A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston

A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long (Preschool - Grade 3)

Newberg Public Library recently added to our children's gardening collection with funds from the Chehalem Garden Club and the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs. Among these is the beautiful book, A Seed is Sleepy.

Author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Sylvia Long (An Egg is Quiet) have once again gifted us with a new book to read over and over. A Seed is Sleepy is already an award-winning introduction to seeds for any age. Each page (even the end papers!) is filled with lovely, sweeping illustrations of both familiar and unfamiliar seeds including sunflowers, orchids, dandelions, sea coconuts and monkey's comb.

The text is simple, effective and poetic,"A seed is sleepy. A seed is secretive. A seed is naked...yes, naked!" even appropriate for a read-aloud which is unusual for a non-fiction selection. Older children will appreciate the extra bits of information scattered throughout, "A parachute of fine, silky hairs can take a dandelion seed 100 miles from its parent plant." One two-page spread walks the reader through varying seeds' lifespans laid out on a timeline with fabulous illustrations showing how they are different from each other.

Our household found much to pour over every single day of our three-week checkout and more! This is truly a gift for young gardeners or naturalists-to-be and worth sharing each season.

Visit http://www.newberglibrary.org/ to find this and other books at our library.

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus

Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus
(Preschool - Grade 2)

Tadpole Rex by Oregon author and illustrator Kurt Cyrus is a refreshing addition to the multitude of dinosaur picture books available to the preschool set. This tale follows the development of Rex the tadpole amongst his dinosaur neighbors. From its first pages readers are drawn in by its rhyming text and figurative language, "Stomp! Squish! Bloop! Swish!" Young children will be captivated by the suspense as Rex thrives even while he dodges dinosaur footsteps. Tadpole Rex is focused on the familiar frog that kids may have seen or even touched, yet maintains the mystery of a 200-million-year old creature that dinosaur lovers will appreciate.

Cyrus doesn't shy away from challenging vocabulary (which is so important as an early literacy or pre-reading skill) yet the text flows beautifully as a read aloud; "primeval puddles were desperate places of ambush and panic and life-or-death chases." I was rooting for Rex to make his mark on the prehistoric setting and smiled at his bravery in the face of such huge dinosaurs. A well-known illustrator, Cyrus truly shines here with big, bold and colorful renderings of another place and time.

This is a fabulous storytime or anytime choice for early elementary and preschool children. Don't miss The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus for a similar tale, this time following the ancient sea turtle.

Visit www.newberglibrary.org to find this and other books at our library.

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff

The Resisters, by Eric Nylund

The Resisters, by Eric Nylund
(Grades 4-6)

Looking for a science fiction story that will grab you from the first page? Look no further (at least until you've finished this one).

Ethan Blackwood lives in a world controlled by aliens, only he doesn't know it, and neither does his sister or the other kids he hangs out with. Until puberty their supple minds can't be absorbed into the collective, so the aliens have created an elaborate ruse to keep the kids in a creative environment to get the most from their brains.

Sound creepy? When Ethan is approached by two "Resister" kids he has trouble wrapping his brain around the idea until he is launched into battle wearing the exoskeleton of a giant bug with whom he has mind-melded.

This story is action-packed fun at the start, and it doesn't let up! This is the first in a series... So now we just have to wait.

Korie B.
Children's Services Staff
Find this book and more at newberglibrary.org

Ballet for Martha; Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg

Ballet for Martha; Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg (Grades 2 - 6)

Do you know what the word "collaboration" means? It means a time when people work together to make something wonderful that they couldn't do alone. Ballet for Martha; Making Appalachian Spring tells of the collaboration of a dancer, a composer and an artist who create a world famous ballet. Martha Graham is the dancer and choreographer who wants to create a ballet about American pioneers. She asks composer Aaron Copland to write music for the ballet. Then she asks her friend and artist Isamu Noguchi to build the set or scenery for the ballet. The ballet becomes a success, with Aaron Copland even winning a Pulitzer Prize for the music. The book that tells this story is also a collaboration. The writers, Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, team up with illustrator Brian Floca to show us the joy and hard work that went into this popular ballet. You'll find this inspiring book in the non-fiction section of the library.

Reviewed by Susan K. Ankeny, Children's Staff
Newberg Public Library

Cat the Cat series by Mo Willems

Cat the Cat series by Mo Willems
(K - 2nd Grade)

Fans of author Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie reader series will love his new Cat the Cat books with the same catchy illustrations and simple, inviting text. In Let's Say HI to Friends Who Fly! Cat tours the playground asking her friends if they can fly. Bee, Bird and Bat show off their aerial skills while Cat cheers them on. When they reach Rhino, they are at a loss until he shows them that everyone can fly in their own way. Readers will love the subtle humor and even a reference to Willems' popular pigeon series (Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus). Introduce your emerging reader to all four Cat the Cat books, including the newest title, What's Your Sound HOUND the HOUND? They'll be hooked!

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff

The Little Travelers DVD series, directed by Angelina Hart
(Ages two and up)

The Little Travelers DVD series, created and directed by seasoned traveling mom Angelina Hart, has become our household's favorite children's movie. Rarely do we see such genuine and beautiful footage, especially that told entirely from a child's perspective. The first movie in the series is The Little Travelers: Japan, a place which holds special meaning for us as we have close family living there. Hunt's daughters, Chantelle and Nakia, narrate the movie and tell the story of their three-month trip to Japan. The DVD includes details about their trip that children would find fascinating - how their washing machine worked, hang drying the laundry, the local custom of removing shoes, using a rice cooker, and much about Japanese food favorites like sushi and bento. Hart immerses her family in day-to-day life in Japan as much as possible by sending the girls to a local daycare, making friends with neighbors, attending a birthday party and food shopping at local markets.

The series also includes The Little Travelers: Bali, The Little Travelers: British Isles, The Little Travelers: Iran, and The Little Travelers: Germany with more on the way. Viewers can also take simple language lessons and listen to folk tales within extras on many of the series' titles. Introduce the children in your life to different cultures and inspire them (and yourself!) to travel the world.

Visit www.newberglibrary.org to find these titles at our library.

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff

Happy Mother's Day!

What better way to usher in a lovely Mother's Day weekend than with a few special books from your local library?

I Love You the Purplest by Barbara Joosse is a beautiful story that addresses the age-old question "who do you love the best?" Mama explains to her two boys that she loves one the 'reddest' and one the 'bluest' satisfying each of them in a tender and creative way.


I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt follows a mother and her son on an imaginative journey of questions at bedtime. Would mama still love her son if he were a big scary ape? How about a green alien from Mars? Mama answers him with her own powerful imagination and lots of love. A sweet picture book that will make your young listener laugh each time.



The Mommy Book by Todd Parr illustrates many different kinds of mommies: those who drive motorcycles, those who like to dress up or dance, those that work at home and those who work in big buildings. All of them have a few things in common though: they like to watch you sleep or hang out with you! Parr's distinct, colorful and childlike illustrations are a joy to read aloud.

Happy Mother's Day!

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff
Newberg Public Library