From Story Time: The Letter "L"

Read in Book Babies

Written by Wynton Marsalis

Illustrated by Paul Rogers

Candlewick Press, 2012. Picture Book.

Squeak. Eek. Speak. What’s that sound? The back door squeeeaks open, sounding like a noisy mouse nearby — eeek, eeeek, eeeek! Big trucks on the highway rrrrrrrumble, just as hunger makes a tummy grrrrumble. Ringing with exuberance and auditory delights, this second collaboration by world-renowned jazz musician and composer Wynton Marsalis and acclaimed illustrator Paul Rogers takes readers (and listeners) on a rollicking, clanging, clapping tour through the many sounds that fill a neighborhood. --Publisher

Read in Toddler Time

Caring for Your Lion

Written by Tammy Sauer

Illustrated by Troy Cummings
Sterling Children's Books, 2017. Picture Book.

When a boy's long-awaited pet arrives, a note on the crate reads, "Congratulations on y our new lion! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those." Fortunately, the big cat comes with instructions -- like, try very hard NOT to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. And order ten pizzas for dinner. Caring for a lion is hard work, but could the king of the jungle end up being the purrrrr-fect pet? --Publisher

Read in Preschool Time

What if Everything Had Legs?

By Scott Menchin

Candlewick Press, 2011. Picture Book.

If everything had legs, rocks wouldn't roll but rolls could rock. A rake could jump in leaves, and leaves would leave. On a walk home with her mother, one girl's wish that their house could grow legs and come to meet through a zany world where everything has legs. With wordplay and whimsy, Menchin brings a leaping, leggy world to life with exuberant artwork featuring touches of collage. --Publisher

Read in Preschool Time

A Hungry Lion, or, a Dwindling Assortment of Animals
By Lucy Ruth Cummins
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016. Picture Book.

Once upon a time there was a hungry lion and a bunch of adorable animals…what do you think happened next? The very hungry lion is all set to enjoy an exciting day with his other animal pals. But all of a sudden his friends start disappearing at an alarming rate! Is someone stealing the hungry lion’s friends, or is the culprit a little…closer to home? --Publisher

Read in Monday Cuentos

Gracias, el pavo de Thanksgiving

Written by Joy Cowley
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Translated by Susana Pasternac
Scholastic Inc., 1998. Spanish Picture Book.

Cuando un niño puertorriqueño en Nueva York recibe un pavo en noviembre como regalo, decide que no puede sacrificar a su nueva mascota para el banquete del Día de Acción de Gracias. Con la ayuda de su familia y sus vecinos, encuentra la forma de salvarlo en este cuento encantador.
--Publisher

Comments

Review: Fowl Play

Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: A Game of Noctis

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...

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