Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Finn's fun trucks: The Construction Crew by Finn Coyle, illustrated by Srimalie Bassani

So many sections to update! But I have made a start on updating the board books, which I hope to continue this year. This is one of the new titles I purchased from Flowerpot Press - their books are generally sturdy and fun, but sometimes they have a few too many moving pieces.

The first spread introduces the construction crew - front and center is a black woman, a man on the left could be Hispanic or Asian, and of the other three white men one has dark hair and a mustache, one has red hair, and the third is balding with grey, curly hair. All wear orange hard hats and are a little pudgy around the middle!

The rest of the spreads include one member of the construction crew introducing a machine, "This is a cement mixer. Can you guess what it does?" on the opposite page you see the machine with some simple identifying captions, "mixing drum, chute, water tank". Lift the vehicle flap and you'll see the machine in action.

The last spread shows the whole crew and all the machines - lift the full-page flap and see a whole city under construction.

The flaps are full pages, made of sturdy cardboard. A little reinforcement on the hinge might be a good idea, otherwise I expect the book will last for many repeated readings and through the loving touches of many little hands!

Verdict: A fun addition to construction board books. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781486713875; Published March 2018 by Flowerpot Press; Purchased for the library

Fairy's first day of school by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Sara Not

There are a lot of first day of school books, going to a new school books, and other general school books. But I've only got two (very old) books that are younger than kindergarten. Which is weird, because so many kids go to daycare and/or preschool now!

When I think of Bridget Heos, I'm more likely to think of laugh-out-loud funny (and mustaches), but this book is adorably sweet. A curly-haired fairy wakes up in a flower, ready to start school for the first time. She and the other children fly with their parents (or on the schoolbird) and have a lovely day meeting new friends, having fairy snacks, playing, and reading stories.

Of course this is an imaginative approach - preschoolers won't really expect to be able to clean up with a whisk of a wand, nap in a tree under flower petals, or tightrope walk on a spiderweb. But the general activities will be familiar and the cozy approach will comfort nervous little ones and make them giggle.

Sara Not's illustrations are adorably sweet; there are lots of colorful flowers, miniature details, and a nice variety of skin tones and body types among the fairies. The main fairy character is biracial, shown at the end with her curly-haired, darker skinned father and blonde, white fairy mother.

Verdict: A delightful addition to new school books, perfect for the littlest ones starting preschool, this fairy tale will be a delightful read at any time of the year.

ISBN: 9781328715593; Published 2018 by Clarion; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Green Slimers: Opossums by Ellen Lawrence

A new, icky animal series from Bearport! This one is "Slime-inators and other slippery tricksters" and I received a copy of the opossum title for review. So, I know some people think opossums are cute. I am not one of them. I think they are gross and creepy, like giant rats. And I have never observed the whole "playing dead" thing, only them hissing at me and looking creepy. So I have no problem with this book emphasizing the "beneficial animal but omg so gross and creepy" theme.

In this book you will learn about opossums playing dead (and the stinky green slime and poop they release while doing so), their diets (extremely gross, especially the picture of them eating the innards of a dead squirrel), their homes, reproduction cycle (marsupial!) and other facts.

At the end of the book, there's a recipe for making your own slime using marshmallows, corn starch, and food coloring, a picture glossary of "science words", brief index, three suggested titles, and a few sentences about the author. I was surprised there was no photo of the actual stinky green slime (especially considering the roadkill and carrion squirrel being ripped apart pictures), but maybe it's hard to get a photo of an opossum's butt...

Other titles in the series cover slime molds, hagfish, parrotfish, slugs, and animals with poisonous slime like poison dart frogs.

Verdict: A delightfully stinky and gross new series, sure to please fans of the publisher's previous poop science set and those who love all things gross and gag-worthy.

ISBN: 9781684026968; Published 2018 by Bearport; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

RA RA Read: Laugh 'n' Read, Funny Beginning Chapter Books

Every age and reading level loves humor, but it can be hard to find funny books for those kids just getting into chapters. Even at a young age, humor is a very individual thing, but these are some series and individual titles that I've found have a wide appeal to kids transitioning to chapters.

Just transitioning to chapter books

• Jump-into-chapters from Blue Apple Books

• Some of these are out of print or you have to purchase directly from the company. However, it's worth it! Kids laugh endlessly over them. Our favorite series are Mr. Ball by Michael Townsend and Andy by Maxwell Eaton
• Noodleheads by Tedd Arnold
• These are based on old folktales - the trope of the foolish person - and they feature two kids who are, literally, noodles!

Beginning chapter books

• Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger
• I thought these were more weird than funny, but the kids thought they were hilarious. It's a brief series that features a venus flytrap as detective, along with his goat sidekick. A companion series, Didi the Dodo, is coming out later this year.
• The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
• This graphic series features a group of traditional bad guys - Big Bad Wolf etc. - who are trying, sort of, to change their reputation.
• Flying Beaver Brothers by Maxwell Eaton

• This is an old graphic novel series, but it's still available in prebound or paperback. It has Eaton's trademark deadpan delivery as it relates the wacky adventures of two beavers.
• Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale
• Both boys and girls will love this series about a fancy, frilly princess who turns into... the dashing Princess in Black to fight monsters!
• Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon
• I was initially doubtful about this series about a little girl with a wild imagination, but they have turned out to be very popular.
• Ella and Owen by Jaden Kent
• I haven't seen much buzz in this series from little bee, but I have quite a few dedicated fans. It features the goofy adventures of two dragon siblings, starting with their confrontation with a terrifying vegetable wizard!

Intermediate (one step up) beginning chapter books

• Roscoe Riley by Katherine Applegate

• A typical "school misadventures" series, but kids love them.
• Stinky Cecil by Paige Braddock
• This graphic novel series is funny AND includes nonfiction! It's a little more challenging to read.
• Two dogs in a trench coat by Julie Falatko
• This is really middle grade, but it is heavily illustrated and kids who are invested enough will enjoy it. I laughed until I cried. 
• My Weird School by Dan Gutman
• This isn't just one series - it's a never-ending series of series. I don't get the appeal myself, but the kids think they are hilarious.
• Gum Girl by Rhode Montijo

• This is a graphic blend series featuring a girl who gets superpowers when she chews special gum. It's also more challenging - think Bad Kitty level (most of which are actually very complex!).
• Down Girl and Sit by Lucy Nolan
• These are available paperbacks, although the originals are mostly out of print. They feature two dogs, who think their names are Down Girl! and Sit! and are hilarious. I love them and the kids do too!

And finally...

• Branches from Scholastic
• These range from just transitioning to chapters to transitioning to middle grade. They are illustrated and meant to be "branches" from easy readers to full chapter books. Some of the series are long-running while others pop out a handful of books and then end. The funniest series, in my opinion and that of the kids, are:
• Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings
• Princess Pink and the land of Fake-Believe by Noah Jones
• Boris by Andrew Joyner
• Kung Pow Chicken by Cyndi Marko
• Haggis and Tank Unleashed by Jessica Young

This week at the library; or, Winter is here

I ended up doing a lot of work in the back
as well as a couple hours in the basement
since I couldn't go out on desk and
so many programs were cancelled.

What happened at the library this week:

• Monday
• Paws to Read
• Managers' Meeting
• Tuesday
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions)
• Library on the Go: OPtions
• STEM Challenge: Box Building
• Wednesday
• Winter Wigglers: Block party
• Book-a-librarian: Sewing
• Thursday
• Books 'n' Babies
• Friday
• Free Lego Build
• Worked 39.5 hours; Approx 5 hours on desk (no voice!); 3 programs

Projects for this week:

• Finish juvenile fiction weeding
• Start working on lost/missing list
• Put together MOPs presentation
• Update Winter Wigglers obstacle course
• Continue working on updating toy bags and kits
• Walmart grant - send orders and start publicity and paperwork
• Start contacts for art show.
• Look at two upcoming grants.
• Prep for Snow Fun and my three days off next week!

Of course, I started the week with a sinus infection/cold. Why not? I coughed, sneezed, and moaned my way through my to-do list though. We had a snow emergency Tuesday night and into Wednesday so my Wednesday morning outreach was cancelled and we rescheduled the yoga to next week and just had a block party. Then the weather continued, clearly determined to make up for its former mildness with all the snow and cold at once - all together I had 5 programs or outreach events cancelled or rescheduled! I did get a lot of maker kits and toy bags replaced, updated, or added. You can see them here.

Spirit Hunters: The Island of Monsters by Ellen Oh

I really liked the first book in this series. It was rather gory and definitely creepy, but also fascinating and very satisfying. Alas, I didn't get as many kids to check it out as I'd hoped. "Too creepy!" My voracious younger readers told me. "Too long!" My reluctant, wanting-scary-books-with-pictures older readers told me. Sigh. Still, I enjoyed it myself and was pleased to finally get around to the second book.

After the events of the first book (Harper's little brother, Michael, was possessed by an evil spirit) life has gone back to normal. Sort of. Harper now has the tacit but uncomfortable permission of her parents to pursue her training as a shaman with her Korean grandmother, she's finally back together with her best-ghost-friend Rose and... of course things start going wrong.

SPOILERS

After a run-in with a terrifying monster, Harper is devastated to lose her ghost-friend Rose. She's even more reluctant to accompany her family on their vacation to a tropical island - one that is giving both her and her grandmother a really bad feeling. However, there's no way to get out of it and off she goes. Her worst fears come true when she discovers horrible, monstrous demons, rakshasas from Hindu mythology, inhabit the island. And there are even darker secrets lurking in the grove... and they're not all in the past.

Harper must draw on all her courage, strength, and the help and guidance of her friends if she, and her family, are going to survive their tropical island vacation.

This is gory - there are disemboweled corpses. Just so you know. But not described in extreme detail, so I personally didn't think this was as scary as the average horror movie that kids watch. It's mostly atmospheric horror and the mounting pressure of secrets and Harper's family's refusal to acknowledge what's happening, even after the events of the first book.

Verdict: If you have readers who loved the first book and like atmospheric, skillfully written horror, they will be eager to read this satisfying sequel.

ISBN: 9780062430113; Published September 2018 by HarperCollins; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

The Major Eights: Battle of the Bands by Melody Reed, illustrated by Emilie Pepin

This is the first book in a new(ish) beginning chapter series from little bee. It introduces a diverse group of girls, Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet, and focuses on a different girl in each story. This book focuses on Jasmine, who is Asian-American. She and her friends have a band together - Scarlet sings, Becca plays the guitar, and Maggie the drums. Their band is make-shift (the keyboard doesn't work and Becca can't read music) but they have fun together. Until Jasmine's older brother taunts her about not being in a real band. In an effort to prove herself, she signs her friends up for a Battle of the Bands. But they're the only eight year olds, everyone else is a lot older, they don't know what they're playing, and she didn't tell her friends she was signing them up! Things get more and more convoluted, until Jasmine has to decide if her friendship or winning is more important to her (not that they can actually win, but going ahead and actually playing I guess).

The resolution is a bit of wish-fulfillment - they play a little ditty they made up together, naming themselves the Major Eights for their age, and get an honorable mention. There are seven books planned so far in the series, so various characters must make multiple appearances. I know in the next Scarlet, the African-American singer, gets a solo gig and I would guess it endangers their friendship. The black and white illustrations are fine, if not stand-out and it's little bee's slightly smaller paperback size.

Verdict: There are a lot of these "diverse groups doing stuff" series and I'm not sure this one will be interesting to my audience since it seems to focus heavily on music and performance. I'll probably test it in a book club first.

ISBN: 9781499805642; Published January 2019 by little bee; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Small Readers: Detective Paw of the Law: The Case of Piggy's Bank by Dosh Archer

I admit that I wasn't initially crazy about Dosh Archer's Urgency! Emergency! series but once I saw how much the kids absolutely loved them I was won over. We've been using them in book clubs for several years and my only regret is that not every library in our consortium owns a wide selection so I have to use inter-library loan to get enough copies for book club.

I was thrilled to discover that Archer is debuting a new easy reader series; it has the same goofy sense of humor, pastel cartoons, and memorable characters. Detective Paw is a dog who isn't up on all the new tricks, but he's still a good detective. Luckily, he has his assistant, Patrol Officer Prickles, who knows how to use all the latest technology. In this first mystery, they solve the case of Piggy's Bank. Piggy the bank manager has called in with an urgent crime - the bank has been robbed!
Detective Paw examines all the clues, interviews the witnesses, and then, after discussing the case with Prickles, comes to a conclusion and the guilty thief is arrested.

This is a higher level of easy reader; more suitable for second to third grade or a high-level first grader. They also could be read aloud. I was disappointed that they were more stereotypical than Archer's previous series; Both Paw and Prickles are male, as is the bank manager, security guard, and one of the tellers. The only females are the elderly victim and the second bank teller. There was also some stereotypes - Prickles' gadgets don't find any clues, but Paw's trusty old magnifying glass and experience solve the case.

Verdict: For younger kids who like mysteries, this new series is sure to be a hit. Recommend to fans of King and Kayla and Archer's previous books.

ISBN: 9780807515570; Published October 1, 2018 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

No frogs in school by A. LaFaye, illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans

This funny story features a black kid. Buy it now! Ok, a little more information.

Have you ever met one of those kids that just pushes all the boundaries... but they're such cute little stinkers you can't help but laugh even when they're driving you crazy? That's Bartholomew Botts and he LOVES pets. Naturally, he wants to share this love with his classmates so he brings along his newest pet, Ferdinand the frog. This does not go over well, especially in art class, and especially with the teacher, Mr. Patanoose. "No frogs in school!" So the next day Bartholomew brings a salamander - after all, it's not a frog... "Keep your amphibians at home!" So Bartholomew brings Horace the hamster. He's not an amphibian...

Bartholomew works his way through the animal kingdom and Mr. Patanoose works his way through an ever-diminishing supply of patience until Bartholomew finds his way around the last blanket prohibition, "no more of YOUR pets" and all ends happily for teacher, classmates, and animals.

Cheery cartoons show a lanky, white male teacher with absurdly large red glasses, a diverse (albeit unrealistically small) classroom of 8 children, and a fun assortment of cheeky animals.

Verdict: This is a top pick for a silly storytime - and to teach kids a few animal classes like rodents, amphibians, and reptiles. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781454926986; Published August 2018 by Sterling; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Your amazing skin from outside in by Joanne Settel, illustrated by Bonnie Timmons

"Poetry about skin" is not really something I would have thought I'd be up for - for one thing, I'm really not a poetry person - but I really liked Settel's earlier book, Exploding Ants so I gave this one a chance. And I'm glad I did!

Brisk rhymes take readers on a fascinating journey with "Dr. Jo" through the world of our own skin. Starting with skin layers, continuing on to colors (both permanent and changing), Settel explains the function and make-up of our skin. The poems are interspersed with facts, cartoons, and diagrams while the poems themselves include bolded vocabulary. "Inside the dermis of the skin/are protein threads called collagen,/which coil like springs, so skin can then/be stretched and still spring back again."

Once readers have learned the basics, the poems move on to fingerprints, why and how you sweat, get goosebumps, or wrinkled skin in the water. The next three chapters addresses the healing process of skin from cuts and bruises, to sunburns and mosquito bites, finishing with pimples, blisters, and warts.

The concluding poem reminds readers, in a humorous and friendly style, to take care of their skin, especially with sunscreen. A detailed glossary follows, then a list of websites, references and additional reading, and an index.

Older readers who may balk at poetry, will be drawn in by the cartoons and find themselves learning words like "epidermis" and remembering that they have two million sweat glands in their dermal regions without even realizing it! Teachers will find this a welcome resource for learning about the human body and curious readers will be interested to dip into the poetry and pore over the facts as they learn about their wonderful skin.

Verdict: A unique resource for your human body section, sure to find readers among teachers, families, and kids. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781481422055; Published September 2018 by Atheneum; Review copy provided by author; Donated to the library