Staff Picks for Children

"HEY! I'm a chicken. Yes, it's true. Tell me!  Tell me!  What are you?"

And so begins Are you a Cow? by Sandra Boynton, a fun call and response board book for the very youngest toddlers to enjoy.  Children will love answering the silly questions posed by the silly chicken with one of their favorite words (no).  And the book ends with the best message of all, that you are you.  This book deservedly received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, and receives high praise from this librarian.  For ages 1-3.   

Imagine being in charge of a jackalope with razor-sharp antlers and being pursued by government agents. Professor Twitchett abandons his animal science experiment in Jeremy’s room and disappears. Where can he hide “Jack”? Not the clothes hamper. Jack shreds clothes, including Jeremy’s underwear. What do you feed a killer bunny? Well, Jack loves whiskey, so Jeremy robs minibars to keep him placated. Government spies follow Jeremy and his annoying accomplice, Agatha, capture them, and threaten them with a vomit-inducing flashlight. The suspense, action, humor and fun will appeal to readers who love adventure. The author Emily Ecton is associate producer for the popular National Public Radio program, Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!    http://timeoutchicagokids.com    http://www.emilyecton.com

Recommended for ages 9-12.

The first book of the Infinity Ring

This book is the first of a seven book series written by various authors about time travel.  Every book in the series will portray some type of historical location and some major break in history’s time line.  History as we know it has been altered by an organization called SQ. It is up to our newly appointed Historians Dak, Sera and Riq to set the past right and restore the rifts made in time.

The main characters, fifth graders, Dak Smyth and Sera Froste, and a young historian, Riq, live in an alternate America, consisting of 48 states, with the capital in Philadelphia, and ruled by the mysterious evil power known as SQ.  These three heroes are sent back in time to fix one of the great breaks in history.  The Hystorians was a secret society set up by Aristotle after the assassination of Alexander.  This secret organization was to assist travelers from the future in fixing history’s Great Breaks and to fight against the SQ who want to stop the “good guys” from accomplishing their mission.  Dak’s parents were working secretly on a time travel device, known as the Infinity Ring, in order to help correct the disasters that were destroying the world.  When testing the device, Dak’s parents disappear.  Thus Dak, Sera, and Riq are sent to Spain to prevent a mutiny against Christopher Columbus aboard the Santa Maria and to make sure the right person gets credit for discovering America.  At the same time they must try to find Dak’s parents who are lost in time.

The characters are likeable and knowledgeable.  Additional characters that give some depth to the story include Christopher Columbus; the Amancio brothers – Salvador and Raul; Gloria; Eyeball; and Brint and Mari – leaders of the Hystorians.  The story has just the right mix of history, science, intrigue, and thrill to keep the reader interested. The story is action-packed and fast-paced.

Besides being a great introduction to different periods in history, A Mutiny in Time is a good introduction to the topic of time travel.  It will provide children with the opportunity to ask good questions about the nature of time: Can you really change history?  Is it possible to change time so much that you cease to exist?  What happens to the changes you made if you are never born?  If you had lived all your life remembering history a certain way, only to learn that it had been tampered with, how would you know what was supposed to happen and what needed to be fixed?

This series is similar to the 39 Clues series and will appeal to the same audience.  Cliff-hangers at the end of the book lead into the next book.  The second book of the series, Divide and Conquer, takes our heroes on a quest to stop a Viking invasion.

Fantasy lovers will enjoy this book and will want to read the other books in the series.  I would recommend this series for children in grades 4 through 6^th.

In this charming board book version of the 2009 picture book publication we meet "the watchful owl".  Na's book subtly teaches about sleep practices of animals, and the wide-eyed owl watches all of the animals, until day breaks and everyone wakes up, except for "the tired owl".  The picture book version of A Book of Sleep received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist.  Na's newest book, Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: a Book of Changing Seasons is just as charming with similarly beautiful illustrations

Meet Wendell, Wilmer, Willy Woody and Walter—5 bird-like juggler brothers who perform together in a hilarious stage show, while demonstrating basic math concepts such as counting, addition, subtraction and comparison.  The reader audience will learn as they laugh at the Wing Wing Brothers’ antics and comic appearance.  Parents and teachers will appreciate that the book meets the Common Core Standards for kindergarten mathematics; kids will appreciate the goofiness and fun.

Recommended for kids ages 3-7.

In the Perspectives Flip Book series, readers look at critical times in history and in essence read two books, each looking at the time period from a variety of perspectives.  In this book, we start with the allies perspective, and when we flip the book we get the axis perspective.  The series currently includes a book about the American Revolution, the Civil War and about Westward Expansion.

This Ready to Read Level One early reader tells the story of Teddy Rex, a new student at Dino School.  Teddy has a very loud roar, and has to be reminded to use his indoor roar.  He learns that at recess though, he can roar as loudly as he would like.  This early reader is great for teaching students the difference between an inside and outside voice, and is recommended for pre-K through 1^st grade.

This psychological thriller was published in 2005, but it remains one of my favorites. Seventeen year old, Doug Hanson lacks social skills, making him a target at school. The only "perfect" relationship he has is with his next door neighbor and boyhood friend, Andy Morrow who is a popular football player. The story becomes increasingly unsettling as Doug begins to mentally unravel and hints about the past begin to seep from the pages. Doug refuses to take his medication and spirals into a pattern of self-destruction and obsession with finishing a basement project.  Recommended for 7th grade and older.

In this fun Level 1 Starting to Read reader published by Stone Arch (Guided Reading Level E), Fire Truck and Tractor are getting ready for the big parade with the help of their friends Train and School Bus. They get clean and decorated, but they are missing something.  What could it be?  There are several early readers about these characters, which are just right for the child who is getting ready to read, plus loves transportation vehicles.