25 Days of Christmas Books

The holiday season has its traditions, and one of my family's favorite is the 25 Days of Christmas Books.  I usually choose all of the books, surprising my family with the titles.  Then, starting December 1st, we read one book aloud each night.  Why not try it with your family?  It works with children of all ages.  If the 25 days is a little daunting, try 12 days instead.  Here are the titles we will be sharing this year:

1. Homemade Together Christmas by Maryann Cocca-Leff
2. Enzo and the Christmas Tree Hunt by Garth Stein
3. An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
4. Carter's Christmas by Lisa Bullard
5. Rudolph Shines Again by Robert L. May
6. Click, Clack, Ho Ho Ho! by Doreen Cronin
7. Waiting For Santa by Steve Metzger
8. Snow Bunny's Christmas Gift by Rebecca Harry
9. The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
10. The Legend of St. Nicholas: a Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Mackell
11. Me and My Dragon: Christmas Spirit by David Biedrzycki 
12. Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco
13. Cork and Fuzz: Merry Merry Holly Holly by Dori Chacanos
14. All I Want to Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
15. Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix
16. Boris and Stella and the Perfect Gift by Dara Goldman
17. Smallest Gift of Christmas by Peter Reynolds
18. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
19. Little Elfie One by Pamela Jane
20. You Are My Merry by Marianne Richmond
21. The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray
22. The Best Parts of Christmas by Bethanie Deeny Murguia
23. Samurai Santa: a Very Ninja Christmas by Robin Pingk
24. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, adapted by Daniel Kirk
25. One Special Christmas by Christina Butler

--Angie R-H, Headquarters

Andrea's Best Of 2015 Second and Third Grade Books

Every year I have the joy and privilege of going into local schools to share my favorite books with second and third grade students. I read lots of early chapter books, but only the top twenty or so make it into the final cut. A few of the books are general crowd pleasers, there are several interesting non-fiction titles, some graphic novels, and hopefully there are some amazing books that I know most students would pass up because of the cover or subject matter. I am excited to present you with this year's list! Click on the titles to reserve a copy of a book.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

"Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split" by Anica Mrose Rissi

Best friends Anna and Sadie have a blowout over a pretty necklace. Can they ever be friends again?

"Appleblossom the Possum" by Holly Golberg Sloan

Disaster follows Appleblossom the acting possum when she makes friends with a person and sneaks into her house.

"Big Bad Detective Agency" by Bruce Hale

Wolfgang has to clear his name by finding out which citizen of Fairylandia trashed the Three Pigs' house.

"Cakes in Space" by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

Astra has to save her hyper-sleeping family from man-eating cakes and salvaging aliens that love spoons.

"Dory Fantasmagory" by Abby Hanlon

Dory, called Rscal, has a crazy imagination, an older brother and sister, and an imaginary friend monster named Mary.

"Fart Squad" by Seamus Pilger

Four friends learn to harness the mighty power of gas and become the Fart Squad!

"Harriet the Invincible" by Ursula Vernon

This dragon-slaying hamster princess may need to save the prince in this twisted fairy tale!

"I Survived: The Joplin Tornado, 2011" by Lauren Tarshis

Dex worries for his soldier brother, not knowing that a giant tornado is headed his way.

"It Came From Beneath the Playground" by Kirk Scroggs

Are evil moles, a missing merry-go-round, and Gustavo Muchomacho a match for amateur sleuth Logan Lang?

"Little Robot" by Ben Hatke

When a lonely girl meets a robot, what will she do when the factory robots come looking for her new friend?

"Logan Pryce Makes a Mess" by Grace Gilmore

Can young inventor Logan Pryce invent a way to make more money to save the family farm?

"Mean Girl Meltdown" by Lindsay Eyre

A prank war starts when Sylvie decides to try out for captain of the new hockey team.

"Milo Speck: Accidental Agent" by Linda Urban

Sucked into the terrifying land of Ogregon, Milo Speck must work with the stubborn Tuck to save his dad and get back home.

"Ms. Rapscott's Girls" by Elise Primavera

At Ms. Rapscott's School for Girls of Busy Parents, girls travel by carboard box and learn how to have adventures.

"The Princess in Black" by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

It's hard to be a perfect princess when you are also a secret monster hunter.

"Red Riding Hood, Superhero" by Otis Frampton

Using her alien power-enhanced red cape, Ruby must save her president grandma from evil.

"Rise of the Earth Dragon" by Tracey West

Drake leaves his home to become a dragon master, but will he be able to discover his dragon's special power?

"Rutabaga the Adventure Chef" by Eric Colossal

Always on the hunt for exotic food, Rutabaga stumbles into many adventures and makes new friends.

"The Sasquatch Escape" by Suzanne Selfors

Boring Buttonville hides a terrifying secret, and the new worm doctor is behind it. Can Ben and his new friend Pearl figure out what's going on?

"The Slug" by Elise Gravel

Everything you didn't know you needed to know about slugs, but funny!

"Spring's Sparkle Sleepover" by Elise Allen

When it's time for Spring's first sleepover with her big sisters, she gets nervous. Will she be homesick? Will they think she's a baby?

"Weird and Wild Animal Facts" by Jessica Loy

Fantastic pictures and weird facts about all kinds of animals

"Extreme Illusions 2" by Gianni Sarcone

Crazy optical illusions to trick your brain.

Book Trailer: "I Really Like Slop" by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie are at it again! This time Piggie is trying to get Gerald to sample her favorite food. Would you try this concoction? Check out "I Really Like Slop" after watching this video.

--Desiree S. Headquarters

Kids Music Friday: "Groove" by Lori Henriques

Here's another fantastic song and video from Lori Henriques! Gather the kiddos and have a chill dance party to this retro Sesame Street-esque video.

Enjoy!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Maker Monday: "Sew Fab: Sewing and Style for Young Fashionistas" by Lesley Ware

Young, creative fashionistas everywhere will devour the advice and projects in "Sew Fab" by Lesley Ware. Starting with picking a fashion style, Ware leads readers through the process of setting up a sewing space to making your own projects, including creating your own patterns. The illustrations are classy and diverse--perfect for the fashion conscious tween in your life. It's a great start in creative sewing.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Robotic Adventure: "Little Robot" by Ben Hatke

Sometimes it can be hard to make friends. People can be complicated. But robots--robots are simple. And, as it turns out, pretty good friends. In "Little Robot" by Ben Hatke, a little girl hesitates to make friends with other kids. As she's tinkering around in a junkyard, she comes across an adorable little robot that fell off of a delivery truck. They slowly become friends, working around a language barrier to do all sorts of things together. But what happens when a retrieval robot is sent from the robot factory to take the little girl's friend away? With beautiful pictures and limited text, this delightful graphic novel is perfect for anyone from kindergartners to fourth graders. Click on the link above to reserve a copy today.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

2015 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award

It's time to vote for your favorite books of 2015!  This award is presented annually by the Missouri Library Association.  These titles were nominated by Missouri librarians with special consideration for children birth through Kindergarten.  Be sure to check out the Building Block Award's site for lots of fun activities.

To participate, parents and caregivers are highly encouraged to read aloud at least five of the titles on the list. Any child who enjoys picture books can vote for their favorite! You just need to pick up a ballot slip from your library branch from now until December 1. One voter at each branch will win a brand new copy of "Row Row Row Your Boat."

Voting will take place throughout the state of Missouri and the winning book will be announced in February. A state committee will present a special recognition to the author and illustrator of the winning book.

Here are the nominees: 

"Digger Dog" by William Bee
Digger Dog loves to dig up bones - the bigger the better. But for the biggest bone in the world, what will Digger Dog need? The biggest digger in the world, of course! All through the story, the diggers get bigger, the hole gets deeper and there is the most fantastic fold-out surprise at the end!

"Naked!" by Michael Ian Black
A child discovers that the only thing more fun than being naked is wearing nothing but a cape.  

 "This Book Just Ate My Dog!" by Richard Byrne
When her dog disappears into the gutter of the book, Bella calls for help. But when the helpers disappear too, Bella realizes it will take more than a tug on the leash to put things right.

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" by Jane Cabrera
 In this expansion of a familiar song, the occupants of a rowboat enjoy seeing and making the sounds of different jungle animals.

"Down by the Barn" by William Hillenbrand

Ride with the tractor driver around the farm to pick up all of the animals. 

"Oh So Brave Dragon" by David Kirk Dragon knows he is supposed to be brave, because that's what dragons do. He's so brave and valiant, he's ready to try out his fearsome roar! But when he hears something that scares him, he turns to his forest friends to find the noise, and to help him be brave.   "Buddy and the Bunnies In: Don't Play with Your Food" by Bob Shea A monster named Buddy is determined to eat some cute little bunnies, until they prove to be more enjoyable as playmates "I'm My Own Dog" by David Ezra Stein A dog without a human companion fetches his own slippers and curls up at his own feet but cannot reach a certain itchy spot in the middle of his back, compelling him to leash a poor lonely human who will loyally offer a helpful scratch.   "Bear Sees Colors" by Karma Wilson While taking a walk with Mouse, Bear meets many other friends and sees colors everywhere.   "Hooray for Hat!" by Brian Won Elephant wakes up in a grumpy mood, but a present on his doorstep--a hat--cheers him. He then sets out to greet his neighbors who all, it seems, need hats of their own.

--Desiree S., Headquarters