December 2024: This month in the collection

New feature! I am planning to run this monthly, more or less, as a round-up of reviews and books I've read. This is pretty short as I don't purchase much in December, but I do go through a lot of my review books cleaning out backlog at the end of the year.

Library Pinterest - new materials
*purchased for or added to the library collection

**not yet purchased, but it's on a list!

Board Books

• **Play games with me by Kat Chen

Picture Books

• *Bounce! by Sarah Albee
• Elementary read-aloud
• *Brandon and the totally troublesome time machine by Seth Fishman
• Elementary read-aloud.
• **Brave Miss Muffet by Dori Graham
• Storytime pick!
• *Down the hole by Scott Slater
• Elementary read-aloud.
• *Dot! Scribble! Go! by Herve Tullet
• Storytime pick!
• *How to catch a groundhog by Alice Walstead
• Popular pick (two copies)
• *A little like magic by Sarah Kurpiel
• Storytime pick!
• *The oboe goes boom! boom! boom! by Colleen af Venable
• Replacement. Elementary read-aloud
• **There are no ants in this book by Rosemary Mosco
• Elementary read-aloud.
• *This is how we play by Jessica Slice
• Storytime pick!
• *Winter magic by Robert Burleigh
• Popular pick
• *You are not sleepy by Mark Teague
• Storytime pick!

Early Readers and Transitional Chapters

• **Lone wolf goes to school and Lone wolf gets a pet by Kiah Thomas
• Personal favorite!

Beginning Chapter Books

• **Bitsy & Boozle tell a story by Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess
• Graphic novel
• **Detective Beans and the case of the missing hat by Li Chen
• Graphic novel
• **Seashell Key by Lourdes Heuer
• New series
• *Willie's clutch catch and the Big bling blitz by David Kelly
• These are one of the few books I purchase from Amazon as they are not available through Baker and Taylor. Kelly did a virtual visit with third graders at one of our school and while his books were already popular that solidified him as a must-have for my library.

Juvenile Fiction

• *Bite risk by S. J. Wills
• Best for middle school.
• *Diary of a wimpy kid: Hot mess
• Popular pick - 3 copies, Pawprints prebound (I bought one copy in regular hardcover when it was originally released)
• *Maid for it by Jamie Sumner

Juvenile Nonfiction

• *Become a chess champion by James Canty
• Popular pick - chess is very big for us right now, especially in middle school.
• *Dragon atlas by Anna Claybourne
• Popular pick
• *Spirit Sleuths by Gail Jarrow
• **Virus Hunters by Amy Cherrix

Other

• *A lot of silly by Joy Cowley
• Storytime pick!
• *Tinkering workshop by Ryan Jenkins
• Purchased for juvenile nonfiction, but will use professionally for an outreach project I'm planning.
• Minecraft unofficial gamer guide by Zelda Wagner from Lerner
• 5 titles in this set - purchased in paperback, mostly from Amazon b/c of issues with Baker & Taylor. They're technically nonfiction, but they are cataloged in my JPOP section.

This week at the library; Goodbye 2024

The gerbils made it through another Christmas!
They have extra stuff b/c the furnace went out
and I was worried they'd be cold.

Self-Directed Activities

• Craftorama
• Nose scavenger hunt

Notes

• And we're done! I worked Monday night, we were closed Tues-Wed, I worked Thursday night, and then all Friday on the YS desk. I'm not much for holidays and I got a lot of work done. Some other folks had specific things they wanted to do this year, so it all worked out well.
• We said goodbye to the fish - the staff member who cared for them is leaving and so are the fish - and moved the gerbils to a new home.

I am officially writing all my reviews (excepting No Flying No Tights of course) on my second blog, Flying off my bookshelf. I'll be posting more features, round-ups, and library information here. Coming next year, an in-depth look at our picture book neighborhoods.

Library Collections: Board Books Core Collection

 Core Collection

  I am not a huge fan of "must-have" lists, but this is what I consider the core collection of my board books - these are things that I will regularly replace if damaged or lost or continually purchase new titles as the older ones go out of print or are weeded. They're all series, so it's generally easy to choose a selection of titles.

  The two genres I didn't include here is board books with baby faces - there are a lot of different options for those and they are a must-have of course, with how many you have depending on the size of your collection (My own favorites including photographs of babies and children are the Michel Blake titles from Candlewick, alas now long out of print) and High-Contrast titles. Agnese Baruzzi has done some nice ones and you can also find them by searching high contrast and "Montessori" together.

• Annie Kubler
• Kubler's board books with Child's Play primarily include nursery rhymes and simple action books. The art is pastels, which is not always the most popular choice, but at least a few of these are necessary storytime board books.
• Drive the... by Dave Mottram
• These are books shaped like a steering wheel. Sadly, the race car title is out of print, but the fire engine book is still available.
• Emma Garcia
• Garcia has written a number of picture books, several of which have been made into board books. They're published by Boxer Books Ltd. and generally cover different vehicles and sounds. Titles include "Toot Toot Beep Beep" and "Tip Tip Dig Dig." The short text and colorful art make these a must-have.
• Hello, World by Jill McDonald
• How it works by Amelia Hepworth
• Karen Katz
• Katz' work is instantly recognizable with round, smiling faces. Her books frequently have somewhat flimsy lift-the-flaps, but they're inexpensive to replace. These are perennial favorites with parents and kids.
• 
  Katrine Crow
• I recently discovered these are available as paperbacks, but the board books are the best. You should at least have Butts.
• Leo by Anna McQuinn
• Llama Llama by Anna Dewdney
• Not my personal favorite, but this is still a staple series and the concept board books aren't too bad.
• Make Tracks by Johnny Dyrander
• While the vehicle versions of this book will probably remain the most popular, Nosy Crow is debuting a version with animals (and a different author) that should be fun as well, starting with Let's Go Home Baby Bunny.
• National Geographic by various authors
• Little Kids First Board Books
• Look and Learn
• Our World by various authors (Barefoot Books)
• I suggest purchasing a selection of titles including cultures represented in your community and some that are not, to introduce kids to new places.
• Sandra Boynton
• There are a lot of classic titles to choose from; you can also pick up boxed sets of some of the most popular.
• Stanley by William Bee
• The titles I originally reviewed, and most of the other older titles, are out of print, but there are still some titles available in this series. I hope that someday Peachtree will reprint them - they have reissued the original picture books in different formats.
• Storytelling Math by Grace Lin
• As well as the picture books, there is a series of board book spin-offs introducing very early math concepts. They tie in to popular subjects like seasons and are available in bilingual (Spanish) versions. I recommend having at least a couple of these.
• That's not my... by Fiona Watt
• This series was originally published by Usborne but it is now available on a much wider market, including Baker & Taylor. It's a touchy-feely series and although the bindings are not very sturdy, it's worth purchasing new titles as they are released as it is perennially popular.
• Very Hungry Caterpillar etc. by Eric Carle
• There are both original and spin-off board books with Eric Carle's illustrations.
• Whatever the weather by Carol Thompson
• There are several other series from Thompson, some with other illustrators, but this set has a special place in my heart. It's notable for including toddlers with visible disabilities.
• Where's the...? by Ingela P. Arrhenius

Titles particular to my library

• Barn in... by Chambrae Griffith
• Farm books always are very popular in my quasi-rural area.
• Lake life with you by Cindy Jin
• We have a lot of lakes.
• Let's find Momo by Andrew Knapp
• A parent requested these via inter-library loan and they turned out to be wildly popular. Be aware that the picture book featuring Momo is about the dog dying, it is not a cute seek-and-find like the board books.
• Raccoon Rambles by Jo Byatt
• A new addition from Child's Play.
• Wiggles by Claire Zucchelli-Romer
• I just really like this one!

This week at the library; Last week of programs

Patrons watching the annual
Christmas parade a few weeks ago.

Programs

• We Explore (storytime)
• Teen Advisory Board
• We Explore (storytime)

Self-Directed Activities

• Open Storyroom
• Letters to Santa
• Nose scavenger hunt

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Managers' meeting
• Friends General Meeting (our TAB president presented)
• City Christmas Party

Notes

• My car continued to have issues, but thankfully I was able to get it to my usual mechanics and they fixed everything (for those interested, there were issues with one of the new axles they installed a few months ago.) Thanks to that, people being sick, on vacation, etc. the schedule was wonky but we were fairly busy. I ended the week with a day off and some nice snow.

Library Collections: Board Books

The latest update to our board book collection was a complete reorganization. The board books were moved into bin shelving (repurposed from the adult dvd collection), relabeled to put the call number on the cover, and the genre stickers simplified. I also got a grant for a lot of replacements and new titles in 2024.

Purchasing board books is, for me, a balance between collecting books that are developmentally appropriate, sturdy and long-lasting, and picking up more ephemeral titles that have a short shelf-life or are of more interest to adults than kids. The collection was the largest in 2019, with almost 800 titles (although I might have had another collection included in with it back then...) and the collection has mildly fluctuated since then, but I try to keep it between 550 and 650 total titles. Pre-pandemic, the average monthly circulation for the collection was around 400. With the most recent changes and updates, our monthly circulation in 2024 has fluctuated between 400 and 500!

Collection description: This collection is based on format. Board books are more sturdy in order for small children to touch, taste, and handle them.

Recommendations: Infants and younger toddlers do best with high-contrast illustrations, photographs, and simple words. Older toddlers will enjoy more narrative and interaction with the books.

Audience: Infants to age 3

Resources
New Board Books

Processing and Stickers

• Call number stickers are on the cover, top left corner with up to ONE additional sticker to the right of the label.
• Tags are on the outside of the back cover.
• Toy sticker - book has lift the flaps, moving parts, touchy-feely aspects (Sticker shows a bee and says "
  
• Genre stickers - Holiday, Faith (updated)
  
• If the call number is BBZ instead of BB, it belongs in the last section which holds oversized board books (board books that do not fit in this section are shelved in the picture books)

This week at the library

Programs

• We Explore: Snow (2 sessions)
• Project Explore

Self-Directed Activities

• Open Storyroom
• Pokemon Hangout
• Letters to Santa
• Nose scavenger hunt

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Girl Scouts
• Teen D&D group
• Webinar: Baker & Taylor Paw Prints Bindings

Notes

• I ended up taking Monday off b/c of my car trouble last week and b/c I was sick of reorganizing the schedule. We're done with outreach until February, but I still have lots of requests for library materials from the schools to fill. Of course our furnace is glitchy again, which mostly affects staff in the peripheral offices and the upstairs, but as always we manage. I ended the week with a lot of small, annoying things going wrong, but I have made good progress on my weeding in the picture book neighborhoods.

2024 Recommended Beginning Chapters: New titles and personal favorites

New series, Stand-alone chapters and Graphic novels

These are too new to say if they'll be popular or not, but they have either done well so far or I predict that they will be popular in future.

• Batcat by Meggie Ramm
• The first book was published in 2023, but I added both the original and the second title, Sink or Swim, this year.
• Cloud Puppy by Kelly Leigh Miller
• Detective Sweet Pea: The case of the golden bone by Sara Varon
• I borrowed this from another library and read it. I am not generally a Varon fan, but I sent this to the school and the 3rd graders approved and requested I purchase it.
• Evelyn and Avery: The art of friendship by Elle Pierre
• I just found this one, so it's on my order list for next year. A very sweet beginning chapter graphic novel about friendship. Similar in general theme to Cloud Puppy, but definitely it's own creation.
• Great Puptective by Alina Tysoe
• Hocus and Pocus and the spell for home by A. R. Capetta
• Lunch Buddies by Daniel Wiseman
• The first book was published in 2023, but I added both the original and the second title, Stunt Sandwich Superstar, this year.
• Rise of Pegasus by Joan Holub
• Scare School Diaries: Welcome to Scare School by Jarrett Lerner
• Super Pancake by Megan Wagner Lloyd
• The first book was published in 2023, but I added both the original and the second title, Mini Muffin Mayhem, this year.
• Welcome to the Woofmore by Donna Gephart
• Two titles were published in 2024, but I have not yet purchased the second book.

Personal Favorites

These are titles that I personally enjoyed or filled a niche in my opinion. I didn't necessarily purchase them, and they aren't always the most popular, but if I did add them they may well grow in popularity as I promote them. 

• Crimson Twill: Witch in the city by Kallie George
• I purchased the first book myself to read and donated it to the library - I'll probably buy a few more in the series next year.
• Witch in the country
• Witch in the spotlight
• Dollars to Doughnuts: Birthday Bling by Catherine R. Daly
• There aren't many beginning chapter books that teach financial literacy! I have been promoting this to teachers a lot this year.
• Cash Stash: Savings
• Henry by Jenn Bailey
• Henry and the something new
• Infinity Rainbow Club by Jen Malia
• I really liked the first book in this series and I found it for a discount. I haven't purchased the sequels yet, but I hope to do so next year.
• Connor and the Taekwondo tournament
• Legendarios: Wrath of the rain god by Karla Arenas Valenti
• I am eagerly waiting for this one to catch on - A Magic Tree House read-alike featuring Aztec mythology! North America is pitifully indifferent to the culture of the entire Southern continent.
• The beginning of all things
• The child king of Uxmal
• Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
• The length of the series naturally has decreased some of the popularity - but that only means I just buy one copy instead of two.
• The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe
• Rachel Friedman breaks the rules by Sarah Kapit
• I haven't purchased this, although I thought it was a good read. Hopefully I'll get it next year.
• Seashell Key by Lourdes Heuer
• I read this at the end of the year, too late for a purchase. I thought it was funny and sweet.
• Stella and Marigold by Annie Barrows
• In my experience, if I liked Annie Barrows' books the kids won't like them and vice versa. I loved Iggie and it's never been popular.

2024 Recommended Beginning Chapters: Sequels for Locally Popular Series

Sequels for Popular Series in My Library

Your mileage may vary, but these are series that are perennially popular in my library and I have plenty of kids and teachers asking for the next book.

• A to Z Animal Mysteries by Kayla Whaley
• This series really took off this year and I plan to buy additional copies in 2025.
• Cougar Clues
• Dolphin Detectives
• Ballpark Mysteries by David Kelly
• Kelly's books are always popular, but he got a big boost when he did a virtual visit for one of my elementary schools. His latest books are available only on Amazon, but our audience means it's worth paying a little more to get them.
• Satchel's Stolen Strike (978-1959378068)
• Zillion Zombie Heist (978-1959378099)
• Willie's Clutch Catch (978-1959378129) (Will purchase next year as it was released after my last order)
• Cryptid Club by Michael Brumm
• This has only become popular this last year.
• You don't know Jackalope
• Desmond Cole, Ghost Patrol by Andres Miedoso
• I've always had a handful of ardent fans of this series, but this year it became really popular and I felt more than justified in purchasing all the sequels that were published.
• Hold on to your heads!
• The witch get witcher!
• I'm your biggest phantom
• Diary of a Pug by Kyla May
• I will never really understand the obsession with pugs, but this series is very popular in my library. It's a typical Branches series in diary format with simple text and heavily illustrated.
• Beach Pug
• Pug the sports star
• Dragon Masters by Tracey West
• Every library should have at least the first few of these and most will want the sequels as the series continues to be popular.
• The epic guide to Dragon Masters
• Cave of the Crystal Dragon
• Haunting of the Ghost Dragon
• Dragon Storm by Alastair Chisholm
• This series clicked with a lot of my 3rd and 4th grade classes. Only one book was released this year and I don't know if it's the final title or not.
• Erin and Rockhammer
• Good Dog by Cam Higgins
• I don't know how popular this series is in other areas, but the simple, gentle stories and the rural/farm setting are very popular in my community. I've purchased multiple copies of the first book because it's checked out so often.
• Bo Hatches a plan
• Beach Paws
• The Bark Park
• Investigators and Agents of S.U.I.T. by John Patrick Green
• This is a very popular graphic novel series in my library, although it comes and goes in waves. I actually bought a lot of additional copies and replacement copies this year as the binding is none of the best, especially for the heavy wear a beginning graphic novel gets.
• Agents of S.U.I.T. From Badger to Worse
• Investigators: Class Action
• Jake Maddox
• I do think that every library should have a selection of Jake Maddox titles. However, new titles are generally released twice a year, in January and August, and whether or not you need the new titles will depend on your audience. These are the ones I added this year, not including replacements.
• Batter Power Up 9781669060994
• Gymnastics Challenge 9781669060918
• Live and let dive 9781669061151
• Puck panic 9781669059790
• Skate park plans 9781669059844
• Gridiron Trailblazer 9781669074373
• Lacrosse clash 9781669074526
• Soccer goals 9781669074427
• Softball Hothead 9781669074472
• My Weird School by Dan Gutman
• These have slowed somewhat in popularity, but are still worth purchasing for me. There are frequent sequels, specials, etc. so whether or not you purchase all the new releases, and how many of each, will depend on your community.
• Ms. Greene is mean!
• Hip Hip Hooray! Every day is a holiday!
• Miss Nichol is in a pickle!
• No more school, April fools!
• Mrs. Marge is in charge!
• There's a skunk in my bunk!
• Paige Proves It by Amy Marie Stadelmann
• This is a favorite of mine and it became very popular with 3rd graders last year.
• The Curious Cove
• Press Start by Thomas Flintham
• This series is close in popularity to Owl Diaries. I have found that the paperbacks for some reason fall apart more than any other Branches series though.
• Super Game Book
• Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep
• Real Pigeons by Andrew McDonald
• This is a go-to series that I recommend. It's a little tricky to keep up with because it's an Australian import.
• Real Pigeons Peck Punches
• Sophie Mouse by Poppy Green
• I have an audience for gentle reads and several families love this series - I often hear moms recommending it to their friends.
• Lightning Bug Light Show

This week at the library

Last Paws to Read. Our
regular volunteer has a broken
wrist, so one of our teen
aides took over reading.
Drew, the puppy, likes stories!

Programs

• Homeschool Hangout
• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Holidays around the world (annual cookie party)
• Teen engagement
• Family Storytime

Outreach

• After school wrap-around (Rec center)
• Lakeland School visit
• Lakeland Girl Scouts volunteer event
• Christmas Parade/TAB fundraiser

Self-Directed Activities

• Letters to Santa

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Homeschool group
• Managers' meeting

Notes

• I'm reconsidering Homeschool Hangout - I'm thinking I might combine it next year with the homeschool group that's been hanging out at a different time in the library. Seems like some people's schedules have changed.
• Very positive results from my first Outreach Box/kit - all the kids were super into pom-pom making. The only thing I'd change is to use something besides yarn to tie off the pom-poms as the yarn tends to break. Better scissors than safety scissors would be nice too, but not a good idea with this group.
• Stupid car isn't working again and it forced me to make lots of phone calls. Ugh. Thankfully, after a very long and stressful day, it was resolved.

2024 Recommended Beginning Chapters: Must Haves

These are what I consider the highlights of the beginning chapter books I read, reviewed, or purchased this year. My beginning chapter section is aimed at roughly 1st - 3rd grade readers and when I am adding titles to it I look for books that are around 100 pages, graphic novels with a clear progression and connection between words and art, and a larger font with at least some illustrations. Unless otherwise noted, all titles were purchased or added to the library collection.

Must Haves

These are the most popular sequels, plus one new series, that I think are must-haves for public and school libraries in general.

• Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
• Most kids are familiar with this series, although not all may be aware that the final book came out this fall - and according to the author, marks the end of his writing career for kids.
• The serpent and the beast
• The Bad Guys in One Last Thing
• Branches: Disaster Squad by Rekha Rajan
• Of the recent Branches series in the past couple years, this looks like it has the most potential to have staying power. They sound similar to I Survived but with natural disasters.
• Wildfire Rescue
• Hurricane Rescue
• Blizzard Rescue
• Dragon Girls by Mara Maddy
• I first heard of this from a friend who was looking up new dragon series and shared the hilarious (and NSFW) results of googling this series title. However, it quickly caught on and I have a number of dedicated readers of the original series, spin-offs, and other fantasy series by Mara Maddy.
• Hana the thunder dragon
• Mina the lightning dragon
• Rani the enchanted dragon
• Zora the snow dragon
• Eloise the flame dragon (to be released 12-24-24 - I will order in January)
• Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly
• This easy graphic novel spin-off of the Wrenly series was an immediate hit at my library and kids are always eager for the next title. The original Wrenly series isn't necessary - although I've added some this past year, most kids stick with the graphics.
• The Dead of Light (vol. 11)
• Guardians of Horsa
• This was an immediate hit when it debuted in 2023 and kids continue to ask for it. The next volume isn't scheduled to be released until September 2025 though.
• The fire oath (vol. 4)
• Into the hidden world (vol. 5)
• Very Worst Ever by Andy Nonamus
• As I predicted, this series has been a hit and while not at Dogman or Bad Guys level, it is popular and each new book has flown off the shelf. New titles coming in 2025.
• First Day, Worst Day
• Pop goes the carnival
• Catch zoo later
• Happy gift day to you
• Pizza Party Pooper
• Go for the gold

Blog restructure

 I'm musing on how I want to move forward and I'm thinking that I'll be moving reviews to my secondary blog, Flying Off My Bookshelf and then post programming, library information, etc. on this one. I'm also thinking of doing highlights of books and reviews from the other blog. Weekly? Monthly? This blog doesn't really have a history because I've rewritten so much stuff on it, so maintaining an archive isn't really an issue. Meanwhile, I am working on some annual top picks for collection development and starting to move reviews over to FOMB and restructure them with the new format I've chosen.

This week at the library; Upcoming blog hiatus

Junie came to Paws to Read. So soft!

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• 5K/Headstart outreach storytimes
• Preschool fun magic show
• Teen engagement
• Family Storytime
• Project Explore
• TAB

Self-Directed Activities

• Lego Day
• Dinovember scavenger hunt

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Vendor meeting

Notes

• I'm taking a hiatus from regular reviews until January, starting next week. I'm going to post some other things, restructure my blogs, and possibly focus on some other writing.

Crick, Crack, Crow! by Janet Lord, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

This book was so much fun! Crow, an inky black swipe of paint with a bright eye, swoops out of the nest one morning and "Crick, crack, crow! Ready to go!" swoops off to find fun. 

With the cheerful refrain echoed throughout his adventures, Crow finds fun and trouble as he investigates, plays games, tries out tricks, and finally gets into danger. Fortunately, Crow's family is never far away and when he needs them the most they come to his rescue. Crow ends the day settled back in his nest with his family, ready for more fun the next day!

Paschkis has collaborated with Janet Lord before but I think this is their first informational book together. I had never really thought of Paschkis as a science illustrator before, but her illustrations actually work quite well in this story. Although Crow is slightly anthropomorphic, his behavior is all things that real crows have been observed doing. An author's note at the end lists more information about crows, matching each fact with a different part of the story.

This is a delightful read-aloud, encouraging natural observation, with a fun refrain. Paschkis' illustrations have the intricate designs and motifs she is known for, but also a verve and life to the clever crow who parades about the book, causing trouble, solving problems, and enjoying himself.

Verdict: A must-have for storytimes, this would also make a great classroom read-aloud. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781682636299; Hardcover/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $10.63

Published August 2024 by Margaret Quinlin Books; Purchased for the library