Amy - Youth Services Librarian

Hardin, Melinda. Hero Mom.Amazon Publishing, 2013. E HAR

     Like its companion, Hero Dad (2010), Hero Mom sweetly captures the superhero-like qualities of moms working in the United States Military.   Holding a photograph of his or her mom in the beginning of the book, each child specifies why his/her mother is a superhero.  “My mom doesn’t lead a band of superheroes – she leads a battalion,” states one little girl.  Mothers who are medics, canine corp soldiers, truck drivers and army architects are featured.  There are relatively few good picture books for young children about parents in the military – Hero Mom is needed addition and well done to boot.   Hero Mom would make a wonderful read for Mother’s Day, especially for families with moms in the military. For preschool and early elementary-aged children. 

Lois - Librarian Assistant

Bonwill, Ann. The Frazzle Family Finds a Way.Holiday House, 2013.  E BON

     The Frazzle family is terribly forgetful.   Father can’t remember to put on his pants. Mother can’t remember to comb her hair, and no one in the family can remember what they need from the store.  The Frazzles need help!  Aunt Rosemary, who is famous for her organizational skills, comes to save the day.  She suggests making lists and schedules. However, the Frazzles can’t remember to look at them.  She suggests tying strings around their fingers, but the Frazzles can’t seem to remember the purpose of the string.  Aunt Rosemary is at a loss for how to help and decides to treat herself to a soak in the tub, where she is soon singing loudly.  Inspired by her songs, Annie Frazzle puts the grocery list to a melody and sings it all the way to the store.  As a result, the family buys everything they need.   The next day, the Frazzles put all their tasks to a tune and don’t forget one thing!  Unbeknownst to Aunt Rosemary, she did indeed help the Frazzle family remember! The Frazzle Family Finds a Way is a fun read with illustrations that humorously capture life with the Frazzles.

Lillian - Librarian Assistant

Reedy, Trent.  Words in the Dust.  Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011.  J REE

     Words in the Dust is a novel, but it is based on a real girl and real people and places in Afghanistan.  Author Trent Reedy met these people and this girl while serving with the National Guard in 2004-2005.  He did extensive research about Afghani customs and created a vivid sense of place and memorable characters. 

     Main character Zulaikha hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan.  She hopes for a good relationship with her hard stepmother and hopes one day to go to school.  She even hopes her cleft palate can be fixed by American doctors.  And by chance Zulaikha meets Meena, a former professor who begins to teach her how to read and write.  And when the American soldiers arrive she has the chance for surgery to correct her birth defect.  But there is tragedy too.  The grim fate of Zulaikha’s sister and her arranged marriage to a much older man brings heartbreak to her family.  

     A glossary of Dari phrases, an extensive author’s note, suggested reading lists and an introduction by the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature complete this deeply moving story of a young girl in contemporary Afghanistan.  This is a 2014 Caudill nominee.

Amanda- Youth Services Librarian

Erskine, Kathryn.  Mockingbird. Philomel Books, 2009. wick Press, 2005.  J ERS

    Ten-year old Caitlin has Asperger’s syndrome and sees things in either black or white, never in-between.  She doesn’t have any friends because she doesn’t like to talk to or hang out with kids her age.  Her older brother Devon has always been the one to teach her how she should act in public.

      But now Devon is dead.  He was shot in a shooting at his middle school.  Caitlin’s dad cries all the time, and Caitlin doesn’t know how to act.  To help her and her father, Caitlin turn to the one book that has always made  sense to her:  the dictionary.  She looks up various words to try to help her and her dad, but none are just right, until she discovers the word closure.  She realizes this is exactly what she and her dad need to find. 

     But how and where does one find closure when something so tragic has happened?  As Caitlin learns, there may be more people in the community that need closure beside Caitlin and her dad. 

Max - Youth Services Mascot 

Long, Loren. Otis and the Puppy.  Philomel Books, 2013.  E LON

      Otis the tractor lives on the farm with his animal friends.  When they are done working for the day, one of their favorite things to do is play hide-and-seek.  One evening, the friends are excited when they find a new puppy has come to live with them on the farm.  When Otis hears a whimpering in the middle of the night, he goes to the doghouse where he finds the puppy is afraid of the dark.  Otis takes him back to the barn and the puppy happily falls asleep on Otis. 

     The next afternoon, the friends play hide-and-seek again. Distracted by a butterfly, the puppy wanders deep into the woods.  Night falls and the farmer and the animals give up looking, but Otis remembers how the puppy was afraid of the dark, so he continues looking for the puppy by himself.  Find out what happens to them in Otis and the Puppy, the newest story about Otis the tractor from Loren Long.