In this issue:

Hispanic Heritage Month

Pura Belpre Award

HCPL Children's Staff

New Children's Books and Audio

Harris County Public Library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month at all of our libraries with programs for children, teens and adults.  Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th and continues through October 15th. The 15th marks the independence of five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico celebrates it's independence on September 16th and Chile on September 18th.

Join us for the Kick Off event at the Galena Park Branch Library on Saturday, September 13 from

10 am-2 pm.  This free event will have food, fun and entertainment for all ages!

The Pura Belpré Award is named in honor of the first Latina librarian from the New York Public Library. It is awarded biennially to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work captures the Latino cultural experience in a work for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Service to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, affiliated with the American Library Association.

Pura Belpre Award Book List

Miss Melanie

Miss Melanie

Miss Melanie is the Assistant Director of Children's Library Services at the Lone Star College -  CyFair Branch Library.  She has worked in several Harris County Branch Libraries since she moved to Houston 6 years ago.

What do you like to read?

I love to read all types of books.  I have a particular fondness for Young Adult literature, but I read all types and ages of books.  Anything with a supernatural theme is usually my favorite, although I’ve started to really enjoy science fiction and non-fiction books as well.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

My favorite book growing up was Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein.  One of my teachers introduced me to his works in 2nd grade and I’ve been in love with them ever since.

What are your hobbies?

Reading of course, but I also love crocheting, cooking and dancing.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have two cats; Miss Ursa, the most loveable cat in the world and Caiden, the craziest cat in the world.

What do you like best about your job?

I love being able to help people find answers to their questions and teaching them ways to get the information on their own if we aren’t around.  Reading and coming up with activity ideas are a big bonus.

Anything else you want to share about yourself?

Although I love my job, it wasn’t my first career choice growing up.  I actually wanted to be a physics teacher and I just happened to get a job in college working for a library.  It was there when I decided to become a librarian.  Lesson learned…don’t be afraid to try new things, you may find something that you love!

Caiden

Ursa

Miss Cheryl

Miss Cheryl is a Children's Assistant at the Lone Star College - Tomball Community Library.  She has worked at the library for 14 years.

What do you like to read?

I love to read children’s fiction, and of course, since I do Preschool Storytime, children’s picture books.  My favorites usually have something to do with animals although I enjoy other themes as well.  I tend to read mostly children’s’ books and have to make myself read adult books from time to time.  I enjoy mysteries when I read “grownup” books, especially the dog mysteries of Susan Conant and Sue Henry as well as the cat mysteries of Lilian Jackson Braun and Carole Nelson Douglas.  Additionally I enjoy the culinary mysteries of Diane Mott Davidson.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

I had a whole series of favorites…The Hardy Boys.  I loved them all.  I saved my allowance just so I could buy them for my very own, and I still have them.  I just loved to read.  My mother recently told me that it took two people to get my books from checkout to the car every two weeks when I went to the library, and that I read every one of them.

What are you hobbies?

I like to watch hockey except I don’t like the fighting.  I used to ice skate and back then girls didn’t play hockey, but I really wanted to.  My hobbies are reading, agility training my cats, and cross-stitch. After my trip to the MFAH with the Art Camp kids this summer, I am taking up watercolor

Do you have any pets?

I have two Scottish Fold cats named Sunny and Baudelaire after the baby in A Series of Unfortunate Events which is my current favorite book series.  They are very smart, and I have trained them to jump hurtles, run through tunnels, jump up and down off things on command as well as sit, and sit up.  Baudelaire has even learned to give me a high five when I ask her.  I love animals and at some point or other I have had cats, a dog, turtles, fish, mice, a guinea pig, a chicken, and two ducks as well as assorted frogs, toads and tadpoles.

What do you like best about your job?

That is a hard question because I like so many things about my job.  I like working with children of all ages, and I guess that is what I like best about my job.  I work with preschoolers in storytime, elementary kids in craft time, and teens in the volunteer program so that I get to work with all age groups, and I think that is terrific!  I also love working with puppets any chance I can get.  I guess the best answer to this question is EVERYTHING!

Anything else you want to share about yourself?

My two favorite puppets are Flossie Ann, who is named after my grandmother, who did not like her given name of Kitty Flossie Ann.   When she was old enough she legally changed it to Katherine Ann.  I think she would very much approve of a puppet named Flossie Ann though.  My Bishon Frise dog puppet is named Wilson.  I used my grandfather’s middle name.  He was named after President Wilson.

Miss Cheryl with her favorite puppets,

Flossie Ann and Wilson the Bishon Frise

Beau

Sunny

Lynne Berry.  Duck Dunks

The reader is invited to count the ducks as they enjoy a day at the beach.

Mary Casanova.  Utterly Otterly Day

After a day out on his own, Little Otter realizes that he still needs his family no matter how big he grows.

Susan Stevens Crummel.  Ten-Gallon Bart and

Wild West Show   Buffalo Chip's Wild West Show comes to Dog City and retired sheriff Bart, looking for some excitement, enters the bull-riding contest.

Lois Ehlert.  Oodles of Animals

Short, easy to read rhymes reveal what is unique about various animals, from ape to wolf.

Denise Fleming.  Buster Goes to Cowboy Camp

When Buster the dog's owner goes away for a few days, he sends Buster to Sagebrush Kennels for Cowboy Camp, where Buster is homesick at first, but then has fun herding balls into the corral, gathering sticks for a campfire, and making wanted posters with his pawprints.

Deb Lucke.  The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim

One very hot summer, Eric Dooley watches his younger sister go from her first swimming lesson all the way to the diving board, while his fear of the water keeps him from joining her and the rest of the people of Clermont County in the pool.

Janice Milusich.  Off Go Their Engines, Off Go

Their Lights  Having completed their daytime tasks, various vehicles get ready for a restful night.

Frank Serafini.  Looking Closely Along the Shore

Through the magic of close-up photography, young eyes will rediscover the seashore as a place of beauty, mystery and delight. Readers are first challenged to guess the identity of each closeup photograph. The next page reveals the entire photograph of the plant, animal or natural object accompanied by a simple but detailed description of the habitat. Includes simple descriptions of sea stars, sand dollars, mussels, and more.

Tim Warnes.  Daddy Hugs

Animal fathers give hugs that come in all shapes and sizes, and each one is filled with love.

Mo Willems.  I Will Surprise My Friend

Best friends Elephant and Piggie decide that they will try to surprise each other, with unexpected results.

Jane Yolen.  Naming Liberty

In parallel stories, a Ukrainian Jewish family prepares to emigrate to the United States in the late 1800s, and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designs, raises funds for, and builds the Statue of Liberty in honor of the United States' centennial.

Sharleen Collicott.  Mildred and Sam Go to School

After learning about caterpillars, frogs, and the planets for school, Mildred and Sam's eight little mice children have wonderful dreams about each topic.

Laura Driscoll.  Smash Trash!

As his pet cockroach keeps him company, Wally the robot shovels and scoops trash into his compacter every day, creating compacted trash blocks, and finding "goodies" to collect.

Anna Jane Hays.  Smarty Sara

Everywhere Sara goes she brings along her journal where she jots notes, makes lists, draws pictures and maps, writes poems, and plans a big surprise for her friends.

Eleanor May.  Mac & Cheese, Pleeeeze!

While campaigning for her favorite meal--macaroni and cheese--in the school's first ever "Lunch Election," Caitlin tallies the committed votes in her head.

Susan Ring.  Pluto's Best

Let the games begin! Pluto and Butch have entered a competition to see who will be 'top dog.' In the end, they learn it's not about winning or losing, but how you play the game.

Erica Silverman.  Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa:  Rain

or Shine  Cowgirl Kate and her cow horse, Cocoa, discover what it means to work, play, and be together--rain or shine.

Ted Bell.  Nick of Time

Nick McIver is no ordinary boy, fighting pirates, beating Nazis at their own game, and traveling through time.

Ingrid Law.  Savvy

Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Shana Burg.  A Thousand Never Evers

As the civil rights movement in the South gains momentum in 1963--and violence against African Americans intensifies--the black residents, including seventh-grader Addie Ann Pickett, in the small town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi, begin their own courageous struggle for racial justice.

Chris Grabenstein.  Crossroads

When eleven-year-old Zack Jennings moves to Connecticut with his father and new stepmother, they must deal with the ghosts left behind by a terrible accident, as well as another kind of ghost from Zack's past.

Kristiana Gregory.  Bronte's Book Club

When twelve-year-old Bronte moves to a small California beach town, her idea to form a book club in order to make friends turns out to be a good one, after a rocky start.

Lin Oliver.  Attack of the Growling Eyeballs

Daniel Funk, who lives with three sisters, his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, has always wanted a brother, and when he suddenly shrinks to the size of a toe, he discovers that he has a twin brother who is the same size.

Lucy Ruggles.  Camp Rock

Mitchie, is a stage-shy fourteen year old, loves to sing. So when her mom takes a job as a cook at a summer camp for aspiring rock stars, Mitchie is ecstatic. It is shaping up to be the best summer ever! The only problem. To impress others, she pretends her mother is a music executive with big-time connections. Will her act put her singing and her budding relationship with others in jeopardy? Or, will she find her voice and rock the camp?

Catherine Chambers.  Ape Adventures

Find out where apes live and how they communicate.

Steve Charney.  Mr. Potato Head Upside-Down

Joke World   Jokes and riddles for kids.

Elizabeth Snoke Harris.  Yikes!  Wow!  Yuck!: 

Fun Experiments for Your First Science Fair  In addition to a super "Official All You Need to Know to Do a Great Science Fair Project" section, this fully-illustrated collection features 25 curriculum-appropriate primary grade activities to choose from, plus guidance on how to perform experiments, analyze the data, and draw conclusions. Projects include preserving jack-o-lanterns, studying the domino effect, making fruit and vegetable dyes, spinning eggs, and doing some rubber-band bungee.

Robert D. San Souci.  As Luck Would Have It: 

From the Brothers Grimm  Left to take care of the family farm and fortune while their parents are away, twin bear cubs Juniper and Jonas have a series of mishaps before outwitting three thieves, in spite of themselves.

Hudson Talbott.  United Tweets of America

Learn the nickname and state bird for each state, plus other state trivia.

William Thomas.  How Do We Elect Our

Leaders?   How we elect the President and Congress along with the importance of voting.

Bill Peet.  The Caboose Who Got Loose

Caboose who got loose: Tired of always being jerked and jolted along the tracks in last place, Katy Caboose devises a clever plan for solving all of her travel woes.  Read by Josefina Bosch.

Nicola Davies.  Surprising Sharks

Introduces many different species of sharks, pointing out such characteristics as the small size of the dwarf lantern shark and the physical characteristics and behavior that makes sharks killing machines.  Read by Alan Marriott.

Dr. Seuss.  Horton Hears a Who!  and Other

Sounds of Dr. Seuss  A city of Whos on a speck of dust are threatened with destruction until the smallest Who of all helps convince Horton's friends that Whos really exist.

Kathi Appelt.  The Underneath

An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.  Read by Gabra Zackman.

Imagination Movers.  Juice Box Heroes

Children's songs performed by Imagination Movers.

Rick Riordan.  The Battle of the Labyrinth

When demonic cheerleaders invade his high school, Percy Jackson hurries to Camp Half Blood, from whence he and his demigod friends set out on a quest through the Labyrinth, while the war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near.  Read by Jesse Bernstein.