March Picks

Come to the library to check out some new and noteworthy materials!

With more than 16 Emmys to its credit and legions of fans, it's easy to see why the Bill Nye the Science Guy show is one of the most popular educational series of all time. Beloved by teachers and students alike, Bill Nye and his unique brand of Way Cool Science make complex science principles accessible for all learners. 







These are our new Bill Nye DVDs:

*Space Exploration
*Heart
*Bones and Muscles
*Garbage
*Forests
*Brain
*Atmosphere
*Balance
*Magnetism
*Simple Machines
*Blood and Circulation
*Climates
*The Moon
*Germs
*Flight
*Farming
*Fossils
*Outer Space
*Comets and Meteors 

Press Here by Herve Tullet  (Grades K-6)

Tullet's brilliant creation proves that books need not lose out to electronic wizardry; his colorful dots perform every bit as engagingly as any on the screen of an iPad. "Ready?" the voiceover-style narration asks on the first page; it shows a yellow dot on a plain white background. "Press here and turn the page," it instructs. When the page is turned, there's a second yellow dot beside the first one. "Great!" it says. "Now press the yellow dot again." The fun continues as the dots proliferate, travel around the page, grow and shrink in response to commands to clap, shake, or tilt the book, etc. The joy is in the tacit agreement between artist and reader that what's happening is magic. ~Publisher's Weekly

Children's Cookbook by DK

DK Books is known for the graphically strong and compellingly designed releases. The Children's Cook Book Quick and Tasty Recipes for Young Chefs includes easy to follow recipes along with oodles of full color photographs with basic cooking fundamentals like how to boil an egg and how to cut the tops of strawberries. The 50 recipes include such tempting choices like Sausage Popovers, Blueberry Pancakes, Chicken Curry. --Babble.com

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin 

Bright, childlike illustrations show the long-limbed feline regularly altering his footwear but continuing not to watch where he's walking. The moral of the story keep going no matter what happens to you in life may sound like good advice, but it doesn't instill any sense of power in children it just tells them to accept their fate. The downloadable song might help spark interest, but there's not much here to get excited about. ~Maryann H. Owen, School Library Journal 

Dealing With Dragons Series, by Patricia C. Wrede 

The independent princess has been well established in modern children's books, but there can't be a dandier example than Princess Cimorene. Rangy, curious, energetic, matter-of-fact, she rolls up her sleeves and gets the job done with a happy disregard for the traditions of her role. Although her parents want her to stifle her improper interests in fencing, Latin, and cooking, the princess is not about to be forced into marriage with the vapid prince they have chosen. She throws herself wholeheartedly into a career as a dragon's princess, a respectable role, although not one for which one usually volunteers. As she fends off nosy wizards, helps out hysterical princesses, and turns away determined rescuers, Cimorene makes a firm place for herself in the dragon world. ~Sally T. Margolis, School Library Journal 

The Romeo and Juliet Code, by Phoebe Stone

Because of the bombing of London, 11-year-old Felicity is taken by her parents to live with relatives in Maine in 1941. She slowly adjusts to her new family, including Uncle Gideon, who teaches sixth grade at the local school; Aunt Miami, who lives and breathes Shakespeare; “The Gram,” Felicity’s grandmother; and Derek, a 12-year-old adopted orphan whose dreams of military service have been dashed by a bout with polio. Felicity’s engaging personality and curiosity about letters arriving from Portugal written in code “stir up the soup” of life in the Bathburn household, but only time will tell if that’s a good thing. ~ Melissa Moore, Booklist 


Small as an Elephant, by Jennifer Jacobson  

Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and "spinning" wildly until it's over. But Jack never thought his mom would take off during the night and leave him at a campground in Acadia National Park, with no way to reach her and barely enough money for food. Any other kid would report his mom gone, but Jack knows by now that he needs to figure things out for himself - starting with how to get from the backwoods of Maine to his home in Boston before Social Services catches on. With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins the long journey south, a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties - and his trust that he may be part of a larger herd after all. ~Amazon