Press Here – Staff Recommend
In this world of ever changing technology it is nice to come across the simplest style of interactive entertainment in a small book that children of all ages can enjoy. The book Press Here by Herv’e Tullet needs no plugs, no accessories, no “apps” for that. All it requires is a willing reader. It will make you smile, it will make you laugh, it will amuse you as you follow along with the instructions printed on every page.
Recommended by: Susan G. Barhan - Southport Branch
More Staff Recommends
Here are some more stories that encourage you to play along as you read:
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Clifford the Big Red Dog 500 Festival Parade Float
That lovable little red puppy who grew up and became Clifford the BIG RED DOG is coming to town! Clifford will appear in the 2013 Indy 500 Festival Parade with library staff making sure he doesn't take any wrong turns or float away!
Made possible by The Indianapolis Public Library Staff Association and Friends of the Library through gifts to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.
Here are some websites and books that will help you know all the fun details of Clifford's BIG adventures with Emily Elizabeth.
- Clifford's Official Website
- Clifford: Activities & Printables
- PBS: Clifford
- NPR’s 2012 Norman Bridwell Interview on the occasion of Clifford’s 50th birthday. Did you know Norman was from Kokomo, Indiana?
- Indy 500 Festival Parade
- SLJ’s Interview with Norman Bridwell
Books:
Clifford DVDs:
Downloadable Audiobooks:
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Clifford Takes a Trip
- Clifford at the Circus
- Clifford’s Birthday Party
- Clifford’s Good Deeds
- Clifford’s Pals
- Clifford’s Happy Easter
- Clifford’s Christmas
Books Recommended By: Janet Spaulding - Selection Services
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Five Nice Mice – Staff Recommend
We can all make friends with someone different than us. Frogs and mice come together over music in this picture book in which mice hear beautiful music rising from the city. They investigate to find out the music is coming from frogs, ribbiting at the moon. When the mice visit, the frogs send them away because they are different. In the end, the two groups unite over song and everyone is friends. Author: Chisato Tashiro
- PBS Kids: Music
- Spoonful: Make Music & Instruments
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra: Kids
- New York Philharmonic: Kids
- San Francisco Symphony: Kids
- More Staff Recommends
Recommended by: Joe Fox, Wayne Branch
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Passover
Passover this year is from March 25 - April 2, 2013. During Passover Jewish people remember how their ancestors left slavery behind them when they were led out of Egypt by Moses. The Passover celebration lasts for seven or eight days, depending on where you live.
On the night before Passover starts, there is a special meal called a Seder. Families read the story of how the Israelites fled from Egypt from a book called the Haggadah. An extra cup is on the table and the door is left open for Elijah. Jews believe that the prophet Elijah will reappear to announce the coming of the Messiah.
The books and websites on this page can be enjoyed by families celebrating Passover themselves or by families who would like to learn about the Passover traditions of their friends and neighbors.
Websites:
- Chabad.org: Passover
- Sesame Street: Shalom Sesame
- BBC: Passover
Favorite Passover Books:
New Passover Books:
Passover eBooks:
- Dinosaur on Passover
- Grover and Big Bird’s Passover Celebration
- Sammy Spider’s First Passover
- Only Nine Chairs
- Too Many Cooks
Book Recommendations By Janet Spaulding, Selection Services
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Boy + Bot
Most kid friendships start with one kid asking: "Want to play?" When the other kid is a robot, the answer is "Affirmative!" Boy and Bot have a great day until Bot's power switch gets bumped and he turns off. The boy asks, "Are you sick?" When Bot doesn't answer the Boy takes Bot home and does the things humans do to help each other feel better - a snack, a story, and a nap!
Boy takes a nap too. While he does, Bot's switch gets turned back on. Bot talks to Boy but Boy doesn't answer. "Did-you-malfunction?" Bot asks. And Bot does what robots do to fix each other - oil, reading the instruction manual, and a new battery!
FINALLY, Boy wakes up and Bot is powered up at the same time! Good times! Author: Ame Dyckman
Where's My Teddy? 93140
Knuffle Bunny Too: a Case of Mistaken Identity 1114786
Blueberries for Sal 373542
- Google Look Inside: Boy + Bot
- Google Preview: Boy + Bot
- GoodReads: Boy + Bot
- Official Website: Author Ame Dyckman
- Official Website: Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino
More books about robot friendships and adventures:
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Out of the Way, Out of the Way – Staff Recommend
When a boy spots a young tree in the middle of the path that runs through the village, he puts rocks around the base of the tree to protect the tree from being trampled.Author: Uma Krishnaswami
In this wonderfully illustrated Indian picture narrative, the author takes the reader through the growth of a tree, as the tree’s growth into a giant coincides with the growth of the road next to it. The story quietly highlights the perils of modernization- but the tree remains. “but sometimes the drivers of cars and buses and trucks and vans and tractors stop and stay a while… and listen”
This book was worth it just for the beautiful, culturally-aware illustrations but the lessons learned from the story are amazing and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys something more than a colorful picture book.
Submitted by Joe Fox, Children’s Librarian @ Wayne Branch
- Google Books: Out of the Way! Out of the Way!
- GoodReads: Out of the Way! Out of the Way!
- Uma Krishnaswami Official Website
- More Staff Recommends
Here are some more books about the reality of change. Kids are often comforted by routine and patterns. If something is suddenly different it can be a hard adjustment for them. Like Out of the Way! Out of the Way!, these stories might help make accepting change easier - "If Mary Ann the Steam Shovel can do it, so can you!" First three - gems! Who can resist feeling bad for The Lonely Little Phone Booth after cell phones come along?
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How Many Jelly Beans?
If you could have as many as you wanted, how many jelly beans would be enough? (I could eat a lot...except the black ones. I always gave those to my Mom.) Is a handful good? How about 10? How about 100? The kids in this book up the number of hoped for jelly beans until they get to a million. On each colorful page kids can watch the number grow in the pictures and actually count the jelly beans. Even a million! The million page fold out to make a giant poster of ONE MILLION COUNTABLE BEANS! For small children, it's often hard to tell the difference between one minute and 5 minutes...let alone big numbers like 100 or 1,000 or 10,000. This book is a great way to introduce the big numbers. And it's funny, which is always an A+ way to end a book. Author: Andrea Menotti
- Amazon Look Inside: How Many Jelly Beans?
- GoodReads: How Many Jelly Beans?
- Google Preview: How Many Jelly Beans?
More books to help get a handle on numbers, the big ones as well as amount words like "pair" and "couple" and concepts like "more than" and "less than"!:
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Sleep Like a Tiger
"But I'm not tired!" I know you've heard this. Many nights. Maybe every night! It's so hard for kids to stop when playing is so much fun. The trick is winding them down for a good sleep while they are still having fun. We are all familiar with the "stayed up too late" meltdown!
In this story a little girl really doesn't want to go to bed. She protests all the while her parents are gently moving her through the rituals of bedtime: putting on pajamas, washing her face, brushing her teeth.
When she is finally tucked in she wants to know if everything in the whole world has to go to sleep. What follows is a listing of several animals and how they sleep ending with the tiger...because yes, even energetic ferocious tigers need to go to sleep. Sleep! It's good for you! Author: Mary Logue
- Amazon Look Inside: Sleep Like a Tiger
- GoodReads: Sleep Like a Tiger
- KidsReads: Sleep Like a Tiger
- GoogleBooks: Sleep Like a Tiger
- Mary Logue Official Website
Here is a sampling of favorite bedtime stories from IndyPL Children's Librarians. These are the stories that make saying goodnight fun!:
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Crafty Chloe
Chloe loves to make stuff. Out of anything. Craft supplies. Stuff she finds around the house. Trash. Stuff that doesn't belong to her - like her Dad's shirt! She is one creative girl! When she gets invited to a friend's birthday party she is determined to make something truly special. Her motivation? Jealousy! I know, not what you expected. She wants to give her friend a gift at least as good as what one of the other guests is bringing! She comes up with something perfect...in fact, it is SO perfect it erases the jealousy and makes all three girls smile. The best gifts really are the homemade kind! Author: Kelly DiPucchio
- Amazon Look Inside: Crafty Chloe
- GoogleBooks: Crafty Chloe
- GoodReads: Crafty Choloe
- Facebook: Crafty Chloe
- Kelly DiPucchio Official Website
- The Crafty Chloe Make Stuff Blog
- Ready to Read on Pinterest
More books about craft loving kids:
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Good News Bad News
While on a picnic, Rabbit and Mouse look at everything that happens in a different way--Rabbit produces an apple, Good news!, Mouse finds a worm in it, Bad news! Rabbit produces a piece of cake, Good news!, Mouse sees a bee on it, Bad news!. Rabbit sees only the glass half full, Mouse sees only the glass half empty. Rabbit is Spongebob Squarepants and only sees every situation as something WONDERFUL! Mouse is Squidward and only finds something TERRIBLE.
When their adventures take a hair raising turn Mouse finally loses it...and subsequently makes Rabbit cry...leading him to make an effort to see the good and cheer Rabbit up. A great story for Findng happiness in the simple things and for keeping disappointments in the proper perspective. You can complain...or you can find the bright side! Author: Jeff Mack
- Amazon Look Inside: Good News Bad News
- Google Preview: Good New Bad News
- GoodReads: Good News Bad News
- Jeff Mack Official Website
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