The Iron Giant – by Ted Hughes

When a towering giant made of iron appears out of nowhere, young Hogarth sees him not as a monster, but a friend. The townspeople are terrified of the giant and devise a plan to bring him down. But Hogarth believes in his friend, and rescues him when no one else will. Together, they teach the people of the village and beyond to conquer their fears, for beneath the giant’s rough armor there beats a mighty heart.

Mousenet – by Prudence Breitrose

Sent to live with her chef father and his wife in Oregon after having stayed with her inventor uncle and scientist mother in Cincinnati, ten-year-old misfit Megan is lonely until she starts working with some computer-savvy mice to try to save Mouse Nation–and the planet.

Vanishing Acts:  A Maggie Brooklyn Mystery – by Leslie Margolis

Life is confusing for seventh-grader Maggie, who must track down a missing person and find out who is behind a string of dog eggings at the local dog run, while also dealing with issues involving her brother and two of her friends.

Saturday, February 11, 10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Children’s Valentine’s Day Party

Thursday, February 16, 6:00 Office Hours for Representative Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) in the meeting room on the lower level of the Library.

Also on Thursday, February 16, 7:00 Travel to China – from Planning to Immersion, stories and slide show by Richard Ferland, photographer. In the Judy Williams Reading Room on the main level.

Thursday, February 23, 6:45 p.m.,  the Southborough Genealogy Club meets to learn more about the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912, , our New England history and our ancestry, presented by Richard Forrant, Ph.D., Professor of History at University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Free and open to the public.

And, during the February vacation, it’s Pirate Week in the Children’s Room:  pirate crafts and games,  AAARRRRHH!!

Coming up this Saturday, January 28, at 2:00 p.m., join Ms. Naomi and the Southborough Library over at the Fay School for a matinee:  Despicable Me (rated PG). The movie is free, on a big screen. We invite all our library families! Park in the lot on Middle Road and follow the signs. No registration required. Call the library for more information at 508-485-5031.

Why? Why? Why?:  Discovering the World Through Books

A Blog by Beth Melo

In past blogs, I focused on fun stories to read to young children.   But there is another large category of books my children enjoy – nature and science.  

Books can be a fun way to learn about the world.  It starts with your babies’ curiosity about animals and evolves into a deeper curiosity about the world, their surroundings and how things work. 

Any parent who has weathered a storm of why’s (along with how’s and what’s) knows that it can become pretty difficult to answer all your child’s questions.  (And while sometimes the questions are obnoxious, sometimes they are actually kind of profound.)  I found that with my children, telling them that I would find a book at the library to “learn more about it” helped a lot.  (Some of the questions were often forgotten by the time I got the book, but they were still interested in learning more about the subject – from animal habits to space rockets). 

Some of my preferred authors for nature and science are below.  I’ll start off with the baby books, (generally simply fun books about animals) and progress to books more appropriate for K-2^nd grade. 

For tiny tots – there are so many fun books about animals and the sounds that they make, too many to list.  But I think these authors are special:

• Bill Martin is probably most famous for Brown Bear…, which is a great baby book.  But for actually learning a little about animals, I prefer Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
• Simm Taback’s animal books (Farm Animals and Safari Animals) have colorful, fun illustrations and simple clues to engage children by letting them figure out the animals behind the flaps.
• Melanie Walsh has cute books that don’t so much teach as tickle.  Books Do Lions Live on Lily Pads? and Do Monkeys Tweet? allow toddlers to giggle their No’s. My Beak, Your Beak is a little more educational, pointing out the differences and similarities between different animals.
• Nancy Tafuri’s books with lovely illustrations are nice for little ones.  Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails, This is the Farmer, and In the Snow are the best for teaching about real animals.  Her other books about animals are sweet, but the animals are anthropomorphized.  (Still, children who love animals will enjoy tender books like I Love You, Little One.)

Once you are beyond the simply cute stage for books, these authors have good “starter” nature/science books for young preschool children:

• Bob Barner has several good books that teach about bugs, animals, space, dinosaurs, and even human anatomy. Text is simplistic and learning doesn’t go very deep.  But these are good introductory books for young children.  Books include: Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!,  Bears! Bears! Bears!, Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar!,   Stars, Stars, Stars, Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!, Dinosaur Bones and Dem Bones.
• Ruth Heller’s series of How to Hide a . . . books explains how animals camouflage themselves to hunt or protect themselves from predators.  Children learn while having fun with this nature version of look and find.
• Anna Milbourne has a variety of educational picture books for young children.  The Snowy/Windy/Rainy Day books provide simple explanations of weather.  Another series, featuring curious Pipkin the Penguin, attempts to clarify hard to handle concepts for children, such as How Deep is the Sea?, How High is the Sky?, and How Big is a Million? (the last one is available through interlibrary loan).

Once their questions become deeper, it’s time to get more serious books about nature and science.  Some authors are especially adept at explaining complicated concepts to young children. 

For older preschoolers and kindergartners:

• Nancy Elizabeth Wallace has a great collection of books for teaching kids about the world around them.  I found it interesting that she wrote a book Stars! Stars! Stars!, almost the same title as Bob Barner’s book.  Some of her titles seem like they belong in a Barner’s anthology
•  (Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!, Seeds! Seeds! Seeds!) to the point that I was confused at first, mistakenly thinking they were by the same author, despite their differences.  They actually dovetail nicely.  When children are old enough to understand more complicated concepts than Barner’s playful text, Wallace’s books provide much more thoughtful and detailed explanations of science and nature.  They also give ideas for parents and children to experiment or interact with the subject matter.
• Steve Jenkins is a prolific author of animal/nature books, and the Southborough Library has at least 17 of his.  Jenkins has a distinctive illustration style, but that’s not what I like about his books.  He highlights really interesting facts about animals.  And by providing different levels of detail, he makes it easy to choose how much information to share (based on the age and interest level of the child).  These books are definitely of interest to much older children as well.  He also has a knack at honing in on an interesting hook for each book.  Two examples:
  • Prehistoric Actual Size – unlike books that describe animals (especially dinosaurs) in terms of feet and pounds, this book provides visual representation of their actual size (or part of their anatomy for animals too large for the page), with an index including a small picture of an average size man standing next to each creature to give perspective.
  • How Many Ways– Can You Catch a Fly? – Each section explains the variety of ways different animals accomplish a similar goal, some of them bizarrely unexpected. 

For K-2^nd Grade:

• I just stumbled onto Jacqui Bailey’s Science Works series, which my children like.  Monster Bones: The Story of a Dinosaur Fossil, explained the process of how fossils are formed, discovered, and turned into museum displays.  Charged up: the Story of Electricity taught them how electricity is generated and distributed, plus gave a basic explanation of static electricity and lightening.
• My daughter has enjoyed Amanda Lumry’s Adventures of Riley series.  In the books, Riley’s scientist uncle and his family strive to help endangered animals by better understanding the challenges they face.  On each quest, Riley learns about the animals and their habitats.  Any children who liked Diego but are now outgrowing it should like these adventures.

Beyond the authors above, the library’s Children’s Department has a great selection of non-fiction books.  Often, I’ll ask my children if there is a subject or animal they want to learn about.  Then I look in online catalog and check the shelves.  I usually find something interesting and appropriate for their age.

I hope these books help answer more why’s for your children than they create.  If you have any questions for me, feel free to e-mail becmelo@yahoo.com. (Just please make them about my article or children’s books, since I’m no science or nature expert!)

Ann Port, author of It’s All in the Title, and The Bernini Quest, and Steve Ulfelder, author of Purgatory Chasm, and soon to be released, The Whole Lie, will talk about the writer’s life, or “how I got published,” on Tuesday, January 24, at 7:00 p.m. in the Judy Williams Reading Room of the Library.

And on Wednesday, January 25 at 11:00 a.m., Ann Port will return to the Library, to discuss her two books: character and plot development and more.

Join us for one or both of these author talks in January. No registration required. Bring a friend!

The Fault in Our Stars – by John Green

Despite the medical miracle that has bought her a few more years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, but when Augustus Waters suddenly appears at the Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be rewritten.

The White Horse Trick – by Kate Thompson

In the final book of a trilogy that began with The New Policeman, the legendary Tír na n’Óg may be the only hope for a waterlogged Ireland that is fast running out of provisions.

Ruthless – by Sara Shepard

Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Aria are trying to move on and forget about their old friend Alison DiLaurentis and all the torture she put them through, but someone is trying to keep her spirit alive.

The Art of Fielding – by Chad Harbach

A baseball star at a small college near Lake Michigan launches a routine throw that goes disastrously off course and inadvertently changes the lives of five people, including the college president, a gay teammate, and the president’s daughter.

Extra Virginity:  The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil – by Tom Mueller

Expanding on his article in The New Yorker an olive oil expert uncovers corruption in the food industry, from ancient times to the present, and describes the lax rules that permit fake and even toxic foods into the United States.

Gabby:  A Story of Courage and Hope – by Gabrielle Gifffords and Mark Kelly

Congresswoman Giffords and her astronaut husband recount her early years, their marriage, the assassination attempt that left her gravely wounded and took the lives of six others, and her rehabilitation.

Blackout – by John Rocco

When a busy family’s activities come to a halt because of a blackout, they find they enjoy spending time together and not being too busy for once.

The Little Bitty Bakery – by Leslie Muir

When an elephant pastry chef works straight through her birthday with no time for birthday cake, some industrious mice make good use of her kitchen and bake a delicious surprise.

Stuck – by Oliver Jeffers

Resolving to free his kite from a tree, young Floyd tosses his shoe into the tree to knock down the kite only to lose the shoe as well, a situation that compels him to try throwing an orangutan, his front door and many other outrageous objects.

While I was in Chicago over Christmas, I took some time to visit the Chicago Public Library. The Library is beautiful – it has nine floors, its own train stop (!) and those windows at the top of the building – the public’s reading room. What a view… I was inspired! – jc