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...at home on a cold night. As they do...

With Leap Year Day last week, we encouraged everyone to get out there and do something. This week, we’re featuring books about do not-ing. We dug around and found some wonderfully amusing and informative titles, all starting with Don’t or Do Not.

How could any list of Don’t books be complete without Mo Willems’s hilarious, perfect-for-reading-aloud Pigeon books: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!?

On the informative side, Don't Squash That Bug!: The Curious Kid's Guide to Insects by Natalie Rompella introduces insects through colorful photos, spreads, and sidebars, while Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Most Intriguing Mysteries from DK is full of enigmas from the Mona Lisa's hidden past to the history of Area 51, from lost worlds to secret codes.

Don't forget to check out thist list of more great Don't books!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone from Tandem Library Group!  In the spirit of the holiday we've put together three title lists to inspire you and your students to celebrate Valentine’s Day all year long.

Celebrate Valentine's Day K-5

Celebrate Valentine's Day 6-8

Celebrate Valentine's Day 9-12

I’ve been told I have the sense of humor of a five-year-old.  All the better to do my job, I reply.  And I must admit that I really do laugh at the silly stuff in all the picture books I see.  I still love the word play in Douglas Florian’s books of poetry.  My particular favorite line is from a poem about penguins in Zoo’s Who, which talks about “penguinter vacation.”  It never fails to get a chuckle from me.

Fans of silly poetry like Douglas Florian will not want to miss Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant by Jack Prelutsky in which animals are put with regular objects with unusual outcomes, much like in Scranimals.  I love the collage art by Carin Berger in this fun book poems.

Get to know words backwards and forwards in Mom and Dad are Palindromes by Mark Shulman.  This zany story has Bob freaking out after he learns about palindromes because it seems that palindromes are everywhere.  He can’t get away from them.  It’s fun to look for the hidden palindromes in the illustrations—there are over 100 to find in the book!

Whether you’re talking about homonyms and parts of speech or reading silly poems, these books will be sure to convince your students that language is fun.

Politics as usual? We think not. If you followed the Super Tuesday coverage on TV or the Internet last night, you know that today’s voters have rapid access to more information than ever before. This phenomenon is changing the way campaigns are run and how candidates are perceived.

Super Tuesday may be behind us, but the party nominees are far from decided. As we move closer to electing our 44th president, here are some books to help your students understand and get involved in the political process.

And for those fiction lovers, check out these picture books and novels with political themes.

What’s the deal with the groundhog and its shadow again?  February 2nd, a.k.a Groundhog Day, is the day we dread or adore, depending on our love of snow and cold.  If the groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, watch out! – more winter is on the way. But if it doesn’t see its shadow, spring is coming soon.  These delightful books feature our furry friend, the groundhog, and its special day.

Losing a loved one is a painful experience for both young and old.  Finding quality books to share with your students may help them through this tumultuous experience.  Titles in this week’s featured list highlight beautiful picture books and stories of strong characters persevering through one of the toughest times in their lives.

The Chinese New Year starts February 7, 2008 and goes through January 25, 2009.  First in the cycle of twelve animal signs, the Year of the Rat will be a time of hard work, activity, and renewal.  Some may find it a good year to begin a new job, get married or make a fresh start.

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin is the sequel to The Year of the Dog and Pacy is not happy about the big changes the Rat Year has in store.  Students in Grades 3-5 will find it easy to relate to Pacy as throughout the year she finds the courage to face up to one change after another.  Near the end of the book Pacy’s attitude towards the Rat Year improves after she chooses to be ‘brave like a tiger’.  By reflecting on the changes through the year that had made her uncomfortable or nervous Pacy finds how much she's grown up during the Rat Year.  What's more, she finds she has the power to shape her own future and appreciate the differences between fate and destiny as well as wishes and resolutions.

What will the Year of the Rat bring for you?

One great book recommendation deserves another and another.  Check out these titles:
Great Picture Book Titles with Asian-American characters 
Great Elementary School Titles with Asian-American characters 
Great Middle School Titles with Asian-American characters 
Great High School Titles with Asian-American characters 

Plan ahead for the summer!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) has selected “Catch the Reading Bug” for its 2008 children’s summer reading theme.  If you go to CSLP website, you’ll quickly recognize that the watercolor artwork was fittingly illustrated by the well known Harry Bliss.  Bliss creatively illustrated the witty books Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, both written by Doreen Cronin.

Have you ever wondered what a fly does all day?  Find out in the newest book written and illustrated by the Cronin-Bliss team, Diary of a Fly.  Young readers will giggle and learn fascinating fly facts as they read about Fly and how she dreams of being a super hero.

Not buggy about fiction?  Try Nic Bishop’s Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close.  Bug enthusiasts will be  engrossed in this book filled with over 125 different critters.  You’ll think twice about stepping into your own backyard after seeing the amazing life-sized photos of bugs set in their natural habitat.

For more books about bugs, click here!

Every year we see more and more Hanukkah books for children.  We’ve compiled a list of Hanukkah-themed titles for elementary-age readers for the celebration of Hanukkah, which starts at sundown Tuesday, December 4th, and runs through sundown December 15th.  This list features new releases and old favorites with plenty of dreidels, menorahs, latkes, recipes, and fun mixed in.  Enjoy!

Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket voices a very angry latke which may resonate well with an American culture that sees the Christmas season coming earlier and earlier each year.

Celebrate Hanukkah: With Light, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman overflows with the vivid photography of National Geographic and the joyous celebrations of Jewish people around the world.

  Jar of Fools: Eight Hanukkah Stories from Chelm by Eric Kimmel draws on traditional Jewish folklore to relate Hanukkah stories / antics of the people of Chelm, thought to be--perhaps incorrectly--a town of fools.

Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen tells the story of Michael and Elijah, who are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn’t know what to do.

Check out all of our Hanukkah must-reads.

In honor of the vast quantities of food that will be consumed on Thanksgiving, we thought we’d highlight picture books featuring PIGS!

Our two newest pig favorites are the Elephant and Piggie early reader series by Mo Willems, and The Adventures of Max and Pinky picture books by Maxwell Eaton III. Lovable characters, humorous stories, and brilliant, deceptively simple illustrations make these books irresistible.

Then there is the (relatively) new classic: Olivia by Ian Falconer. Her latest adventure, Olivia Helps with Christmas, which has just been published, is all about getting read for the holiday—how she “helps” her family prepare for Christmas while watching for Santa…and waiting for Santa…and watching and waiting for Santa some more, all in true Olivia fashion.

In the twisted tales category, two outlandish versions of the Three Little Pigs story stand out: David Wiesner’s The Three Pigs, in which the wolf blows the pigs right out of the story, and Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!, in which the wolf finally gets to tell his side of the tale.

Here's a list of more prime pig picture books.