Welcome back to school! Below are some new and noteworthy items in the MCS Media Center. Come and check one out to get back in the swing of things!
Ball by Mary Sullivan (Grades PreK-2)
A humorous portrait of a dog with a one-track mind. Ball is a
day-in-the-life portrait of a rumpled canine who lives and breathes to
play fetch with his favorite human companion. When the girl goes to
school, the dog is bereft; his beloved ball is lifeless. He tries to
find other companions to fill the ball-throwing gap, but the adult is
meditating, the baby isn't even mobile, and the cat is, well, a cat. The
dog tries hiding the ball and then "finding" it, and eventually falls
asleep and experiences an amusing ball-themed dream sequence that turns
into a nightmare. At long last the pup's anguish is relieved as the girl
comes home from school and they resume their happy rapport. The only
text is the word "ball" repeated on every page; however, Sullivan
adroitly infuses the canine with a wide variety of emotions, and a great
deal can be read into that single word. The book uses a comic-strip
layout for most of the pages, with a few spreads during the dream
sequence. ~Anna Haase Krueger, School Library Journal
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (Grades PreK-2)
Children will love this hilarious book. Crocodile has devoured
watermelon since babyhood and eats it every chance he gets. One day,
however, he swallows a seed. This sends him into a panic. Will it grow
inside him and come out of his ears? Will he grow larger and turn pink?
The poor crocodile is so worried until he burps up the seed. He vows to
never eat watermelon again, but will he be able to resist? The
illustrations of the reptile's fear about what might happen to him are
very funny and the oversize font on those pages reinforces the emotion
in the story. The artwork was created by screen print in pink, green,
black, and brown. This simplicity allows readers to fully appreciate the
changes in the croc's facial expressions, which artfully contribute to
the humor. ~Amy Sheppard, School Library Journal
Dinosaur vs. School by Bob Shea (Grades PreK-2)
Dinosaur is starting preschool today. ROAR! There are new friends to
meet, dress-up outfits to wear, glitter and googly eyes to paste,
musical instruments to play, and snacks to eat. What's not to like? But
then, oh, no! It's Dinosaur vs. Clean-up Time! Fortunately, when friends
work together, EVERYONE WINS! ~Amazon
Look Up: Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate (Grades 2-5)
With its emphasis on looking at the birds near home-from suburbs to
inner cities-this invitation to bird-watching is an engaging addition to
any collection. By grouping birds by colors, shapes, behaviors,
feathers, calls, habitat, migration, and more, the spreads highlight the
multitude of avian features to be observed. Cate emphasizes the
importance of observation and includes sketching instructions as a way
to hone those skills on the individual aspects of a bird along with its
species' characteristics. Each page is filled with full-color
illustrations. ~ Frances E. Millerhouse, School Library Journal
The Chicken Squad: The First Misadventure by Doreen Cronin (Grades 3-4)
They’re darling. They’re daring. They know their shapes! They’re chicks
on a mission—and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad
launches a galactic backyard expedition. Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not
about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No
sir, they’re too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime. So
when Squirrel comes barreling into the chicken coop, the chicks know
they’re about to get a case. But with his poor knowledge of shapes
(“Big” is not a shape, Squirrel!) and utter fear of whatever it is
that’s out there, the panicky Squirrel is NO HELP. Good thing these
chicks are professionals. But even professionals get worried.
Especially once they see that round, shiny, green, BIG thing in the
yard. What if it’s a UFO full of aliens who want chickens as pets? It’s
up to the Chicken Squad to crack a case that just might be out of this
world. ~Amazon
Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth (Grades 3-5)
Above the treetops of Puerto Rico flies a flock of parrots as green as
their island home. . . . These are Puerto Rican parrots. They lived on
this island for millions of years, and then they nearly vanished from
the earth forever. Puerto Rican parrots, once abundant, came perilously
close to extinction in the 1960s due to centuries of foreign exploration
and occupation, development, and habitat destruction. In this
compelling book, Roth and Trumbore recount the efforts of the scientists
of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program to save the parrots and
ensure their future. Woven into the parrots’ story is a brief history of
Puerto Rico itself, from before the first human settlers to the present
day. With striking collage illustrations, a unique format, and engaging
storytelling, Parrots Over Puerto Rico invites readers to witness the
amazing recovery efforts that have enabled Puerto Rican parrots to fly
over their island once again. ~Amazon
Princess Label Maker to the Rescue by Tom Angleberger (Grades 4-6)
At McQuarrie Middle School, the war against the FunTime Menace—aka test
prep—wages on. Our heroes have one battle under their belts, and they’ve
even found a surprising ally in Jabba the Puppett. But to defeat the
Dark Standardized Testing Forces they’re going to need an even bigger,
even more surprising ally: Principal Rabbski. But with great forces—aka
the school board—pushing her from above, will the gang’s former enemy
don a finger puppet and join the Rebellion—or will her transformation to
Empress Rabbski, Dark Lord of the Sith, be complete? ~Amazon
Another Day as Emily by Eileen Spinelli (Grades 3-6)
After her five-year-old brother has been labeled "a little hero" for
making a lifesaving 911 call, Suzy struggles to find relevance in her
own life. Bad luck is coloring her whole summer, and she responds by
emulating the day-to-day life of Emily Dickinson, whom she has been
researching for her library project. The old tomboy Suzy loved baseball,
riding her bike, and engaging in friendships with people of all ages
and interests. As Emily, she wears only long white dresses, never leaves
the house, and tries to find meaning in the domestic arts. Being Emily
proves to be more challenging than Suzy ever imagined, and eventually
she's not sure how to start being herself again. Spinelli sensitively
explores the complexity of Suzy's feelings during a challenging time in
her life. ~Juliet Morefield, School Library Journal
Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler (Grades 4-6)
The Warriors series meets Redwall in this first book in an epic animal adventure series set in the subway tunnels of Brooklyn. Hopper
is just an ordinary pet shop mouse before he escapes. Soon he finds
himself below the bustling streets of Brooklyn, deep within the untamed
tangles of transit tunnels, and in Atlantia, a glorious utopian rat
civilization. But all is not what it seems. Though Hopper is
treated as a royal guest, he misses his siblings that he lost in the
escape attempt. That, and Atlantia is constantly threatened by the
rebels who wish to bring the city to its knees. And there are cats everywhere in Atlantia, cats that leave the citizens unharmed… and no one can seem to answer why. Soon,
Hopper is caught in the crosshairs of a colossal battle, one that
crosses generations and species. As the clashes rage, Hopper learns
terrible, extraordinary secrets: Deadly secrets about Atlantia. Painful
secrets about his friends. And one powerful secret about his destiny… ~ Amazon
