Read to the Horses!

We've tried Read to the Dogs, so why not Read to the Horses?  Thursday afternoon, a quartet of Deb Murphy's miniature horses - Star, Rascal, Lindsay and Faith - stepped off a horse trailer into the auditorium.  They were so gentle and sweet.  After getting a nametag and choosing a book, we learned a little about horses, and then dispersed to four stations for one-on-one reading sessions.  We also enjoyed making horse masks with Clay Foley from the Champaign County Humane Society.  Check out pictures from the event below! 

 

Rascal considers a book.

Lindsay inspects the pictures.

A surprise kiss!

Star enjoys a rub at a page break.

Leanin' on a friend.

Listening to Henry and Mudge... and nibbling some shorts?!

Piggie and Elephant is o.k.  But what about books about horses?!

 

A reading break - and time for a special nuzzle!

For some more horsin' around, try these books!...

A Friend for Einstein: The Smallest Stallion by Charlie Cantrell and Dr. Rachel Wagner

Oh, Harry! by Maxine Kumin

Stable by Ted Lewin

 

 

 

 

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman

 

 

Happy Reading!  -Elaine B.

Our Favorite Nonfiction Books this Year (So Far)

Part Two of the favorite books we (the children's department) have read in 2012 is all about... Nonfiction Books!  Yes, those books about real people, places, and things.  Also the how-to craft books, sport books, cookbooks, and drawing books.  So all you historians and do-it-yourselfers out there, this one is for you.


Miss Rachel

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca
Graphic novel that somehow manages to make you feel you are in a rocketing awaiting blast off.
J / 629.454 / FLO








Miss Elaine

Amelia Lost
by Candace Fleming
I haven't enjoyed narrative non-fiction like this since I read James Cross Giblin's When Plague Strikes.  Flemming artfully interweaves the story of the last moments of Earhart's last flight with the story of her growing up, so that you cannot put it down because you want to know what happens next.
J / 629.13 / BIO EARHART






Miss Shih-Mei

How Many Jelly Beans?: A Giant Book of Giant Numbers!
by Andrea Menotti
This book connects math concepts with delicious jelly beans.  Imagine the fun of opening up a giant fold-out "millions" of jelly beans.
J / 513.211 / MEN







Miss Lauren

Felties: How to Make 18 Cute and Fuzzy Friends
by Nelly Pailloux
From mummy cats to a sleepy foxes, this books will show you how to make small adorable dolls using basic sewing skills.  Full color photos and simple step-by-instructions make creating your own feltie a breeze.
J / 746.0463 / PAI

Keeper

Are you looking for a read by the beach (or pond, since it is central Illinois) before the end of the summer? You might enjoy Kathi Appelt's new book Keeper. Appelt's words wrap around you like a summer breeze, transporting you to the coast of Galveston, Texas. There you meet ten-year-old Keeper, who believes she is the daughter of a mermaid. After a bad day she thinks can only be made better by her mother, Keeper sets sail to find her in the Gulf of Mexico with only her dog for company. As with her first chapter book, The Underneath, Appelt uses the turn of the page to advance the plot, shifting scenes and perspective. -Elaine B.

New from Katherine Paterson

You may be familiar with Katherine Paterson for her Newbery-winning Bridge to Terabithia or her Newbery-honor book The Great Gilly Hopkins. Paterson's newest book, The Day of the Pelican, brings readers across the Atlantic and back with the story of the Lleshi's, an Albanian family living in Kosovo during the Serbian uprising. As with her other books, Paterson's writing evokes a strong sense of character and setting as the reader learns of the Lleshi's escape from Kosovo through the eyes of the daughter Meli. At once the reader is captured by the unique details of Meli's life as a refugee. While fiction, the narrative reads like a memoir, allowing for the reader to follow the family through their first year in the United States. -Elaine B.

Graphic Novel Explosion

If you think graphic novels are still just superhero books think again. There has been a huge increase in the types and number of graphic novels that are being published for kids. Our graphic novel collection is hugely popular with our patrons, including those kids who normally complain about reading. Graphic novels are no longer tailored just for boys either. An excellent book for girls who would like a female heroine is Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (the cover of the book is pictured to the right).

There are now historical graphic novels like The 1918 Flu Pandemic by Katherine Krohn. Popular series that first appeared in regular book form are being turned into graphic novels like the Time Warp Trio Series by Jon Scieszka, Nancy Drew based on the series by Carolyn Keene and Warriors by Erin Hunter. These join the graphic novel bookshelves with popular series that are only in graphic novel format like Babymouse by Jennifer Holm and Bone by Jeff Smith. So bring home a handful of graphic novels along with regular books to tempt your picky readers or to intrigue your book devourer. There are plenty of great titles to choose from and they are all together, near the easy to read shelves. Happy Reading! --Rachel V.