Celebrate this unseasonable weather with new books about the seashore for kids!

Looking for Seabirds by Sophie Webb

To human eyes, the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska

look barren and rocky.  The waters seem cold, the high winds intolerable,

and the seas rolling. Yet to seabirds of the northern hemisphere, these

waters are idyllic, a mosaic of habitats teeming with underwater food and

alive with currents of wind for soaring.

Joan Sophie Webb on a voyage in search of seabirds. Just as she did with 

her ward winning My Season with Penguins, she once again inspires our

curiosity.  As she watches for, writes about, and paints the

graceful Mottled Petrel, the huge Black-footed Albatross, or the clownish Tufted

Puffin, she makes tangible the delicacy yet hardiness of these seabirds -

creatures that have been on the earth much longer than humans yet remain vulnerable to

disturbances in the health of the ocean.

The Whales Scientists by Fran Hodgkins

They began as land creatures.  Then, for more plentiful

food, or so scientists believe, whales made the water their

home and evolved into the colossal, majestic creatures of the

sea that we know today - the same majestic creatures that man

learned to hunt and kill:first for food, then for oil, soap, candles, furniture, and

even wasp-waist corsets.  Rich in meat, blubber, bone, and baleen, the 

whale served so many purposes for humans that its stranding was seen as a gift

from the sea.

But now, with their numbers diminished worldwide, whales have become

the subject of scientific study.  Now humans hunt instead for a deeper

understanding of cetaceans. Now scientists are trying to solve the

mystery of whale strandings. 

Edward hopper Summer at the Seashore 

Edward hopper created not only some of the most

iconic images of American life in the city but also painted

many landscapes and works inspired by the seaside.  

Edward Hopper: Summer at the Seashore takes readers on

a trip along the coast of New England, where he spent the

summer months painting sailboats, lighthouses, seascapes, and

white clapboard houses.  This book brings together a selection

of Hopper's most memorable and appealing paintings, watercolors and drawings.

Far from Shore by Sophie Webb

From a boat over extremely deep waters, the vast sea appears

empty. But as the naturalist and artist Sophie Webb shows us, it is full of 

fascinating - yet difficult-to-study - life.  In a little corner of the

ship's lab, with her water jar duct-taped to the counter, Sophie Webb sits

and paints and journals, even when the ship bounces and rocks from winds 

and waves.  She chronicles all the strange life that she studies and

marvels at in these waters - the tropical Bryde's (broodas) whale, the leaping

manta rays, a frigatebird with a sea snake.

Sophie and her shipmates also count and collect samples of life in these

deep waters, from seabirds to dolphins, from winged fish to whales. Only their

long term monitoring can ultimately help scientists determine the health

of the remarkable creatures who need the clean deep ocean to survive.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with these children's books

Celebrate Thanksgiving by Deborah Heiligman

Thanksgiving began as an occasion to give thanks for 

bountiful harvests, but it developed into the ultimate American

holiday.  On this day, people all around the country are unified despite 

their diversity.  Family and friends come together to take stock

of the triumphs and challenges of the preceding year.  They also

share traditions that cut across cultures with parades, football games,

and lots of wonderful food.

In this visual odyssey, author Deborah Heiligman takes readers

back in time to the earliest harvest feasts in colonial America and

around the globe.  She chronicles the contributions of Sarah

Josepha Hale, the magazine editor who spent 40 years campaigning

to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.  And she looks at how today's customs

got their start and became ingrained in our national consciousness.

N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims by Robert San Souci

The adventurous saga of the settling of the Plymouth Colony is

strikingly portrayed in this magnificent book.  Spectacular paintings

by renowned artist N.C. Wyeth gloriously bring to life the

carefully researched text by well-known children's book author

Robert San Souci.

The story of the Pilgrims, including the first Thanksgiving, is a 

central part of America's history and, over the course of time,

it has taken on an almost mythical quality.  Drawing on a variety

of resources, including the author's visit to the Plymouth Plantation,

the text dispels some popular misconceptions about the settling of our

nation as it broadens our understanding of the bravery and

determination of our forebears.

Mayflower 1620 by Plimoth Plantation with Peter Arenstam

The story of the ship called Mayflower is deeply woven

into the fabric of American history.  This is how it goes: Intrepid passengers

called Pilgrims sailed a stormy sea to find religious freedom in a new

world.  Against harsh odds, they carved a little cradle of civilization that

gave birth to a great democracy.  Well, that's how it happened, wasn't it?

Or was it? Actually, that's the myth.  The real history of Mayflower is a lot

more complicated.

Taking a new look at Mayflower means learning that these seafarers were

not a unified group, that not all of them came to America for religious

reasons, and that their new land was not an empty paradise for the taking.

They did not call themselves Pilgrims.  That name, which traditionally refers

to wayfarers in foreign lands, was given them later by historians.

Plimoth Plantation brings this critical and compelling period of history

to life by using careful research of primary sources as the basis of a richly 

informative text and scenes recreated by costumed interpreters.  Fascinating details

reveal what Mayflower passengers ate, how they passed their

time on the long voyage, and what they hoped and dreamed.

Tapenum's Day by Kate Waters

What is the greatest honor a young Wampanoag Indian boy can

hope for?  To e chosen to become a pniese, a warrior counselor.

That is Tapenum's dream.  But his dream is dashed when other

boys are chosen and he is not.

As Tapenum goes about his day, he can't stop thinking about his

disappointment.  But soon, with great determination, he makes a

plan.  today he will begin training himself to become stronger.  He

will improve his hunting skills and run long distances every day.  If

he can become very strong in body and spirit, perhaps he will be chosen next year.

The third book in the trilogy that includes Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life 

of a Pilgrim Girl and Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of A Pilgrim Boy,

this book explores the life of a Wampanoag Indian boy in the 1620s.  Photographed

in full color at Hobbamock's Homesite at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth,

Massachusetts, here is an intimate and accurate portrayal of native life at the time

of colonization by Europeans.

New Fiction for Kids

Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck

Helena is big-sister mouse to three younger siblings,

living a snug and well-fed life within the ancient walls of the Cranston

family home.  When the Cranston humans decide to sail away to 

England to find a husband for one of their daughters, the

Cranston mice stow away in the name of family solidarity.

And so begins the scamper of their lives as Helena, her

siblings, and their humans set sail on a life-changing voyage into the

great world of titled humans..and titled mice, and surprise endings for all.

Titanic: Book one, Unsinkable by Gordon Korman 

The Titanic is meant to be unsinkable, but as it begins its

maiden voyage, there's plenty of danger waiting for four of 

its young passengers.  Paddy is a stowaway, escaping a deadly past.

Sophie's mother is delivered to the ship by police - after she and 

Sophie have been arrested.  Juliana's father is an eccentric whose riches

can barely hide his madness.  And Alfie is hiding a secret that could

get him kicked off the ship immediately.

The lives of these four passengers will be forever linked

with the fate of Titanic.  And the farther they get from shore,

the more the danger looms.....

The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Ara Deedy & Randall Wright

Tired of dodging fishwives' brooms and carriage

wheels, alley cat Skilley yearns for the comfort of

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a popular London inn.

When he hears that the innkeeper is in need of a mouser, he 

hatches a scheme so audacious it will surely set him up

for the rest of his nine lives.

Once installed at the Cheese, Skilley looks forward to

a life of ease.  But a resident mouse named Pip uncovers Skilley's

scandalous secret, and the desperate cat is forced to make a pact 

with him.  The two become allies, and harmony reigns until they

are drawn into an intrigue involving a tyrannical cook, a strange

visitor hidden in the attic, and an evil tomcat called Pinch.

The ensuing mayhem threatens the peace of Ye Olde

Cheshire Cheese - and the entire British Empire!

With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Twelve-year-old Dawnie Rae Johnson's life turns upside

down after the Supreme Court rules in favor of desegregation in

the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.  Her parents

decide that Dawnie will attend Prettyman Coburn, a previously

all-white-school - but she'll be the only one of her friends to enroll 

in this new school.

Not everyone in Hadley supports integration, though, and much of the 

town is outraged at the decision.  As she starts school, Dawnie endures the 

harsh realities of racism.  but the backlash against her attendance of

Prettyman Coburn is more than she's prepared for, and she begins

to wonder if the hardship is worth it.  Will Dawnie be able to hold on to the 

true meaning of justice and remain faithful to her own integrity?

Great new picture books!

Hello Kitty Hello USA illustrated by Higashi Glaser

After a standing ovation performance at a White House gala, 

Hello Kitty meets a number of nice people from all across the nation.  Charmed 

by their warm hospitality, she decides to visit them in each of their home states.

So, along with her friends, Hello Kitty sets out across the country.  They

visit each state and learn a little about it along the way - including

its capital, motto, and official flower and bird.

Join Hello Kitty as she travels from sea to shining sea and learn what

makes each of the United States unique and special.

Amelia Bedelia's First Field Trip by Herman Parish

Amelia Bedelia is sure she will love everything about the

field trip to the farm.  Collecting eggs, milking a cow, riding

a tractor, planting seeds and the picnic lunch.  Amelia Bedelia

can't wait.  What could be better? A class field trip!  Hooray for

school! Hooray for the farm!

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press here.  That's right. Just press the yellow dot. And

turn the page.  The single touch of a finger sparks a whimsical

dance of color and motion in this joyful celebration of the

power of the imagination.

Subway Story by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Meet Jessie! Jessie loves being a subway car.  She loves soaring

over bridges and racing through tunnels.  She especially loves helping people

get from place to place. 

But when sleek silver cars start taking over the tracks, Jessie must leave behind

everything she has ever known to embark on an off-track adventure, one

that will lead to new friends and a new home under the sea...

Based on the true story of 1960's era subway cars that are now

being used to create artificial reefs in the Atlantic, this train tale

will delight parents and kids alike!