Play Around the World: Staff Picks

Come Out and Play: Count Around the World in 5 Languages by Diane Law (NorthSouth Books, 2006)

One by one, children around the world come out to play in this bright, cheerful picture book by Diane Law. Each page counts the number of children joining in on the fun in five different languages: English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese. Each language is color-coded on the page and a pronunciation guide is included for the Chinese characters. Early childhood is the perfect time to introduce your child to the sounds and words of different world languages.

Play by Ann Morris, photographs by Ken Heyman (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1998)

In these series of photographs, people from around the world play in a variety of ways - using their hands, bodies, objects, or their imagination and with family, friends, or alone.

Pick of the Week: Princess Bess Gets Dressed

Princess Bess Gets Dressed by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Heather Maione (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009)

Princess Bess is a fashionable little girl with a packed schedule for the day - including tea with the king and queen, ballet class, jousting, art, picnic lunch with the prince, and more. She is asked each day what she would really like to wear, but Princess Bess keeps her favorite clothes a secret. She changes outfits constantly throughout the day - a new one for each activity. But at the end of the day, she reveals that despite all the bustling activity and beautiful clothes of the day, what she really enjoys wearing best is really quite simple. Share this one with little princesses and preschool fashionistas.

Pick of the Week: Yum Yum! What Fun!

Yum Yum! What Fun! by Maraq Bergman, illustrated by Nick Maland (Greenwillow Books, 2009)

Katie, James, and their dog live next to the zoo. So, when they are busy baking, a few unexpected visitors from next door come visiting. The delicious smells from their baking end up attracting a big bear and Katie and James are worried the bear is hungry and looking to eat them! But, alas, the bear is only interested in eating what they are baking. This book is a lot of fun for preschoolers - containing repetition, plenty of humor, just a teeny bit of fright when the bear comes over, and a pleasant surprise. It just might inspire some baking and multiple readings!

Lullabies for Babies and Parents

Looking for lullaby music to share with your little one, but want something different that might appeal to your music taste too? Lullaby albums based on popular adult music are an increasingly popular option from music labels these days. The library aims to offer something for everyone's perspective and taste, and the Juvenile Music CD collection offers a variety of these lullaby albums for you to check out:

Hushabye Baby offers a series of albums featuring lullaby renditions of a variety of musicians, including Carrie Underwood, Rascall Flatts, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Willie Nelson.





Maybe you prefer something with more of an edge or a rock sensibility. You may enjoy the Rockabye Baby! series of lullaby renditions of music groups such as AC/DC, Bob Marley, Christmas Rock Classics, the Cure, Coldplay, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, No Doubt, Pink Floyd, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Tool.

Rockabye Baby! has this goal: " [to transform] timeless rock songs into instrumental lullabies using instruments such as the glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells to create a soothing atmosphere of sound for the very young."

Or perhaps you'd like to share worship music in a lullaby-format with your child. The library's collection contains Sleepytime Worship cds featuring the music of Jars of Clay and Amy Grant.

The library is always open to suggestions, too. If there are music selections you'd like the library to purchase, feel free to place a purchase request online here.

Parent Pick: Catch a Fish, Throw a Ball, Fly a Kite

Do you ever feel like you need to slow down and get back to the simple things in life? Here's a book to inspire the modern parent to try the simple, timeless activities familiar to childhood.

In Catch a Fish, Throw a Ball, Fly a Kite: 21 Timeless Skills Every Child Should Know (and any parent can teach!) by Jeffrey Lee:

"A renowned family physician, YA author, and father of two offers this guide to 21 classic skills that parents can teach their children--from lighting a campfire to riding a bike to folding a paper airplane. Includes illustrations, anecdotes, and trivia and jokes related to each subject." (summary courtesy of Syndetics)

P is for Potatoes!

A few years ago I read an entry in Esmé Raji Codell's book How to Get Your Child to Love Reading where she discussed what she could do as a teacher if all she had was a potato. She described math, art, and science projects one could do based on a potato. She also linked potatoes to units on literature and history. That entry in her book has always stuck with me. You can often do quite a lot with just a little and a dose of imagination. So today I'm celebrating potatoes and the variety of ways they are treated in children's books:

Spuds by Karen Hesse

Maybelle, Jack, and Eddie want to help Ma by putting something extra on the table, so they set out in the dark to take potatoes from a nearby field, but when they arrive home and empty their potato sacks, they are surprised by what they see.

Potato Joe by Keith Baker

Potato Joe leads the other spuds from the familiar nursery rhyme, "One Potato, Two Potato," in various activities, from a game of tic-tac-toe to a rodeo. One of my favorites!

One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia DeFelice

This retelling of a Chinese folk tale pays tribute to the author's Irish heritage, and to the joys of an old marriage, new friendships, and the impulse to share. Using pen and gouache, the artist shows the "simple" characters in all their winning complexity. Full color.

One Potato: a counting book of potato rhymes by Diana Pomeroy

A counting book which uses images of fruits and vegetables to illustrate numbers from one to one hundred and which also includes an explanation of how to do potato printing.

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: an Irish folktale by Tomie DePaola

The laziest man in all of Ireland catches a leprechaun, who offers a potato seed instead of a pot of gold for his freedom.

From Eye to Potato by Ellen Weiss

Includes vocabulary word hunt with pronunciations, glossary, and index- Labeled diagrams and timelines- Beautiful, full-color photographs- Simple interior design and easy-to-read fonts- Web sites for further research and information- Vocabulary preview and review pages plus backmatter pages that invite readers to think further on the study topics.

The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis

A farmer's potato grows to such an enormous size that he needs the help of his wife, his daughter, a dog, a cat, and a mouse to pull it up.

The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup by Terry Farish

The friendship between an old man and his cat, both of whom like potato soup, is strained after he goes fishing without her.

Pick of the Week: A Carousel Tale

A Carousel Tale by Elisa Kleven (Tricycle Press, 2009)

This is the third book by Elisa Kleven about Ernst, a blue crocodile, and his big brother Sol. In this imaginative tale, Ernst loves the carousel in the park. He especially loves the honey-colored dog on the carousel. When the carousel keeper covers up the ride for the winter, Ernst is saddened. On his walk home he finds the tale from the honey-colored wooden carousel animal. Luckily for Ernst, the carousel keeper gives Ernst the gift and responsibility of taking care of the tale until springtime when the carousel reopens. During winter, Ernst decides the honey-colored dog's tale is lonely and transforms it with a colorful paint job. But will he be in trouble once spring comes and he must return it to the carousel keeper?

Today at Infant Storytime

Rhymes We Shared in Infant Storytime today ~
Rhymes to Share at Home!

Elevator Song
Let’s go riding on an elevator, let’s go riding on an elevator,
Let’s go riding on an elevator.
1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor, 4th floor, 5th floor, down!

Spanish Color Song
Rojo, Red, Rojo, Red
Azul, Blue, Azul, Blue
Amarillo, Yellow, Amarillo, Yellow
Verde, Green, Verde, Green

Smooth Road
Smooth road, smooth road, smooth road
Bumpy road, bumpy road, bumpy road
Rough road, rough road, rough road….HOLE!

10 Little Kisses
1 little, 2 little, 3 little kisses
4 little, 5 little, 6 little kisses
7 little, 8 little, 9 little kisses
10 little kisses say I LOVE YOU!

Peekaboo
Peekaboo, peekaboo
I see you! I see you!
I see your button nose
I see your tiny toes
Peekaboo, I see you!

Two Little Red Birds
Two little red birds, sitting on a hill
One named Jack and the other named Jill
Fly away Jack, Fly away Jill,
Come back Jack and Come back Jill

We Shared these Books during Storytime:

Flappy, Waggy, Wiggly by Amanda Leslie

I Love Colors by Margaret Miller (board book)

Strawberries are Red by Petr Horacek (board book)

I Love Animals by Flora McDonnell

Pick of the Week: Birds by Kevin Henkes

Birds by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow Books, 2009)
Hurray for the birds! Kevin Henkes brings young children another delightful book - this one with illustrations by Laura Dronzek. The soft, acrylic paintings of birds throughout the story match the wonder and fascination of the little girl in the story. Have you ever noticed how birds come in different colors and sizes? Birds are everywhere - can you spot their colors, their patterns and their music outside? This one is a lovely selection for young birdwatchers.