Thought of the Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!  Here are some fun Easter reading graphics!

Grab Bag Thursday: Free Spring Bookmarks!

 Happy Easter!  Here are some free bookmarks to print!  Just click on the image to download.  Enjoy!

Video of the Week: Hoppy Easter!

Check out this Easter video that my Tiger Time News crew put together!



Be sure to stop by the library to "hunt" for some great books!

Book Talk Tuesday: Books for Spring

Chick (oops...I mean, "check") out these great spring books!

This beautifully illustrate book tells the story of Easter, including its background, significance, and symbols.

Orson Abbott is a rabbit. His parents decorate Easter eggs. When the Abbotts go on vacation, they have lots of adventures. Orson likes decorating, but not as much as he likes to play. When a family wants their house decorated, Orson gets to do the high parts.

A pilot wants his plane to have designs, and Orson gets a free ride

When the townspeople ask the Abbotts to paint the town bridge, Orson decides he wants to do the whole thing by himself? It takes a lot of hard work, but Orson loves it and never gets tired.

A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in an imaginative and imaginary game of verbal hide-and-seek; children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time.

When the farmer says he's too old to play the Easter Bunny for his grandchildren, Minnie and Moo decide to take matters into their own hooves and find a replacement. But Elvis the rooster isn't interested. Hamlet the pig has to ask his mother (just as soon as he finds her). And the sheep simply won't hop. Can Minnie and Moo save Easter?

The country bunny is a lady, and she attains the exalted position of Easter Bunny in spite of her responsibilities as the mother of twenty-one children. That the story ends with success and a reward is, of course, as every child would wish.

In this hilarious chapter book mystery, meet a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by disreputable foxes, and a pair of detectives that also happen to be bunnies! When Madeline gets home from school one afternoon to discover that her parents have gone missing, she sets off to find them. So begins a once-in-a-lifetime adventure involving a cast of unforgettable characters. There's Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who drive a Smart car, wear fedoras, and hate marmots; The Marmot, who loves garlic bread and is a brilliant translator; and many others. Translated from the Rabbit by Newbery Honor-winning author Polly Horvath, and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, here is a book that kids will both laugh over and love.

Lucille is having an Easter Egg Hunt at her rich expensive mansion! And guess what? The winner gets a play date to swim in Lucille's heated indoor swimming pool! Only, here is the problem. How did Junie B. get stuck wearing a big dumb bunny suit? And how can she possibly find eggs when she keeps tripping over her huge big rabbit feet? Being a dumb bunny is definitely not as easy as it looks. Will Junie B. end up with egg on her face? Or will the day deliver some very uneggspected results?

Award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston have teamed up again to create this gorgeous and informative introduction to seeds. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, the book introduces children to a fascinating array of seed and plant facts, making it a guide that is equally at home being read on a parent's lap as in a classroom reading circle.

Showing how to grow plants and then how to use them in delicious kid-appealing recipes, "Grow It, Cook It" is more than a cookbook--it offers a fresh approach to healthy eating by getting children involved in food right from the start.

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved these wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. Later, as First Lady, she sought to bring the beauty of wildflowers to America's cities and highways. She wanted to make sure every child could enjoy the splendor of wildflowers.

When a killing drought threatens the existence of the tribe, a courageous little Comanche girl sacrifices her most beloved possession--and the Great Spirit's answer results not only in much needed rain but a very special gift in return.

In autumn, a strong wind blows flower seeds high in the air and carries them far across the land. One by one, many of the seeds are lost -- burned by the sun, fallen into the ocean, eaten by a bird. But some survive the long winter and, come spring, sprout into plants, facing new dangers -- trampled by playing children, picked as a gift for a friend. Soon only the tiniest seed remains, growing into a giant flower and, when autumn returns, sending its own seeds into the wind to start the process over again. 

Now that school is over, Wesley needs a summer project. He’s learned that each civilization needs a staple food crop, so he decides to sow a garden and start his own - civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn’t long before his neighbors and classmates develop more than an idle curiosity about Wesley - and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation.

This Week in the Library...

Spring is in the air, so this week we'll be reading about gardens!

Third grade will be reading My Garden by Kevin Henkes:

The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden. How does your garden grow?

Watch this video to learn more about Kevin Henkes and his illustrations:

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Fourth Grade will be reading And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano:

Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they've had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.

Here's a great book trailer for And Then It's Spring:

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Fifth Grade will be listening to a book talk about The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett:

(This classic book has had so many different covers, that I couldn't choose just one! Isn't it interesting to see all the different ways the story has been illustrated?)

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.



Here's a trailer from a movie version of the book:

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Thought of the Day

I love this vintage READ poster for National Library Week from 1961!  

I know that I lead a richer fuller life because I read--how about you?

Grab Bag Thursday: Introducing Audiobooks!

I'm very excited to announce that the Smithville Elementary Library is now offering audiobooks!  When you check out an audibook, you will receive an audio player device called a Playaway, like the one pictured here.

You'll also receive a print copy of the book to read along as you listen.

To see a complete list of the audiobooks we offer, click below.

You can find out which audiobooks are currently checked in by visiting the library catalog website and clicking on the "Audiobooks" list.

Happy reading (er...I mean, listening)!

Video of the Week: Baby Tiger

Since we're learning about tigers, endangered animals, and other wildlife this week, here's a video of a baby tiger from The Woodland Park Zoo:

Be sure to check out this list of great wildlife books to learn more about amazing animals like this one!

Book Talk Tuesday: Books for National Wildlife Week

It's National Wildlife Week!  Celebrate animals and the important ways the affect our lives by reading one (or more!) of these great books:

  

Did you ever wonder why there are no high-flying, wall-climbing, tall-building-leaping superheroes in real life? Find out what keeps big animals (like us) from engaging in astonishing feats of strength and agility, and yet why being tiny and all-powerful might have a downside. What if you could lift fifty times your weight (hello, ant), but getting wet could kill you? Or you could soar like a bird, but a cold breeze would do you in? Whether big or small, our size defines more about us than we could ever imagine.

Flies are fast! They can hover, walk upside down, and use their lightning-quick reflexes to escape predators. But rainbow trout, slender lorises, and assassin bugs can catch them. Chimney swifts can, too. How do such diverse creatures manage to capture the same prey? Similar in structure to What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, this eye-popping picture book introduces readers to a menagerie of animals that approach the same challenges in very different ways.

Eating is a matter of life and death, but it can also be weird, surprising, or just plain gross. Twenty-nine poems explore the unusual and sometimes gruesome eating habits of the animal world.

Kangaroos, koalas, and opossums, oh my! Most marsupials live in Australia, but a few are here in the U.S. Find out how these fascinating and unusual "other" mammals evolved and live.

In 1997, Ted and Betsy Lewin trekked into the Impenetrable Forest in Uganda to see mountain gorillas in the wild. This real-life adventure story is the amazing saga of that trip. At moments funny, exhausting, educational, and enlightening, "Gorilla Walk" is filled with the wonder of nature in general--and of this magnificent animal in particular.

Each year the desert elephants of Mali, West Africa, travel a 300-mile path to search for water. They peacefully pass through the lands of the Tuareg, Dogon, and Fulani people while following the longest migration route of any elephant in the world.  This insightful story with bold, dramatic illustrations shows how people work together to preserve the delicate balance of life in the desert and protect these magnificent elephants.

Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear.  This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy's Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered.  David McLiman's bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics.  Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life.  Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again.

In this book you will learn that anteaters are always only children and nine-banded armadillos are always born as identical quadruplets. You will also learn that falcons play-hunt in the sky and that hyena cubs fight to the death. This is the perfect book for animal lovers young and old!

This Week in the Library...

March 18th-24th is the National Wildlife Federation's National Wildlife Week!  As we think about how important wildlife is to all of us, we'll be sharing and listening to book talks about some great nonfiction books about animals.

This week, in addition to previewing some other great books, all grade levels will be listening to Can We Save the Tiger by Martin Jenkins.  This book contains lots of great information about endangered species and what we can do to help them.

To learn more about tigers and endangered species, visit some of these great sites:

WWF: Tiger Facts & Future

ARKive's Tiger Facts Page

Or, watch the Tiger Cam from the National Zoo, and see if you can spot any real tigers!

Have a Great Spring Break!

Spring Break is here!  Have a great week, everyone, and check back on the 18th to find out what's happening in the library after the break!

Thought of the Day

In honor of Women's History Month, here's a great quote from an amazing history-maker, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Have a great weekend!

Grab Bag Thursday: Celebrate Women's History

Here are some fun images to help celebrate Women's History Month!