Bugs don't hug: Six-legged parents adn their kids by Heather L. Montgomery, illustrated by Steven Stone

"Bugs aren't like us." So begins this silly, informative, and rather gross picture book about bugs. Bugs don't give hugs, serve scrambled eggs for breakfast, or... But wait! Mother crickets do lay extra eggs to feed their babies. Father beetles clean up their baby's droppings. Parent shield bugs find the perfect fruit for their picky eaters. Maybe bugs are kind of like humans after all?

Cartoon art contrasts realistic pictures of bugs with their offspring and caricatures showing bulgy-eyed, anthropomorphic bugs mimicking human behavior. The bright colors make for cute pictures, as long as you don't look too close... at dung beetles and their cakes of dung, burying beetles making a meal off a mouse corpse, or a mother pill big curling up with her larvae on her belly. This one isn't for the squeamish!

Back matter identifies each bug by their scientific name and gives more specific details about their habits and behavior. There are a few picture books listed for future reading and an author's note about scientific vs. playful language. There's a final note to parents gently suggesting they not pass on their bug phobias to little ones who are curious about the world around them.

Verdict: A great choice for storytimes or bug units, use this one to introduce kids to the ways we are all part of the natural world as well as to encourage interest in the bugs and creatures around us.

ISBN: 9781580898164; Published September 2018 by Charlesbridge; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

This week at the library; or, I am too tired to come up with something clever

Happenings at the library this week:

• Monday
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Paws to Read
• Managers' Meeting
• Honor Society Volunteers
• Tuesday
• Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions)
• Library on the Go: OPtions
• Library on the Go: School wrap-around
• VIP Services Volunteers
• Wednesday
• Early Literacy Outreach: Rain (8 sessions)
• Winter Wigglers: Dance Party (2 sessions)
• Thursday
• Books 'n' Babies
• Library on the Go: OPtions
• Bookaneers
• Friday
• Saturday
• Elkhorn Mini Maker Faire
• Worked 44 hours; 7 hours on desk; 11 programs

Notes

• I realized last week I missed the deadline for two grants I was looking at. I'm hoping the Friends will cover one and the other opens again in the summer, so I'll try to be ready next time.
• Reports, preparing for summer reading meeting with staff next week, bills, preparation for the Maker Faire, and all manner of misc. things.
• Maker Faire was exhausting, but worth it!

Two truths and a lie: Histories and Mysteries by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson

Another edition in Paquette and Thompson's excursion into critical thinking, this book focuses on historical incidents. The book is set up to tell three stories for each category - two are true, one is a lie. There are also lists of facts (can you find the one fake fact hidden there?) and additional information. Back matter includes the solutions, sources, and a resource guide.

A goofy monkey cartoon decorates the pages, participating in various stories. The backdrops are photographs, but some of them make the text difficult to read. The book is divided into history - there is a set of stories for ancient times, more recent (over 100 years ago), and relatively recent events. The next three chapters focus on geography - weird places and the people who live there (or do they?). The final section focuses on people, from Ben Franklin to interesting cultural notes (did you know marshmallows grow in Iceland? Or do they?)

Verdict: Readers and teachers who enjoyed the first book, will be excited to find more challenges in this title. Teachers and parents will also find this useful for lessons on sifting "fake news" from the real thing and thinking critically about what we read, in print and online.

ISBN: 9780062418869; Published June 2018 by Walden Pond Press; Purchased for the library

Open Wide! The ultimate guide to teeth by Susan Grigsby

I don't know where I first saw this, but it looked really interesting and I've been intending to read it for... a while. I finally picked it up, and it was just as fun as it looked!

The opening endpapers have six fun questions, or "toothy tidbits" with answers on the back endpages. This sets the stage for a funny and informative journey through the world of dentition. There are sections explaining the general organization of mammal teeth, the different teeth used by rodents, insects, and fish, and the different uses for teeth from eating to defense, from hunting to tools. Not just wild animals are covered, but pets, dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. There are in-depth sections on primary (baby) teeth and permanent teeth, the history of tooth cleaning, dental hygiene, and even braces and orthodontia.

Back matter includes a variety of resources from online sites to museums, sources, acknowledgements, glossary, index, and credits.

I can see multiple uses for this handy and interesting book. Hand it to kids to dip into if they're interested in the human body, animals, teeth, dinosaurs, or history. Use it as a resource prior to dentist trips, wiggly teeth, or to soothe worries about the fate of baby teeth or future braces. Use it as a starting point for research, or just to pick up interesting facts to repeat (I'm thinking of teaching the seven-year-olds to say they're feeling grumpy because their lateral incisors are coming in...)

Verdict: Fun, informative, and definitely fills a gap, this is a toothsome book you will definitely want to have on your shelves. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781633221239; Published 2017 by Seagrass/Quarto; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Hi-Five Animals! by Ross Burach

This is promoted as a "Never Bored book!" and it is definitely not boring! Get those hands ready, because it's hi-five time!

In a series of brightly colored pictures, little readers have the opportunity to hi-five a variety of animals, from a crocodile to a shark, penguin to a polar bear. Not just regular hi-fives though, a round the back polar bear paw slap, lots of monkey paws - don't leave them hanging! and a good foot-stomping trunk slap are just a few of the fun options. The animals are goofy cartoons with exaggerated paws, trunks, and flippers that swing across blocks of color on the pages, yellow, blue, and green.

Additional instructions to growl, stomp, roar, or swing are included as well, adding to the fun of this bright little board book. It's a nice, solid square with high-contrast colors that will appeal to babies and toddlers alike.

Verdict: A must-have for your board book section, if you can afford to invest in a big set of these they'd make an awesome lapsit or toddler storytime choice.

ISBN: 9781338245677; Published August 2018 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Hush up and hibernate! by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

I love books about bears, fall, and hibernation, but I get so disappointed when I find ones with great illustrations but factual inaccuracies! However, when I saw that Sandra Markle had written a picture book I was sure that would not be an issue - and it wasn't!

The leaves are changing color and winter is in the air and Mama Bear knows it's time to hibernate. Baby Bear is not so in love with the idea though. He's hungry! He's thirsty! He wants to catch a fish! His bed is too hard! Parents will laugh along with Baby Bear's delays until Mama Bear finally loses it and says "ENOUGH!" Baby Bear gives in and they are soon snoring away... until Baby Bear wakes up one more time, "is it spring yet?"

Back matter includes information on hibernation, how it works, which animals do and don't hibernate, and activities to try. There's also additional activities to explore.

This is definitely a fiction book - the very human expression of exasperation on Mama Bear's face will resonate with parents everywhere who have a non-napper - but it also incorporates true facts about bears. It shows the baby hibernating with the mother (seriously, I once found a really gorgeous book that had the baby bear being raised by the father), talks about which animals do and don't hibernate, and shows a nice picture of a cozy den in a tree with leaves.

Verdict: An excellent addition to storytimes about hibernation and to your picture book collection in general. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781943978366; Published 2018 by Persnickety Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Little fox in the snow by Jonathan London, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

I will frankly admit that, along with many other librarians, teachers, and caregivers, I find the Froggy books to be... annoying. The kids want them read over and over again but... ugh. However! I am really thrilled at the nonfiction picture books London has been doing, each paired with a different, highly talented, illustrator.

This latest one is a single winter day in the life of a fox. In his den, the fox wakes to the morning light, hunts and catches a mouse and rabbit (only the mouse is shown being caught), and pauses for a drink. He smells a female fox, but then is chased by a wolverine and makes it back to safety with only inches to spare.

The text is written directly to the fox, "Little foxling, where will you go? You flow like a shadow across the fields. You leave little paw prints behind in the snow." The text is spare but lovely, presenting a realistic picture of the fox's life. Miyares' watercolors spread across the page, the fox's red coat a brilliant splash of color against the stark white and brown of the winter landscape. The sun glows in the sky, the wolverine's eyes flash. There's a great deal of beauty in the spare winter landscape of the forest and Miyares captures its beauty and harshness perfectly.

I've read this in several storytimes and while it's not the exuberant, funny type of story, it has a stark beauty that the kids actually respond very well to. Use a quiet voice and gestures to show the fox's movement and kids will be enthralled.

Verdict: A beautiful and informative nonfiction picture book. Note that it's eligible to be nominated for Cybils in 2019! I'm looking forward to adding this to my library. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780763688141; Published November 2018 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

RA RA Read: Middle Grade adventures across the genres

There's nothing like a good adventure story, especially if it's got humor, villains, and possibly even a little magic. Of course, most of these require the absence of parents or other grown-ups (unless they're mad scientists or evil or both) This is a mix of titles from my library; some are popular, some have passed out of popularity but I still recommend them, some are new!

Gadgets, Villains, and Secret Societies

• 39 Clues by various authors (series)
• Hero.com; Villain.net by Andy Briggs
• Nerds by Michael Buckley (series)
• Charlie Hernandez and the league of shadows by Ryan Calejo (series)
• Masterminds by Gordon Korman (series)
• Seven Wonders by Peter Lerangis (series)
• Hitler's Secret; Winter's Bullet by William Osborne
• Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman (series)
• Explorer Academy by Trudi Trueit (series)
• Rule of Thre3 by Eric Walters

Science Fiction

• Books of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
• Missing; Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix (series)
• Sal and Gabi break the universe by Carlos Hernandez
• Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Survival Adventures

• Authors
• Will Hobbs
• Gary Paulsen
• Titles and Series

• My side of the mountain by Jean Craighead George
• Stranded by Jeff Probst (series)

Nonfiction

• Dark game: True spy stories by Paul Janeczko
• Ghosts in the fog by Samantha Seiple
• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
• Guts & Glory by Ben Thompson (series)
• Samurai Rising by Pamela Turner

Updated March 2019

This week at the library; or, Here comes March

Happening at the library this week

• Monday
• Discovery Playgroup
• Books for Bedtime
• Paws to Read
• Tuesday
• Toddlers 'n' Books
• Art Workshop: Dream Worlds
• OPtions Curriculum Fair
• Wednesday
• Winter Wigglers: Obstacle Course
• Book-a-librarian sewing
• Thursday
• Books 'n' Babies
• Ozobots with Girl Scouts
• Friday
• Meet Zoey and Sassafras: Magic and Science
• Anime Club
• Worked 40.5 hours; 15 hours on desk; 5 programs

Notes

• Continued working on neighborhoods - got through a couple more sections
• I was only at the curriculum fair for a few hours, but I connected with several parents, made tons of buttons with the kids, and checked out several items
• I used this post from Artful Parent for our dream worlds program
• My two book-a-librarian clients both made a project and had fun!
• Ozobots with the Girl Scouts was fun and exhausting. Not all 20 2nd graders came, but it sure felt like twice that number!

How we got to now: Six innovations that made the modern world by Steven Johnson

This is an adaptation for young readers of the adult bestseller. I'm often wary of young reader's adaptations, but even though I've never read the original I really enjoyed this one and look forward to introducing it to kids.

Johnson takes readers through six major innovations that changed the world. Not the wheel, fire, or computers and engines - think more modern and more generally. His six categories are Glass, Cold, Sound, Clean, Time, and Light. Each chapter explains the evolution of these things and how they affected the modern world. Glass includes the original uses of glass for ornament, into the creation of windows, lenses, and a powerful scientific and industrial tool in the shape of fiberglass. Cold seems like a convenience, until you think about the preservation of food and how it has radically changed life expectancy and the ability to move away from an agragarian society. Sound. From the first inventions of phonograph and telephone to sophisticated uses of sound waves today, here is another invention that has radically changed safety, survival, and our way of life.
Personally, I don't find most historical romances enjoyable because all I can think about is how dirty everything is. Being dirty isn't just a personal dislike; it's a huge aspect of health. Clean water, the ability to bathe and clean your clothing and home, clean food - it all depends on a series of complex medical and engineering advances. Modern society wouldn't be possible without advances in cleanliness and how it has affected health and life in general, as well as industry. Time is a more abstract concept; before clocks and mathematical equations, how did people know what time it was? Why did it matter? How has the invention of time-keeping systems and the standardization of time affected how we live today (well, how some people live. I personally have never quite grasped math+time). The final chapter on light addresses not just the practical aspects of creating light - candles, oil, and the whaling industry, the creation of the electric bulb and the ability to create light during the darkest of days and nights, but also the use of lasers, barcodes, and other scientific tools of light.

The book is amply illustrated with photographs, and includes copious back matter.

Verdict: Hand this to middle grade and middle school readers who are interested in science and history or to anyone who wants to think a little more deeply about how we got to where we are today - and where we're headed in the future.

ISBN: 9780425287781; Published October 16, 2018 by Viking; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library