Good News and Bad News

By Jan Pease

As the saying goes, “I have some good news and some bad news.”

The good news is that our children’s department has lots of new books.  Watch for books like “5-minute Pinkalicious Stories,” by Victoria Kann.  These are short little stories starring Pinkalicious.  Precious!

“Be Brave, Little Penguin,” by Giles Andreae, is the story of Pip-Pip the tiny penguin who is afraid of jumping into the water.  This is another  story about conquering fear, although I think Pip-Pip is smart not to jump into frigid water.

“Bow-Wow-Meow,” by Blanca Lacasa, is an odd book that was translated from Spanish.  It is the story of a little dog who likes to act like a cat.  Some reviewers felt that this book has an agenda of gender transitions and identity.  I think that,  like Skippy John Jones, a cat who pretends he’s a Chihuahua dog, this might just might be a dog who likes to pretend he’s a cat.   

Amy Hest has written a picture book about the rollicking good times that a baby has with his dog, Buster.  “Buster and the Baby” is another book that is cute as can be.

“Fiona’s Little Accident,” by Rosemary Wells, is the story of very busy Fiona, who doesn’t even have time for a bathroom break.  Just as she and her friend Felix are ready to show their volcano for show-and-tell…  Well, the author’s word is “oops!”

Do goats tend to have a problem with sleepwalking?  Mauri Kunnas, Finland’s most celebrated author according to Amazon.com, has written a book about Mr. Clutterbuck.  He is a mild-mannered goat who has adventures at night after he falls to sleep. “Goodnight, Mr. Clutterbuck” may explain why I wake up tired every day.  Maybe I’m having adventures at night!

“I Know a Librarian Who Chewed on a Word,” is a book written by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton.  It will remind you, of course, of “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” as more and more awful things happen to the librarian as she follows a single word.  What could that word be?

Rachel Bright has written an adorable book about a shy koala, “The Koala Who Could.”  This is another sweet story that encourages children to try new things, even if they are a little scary.

  

“My Lazy Cat,” by French author Christine Roussey, is a reminder to us over-scheduled folks to slow down, explore what’s around us and to  appreciate life’s simple pleasures.

Now the bad news: many of these books have already been checked out.  We checked them in, stood them up to display, and whoosh! They seemed to jump off the shelves.  So watch for them, and share them with a child.  See you at the library!