Spring Music

Early each morning as I walk my dog, we are serenaded by a chorus of birdsong. How lovely this music is! I've been trying to identify birds by their song, but it is a difficult skill to master. There are two very basic books about birdsong in the Children's Collection that make a good introduction to the subject. We also have many nonfiction as well as fiction books about birding. If you and your child(ren) are interested in learning more about birds, take a look at one or all of the books listed below. Help your kid(s) appreciate the beauty and wonder our feathered friends bring to this world.

Bird Songs by Betsy Franco
Bird Talk by Ann Jonas
Backyard Birds by Robert Bateman
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds by Jim Arnosky
Crinkleroot's 25 Birds Every Child Shold Know by Jim Arnosky
About Birds by Cathryn Sill
Bird-watching by David Burnie
Birds of North America by Dr. Philip Burton
The Birdwatchers by Simon James
It's a Hummingbird's Life by Irene Kelly
Two Blue Jays by Anne Rockwell

Book Beginnings 3--The Answers

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieska
Sounder by William H. Armstrong
The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck

Lots of Reasons to Get Your Hands Dirty!

The recent spell of gorgeous weather and today's much needed rain are making me think about gardening. As the title suggests, we have lots of gardening books for kids that will make them want to dig into the soil barehanded (as if they needed an excuse). From beginning gardening to container gardening to gardening crafts--we've got it all. And if you'd rather read about someone else getting dirty, we've got picture books as well. Here are just a few:

Nonfiction
Garden by Robert Maass
Gardening Crafts for Kids by Diane Rhodes
Green Thumbs by Laurie Carlson
Starting Gardening by Sue Johnson and Cheryl Evans
My Backyard Garden by Carol Lerner
Container Gardening for Kids by Ellen Talmage
Kids Container Gardening by Cindy Krezel

Picture Books
Eddie's Garden and How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland
Cecil's Garden by Holly Keller
Flora's Surprise by Debi Gliori
Green Beans by Elizabeth Thomas
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian

Happy Spring!!!

Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day! If you haven't already, this day presents the perfect opportunity to initiate a conversation with your child(ren) about the environment. Take advantage of the gorgeous weather we're having and go for a walk. Bring a bag with you and pick up the litter that you find along the way. Investigate vernal pools and rotting logs that may appear at the side of your path. Sit on a rock in a quiet spot, enjoy a snack, and just listen to the sounds of nature that surround you. Celebrate the day!

We have lots of books about nature and the environment for you to borrow. Here are some suggestions:
Kids Care! by Rebecca Olien
A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer
Woods and Backyard Pond by David M. Silver
Ecology for Every Kid by Janice VanCleave
Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Pool by Doug Wechsler

Perhaps you would like to make an earth-friendly craft. Look to these books for guidance:
Nature's Art Box by Laura C. Martin
Organic Crafts by Kimberly Monaghan
Ecology Crafts by Bobbie Needham

However you celebrate, may you have a joyous and peaceful day.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

April is a great time of the year to talk about weather with your child. It is a month where anything from snow to a 70 degree sunny day can happen. Start by checking out the "What's the BIG Idea? Exploring Weather Kit." It contains the book Who Likes the Rain?, a rain gauge, 2 thermometers, and a mini manual chock full of activities. We have several nonfiction books and lots of picture books about all aspects of weather. Here are some suggestions:

What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda Dewitt
Weather by Rebecca Rupp
Let's Look at Weather by Nicola Tuxworth
Weather Words by Gail Gibbons
In the Rain with Baby Duck by Amy Hest
Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin, Jr.
Come on Rain by Karen Hesse
Puddles by Jonathan London
Peter Spier's Rain by Peter Spier
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon
Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray

Take some time to enjoy the increasingly improving weather, but don't forget your umbrella!

April is Poetry Month

Jim Trelease, author of the New Read Aloud Handbook, has this to say in the introduction to Jack Prelutsky's Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young:

"...the first sound a child hears is actually a poem--the rhythmic, rhyming beat-beat-beat of a mother's heart. This early and fundamental relationship sets the stage for a natural and lifelong love of rhythm and rhyme."

Cultivate your child's innate love of poetry by sharing a book of poems with him/her. Our shelves are bursting with poetry books, stories in rhyme, anthologies, etc. Some favorites:

Touch the Poem by Arnold Adoff
Flamingoes on the Roof by Calef Brown
The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky
Timothy Tunny Swallowed a Bunny by Bill Grossman
Today and Today by Kobayashi Issa
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Here's a Little Poem collected by Jane Yolen
Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

Maybe you'd like to have some fun writing your own poems. Make it a family project. Pick an object and write a poem, and then share your verses. Include an original poem in a hand made card as a gift for someone dear. Keep a journal of poetry--ones you've written and ones written by someone else that you fancy. And enjoy poetry all year round--not just in April.

Looking for the Answers?

If you're looking for the answers to the podcast entitled "Book Beginnings 2", you've come to the right place. If you're looking for the answers to life's big questions, you'll have to look elsewhere.
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Music

We have something for everyone! Browse through the carousel of tapes and CDs or search for something specific in the catalog. Tapes and CDs are fun to listen to in the car, for a family sing along, or to calm during quiet times. We have lullabies, nursery rhymes, folk songs, old favorites, holiday music, opera, classical, rock and roll, songs from around the world--you name it! We have recordings of musicians from the other side of the world like The Wiggles as well as right from our own backyard like Paul Ippolito. You can learn some new dance steps with a folk dance recording or catch the beat with a rhythm stick activity. Here are a few favorites:
"Kidz Bop"
"Can a Cherry Pie Wave Goodbye?" by Hap Palmer
"Quiet Time" by Raffi
"Pet Sounds" by Gary Rosen
"Magical Flight" by Paul Ippolito
"Simplified Rhythm Stick Activities" by Laura Johnson (includes rhythm sticks)
"Musical Scarves and Activities" by Georgiana Stewart (includes scarves)
"Cold Spaghetti Western" by the Wiggles
"Folk Dance Fun" by Georiana Stewart
There are lots more!!!