August is National Sandwich Month!

Check out these books about sandwiches…

 

Make Me a Peanut Butter Sandwich and a Glass of Milk by Ken Robbins

Text and hand-tinted photographs show how each part of a peanut butter sandwich and milk lunch is made, from field, to store, to table.

 

From Fruit to Jelly by Shannon Knudsen

An introduction to the process of making jelly, from the time the farmer plants a bush or tree to the time someone eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

 

 

Grow Your Own Sandwich by John Malam

Presents advice for planting and caring for tomatoes, and provides a recipe for creating a cheese and tomato sandwich with the fresh tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

Lunch Munch by Bobbie Kalman

Explores why and how to have a delicious and healthy lunch through nutrition facts and easy recipes for nourishing foods.

 

 

 

 

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania

Best friends Lily and Salma disagree over their preferred foods, but after trading sandwiches to see how they taste, the girls change their minds.

 

 

 

 

The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord 

When four million wasps fly into their village, the citizens of Itching Down devise a way of getting rid of them.

 

 

 

Peanut Butter and Jelly by Nadine Westcott

Rhyming text and illustrations explain how to make a peanut butter jelly sandwich. Includes instructions for accompanying hand and foot motions at the end of the book.

 

Word of the Day: ‘RITHMETIC

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Hannah resents stories of her Jewish heritage and of the past until, when opening the door during a Passover Seder, she finds herself in Poland during World War II where she experiences the horrors of a concentration camp, and learns why she– and we–need to remember the past.

 

 

 

 

Arithmetic by Carl Sandburg

A poem about numbers and their characteristics. Features anamorphic, or distorted, drawings which can be restored to normal by viewing from a particular angle or by viewing the image’s reflection in the provided Mylar cone.

Word of the Day: READING

Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.

 

 

 

Hooray for Reading Day! by Margery Cuyler

First-grader Jessica, a big worrier, is especially afraid that she will make a mistake when she is reading in front of her class and parents on Reading Theater Day, but after lots of practice reading to her dog, Wiggles, she performs perfectly.

 

 

 

The Reading Race by Abby Klein

When Freddy’s class holds a reading competition–with an author visit as the first prize–Freddy is determined to win, even if it means staying up all night.

Different but the Same: Books about Accepting Differences

Hair color, height, special abilities, personalities, vegetable variety…all are types of differences that can make us feel, well, different.  But in these stories, kids, bears and even sweet potatoes learn that our differences are valuable and what’s more important is how alike we are.

 

Little Sweet Potato by Amy Bloom

When a little sweet potato gets shaken out of his garden patch, he encounters some very mean and silly plants and wonders if he is just too different to fit in anywhere.

 

 

 

 

You’ll Grow Soon Alex by Andrea Shavick

Alex follows the advice of his mother, father, sister, and teacher hoping to grow taller, but it is his very tall uncle’s advice that really makes a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore

Freckleface Strawberry is just like everyone else, except that she has red hair and freckles but when she tries to hide who she is, she learns about true friendship and accepting yourself just as you are.

 

 

 

 

Hello My Name is Bob by Linas Alsenas

Bob the bear feels very boring, especially compared to his lively friend Jack, but in the end he realizes that every bear is different and the two of them can still be friends.

 

 

 

Dog-Eared by Amanda Harvey

Self-conscious about its ears, a dog tries doing a number of things to make them look better.

 

 

 

The Pig in a Wig by Alan MacDonald

Peggoty the pig feels ugly when the other animals tell her she needs fur, a mane, or feathers, but then she sees the farmer’s baby and learns that there is also beauty in being hairless.

 

 

 

I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe

A wise dragonfly helps an unhappy cricket realize that he is special in his own way.

 

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler

Introduces children to all the things you can do in your skin and the importance of accepting what’s inside as opposed to worrying about what type of skin you have.

Did you know…Early Readers Club

Brownsburg Public Library is a distribution point for the United Way’s Early Readers Club!  Reading is fundamental to a child’s success, and Early Readers Club makes it easier for parents and caregivers to start their child off on the right track.

Drop off your registration form at the library, then stop by every month from September through May to receive a free picture book for each of your children under 6 years old.

Back to School: First Day of School

Wow! School! by Robert Neubecker

Izzy finds many things to be excited about on the first day of school.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll Go to School If… by Bo Flood

Afraid of the first day of school, a boy says that he will attend only if he can go on a rocket or a lion, but his imaginative suggestions are balanced by Mom’s practicality.

 

 

 

 

Sam and Gram and the First Day of School by Dianne Blomberg

Sam often feels frightened and lonely during his first day of school, but when it is over, he eagerly tells his grandmother all about it.

 

 

 

 

Countdown to the First Day of School by AnnMarie Harris

Rhyming text introduces ten neighborhood children as they excitedly prepare for school and count down to one.

 

 

 

 

Bye, Bye! by Nancy Kaufmann

On the first day of school, Piggy has a difficult time letting his father go, but after he does, Piggy is in for a pleasant surprise.

 

 

 

I Don’t Want to Go Back to School by Marisabina Russo

Despite his older sister’s dire warnings of all the terrible things that could go wrong on his first day in the second grade, Ben has a wonderful time.

 

 

 

 

 

Spider School by Francesca Simon

Because Kate got out on the wrong side of the bed, her first day at a new school proves to be a real nightmare with a gorilla for a teacher and spiders for lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Mingo and the First Day of School by Jamie Harper

Miss Mingo helps all of the animal students in her class overcome their shyness on the first day of school by encouraging them to share something special about themselves. Includes facts about animals.

 

 

 

 

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

A nervous Splat finds his first day at Cat School much better than he expected.

 

 

 

 

I am Absolutely Too Small For School by Lauren Child

When Lola is worried about starting school, her older brother Charlie reassures her.

 

 

 

 

Don’t Eat the Teacher by Nick Ward

Sammy the shark is so excited about the first day of school, he tries to eat everything in his path.

 

 

 

 

Brand-New Pencils, Brand-New Books by Diane DeGroat

Gilbert’s excitement over starting first grade turns to worry that the teacher will be mean, the work too hard, and his classmates too unfriendly, but throughout the day there are pleasant surprises.

Technology Rocks: Tactile Books, Early Literacy and 3D Printers

A picture is worth 1,000 words…but what if you couldn’t see it?…

Illustrations support early literacy in various ways–they engage very young readers and hold their attention, they build print motivation (the interest in books and desire to read), they provide contextual clues to help newly independent readers figure out new words and story arcs, they provide a way for adults to talk about the story with their children and develop their narrative skills–all skills children need whether they are sighted or not.

Tactile alphabet systems such as Braille are a well-known adaptation for visually impaired readers, but less widely known is the practice of creating tactile picture books for visually impaired children.  Unfortunately, such books are challenging to design well, and are costly to produce.

But a team at University of Colorado Boulder is working to create a cheaper, faster way to print tactile picture books using an increasingly common technology (and one found increasingly in library technology labs): the 3D printer.  The Tactile Books Project has created fully tactile versions of Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon and Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon, in addition to various picture puzzles, using 3D printers.

To learn more about this project, explore the pages of these newly accessible classics, or sign up for their newsletter, visit the Tactile Books Project website.

Back to School: Kindergarten

Is your kiddo excited about their first day of “big kid school”? Nervous? Some of both? Try these books to get them ready to go!

 

I’m Telling You Dex, Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis

Dexter knows everything there is to know about kindergarten and is not at all scared about his first day there, but his stuffed dog, Rufus, is very nervous.

 

 

 

 

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson

Even though Henry is looking forward to going to kindergarten, he is not sure about staying once he first gets there.

 

 

 

 

Tiptoe into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Rogers

A young preschooler accompanies her big brother to kindergarten and discovers a fun atmosphere, full of blocks and books, paints and puzzles.

 

 

 

 

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing

In the narrative tradition of “The Night Before Christmas,” shows children from all over town preparing for their first day of kindergarten, imagining what wonders they will see.

 

 

 

 

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him.

 

 

 

My Mom Made Me Go to School by Judy Delton

Archie hates the idea of his first day in kindergarten and everything connected with it, but he ends up going and finds it tolerable.

 

I Love School! by Philemon Sturges

A brother and sister describe the things they love to do during their day at kindergarten.

Back to School: The Bus

Time to get ready to go back to school!  Here are a few books to help prepare your new rider for getting on the school bus!

 

 

 

 

Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean

Molly Rides the School Bus by Julie Brillhart

The School Bus Driver from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

The Little School Bus by Carol Roth

Cheech the Bus Driver by Cheech Marin

Bus-a-Saurus Bop by Diane Shore

Ten rules you absolutely must not break if you want to survive the school bus by John Grandits

Giftable Books: Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

This quirky but winning little picture book uses only four words–orange, pear, apple and bear–to conjure a variety of silly fruit-with-bear still life images that play with concepts like shape, color, and punctuation (which matters!).

From orange pears to juggling bears, this book is a giggly reminder that it’s fun to play with your food and your words.

 

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett