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Picture Books November 2009

 

 

"'And now,' cried Max, 'let the wild rumpus start!'"
~ from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are

New and Recently Released!


Max and the Dumb Flower Picture - Alexander, Martha G.
Publisher: Charlesbridge
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2009
 ISBN-13: 9781580891561
 ISBN-10: 158089156X
 Call Number: E ALEXA
Despite his teacher's entreaties that it would be perfect for Mother's Day, Max refuses to color in the same flower picture as the rest of the class; determined to express his creativity, Max runs off to draw his own picture, which inspires the rest of the class to create their own original artwork.

Here comes Gosling! - Asher, Sandy
Publisher: Philomel Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2009
 ISBN-13: 9780399250859
 ISBN-10: 0399250859
 Call Number: E ASHER
Excited to meet Goose and Gander's new baby, Froggie works hard to prepare a picnic that is sure to please, but when Gosling shows up and starts honking uncontrollably, it is up to clever Froggie to figure out how to cheer her up and make the day a smashing success for all.

There Was an Old Monster! - by Rebecca, Adrian, and Ed Emberley
Publisher: Orchard Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2009
 ISBN-13: 9780545101455
 ISBN-10: 054510145X
 Call Number: E EMBER
Produced by not one, not two, but three generations of Emberleys, this variation on the well-known cumulative song "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" gives it new vigor and panache. A spotted, bright purple monster with orange horns and big, multi-colored googly eyes starts out swallowing a tick (which makes him feel sick) and chases it with ants, a lizard, a bat, a jackal, and a bear...but the lion he attempts to swallow next turns the tables on him. Download the highly percussive song from the publisher's website and turn the pages--full of riotous color against black backgrounds--for an infectiously rhythmic storytime.

Sue MacDonald Had a Book - by James Tobin; illustrated by Dave Coverly
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2009
 ISBN-13: 9780805087666
 ISBN-10: 0805087664
 Call Number: E MACD
Perfect for a boisterous sing-along, this adventurous story set to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" tells what happens when all the vowels leap from the book that Sue MacDonald is reading and run away. Sue gives chase to each vowel in turn, following A, E, I, O, and U from a train to a jungle to a skyscraper and even down into the sewer. Each letter's lyric makes generous use of its short and long sounds (such as when Sue hunts U "from Kansas U to Katmandu," then "[feels] a tug and [gets] a hug" from the letter), and kids will love singing "A-E-I-O-U" at each refrain.
Books to Read Along with Where the Wild Things Are


Ginger Bear - by Mini Grey
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
 ISBN-13: 9780375942532
 ISBN-10: 037594253X
 Call Number: E KNOPF
Poor little Horace makes a gingerbread bear, but his Mum quashes all his attempts to eat it before bedtime. This reprieve allows Ginger Bear to wake up at midnight and quite literally "make some friends." He bakes a batch of buddies, dresses them in icing and sugar-sprinkle finery, and instigates a wild circus in the kitchen. When the family dog launches a baked-goods blitzkrieg, Ginger Bear is the only one who escapes. Little ones drawn to the after-hours rumpus in Where the Wild Things Are should enjoy the raucous circus that Ginger Bear leads--and they'll be reassured to learn how this smart cookie alters his destiny.

Grump Groan Growl - by bell hooks; illustrated by Chris Raschka
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2008
 ISBN-13: 9780786808168
 ISBN-10: 0786808160
 Call Number: E RASCH
Everyone gets angry sometimes--and a bad mood can make a person feel monstrous. In this book's bold illustrations and simple, poetic text, an enraged youngster is joined by an alter-ego monster that personifies his "bad mood on the prowl," and the two of them storm through a range of feelings before finally getting them under control. With visceral impact reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are and an outlet for anger that, like the one portrayed in Betsy Everitt's Mean Soup, is productive rather than preachy, it's perfect for a toddler or preschooler who's having a really bad day.

Patricia von Pleasantsquirrel - by James Proimos
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2009
 ISBN-13: 9780803730663
 ISBN-10: 0803730667
 Call Number: E PROIM
In this humorous homage to Where the Wild Things Are, a young princess who hasn't yet found her "princessdom" is inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic (and by her parents' prohibitions against staying up until midnight and eating cake before dinner) to seek out her realm and subjects. Flying far away to the Land of the Hippos, Patricia von Pleasantsquirrel is welcomed with a three-day party and, indeed, crowned as princess. But the long list of royal duties is more than she bargained for! Droll (and sparing) cartoon illustrations also allude to other classic children's authors, but Patricia is a true original.

Last Night - by Hyewon Yum
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2008
 ISBN-13: 9780374343583
 ISBN-10: 0374343586
 Call Number: E YUM
Without a single word, Last Night expressively conveys the story of a little girl who is sent to bed early for refusing her dinner and takes a dream-time trip to revel in the woods with her now-real toy bear and other wild animals. There's no small amount of magic in this beautiful book's illustrations--Korean artist Hyewon Yum's linoleum block prints have many layers of both color and meaning, and carry the story forward subtly yet clearly.
Focus on: Fear and Scary Things


Go Away, Big Green Monster! - by Ed Emberley
Publisher: Little, Brown
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1993
 ISBN-13: 9780316236539
 ISBN-10: 0316236535
 Call Number: E EMBER
Forget building a bear--with this graphically delightful book, little ones can build (and then dismantle) a big green monster, part by part! Each die-cut page reveals an additional monstrous characteristic, starting with two big yellow eyes peeping out of a black background and adding a "big red mouth with sharp white teeth," scraggly purple hair, and more. Once the scary monster is in full view, each subsequent page turn banishes a feature until he's completely gone, squiggly ears and all. Great, empowering fun.

Some Things are Scary - by Florence Parry Heide; illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Publisher: Candlewick Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2003
 ISBN-13: 9780763621476
 ISBN-10: 0763621471
 Call Number: E HEIDE
Lots of things can be scary: stepping on something squishy in your bare feet, skating downhill when you don't know how to stop, having your best friend move away, and even knowing you'll be a grownup someday. This book's pictures (by Jules Feiffer, illustrator of Norton Juster's classic The Phantom Tollbooth) manage to be both amusing and slightly disturbing in their depiction of a lengthy catalog of scary things big and small. There's no real story to speak of here--just plenty of empathy for very real childhood fears.

Wemberly Worried - by Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2000
 ISBN-13: 9780688170288
 ISBN-10: 0688170285
 Call Number: E HENKE
Nervous little mouse Wemberly frets about everything. She worries that she might shrink in the tub and fears that the cracks in her home's walls will grow and scary things will come out of them. As Wemberly's first day of school approaches, she worries more than ever before. "What if no one else wears stripes?" and "What if the teacher is mean?" are but two items on her long list of scary possibilities. When the day comes and Wemberly makes a friend at school, however, she starts having fun...and worrying less. Children who admire creator Kevin Henkes' Lily (of the Purple Plastic Purse) but are a bit more timid than she is will love Wemberly.

Precious and the Boo Hag - by Pat McKissack and Onawumi Jean Moss; illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2005
 ISBN-13: 9780689851940
 ISBN-10: 0689851944
 Call Number: E MCKIS
After being up all night with a stomachache, young Precious must stay at home alone when the rest of her family goes out to work in the fields. Her mama instructs her not to "let nothing and nobody in this house," and her big brother warns her about Pruella the Boo Hag, a very scary, shape-shifting creature who's heaps of trouble...but who can't come in uninvited. Sure enough, the Boo Hag tries all sorts of tricks to get inside--but Precious outsmarts her every time. Folksy mixed-media illustrations seem to leap off the pages of this warm and comforting tale about besting one's fears.
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...@HPL

Storytime!

Tuesday November 3rd, 2009
10:30 AM
Hillendahl Neighborhood Library
Description: Enjoy fun stories, songs, and crafts. Ages: 2-5.

Tuesday November 3rd, 2009
10:30 AM
Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library
Description: Provides parents with books and activities to increase their ability to help their children learn. The program includes storytime, games and activities for young children, which emphasize the development of motor skills and prepares them for reading. Ages: 18 months to 4 years

Wednesday November 4th, 2009
10:30 AM
Looscan Neighborhood Library
Description: Enjoy listening to stories and making a craft! Ages: Children

Wednesday November 4th, 2009
10:30 AM
Henington-Alief Regional Library
Description: Bring your preschooler to the library and join us for books, songs, and time with friends. Located in the Henington-Alief Meeting Room. Ages: 3-6 yrs.

Wednesday November 4th, 2009
10:30 AM
Ring Neighborhood Library
Description: Storytime & Craft for pre-schoolers.

Wednesday November 4th, 2009
10:30 AM
Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library
Description: Vengan a un programa que incluye cuentos, rimas, canciones y mucho mas. Edades: Ninos.

Thursday November 5th, 2009
7:00 PM
Central Library
Description: Bring your teddy bears and pajamas to a Bedtime Storytime of snuggly stories and songs. Every Thursday night from 7-8 pm. Kids-4th floor.

Saturday November 7th, 2009
11:00 AM
Central Library
Description: Storytime for all ages featuring stories, songs, and a craft afterwards. 4th floor - Program Place.

Thursday November 12th, 2009
6:00 PM
Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library
Description: Bring your teddy bears and wear your favorite pajamas and share stories and songs at Bedtime Storytime

Friday November 13th, 2009
10:30 AM
Frank Library
Description: Storytime, songs, and simple crafts with playtime to follow. Ages: 6 and under.

Monday November 16th, 2009
10:30 AM
Central Library
Description: An interactive storytime featuring books, songs, and fingerplays with playtime afterward for babies and their caregivers. Ages: 6-18 months. 4th Floor.

Tuesday November 17th, 2009
10:00 AM
Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library
Entertaining storytime and crafts for Toddlers

Tuesday November 17th, 2009
10:30 AM
Meyer Neighborhood Library
Description: Join us for fun stories, songs, rhymes and crafts.

Wednesday November 18th, 2009
10:30 AM
Collier Regional Library
Description: Stories, songs, and activities for preschoolers. Ages: 2-5 years.

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