New Picture Books

Amato, Mary.              The Chicken of the Family
A girl’s sisters try to convince her that she is really a chicken.  Who will get the best of who?
preschool age.  (XE Ama)  [5/08]

Banks, Kate.                    Max’s Dragon
Can a young boy’s imagination revitalize his older brother’s imaginations?
preschool age.  (XE Ban) [5/08]

Barrett, Judi.    Never Take a Shark to the Dentist (and other things not to do)
This is the latest picture book from the author of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing.  The reader is shown situations to avoid with various animals.  preschool age.  (XE Bar) [5/08]

Becker, Bonny.             A Visitor for Bear
Mouse wants to visit bear, but bear doesn’t want visitors.  Can mouse convince bear to become friends?  preschool age. (XE Bec) [5/08]

Bernheimer, Kate & Nicoletta Ceccoli.   The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum
A magical story about visitors who see a girl in a castle that is housed at a museum.
preschool age.  (XE Ber) [5/08]

Foley, Greg                  Don’t Worry Bear
The star of "Thank You Bear" returns to make a wonderful new discovery. When Caterpillar tells Bear that he is making a cocoon, Bear is worried. Will Caterpillar be safe? Incredibly touching in its simplicity, "Don't Worry Bear" reveals the very heart of friendship. (XE Fol) [5/08]

George, Jean Craighead            Goose and Duck
A boy and the duck and goose who have imprinted him as their mother have adventures together. (XE Reader Geo) [5/08]

Gravett, Emily                  Monkey and Me
A little girl and her toy monkey love imitating different animals, everything from jumping like kangaroos to waddling like penguins! Open this book and play along with them. (XE Gra) [5/08]

Hartland, Jessie                   Night Shift
Late at night after children have gone to bed, people who work the night shift, like street sweepers, window dressers, newspaper printers, road workers, and donut bakers, are doing their jobs. (XE Har) [5/08]

Heap, Sue                   Danny’s Drawing Book
Visiting the zoo inspires Danny and his friend to make up a story -- and soon his drawings take on a wonderful life of their own. When Danny brings his drawing book to the zoo, it doesn't take long to find ideas to put in it. First he draws an elephant with a red scarf, then an aardvark with a green hat, then his friend Ettie and himself, then an airplane to take them all . . . to Africa! And how do the two friends get home when their excursion is done? As with any reading adventure, they simply close the book --- until next time. (XE Hea) [5/08]

Nielson, Laura F.               Mrs. Muddle’s Holidays
Maple Street’s newest resident teaches all the neighbors the meaning of a community celebration. (XE Nie) [5/08]

Rosenthal, Amy Krause               Little Hoot
Little Hoot hates bedtime—all his friends get to go to bed early, but his owl parents do all they can to keep him up late.(XE Ros) [5/08]

Schwarz, Viviane.           Timothy and the Strong Pajamas
After his mother mends his favorite pajamas, Timothy finds that he has super strength and decides to use it to help others, but when the pajamas rip again, he loses his strength just when he needs it most.  (XE Sch) [5/08]

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro.       Dog and Bear: Two’s Company
Dog and Bear are back in three more easy stories about friendship between a dachshund and a stuffed teddy bear.  (XE See) [5/08]

Schulman, Janet.           Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City
A red tail hawk and his mate build their nest near the top of a Fifth Avenue apartment building and bird watchers gather hoping to see the chicks in the nest.  (XE Sch) [5/08]

Stevens, Janet.  Help Me, Mr. Mutt! Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems 
Dogs across the United States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.  (XE Ste) [5/08]

New Chapter Books

Birdsall, Jeanne.            The Penderwicks on Gardam Street 
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is by Jeanne Birdsall.  It is the follow-up to her earlier novel called The Penderwicks, which involved vacation fun.   In The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, the girls and their father are at home.  The girls’ mother died four years ago, and now their father is being encouraged to date again.  Horror!  How can the girls foil the dating?  A new next door neighbor, school, friends, etc. are all a part of this enchanting story.  
Grades 4-8.  (X Birdsall, J.)  [5/08]

Burden, Meg                      Northlander
Ellen, the daughter of a Healer with powers of her own, becomes involved in dangerous intrigue when she accompanies her father to the North to try to heal the enemy king. (X Burden, M.) [5/08]

Cheng, Andrea.               Where the Steps Were
Free verse novel told by various students in Miss D’s third grade classroom.
Ages 9-12.  (X Cheng, A.) [5/08]

Haddix, Margaret Peterson            Found
Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you." Jonah, Chip, and Jonah's sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere -- and people who seem to appear and disappear at will. The kids discover they are caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different things for Jonah and Chip's lives. (X Haddix) [5/08]

McKay, Hilary                   Forever Rose
The endearing tale of the thoroughly original Casson family wraps up in this fifth volume that is every bit as heartwarming as the others. (X McKay, H.) [5/08]

Padian, Maria.           Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress
Brett is an eighth grader who’s life is being redefined.  Friendships are changing, what’s up with grandma, new-found trouble and sports factor into Brett’s redefinition.
Ages 12 and up.  (X Padian, M.) [5/08]

Park, Linda Sue.                   Keeping Score
In Brooklyn in 1951, a die-hard Giants fan teaches nine-year-old Maggie, who is a "Bums" (Dodgers) fan, how to use a technique to keep score of a baseball game which creates a special friendship between them. (X Park, L.) [5/08]

Parkinson, Siobhan.                 Blue Like Friday
When Olivia helps her quirky friend Hal, whose synesthesia causes him to experience everything in colors, with a prank intended to get rid of Hal's potential stepfather, there are unexpected consequences, including the disappearance of Hal's mother. (X Parkinson, S.) [5/08]

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.            The Bronze Pen
With her father's failing health and the family's shaky finances, twelve-year-old Audrey's dreams of becoming a writer seem very impractical until she is given a peculiar bronze pen that appears to have unusual powers.  (X Snyder, Z) [5/08]

Stone, Phoebe.                     Deep Down Popular
Jessie Lou and Conrad are sixth graders who are on opposite ends of the popularity spectrum, but Conrad’s leg problem unexpectedly bring them together as friends.
Ages 9-12.  (X Stone) [5/08]

New Non-Fiction

Cooper, Sharon Katz.    Human Body Systems: Maintaining the Body’s Functions
Brief information about how the body’s systems work.  Includes color pictures, a glossary and an index.
Grades 3-12.  (X 612 Kat)  [5/08]

Parker, Robert                Piano Starts Here: the Young Art Tatum
Regardless of whether they've heard of jazz or Art Tatum, young readers will appreciate how Parker uses simple, lyrical storytelling and colorful and energetic ink-and-wash illustrations to show the world as young Art Tatum might have seen it. (XB Tatum) [5/08]

Silverstein, Shel.                 Don’t Bump the Glump
A most unusual collection of whacky, funny, scary creatures with imaginative fantasies in verse. (X 811.54 Sil) [5/08]

What to read next?

• Bettendorf Young Adult Books in a Series & Sequels
• Mid-Continent Public Library Juvenile Series & Sequels  
  The 'Juvenile Series and Sequels' database currently contains over 18,000 books in series titles that are classified into three audiences: Young Adult - high school readers, Juvenile - grade school through junior high readers, and Juvenile Easy - young readers beginning to read.
• Kent District Library What's Next
  "What's Next" helps you search youth fiction in series. A "series" is two or more books linked by character (s), settings, or other common traits.  Searches can be made by title, author (last name, first name), or series.