Monday, December 27, 2010
SNOWY DAYS
The Snowman - Briggs
Here is a book even a preschooler can read as there are no words. A child invites a snowman into his house and shows him amazing sights. The snowman takes the boy on a wonderous flight over cities. You can talk the child through the story or better yet have the child tell you what they think the story is about.
The Tomten - Lindgren
Everyone is sleep as snow falling at the farm in the forest - except the Tomten, a friendly troll who lives in a corner of the hayloft by day and guards the farm by night. No one has ever seen the tomten, but the children see his footprints in the snow.
The Tomten and the Fox - Lindgren
Another book about the Tomten who guards the farm at night.
Snow - Shulevitz
As snowflakes slowly come down, one by one, people in the city ignore them, and only one boy and his dog think that the snowfall will amount to anything.
Katy and the Big Snow - Burton
Katy is a plow for the highway department. In the summer she repairs roads and in the winter she plows snow. After a heavy snow fall, Katy is called on to dig out the city that is lock in because of all the snow. You can follow Katy as she recues everyone and they can all get back to work.
The Snowy Day - Keats
Peter woke up to a snowy world and went out to explore. He made trails in the snow, he smacked snow off a snow-covered tree, he had a snowball fight with some boys, and he made snow angels. What fun can you have with fresh snow?
Little Polar Bear - de Beer
while hunting with his father, a young polar bear drifts out to sea and ends up in a jungle where a friendly hippo helps Little Polar Bear return home.
The Snow Speaks - Carlstrom
The sights and sounds of the first snowfall are captured in this book. Great snow pictures!
Winter's Coming - Bunting
Pictures of the seasonal changes, and a brother and sister who take part in preparations for the coming winter. The farm bustles with activity and the whole family shares in the work. A small book that is just right for small hands.
Yesterday's Snowman - Mack
All the fun a family can have in the snow is shown in this small book.
The Biggest Snowstorm Ever - Paterson
One day it began to snow and snow and snow and soon it became a very big snow and the family had to jump out the second story window to play in the snow. After the snow the family has hot chocolate. Sounds like fun!
A Snowman Named Just Bob - Moulton
A story of Bob - a snowman.
In Winter - Moncure
Fifteen poems celebrating the snow, hibernating animals, icicles and other signs of winter.
The Mitten - Tresselt
A retelling of an old folktale. A small boy loses a mitten on a cold day in winter. The mitten is found by a small mouse and then larger and larger animals who want to get in out of the cold. Finally the mitten is split and all the animals are dumped out into the snow and run off. The boy comes looking for his lost mitten and sees and tiny mouse running off with the red lining of the thumb of the lost mitten.
There is another book by Jan Brett with the same story but very different and colorful pictures. It might be fun to take home both books and compare the story and the pictures.
Thomas' Snowsuit - Munch
The story is about Thomas and his struggles with a new snowsuit - both at home and at school. If you have children you will sympathize with the people who confront Thomas.
When Winter Comes - Mass
Simple text and photgraphs of all the winter activities - sledding, mittens, warm fires and hot soup.
Get Set...Go! Winter - Thomson
Winter days are short and cold. It is often snowy and icy. What can you do in weather like this? Look for bird and animal tracks, do twig weaving, make snowflakes, and feed the birds. The book will show you how to do all these things.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
NEW FALL BOOKS
The 1920's are drawing to a close and Katie O'Connor is a smart
and sassy young women. She has goals for her future that
include the perfect husband and a law degree that will let her
fight in court for women and children. Katie is a handful and
her father forces her to spend her summer volunteering at
The Boston Children's Aid Society. Her life will never be the
same. There are several twists and turns in Katie's life and
she will have to make choices.
Munson - Confirming Justice
A thriller which involves a Federal Judge, Dwight Pendergast,
who presides over a bribery case of the son of a cabinet-
secretary. During the trial a key witness disappears. When
FBI agent Griffin Topping is brought in to locate the missing
witness. Meantime the White House is about to nominate
Judge Pendergast to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
In a race against time agent Topping risks everything to
save the case while opponets of the nomination attempt
to expose Pendergast family secrets to derail the
nomination.
Mc
Dowwell - The Witness
Marwan Accad and his brother, Ramy run an executive
security business. That business brought them in touch
with wealthy businessmen Refeeq Ramsey whose wife and
daughter were kinapped and held for randsom. Just as
Marwan shows his client evidence that would crack the
case wide open, Ramsey is gunned down by sniper fire.
Marwan narrowly escapes with his life but is chased all
over Europe and North Africa by police as the main
suspect in Ramsey's murder. who can he trust as his
picture is on the cover of the newspapers and on the
television. While he is on the run he meets the
beautiful Alia Nour who will change his life forever.
Macomber - 1022 Evergreen place
In this 10th book in the series, about Cedar Cove, is
excieted about the engagement of Mack and Mary Jo.
But there are always problems in Cedar Cove. If Mark
wants to adopt Mary Jo's baby will her old boyfriend,
David, be a problem? Then there's Linc and Lori who
wed without telling her controlling father. And what
will Rachel's stepdaughter, Jolene, do when she finds
out Rachel is pregant? Small town life in Cedar
Cove is never dull. The author will remind you who
all the players are at the beguinning of the book - in
case you can't remember the past books.
Well - Nursing a Grudge
Yes, he was a grudge - so how did he get involved
from his assisted-living apartment to join in a
clandestine spicy hot chilli party? He almost had fun
until someone ended up dead. Now Earl Walker
seems to be the only person suspicious enough to
think it is murder and to finally figure out who the
murderer is.
Hart - Love, Charleston
Two sisters and a cousin are very close as they are
growing up. Now as adults, life is pulling the
three women in different directions. Anne Brumley
has long dreamed of traveling to Enland for 6
months to study and enhance her bell ringing
skills. Anne's sister, Lish, struggles with her
husband's ambition to work for the Center for
Disease Control and move from Charleston to
Atlanta. And cousin Della's former fiancee has
returned to Charleston and will make Della
rethink her marriage to her gifted but
unemployed-artist husband. Adding to this mix
is Roy, who has been called to be the new
pastor at the prestigious St. Michael Episcapal
Church. A small baby who is born early, will
change all of their lives. A book about family,
friendship, and faith.
Sundin - A Distant Melody
Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous
mother, Allie will do anything to gain her
approval - even marry a man she doesn't love.
while Allie had nearly resigned herself to that
fate, Lt. Walter Novak - fearless in the cockpit
but hopeless with women - takes his last
furlough at home in California before being
shipped overseas in WWII. Walter and Allie
meet at a wedding and begin correspondence.
As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber
base in England and Allie's mansion in an
orange grove, their friendship binds them
together. You will participate in the
bombing run in Europe and view the world of
war on the home front with rationing and
shortages of sugar and other materials.
Friday, May 7, 2010
NEW CHILDREN'S BOOKS
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DeLuca – Harry the Wolf
So God made the wild animals and all the small crawling animals …God saw that this was good. Genesis 1:25. That is the start of this small book about God’s animals. There is Lizzie the elephant from Africa, Ben the beaver from North America, Buster the kangaroo from Australia, Harry the wolf from Europe, Celia the tiger from Asia, Mattie the polar bear from the Artic, Bob the penguin from Antarctica, and Josh the anteater from South America. There are fold out pages and plastic overlay pages that change the pages like magic and make the book fun to read.
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Atwood – Our Big, Big God
The story talks about all the things in our world
that only our big, big God could create. The book starts with a small, small page and tells of small creatures God created – ants, bugs, bees. As each page gets bigger, the creatures and the world gets bigger – the canyons and the mountains, the seas and the earth.
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Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears Faithful Friends
When Sister Bear makes a new friend, her best friend Lizzy gets jealous. Brother Bear tells her God wants her to make up with Lizzy.
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Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule
Sister Bear learns the meaning of the Golden Rule that is engraved in her locket when a new bear arrives at school and no one invites the new bear to play.
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Be
Berenstain – God Loves You
When Brother Bear tries out for the basketball team and Sister Bear tries out for the school musical. They ate surprised by the outcome which teaches them about God’s plan for them.
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Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears Discover God’s Creation
When Mother Bear turns off the TV Brother and Sister Bear think they will die but soon discover all the great things in their world besides TV.
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Mo
Moore – How Noah Knew What to Do
Noah listened when God told him a plan to change the world and that plan was for Noah to build an ark to save his family and two of each of the animals of the world. Most important lesson for Noah is that he learned God keeps his promises.
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George – God’s Wisdom for Little Boys
Short verses from Proverbs serve as examples of how to live as God wants us to, by doing such things as sharing toys, being friendly and helping around the house.
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Rabe – The I Believe Bunny
Little mouse is in trouble and bunny is the only one nearby to help, but he is small and unsure of himself until he begins to pray and realizes that God can help him be strong.
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Ra
Rabe – Sharing with You
Bunny loves to play with mouse and his other friends, but does not want to share his collection of shiny rocks with his friends.
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Ma
Mackall – God Loves Me More Than That
Simple rhyming text explores the extent of God’s love, which more than the bumbles in a bumble bee and softer than a kitten’s sneeze.
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DeStefano – this Little Prayer of Mine
Young children praying wonder if God will hear their small, short prayers. As they go through their life and things happen, they keep praying and learn they can trust and rely on God.
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McGuire – Rainy Day Games
Based on the story of Noah in Genesis, the animals spend quite a few rainy days on the ark and play games to pass the time while waiting for God’s rainbow.
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Stoddard – Skid and the Too Tiny Tunnel
A story of courage based on Deuteronomy 31:6. Skid, the littlest yellow tractor wants to be mighty like the giant bulldozers, tall cranes and massive diggers. They tell him they are busy building a new road through the mountain and so Skid is left behind. When disaster happens and a tunnel collapses only a small opening is left – so can a tiny tractor save the day?
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Lucado – The Tallest of Smalls
Little Ollie was certain he didn’t matter. After all, he was the smallest of Too Smalls. For some reason Ollie is given a pair of stilts and he thought that would change his world. Then there was a stumble and a fall and Ollie was back to square one. That’s when he met Jesus and learned size didn’t matter – that he was loved for who he was.
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Strong – Where Do Angels Sleep?
There are Bible verses that tell us there are angels who guard us. This picture book answers questions children might have about angels.
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Hunt – The Tale of Three Trees
Once upon a mountain three little trees stood dreaming about what they wanted to be when they grew up. So begins the American folk tale about three trees whose wishes come true – but in a surprising way. You maybe surprised by what the smallest tree becomes.
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Wilson – Let’s Make a Joyful Noise
This is a book about Psalm 100. Follow a child as he discovers the fun and joy of praising God. From birds singing, to church bells singing, to the worship service in church itself – when folks sing, clap and shout hallelujah! – all creatures seem to be praising God’s goodness. Even the closing prayer is another way to make a joyful noise.
225.92
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Self – Saint Paul
A child’s story about how and why Saul changed into Paul. The last page lists the most important facts about Paul’s life the front has Paul’s world and each of his three journeys are traced on the map.
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Bergen – God Gave Us Love
Papa Bear tells Little Bear all about God’s love and why she should be patient, gentle, kind and loving to family members and others, even when she doesn’t like them very much.
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Lord – If Jesus Came to Visit Me
What if Jesus came to visit – just for one day? What would we say to Jesus and how would we act? You share your day with Jesus and offer Him to share a meal with you. Finally Jesus has to leave and you would like to give Him a gift so he will remember you and the day you spent together, but what can you give to Jesus? Read and find out the answer.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
NEW BOOKS
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Rh
Rhodes – Driftless
This is the story of life in rural Wisconsin. It could take place in MN as well as southeast MN also has a driftless area. You will be introduced to the people of the area, the first is July Montgomery, who will interact with the other characters in the story. This is also the story about the way corporations treat small farmers. The people in this rural area become interconnected as the story evolves – there is the dairy farmers and his wife, his sister, who is a singer, the woman pastor, one sister who is handicapped and her sister, Violet, who has moved in to the house to take care of Olivia, who is in a wheel chair.
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Delinsky – Not My Daughter
When teenage girls form a pact to get pregnant, it will test family relationships. The town gets involved and people take sides. Susan Tate’s daughter is one of the girls who got pregnant, but she is also the Sr. High School principal. Now her detractors accuse Susan of being a bad mother. Barbara Delinsky’s story is about what does it take to be a good mother.
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Mo
Morris – The Mermaid in the Basement
A murder mystery where the accused is the son of a famous scientist. The accused man’s sister, Serafina, is a wealth widow of a nobleman. Serafina sets about to prove her brother’s innocence. She meets unlikely allies – including Dylan Tremayne, an actor with a criminal past. The year is 1857 so there is no internet or forensics to help discover the truth about the murder so the journey for the truth takes some strange twists.
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Mo
Morris – A Conspiracy of Ravens
Book 2 in A Lady Trent mystery series. With the aide of Dylan Tremayne, Lady Serafina Trent aims to help her neighbors, the Haydens, find the baby they thought was dead but had been switched at birth. A death bed confession reaveals that the child was raised by a prostitute in London’s worst slum. When the hayden’s butler is murdered, the prime suspect is the newly returned son Trevor Hayden. Lady Serafina again uses her scientific reasoning to help discover the real murderer.
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Morris – Sonnet to a Dead Contessa
Book 3 in the A Lady Trent mystery series. The year is 1858 in London. British noble women are being murdered. The first murder is a close friend of Serafina Trend and so she becomes involved in trying to solve the murder. She comes close to catching the murderer and is slashed in attempting to stop the suspect. There are many twists and turns to the story before Serafina solves the mystery.
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Hamilton – Confronting the Controversies
Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, tackles seven controversial and divisive issues of our times that all good Christians should talk and read about. In short chapers, Pastor Hamilton presents both sides of the issue as well as Biblical passages so the reader can try to know what God wants us to do about the issues.
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Lotz – the Magnificent Obsession
For Billy and Ruth Graham’s daughter, just being raised in a Christian home wasn’t enough for her to feel fulfilled as a Christian. Ann uses Abraham as her example of someone who searchs for a way to know God on a more intimate level. Anne draws from Abraham’s life and her own personal experiences to share with us the magnificent obsession of searching for God’s will for our lives. The author takes us through Abraham’s life in Genesis and shows us how to apply Abrahams search for God and his mistakes and use these examples in our life today.
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Wright – Christmas Jar
An inspirational story that relates how to find the real Christmas spirit. Small miracles happen when the Christmas jar is given to a person in need.
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Morris – Heart of a Lion
Noah is the subject of this book. Young Noah has grown up hearing stories about his great-grandfather, Enoch, who heard God speak to him, and his grandfather, Methuselah, who also had knowledge of the Ancient One. Noah is conflicted when he meets and is tempted by a beautiful and lusty woman who worships Ur-Baal. We all know the story of Noah from the book of Genesis but it is a basic outline of a story and so the author has filled in the gaps, fleshes out the personalities of Noah, his wife Adah and their three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Although it is a book of fiction, the author has kept closely to the Biblical facts.
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Morris – No Woman So Far
Book 2 in the Lions of Judah series. This time the story is about Sarah, who abandons her urban life to take up a nomadic life with Abraham. The couple will live long lives that will be filled with difficulties. When a drought forces Abraham and Lot to seek grass lands and water in Egypt, the Pharaoh takes a fancy to Sarah and wants her as one of his wives. Sarah discovers God for herself as she is kept prisoner. Morris brings to life the story of Hagar and Ishmael, Sarah giving birth to Isaac, and Abraham will to sacrifice Isaac in an offering to God.
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Sparks – Dear John
“Dear John,” the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever. When Savannah Curtis came into his life, John Tyree knew he was ready to turn over a new leaf. As an angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school. On furlough he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and Savannah agrees to wait for John to finish his tour of duty;. But then 9/11 happens and it will change their lives.
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Sparks – The Last Song
Seventeen-year-old Veronica Miller’s life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moves to North Carolina. Three years later Veronica is alienated from her parents, particularly her father. Her mother decides to send her children to spend the summer with the father. Resentful and rebellious, Veronica rejects her father’s attempt to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer’s end. But she meets Will and finds herself opening up to love, happiness – and pain.
371.82
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Mortenson – Stones into Schools
Picking up where Three Cups of Tea left off, Stones into Schools starts with a promise to build a school. An Afghanistan horseman rode into Pakistan and secured a promise from Mortenson to come and build a school in an isolated pocket of the Pamir Mountain known as Bonza: Gumbaz – a new country for the Central Asia Institute. Those efforts were diverted when an earthquake hits Pakistan. The CAI helped with relief efforts and setting up temporary tent schools. The action returns to Afghanistan as the CAI launches schools in the heart of Taliban country as Mortenson helps the U.S. military formulate new strategic plans in the region.
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Evans – The Walk
What would you do if you lost everything – your job, your home, and the love of you life – all at the same time? When it happened to Seattle ad executive Alan Christofferson, he’s tempted by dark thoughts and a bottle of pills in his hand to take his life. Instead, he plans to take a walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves all he’s known and heads to Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, the lessons they share with him, will save his life – and inspire yours.