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Masking is encouraged but not required in Madison Public Libraries according to current guidance from Public Health Madison & Dane County. Read more.
Book reviews for children by library staff and guest contributors
As with many of the books that land on my hold shelf or in the digital queue on my phone, I'm not sure where I heard about this charming, heartwarming, a little heartbreaking, gem of a book. Wherever it was or whoever it was who suggested it? Thank you.
October was LGBTQ+ history month, and it's not too late to celebrate by brushing up on your LGBTQ+ history with Stella Caldwell’s Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement? Beginning thousands of years ago with LGBTQ+ figures from Ancient Greece, China, and Japan, Caldwell provides a comprehensive and accessible history of LGBTQ+ people, culture, and struggle for rights from ancient times all the way up to the present.
Tummy Time Friends is a delightfully interactive board book, full of beautiful baby faces and simple, gentle text. It is extra special because it unfolds, accordion-style, in a floor-standing arc and can be set up around a baby during tummy time. The photographs of baby faces will encourage babies to lift their heads to see. And toddlers will love to look at the faces even after they’ve outgrown tummy time!
I picked up this book expecting something of a ghost story - which it is not. It is a story of trauma, grief, and overcoming loss with the support of community and friends.
Juna has a big imagination, and it runs wild, even while she's helping her Appa (father) at his dry cleaning business on Saturdays. While searching for one of her Appa's clients' lost jackets, her imagination takes her on a journey through nature where she meets animals who are also fathers that are spending time with their children.
A boy returns from school hurt that a friend drew a picture of their group and he has eyes like two lines stretched across his face. The others have big, round eyes with green, blue, brown or black irises. His Baba stood him in front of a mirror and said, “Your eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars. The comets and constellations show you their secrets, and your eyes can foresee the future.
Lucha libre, diner lingo, and digging for secrets in a historical archive - what's not to like?
Find all the joy of the Bright Brown Baby board books in this beautiful picture book treasury! Bright Brown Baby: A Treasury by Andrea David Pinkney and Brian Pinkney is bursting with warmth & bounce. These mini stories about peek-a-boo, counting-to-love, and baby stars all shine so bright. They read like mini love songs to little ones.
And this librarian LOVES Leo. These two companion board books about lovely Leo and his parents are complete joy. Follow Anna McQuinn's lilting rhyme about all the favorite things that Leo does with his mom and dad accompanied by brilliant illustrations of the pairs in action (including all of daddy's niftiest dance moves). Toddlers and their grown ups will smile and laugh at these familiar activities, inviting conversations about all the things they LOVE to do too and always end with a snuggle.
Well, heck, this is the cutest book about a 7th grader in West Texas who is adjusting to big changes in relationships, school, and just gosh darn everything. And she’s got a 15 pound cat named Cheese. What could be better?
