New Books

Hello,

I have some fun new books for you to consider adding to your library.

Whoosh! By Chris Barton, Illustrated by Don Tate. ISBN 9781580892971 $16.95 US
I heard about this first title and knew that I had to get it. It is the story of how the super soaker water gun came about. Lonnie Johnson was an engineer that worked for NASA to help figure out how to ensure a constant supply of power to the Orbiter and probe Galileo that was going to go to Jupiter. While testing his idea for a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, he blasted a stream of water across his bathroom. “What a great water gun this would make,” was his first thought. And the Super Soaker was born.

White House Kids by Joe Rhatigan. ISBN 9781936140800, $14.95 US
The subtitle of this book is “The Perks, Pleasures, Problems, and Pratfalls of the Presidents’ Children”. This book covers all children who have lived in the White House through Barack Obama’s girls. There are lots of illustrations and photographs illustrating the history of the White House and the residents since then. At just under 100 pages, it is a great addition to your library.

The Secret Life of a Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht. ISBN 9780760336762 $17.00 US
This is an informational book about snowflakes. It is an up-close look at the art and science of snowflakes which is also its subtitle. There are photographs and illustrations on every page and the text is simple enough for younger readers (third and fourth graders) while also interesting enough for older readers. This is difficult to do. The author is a physicist at Caltech where he studies how crystals grow. He has two other books. One is titled “The Art of the Snowflake”, and the other one is titled “Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes”. I am having a hard time imagining who would need a field guide to snowflakes, but one is available apparently. He has a website you can check out, too. www.snowcrystals.com (I just had to check on Amazon.com to see if the field guide is there. It is.

A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards, Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. ISBN 9780533497106 $17.99 US
Mrs. Goldman knits hats for everyone in the neighborhood. Sophie notices that Mrs. Goldman doesn’t have a hat and learns that Mrs. Goldman has given her hat away to someone who needed it. Sophie worries about Mrs. Goldman’s head being cold and decided to knot a hat for her. Sophie only likes to make the pom poms for the hats, but valiantly works to knit the hat. When she completes the hat, she sees that she has dropped stitches and has holes in the hat. Sophie solves her problem by making lots of pom poms and putting them all over the hat.

Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk by Jane Sutcliffe, illustrated by John Shelley. ISBN 9781580893682 $17.95 US
I had no idea how many common phrases and words we use that came from Shakespeare’s works until I read this book. The book also gives us some history of the time period. One side of the page has a paragraph or two about the history and Will’s Words are given on the other side with the information of the play it comes from.

Olinguito, de la A a la Z! written and illustrated by Lulu Delacre. ISBN 9780892393275 $18.95
This bilingual book written both in Spanish and English is an alphabet book focusing on a fairly newly discovered animal in the cloud forest of Ecuador and Columbia, the olinguito. In the information at the back of the book, you can discover more information about the olinguito and also explore the pages of the book. Each picture has real pressed leaves and flowers, a zoologist, and there are nine different kinds of birds in the book. More games and activities can be found at the author’s website. This is a good way to let students know that author information can have a lot more than just the story in the book.

A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. ISBN 9780763666491 $15.99
Ruben wishes he could have a bike like his friend Sergio, but his family just doesn’t have enough money to buy one. One day Ruben is buying something for his mother in the grocery story and notices that a lady has dropped a dollar bill. He quickly scoops it up and pockets it. After all, it’s only a dollar, so he doesn’t try to go after her. Later, when he is home in his room, he pulls it out and discovers that it is a one hundred dollar bill, not a dollar bill. He now has enough to buy a bike. His conscience bothers him all night and the next day. He is sent to the store again and is surprised to see the same lady! This time he chases her and returns the money. “You have blessed me, Ruben,” she exclaims. His heart is lighter and he runs home and tells his family his story. They are very proud that he did the right thing.

American Girl Ultimate Visual Guide by Carrie Anton, Laurie Calkhoven, and Erin Falligant. ISBN 9781465444967 $24.99
If you have students who love the American Girl dolls whether they own one or not, this book will be used and well loved. This book gives the history of the beginning of the American Girl dolls and the company and shows the complete line of dolls and their accessories. This book is new to our library and already I wish I had more copies!

I hope you enjoy these book suggestions.
Have a great week!
Audrey