In this issue:

Award Winning Books

Read Across America Day

HCPL Children's Staff

New Children's Books & Audio

On January 26, 2009 the American Library Association announced the winners of their children's book awards.  The Children's Book Awards include the Newbery, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King awards.

Originally created as a one-day event

to celebrate the joy of reading on

March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday,

National Education Association's Read

Across America has grown into a

nationwide initiative that promotes

reading every day of the year.  Harris

County Public Libraries celebrate

Read Across America Day with

programs at all of our branches.

Dr. Seuss Book List

2009 Caldecott

The House in the Night

illustrated by Beth Krommes

2009 Newbery

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

2009 Coretta Scott King-Illustrator

The Blacker the Berry

illustrated by Floyd Cooper

2009 Coretta Scott King-Author

We Are the Ship

by Kadir Nelson

Ms. Martha

Martha Gamez Fisher is the Senior Children's Assistant at the South Houston Branch Library.  She worked at this library first from November 2004 to March 2006 and left to live in another state for a while.  She returned to this area and worked at the Stratford Branch Library for 8 months before rejoining the staff at South Houston again in August of 2008.

What do you like to read?

I like to read Mexican American Literature, English Literature and Poetry.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

My favorite book when I was a kid was Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.  My parents were in college when I was in elementary school and I spent lots of time at the library.  The librarian at the Garland City Library, Liza, became my best friend when she recommended this and many more books.  One of my favorite parts of the story is when Fern’s dad goes out to kill the pig and Fern doesn’t let him.  I also like the part where Templeton gets fat at the fair.  Parts of the story remind me of my own childhood and love for animals.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are many.  The hobby I have that takes most of my time is parenting.  I love to play at any playground, especially the one at Hermann Park!  I love to go to amusement parks and ride the roller coasters.  I write short stories for fun, and I like to make things. Of all my hobbies my favorite is parenting. Parenting is part Science, Sociology, Psychology and lots of other stuff.  It’s definitely not boring and once I started that hobby I never let it go.

Do you have any pets?

I have three dogs, a cat, a Yellow Head Amazon Bird, a ferret and three fish.  Two of my dogs are Chihuahua mixes. Their names are Cow and Nana. They are sisters.  Astro is my son’s dog. He is a miniature Collie.  Our cat, named Cayce Kitty is a farm cat from Gower, Missouri.  Beto is our Amazon. He is Bilingual and speaks in Spanish and English.  Moose is our ferret.  She is a little over one year old, and loves to snuggle with kitty. Kitty doesn’t return the affection. I think Kitty is still trying to figure out if Moose is a rodent or a weird cat. Our three fish are goldfish. We named them The Old Man, Madam President and Starbuck after characters in Battlestar Gallactica.  They live in a tank that is shaped like a TV set.

What do you like best about your job?

I like singing and dancing at storytime and reading great books to children.  At my job I get to be creative and make lots of things others can enjoy.

Anything else you want to share about yourself? 

I have five children and one grandson.  The eldest is working on her second year at Creighton University.  The next eldest is graduating this year from YES College Preparatory and has been accepted to attend at HBU, Texas A&M at Galveston, Creighton University and Evergreen State in Washington. I have a junior in high school and two seventh graders too.  In all, I have two girls and three boys.  My wonderful husband is an Executive Chef and Manager. 

What are you reading right now? 

I am reading tons of books on organic gardening and fixing up old houses.  I really like books that explain how to do things, and make things.  I just finished a book called Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime and I love it!  I read it with sound effects and everything!  I even read it to the circulation staff and my teenagers at home.  The teenagers at home think I’m weird sometimes because I still read them kid's books, but deep inside I know they like them too!

Ms. Martha reads to a young customer

Ms. June

June Taylor is the Children's Assistant at the Aldine Branch Library.  She has been with us for almost 8 years.

What do you like to read?

Mostly fiction, I try to read all the Bluebonnet books every year.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

I loved the book Make Way for Ducklings.  My parents would read it to me over and over again.  My friend went to the Boston Public Gardens and took a picture of the bronze sculpture of the ducks they have in the park.

What are your hobbies? 

I collect baseball cards, I can’t go to a store without buying a couple of packs of cards.  Then on the way home my son and I look through them looking for Astros.  My favorite card is a 1962 Lou Brock rookie card.

What was the funniest thing that happened to you as a kid?

When I was about 8 years old, I was visiting my Great Grandparents in Richland, Mo. and a bird pooped on my head while I was outside playing kickball.  Later I read in a book that it’s good luck if a bird poops on you…go figure.

What do you like best about your job?

I love helping the kids find books that they are interested in.  I also love my storytime kids that I see every week; it’s so much fun watching them learn and grow.  When they start school for the first time I’m excited for them, just like when my own kids started school.

Anything else you want to share about yourself? 

I am a big sports fan.  I love all sports.  The Super Bowl is like a holiday at my house…we even have cake!

What are you reading right now?

I am reading Football Hero by Tim Green. 

Ms. June, Baseball Fan

Margery Cuyler.  We're Going on a Lion Hunt

A class of kindergarteners sets out bravely in search of a lion, going through mud, long grass, and other obstacles before the inevitable encounter with the lion forces a headlong retreat.

Maurie Manning.  Kitchen Dance

Two sleepy children sneak out of their beds to watch as their parents, who love each other very much, break into a dance while washing the dishes.

Margaret Mason.  Inside All

Takes the reader on a nesting doll-like journey, from the edges of the universe into the heart of a child at bedtime, showing how we each have our place inside the universe and the universe has a place inside each of us.

Bill Myers.  Stink Bug Saves the Day:  The Parable of

the Good Samaritan    In this retelling of the Good Samaritan parable, Papa Roly-Poly, left bruised and wounded after being accosted by a gang of flies, finds help from an unexpected source.

Tim Myers.  If You Give a T-rex a Bone

Dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles appear in their ancient habitats as if witnessed by a modern day child. Includes information about the animals and resources for additional learning.

Zachary Shapiro.  We're All in the Same Boat

After being on the ark for months and months, the ants get antsy, the bees bored, and the llamas livid, and Noah must find a way to make everyone get along.

Kyra Teis.  The Magic Flute

A retelling, based on Mozart's opera, of how Prince Tamino strives to pass three tests set by the ruler of the Kingdom of Light in order to overcome the evil power of the Queen of the Night and win the hand of her daughter, the beautiful Pamina. Includes ideas for creating one's own "Mozart magic,"

Melanie Walsh.  Ten Things I Can Do to Help My World

beautifully simple book for small children where transforming pages reveal ten things that everyone can do to help conserve their world. Many of them, such as turning off the television, and turning off lights when leaving a room are about conserving energy. Others will encourage an understanding of nature and conservation.

Sheila Sweeny Higginson.  The Mystery of the Missing

Muffins  Mickey made a batch of hot, yummy muffins-- but they've disappeared! Lucky for Mickey, his friend Detective Donald is on the case.

Mo Willems.  I Love My New Toy

When Elephant accidentally breaks Piggie's new toy, they both experience intense feelings before coming to realize how important their friendship is.

Joan Holub.  Snow Day!

Illustrations and simple, rhyming text portray friends enjoying sledding one snowy day.

Jon Scieszka.  Uh-oh Max

When Max gets in trouble after speeding up a ramp, all of his Trucktown friends try to help out.

Terry Denton.  Wombat & Fox:  Tales of the City

In the big city, Wombat and Fox have many adventures. They don't go looking for trouble, but the city is a surprising place and trouble and mishaps have a way of finding them. This collection contains three stories.

Anne Estevis.  Chicken Foot Farm

Alejandro grows from ten years old to the age of seventeen, learning about life from his extended Mexican American family on a small ranch in 1940s South Texas.

Martha Freeman.  Who Stole Uncle Sam?

When a local businessman and baseball coach disappears just before he is to portray Uncle Sam at the start of a Memorial Day race, ten-year-old Alex and his best friend Yasmeen investigate, despite their pact to stay away from mysteries.

Carolyn Hennesy.  Pandora Gets Vain

After capturing jealousy from a priestess in Crete, Pandy, her friends Alcie and Iole, and her little dog Dido, brave many obstacles as they travel to Egypt in search of the second of the seven evils--vanity.

Chris Lynch.  Cyberia

In a future where electronic surveillance has taken the place of love, a veterinarian is putting computer chips in animals to control them, and those creatures choose young Zane, who understands their speech, to release captives and bring them to a technology-free safety zone.

Anna Myers.  Spy!

In 1774, twelve-year-old Jonah becomes a pupil of Nathan Hale, who inspires him to question his beliefs about the impending revolution, and two years later, Jonah makes a decision that leads to Nathan's execution.

Robert Paul Weston.  Zorgamazoo

Imaginative and adventurous Katrina eludes her maniacal guardian to help Morty, a member of a vanishing breed of zorgles, with his quest to uncover the fate of the fabled zorgles of Zorgmazoo as well as of other creatures that seem to have disappeared from the earth.

Jacqueline Wilson.  Best Friends

Rambunctious and irrepressible Gemma has been best friends with Alice ever since they were born on the same day, so when Alice moves miles away to Scotland, Gemma is distraught over the idea that Alice might find a new best friend.

Eleanor Davis.  Stinky:  A Toon Book

Stinky, a monster who lives in a swamp, gets upset when a boy named Nick starts hanging around his swamp, and so he tries to scare Nick away.

David L. Harrison.  Paul Bunyan:  My Story

An introduction to tall tales about the giant lumberjack from the north woods, as told from his own perspective.

Elaine Scott.  All About Sleep from A to ZZZZ

Learn all about sleep: what it is, how it works, and why you should care about it.

Cathryn P. Sill.  About Rodents:  A Guide for Children

Simple text and colorful illustrations introduce various rodents, discussing their physical characteristics, their behaviors, their diet, their common habitats, and the animals who are their predators.

Ruth Freeman Swain.  Underwear:  What We Wear

Under There   Discusses the history of underwear, from the earliest peoples to present day.

Vivian French.  Growing Frogs

A mother and child watch as tadpoles develop and grow into frogs.  Read by Alan Marriott.

Siobhan Dowd.  The London Eye Mystery

Salim, Ted and Kat's cousin, boarded the London Eye over 30 minutes ago. Now, with all the other passengers exiting, Salim is nowhere to be found! It is obvious that he couldn't vanish into thin air, but Ted and Kat can't find him anywhere. Their search takes Ted and Kat all around London, on a hair-raising quest to find their cousin.  Read by Alex Kalajzic.

R. L. Stine.  My Friends Call Me Monster

Before joining the other kids trapped in HorrorLand, Michael Munroe will learn a few new lessons in FEAR: Never trust a teacher who calls everybody "Little Monsters." Be careful if that teacher invites you to lunch at her house. And never EVER trust a teacher with a giant monster egg in her own attic--especially if it's about to hatch!  Read by Vinnie Penna.

Focus on the Family.  The Best Small Town

It's time for the annual "Best Small Town in America" national competition . . . and Odyssey's in the running! This special occasion brings together a hometown reunion of long-lost friends, like the Barclay family, Lucy Cunningham-Schultz, and Edwin Blackgaard. But who knows how far everyone will go to take the title?