Some New Books for November

Tiger Pups
by Tom and Allie Harvey

This nonfiction book is about Isabella the dog and how she decided to take care of three baby white tiger cubs. The tiger cubs were born on July 27, 2008, but their mother, Sassy, decided not to take care of them. The owner’s of the wildlife park, Allie and Tom Harvey, know that the tigers need help, and they decide to take them home. Isabella, their dog, decides to take care of the tigers, and they become tiger pups. Then we they are old enough, the tigers start to play with one another and Isabella, Sonny, and Sadie. Playing teaches the tigers how to be tigers. The tigers’ names are Nasira, Anjika, and Sidani. Along with the story of Isabella and the tiger pups, there are pictures of the three tiger pups, Isabella, Sonny, Sadie, and of Allie Harvey.

Pennies for Elephants
by Lita Judge

When they decide to retire, Mr. and Mrs. William Offord offer to sell the elephants to the city of Boston for the zoo. However, Boston could not afford to pay for the elephants. The Orfords agreed to give the children of Boston two months to raise $6,000 to pay for the elephants. Children like Henry and Dorothy gather up all the coins they can find and donate to the city in order to keep the elephants. They also work doing various chores and jobs to make money to donate. Every day a reporter lists the amount of money that different children donated. Will the children be able to give $6,000, or will the elephants be bought by another zoo?

Would I Trade My Parents?
by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by James Bernardin

Did you ever want to trade your parents for someone else’s? A young boy looks at his friends’ parents and all of the cool things they can do. He also talks about things that their parents let them do that he does not get to, such as letting him watch T.V. until eight and have chocolate milk before dinner. Then he looks at his parents and the cool things they can do, and then he thinks about all the cool things they do for him. Will he decide to trade them?

Don’t Be Afraid, Little Pip
by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman

Little Pip was going to learn how to swim, but she decided that she would rather fly than swim. She tells her mom and dad that she is a bird, and birds fly. They tell her that penguins don’t fly, they swim. When the other penguins line up to learn how to swim, Pip walks away. She soon meets a Snow Petrel. The Snow Petrel tells her to flap her wings, lift up her beak, and leap. When she tries, Pip falls down instead. She soon comes to a Giant Albatross. The Albatross tells her to stand on a ledge, jump, spread her wings, and glide. When Pip tries, though, she falls again. Will Pip be able to fly or will she decide to try swimming instead?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving Door
by Debby Atwell

It is Thanksgiving day and Ann has just burned the dinner. What will she and Ed do for Thanksgiving now? Ed decides that they should go see if the rest down the street is open, and once they get there, they find that the doors are open. The family in the restaurant tries to get rid of Ann and Ed, but Grandmother tells them that they should share their meal with the couple. So Ann and Ed celebrate the family’s first Thanksgiving together at the New World Café. Then the family asks Ed and Ann to join them in dancing. Ed and Ann really enjoy dancing with the family. The two groups thank each other for a great Thanksgiving. When they get home, Ed and Ann both agree that they are thankful that Ann burned the dinner.

The First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George

Along with beautifully painted illustrations, this nonfiction book tells the story of both Squanto and how he came to know English and the pilgrims and how they all came to be at Plymouth. The book also discusses how they worked together to make sure that there was enough food for everyone and the upcoming winter. In fact, the Pilgrims were able to grow and collect so much food that the Pilgrim planned to have a big feast and invited the Indians that had been so much help to them. This feast that they had together later became a holiday known as Thanksgiving.

The Squirrels’ Thanksgiving
by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Jeni Bassett

The night before Thanksgiving while sitting in front of the fire, Buddy and Brenda’s parents start listing the things they are thankful for, including their family. Buddy and Brenda, though, are not thankful for one another, but their parents really want them to be. The next day, Buddy and Brenda meet their aunt and uncle and their cousins, Penny and Chuck. Penny and Chuck are really mean to one another and to Buddy and Brenda. So Buddy and Brenda realize that they are thankful for each other, and that they do not act like Penny and Chuck.

The Can-Do Thanksgiving
by Marion Hess Pomeranc and pictures by Nancy Cote

Dee decides to buy some peas for the Thanksgiving Can-Do Food Drive for her class, and she pays for them with her own money. Dee puts a note on her can so she can find out where her can goes. Dee does not believe she will find out where her peas went, but the next week, her teacher announces that a church downtown got their cans and wanted their help at their soup kitchen. A little boy named Tyler is there to eat Thanksgiving dinner, and he sees Dee and hopes she can be his friend. While handing out napkins, Dee notices that Tyler also wears glasses, like she does, and she hopes that he could be her friend. Suddenly, someone dropped the green beans on the ground, and they needed more vegetables. Dee suggests that they make a vegetable medley with the vegetables they have left, like she does with her dad. Tyler helps her get the vegetable medley ready. Then they bring the vegetable medley out for everyone to eat. Everyone then gets something good to eat.

Family

My Family is Forever
by Nancy Carlson

This little girl tells about her family and how she came to be adopted and become part of her family. She sees how other children look like their parents, but although she knows she looks different than her parents, she knows she is loved. Many other families do not always look alike, too. She does all kinds of things, like play catch, cook, and dance with her parents. She sometimes wonders about her birth parents, but hopes they know they know they gave her to a loving family. No matter what happens, she knows that her family will always be there, because “families are forever.”

Part of Me
by Kimberly Willis Holt

This book goes over four generations of one family and how they are affected by one another and books. The story begins with Rose’s story. After her father leaves her family, her mother is forced to move them from their home outside Amarillo back to her home town of Houma, Louisiana. Rose soon gets a job as the bookmobile driver and goes with the librarian delivering books over the area. Then second story is about her son, Merle Henry. Merle Henry really enjoys trapping with his dog, Blue. His mother still has them go to meet the bookmobile every week, and the family reads a lot. Merle Henry is much more interested in trapping, though. The third story is about Merle Henry’s daughter, Annabeth. Annabeth and her brother, Ryan, are staying with their grandmother Rose while their father is looking for work. Annabeth is glad that she will be in a new school and really wants to be popular, and she is working on how to become popular while staying with her grandmother. Rose also takes her grandchildren with her to the bookmobile every week. When she gets back to school, she does not get the popularity that she wanted, but she learns to stand up for herself. The final story is about Annabeth’s son, Kyle. Kyle is more interested in rock music than getting a summer job like his father wants. Then Kyle gets a job helping out in skits at the library. He is still more interested in his music than reading, but one day he picks up Harry Potter, and finds he really enjoys it. Then Rose finds out that an editor had read an article she had submitted to a magazine and wants her to write about her life. Then on the day they celebrate her new book, her family has her deliver the books on the bookmobile to the area libraries.

Kitchen Dance
by Maurie J. Manning

One night two children hear noises coming from the kitchen, and they know that their parents are washing the dishes. Then they hear a strange noise. They decide to go see what is happening. They see their parents are singing and dancing together as they put up the dishes. Then their father dips their mother and catches her. Then their mother and father notice that they are watching, and they bring the children in to dance with them. The children dance and sing with their mother and father. Then when the children get sleepy, their mother and father carry them up to their room and put them back to bed again.

Families
by Sarah L. Schuette

This nonfiction book discusses families, and that there are all kinds of families. Some families live close together and some live far apart. Families do like to spend time with their brothers and sisters, grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, and cousins. Families love and take care of each other.

Turkeys

Turkey Surprise
by Peggy Archer and illustrated by Thor Wickstrom

Two pilgrim brothers are on a hunt for a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. A turkey is terrified that they will find them and tries to hide. Unfortunately, he is not very good at hiding, but his is lucky that the younger little pilgrim does not want to eat turkey for dinner. Every time the little brother sees the turkey, he directs his brother in another direction. Will the turkey’s luck continue, and he will avoid the two pilgrims. Will the little pilgrim brother continue to pretend not to see him? What if the pilgrims are unable to catch a turkey for dinner?

I’m a Turkey
by Jim Arnosky

This book is also a song that was written and performed by Jim Arnosky. Tom the Wild Turkey introduces us to his family and flock of 102 other turkeys. He also talks about talking to other turkeys, flying, strutting, and avoiding the animals that would like to eat them. Tom even says to gobble at him if you see him, and he’ll “answer back with a gobble or two.”

Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey
by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Miguel’s dad drives an eighteen wheeler all over the country, and sometimes, he sends packages to Miguel. One day, Miguel’s dad sends him a turkey that his wants him to feed and get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Miguel decides to call the turkey, Gracias. He and his grandfather build a cage for Gracias for the backyard. Miguel also learns how to take care of his turkey from a book at the library, and he even takes Gracias out for walks. Miguel decides that he does not want Gracias to become Thanksgiving dinner. He wants to keep her as a pet. One day, though, someone steals Gracias from the backyard. Will Miguel get Gracias back? Will his family let him keep her if he does?

Turk and Runt
by Lisa Wheeler and pictures by Frank Ansley

Turk was the biggest, strongest, and most graceful turkey on the farm, and his parents were very proud of him. His brother, Runt, knew that this could lead him to become someone’s Thanksgiving dinner, but no one would listen to him. In November, people would come to pick out a turkey, and Turk would practice every day by dancing and practicing his football moves. One day a ballet instructor showed up at the farm to pick a turkey. Turk did a beautiful dance routine for her, but Runt threw himself on the ground a had a fit, then chased the lady out of the yard. Then a football coach came to pick out a turkey. Turk showed off his football moves, but Runt pretended to be sick and the coach left. Then an old lady comes to the farm and picks out Runt. Will Turk be able to save his brother like Runt had saved him?

November is National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month

November is National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month

Peanut Butter Party: Including the History, Uses, and Future of Peanut Butter
by Remy Charlip

This nonfiction book is full of ideas for holding a peanut butter party. There are tips on different shapes to make out of the bread, other toppings and condiments that go well with peanut butter, activities for using peanut butter, such as making edible art, and what materials will be needed in order to create these works of art. The book also tells you how to make peanut butter play dough, so you can make peanut butter creatures, and gives some peanut butter riddles, games, and tricks to use at your peanut butter party.

Mystery at the Club Sandwich
by Doug Cushman

Nick Trunk is a detective that works for peanuts and finds things. One day a lady named Maggie Trouble comes into his office and asks him to find her boss’s, Lola Gale, marbles. These marbles are Lola’s lucky marbles, and she really needs them back. She believes that they were stolen from her dressed room at Club Sandwich. The clues that Nick finds are a feather and a peanut butter smudge on the door. The next night he goes to the club and watches as a magician tries to make a peanut butter jar disappear, but a feather appears, instead. Is the magician the thief? Nick also wonders whether the chef might be the thief, as he cooks with the same kind of peanut butter that was in the dressing room. Or is the thief Maggie Trouble? Will Nick Trunk be able to find the thief and return Lola’s marbles to her?

Peanut Butter
by Arlene Erlbach

This nonfiction book contains all kinds of information about peanut butter. The book tells you how peanut butter is made from the peanuts being grown on the farm, to being harvested, being shelled and blanched, being grinded, then being placed into the jars that you can buy in the store. The book even says who invented peanut butter and when it was invented. There are facts about how peanut butter is good for you, and the book even tells you how to make your own peanut butter. There are also some peanut butter recipes.

The Peanut Butter Cookbook for Kids
by Judy Ralph and Ray Gompf and illustrated by Craig Terlson

This cookbook contains many different kinds of recipes that include peanut butter as an ingredient. There are also facts about peanuts and peanut butter and its history and how peanut butter is good for you. There are instructions on how to grow your own peanuts and how to make your own peanut butter. There are also some instructions on how to use a microwave, break an egg, use a measuring cup, and how to make sure that something is done. The recipes include snacks, soups, dressing, nachos, pizza, muffins, pinwheels, cookies, and brownies. There are drawings throughout the recipes that show you what to do. Try not to get too hungry while reading this book.