In this issue:

Award Winning Books

Texas Bluebonnet Award

HCPL Children's Staff

New Children's Books and Audio

On January 14, 2008 the American Library Association announced the

winners of their children's book awards.  The Children's Book Awards

include the Newbery, Caldecott, Seuss and Coretta Scott King awards.

The Texas Bluebonnet Award

reading program was established

in 1979 to encourage Texas

children to read more books,

explore a variety of current books,

develop powers of discrimination,

and identify their favorite books. 

It is a project of the Texas Library

Association and is co-sponsored

by the Children's Roundtable and

the Texas Association of School

Librarians. The list is created from

suggestions from librarians,

teachers, parents, students, and

others. Students in grades 3-6

read the books throughout the

year and vote in January for the

winner.

2008-2009 Texas Bluebonnet

Award Reading List

Texas Bluebonnet Award

Winners 1981-2008

2008 Caldecott

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick

2008 Newbery

Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies!

Voices from a Medieval Village

by Laura Amy Schlitz

2008 Coretta Scott King - Illustrator

Let It Shine

by Ashley Bryan

2008 Coretta Scott King - Author

Elijah of Buxton

by Christopher Paul Curtis

2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel

There Is a Bird on Your Head!

by Mo Willems

2008 Sibert Medal

The Wall: 

Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

by Peter Sis

Miss Jane

Miss Jane

Miss Jane is the Children's Assistant at the Octavia Fields Branch Library.  Miss Jane has worked there for 31 years.

What do you like to read?

I like to read newspapers, magazines, books (both fiction and nonfiction) and even the back of cereal boxes.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

I have two favorite books from my childhood:  The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton and Marcella, a Raggedy Ann Story by Johnny Gruelle.

What are your hobbies?

I love simple children's paper crafts like making kites, paper airplanes, pop-up books and origami.

Do you have any pets?

My husband and I are "owned" by a black and white cat named "Domino."  He adopted us when a little girl in our neighborhood came by one day and asked us to please let him come live with us because her grandma wouldn't let her have him.

What do you like best about your job?

Because I have worked at Octavia Fields Branch Library for 31 years, I know many of our customers and have watched families grow and change.  I enjoy seeing people come in with their children and tell me that they used to come here themselves when they were little.  I still like showing new people how to use our library and all of its wonderful resources.

Anything else you want to share about yourself?

I am most proud of my husband, our five married grown children and my ten grandchildren.

Miss Jane reads to Zia and Zoey

Miss Patty

Patty Skinner is the Children's Librarian at the Spring Branch Memorial Library.  Miss Patty has been there for over one year.

What do you like to read?

I like lots of books.  I like fractured fairytales, historical fiction, adventure, fantasy, poetry, etc.  I tend to read either chidlren's or young adult books most of the time.  Some of my favorite authors include Anthony Horowitz, Eoin Colfer, Libba Bray, Stephenie Meyer, John Flanagan, and Cynthia Kadohata, to name just a few.  I usually read 2 or 3 books at the same time and right now I am listening to The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer and reading Urchin and the Heartstone by M. I. McAllister.  I recently finished The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech, The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin, and Beastly by Alex Flinn.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?

Probably the Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.  It is the one I remember most anyway.  It was the first book that made me cry.

What are you hobbies?

Since I have children and a husband I don't have a lot of time for hobbies, but I do like to read a lot.  When I have time, I also like making jewelry and doing Shibori.  Shibori is sort of a form of tie-dyeing, but comes from Japan and has been around for centuries.

Do you have any pets?

I have 2 dogs.  Both are miniature schnauzers.  Chloe is almost 7 years old and Hannah is about 9 months.  Chloe had a quiet life until Hannah cam along; now she spends her time either wrestling with Hannah or sleeping.  My 6 year old daughter, Izzy named Hannah after Hannah Montana, but no, our dog doesn't want to be a rock star. (ha ha)

What do you like best about your job?

What I like best is probably planning for story times and craft programs and choosing materials for our children's collection.  I also love getting to spend time with the kids during story times.

Miss Patty

Children's Librarian at the

Spring Branch Memorial Library

Miss Patty's daughter, Izzy and their two dogs,

Chloe on the left and Hannah on the right

Allan Ahlberg.  Previously

The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other. Includes Goldilocks, Jack and the beanstalk, Jack and Jill, the frog prince, Cinderella, and the gingerbread man.

Tedd Arnold.  There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed

Fly Guy  After accidentally swallowing her grandson's pet fly, Grandma tries to retrieve it by consuming progressively larger animals.

Trudy Harris.  Jenny Found a Penny

The reader can help Jenny count her pennies--and nickels and dimes and quarters--as she saves the money to buy herself a very special present.

Mary Bevis.  Wolf Song

At twilight, Nell and her Uncle Walter go into the north woods, hoping to hear--and join--the howling of the wolves. Includes facts about wolves and howling expeditions.

Nikki Grimes.  Oh, Brother!

Xavier is unhappy when his mother remarries and he suddenly has a new stepbrother, as well as a stepfather, in his home.

Rachel Isadora.  The Twelve Dancing Princesses

A retelling, set in Africa, of the Grimms Brothers' story of twelve princesses who dance secretly all night long and how their secret is eventually discovered.

David McPhail.  Sylvie & True

Sylvie and her friend True, a giant water snake, share a small apartment in a big city and have a good time together.

Elizabeth Rusch.  A Day With No Crayons

A little girl discovers all sorts of artistic possibilities when she has to go a day without crayons.

Lisa Wheeler.  Jazz Baby

Baby and his family make some jazzy music.

Jennifer Frantz.  Meet the Autobots

The Autobots arrive on Earth to save it from the evil Decepticons.

Jean Craighead George.  Goose and Duck

A young boy becomes the "mother" to a goose, who becomes "mother" to a duck, as they learn about the rhythms of nature together.

Susan Hood.  Pup and Hound Play Copycats

Pup and hound spend the day playing around the farmyard.

Lisa McClatchy.  Eloise's Pirate Adventure

Eloise and Weenie dress up as pirates and search for treasure.

Dev Ross.  Frank and the Balloon

Carried aloft by a red balloon, Frank the frog is excited at first by the idea of traveling around the world but soon wants to go home. Includes both parents' and children's pages that facilitate reading together.

Harriet Ziefert.  Class Worms

On Tuesday, Mr. Bunsen brings a Styrofoam cooler containing 200 live animals for class.

Lauren Barnholdt.  The Secret Identity of Devon

Delaney   A seemingly harmless lie that she is popular and dating the most sought after guy in school sets off a chain reaction for Devon when she must find a way to live up to the popular image she touted.

Richard Hamilton.  Jack Bolt and the Highwaymen's

Hideout  While staying at his grandmother's home, Jack finds a hole into the eighteenth century when a band of highwaymen tumble into his bedroom.

Anne Mazer.  The Trouble with Violet

When strange things start happening and eight-year-old Mabel, who is very sensible, cannot figure them out, she discovers a family secret that affects her younger sister Violet.

Elise Primavera.  Fred & Anthony Escape from the

Netherworld  Fred and Anthony go the netherworld where they encounter ghosts and monsters, including the ghost writer Esile Arevamirp who then writes their story.

Ron Roy.  Mystery at the Washington Monument

When KC and Marshall see lights flickering at night in the Washington Monument, their investigation turns up a monkey, a hole in one of the monument stones, and a hundred-year-old mystery.

Geronimo Stilton.  Valley of the Giant Skeletons

Tuslaarai! Tuslaarai! That's Mongolian for "Help!" and holey cheese did I need some! I was lost in the Gobi Desert, looking for a hidden treasure. So far, all I had found were sandstorms, camels, and giant dinosaur bones? Rat-munching rattlesnakes - how do I get myself into these situations?

Henry Winkler.  Who Ordered This Baby?:  Definitely

Not Me!  Unhappy that his parents are expecting a baby and that his birthday party will be nothing special this year, fifth-grader Hank decides to celebrate by doing his favorite things, with only his new pet tarantula, Rosa, for company.

Laurie Collier Hillstrom.  Pelé:  Soccer Superstar

The king of soccer -- Talent overcomes obstacles -- Teenaged sensation wins first World Cup -- Sidelined by rough play -- Coming back for another world cup triumph -- Brings soccer to America -- Global ambassador for the "beautiful game."

Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.  Coretta Scott King

A biography of the wife of Martin Luther King.

Joseph Rosenbloom.  Laughs, Hoots & Giggles

An illustrated collection of riddles, jokes, knock-knocks, put-downs, limericks, and other silly verse.

Rachel Dickinson.  Great Pioneer Projects You Can

Build Yourself Explores the history and civilization of the American West in the 19th centure, with craft projects that suit the themes of each chapter.

Jay Stephens.  Robots!:  Draw Your Own Androids,

Cyborgs, & Fighting Bots  Learn how to draw robatic fighters, cyborg protectors, android entertainers, and many other futuristic friends.

Paul Galdone.  Three Little Kittens

Three little kittens lose, find, soil, and wash their mittens.  Read by Valerie Stephens.

Judy Schachner.  Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat with an overactive imagination who would rather be El Skippito, his Zorro-like alter ego.  Performed by Robert Ramirez.

Clare Beaton.  Mrs. Moon:  Lullabies for Bedtime

Soft fabric and muted shade illustrations accompany the text of twenty lullabies, including children's rhymes and betime poems. The CD contains performances of each one.

Tony Abbott.  Firegirl

A middle school boy's life is changed when Jessica, a girl disfigured by burns, starts attending his Catholic school while receiving treatment at a local hospital.  Read by Sean Kenin.

Obert Skye.  Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

When fate brings fourteen-year-old Leven and thirteen-year-old Winter together, they discover that for mankind to continue dreaming, the gateway between reality and dreams needs to be found and demolished.