Updates on Weeks 11 and 6 for Gardening and Science Experiments

Books! Books! Books!

Too Many Books!
by Caroline Feller Bauer and illustrated by Diane Paterson


Ever since she was a baby, Maralou has loved books. After she learns to read by herself, Maralou reads all of the time. She reads while eating breakfast, on the bus, and in the bathtub. Maralou even tries to read while jumping rope. How do you think that goes? Maralou goes to the library every week to bring back the books she has read and borrow more. Then one day during Book Week, Maralou's Aunt Molly gives her a book. Maralou realizes that now she can read this book over and over again without having to return it (like a library book). So Maralou decides to ask for books for any present that she might receive, and she is given books for all kinds of holidays (and her birthday). Maralou also earns some money, so that she can buy her own books. Soon, Maralou has so many books that they do not fit on the bookshelves that her mother and father have built for her. Books are in the bathtub, on the tables, all over the floor, and even in the refrigerator. Maralou has so many books that it is hard to get in and out of her house. The problem is, Maralou wants to read even more books. How will she not have so many books anymore? What do you think that Mara is going to do with all of her books? What would you do if you had as many books as Maralou? What does Maralou's idea about what to do with her books lead to?



















But Excuse Me That is My Book
by Lauren Child


Charlie's little sister Lola likes to read, but she really really likes reading this one book right now. Then Lola tells Charlie that their father is taking them to the library, and she is going to get Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies. Charlie tells her that she has checked that book out the last two times, but Lola tells him it is a special book that she really, really, really wants to read again. When they get to the library, Lola tells Charlie that her book is not on the shelf. Charlie tells Lola that it was probably checked out by someone else. Lola is upset and tells Charlie that Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies is her book. Charlie explains that there are lots and lots of other books for Lola to read inside the library, while she is waiting for the other book to come back again. Charlie shows Lola a history book about Romans, but she tells him it is too hard for her to read and needs more pictures. Charlie tells Lola that they can go look for that kind of book. Charlie shows her other kinds of books, but Lola is not convinced that any other book will be as good as Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies (not even the pop-up book). Charlie finally finds a book that it about animals, has lots of pictures, and is funny, and Lola decides she will give it a try. Suddenly, Lola looks up and sees another little girl with Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies. What do you think Lola will do about the book? Do you think she will like the book that Charlie picked out for her as much as the other book? Will her opinion change about Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies being the best book in the whole world?


















Stella Louella's Runaway Book
by Lisa Campbell Ernst


On Saturday morning Stella Louella discovers that the library book she has to turn in by five o'clock is missing. Stella Louella looks all over the house, but she cannot find the book anywhere. Stella's father tells her to think about where she had the book last, and she remembers being in the hammock out back with it. They do not find the library book, but they do find Stella's brother, Sam. They ask Sam if he knows where the book is, and he tells them he read it yesterday and left it on the front porch by the mailbox. The three of them do not find the book on the front porch, but they do find the mailman, Mr. Hanson. Mr. Hanson tells them he thought did not know where the book came from, so he read it and left it at the house on the corner (Tiffany Anne's house). The four of them run over to Tiffany Anne's house, and she tells them that she gave the book to Officer Tim (she thought it might be reported missing). The five of them go to the police station to see Officer Tim, but he had left the book at Wanda Lynn's diner. Each person who talks about the book gives a little clue about what the book is about (or called). Will they ever be able to find Stella Louella's book? Where do you think the book finally ends up at? What story do you think everyone is talking about?


















My Book Box
by Will Hillenbrand


A little elphant wonders what to do with an empty box that he found. Should he make it a bug box, pizza box, pasta box, hat box, or a hide-and-seek box? He decides on making it a book box! Then he thinks of all the things he can do with the book box: travel with his book box, rest with his book box, or have a book-box lunch with a friend. What would you do if you had your very own book box? What kind of activities would you use your book box for?

Some Fun Alphabet Books

LMNO Peas
by Keith Baker


In this book, you can meet all the alphabet peas. The peas work and play within the ABCs. The are artists, bikers, campers, and dancers. The peas are gigglers, kayakers, outlaws, pilots, sailors, volunteers, and zoologists. The peas also want to know something about you. What are you in the alphabet? Are you a student, a smiler, or a craft maker? When you reach the end of the story, you can work your way through the alphabet and list all of the thing that you are, too. Just like the peas!

















Alphabet Fiesta: An English/Spanish Alphabet Story
by Anne Miranda and illustrated by young schoolchildren in Spain


Armando, the armadillo, receives a letter in the mail from Zelda's, the zebra, mother inviting him to a surprise party for Zelda. Bartholomew gets dressed up for the party and rides his bicycle. Carlos, the camel, and Chi-Chi, the chimpanzee, prepare a special basket with Zelda's favorite treats in it (cherries, chocolate, coconuts, and chestnuts)! Each person coming to the party's name is another letter of the alphabet, and they are all bring and doing things with their letters to get to the party for Zelda, such as Flora and Francis, the flamingoes bringing flowers, Hector, the hippopotamus, bringing hamburgers, Olive, the orangutan, plays an opear on her oboe, and many more. What other special presents do you think that Zelda is going to receive? Do you think that she will be really surprised by her party, the people who come to it, and all of the different kinds of presents that she is going to get? Each page has a paragraph in English and a paragraph in Spanish, and the illustrations on each page are very different than the rest.


















Apple Pie ABC
by Alison Murray


A little girl is making an apple pie. Her little dog smells the apple pie, and he sits with the little girl while the pie is baking and cooling. The little dog also wants a piece of the apple pie, and he finds a little crumb of it. The little dog likes it so much, that he wants to get a lick of the pie. Unfortunately, he is caught by the little girl, who tells him to walk away from the pie. The little dog decides that he wants a piece of the pie, even though the little girl will probably not be happy with him. Do you think that the little dog is going to get some of the apple pie? Do you think the little girl will be happy with him if he does get some? Each page of this story starts with a different letter of the alphabeth going from a to z. For example: "jumping up for it, kept away from it, leave without it, miserable..."


















Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words: From Accessories to Zany
by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser


Fancy Nancy is going to walk us through the alphabet of all of her favorite fancy words. Fancy Nancy starts off with a little letter to explain this. Each page, starting with accessories, has the word, what it means, the word used in a sentence at the bottom of the page, and an illustration of the word. Some of the words include dapper, fiasco, hostess, monogram, parasol, souvenir, vocabulary, yearn, and many more. At the end, you will know so many fancy word. What was your favorite fancy word? Can you try to use it in a different sentence than the one Fancy Nancy used?


There are many other great alphabet books to be found in our collection. Here is a link to an alphabet bibliography:
http://www.texascity-library.org/CHBibs/CHAlphaLiving09-09.pdf

This bibliography is also available in the Children's Department if you would like to see it there.

Some Cool Crafts!

365 Nature Crafts and Activities
by Karen E. Bledsoe and Candyce Norvell and illustrated by Terri and Joe Chicko


This book contains not just crafts, but there are also actitivities that you can do to learn about the world around you. The chapters in the book are titled: Our Precious Planet; How's the Weather?; Skywatching; Flower Fun; Trees: Nature's Giants; Small Creatures; The Animal Kingdom; For the Birds; Water, Water, Everywhere; Preserving Nature's Resources; and Gifts from Nature. In the chapters there are crafts, but there are also recipes (such as making "rock" cookies to show layers), experiments, and even some history lessons. Each activity gives instructions, explanations, and illustrations to show you how to do the activity. In the Gifts from Nature chapter, you can find some ideas for gifts (and even making your own wrapping paper) to give to others.











Scrapbooking Just for You!: How to Make Fun, Personal, Save-Them-Forever Keepsakes
by Candice Ransom


The author of this book wants to help you get the basics down on starting your own scrapbooks. In the beginning of the book, there is a section on how to get started, and in this section, there is a brief history on scrapbooking. The author also has a little question and answer section, so she can help you with answers to questions you may be wondering about. There is a list of things that you should not do while making your scrapbook, and a list of supplies and tools that you will need. The book is divided into three main sections: the first section is basic information on scrapbooking, the second section is about creating page layouts, and the third section has ideas for giving gifts and other projects (even a scrapbook party). The author suggests reading through the first section before beginning your scrapbook. Within the book there are little things to help you in making choices on what to put on your pages, such as a color wheel, layout ideas, and what you will need to make things that you like on the different pages. Finally, the gift ideas in the last section include: calendars, photo albums, picture frames, treasure boxes, notebook journals, and many more.











Injeanuity
by Ellen Warwick and Bernice Lum


This book is full of ideas on what to do with your old jeans. You can turn those jeans to transform them into new kinds of clothing, create fashion accessories to go with your new clothes, or even use them to create items to decorate your room with. There are also ideas on how to make jeans that you are wearing a little more exciting. At the beginning of the book, the authors give you some tips for working with denim, and they also give some information about seams, tips on using a sewing machine, and information on embroidery. There are also some cool facts about denim. Each idea gives step-by-step instructions, and there are pictures that show each step in progress. There is also a photograph of each finished project. The projects that are created with denim include slippers, purses, wallets, kercheif, pillows, footstools, and more.











Recyclo-gami: 40 Crafts to Make Your Friends Green With Envy!
by Laurie Goldrick-Wolf


This book shows you lots of things that you can make with recyclable items you have all over the house. The chapters of this book include: Acessorize with Style, Ingenious Jewelry, Spice Up the Kitchen, Bedazzle Your Bedroom, and Games, Gifts, and Great Ideas. Some of the items you can make include: bed sheet scarves, bubble-wrap purses, paper-bead necklaces, decoupaged platters, decorated lamp shades; shadowboxes, and much more.

Back to School

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School
by Lauren Child


Charlie has a little sister named Lola, and their parents think that Lola is almost (but not quite) big enough for school. Lola is not sure that she agrees with them. Lola does not believe that she is big enough, and she is too busy at home doing other things to be able to go to school. Charlie tells Lola that she will learn all kinds of things at school, such as numbers and how to count to one hundred. Lola tells Charlie that she is happy just being able to count to ten (especially because she never eats more than ten cookies at on time). Charlie also tells Lola that she can learn letters, and that way, she can write on cards to send to people that she likes. Lola tells Charlie that she is happy just talking on the telephone. Charlie reminds Lola that not everyone has a telephone, and letters and cards can reach anybody. Then Lola thinks about things that might come up if she goes to school. She tells Charlie that she will not wear a school uniform. Charlie tells her that their school does not have uniforms. What other worries will Lola have about going to school? Will Charlie be able to make her feel better about them? How will Lola's first day at school go? Will she make any friends?


















Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook
by Michael Garland


Zack is waiting for his new teacher to arrive, and while he is waiting, he thinks that school will probably be really boring this year. Then Miss Smith arrives, and Miss Smith is very different than the other teachers that Zack has seen before. Then Miss Smith announces that it is "story time," and she starts to read from her storybook. As she starts reading, Zack cannot believe his eyes. Miss Smith is reading a pirate story, and suddenly, pirate characters are coming to life and acting out the story. Then suddenly, Zack and the rest of the class find themselves in the middle of the story (on a pirate ship)! After that Zack is excited to go to school and see the next story that Miss Smith will read from her storybook. After Miss Smith finishes each story, the characters and adventure all disappear back into her book. That Friday, Miss Smith gets stuck in traffic, and so Principal Rittenrotten comes to read for her until she can get there. As the principal reads, a princess, dragon, and knight on his horse come out of the book. The principal drops the book and runs away yelling for help. One of the other students, Sue Ann, grabs the book and starts reading another story. Instead of the princess, dragon, and knight going back into the book, suddenly Goldilocks and the three bears climb out. Then another student starts reading a different story from the book, and suddenly, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and Alice climb out of the book, too. The book gets passed from student to student, and everyone keeps reading different stories. As they do this, more and more characters come climbing out of the book. Zack tells them that they need to finish reading each story to have the characters go back, but no one is listening to him. Will the students be able to get all the characters back into the storybook? What will the characters from the stories do? What will Miss Smith do when she gets to class? What will the principal think when he gets back to the classroom?




















The Best Seat in Second Grade
by Katharine Kenah and illustrated by Abby Carter


Sam thinks that he has the best seat in the whole second grade, because he gets to sit next to George Washington (the hamster). Every Monday, Mr. Hopper picks a new Hampster Helper, and that person gets to feed George Washington, make him some toys out of boxes and tubes, and they get to play with George Washington. Sam always wants to be the Hamster Helper, but his name never seem to get drawn out of Mr. Hopper's little bowl. Sam is tired of waiting and thinks that George Washington needs some time out of his cage, and he thinks George Washington needs to see a little bit of the world. The next day the class is going to visit the science museum, and so Sam decides that he will bring George Washington with him. At the museum, Sam keeps George Washington in his coat pocket. The first place they go is into the planetarium. Inside the planetarium, Sam takes George Washington out of his pocket and tells him to make a wish to all the stars. Sam ends up taking George Washington through the wind tunnel, to look at the weird mirrors, through the Giant Seashell, to the Homes of the Future, and even to the Bubbles are a Blast. George Washington watches, listens, and sneezes through it all, and no one else notices that Sam has brought George Washington with him. Sam does not want to each lunch with everyone else, because he is afraid that George Washington will smell the food and jump up, and so Sam wanders off by himself to show George Washington the animal zone. Sam finally stops in front all of the other hamsters, and he notices that all of the other hamsters look just like George Washington. Suddenly, the other children in Sam's group run up to him. They suddenly see that he is holding George Washington. Before the can say anything, though, George Washington jumps out of Sam's hand and into the Hamster Habitat. Will the class be able to figure out which hamster is George Washington? How do you think they can tell which one is him? What is something that George Washington has been doing all day as he traveled with Sam? What will Sam do on Monday when everyone gets back to class?



















A School Like Mine: A Unique Celebration of Schools Around the World
a DK book


This book discusses how children all over the world go to school. The different chapters are broken up into five chapters: The Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. At the beginnging of the book, you get introuduced to children from all over the world, and you get to see the different ways they dress when they attend school. Each chapter begins with facts about the areas that are covered by that chapter. Then the students introduced at the beginning of the book are discussed with their lives, clothes, languages, education (and things they do at school), and what they get to eat during the school day. You can see how alike and different the education of children all over the world is from your own. What kind of things do you have in common? What kinds of things are different? Is there something that they do in another school around the world that you would like to try?

Some New Books for August

Wiener Wolf
by Jeff Crosby

Wiener dog is tired of eating the same old thing and doing the same old things with Granny. Then he sees some wolves on the televsion and he gets an idea. So he gets a ride out to the wildneress, and he goes looking for some adventures with the wolves. The wolves seem confused by Wierner's Dogs sweater, but after he takes it off, the wolves are happy to have Wiener Dog join the pack. He is now "Wiener Wolf." He runs along with the wolves and drinks from the little stream. He even has new squeaky toys in the little wolf cubs. He gets to howl along with the other wolves that night. The next day Wiener Wolf finds something about the wolves that he doesn't really like. What will Wiener Wolf do? Do you think he will go home to Granny where it was nice and safe? What else will he find when he figures out where he belongs?



















Everything I Need to Know Before I'm Five
by Valorie Fisher

Using little plastic vehicles, animals, people, and other little props, the author shows, as the title says, everything that it is important to know by the age of five years old. There is the alphabet, numbers, colors (including what happens when colors are mixed together), opposites, shapes, and weather. What are the interesting things that the animals are wearing and carrying around on the different pages? Each picture on the different pages in book also emphasizes what is being taught, such as there being penguins, a peach, painting, and a pickup on the "P" page in the alphabet section.















Raj: The Bookstore Tiger
by Kathleen T. Pelley and illustrated by Paige Keiser

Felicity Fotherington knew when she brought a little striped tabby cat home with her, that she now had a little tiger, and so Felicity named her little "tiger," Raj. Raj finds out that it is hard work being Felicity's bookstore's tiger. Raj patrols the store rooms, lie in the sun in the front window, and he also greets the customers who come into the bookstore. Raj's favorite time, though, is storytime in the afternoons. Felicity always introduces Raj as the bookstore tiger, and Raj always sits in a child's lap while the stories are being read. Raj really enjoys his life, until the day that Snowball visits the bookstore every day. Snowball tells Raj that he is not a tiger, but he tells Raj that he is just a plain old kitty-cat. Snowball also takes Raj's little pillow that he naps on. What Snowball says really bothers Raj. He spends the rest of the day hiding out. After that day, Raj lays on top of a bookshelf or hides under a chair, and he is very depressed. Raj doesn't even come down for storytime, even though he sees Snowball sitting in one of the children's lap. Then one night, what Felicity is reading catches Raj's attention. Felicity is reading a poem about tigers, and he sits in her lap as she reads the poem to him over and over again. Will Raj feel like the bookstore's tiger again? Will he be able to stand up to Snowball? Will Raj ever enjoy another storytime, and what else will he learn that Snowball might be interested in?















A Flock of Shoes
by Sarah Tsiang and illustrated by Qin Leng

Abby loves her pink and brown with lime green trim sandals. Abby's sandals were perfect for running, walking, skipping, jumping, and hopping. Abby also made heart shapes in the sand when she walked on it in her sandals. Abby and her sandals have a wonderful summer together. When fall comes, Abby's mother tells her that it is time to wear some different shoes, because her feet will be cold, the shoes are getting wore out, and they are getting to be too small. Abby continues to wear her shoes anyway, until one day while swinging at the park, her sandals flip off her feet and fly south. When Abby gets home, she tells her mother what happened to her sandals, but her mother does not really believe her. Instead, she gives Abby some new boots. All winter Abby wears her boots, but she keeps thinking about what her sandals are doing down south. She even imagines what the postcards would look like if her sandals sent them to her. Eventually, Abby really starts to like her boots. Abby's boots are great for stomping, running, kicking, and climbing. What do you think is going to happen to Abby's boots when spring comes? What do you think will happen to her sandals? Will she think about any other messages she might get from her shoes?

Data log: 10 weeks after launch

Here are our science experiments at the 10-week mark:

Check the previous post for the 8-week update.

How does your garden grow?

Earlier this summer, Children's Librarian Kayla and many of our young patrons did some science experiments involving plants. You can check out the results of their work in the children's department. You'll see sweet potatoes shooting sprouts in their cups of water, seedlings planted in different kinds of dirt to see which would grow the fastest — so far Texas City soil is proving thew winner — and a variety of other green things growing.

New Books

Big Brothers Don’t Take Naps

by Louise Borden and illustrated by Emma Dodd

Nick has an older brother named James. James can write his name and Nick’s, and James gets to ride the bus to school and home again. James tells Nick that when he is older, Nick won’t have to take naps anymore, but he will have to do other things, like raking the leaves. James does a lot of things with Nick, such as getting ready for Halloween and telling each other secrets. They even have a special secret coming in June. James passes things that don’t fit him anymore down to Nick. They seem to pass slowly as their secret comes closer and closer to being here. James helps Nick cross the street and find out Nick’s favorite book at the library. Nick always follows James’s example when he tells people, “please” and “thank you.” James also knows how to read books to Nick, and he looks up things like polar bears on the computer (they are Nick’s favorite). After Nick takes his nap, they both go to the park to play with Mac and Scoopy (their dogs), and James always waits for Nick to catch up. They play “blastoff” while James teaches Nick to count backward. James and Nick even work together to think up a name for their secret surprise. What do you think the surprise is going to be? What do you think this means for Nick and James?

Inkblot: Drip, Splat, and Squish Your Way to Creativity

by Margaret Peot

This nonfiction book discusses ways to use inkblots to tap into your creativity, using both sides of your brain to come up with ideas. You can create inkblots by using ink and water on a piece of paper, and like snowflakes, no two inkblots are alike. Anyone can use inkblots to “jumpstart” their creative thinking. “Creative” people tend to like creatively on a daily basis, instead of just every once in a while when it becomes necessary to be creative. Inkblots are a great way of feeling creative, though. There is a list of supplies that you will need to create your own inkblots. You begin with the first chapter by learning about inkblots. There are three main ways of creating your inkblot. You can blob the ink onto the paper and then fold the paper onto the ink over and over again. You can pour the ink onto the paper and swirl it around, or you can drip the ink on the page on the floor from waist high (this is also the messiest). The good news is that if you don’t like the inkblot that you have made, you can add more ink and change it. There are some different techniques discussed. There is also information on how some artists that worked with inkblots created their work. The second chapter is about adding details and colors to the blots to make a picture. First, you look at your inkblots and decide what the picture is. Then using some colored pencils, a pen, or crayons, start putting more details on the blot to draw that picture out. There are some suggestions for how to figure out what you see within your inkblots. The book even discusses building an inkblot sketchbook, so you can practice your creativity often. At the end of the book, there is a “gallery of inkblots” that other children and adults have created.

Huck Runs Amuck!

by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

There is a mountain goat named Huck, and Huck will eat a lot of things including: cardboard boxes, wooly gloves, and birds’ nests. However, Huck’s favorite things to eat are flowers. The problem with Huck’s loving to eat flowers is that all of the other goats love to eat them, too. So there are not very many flowers for Huck to eat. Huck finds some flowers at the top of a really hard cliff for Huck to climb. Huck cannot resist the flowers, though, and he tries to climb it. Unfortunately, Huck slips goes tumbling, bouncing, sliding, and rolling all the way into the village of North Polkadot. Huck lands in a pond, but he soon see’s Mrs. Tuppleton’s flowery underpants. Can Huck resist eating them? No. Huck climbs onto the clothesline and tries to reach the underpants, but Mrs. Tuppleton’s dog comes out. Huck spins in the clothesline, flips up into the air, and lands in a pile of boxes outside Mr. Hartwig’s General Store. Huck starts eat the boxes, but they certainly don’t taste like flowers. Suddenly, Huck sees Mr. Watson, and Mr. Watson is bringing some flowers home for his wife. Will Huck be able to resist these flowers? No. He climbs on top of the bridge and leans down to reach the flowers. Unfortunately, at this time a train comes across the bridge and pushes Huck on top of a boy on a bicycle. Will Huck ever be able to find any flowers to eat? Will he end up doing something heroic instead? What does Huck end up eating?

A Pet for Miss Wright

by Judy Young and illustrated by Andrea Wesson

Miss Wright is an author who sits at her desk all day and types. The characters in Miss Wright’s stories have friends and adventures, but things are very quiet in Miss Wright’s office, except for her typing. One day, Miss Wright decides that it is too quiet, and she decides to go to the pet store and buy a pet. The man in the pet store thinks that a Mynah bird will be a great pet for Miss Wright, because they like to talk. Unfortunately, the Mynah bird does not talk, but the bird just mimics the noise that the keys on the computer make, as Miss Wright types. So Miss Wright takes the bird back to the store, and she brings home a monkey. The monkey keeps Miss Wright entertained, but she cannot get her writing done, because the monkey also pushes down the buttons on the keyboard. When Miss Wright takes the monkey back to the pet store, the man gives her a fish. Miss Wright and the fish were hypnotized by one another, and Miss Wright was not able to get any writing done for days. The next pet that Miss Wright brings home is a hamster. Unfortunately, all of the running around that the hamster did in its wheel made Miss Wright dizzy, and she had to lie down. What other pets will the man at the pet store think are right for Miss Wright? What pet do you think would be perfect for Miss Wright? Does this pet help Miss Wright with her writing? What kind of pet do you have? Do they help you with anything?

Minute to Win It marathon

Last week we had three straight programs of 60-second games for our children and teen patrons. There was fierce competition and lots of good-natured trash-talking with the teens, and the smaller munchkins in some cases were so inspired by the games, they made up their own, right on the spot! Check out our videos:

And we've still got four more programs this week — two each on Thursday and Friday — to wrap up our Summer Reading Program. Check out the MMPL website for the schedule!

More New Books

Ghost Hands: A Story Inspired by Patagonia’s Cave if the Hands

by T.A. Barron and illustrated by William Low

Auki wants to go hunt with the men of his tribe, but every year his father tells him to wait another year. So Auki practices his running, hurling a spear, and throwing a rope to get ready. The one thing Auki is not good at practicing is his patience. This summer Auki asks his father again if he can hunt, but his father tells him no, that to hunt he must be strong and brave. The pumas also hunt the guanaco, and Auki’s father is afraid that the puma could get Auki. So the next morning Auki goes out to hunt all alone. Auki wants to find a puma and follow it back to its den, and then he thinks that he will prove he is ready to hunt. Auki looks for the puma, and he knows that the puma is not in the canyon where the cave is that the elders visit (and maybe some ghosts, too). Auki hides on the grassy slope next to the canyon and waits. Auki waits all day and gets hot and thirsty. Finally, he sees something move at the edge of the grass. It is a puma, who pounces at Auki. Auki falls down into the canyon and hurts his foot. Auki knows with his hurt foot that he cannot climb back up, so he decides to crawl down into the cave. While Auki is putting his foot in the cold water of the canyon stream, he notices something colorful in the cave. He crawls closer to see what it is. Auki sees colorful hands all over the cave. He thinks they are ghost hands, and he becomes afraid. Soon a man comes out with some paint in a bowl and tells Auki to leave. He tells Auki he is Pajar, the painter of the people. Auki asks why Pajar paints only hands, but Pajar just tells him to leave again. Suddenly, they both see the puma walking into the cave. Will the Puma get Auki and Pajar? Will Auki ever find out why only hands are painted in the cave? Will anything else get painted into the cave?

Sleeping Bootsie

by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Patricia Cantor

There once was a lonely little kitten that kept getting shooed away by everyone. Then one day the kitten hides in basket that gets taken into a castle. Once the kitten looks out of the basket, she sees a little maiden working hard washing and ironing the royal family’s clothes. She hears the maiden wish for a friend. The maiden finds the kitten and sees the little white paws that the kitten has. Meg, the maiden, tells the kitten that if the queen lets her keep the kitten, she will name the kitten Bootsie. So Meg puts Bootsie into the queen’s dress pocket. When the queen finds Bootsie, she tells Meg that every castle needs a kitten, and then the queen asks Meg to take care of Bootsie. The king and queen then throw a ball to celebrate the new kitten. They invite three good fairies to come. Each fairy gives Bootsie a gift. Pink Fairy makes her playful, while Purple Fairy gives Bootsie a beautiful meow. Then Yellow Fairy gives Bootsie a kind heart. Suddenly, Silver Fairy comes into the ball. She was not invited, and she is very angry. Silver Fairy says that if Bootsie’s paw were to ever touch water, then Bootsie would sleep until she heard her happiest sound. The king and queen get rid of all of the water in and around the castle, and they stop taking baths. Bootsie is not allowed to leave the castle and no one plays. This makes Bootsie said, and she stops meowing. One day a new maid brings her pet goldfish into the castle. Bootsie watches the fish for a little while, and then she touches the water with her paw and goes to sleep. Will anyone be able to figure out what Bootsie’s happiest sound is? Will anyone figure out who that new maid was? Will Bootsie ever wake up? What story is similar to this one?

My Forever Friends

by Julie Bowe

Ida’s best friend is Stacey, and she even has a “frenemy” in Jenna. So she always has someone to hang out with, as she is with Stacey, Jenna, and Brooke at Jenna’s mom’s baby shower. Jenna and Brooke used to be best friends, but now the two girls fight all of the time. Jenna even likes to remind Brooke that her mother, not Brooke’s, is in charge of the school auction and carnival. After Ida’s mother picks her up, though, her mother tells her that they will be keeping Jenna and her sister Rachel, so that their mother can get some extra rest for the baby. Ida’s mother even says that Jenna’s mother is letting Brooke’s mother lead the auction and carnival. Ida knows that Jenna is not going to be happy about that. This fact only makes Jenna angrier with Brooke. The next day, Mr. Crow tells that class that they will be making a quilt to sell at the school auction, they will be going to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum for the class trip, and that each “friendship circle” in the room will be helping with a carnival game booth. The guys are not excited about the quilt, but Mr. Crow reminds them that the auction is to raise money for new playground equipment. While Jenna and Rachel are staying with Ida, Ida notices how much Jenna likes to plan ahead for everything. Jenna is also not very nice to her sister, which makes Ida unhappy. In class, Jenna and Brooke are getting along less and less, and now Ida is starting to not feel happy with Brooke, either. Then Jenna tells Ida that she is her best friend and wants them to put pictures of each other into their noodle frames. This confuses Ida, because she doesn’t want to be mean to Jenna. Then when Stacey comes to stay with Ida Mae over the weekend, all she seems to do is talk about Brooke. They even have to meet Brooke at the park. At school that Monday, Brooke decides she doesn’t want to hang out with Jenna anymore. She takes Meeka, Jolene, and Stacey with her. Ida tells them that everyone is losing and sticks with Jenna. Then Brooke makes sure that none of her “group” interacts with Ida, Jenna, or Randi, but the only person who seems to mind is Ida. Ida hates that all the girls are fighting, but she doesn’t know what to do about it. Ida also wants Jenna to feel better now that so much is happening with her family. Soon Ida is very tired of all of the girls fighting, and she wants to figure out how to make everyone happy again. Will Ida be able to come up with a way of fixing things and having everyone be friends again? Will Brooke and Jenna ever tell each other they are sorry and become best friends again? Will Jenna’s family be okay, and will she feel better about the way things are?

Prudence Wants a Pet

by Cathleen Daly and illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Prudence really, really, really wants a pet, but her parents tell her no. Prudence’s mom and dad believe that a pet will be too expensive and too much trouble. So Prudence decides to make a branch her pet. Prudence takes Branch to school and for walks. Unfortunately, Prudence’s dad trips over Branch over and over again on the porch, so her father breaks Branch and puts it on the woodpile. The Prudence finds a new pet, Twig. Unfortunately, Prudence leaves Twig in her wet dress, and Twig gets lost in the washing machine. Prudence asks her parents for a pet again, but the answer is still no. So Prudence decides to make a shoe a pet. She sees that inside the shoe, its name is Formal Footwear. Prudence takes Formal Footwear for walks and teaches it some tricks. However, Formal Footwear doesn’t lick Prudence or jump in her lap. So she leaves Formal Footwear in the junk yard. Finally, Prudence finds a new pet in her little brother, Milo. Unfortunately, Milo does not like the food that Prudence gives him, and her parents are not happy that she made Milo feel sick. They still don’t want her to have a pet either. What other things will Prudence find to make a pet? Will Prudence ever get the real pet that she wants? What will that pet be? Will this make Prudence really happy?