New YA Books

Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier
Five sisters who live with their merchant father in Transylvania use a hidden portal in their home to cross over into a magical world, the Wildwood.

Un Lun Dun - China Mieville
What is Un Lun Dun? It is London through the looking glass. Twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into Un Lun Dun where it appears an ancient prophecy is coming true. But things begin to go shockingly wrong.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick
When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Under the Wolf, Under the Dog - Adam Rapp
Sixteen-year-old Steve struggles to make sense of his mother's terminal breast cancer and his brother's suicide.

Red Moon at Sharpsburg - Rosemary Wells
As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known.

How It Happened in Peach Hill - Marthe Jocelyn
When fifteen-year-old Annie Grey and her "clairvoyant" mother arrive in Peach Hill, New York, in 1924, each finds a reason for wanting to finally settle down, but to reach their goals they will have to do some serious lying and Annie will have to stand up for herself.

The Neddiad - Daniel Pinkwater
When shoelace heir Neddie Wentworthstein and his family take the train from Chicago to Los Angeles in the 1940s, he winds up in possession of a valuable Indian turtle artifact whose owner is supposed to be able to prevent the impending destruction of the world, but he is not sure exactly how.

New Reference Book

Educators Guide to Free Videotapes: Secondary Edition (2007-2008)

New Children's Books

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - Dr. Seuss
Suggests in rhyme a number of ways for Marvin K. Mooney to travel as long as he gets going--now! In merry verse and illustrations, Marvin is asked to leave by every conceivable means of transportation.

Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Three easy-to-read stories reveal the close friendship between Dog and Bear.

Windy Weather Days - Katie Marsico
Word hunt -- A windy day -- Wind during different seasons -- What is wind? -- Wind socks -- Wind and nature -- The wind and you -- What else can you do on a windy day? -- Your new words -- Fun things you might see blowing in the wind

Electricity - Steve Parker
Discusses the properties of electricity and describes how it is made and used.

New Board Books

Joy - Joyce Carol Thomas
An African American mother expresses the joy and delight that her son brings to her in the different seasons of the year.

I Went Walking - Sue Williams
During the course of a walk, a young boy identifies animals of different colors.

On Mother's Lap - Ann Herbert Scott
A small Eskimo boy discovers that Mother's lap is a very special place with room for everyone.

Shades of Black - Sandra L. Pinkney
Photographs and poetic text celebrate the beauty and diversity of African-American children.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen
A typically wonderful Oxenbury family sets out with gusto on a bear hunt, and the old story comes to life. Paintings are simply marvelous... Rosen's retelling is spare, with a driving rhythm, and some new sounds add sparkle to the traditional tale. A predictable story in which brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud, and other obstacles before the inevitable encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat.

Mama, Do You Love Me? - Barbara M. Joosse
A child living in the Arctic learns that a mother's love is unconditional.

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? - Nancy White Carlstrom
Jesse bear explains what he will wear tomorrow.

Jamberry - Bruce Degen
A boy and a rhyme-spouting bear joyously romp through the world of berries.

Time for Bed - Mem Fox
As darkness falls parents everywhere try to get their children ready for sleep.

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree - Eileen Christelow
Five little monkeys sitting in a tree discover, one by one, that it is unwise to tease Mr. Crocodile.

Tomie's Little Mother Goose - Tomie dePaola
A collection of familiar nursery rhymes, including "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," "The Three Little Kittens, " and "Wee Willie Winkie."

To Be a Kid - Maya Ajmera
Text and photographs show children from various countries in their daily activities.

Little White Duck - Walt Whippo
Based on the song of the same title, a little white duck causes a commotion in its pond.

Skip to My Lou - Mary Ann Hoberman
When his parents leave a young boy in charge of the farm for a day, chaos erupts as the animals take over the house.

The Lady with the Alligator Purse - Mary Ann Hoberman
The old jump rope/nonsense rhyme features an ailing young Tiny Tim.

Miss Mary Mack - Mary Ann Hoberman
An expanded adaptation of the familiar hand-clapping rhyme about a young girl and an elephant.

Animal Friends - Maya Ajmera
Smiling children around the world show off the special animal friends that share their lives.

Busy Toes - C.W. Bowie
A playful list of some of the many things that toes can do, from waving and tickling to splashing and squishing.

Here Are My Hands - Bill Martin
Owners of human bodies celebrate them by pointing out various parts and mentioning their functions, from "hands for catching and throwing" to the "skin that bundles me in."

The Itsy Bitsy Spider - Iza Trapani
In this expanded version of a popular song, the itsy-bitsy spider's climbing is interrupted by a fan, a mouse, a cat, and some dew before she makes her way to the top of a tree to spin her web.

Wheels on the Bus
A delightful rendition of the classic song about the bus that goes "all around the town."

Five Little Ducks
When her five little ducks disappear one by one, Mother Duck sets out to find them.

Down by the Bay
In this song, two children imagine their mothers asking, "Did you ever see a goose kissing a moose, a fly wearing a tie, or llamas eating their pajamas down by the bay?"

Baby Faces series:

Smile! - Roberta Grobel Intrater
Candid photographs capture adorable babies and their many happy expressions.

Sleep - Robert Grobel Intrater
The perfect bedtime book! Share a quiet moment with these adorable babies as they drift off to sleep.

Splash! - Roberta Grobel Intrater
Babies splish and splash and have a lot of fun.

Peek-a-Boo! - Roberta Grobel Intrater
Babies show a variety of facial expressions and play peek-a-boo.

Eat! - Roberta Grobel Intrater
Babies learn to eat.

Hugs & Kisses - Roberta Grobel Intrater
Babies and their families hug and kiss.

New DVDs

Einstein's Miraculous Year - This program from the American Physical Society helps students to understand the discoveries that Einstein made in 1905.

Einstein's Messengers - This program examines how LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, is spearheading the new field of gravitational wave astronomy and opening a whole new window on the universe.

New YA Books

On the Wings of Heroes - Richard Peck
A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes--his brother in the Air Force and his father, who fought in the previous war.

Here, There Be Dragons - James A. Owen
Three young men are entrusted with the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of fantastical places to which they travel in hopes of defeating the Winter King whose bid for power is related to the First World War raging in the Real World.

The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
A tale of Middle-earth from times before The lord of the rings. Morgoth, the first dark lord, lived in the vast fortress of Angband and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Niënor, children of Húrin, unfolds and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.

The Talented Clementine - Sara Pennypacker
Eight-year-old Clementine, convinced that she has no talents, tries to find a way to avoid participating in the class talent show.

London Calling - Edward Bloor
Seventh-grader Martin Conway believes that his life is monotonous and dull until the night the antique radio he uses as a night-light transports him to the bombing of London in 1940.

Jack Plank Tells Tales - Natalie Babbitt
Jack Plank realizes that he doesn't have the knack to be a pirate, so he sets on shore at Saltwash to look for another line of work.

Enter Three Witches - Caroline B. Cooney
When her father betrays the Scottish king and is hung as a traitor, Lady Mary's future is bleak after she loses her only true protector and ends up locked away in the tower by the powerful and deadly Lord and Lady Macbeth.

Montmorency's Revenge - Eleanor Updale
As Queen Victoria lies dying and with her family in danger, a group of friends races to track down the anarchists responsible for George's death, even as Montmorency seeks to teach a new generation to forgive.

The Lost Cities: A Drift House Voyage - Dale Peck
Siblings Susan and Charles receive a mysterious book before leaving to visit their Uncle Farley at his time-traveling house, where they become separated in the Sea of Time and struggle to find their way home.

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam - Cynthia Kadohata
A young soldier in Vietnam bonds with his bomb-sniffing dog.

Shield of Stars - Hilari Bell
When the Justice he works for is condemned for treason, fourteen-year-old and semi-reformed pickpocket Weasel sets out to find a notorious bandit who may be able to help save his master's life.

The Pinhoe Egg - Diana Wynne Jones
Two powerful young enchanters, Cat, the future Chrestomanci, and Marianne, who is being trained to be Gammer of the Pinhoes, work together as friends to try to end an illegal witches' war and, in the process, right some old wrongs.

Rex Zero and the End of the World - Tim Wynne-Jones
In the summer of 1962 with everyone nervous about a possible nuclear war, ten-nearly-eleven-year-old Rex, having just moved to Ottawa from Vancouver with his parents and five siblings, faces his own personal challenges as he discovers new friends and a new understanding of the world around him.

Cupid - Julius Lester
Cupid, the spoiled and mischievous god of love, is attracted to and marries the beautiful mortal, Psyche, and both learn many lessons about the nature of love.

The Miner's Daughter - Gretchen Moran Laskas
Sixteen-year-old Willa, living in a Depression-era West Virginia mining town, works hard to help her family, experiences love and friendship, and finds an outlet for her writing when her family becomes part of the Arthurdale, West Virginia, community supported by Eleanor Roosevelt.

New Children's Books

About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks - Bruce Koscielniak
Describes the concept of time and how it has been measured throughout history, using water clocks, sundials, calendars, and atomic vibrations. Time to read a book. Time to wash dishes. Time to do this or that. You say things like this every day, all the time. But there was a time when time itself was undefined-no one knew the difference between a minute, an hour, or a day. Then people started creating tools to measure time. First they used the big stuff around them-the sun, the moon, water. Soon after, using the knowledge they got from their natural time-telling tools, people began to build clocks-huge clocks unlike the ones we use today. They also used their knowledge of the sun and moon to create calendars made up of months and years. Now, centuries later, we have clocks all around us. We can easily figure out how long a month is. But it took many years of tinkering and inventing to perfect the art of telling time. You could take a few moments now to read all about time. If you have a minute, that is.

Beauty and the Beast - Max Eilenberg
Through her great capacity to love, a kind and beautiful maid releases a handsome prince from the spell which has made him an ugly beast.




Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Caralyn Buehner
In this variation on the classic folktale, a rhyming, rope-skipping, little girl rudely helps herself to the belongings of a genteel family of bears.



A Second Is a Hiccup - Hazel Hutchins
Explains units of time in terms every child will recognize.





Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive - Carole Boston Weatherford
Jesse Owen's life and triumphs at the 1936 Olympics.





Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry - collected by Jane Yolen
A collection of poems for children with the various themes of self, family, going outside, and when it is time for bed. "Here's a Little Poem" offers a comprehensive introduction to some remarkable poets, even as it captures a very young child's intense delight in the experiences and rituals of every new day.

New Children's Books

Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More - Jack Prelutsky
An illustrated collection of poems for children about various sports activities.


Every Friday - Dan Yaccarino
Every Friday a father and his child share a special ritual.

Fabian Escapes - Peter McCarty
While Hondo the dog stays home and enjoys his usual pursuits, Fabian the cat escapes out the window and has many adventures.

Today and Today: Haiku - Kabayashi Issa
A selection of haikus by the Japanese master.

A Good Day - Kevin Henkes
A bird, a fox, a dog, and a squirrel overcome minor setbacks to have a very good day.

Skyscraper - Lynn Curlee
Examines the history of the design of tall buildings.

Look at You: A Baby Body Book - Kathy Henderson
Poems and artwork capture babies' delight at exploring their own abilities and the world around them.

Different Like Coco - Elizabeth Matthews
Simple text and color illustrations present the life of Coco Chanel.

New Nonfiction Books

Snowy Weather Days - Katie Marsico
Contents: Word hunt -- It's snowing! -- Forming clouds -- Signs of snow -- Flake shapes -- Snowflake man -- Measuring snow -- Snow fun -- Weather wonders: blizzard -- Your new words -- You can read the sky


Sunny Weather Days - Pam Rosenberg
Contents: Word hunt -- A sunny day -- Spring and summer sun -- Fall and winter sun -- Sun science -- Fun in the sun -- Shadow hunt -- Your new words -- Be smart about playing in the sun

Wild Weather Days - Katie Marsico
Contents: Word hunt -- A wild sky -- Thunder and lightning -- Hail -- Wind -- Hurricanes -- Blizzards -- Wild weather and you -- What else can you do on a wild weather day? -- Your new words -- Four things you might see on a wild weather day

New Professional Resource

Numbers! Colors! Alphabet!: A Concept Guide to Children's Picture Books - Melanie Axel-Lute

New Books

A Seed Is Sleepy - Dianna Hutts Aston
An informative, and beautiful, introduction to seeds.

Dreamhunter - Elizabeth Knox
In a world where select people can enter "The Place" and find dreams of every kind to share with others for a fee, a fifteen-year-old girl is training to be a dreamhunter when her father disappears, leaving her to carry on his mysterious mission. 2007 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Sunday School Materials

The Sunday School materials for Summer Quarter, 2007, from Regular Baptist Press are now available in the Christian Education area of the CMC.

New Children's Book

Grumpy Bird - Jeremy Tankard
Feeling too grumpy to fly, Bird begins to walk and finds that his mood changes as other animals join him.

New Children's Books

Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon - Ruth Forman
A poem about how city children spend their summer.






The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh - A.A. Milne

A Child's Garden of Verses - illustrated by Thomas Kinkade
A collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson and others which reflect the joys of childhood, accompanied by Bible verses.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh and the honey tree / Janet Campbell -- Winnie the Pooh and the blustery day / Teddy Slater -- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too / Stephanie Calmenson -- Winnie the Pooh and a day for Eeyore / Teddy Slater

New Activity Book

Sing a Song of Storytime - Susan M. Dailey

New Reference Books

Educators Guide to Free Internet Resources - Secondary Edition

Educators Guide to Free Internet Resources - Elementary/Middle School Edition

Easter Break Hours

The Centennial Library is closed on Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7, for Easter break. We will be open from 8:00 until 5:00 on Monday, April 9, and then resume regular hours on Tuesday, April 10. Happy Easter!

New Children's Books

Today at the Bluebird Cafe - Deborah Ruddell
A collection of poems about different bird personalities.

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth - Rochelle Strauss
Water is a necessity of life on earth. Learn ways to protect it while learning water's story.

Saving the Buffalo - Albert Marrin
Chronicles how the buffalo reached near-extinction in the nineteenth century, discussing the various causes, and explains how they were brought back from the brink with the help of the early conservationist movement.

Turkey - Tamra Orr

Music Education Resources

From Music Educators National Conference:

It Works for Me!: The National Anthem and Other Patriotic Music in the Classroom
This collection of tried-and-true ideas from real music teachers all over the United States can help teachers who are looking for new ways to bring "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other patriotic tunes into their music programs. More than 100 music teachers describe how they connect patriotic music with historical events, help students learn lyrics, conquer musical challenges, and reach out to the school and the community using patriotic music.

Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education
A pragmatic approach to teaching world music traditions in upper elementary through high school classes. This updated and expanded edition of MENC's landmark 1989 publication goes much further than its predecessor in providing materials to assist music teachers in modifying their classes and involving their students in new forms of music making and new understandings about sounds. Includes illustrations, diagrams, and music examples; extensive, annotated resource lists; and ideas for integrating multicultural music study with other subjects. Features new subjects, expanded sections, and new lessons added to every chapter. Adaptable for use in undergraduate college courses.

Getting Started with High School Choir - Steven K. Michelson
Learn how to conduct simple, painless auditions, and hear about recruitment techniques that really work. Get some new music introduction techniques specifically designed for this age group.




Teaching Choral Music: A Course of Study
Provides a framework for sequential instruction, model lessons, and recommendations for ensuring quality choral experiences. This book was developed by the MENC Task Force on Choral Music Course of Study for teachers of choral music programs in grades 4-12 and is recommended for text adoption.


Strategies for Teaching: Prekindergarten Music
The purpose of the Strategies for Teaching series is to help music teachers implement the K-12 National Music Education Standards and MENC's Prekindergarten Standards. Hundreds of music teachers across the country participated in this project, the largest such participation in an MENC publishing endeavor. Each publication focuses on a specific curricular area and a particular level. Each includes teaching strategies based on the content and achievement standards, a preface and an introduction, and a resource list.