Kids Newsletter
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Meet the Children's Staff
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| Harris County Public Library has 26 branch libraries across the county. We have over 60 staff members dedicated to serving children in our community. Let's meet a couple of them! |
Miss Paula
Miss Paula is the Children's Librarian at the Katherine Tyra (Bear Creek) Branch Library. She has been there for 14 years.
What do you like to read?
My reading involves lots of listening. I love audio books of all kinds especially the new mp3 books you can check out from HCPL. I listen to and read mysteries-adult, teen and kids. I also enjoy school stories and many of the series popular with kids of all ages: Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Charlie Bone, Alex Rider, Junie B. Jones, Chet Gecko, and the Traveling Pants books to name a few. I also enjoy picture books of all kinds. Every season finds me adding more new books to my personal collection. Some of my favorites include Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie, Max stories by Rosemary Wells, and books illustrated by Sylvia Long. Check them out we own many in HCPL.
What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
I loved Trixie Belden mysteries and I'm really excited that they have been reissued so that today's kids can enjoy them too.
What are you hobbies?
I enjoy reading and listening to books, knitting, quilting, decorating and just hanging out. I'm trying to get excited about exercise because I need to get into shape.
Do you have any pets?
I have a really old dog names Raggles. She looks a little like a shaggy Jack Russell and has a bit of an attitude. She has slowed way down in the last year. My son figured out that she's about 115 in dog years. I guess I'd be pretty slow if I was that old.
What do you like best about your job?
I really think that I like story time programs the best. That includes infant programs and preschoolers. With infants I see them get excited by rhymes and singing and just enjoying their environment. With preschoolers it is fun sharing books with them and their parents and seeing them get excited by the books and reading.
Anything else you want to share about yourself?
I'm a dabbler. I like to learn and explore new things and am always looking for new experiences to share with the children who come to our library. |
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Miss Kim
Kimberly Tiller is the Children's Assistant at the Parker Williams Branch Library. She has been there 4 years.
What do you like to read?
Reading kid and young adult books is always a great escape from reality, especially Harry Potter books and the Series of Unfortunate Events. Some of the adult books I read are by Amy Tan and Nora Roberts. Nonfiction is cool too.
What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
It's too hard to pick just one! I liked the Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Judy Blume books.
What are you hobbies?
I enjoy the sun and outdoors. My vacation picks involve swimming, such as tubing in rivers like the Rio Frio at Garner State Park or the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels. Camping (in good weather), scouting, hiking, and of course, reading are also great.
Do you have any pets?
Yes, a one year old guinea pig named Tom-Tom that bites. He eats better than anyone in the house! I'm a dog person at heart - I hope to get one again within a year or two. Something like an Australian shepherd or similar would be nice.
What do you like best about your job?
Seeing children (and adults) excited about books, being comfortable in the library, and utilizing it to its fullest extent. Answering their questions is fun - I learn a lot too! The Texas State Library Summer Reading Program and toddlers are high on my list also.
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New Picture Books |
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Christine Loomis. Hattie Hippo
Meet Hattie, an adorable little hippo who loves to dance, swim, play hide-and-seek, and host tea parties for her friends!
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Bernette Ford and Sam Williams. No More Diapers for
Ducky! When Piggy can't come out to play because he is using the potty, Ducky decides it's time for him to learn to use the potty too.
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Margery Cuyler. Please Play Safe! Penguin's Guide
to Playground Safety Penguin and his animal friends demonstrate how to play safely and use good manners.
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Pamela Duncan Edwards. The Mixed-Up Rooster
Ned the rooster is fired from his job because he cannot wake up in the morning, but he restores his reputation after discovering his usefulness as a night bird.
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Halfdam Rasmussen. Ladder
A ladder, long forgotten on a lonely lane, sets out to see the world, but finds that people and animals keep using it to climb into the sky and disappear.
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Sarah McConnell. Don't Mention Pirates
Scarlet Silver wants to be a pirate just like her grandmother however, her family refuses to even mention the word until Scarlet discovers something that looks very much like real gold.
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Kate and Jim McMullan. I'm Dirty
A busy backhoe loader describes all the items it hauls off a lot and all the fun it has getting dirty while doing so.
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Lulu Delacre. Rafi and Rosi: Carnival!
Two Latin American tree frogs, mischievous Rafi and his younger sister Rosi, enjoy the events of Puerto Rico's Carnival season.
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Catherine Hapka. Time Warp Trio: South Pole or
Bust (an Egg) Joe, Fred, and Sam travel back in time to join Robert Scott's expedition to Antarctica and help him find the eggs of an emperor penguin.
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Joan Holub. Good Luck! A St. Patrick's Day Story
While attending a St. Patrick's Day parade, Mike, Matt, and the other young ants pursue a mischievous ant leprechaun convinced that he will bring them good luck.
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Laura Anne Gilman. Morgain's Revenge
The quest for the Holy Grail is postponed again when Ailis is kidnapped by Morgain the sorceress, and her friends, Newt and Gerard, must leave the court of King Arthur seeking to rescue her, accompanied by a grumbling knight.
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Josh McCall. The Blackout Gang
Three genius friends escape from their oppresive summer camp and get caught in a New York City power outage, which they discover has been caused by a classmate with evil plans that put the three of them in grave danger,
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Lesley M. M. Blume. Cornelia and the Audacious
Escapades of the Somerset Sisters Cornelia, eleven-years-old and lonely, learns about language and life from an elderly new neighbor who has many stories to share about the fabulous adventures she and her sisters had while traveling around the world.
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Kirk Scroggs. Grampa's Zombie BBQ
When zombies show up at their annual barbecue, Wiley and Grampa try to find a way to stop the hungry creatures from eating the other guests until Gramma comes to the rescue with a surprise weapon.
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Hilari Bell. Prophecy
Guided by the words of a prophecy, Prince Perryndon, who loves books more than swords, sets out to slay the black dragon that is destroying his kingdom.
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Charles Ogden. Pet's Revenge
Mischievous twins Edgar and Ellen must thwart the plan of Mayor Knightleigh's wife to renovate their crumbling house, but Edgar has to plot alone when a hairy, one-eyed creature turns Ellen into a model of proper behavior.
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New Children's Nonfiction
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Sam Stern. Cooking Up a Storm
Sam Stern is a fourteen-year-old student who excels in drama and creative writing. Like many of his friends -- and his mother and mentor, Susan Stern -- he loves to cook and eat. An enthusiastic young chef, he shares his teen-tested tips and recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to brain-boosting snacks.
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Rebecca Kai Dotlich. What Is Science?
A whirlwind tour through the intriguing world of science What exactly is science? Stars and planets, rocks and soil, hurricanes and airplanes--science is all of these things and so much more. It's also about curiosity: asking questions and exploring possible answers. Through simple words and child-friendly illustrations, this poetic picture book introduces young children to the exciting and ever-changing world of science.
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Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Babymouse:
Rock Star Move over Mozart! Babymouse has music in her soul...but sadly, not in her flute.
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Mike Artell. Funny Cartooning for Kids
Learn how to draw simple characters, then exaggerate, simplify or contort them to crack your friends up.
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Brian P. Cleary. A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime:
More About Nouns A humorous introduction to nouns.
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