Notable Books

The Publisher's Weekly website has an article called "The Stars, So Far" which talks about children's books that have earned starred reviews this year in journals like Booklist and Library Journal. Take a look at the article, found here. Have you read any of the books listed? Do you agree with the reviewers' opinions? If some look interesting, please stop in--we have most of the books mentioned in the article at our library.

School!

Today is the first day of school for Monticello students. This can be tough, but never fear! The library is here with lots of stories to help kids cope.

For elementary school students, we have a couple of funny series: the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman, and the Bailey School Kids series by Debbie Dadey. I also recommend My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville and its sequels. If you think YOUR teacher is bizarre, you should take a look at some of the teachers in these stories!

Middle school kids could pick up anything by Gordon Korman, but especially his awesome book Schooled. In this story, a kid named Cap who was raised on a farm by his hippie grandma, Rain, suddenly has to attend a regular public middle school while Rain is in the hospital. His strange clothes and his total ignorance of pop culture (this kid has never watched TV!) makes him a target for bullies and pranksters. However, Cap is a strong and resilient kid and he has a way of winning people over.

High school kids, especially kids who are just starting high school, might like Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. An alternative with much more mature content (and a lot more laugh-out-loud humor) is Brent Crawford's Carter Finally Gets It.

Long story short, we have something for everyone. So stop in and pick up a book, before the homework starts piling up!

Celebrate Curious George

Join us this Saturday for a Curious George-themed storytime! We will read Curious George stories, play games, and do coloring sheets. It starts at 10 a.m., and please sign up if you are interested. At the library, we want everyone to be curious!

I was re-reading the original Curious George story the other day to prepare for the program, and I noticed one thing that really showed how old the story is. It was published in 1941, and I could really tell because on one page, it says, "After a good meal and a good pipe, George was very tired." There is a picture of George sitting in an armchair and smoking a pipe, looking very content. I'm sure that this was originally meant to be amusing--monkeys can't smoke pipes! How silly!--but of course, with everything we know today about the consequences of tobacco use, you would never see this in a contemporary children's book. However, with classic stories like this, you run into this kind of thing from time to time.

Thoughtful Picture Books

I think the book One by Kathryn Otoshi should be required reading for any child about to start school or preschool. It is simple enough to be absorbed by 3-year-olds, but the lesson is something that children can use their whole lives. The story is about how Red teases Blue all the time, and none of the other colors defend Blue or stand up to Red. Then One comes along, and does both. Not only does One stand up for himself and puts an end to Red's bullying, but he also invites Red to play instead of shutting him out. It's a great little story; simple and timeless.


The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin uses simple metaphors to try and convey how a blind person might experience life, and how they might interpret color through their other senses of touch, taste, hearing, and smell. The book has no colors besides black pages and white text, but the text is accompanied by Braille and raised black line drawings that are meant to be felt rather than seen. The text contains lines like, "Thomas says that yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick's feathers." It's a wonderful and interesting book.