jonathan Stutzman, Illustrated by Heather Fox
2020
A triumphant celebration of the tushee.
Big ones, little ones, round ones and flat ones, furry ones and prickly ones–butts are everywhere, and each one is special These powerful muscles make it possible for people and animals to jump, sit, and everything in between. The gluteus really is the maximus
This funny, sweet, and commercial picture book celebrates one of our most useful (and hilarious) body parts, and is sure to become a favorite read-aloud for children and parents alike
Possum Come a-Knockin’
Nancy Van Laan, Illustrated by George Booth
1990
While Granny is a-rockin’ and a-knittin’ and Ma’s a-cookin’ and Pa’s a-fixin’, that old possum in his top hat and vest just keeps on knocking. The narrator, a redheaded boy, tries to tell family members about the possum, and when the family checks, the possum hides. Should be popular with story-hour groups.
I Just Want to Say Goodnight
Rachel Isadora
2017
The sun has set and the moon is rising, and that means it’s bedtime. But not if Lala has a say–because she’s not ready to go to sleep. First she needs to say good night to the cat. And the goat. And the chickens. And, and, and . . . Lala’s adorable stalling strategy will ring true for all parents whose little ones aren’t ready to say goodbye to the day–and all will appreciate the wonderful culmination to the bedtime ritual.
Giraffes Can’t Dance
Giles Andreae
2001
Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. At the Jungle Dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. “Giraffes can’t dance,” they all jeer when it’s Gerald’s turn to prance. But with some sound advice from a wise cricket, Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune.
Chapter Books
Urban Fantasy
Flora and Ulysses
Kate DiCamillo
2020
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry–and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format–a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell.
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Rick Riordan
2005
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.
Matilda
Roald Dahl
1988
Five-year old Matilda longs for her parents to be good and loving and understanding, but they are none of these things. They are perfectly horrid to her. Matilda invents a game of punishing them each time they treat her badly and she soon discovers she has supernatural powers.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Ralph S. Mouse, Book 1)
Beverly Cleary
1982
“Pb-pb-b-b-b. Pb-pb-b-b-b.” With these magic vocables, Ralph the mouse revs up a dream come true–his very own motorcycle. Living in a knothole in a hotel room, young Ralph has seen plenty of families come and go, some more generous with their crumbs than others. But when young Keith and his parents check in to the hotel, Ralph gets his first chance to check out. He has always fantasized about venturing beyond the second floor, maybe even outside. Curiosity overcomes caution, and Ralph must have a go at Keith’s toy motorcycle. Soon, the headstrong mouse finds himself in a pickle, when all he wanted was to ride a motorcycle. Lucky for him, the boy understands how it is. When he discovers Ralph in his thwarted attempt to abscond with the toy bike, Keith generously encourages the rodent to ride. He even teaches him the simple trick of starting the motorcycle: “You have to make a noise… pb-pb-b-b-b.” The subsequent situations Ralph motors into require quick thinking and grownup-sized courage.
Historical Fantasy
The Invention of Hugo Cabret : A Novel in Words and Pictures
Brian Selznick
2008
Orphan, clockkeeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.
Science Fiction
In the Red
Christopher Swiedler
2020
A harrowing, pulse-pounding race for survival that New York Times bestselling author D. J. MacHale says “will leave you breathless.”Michael Prasad knows he shouldn’t go out on the Mars surface alone. It’s dangerous. His parents have forbidden it. And the anxiety he feels almost every time he puts on a spacesuit makes it nearly impossible for him to leave the safety of the colony.
But when his best friend, Lilith, suggests they sneak out one night, he can’t resist the chance to prove everyone-including himself-wrong. As the two ride along the Mars surface in a stolen rover, miles from the colony, a massive solar flare hits the planet, knocking out power, communication, and navigation systems, and the magnetic field that protects the planet from the sun’s deadly radiation. Stranded hours from home with an already limited supply of food, water, and air, Michael and Lilith must risk everything if they’re to get back to the colony alive.
Contemporary
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1)
Kim Michele Richardson
2007
Greg Heffley is thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.
Socks
Beverly Cleary
1973
Socks is one happy cat. He lives the good life with his affectionate owners, Mr. and Mrs. Bricker. Ever since the day they saved him from a life spent in a mailbox drop slot, Socks has been the center of their world. And he always has everything he needs—tasty kitty treats and all the lap room he could want!
But when a new baby arrives, suddenly the Brickers have less and less time for Socks. Little Charles William is the one getting all the attention. Socks feels left out—and to show it, he starts getting into all sorts of trouble! What will it take to make Socks realize just how much the Brickers care about him?
Nonfiction
Happy
Nicola Edwards and Katie Hickey
2018
A perfect bedtime read, this picture book gently encourages children to explore the senses and discover their path to mindfulness.
“Mindfulness is all about connetion with ourselves and the world around us.”
This poetically-written introduction to mindfulness touches upon the most important aspects of life–feeling, discovering, smelling, listening, and all the things that bring the world to life. With every soothing read and practice, children are better equipped to understand and control their own emotions…and diiscover an appreciation for the beautiful world around them.
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World
Chelsea Clinton
2017
Chelsea Clinton introduces tiny feminists, mini activists and little kids who are ready to take on the world to thirteen inspirational women who never took no for an answer, and who always, inevitably and without fail, persisted.
Throughout United States history, there have always been women who have spoken out for what’s right, even when they have to fight to be heard. In this book, Chelsea Clinton celebrates thirteen American women who helped shape our country through their tenacity, sometimes through speaking out, sometimes by staying seated, sometimes by captivating an audience. They all certainly persisted.
She Persisted is for everyone who has ever wanted to speak up but has been told to quiet down, for everyone who has ever tried to reach for the stars but was told to sit down, and for everyone who has ever been made to feel unworthy or unimportant or small.
With vivid, compelling art by Alexandra Boiger, this book shows readers that no matter what obstacles may be in their paths, they shouldn’t give up on their dreams. Persistence is power.
This book features: Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor–and one special cameo.
Thorns, Horns, and Crescent Moons : Reading and Writing Nature Poems
Jennifer Fandel
2014
Woods and brambles, hawks, and frogs. Mosquitoes, snow, and buffalo. This book celebrates nature of all kinds. And it gives you the seeds you’ll need to grow your own poems. So open up, and discover the poet in you!
We have more book lists for you to browse at your leisure!
– Lillian, Reference Department