In this issue:

Summer Reading Program

HCPL Children's Staff

New Children's Books and Audio

It's time once again for the Summer Reading Program!  Children earn a certificate by reading 10 books, reading 500 pages or reading for 5 hours this summer.  The theme for 2009 Summer Reading Program is Libraries:  Deep in the Heart of Texas.  The Reading Program starts on June 5 and ends August 8, 2009.

Harris County Public Libraries will be offering many programs including crafts, story times, movies and outside performers like clowns, magicians, and petting zoos.  All programs are free! 

For more information about the programs offered at the branch library near you check out their Summer Program Calendars.

The artwork (as seen on the poster to the left) is by Joy Fisher Hein.  Joy Fisher Hein was born in Gainesville, Texas, a world-renowned community circus town. This delightful Texas circus town remains a constant source of inspiration for Joy. Both of her parents were artists, and paints and creative materials were always available to Joy and her two younger siblings. The family moved to Port Arthur when Joy was five and settled in San Antonio when she was eleven.

Inspired by the wonderful art in books that absorbed her, Joy decided as a child that she wanted to illustrate books. Although reading was difficult, her love of the illustrations and her nearsightedness kept her nose in books. It wasn’t until she became a parent that Joy discovered she and several family members wrestle with different forms of dyslexia.

Miss Billie

Miss Billie is the Children’s Librarian at the Octavia Fields Branch Library.  She has been with Harris County for four years.  She started as a Children's Librarian at the Barbara Bush Branch and moved to the Octavia Fields Branch Library almost a year ago.

What do you like to read?

I like to read realistic fiction, some fantasy like Dave Barry’s Never Land series, and Christian fiction.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

My favorite book as a child was Nancy Drew’s The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are reading, crocheting, needle point – actually, almost any needle craft.

Do you have any pets?

I have had a little female, miniature dachshund for the past 10 ½ years.  Her name is Little Bit.  She can pretty much understand anything I tell her.  But, her favorite phrase is “Let’s go bye-bye!”  I often take her to Sonic, where I order her Cheesy Tator Tots, and then I feed them to her with the fork.  If I accidently forget the cheesy part, she won’t eat them.  She has come to the library on several occasions and been part of my story times.

What do you like best about your job?

I get a kick out of being able to play and act silly and read all the time!

Anything else you want to share about yourself?

When I taught school, I always wanted to do the fun things, but there was no time.  Now, that’s all I do.  Being able to play and see the children enjoy a book or activity; that is my wonderful reward.

What are you reading right now?

My daughter read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer during the Christmas holidays.  She insisted I read them, too, so that we can discuss and share them. I am currently on book 3, Eclipse.

Ms. Penny

Penny Atkinson is a Children’s Librarian at the Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library.  She has been in that position for over three years.

What do you like to read?

I like to read a variety of topics – children’s books and grown-up books such as Mysteries, History, Cooking and Decorating topics.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

My favorite book was Charlotte’s Web.  My mother read that book to my brother and I during one hot summer when I was about 9 years old.

What are your hobbies? 

Cooking, Gardening, Walking, Reading and Surfing the Internet.

Do you have any pets?

I don’t have any pets now.  As a child, our family had a cat named Dotto.  He used to hide behind the bushes and pounce on people.  He scratched a few people – mostly me!  My parents decided we had to give him away because he might really hurt someone.  I pleaded for them to keep him, but they decided to bring him to a shipyard where he could run around as much as he wanted.

What do you like best about your job?

I like helping the children and adults find books and information that they’re trying to find.  I’m always amazed about the things children are reading.   I also like and admire all my co-workers.  They are a great group of librarians and they’re fun to be around.

Anything else you want to share about yourself?

I have “nephew” named Big Country – we just call him Big.  He is a Miniature Schnauzer that my brother and sister-in-law got last year.  Big really has a personality and he’s an instant people magnet – children and adults love to pet him.  He’s the first pet my brother has had since our childhood attack cat Dotto!  He’s been a great addition to the family.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading Redwall by Brian Jacques and a grown-up book Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson.

Diane Adams.  I Can Do It Myself!

Emily Pearl is a big girl who insists on doing everything for herself until evening, when having someone help her get ready for bed is nice.

Irene Breznak.  Sneezy Louise

When Louise wakes up with itchy eyes, a wheezy throat, and a sneezy nose, she just knows it is not going to be a very good day.

David Conway.  The Great Nursery Rhyme Disaster

Little Miss Muffet is bored. So she goes off to find a new nursery rhyme to be in. No rhyme seems quite right for Little Miss Muffet. Suddenly life with a scary little spider doesn't seem so bad after all.

Nancy Davis.  A Garden of Opposites

Opposites abound in a colorful garden, including a closed bud, an open blossom, a short caterpillar, and a long snake.

Daniel Kird.  Library Mouse:  A Friend's Tale

Sam, the shy mouse that lives in the library and likes to write books, collaborates with a boy in the library's Authors and Illustrators Club.

Janice Levy.  Gonzalo Grabs the Good Life

When Gonzalo the rooster wins the lottery, he leaves his job at the farm in search of the good life.

Margie Palatini.  Boo-Hoo Moo

When Hilda Mae Heifer's trademark "moo" starts sounding even worse, the other animals decide she is lonely and hold auditions to find her some singing partners.

Anne Shelby.   The Man Who Lived in a Hollow Tree

Carpenter Harlan Burch, who builds everything from cradle to casket, plants two trees for every one he cuts down, and when he is very old his sap begins to rise, he grows young again, and starts a family that still lives all over the mountains.

Benjamin Harper.  Going Bananas

When a priceless yellow diamond is stolen from the museum, Superman, Batman, Robin, the Green Lantern and the Flash follow the clues and discover that Gorilla Grodd is using the diamond to create an army of yellow gorillas.

Gail Herman.  Team Monster

The evil Gallaxhar is about to attack Earth, and only the monsters can stop him! Led by General W.R. Monger, will these unlikely heroes be able to save the day?

Jessie Parker.  Horse Show Champ

Barbie gets herself and her horse, Tawny, ready for a horse show. When it comes time to make the big jump, Tawny is afraid. With patience and kindness, Barbie coaxes Tawny to take the jump.

Dana Meachen Rau.  Corn Aplenty

Two children watch a local farmer grow a crop of corn and as the corn develops--from seed to harvest time--so does the friendship between the children and the farmer.

Jodie Shepherd.  No Pests Allowed!

Tasha can't get back into the Spiffy Club with pests in her house. This is a job for Best Pest Control.

John Coy.  Top of the Order

Ten-year-old Jackson lives for baseball, but becomes distracted by the approach of middle school, his mother's latest boyfriend, and the presence of a girl--his good friend's sister--on his team.

Cathy Hapka.  Elska

Around the year 1000, the Icelandic horse named Elska is born and learns about life and her role in the herd, as well as love and friendship, when she rescues the girl to whom she originally belonged. Includes facts about Icelandic horses and Iceland.

Wendy Loggia.  Princess Protection Program

Carter Mason's life is ruled by princesses. Her father is an agent with the Princess Protection Program. When Mr. Mason brings home Princess Rosalinda, Carter must help the princess learn how to blend in as a normal teenager. Carter soon finds out that not all princesses are the same. She and the princess may have more in common than they thought.

Jill Maclean.  The Nine Lives of Travis Keating

After his mother's death, Travis Keating and his father move to Ratchet, Newfoundland, to start a new life. Things are tough for Travis (Hud, the school bully, being the toughest) until, putting aside his own problems, he starts to care for a colony of feral cats.

John H. Ritter.  The Desperado Who Stole Baseball

In 1881, the scrappy, rough-and-tumble baseball team in a California mining town enlists the help of a quick-witted twelve-year-old orphan and the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid to win a big game against the National League Champion Chicago White Stockings.

Heather Alexander.  Big Book of Construction Machines

Includes child-friendly explanations of construction sites, the machines used on them, the jobs the machines perform, and the people who drive them.

Miley Cyrus.  Miley Cyrus:  Miles to Go

Three years ago, Miley Cyrus was a virtual unknown. Her life in rural Tennessee was filled with family, friends, school, cheerleading, and the daily tasks of living on a farm. Then along came a little show called "Hannah Montana."

Megan McDonald.  Stink-o-pedia

Where can you view the world's oldest ham? Who holds the record for the world's loudest burp? The answers to these and many, many more essential questions can be found in Stink-O-Pedia, just the sort of reference book that Stink Moody, who reads encyclopedias in his spare time, might make up himself. From J-for-Jawbreaker (and how long it would take an average frog to digest one), to P-for-Professional Smeller (and other strange but true careers), to Y-for-Yeti (why not?), this volume contains enough amazing stuff to keep readers saying "No way!" for a googolplex* of years. At the back of the book, facts are cross-referenced with related Stink and Judy Moody titles. * See the letter Z-for-Zero!

Jeanne Nagle.  Smart Shopping:  Shopping Green

Sustainable consumption -- Buy green -- Do more with less -- Become a green consumer advocate.

Howard Zimmerman.  Armored and Dangerous

Put your knowledge to the test with this question-and-answer book full of fascinating facts about prehistoric creatures that used spikes, clubs, and armor to fight off hungry enemies.

Patrick Carman.  The Dark Planet

In the third and final installment of Patrick Carman's Atherton series, Edgar continues his perilous journey through the forests outside of Atherton, where he encounters a plethora of deadly creatures. In an attempt to discover the secret past of Dr. Harding, Edgar enlists into a work program in the mad doctor's hometown.  Read by Jonathan Davis.

Kirsten Boie.  The Princess Plot

Believing that she is on a film set after auditioning and winning the role of a princess, fourteen-year-old Jenna becomes the unsuspecting pawn in a royal conspiracy.  Read by Polly Lee.

Kenneth Grahame.  Dragon Tales

A collection of dragon stories with sound effects and music by Ravel, Sullivan, and Glazunov.  Read by Bertie Carvel and Emma Gregory.

Janet Taylor Lisle.  Highway Cats

A hard-bitten group of mangy highway cats is changed forever after the mysterious arrival of three kittens.  Read by James Jenner.

Wendy Mass.  Every Soul a Star

Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find.  Read by Jessica Almasy, Ali Ahn and Mark Turetsky.