Polar Bears

The Three Snow Bears
by Jan Brett

Aloo-ki loses her sled and dogs at the same time that a family of polar bears decides to go on a walk while their soup cools. Aloo-ki is looking for her sled and dogs when she sees the bears’ igloo, and she decides to go inside. Once inside the igloo she eats the little polar bear’s soup, puts on his boots, and goes to sleep on his sleeping place. While the bears are out, they find Aloo-ki’s sled and dogs and bring them back to their igloo. Will the bears find Aloo-ki in their house? What will they do if she is there?

Little Polar Bear Finds a Friend
by Hans de Beer

Lars, the little polar bear, was lonely. He wanted to find a friend. Then one day he sees another little polar bear, but he finds that the polar bear is made of wood. He explores the box next to the polar bear, but the door shuts and traps Lars. Suddenly, the box falls and breaks and Lars is free to look around. He sees other boxes and cages. He meets Wally, the walrus, and Wally tells him that they might be able to get away from the people taking them to the zoo. Soon Lars and Wally have opened all the boxes and cages, and Lars meets a little brown bear named Bea. The animals find out how to open the door and they all get away. Wally is going to lead them back to the North Pole. When they reach a river, Wally lets the bears ride on his back as he swims. Will the bears and Wally be able to make it back? Will Lars’ parents like Bea?

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World
told by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich

A polar bear cub was born on December 5, 2006 at the Zoo Berlin, and Thomas Dörflein, the bear keeper, and Andre Schüle, a veterinarian, had to take care of him when his mother decided not to. For the next few months, Thomas had to take very good care of the little cub by feeding him every two hours and by stroking him a lot. Thomas named the little cub “Knut.” Thomas stayed with Knut all of the time. He did not even leave the zoo until Knut was four months old. Knut loves to play. Then on March 23, 2006, Knut was shown to zoo visitors. Knut had many visitors and many people were very happy to see him. Thomas even taught Knut how to swim, just like a mother polar bear. Soon Knut will be too big for Thomas to be around, but until that happens, they will spend lots of time together. There are some facts about polar bears at the end of the book, such as what they eat and where they live.

A Pair of Polar Bears: Twin Cubs Find a Home at the San Diego Zoo
by Joanne Ryder

In Northern Alaska, two little polar bear cubs are found that have lost their mother. The San Diego Zoo offers them a new home, and the two bears were flown to California. The twin cubs have a strong bond, and they feel safe when they can be with each other. They even discovered how much they like swimming in the small pool that the zoo have for them. The bears loved to look up at the sky when they were finally put into their habitat. The cubs spent lots of time learning their new home by exploring and smelling, and they were named Kalluk and Tatqiq. The bears like rolling in the dirt after swimming, and they also like to watch the people that come to see them. The zoo even made a snowy playground for them, and they had lots of fun.

Some New Books for February

Things that Go Boom or Fly, Float, and Zoom!
by Alan and Gill Bridgewater, Glyn Bridgewater, Julian Bridgewater, Paul Clark, Ian Lambert, Mike Rignall

This nonfiction book contains eighteen do-it-yourself projects to create machines that turn, throw, and fire; swim and fly; walk; and talk. Each chapter begins with the tools and materials that you will need to complete each machine, and then it tells you a little bit about what you can do with the machine. Remember to always have an adult with you when you are working on these projects, and with some of the tools, it is best to let the adult do the work. The first project, a six-volt wind turbine, can be used to charge a cell phone or power a light. There are step-by-step instructions with pictures to follow in both creating and using the machine. At the end of each project, there are some safety tips to follow. Other machines in the book include a Lemon Cannon, Hot air balloon, soapbox go-cart, and a compact theremin. At the end of the book, there are templates that show the actual sizes of the parts of the machines.

Kisses on the Wind
By Lisa Moser and illustrated by Kathryn Brown

A little girl and her family are leaving for Oregon, and even though the little girl knows how to say goodbye to the cats and the farmhouse, she cannot say goodbye to her grandmother. She knows that the trip will take her very far away from her grandmother. She soon goes to her grandmother, who takes her for a walk. While they are on their walk they talk, make a bark boat, and even cry a little bit. Then the little girl and her grandmother run after a robin, and when they get tired they sit down in the grass. While her grandmother braids her hair, she also tells her a story of when she was a little girl. The girl tells her grandmother that she cannot leave, because she will miss all of the stories her grandmother is always telling her. Will the little girl be able to leave? How will she take all of her grandmother’s stories with her when she goes?

A Very Big Bunny
by Marisabina Russo

Amelia is a very big bunny, and she would very much rather be a smaller bunny that would not stand out in a crowd. She was the biggest student in her class, and since the teacher lines them up by height, she is always at the end of the line. During recess, the other girls think that Amelia is too big to play with, so Amelia counts clouds, listens to the wind, and thinks. Then one day, a new student is introduced to the class. Susannah is the smallest student in the class, and the other students tell her that she is too small to play with at recess. So she talks to Amelia, but though Amelia tells her what she is doing, Amelia does not invite Susannah to play, either. Will Susannah be able to get Amelia to let her hang out with her at recess? Will they ever become friends?

Read the Signals: The Body Language Handbook
by Dr. Melissa Sayer

This nonfiction book is full of tips about body language. There are ways of finding how you can read other people’s body language to tell things about them, and you can learn how to use your own body language to make new friends or speak up for yourself. There are also tips on how to do well in an interview, how to handle an argumentative person, how to deal with bullies, and how to overcome shyness and be more outgoing. There are also little “Did you know?” sections throughout the book with fun facts. The chapters of the book are body language, flirting, communication, and be confident.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Will You Be My Valenswine?
by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Kristina Stephenson

On Valentine’s Day, Polly the pig notices that she does not have a valenswine. She sees that all of the other animals have someone who loves them the most, and Polly starts to feel lonely. She tells her mother that she has no valenswine, and her mother tells her to think about it, and she would find someone who loves her the most. She asks the roses, a sparrow, and her slop to be her valenswine, but none of these things will do. She tells her mother every time, and her mother tells her to keep thinking about it. Will Polly figure out who loves her most? Who will be her valenswine?













Love, Ruby Valentine
by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath

Ruby’s favorite day is Valentine’s Day, and she spends the five days before Valentine’s Day getting ready. Five days before she made all of the cards she was going to give out on Valentine’s Day. Four days before she made heart-shaped cookies and a heart-shaped cake. Three days before she spent the day making goody bad to hand out and tied them all with a bow. With two days to go, Ruby finished up all of her gifts and made sure they were signed. With one day left, Ruby loaded her wagon and made sure she had everyone’s names on her list. Getting everything ready, though, makes her very tired, and she goes to sleep. Will she wake up in time to give out all of the valentines that she worked so hard to make? Will everyone in the town like her valentines?














Mushy!: The Complete Book of Valentine Words
by Lynda Graham-Barber and pictures by Betsy Lewin

This non-fiction book begins with several explanations as to how Valentine’s Day came about. Then the book describes things that are associated with Valentine’s Day, such as Cupid, turtledoves, Bride and Groom, and then describes what the words mean and where they came from. There are also some fun facts about many different things associated with love and Valentine’s Day, such as where the first silk was made and how or how many conversation hearts that Necco makes every year (1.7 billion). At the end of the book there is a timeline of love related dates and other more historic dates.














Gopher Takes Heart
by Virginia Scribner

Gopher does not enjoy his morning walks to school, because every day a bully named Fletcher steals his milk money from him. He does not tell anyone, and he tries everything he can think of to stop Fletcher by leaving early and running away. Nothing seems to work. Then one day the class asks him to make a valentine for their teacher. The class takes up money from everyone, and they give it to Gopher in order to buy the supplies for the valentine. Unfortunately, Fletcher soon demands the three dollars from Gopher. Gopher has to give it to him. Will Gopher be able to get the money back from Fletcher in order to make the valentine for the teacher? Will Gopher be able to stop Fletcher from taking things from him?

February is Responsible Pet Owner's Month

February is Responsible Pet Owner’s Month

What Pet to Get?
by Emma Dodd

One day, Jack decides to get a pet, and his mother asks him what pet he would like. He thinks really hard about it, and then he tells her that he would like an elephant. His mother tells him that they would never be able to take an elephant on vacation with them, and he agrees. So Jack thinks up pets such as a lion, a polar bear, a tyrannosaurus rex, giraffe, rhinoceros, bison, and crocodile, but his mother reminds him of the reasons that these animals would not make good pets. Will Jack decide which pet will be much easier to take care of than a polar bear or crocodile?

Hamsters, Gerbils, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Ferrets, Mice, and Rats: How to Choose and Care for a Small Mammal
by Laura S. Jeffrey

This nonfiction book discusses all of the small mammal pets that could become pets, and the characteristics of each of these pets. For example, hamsters should be kept separated from other hamsters, because they will not get along. The book says that you should think carefully about all of the things you will need for the pet, what kind of home the pet will need, where you will put that home once you bring the pet home with you, and what kinds of food you should and should not feed your new pet. There are also fast facts and pet pointers throughout the book with tips on these different small mammals. The book also gives tips about how to take care of your pet, such as cleaning its cage every week, having little pieces of wood for your pet to chew on for its teeth, and how to pick up your pet without being bitten or hurting it.

Animals in the House: A History of Pets and People
by Shelia Keenan

This nonfiction book looks at pets and their owners and starts with some fun facts, such as there are 192 million fish that are pets in homes across the United States and that people spent 37 billion dollars on their pets in 2004. The book then discusses how the process of domesticating animals into pets came about and what kinds of qualities a domesticated animal should have. Then there is a history of pet ownership and how pets came to be a status symbol in the courts of Europe. The first pet shows were held in the 1800s, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in 1866. The book also discusses different types of pets and how their whiskers, noses, and other parts of their bodies work. The book discusses kings, queens, and presidents from all over the world and what kinds of pets they had.

Great Pets!: An Extraordinary Guide to More Than 60 Usual and Unusual Family Pets
by Sara Stein

This nonfiction book starts by discussing how pets became pets after being wild. You can also have a “pet” that is wild, such as ducks or squirrels that you feed in the park, birds that you feed with a bird feeder, or animals like raccoons and ants. There are also tips on how to build a habitat for certain types of animals where you can watch them and provide a home for them without disturbing them. The book discusses different types of animals, including bugs, amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, and even crickets. Each chapter discusses the different animals and the special ways those animals need to be taken care of. There are also tips at the ends of each chapter on how to help certain types of animals or how to catch them. The chapters also have common illnesses of different types of animals and what signs to look for to make sure your pet is not sick. In the chapters on dogs and cats, there are also tips on house training your pet and on how to prevent bad habits in your pet.