The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers Suggested Ages: 5-8 years If your child (and you!) absolutely loved The Day the Crayons Quit, then The Day the Crayons Came Home is a must read. Several of Duncan’s crayons are quite disgruntled as they have been left stranded by Duncan in...Continue Reading
This month we have new picture books that inspire as well as appeal to a child’s world of imagination. Special Delivery written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell Suggested ages: 3-7 years Sadie is on a mission. Her Great-Aunt Josephine lives almost completely alone and Sadie is determined to provide her company. The book...Continue Reading
We have over 70 new books that have recently arrived and have been cataloged! They are on display in various areas of the children’s section of the library. They include picture books (Easy), juvenile fiction, nonfiction, and biographies. I have only highlighted three below. Make sure to stop by with your children and browse through...Continue Reading
Contemporary alphabet books are no longer in the mundane “A is for Apple, B is for Ball” format. They now encompass non-fiction books with topics as far ranging as science, dinosaurs, Mexico and “amazing American women”. Our ABCs have also inspired delightful picture books, which radiate humor and creativity. Z is for Moose by Kelly...Continue Reading
August is here and with it comes the beginning of a new school year. Fresh experiences and first-time discoveries lie ahead for children. Below are highlighted a few books from our collection which not only encompass school settings but extend far beyond, touching on relationships, self-discovery or just plain fun. Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada...Continue Reading
As our Summer Reading Program continues into July with the theme of heroes, so does the focus on books with heroes both imaginary and true. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee Suggested ages: 8 – 12 years The heroine in this book is Ophelia who accompanies her father and sister to a city which...Continue Reading
The theme for the Placitas Library’s Summer Reading Program is “Every Story Has A Hero.” Our lives are filled with many heroes who change lives in big and small ways. A hero may be someone who pushed history to change in a positive direction or possibly an individual who took time from his or her...Continue Reading
April was officially “Poetry Month”, but being May doesn’t mean that one can’t devote time for poems – especially when it comes to children! Children’s language is often scattered with poetic phrases as they begin to put words together. They see the world through different eyes than adults and in doing so create word pictures...Continue Reading
This month the Children’s Book News is featuring the award winning author, Kate DiCamillo. She has won two Newbery Medals for her children’s novels, The Tale of Despereaux (2003) –made into an animated movie in 2008- and Flora and Ulysses (2013), reviewed below. The Newbery recognizes the year’s “most distinguished contribution to American literature for...Continue Reading
Rain, Reign by Ann Martin Recommended for ages 9- 12 Rain, Reign is narrated by Rose, a fifth-grader with high-functioning autism (Asperger’s syndrome). It touches on family connections, sense of belonging, love, bravery, and doing what is right. Rose is obsessed with homonyms, delighting in each discovery of a homonym pair (or even triplet!) which she...Continue Reading
