Mooshka: A Quilt Story

Title: Mooshka: A Quilt Story
Author: Julie Paschkis
ISBN: 978-1-56145-620-8
Copyright 2012

Adopt-a-Book month is almost over and still we have books waiting for a loving family to claim them.  Mooshka: A Quilt Story would be the perfect book to adopt if you have a new baby, or a grandmother you would like to honor.

Mooshka was a quilt.  She was not just any quilt, she was a very unusual and special quilt that her grandmother had made her when she was young.  It was full of color and life and made her room glow at night.

"If there was something scary under the bed, it snuggled tight around her and made her feel safe.  But that wasn't why Karla's quilt was unusual."

What made Mooshka the most special quilt was that it talked to Karla every evening, and every morning, when she touched it, the quilt would tell her stories.  The different pieces of fabric that her grandmother called "schnitz" all told different stories about her family and what they have seen.

One day something changes in her life and Mooshka stops speaking to Karla. She doesn't know how to make Mooshka speak again but she does know how to make someone very very happy.

Adopt this book to find out how Mooshka is passed along.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Title: Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms
Author: Lissa Evans
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9806-1
Copyright: 2012

Everything about Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms feels old.  Not old in a bad way, but in a classic and intriguing manner.  Lissa Evans wrote an intriguing plot full of quirky characters who interact, and don't interact in some surprising ways. 

Stuart Horten or S.Horten as people often refer to him is an unusually small ten year old boy.  In fact he comes from a family of unusually small, and unusually tall relatives.  When his parents decide to move back to his fathers home town of Beeton Stuart is faced with a profound problem, living in a new town at the beginning of summer vacation where he doesn't know a single soul.

His parents (being parents) don't see the problem.  His father makes crossword puzzles and speaks using rather large words.

"Ah, there you are.  I was just thinking of going for a brief perambulation.  Would you like to come too?" Stuart answered, "Oh all right, then"

By "brief perambulation," his father meant a short walk.  That was the way he talked all the time, and he always spoke in a  loud, clear voice, so that people in the street turned and stared at him."

 As the story progresses Stuart learns that he has a great-uncle who is missing (and a former magician) his house is about to be demolished (rather mysteriously), the neighbors are triplet girls who snoop about, and the telephone with the receiver that isn't even connected seems to always work when the library is calling. 

Check this brand new book out today in order to find out how Stuart's summer progresses and whether or not he is able to track down his missing great-uncle.

Laundry Day

Title: Laundry Day
Author: Maurie Manning
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 9-780-547-24196-8
Adopt-a-Book Price: $10.02

In Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning a young shoe shine boy goes on an adventure to discover who a red piece of cloth belongs too after it comes loose from the clothes lines over his head.  This book is set up in the style of a graphic novel.  The different frames help move the story along even though there is very little text to read. 

In New York City the shoeshine boy really wants to return the cloth to it's owner as he climbs up stairs, drain pipes, and shimmies across clotheslines he encounters people of different ethnicity living in the same building.  The shoeshine boy goes from balcony to balcony learning a little bit about each of his neighbors what the do and who they are as people.

This is a great book to show children to explain about different cultures.  Plus it is also a great way to get kids used to reading the graphic novel format. 

To find out of the shoeshine boy ever found the owner of the mysterious red fabric you will have to adopt the book and read it. 

The Boy Who Cried Alien

Title: The Boy Who Cried Alien 
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Brian Biggs
ISBN: 978-078683825-7
Copyright: 2012

There are so many things that I like about The Boy Who Cried Alien that perhaps I should have adopted it myself.  Alas I did not so someone else will have too.  Anyway, I cannot say enough about the beautiful illustrations down by Brian Biggs they are bright and detailed and really show off the beauty of green aliens and lying little boys!

The story is kept fresh and amusing by the need to translate the Aliens poetry (go ahead give it a try I promise it can be done).  As well as the fact that all the towns people speak in rhymes.  While some books that rhyme can seem painful this one is just plain funny.




"My dear prevaricating pal,
oh the tales that you created,
the events that you inflated!
Yes, your fibs were highly rated.
But, come on--aliens from space?
How corny, quaint, and uninspired.
I can't be fooled by stuff that tired.
Better whopper are required
or, my flimflam friend, your fired!"








Larry sets off to try to prove to the town that aliens exist and that they did in fact land in Lake Malarkey (ha!).  Just keep reading this book is sure to please even the most skeptical of picture book readers. 

The Train Man

Title: The Train Man
Author: Andrea Zimmerman
Illustrator: David Clemesha
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7991-3
Adopt-a-Book Price: $11.62

It is still adopt-a-book month and that means that we still have more picture books looking for love.  In the words of the Train Man "All Aboard!"

Chugga, Chugga, Chugga, Chugga, Choo, Choo.  What little kid doesn't love trains?!  Train Main by Andrea Zimmerman is a beautiful beginning reader for the child who just can't get enough trains.  It tells the story of a young boy who just can't wait to grow up and become a train man.  There are so many things he will do, and so many places to see as he drives the train. 

Plus he knows that even though his brother is too young to say choo-choo now, that when he gets older he'll teach him to say that plus "All Aboard" and then his brother will be a train man too!

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas

Title: The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas
Author: Tony Wilson
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-561-45-635-2
Adopt-a-Book Price: $13.14

Everyone knows the story of the Princess and the Pea.  But do you know the story of the boy who didn't want to marry a real princess?  Instead the prince wanted to marry the un-princess, the least princess-ly girl he could find. 

I have to say I like this story.  I like this story a lot.  Parents are always asking me for books with strong female characters who also happen to be princesses (because their daughters loooooove princesses).  It can be difficult to find books where the princess isn't a dainty fainting girl waiting to be married by the prince, but this is that book!

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas is the story of Prince Henrik who loved hockey and camping.  All he wanted in a princess was a girl who would love outdoorsy things.  Prince Henrik came up with a plan to find the girl of his dreams.  If the perfect princess could feel a single pea under 20 mattresses then Prince Henrik wanted the girl who didn't notice an entire bag of frozen peas under a sleeping bag...

Many princesses tried but they all felt the peas and complained loudly about it:

"You won't believe this.  I found PEAS in my bed."
"I couldn't sleep at all! There was a massive lump under the mattress."
"What's the deal with the packet of FROZEN PEAS?"

Just as Prince Henrik is about to give up  hope his old friend Pippa comes for a visit... 

To find out more about Pippa please help the library by adopting this book and adding it to our collection!

Mrs. Harkness and the Panda

Title:  Mrs. Harkness and the Panda
Author: Alicia Potter
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-84448-5
Adopt-a-Book Price: $9.46

One of the best ways to get children interested in new topics is through introducing them as picture books.  Picture Books are a fun non threatening way to teach children about math, science, and even people's lives.  Mrs. Harkness and the Panda is a sweet true story about how the first panda was brought to the United States, not by a man but a woman in 1936.

Mrs. Harkness had read about pandas, but in the 1900's no one in the United States had ever seen a panda before.  Panda's lived too far away in China and no one had ever tried to capture one and bring it home before.  Well, Mrs. Harkness may have been a bit eccentric, but she wanted a panda and knew just the explorer to bring her one, her husband.  In 1934 William Harvest Harkness Jr. left the united states to head to China and find a Panda.  Unfortunately, William died while in China. 

When news of Williams death got back to her Mrs. Harkness would not be deterred, she still wanted a Panda.  Mrs. Harkness refused to listen to her friends and neighbors when they told her that a woman could never be an explorer.  She took a steam ship to China, got her husbands clothes tailored to fit her and then hired a team of guides and porters to help her.  Off she went into the Chinese Mountains and... 

Cliffhanger!  To find out what happens in the mountains or if Mrs. Harkness ever finds her Panda come to the library and adopt this book.  I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed be the writing or artwork.  Melissa Sweet did an amazing job with the layout and design of each page. 

Otto the Book Bear

Title: Otto the Book Bear
Author: Katie Cleminson
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-142314562-2
Adopt-a-book price: $9.46

In honor of Children's Book Week, every year during the month of April the library runs it's "Adopt-a-Book" program.  This allows our patrons to help us increase the number of picture books we have by purchasing a book in honor of someone and then donating it to our collection.  This year we have 26 silly books that are all looking for a good home in our collection.  Each Tuesday I will review a different book that is available for adoption.  Remember, if you see a book you like act quickly since it might not be there for long!

Otto the Book Bear  by Katie Cleminson is the touching story of a very small bear who lives in a book.  "When no one was looking, he came to life!" and is able to leave his book and go exploring. He read other books on the shelf, practiced his writing on the type writer, and even climbed the stairs for exercise. 

Unfortunately, one day the family moved and both Otto and his book got left behind.  Well Otto isn't the sort of bear to sit around feeling bad for himself!  No Otto is an action sort of bear, so he grabbed his bag and started walking.  He walked and walked trying to find a new place to live but nothing was quite as cozy as his old book.  Until one day he stumbles upon a warm building and sees someone that he recognizes, another book bear!  This one's name is Ernest and he shows Otto all around his new home. 

Now I'm sure that you can guess where Otto ended up living but just in case you don't know I'm not going to say!  You will have to adopt this heart warming book and read it yourself to find out.