Book Awards Announced

This morning, the American Library Association announced the winners of this year's major book awards. The winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children's literature was Neil Gaiman for The Graveyard Book. The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book for children was Beth Krommes for The House in the Night. For the complete list, visit ALA's website.

New Science Teaching Aids

Centripetal Force Board
The Centripetal Force Board demonstrates Newtons First Law of Motion. The included activity guide contains ideas for integrating lessons on force and motion.

3-D Electron Bugs
These unique bug scans were created using an electron microscope. The specimens were scanned to create a 3-D image of the intricate world of bugs. Includes 3-D glasses. Activity guide included.

Under the Sea
100-piece floor puzzle for ages 6 and up. Pictures ecosystem of the ocean and measures approximately 4' tall when assembled.

New VeggieTales DVDs

Tomato Sawyer & Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue
Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's life on the lazy river takes a turn for adventure when they help a stranger in need. With unexpected twists around every bend, they discover that while helping others may not be the easiest thing to do, it's always the right thing to do.

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything
The very timid Elliot (Larry the Cucumber), lazy Sedgewick (Mr. Lunt) and George (Pa Grape), who lacks self-confidence, are three lazy misfits who dream of putting on a show about pirates. With their own problems, this dream might not come true. But, they soon find themselves traveling back in time into the 17th century. They begin a quest to rescue a royal family from an evil tyrant. Along the way, they learn about being pirates.

New Nonfiction Books

A Boy Named Beckoning - Gina Capaldi
This story reveals the life of a Native American boy named Wassaja, who was kidnapped from his tribe and sold as a slave. Adopted and renamed Carlos Montezuma, the young boy traveled throughout the Old West, bearing witness to the poor treatment of Native Americans. Carlos eventually became a doctor and leader for his people.

The Life and World of Aristotle - Brian Williams
Includes bibliographical references and index.

Athletes and Actors and Other Jobs for Ancient Greeks - Anita Ganeri
Offers a glimpse into ancient Greek civilization by examining various occupations that existed during its time including politician, hoplite, spartan and oracle.




Let It Begin Here! - Don Brown
Provides an informative look at the events that lead up to this important day in history when American heroes took a stand against an oppressive monarch in order gain the freedom they deserved in the new land they worked hard to build.

The First World War - Paul Dowswell
Includes bibliographical references and filmography.

Canada - Shirley W. Gray
An introduction to the geography, history, culture, and people of Canada.

America in World War II - Michael Burgan
Allegiance to Western European nations and an attack by Japan drew the United States into a second world war that firmly established it as a major world power.

How to Get Rich in the California Gold Rush - Tod Olson
A personal account of the California Gold Rush from the point-of-view of the fictitious Thomas Hartley.

The Big Book of Canada - Christopher Moore
From Nunavut's Barren Lands to the Torngat Mountains of Newfoundland, from Quebec's Saguenay Fjord to the pingos of the Northwest Territories, The Big Book of Canada explores the many fascinating places that make up this vast land. Christopher Moore, one of the country's foremost historians, brings each province and territory to life, drawing together history and politics, the famous and the infamous, the people, places, and industries that have defined a nation.

1968 - Michael T. Kaufman
From headline to headline, readers are introduced the people and events that defined one pivotal year in history, 1968.

New Fiction Children's Books

Jibberwillies at Night - Rachel Vail
Katie is almost always happy, but sometimes at night, when the Jibberwillies come and scare her, her mother must catch them in a bucket and throw them out the window before Katie can fall asleep.

If I Built a Car - Chris Van Dusen
Jack describes the kind of car he would build--one with amazing accessories and with the capability of traveling on land, in the air, and on and under the sea.

No Babysitters Allowed - Amber Stewart
Hopscotch is a very brave young rabbit until his parents go out and leave him with a babysitter.

M Is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children - Linda Ashman
A rhyme for each letter of the alphabet describes the misbehavior of a child, from Angry Abby to Zany Zelda.

The Trouble with Trolls - Jan Brett
While climbing Mt. Baldy, Treva outwits some trolls who want to steal her dog.

Comet's Nine Lives - Jan Brett
Comet the cat uses up eight of his nine lives trying to find the right place to live on Nantucket Island.


What Is God Like? - Beverly Lewis
A boy and his younger sister, remembering what their father has told them and what they have read in the Bible, help each other to understand the attributes of God.




Houndsley and Catina - James Howe
Houndsley and Catina run into trouble when they decide to prove that they are the best at cooking and writing, respectively.

It's Time to Sleep, My Love - Eric Metaxas
As children prepare for bed, the world around them is also settling down for the night. Through the seasons, animals who live in the jungle, the forest, and the sea all whisper to their babies, and to yours, a soft refrain: "It's time to sleep, my love."

New CDs

Multiplication Motivation
Lyrics and movement instructions included in container inserts. Includes: The two's stroll -- The circle of threes -- The four's hop -- The alive fives -- The six's surprise -- The waltzing sevens -- The boogie woogie eights -- The nine's blues -- The ten's promenade

Math Readiness
A Hap Palmer collection of original songs designed to teach mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction.

Walter, the Waltzing Worm
A Hap Palmer collection of songs designed to increase basic movement skills.

New Middle School and YA Books

Cat Among the Pigeons - Julia Golding
Catherine "Cat" Royal, an orphan who lives at the Drury Lane Theater in 1790s London, rallies her friends to try to save Pedro from the clutches of Mr. Hawkins, a slavemaster who considers Pedro his property.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady - Nancy Springer
Pursued by her much older brother, famed detective Sherlock Holmes, fourteen-year-old Enola, disguised and using false names, attempts to solve the kidnapping of a baronet's sixteen-year-old daughter in nineteenth-century London.

After Tupac and D Foster - Jacqueline Woodson
In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.

Blue Flame (Book 1 of The Perfect Fire Trilogy) - K. M. Grant
In 1242 in the restive Languedoc region of France, Parsifal, having been charged as a child to guard an important religious relic, has lived in hiding for much of his life until he befriends a young couple on opposite sides of the escalating conflict between the Catholics and the Cathar.

Stone Fox - John Reynolds Gardiner
Little Willie hopes to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm with the purse from a dog sled race he enters.

Lucky - Rachel Vail
As Phoebe and her clique of privileged girlfriends get ready to graduate from eighth grade, a financial scandal threatens her family's security--as well as Phoebe's social status--but ultimately it teaches her the real meaning of friendship.

New Chinese DVDs

Play and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei, Part 1
Active videos using song & dance to teach Mandarin Chinese. Concentrates on numbers, body parts, actions, games, greetings, family, names, ages, and songs.

Play and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei, Part 2

New Graphic Novel

Ramp Rats - Liam O'Donnell
Marcus spends the summer teaching his young cousin to skateboard while bringing the local outlaw bikers to justice.

New Children's Nonfiction Books

Our World: A Country-by-Country Guide - Millie Miller
Presents information about the people, places, birds, insects, flowers, endangered species, and more associated with the countries of the world.

Australia - Helen Bateman
Examines different features of Australia, both man-made and natural.


Do Tornadoes Really Twist? - Melvin Berger
Provides answers to a variety of questions about tornadoes and hurricanes, including "Where do most tornadoes strike," and "How long do hurricanes last?"

Barack Obama: Our 44th President - Catherine Nichols
A thorough, illustrated biography discussing the childhood, career family, and election of Barack Obama, forty-fourth president of the United States.

The Zulu of Southern Africa - Christine Cornell
Describes the history and customs of the Zulu people of South Africa.

Canada - Brian Williams
A basic overview of the history, geography, climate, and culture of Canada.


Welcome to Kenya - Patrick Ryan
A brief introduction to the history, culture, geography, and people of Kenya.

100 Native Americans Who Changed American History - Bonnie Juettner
Provides an incisive, authoratative portrayal of Native Americans who have shaped American history, from Pocahontas to Will Rogers.

Find Out About France - Duncan Crosbie
Introduces boys and girls to France, its people, its history, its culture, and its language.

New YA and Children's Books

Found: Book 1 of The Missing - Margaret Peterson Haddix
When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.

Julia Gillian and the Art of Knowing - Alison McGhee
Nine-year-old Julia Gillian learns a lot about facing fear as she and her St. Bernard, Bigfoot, take long walks through their Minneapolis neighborhood one hot summer, and she seeks the courage to finish a book that could have an unhappy ending.

New Children's Books

Yoko Writes Her Name - Rosemary Wells
Kindergartner Yoko not only learns to write her letters and numbers in English, she shows her teacher and fellow students how to write their names using Japanese calligraphy.

Smelly Locker: Silly Dilly School Songs - Alan Katz
Well-known songs, including "Oh Susannah" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," are presented with new words and titles, such as "Heavy Backpack!" and "I Don't Want to Do Homework!"

Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure - Doreen Cronin
The annual Corn Maze Festival is coming and every day the chickens, cows, and Duck help Farmer Brown--with a few bribes--to create a special Statue of Liberty corn maze, and every night Duck works hard creating his own surprise.




Nancy, La Elegante - Jane O'Connor
A young girl who loves fancy things helps her family to be fancy for one special night.

African Critters - Robert B. Haas
From elephants to dung beetles, photos of selected African animals.

C Is for Caboose: Riding the Rails from A to Z
Introduces the letters of the alphabet through photographs and illustrations of things associated with trains and the railroad.

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall Thin Tale - Deborah Hopkinson
In Knob Creek, Kentucky, in 1816, seven-year-old Abe Lincoln falls into a creek and is rescued by his best friend, Austin Gollaher.

Love, Splat - Rob Scotton
Splat the cat has a special valentine for a certain someone in his class.

Small Worlds: Maps and Map Making - Karen Romano Young
Kids will learn how maps are put together in layers like sandwiches, how to use a map to get oriented, and the use of hundreds of different kinds of maps.

First Snow in the Woods - Carl R. Sams
A photographic journey deep into the autumn woods witnesses the animals of the forest getting ready for the year's first winter storm.

Erika-San - Allen Say
After falling in love with Japan as a little girl, Erika becomes a teacher and fulfills her childhood dream by moving to a remote Japanese island.

Wabi Sabi - Mark Reibstein
Wabi Sabi, a cat living in the city of Kyoto, learns about the Japanese concept of beauty through simplicity as she asks various animals she meets about the meaning of her name.

Abraham Lincoln Comes Home - Robert Burleigh
Told through the eyes of a young boy, the sober mood of the country after the Lincoln assassination is presented as he and many other mourners wait to pay their respects to their fallen president as Lincoln's funeral train travels from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois, in 1865.

Drummer Boy - Loren Long
After accidentally being thrown away, a beloved toy drummer boy goes on an adventure that eventually brings him back to a warm home, where he is placed near baby Jesus in a manger scene.