@ Your Library
The final quarter of the year has begun. It is time to look at some of the new titles in the junior room today. I know I probably say it every time, but there are so many amazing titles being published for children these days. I love reading kids books from picture books to easy readers to graphic novels to chapter books and more.
I’ll start with picture books. Duck Goes Meow by Marla Martell, based on a true story of a duckling raised by a cat is also fun for practicing those animal sounds with your toddlers. Eyes that Weave the World’s Wonders by Joanna Ho with Liz Kleinrock and illustrations by Dung Ho begins with a young adoptee noticing that her eyes don’t match her parents’. The love they share connects them and allows the young girl to weave together her own hopes and dreams. Finally, The Truth about Dragons by Julie Leung and Hanna Cha begins as a bedtime story with a young boy and his mother and quickly becomes an examination of the differences between his grandmothers’ view of dragons, one from the east and one from the west. A beautiful story to explore cultural differences even within our own families.
Four books for the young reader beginning to explore a little bit longer book. Buddy and Bea: Tiny Tornadoes by Jan Carr follows a second grade class who definitely isn’t in competition with the other second grade class at the school. Erin Entrada Kelly’s newest book Felix Powell, Boy Dog features a young boy who can talk to animals and then mysteriously turns into a dog! Artur Laperla continues his series of Super Potato books with Super Potato and the Slug King’s Revenge, this series is a hilarious combination of characters in a cosmic kerfuffle. Shannon and Dean Hale have just released a new story about the Princess in Black called The Kitty Catastrophe.
Sibling rivalry is front and center in Alison McGhee new book Dear Brother. While Aster needs to work with her family in Bunnybirds by Natalie Linn to save their world.
Two new fantasy stories are getting a lot of buzz. Madsi the True by S. J. Taylor is a moving story of the sister left behind when the northern lights steal her sister. Madsi demands they return Lisbet, but instead Torin falls from the sky and wants to return to the lights. Can Madsi figure out what really happened to Lisbet? Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell combines adventure with magical creatures and a new friendship.
I’ll finish this week with some non-fiction. The Dark: wild life in the mysterious world of caves by Lindsey Leigh is a fascinating look at the variety of life found in caves around the world. Gieslle Clarkson has written an amazing book for kids interested in bugs in The Observologist a ‘handbook for mounting very small scientific expeditions.’ Finding Family: the duckling raised by loons by Laura Purdie Salas with illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis is an amazing story.