Thursday, January 26, 2012

Award Winning Illustrations

The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. A picture books is, well, filled with pictures! Those pictures can range from simple line drawings, to elaborate collages, to detailed paintings. While we often talk about reading books we should also consider looking at books--soaking in the art, observing details, and marveling at the use of color (or white space!). The following book just won this year's Caldecott:





 
The following books were named Caldecott Honor books:
 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Illinois Book Award Voting Season

February is right around the corner and that means that students across Illinois are casting their vote for their favorite books. Every year committees made up of librarians and educators from Illinois select 20 high quality and high interests titles to nominate for these awards. They then release the lists and kids start reading! Student can vote for the titles if their school has registered to participate in the awards and if they have read or heard at least 5 of the 20 titles. Voting aside, the books nominated for these awards represent the best of what has been published for children in the last 5 years. Feel free to explore the book lists for 2012 and come to RFPL to get any titles that catch your eye!

The Monarch Award is for readers in grades K-3.
Click here to view the 2012 Monarch titles.

Monarch titles we recommend:
By Tom Lichetnheld
E FICTION LICHETNHELD



 
By Devin Scillian
E FICTION SCILLIAN









The Bluestem Award is for children in grades 3-5
Click here to view the 2012 Bluestem titles

Bluestem titles we recommend:
By John Scieszka
J BIOGRAPHY SCIESZKA
 
 






By Elanor Davies
J GRAPHIC NOVEL DAVIS
 
 








The Rebecca Caudill Award is for children in grades 4-8
Click here to view the 2012 Caudill titles

Caudill titles we recommend

By Wendy Mass
J FICTION MASS
 





By Rosanne Parry
J FICTION PARRY
 

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Author/Illustrator Spotlight: Inga Moore



One of our new picture books is A House in the Woods by Inga Moore. We read this delightful tale about four friends--two pigs, a bear, and a moose--who build a house together with the help of a team of beavers at RFPL's Story Stretchers last Monday (1:30pm, stories and activities for 4-6-year-olds).

Inga Moore's engaging, detailed drawings bring the animal characters and their world to life. There is an old-fashioned quality to the pictures that reminds one of the illustrations of Tasha Tudor or even Beatrix Potter, as this article in The Guardian noted. Moore lives in England and finds inspiration in the countryside around her home, as well as in Impressionist landscape paintings.

For a longer read-aloud book filled with Moore's lovely illustrations, check out Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows abridged and illustrated by Inga Moore. Perfect for a cozy winter night!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Audiobooks at RFPL!

Did you know there are THREE great ways to check out audiobooks at River Forest Public Library: CDs, Playaways and Media On Demand. It doesn’t matter how you listen to audiobooks, they’re a great way to experience any story. Check out some of these new audiobook titles!

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
by Barbara O'Connor
In this story, Owen finds a secret submarine hidden in the woods. The pressure is on as Owen and his friends set out to set sail in their submarine–without getting caught by the grown-ups.

A Tale Dark and Grimm
by Adam Gidwitz
In this dark tale, a bumbling narrator weaves together a host of Grimm Fairy Tales with Hansel and Gretel cast in the starring roles of each adventurous story.


Other New Audiobooks Include: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney, Abby Carnelia’s One & Only Magical Power by David Pogue, Zoobreak by Gordon Korman, Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger, Stink: Solar System Superhero by Megan McDonald, and Scumble by Ingrid Law.