Looking for something fun to read over Winter Break? The new book shelf at the Peter White Public Library is filled with adventures, journeys, a monster or two and compelling non-fiction to snuggle up and enjoy in the next few days. Check out Talking Leaves, Joseph Bruchac’s fictionalized tale about a Cherokee man who created the first Cherokee Syllabary in the days before the civil war and Where, Oh Where is Rosie’s Chick a new picture book by award-winning author and illustrator Pat Hutchins.
These other titles are also sure to please:
Quit Calling Me a
Monster by Jory John turns stereotypes on their ear in a fun, yet effective
way. The monster in this book recalls all the times he’s been called a
“monster”, comparing it to a name that represents something dark, menacing and
well monsterish. But he contends that he’s in his own space – the closet, under
the bed - minding his business when the
name calling happens and without any good reason. What would he rather be
called? His name of course, Floyd Peterson. This book will start conversations
about the labels we put on ourselves and others, helping kids understand that
those names carry weight.
In Bridge to the Wild,
author Caitlin O’Connell’s fascination with animals will appeal to young readers
who want to know more about well-known zoo species such as gorillas and
elephants; and less well known, such as the Ground Hornbill. Filled with color
photographs and tips on how readers can be animal scientists in their own
communities, O’Connell writes about the animals she meets on a four day behind
the scenes trip to Zoo Atlanta. O’Connell, who has studied wild elephants for
over two decades, offers a picture of intelligent creatures whom she hopes
readers will learn to understand better.
Life Cycle of a Honey
Bee by Grace Jones is a short, simple and of course sweet, honey filled
book that explains the life cycle of one of nature’s hardest working animals
for very young readers. Appealing photos magnify bees in every phase from egg
to, larvae to workers and drones. Easy to read text makes this an accessible
option for students working on school reports. Engaging facts might inspire new
apiarists to start their own hives next spring.
The Thing About
Leftovers by C.C. Payne is a great middle-school story about a 12-year old
girl who does not feel like she fits anywhere, school or home. A child of
divorce, Fizzy’s parents are both in new relationships and her father’s new
wife is expecting a baby. Her Aunt Liz is the only one who seems to remember
she exists, and she offers fun suggestions to her niece on how to cope with the
changes through cooking. Fizzy decides to enter the Southern Living cook off to prove to her parents and herself that
she is worth noticing.
A face not even a mother could love. That is the baby
described in Ugly by Robert Hoge,
whose mother refused to see him for the first days of his life, leaving the
hospital without him. In this raw biography Hoge shares an honest description
of the world’s reaction to his misshapen face, from the early days filled with
surgeries to remove the tumor and reset his eyes, to his reactions to the
stares and comments. His mother emerges from her stunned state to become his
fierce ally and protector as Robert navigates boyhood, then puberty. Audiences
will cheer out loud in the last chapter as Hoge grapples with the decision to
undergo another life-altering surgery. He wishes for a role model, someone
whose physical appearance doesn’t deter them from living life.
And now he’s provided that for kids.
-Jenifer Kilpela, Youth Services
