Library Secrets 101

Way to Plant, Ann

Hello again! I wrote another newsletter!

Recently, I discovered a very handy trick for navigating the library semi-quickly and I have dubbed this strategy “The Ann” (iykyk). Forget using the search databases (although I am surprised by the mouse dexterity my raised-in-the-era-of-touch-screens 4-year-old possesses) and head straight to one small section of the kid’s shelves, preferably near the toys or cozy table area where you can set your kids up, and do not move from that spot. Plant.

This comes in handy if you are nearing nap time, or you forgot to pack enough snacks, or you have already been to story time and your kids — like a kettle about to boil — are nearing the scream-and-run-around-maniacally threshold, or you are simply having one of **those days**.

As you will see from our selections below, we were browsing in the A’s this last trip! Sticking to a section also helps by limiting me, as I could spend hours trying to find what I think are the “best” picture books. Sure, I won’t find my tried-and-true favorite authors all lumped in the A’s, nor will I be guaranteed a wide variety of author representation or subject matter, BUT I will end up with new titles, never read before authors, and potentially discover an unexpected favorite. See? Limits CAN be good for you. Someone explain that to my 4-year-old PUH-LEAZEEEE.

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CAPTAIN FLINN AND THE PIRATE DINOSAURS by Giles Andreae

This is a top pick for my kids, which means I have already read it more times than I ever truly want to read a single book. Yay for repetition! (More on why I am willing to do this in an upcoming post). When Flinn, a boy obsessed with dinosaurs, needs a new crayon, his teacher tells him to check the supply closet. There he finds an unexpected pirate (yar!) who leads Flinn and his friends through a magical door (woosh!) and on a pirate-ship-saving mission. Oh, and there are dinosaurs too (roar!) My one hold-up is that after they return to class, Miss Pie asks what took them so long, and Flinn “smiles secretly” at his friends and basically replies “Nothing.” My mama-bear hairs bristle a bit when stories encourage children to keep secrets from adults they should trust.

MCTOAD MOWS TINY ISLAND by Tom Angleberger

This book is silly and our family loves silly books. McToad owns a lawn service business and mows Big Island every day except Thursday when he gets to mow Tiny Island. It takes him many different modes of transportation to get his mower from his shed to Tiny Island and let me just say, it is worth it. The pictures are captivating, and the text is incorporated as art, which is always fun. Arrival at Tiny Island is a laugh-out-loud moment that has me smiling while writing this review.

TERRIFIC by Jon Agee

Earlier I said that I wouldn’t find all our favorite authors in a particular section, but it just so happens that I did find ONE of them in the A’s! If you haven’t read anything by Jon Agee, please do so immediately. In Terrific, Eugene wins a cruise, gets stranded on an island, builds a boat, gets rescued, and makes a (surprising) true friend. As you can see from the cover, he may be less than enthusiastic about most (but not all) things that happen to him along the way.

Life on Mars, My Rhinoceros, and I Want a Dog are other Jon Agee books we would recommend!

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN THE SMELL OF SWAMP GAS by Kevin Atteberry

I love that parents love their kids a lot! What I don’t love is how many different variations of this same book are out there. Fine, forgettable, and only slightly confusing since the things monsters love are sort of gross, apparently. If you are on the hunt for a Halloween book, this one has the setting but lacks a storyline. Overall, this is one of those books where I find myself thinking about other things as I read. (My husband, proofreading this newsletter for me, gives this book a definitive thumbs down)

MONSTERS LOVE SCHOOL by Mike Austin

Summer is over and it is time for Blue and his crew of monsters to head to school. Blue is feeling a little nervous and has a lot of questions about what he will need, who will be there, what will happen, and what is school even for. He, of course, ends up loving his first day of Monster School. I always feel a bit tricked by the books where the agenda is so obvious, but I have also successfully gotten my child to put on their pajamas by pretending (with much gusto) to go on a moon mission, so maybe sometimes kids don’t mind (in fact they love) being tricked.

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Do y’all have any favorite books by authors with the last name A? I’ll make sure to look for titles by them next time I plant in that section.

See you next week and happy book hunting!

If you liked this list and know another parent, caregiver, grandparent, teacher, doting aunt or uncle, or pretty much anybody who would like to get this newsletter, don’t be shy, pass it along!

xo

Alexis

BONUS BOOK!! (and it’s a good one!)

I’LL WAIT, MR. PANDA by Steve Antony

Part of an adorable and highly recommended series, non-plussed Mr. Panda is cooking a surprise, and only one of his friends has the patience to find out what it is. With a lighthearted message that patience is often rewarded (I wish I got huge giant donuts whenever I manage to wait), this book is a winner!