Read Alouds

Looking for cozy activities on cold winter days? The new shelf at the Peter White Public Library is filled with stories to read-aloud as a family or enjoy by yourself. Do you have a Star Wars obsessed family member? Stop by and grab Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know by Adam Bray. Want an adventure? Grab Sandra Neil Wallace’s Bound by Ice: A True North Pole Survival Story about a crew trapped by polar ice in 1879, who abandon their ship and brave across the arctic to safety. Other great reads include:

The Secret Project by Jonah Winter is a beautifully illustrated, all-ages read about how the U.S. researched, experimented and built the World’s first atomic bomb, in the New Mexican desert in the 1940s. Illustrator Jeanette Winter’s warm earth tones, rich in browns and reds contract the natural surroundings with the blacks and dark blues of the secret, isolated work taking place in the lab. The easy to understand text offers an introduction on this topic for young kids.   

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Schiltz is not a typical princess story. Bored and squeaky clean, the princess longs for fresh air, exciting stories and un-princess like adventures. When her parents say no to her request for a pet dog, Cora writes her fairy godmother, explaining her plight and asking for help. When a crocodile shows up the next morning, hilarity ensues, as the ferocious reptile sends Cora outside to play; and takes her place in the bath, reading with her mother and jump roping with her father. When the adults soon realize how boring Cora’s days have become, they promise to give her a pet dog, as long as the crocodile relocates out of the castle.

In Elly Mackay’s wordless book, Waltz of the Snowflakes, a young girl is unhappy with her grandma’s plans to take her to the ballet on a rainy, December evening. Once there she becomes captivated with the story of the Nutcracker. As the girl’s mood toward attending the theater changes, Mackay’s illustrations shift from black and white to color-rich watercolors endearing audiences to the whimsical joy expressed through a ballet performance. This book will appeal to both dancers and non-dancers alike.

In The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, Xar a wizard and Wish, a Warrior are taught from birth to hate each other and their tribes. Xar is taught that warriors want to strip wizards of their magic and to stay away from the line that separates their woods. Wish is taught that all magic is evil. After all, weren’t the witches, (the very worst kind of evil, and extinct for hundreds of years) magic? So when the two nearly 13 year-olds meet in the woods they’re not sure how to proceed. Especially if the black feather they found really does belong to a witch. How will they convince their parents – both tribe leaders, that the evil force is resurfacing? Can they bring the two tribes together before it’s too late?  After huge success with the How to Train Your Dragon series, Cowell’s page-turner The Wizard’s of Once kicks off the series leaving readers wanting more.

My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson tells the story of the world’s most successful literacy campaign, carried out in 1961 in revolutionary Cuba. The story follows the life of fictional 13-year Lora as she leaves her parents city home to help teach rural Cubans how to read. Steeped in historical fact, Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia, uses Lora’s character to give audiences a sense of the magnitude, dangers and success of the campaign. In just one year volunteers help 700,000 Cubans to read, raising the literacy rate from 60 percent to 96 percent.

Another great  new book about Cuba is Forest World by Margarita Engle. Set in present day Florida and Cuba, Engle explores a family reunion that occurs when the travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba are lifted. Edver isn’t happy about going to meet his estranged father and grandfather in a remote forest in Cuba. When he arrives and learns he has a sister, Edver’s confusion turns into anger. Luza can’t believe their mother never told Edver he had a sister! As the pair work through their emotions about their parents' decisions and separation; they bond over their love for exotic animals. Eventually they team up to stop a notorious poacher

--Jeni Kilpela, Youth Services