Children's Corner at Moore Library

Thursday, February 21, 2013

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.

Monday, February 18, 2013

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

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

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:

Monday, February 11, 2013

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

Monday, February 4, 2013

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!

Monday, January 28, 2013

American Library Association Announces Award Winners

The big news today in the world of children's books is that the American Library Association (ALA) announced its children's book award winners for 2013!

Below are some of the highlights, to view the full list of winners, click here.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:
“The One and Only Ivan,” written by Katherine Applegate (J FIC APPLEGATE)

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
“This Is Not My Hat,” illustrated and written by Jon Klassen (E KLASSEN)

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:
“Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America,” written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney (J 920 PINKNEY)

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:
“I, Too, Am America,” illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Langston Hughes (E HUGHES)

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:
“Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert,” illustrated by David Diaz and written by Gary D. Schmidt (J 282.092 MARTIN)

Pop-up Books

Pop-up books are books that have parts that "pop" up when you turn the pages. They are popular with kids, so we thought we’d let you know about some of the pop-up books we have: