Celebrate Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss Books!

Did you know that March 1st is Read Across America Day? One of the authors people love to read on this day (and all days!) is Dr. Seuss.  Here are just a few of the favorites, but Dr. Seuss has written so many more!  For more information on Read Across America, click here.

 

ER SEUSS

Dr. Seuss's one fish, two fish, three, four, five fish!

 

ER SEUSS

Fox in socks : Dr. Seuss's book of tongue tanglers

 

E SEUSS

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

 

ER SEUSS

Green eggs and ham

ER SEUSS

Hop on Pop

Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer J FIC COLFER

Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex
Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian


Artemis Fowl: Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl, has decided that the best way to come up with the funds to find his missing father (and restore the family fortune) is to hold a fairy ransom and collect the gold that would be paid to return said fairy. Along with his bodyguard/manservant, Butler, they manage to succeed in their kidnapping. What Artemis does not factor into his equations is Captain Holly Short, the fairy that he ends up kidnapping and member of LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance). Holly is not going to go down without a fight, and she is certainly not going to let a Mud Boy (what the fairies call humans) get one over on her. I warn you ahead of time, this is not the book where you are going to like Artemis very much. He is too brilliant for his own good, and he can be quite hardhearted when it comes to getting what he wants. He will grow on your in the later books, though, especially with Holly's influence to keep him in line. You will, however, love the other characters (especially Holly), and I could not wait to move on to the rest of the series after finishing this one.

The Arctic Incident: In the second story, Artemis finds out information about his father. Then he is brought in for questioning about problems that have been happening in the Lower Elements. Holly is not one to forgive Artemis, so she is still suspicious of his motives, but she still ends up helping him in his quest to find his father, just like he is helping the fairies deal with their problems. Artemis really begins to grow on you in this story, just as he begins to grow on Holly. I love the interaction between Artemis and Foaly (they believe that each is smarter than the other, but I think they are on pretty even footing).


The Eternity Code: Artemis decides to build a new gadget, using stolen fairy technology, of course, and it just so happens that his gadget contains information about The People in the Lower Elements. Then, of course, said gadget gets stolen by a Chicago business man (to whom Artemis wanted to sell the techonolgy for funds). Unfortunately, Butler also gets shot in the process, and Artemis needs Holly's help in getting Butler back. He will also need the People's help in getting the technology back. This book really shows just how devious Artemis can be, especially when you cross him. I also really enjoy the relationship between Butler and Artemis. You can see just how special Butler is to Artemis by how far Artemis is willing to go to save him.


The Opal Deception: The fairies believed it was a better idea to erase Artemis's memory of The People and everything he had learned about them. Unfortunately, this also means that Artemis is back to his old criminal masterminding ways. This time it is a priceless painting locked in a maximum security bank vault that he has his eye on. There is trouble lurking around the corner for everyone, though. An old enemy is back and out for the blood of those who thwarted her dastardly plan, and the name at the top of her list is Artemis Fowl. The first to fall to her wrath, though, is Captain Holly Short. Holly will need Artemis's help, but to get it, she will need to get through to him and help him get his memory back. The relationship between Artemis and Holly gets much closer in this book, and this relationship will be important in the rest of the series.


The Lost Colony: Apparently, at the same time as the fairy world decided to go underground to protect themselves from the humans, the demon world decided to continue the fight. They moved their island into another dimension (Limbo), and there they would wait until they were strong enough to defeat the humans. Now, the spell holding it there is weakening, and demons are appearing all over Earth. A secret section of fairies (including Holly) will need Artemis to help them decipher the temporal equations to figure out where the next demons will be appearing. Artemis is ready at the next location that a demon is set to appear, but he is not the only human that can figure this out. His new nemesis is just as smart as Artemis, and she is only twelve years old. There is also a little imp named No 1 who will play an important part in the upcoming chaos.


The Time Paradox: Artemis needs magical help when his mother becomes very, very ill. Then Artemis finds out that the very thing that could cure his mother is a lemur that was destroyed years ago by a scheme a younger Artemis came up with the add money to the family's shrinking bank account. To get his hands on the lemur, Artemis will need the help of his fairy friends to travel back in time. However, this trip will put his good friend, Captain Holly Short, into the sights of a maniacal poacher. Artemis will also have to pit himself against his biggest adversary yet, his ten-year-old self. The original reader of this book on audio, Enn Reitel, is very different than Nathaniel Parker (which drove me crazy while listening to it), so I recommend choosing Nathaniel Parker's reading of this story, if you are going to listen to it.  



The Atlantis Complex: I will warn you, that I find this by far the weakest book in the series. This is also the one book that I have not listened to yet, so that might have something to do with my opinion of the story. Humans were not meant to hold magic within their bodies. Artemis finds out the consequences of doing such a thing in this story. It is called the Atlantis Complex. This is a psychosis, and the symptoms include obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoia, multiple personality disorder, and the inability to control your emotions. Artemis is determined to save the planet by any means necessary, but the illness is not letting him see things clearly. Artemis's illness also comes at a bad time. An old foe is back again, and the crew will need the old Artemis in order to stop her scheme (and a giant squid).




The Last Guardian: This is the final story in the series. The villain is a familiar character (the heroes have faced her and her crazy schemes a few times before). Now Opal Koboi is prepared to destroy the whole human race in order to become the head of the fairy world. To do this, she is prepared to sacrifice whatever is necessary (even her younger self, which causes lots of issues in both the human and fairy world). Then she releases a power that has waited ten thousand years for its revenge on the humans that tried to destroy the fairies. Will Artemis and his team be able to defeat Opal one more time and save all the humans? What will Artemis be willing to sacrifice?


It is amazing to me, as a look back, to see how much Artemis changes from the criminal mastermind that he was at the beginning of the story. It really took me until the third book in the series to start caring for Artemis. I, like Holly, had a hard time believing that Artemis would ever be able to use his genius for good, but I was pleasantly surprised as each story came along. Eoin Colfer creates characters that I hope you will love as much as I do. I really enjoyed listening to each story, and Nathaniel Parker does an amazing job of projecting each of the characters quirks through their voices. Each story is action packed and funny, but there is also so much more to enjoy. Give them a try!

Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan J FIC RIORDAN

Percy Jackson may have thought that his time of quests was over after with the end of The Last Olympian (fifth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series), but there is a new quest and new enemy to take on. This time, though, there will be demigods from another camp (Camp Jupiter), and these demigods are the children of the Roman gods and goddesses. The first book in the series, The Lost Hero, starts with a new demigod character, Jason Grace, who finds himself on a bus with the "Wilderness School" (which he does not remember joining), holding hands with a girl (Piper) he has no memory of. Piper and Leo are also members of the "Wilderness School," but they know something is up when they are all attacked at the Grand Canyon. Then they all end up at Camp Half-Blood and learn some very interesting things about who they are and what will need to happen in the future. They also learn that the gods are in chaos and are unable to give assistance or guidance to their children. You will also get to see some familiar faces in the first story (Annabeth and some other favorites at Camp Half-Blood). However, Percy does not appear until the second story, The Son of Neptune (guess who this is). Percy, like Jason, wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he came (though strangely he remembers a person named Annabeth). Percy ends up in Camp Jupiter, a camp for Roman demigods. There he meets Hazel (a demigod daughter of Pluto who had managed to come back from the Underworld for a second chance at life and to change her circumstances) and Frank (who was always told by his grandmother that he was descended from great heroes but with his klutziness, he does not quite believe her and who has a big secret he is hiding). There is a quest for seven demigods, and by the third book, The Mark of Athena, we have all seven of them together (Leo, Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel). These seven will have to travel to Rome (a very, very dangerous place for demigods) and face all of the monsters and other nasty things that Gaia (the Earth goddess, who is slowly awakening) is ready to  throw in their path. There is also the quest of the Mark of Athena (which falls on Annabeth's shoulders), where the outcome could be what brings the two camps together to fight the threat that the world is facing (or tear them apart forever). The big issue I have with this series is that there is a not a very good description of how the Roman gods differ from the Greek. When I was in school, we only learned the Roman name of the Greek gods or goddesses and not much else about them. There is also no explanation of the Roman legionnaire and what was expected of them. I recommend reading up on these two subjects, so that you have a better grasp on terms and ideas that he is using within the books. Otherwise, these books are full of action and adventure (and quite a bit more romance this time). The next book, The House of Hades, is going to be coming out in October.

Books about Basketball

For all you basketball fans out there, here are a few of the several books we have about basketball.

 

E BARBER

Allie’s Basketball Dream

 

J FIC STOUDEMI

Home Court

J MYS ADLER

Cam Jansen and the Basketball Mystery

J 796.323 LEBOUTIL

The Story of the Houston Rockets

J 796.323082 COLEMAN

Girl’s Basketball: Making Your Mark on the Court

New book: I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail

A new book that caught our eye is I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail (J 821.92 URVETI). It is a wonderfully illustrated book with just one poem, "I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail," within it. The poem has been around since the 17th century and no one knows who the author was, adding to its mystery. The poem itself is a form of "trick verse," which means that depending on how each line of the poem is read, it can have very different meanings!  Beyond the imaginative poem's words, the book itself is illustrated in a very interesting way that complements the poem very well.  The video below, made by the book's publisher Tara Books, explains how the poem and illustrations work together to make such an unusual and awesome reading experience:

50th Child Signs Up for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program!

We're proud to announce that 50 children have signed up for our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten early literacy program. We're looking forward to signing up even more for this fun & free early literacy program. It's a simple way to keep track of the books you and other people are reading to your child anyway. Plus, there are little rewards along the way for your child and a big prize once they've had 1000 books read to them!  If your child is any age from birth to before they've started Kindergarten, sign them up in the Children's Department next time you stop by. We'll give you all the information and materials you'll need. If you have any questions, stop by or call us at 409-643-5983 or 5966.

Books about Presidents (in honor of President's Day)

President’s Day is almost here (Monday, February 18th) and if you’re interested in learning about Presidents, we’ve got biographies on every President the U.S. has ever had! Simply look in the biography section under the last name of the President you’re looking for.  For instance, George Washington’s biographies are under J B WASHINGTON.  Beyond biographies on individual Presidents, we’ve got other books related to all Presidents, including trivia and even poems:

J 811.54 KATZ

The president's stuck in the bathtub : poems about the presidents

 

J 973.0222 PROVENSE

The buck stops here : the presidents of the United States

 

J 973.099 KRULL

Lives of the presidents : fame, shame, and what the neighbors thought

 

J 973.099 Townsend

Michael Townsend’s Where Do Presidents Come From?: and other presidential stuff of super-great importance

Valentine's Day Books You'll Love

Valentine’s Day is almost here, so below are some fantastic books you might enjoy reading about love. If you don’t love any of these options, when you stop by the Children’s Department, look at the several books about love we have displayed below the Valentine's Day-themed bulletin board for February!

 

E KANN

Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts

E NUMEROFF

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!

 

E PARISH

Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine

 

E RYLANT

If You’ll Be My Valentine

 

E SCOTTON

Love, Splat

E SCHULMAN                   
10 Valentine friends: a holiday counting book

Celebrate African American Authors and Illustators During Black History Month

The Brown Bookshelf is an website created to raise public knowledge of various wonderful African American authors and illustrators that contribute to children's literature with their work. During Black History Month in February, the website has an initative called "28 Days Later" that showcases a different author or illustator for each of the 28 days of the month. Today's spotlight is on author Glenda Armand. We have one of her books, Love twelve miles long (E ARMAND), in the Children's Department. Click here to visit The Brown Bookshelf's website to see who they choose each day!