New YA Books

Angel Isle - Peter Dickinson
While seeking the Ropemaker to restore the ancient magic that will protect their valley, Saranja, Maja, and Ribek must outwit twenty-four of the empire's most powerful and evil magicians.

Among the Free - Margaret Peter Haddix
When thirteen-year-old Luke Garner unwittingly sets off a rebellion which sweeps the country and ousts the Population Police from power, he quickly realizes that the new regime is corrupt and he may hold the only key to true freedom.

Among the Brave - Margaret Peter Haddix
In a society that allows families to have only two children, a group of third-borns tries to save itself and others like them.

Among the Hidden - Margaret Peter Haddix
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.

Al Qaeda: Osama bin Laden's Army of Terrorists - Phillip Margulies
Discusses the Islamic organization known as Al-Qaeda, focusing on its presumed role in the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

New Award Books

Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath - Stephanie Hemphill
The author interprets the people, events, influences and art that made up the brief life of author Sylvia Plath. Michael L. Printz Honor book

There Is a Bird on Your Head! - Mo Willems
Gerald the elephant discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head-- two birds on your head! Piggie will try to help her best friend. Theodor Seuss Geisel Award book

First the Egg - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
A picture book about transformations. Caldecott Honor book

Lightship - Brian Floca
Lightships once served where lighthouses could not be built. They helped to guide sailors safely through the fog. Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor book

Jazz Baby - Lisa Wheeler
Baby and his family make some jazzy music. Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book

Hello, Bumblebee Bat - Darrin Lunde
Simple text and illustrations introduce the endangered bumblebee bat of Thailand. Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book

Vulture View - April Pulley Sayre
Turkey vultures soar on the balmy air, looking for their next stinky feast. These birds don't hunt--they like their food to be already dead. Vultures are part of nature's cleanup crew. Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad - Ellen Levine
A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia. Caldecott Honor book

Pura Belpre Award Books

The following new books were recently announced as winners of the Pura Belpre Awards honoring "Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books".

Award book for illustration:

Los Gatos Black on Halloween - illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror.




Honor books for illustration:

My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez - illustrated by Raul Colon
As a boy, Gabito had the ability to imagine many things. He lived in a small house with a large family. He would grow up to become a writer known as Gabriel García Márquez.

My Colors, My World - Maya Christina Gonzales
Maya, who lives in the dusty desert, opens her eyes wide to find the colors in her world, from Papi's black hair and Mami's orange and purple flowers to Maya's red swing set and the fiery pink sunset.




Honor Author Books (we already had the award book, The Poet Slave of Cuba):

Frida: Viva la Vida! - Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Biographical poems about the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach - Carmen Agra Deedy
In this humorous retelling of a Cuban folktale, a cockroach interviews her suitors in order to decide whom to marry.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween (see above)

Schneider Family Book Awards

The following books were recently awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, given for books that "embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child abd adolescent audiences".

Kami and the Yaks - Andrea Stenn
In the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, a deaf Sherpa boy proves himself to his father by rescuing his family's yaks from a dangerous storm.

Hurt Go Happy - Ginny Rorby
When thirteen-year-old Joey Willis, deaf since the age of six, meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his chimpanzee Sukari, who use sign language, her world blooms with possibilities but that of the chimp begins to narrow.

Reaching for Sun - Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Josie, who lives with her mother and grandmother and has cerebral palsy, befriends a boy who moves into one of the rich houses behind her old farmhouse.

New Literature Guides

A Guide for Using...in the Classroom

Dear Mr. Henshaw - Beverly Cleary

Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis

The Tale of Desperaux - Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate DiCamillo

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Bill Martin, Jr.

Psalms for Young Children - Marie-Helene Delval
The Psalms describe a whole range of emotions, from joy and wonder to sadness and regret. This collection of Psalms, paraphrased for young readers, uses simple yet powerful imagery to help children express their feelings.

New Children's Books

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball - Kadir Nelson
Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson.

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children - Katherine Paterson
Tells the story of Jesus' life from his birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion and resurrection, and describes his teachings, explaining why he is called "the light of the world."

Psalm 23 - Barry Moser

New YA Book

Airman - Eoin Colfer
In the late nineteenth century, when Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, he is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds under brutal conditions while he plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison by way of a flying machine that he must design, build, and, hardest of all, trust to carry him to safety.

New Audiobooks

Fox in Socks - Dr. Seuss
The smart Fox uses difficult tongue twisters to get the confused Mr. Knox in trouble with his tongue.


Biscuit Finds a Friend - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
A puppy helps a little duck find its way home to the pond.





Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp - Syd Hoff
Danny and his friend the dinosaur go to summer camp together.

Regular Baptist Press Sunday School Materials

The Sunday School materials for spring quarter 2008 from Regular Baptist Press have arrived and are available in the Christian Education area of the CMC.

February 2008 CMC Newsletter

CMC 40th Anniversary

The fourth monthly drawing celebrating the 40th anniversary of the CMC was held on January 22. The winner was Ashley Elliott, who received a $25 gift certificate to the library's MediaPlex. Congratulations to Ashley! There is still time to enter February's drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Book Awards Announced

On January 14, the American Library Association announced the winners of this year's major book awards. The surprise, but very popular, winner of the Caldecott Medal, given for outstanding illustration in children's books, was The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Unlike most Caldecott winners, this book is very large (533 pages!). The winner of the Newbery Medal for the most distinguished book published for children was another popular surprise, Good Masters, Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Amy Laura Schlitz. For the complete list of winners, visit ALA's website.

Websites of the Month

This month's featured websites are two new resources on the CMC website itself. For those of you who have ever needed (or will someday need!) to prepare an author or illustrator unit, check out the Authors and Illustrators page. This resource contains lists of authors and illustrators whose books can be found in the CMC, along with links to the library's catalog listing each author's books. Also included are links to the authors' and illustrators' websites.

The second new resource is the School District Information page. This page lists all the area school districts that host our students for field experience and internships. Each school in each district is listed, along with superintendents' and principals' names, contact information, and links to the school and district websites. Finally, there is a link to Google Maps showing the directions from Cedarville to each school.

Please take a look at these new CMC website enhancements.

New Resources

During January, the CMC added a large number of trade books, as well as literature guides to several children's books and DVDs based on children's books. Click here to see the complete list of new materials added in January.

New YA Book

The Keeper: Book 1 of The Pages of Tamenara - T. H. Ferrell
For years the people of Tamenara have suffered quietly under the rule of King Deimos, a tyrannical leader whose reign led to the extermination of the Celestialites, the dwarves, and the dragons. But when a new evil surfaces that threatens the very existence of the land, it is up to one girl who, unskilled in combat and untrained in magic, must learn the ways of her ancestors to embrace her destiny and arise as the last Celestiate-Keeper of Tamenara.

New Music Education Teaching Aid

Kodaly Hand Signs
This is a set of 8 color posters showing the hand signs for the 8 degrees of the scale.

New Spanish Book

Hay un Molillo en Mi Bolsillo! - Dr. Seuss
A household of unusual creatures help beginning readers recognize common "household" words in this Spanish version of "There's a Wocket in My Pocket!"

New YA Book

All Made Up: A Girl's Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype...and Celebrating Real Beauty - Audrey D. Braschich
Challenging the perfection and beauty seen in magazine and television ads, an informative guide helps young women to see the ads for what they are and begin to appreciate their own appearance--flaws and all--as the honest beauty it is.

New Children's Books

Dream Big - Ian Falconer
Olivia dreams big. Whether she's taming a circus lion or building a sandcastle as tall as the Empire State Building, her boundless imagination and courageous spirit are an inspiration to young and old.

Amazing Leonardo da Vinci: Inventions You Can Build Yourself - Maxine Anderson
Introduces readers to the life, world, and incredible mind of Leonardo da Vinci through hands-on building projects that explore his invention ideas.

Curious George Gets a Medal - H. A. Rey
Following a day of misadventures Curious George becomes the first space monkey.

Skippyjon Jones Up & Down - Judy Schachner
Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese kitten who thinks he's a Chihuahua, demonstrates opposite concepts, such as up and down.

Mother Goose: Numbers on the Loose - Leo and Diane Dillon
Presents an illustrated collection of twenty-four counting rhymes, from "Baa, baa black sheep" to "Wash the dishes, wipe the dishes."

Tales from the Brothers Grimm - Cooper Edens
Fifteen classic Grimm fairy tales, illustrated by such well-known artists as Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane, and Randolph Caldecott.

Body: An Amazing Tour of Human Anatomy - Richard Walker
Text and colorful illustrations introduce the make up of the human body with cutaway drawings and explanations of the functions of the various body parts.

Wings, Horns, & Claws: A Dinosaur Book of Epic Proportions - Christopher Wormell
Presents an illustrated collection of drawings describing the physical characteristics, habitat, and behaviors of a number of prehistoric dinosaurs.

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World - Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff
When Knut was first born, he was no bigger than a snowball. His mother was unable to care for him, so a bear keeper at Zoo Berlin, Thomas Dörflein, became Knut's foster father.

Tutankhamen's Tomb - Jen Green
Presents a full-color illustrated tour of the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen that shows many of the treasures discovered by Dr. Howard Carter in 1922.

New Professional Book

The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson - Harvey F. Silver

New Children's Books

Monday with a Mad Genius - Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie travel 500 years back in time to Florence, Italy, and spend a day helping Leonardo da Vinci in the hope of learning another secret of happiness.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy - Tedd Arnold
After accidentally swallowing her grandson's pet fly, Grandma tries to retrieve it by consuming progressively larger animals.

Polar Animals - Wade Cooper
Children learn about animals that live in arctic regions and creatures that are active at night. Written in easy-to-read rhymes and illustrated with color photographs, this book features three pages of learning activities.

See-Through Reptiles - Steve Parker
Clear pages help illustrate reptile anatomy and behavior.

Seashore - Sue Unstead

Masterpieces Up Close - Claire d'Harcourt
Discover the beauty and hidden mysteries in Western art's most celebrated masterpieces in this exciting art history lesson cleverly disguised as a game.

Nature's Art Box - Laura C. Martin
Presents more than sixty projects made from natural materials that are available almost anywhere.

Emeril's There's a Chef in My World! - Emeril Lagasse
Chef Emeril Lagasse presents an international cookbook for kids and adults, containing instructions for basic cooking techniques and seventy-five recipes for breakfasts, snacks, salads, soups, sandwiches, main dishes, sides, breads, and desserts from a diverse range of countries and regions, including Mexico, Germany, Thailand, Ireland, India, Cuba, Korea, France, West Africa, and others.

Wackiest White House Pets - Gibbs Davis
Describes the various kinds of pets, including grizzly bears and alligators, kept at the White House by various presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.

Chicks and Salsa - Aaron Reynolds
Soon after the chickens tire of their feed and decide to make tortilla chips and salsa, all the other animals on Nuthatcher Farm start to crave southwestern cuisine.

New PE Book

Rhythmic Activities and Dance - John Price Bennett
Starting a rhythmic activities and dance program -- Icebreaker activities -- Rhythmic games and activities -- Aerobic dances and fitness routines -- Line dances -- Folk dances -- Mixers -- Square dances and clogging -- Social dances -- Glossary