Picture Books
The five sides of Marjorie Rice : how to discover a shape
Amy Alznauer
j510.92 Rice
Picture Books, Nonfiction, Biographies
"When Marjorie Rice was a little girl in Roseburg, Oregon, in the 1930s, she saw patterns everywhere. Swimming in the river, her body was a shape in the water, the water a shape in the hills, the hills a shape in the sky. Some shapes, fitted into a rectangle or floor tilings, were so beautiful they made her long to be an artist. Marjorie dreamed of studying art and geometry, perhaps even solving the age-old "problem of five" (why pentagons don't fit together the way shapes with three, four, or six sides do). But when college wasn't possible, she pondered and explored all through secretarial school, marriage, and parenting five children, until one day, while reading her son's copy of Scientific American, she learned that a subscriber had discovered a pentagon never seen before. If a reader could do it, couldn't she? Marjorie studied all the known pentagons, drew a little five-sided house, and kept pondering. She'd done it! And she'd go on to discover more pentagonal tilings and whole new classes of tessellations." --
A pocket full of rocks
Kristin Mahoney
jE Mahoney
Kids, Picture Books, Nature
"A sweet and soulful celebration of how a child's imagination can transform ordinary objects into extraordinary treasures. You can do a lot with a pocket full of rocks... "
Sweet, beautiful, and just the right length for sharing. What can you do with a pocket full of rocks? Watch for this one at a BookWalk near you soon! -Casey
Toto
Hyewon Yum
jE Yum
Kids, Picture Books
A little girl, self-conscious about her birthmark named Toto, worries her school friend will see her differently when her birthmark is revealed but is pleasantly surprised by her friend's reaction.
Hyewon Yum is one of my favorite author illustrators and her new story is a delight! Be sure to check out all of her other books and the Hazel Westgate Collection in the Children's Room to see one of her beautiful originals. -Casey
Smelly Peggy
Helen Stephens
jE Stephens
Kids, Picture Books
Meet Peggy--a very naughty dog who gets into a lot of trouble. Some of the things she loves doing: leaping on the bed in the morning and sticking her hairy bottom in Dad's face. Sweeping her human family off their feet with her favorite sticks. And most of all, rolling in everything stinky and smelly she can find! And that's not even the naughtiest thing she does . . . But do you think her family loves her anyway? Open the windows for this happy, bighearted story about a beloved puppy named Peggy--a story that delights in the smelly but cherished canine family members that we couldn't do without.
Pet owners will be charmed and feel seen while reading this funny book about all the ways Peggy, an adorable terrier, is naughty and annoying. Interactive text makes the book a great read-aloud, as does the straight-shooter narrator, a red-haired little girl, who frankly discusses gross doggy behaviors. The highlight of the bright, fun illustrations are the dog's adorable facial expressions on each page. -Anne W
It's hard to be a baby
Cheryl B. Klein
jE Klein
Kids, Picture Books
While adults assume life as a baby is easy, a young child sympathizes with babies and recognizes that life as a baby is harder than it seems.
Such a sweet, funny story, with gorgeous, diverse illustrations of babies and families. Get this for new parents and new babies in your life! -Anne W
Bog Myrtle
Sid Sharp
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sharp
Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novels, Kids, Early Readers, Early Chapter Books, Picture Books, Animals, Nature
"From the acclaimed author of The Wolf Suit comes another weirdly hilarious, masterfully thought-provoking, and lushly painted early reader graphic novel. . . . Bog Myrtle is a witty modern folktale that touches on themes of capitalism, environmentalism, labor rights, and being a nice person."--
Bog Myrtle is a true forest treasure. Don't miss out and join Arachnid Local 175! -Casey
When dogs work
Opal Sinclair
jE Sinclair
Kids, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals
"Rhyming text and bright color photographs introduce preschoolers to the many kinds of working dogs."--
What a lovely introduction to working dogs for preschoolers and younger. Vibrant photos and great rhyming text will make this a repeat read for dog lovers! -Casey
Be careful, Xiao Xin!
Alice Pung
jE Pung
Picture Books
Xiao Xin believes he is a red fire warrior but his family are always telling him to be careful. They believe the world is a dangerous place. Too dangerous for a little boy on his own. Can Xiao Xin inspire them to trust him?
He is the energetic boy who is always told by the grown-ups to 小心 (be careful). He is the big brother who encourages Little Sister to fall as she learns how to walk. Though his body is small, inside lives a big heart: a powerful and fearless Red Fire Warrior. In this lovely picture book. get to know the story of this spirited little boy, and listen to his heartfelt longing for independence and trust. This is a fully bilingual (not translated) book told in English and Chinese. Young readers will absolutely feel the resonance of self- identity, while grown-ups might get a little reminder that overprotectiveness isn’t always the best thing for little ones. -Fang
A cozy winter day
Eliza Wheeler
jE Wheeler
Picture Books
"A community of forest animals celebrates all the wonder that winter offers"--
This is maybe the coziest picture book...ever? Lately I have been nostalgic for the classic Golden Book of my childhood, "The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree," which features animal residents of a great fir tree in a thick forest cozily anticipating Christmas. This is the updated version featuring a cast of characters living in Acorn Village, with a more generalized, inclusive holiday celebration. This book is a sensory experience of sights, sounds, smells and the overall feeling of coziness as the animals partake in cozy activities such as cooking, reading, crafts, and playing in the snow. The rhyming pages and colorful animals with patterned pastel clothes and detailed, cozy homes complete with Pyrex dishware, softly lit candles, and built-in bookshelves in their snug animal dwellings is a wonderful feast for little eyes as they enjoy this story read aloud--preferably in a lap with a fuzzy blanket and hot drink. -Mari
Crows : an egg-to-sky story
Margaret Peot
j598.864 Peot
Kids, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature
"This book is an introduction to the natural history of crows for children and includes a brief discussion of the difference between crows and ravens, as well as other members of the crow family such as magpies and jays"--
Here is yet another gorgeous addition to the picture book nonfiction genre! Informative and digestible, Margaret Peot's "Crows: an Egg-to-Sky Story" is just right for sharing with young birders. -Casey
I'm so inspired by this book, which describes the work of self-taught mathematician Marjorie Rice, who discovered not one, not two, but THREE new tesselating five-sided shapes despite being held back from even attending college in the 1960s and 1970s by familial and societal expectations about women's roles at the time. I didn't know that a person could...discover a new shape until I read this book? (A tesselating shape, I learned, is one that fits together with itself infinitely with no gaps or overlaps.) Absolutely astonishingly beautiful illustrations tie together the themes of nature, patterns, and math that "shape" this story and give personality and verve to Rice and her life. With puzzling so popular, this book is timely, interesting, and inspiring. -Anne W