School Themed Picture Books
Are you still settling into school mode? If so, maybe reading a book (or two, or three) from this school-themed list might be a nice way to finish getting acclimated! These books can be a great reminder of the wonderful aspects of the educational world– friends, fun, learning, and finding a home awa...
Highlights from the NEW Early Chapter Section
Were you aware that there is a new book zone in the Children’s Department? We have created an Early Chapter Book section at the beginning of our Fiction area in order to make it easier for emerging chapter book readers to find stories that are perfect for their le...
National Hug Your Cat Day
In early June, there is a very important celebration called Hug Your Cat Day and it is the best. You should definitely partake, and give your pet cat a nice little snuggle. If you don’t have a cat, maybe you could borrow one. If you are allergic to cats, a stuffed one will do. ...
Recommended Books
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Hide and Seeker
Twelve-year-old Zee is back now. He disappeared for a year and nobody knows where he went or what happened to him. Not even his best friends Justin, Nia, and Lyric. But ever since Zee has been back, he's been... different. After Zee freaks out at his friends playing hide-and-seek at an odd party in his backyard -the first time his friends are back together since his reappearance -strange things begin to occur. Everyone who played in the game has a mark on their wrist. And then they disappear.
The kids are pulled into a shadow world -the Nowhere- ruled by the monstrous, shape-shifting Seeker. Justin and his friends will have to band together and face their worst nightmares to defeat the Seeker or lose themselves to the Nowhere forever.
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Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream
Lola is ready for Halloween and can't wait to scare people, but when she plays a scary joke on her super best friends, it doesn't go as planned. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
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The Spooky Halloween Activity Book
By popular craft writer Jane Bull, The Spooky Halloween Activity Book is filled with inspiration for Halloween preparations. Make a flickering jack o’lantern or a cool treat bucket; play fun party games such as dangling doughnuts; put together a pirate, skeleton, witch, or fairy costume; make creepy paper-plate masks; try out spooky face painting ideas; and create a beastly buffet with monster bread rolls, sausage fingers, spider cupcakes, spooky drinks, and more!
Simple instructions and clear pictures ensure that every activity is easy to follow, and safety notes are included wherever children need an adult to help or supervise.
From crafts and costumes to food and games, The Spooky Halloween Activity Book covers all aspects of Halloween, making it the one book you need for the spookiest night of the year! -
The Hallo-wiener
From Dav Pilkey, creator of the ever-popular Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Oscar, a little dog with a big bullying problem.Oscar gets more tricks than treats because other dogs tease him all the time. But one brave act on Halloween makes Oscar a Grade-A hero, proving that a little wiener can be a real winner!
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Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories
Dive into these spooky stories from New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier, perfect for beginning readers
What is making that strange sound in the woods? Who wrote that dark message on the wall? These five spine-chilling stories will have beginning readers everywhere begging to stay up late to read (with the light on ). With authentically scary, easy-to-read text and creepy, full-color artwork throughout, this book is perfect for young children who crave lite scares. This scary story collection from New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier is THE book to share at sleepovers or around a campfire. It will send SHIVERS down your spine!
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Fall Food
There are so many fun foods to eat in fall, like s'mores made over a campfire and pumpkin pie! Enjoy cute, colorful photos and easy-to-read text with bolded glossary terms. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
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Honestly Elliott
Elliott isn't sure where he fits in. Ever since his best friend moved away and his dad and stepmom announced the arrival of their new baby, he's been feeling invisible. Plus his dad just doesn't seem to understand what having ADHD really feels like, or why cooking is the one activity where Elliott's mind clicks into place.
When he's paired with the super smart and popular Maribel for a school project, Elliott worries she'll be just another person who underestimates him. But Maribel is also looking for a new way to show others her true self and this project could be the chance they've both been waiting for. Sometimes the least likely friends help you see a new side to things . . . and sometimes you have to make a few mistakes before you figure out what's right.
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Most Magnificent Thing, The
A little girl and her canine assistant set out to make the most magnificent thing. But after much hard work, the end result is not what the girl had in mind. Frustrated, she quits. Her assistant suggests a long walk, and as they walk, it slowly becomes clear what the girl needs to do to succeed. A charming story that will give kids the most magnificent thing: perspective!
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The Year We Learned to Fly
On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their grandmother’s advice: “Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing. Somebody somewhere at some point was just as bored you are now.” And before they know it, their imaginations lift them up and out of their boredom. Then, on a day full of quarrels, it’s time for a trip outside their minds again, and they are able to leave their anger behind. This precious skill, their grandmother tells them, harkens back to the days long before they were born, when their ancestors showed the world the strength and resilience of their beautiful and brilliant minds. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael Lopez’s dazzling art celebrate the extraordinary ability to lift ourselves up and imagine a better world.
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Freewater
Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there's no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.
In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a daring plan to find his mother and help his new home.
Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage. -
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change in the first volume of this fast-paced adventure series that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
Book 1 in The Land of Stories series introduces twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.
But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought. -
Help the Environment with Crafts
Would you like make a positive impact on the environment? Get crafting! Turn old T-shirts into a cool recycled rug. Sprout seedlings to share with friends and neighbors. Reuse old bottles and jars to make a hanging garden. These fun crafts will help your home, school, and community go green.
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How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend
A beautifully illustrated guide to caring for your dog.
Meet Lena and her rescue dog Jo!
This is the true story of how Lena and Jo became best friends, told through Lena's own beautiful illustrations. It's also a guidebook, packed with useful tips about caring for a dog of your own. Learn how to choose a dog, how to train them, feed them and groom them, and pick up lots of fascinating facts about why dogs behave the way they do.
Whatever the size and shape of your canine companion, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to be a dog's best friend. -
The Only Way to Make Bread
A delicious exploration of all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart.
What's the only way to make bread?You might use white flour in your bread, or whole wheat flour or corn flour.
You might use water or milk, maybe an egg or two.
You'll use a handful of this, a dash of that, a bit of this and a splash of that.
Some dough will rise, some dough will bubble. Sometimes it will be sticky, sometimes it will be shaggy.
What's the only way to make bread?
Your way! -
A Whole World of Art
Even before they could write, people were telling stories with pictures. And though art is universal, the story we know about it is not. A Whole World of Art opens your eyes to a global view of art by taking you on a whirlwind tour around the world and through time. With two companions—a boy and a girl—travel through 27 destinations from the history of art, circling the globe.