Children's Bookshelf - June 2010
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Reading is Fun in the Summer Sun
by Elizabeth McKay

School may be out in the summer, but public libraries are hopping with activity. Youth departments in particular don’t stop during the summer — we support school summer reading lists, do storytimes and activities for all ages, and of course, we run our summer reading clubs. For most libraries, you can do your summer reading anywhere; just stop in the library to tell us about what you’ve been reading and maybe collect some prizes. This year, the summer reading club theme at many Connecticut libraries is Make a Splash — READ! So, before you head to the beach or leave for the family vacation, stop by your local library and choose some books to take along!

Mo Willems follows up his popular Piggie and Elephant series with his latest offerings starring Cat the Cat. In Cat the Cat, Who is That? readers meet and greet all of Cat the Cat’s friends, and in Let’s Say Hi to Friends Who Fly, Cat the Cat’s flying friends show off their skills — with a few surprises. It’s charming fun for toddlers and emergent readers.

Marla Frazee’s A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever follows James and Eamon to the beach with Eamon’s grandparents so they can go to nature camp. They recount all the activities of their week — while the pictures sometimes tell a different, funnier story. Frazee does a fantastic job portraying the intergenerational relationship, as well as the friendship between the two boys.

Armchair adventurers will love Elise Broach’s Gumption, which follows Peter and his Uncle Nigel on safari to see the Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla. Uncle Nigel is an experienced explorer guiding the expedition, urging Peter to have gumption to get him through the tight spots. Unbeknownst to Uncle Nigel, Peter gets along with a little help from some of the very animals they hope to see, and sharp-eyed young readers will enjoy being in on the joke!

Not all summer readers are happy about their plight — such is Moxy’s fate in Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford. Moxy knows she needs to finish her book before school begins (tomorrow!), but it’s just so hard to concentrate when she still has the dog to train and her room to clean. Finally, after exhausting all her excuses, she relents and gives Stuart Little a try and loves it so much she stays up all night reading under the covers to finish it — a sympathetic nod to procrastinators everywhere!

Historical fiction lovers should definitely try The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, awarded a 2010 Newbery Honor. Set in rural Texas in the summer of 1899, Callie Vee Tate is the middle child of seven in a wealthy cotton-farming family, and the only girl. Callie is a self-styled naturalist, observing everything that happens in the oppressive heat of the summer, but no one thinks that girls have any business thinking about science. Her only ally appears in the form of her crotchety old grandaddy, a scientist himself, and a visionary who helps Callie to imagine a future for herself that isn’t restricted to the science of housekeeping.

Sports fans have lots of options this summer, as Tim Green (Rivals), Mike Lupica (Batboy) and Rich Wallace (Sports Camp) all have new books out in 2010. Baseball fans will also love M.J. Auch’s One-Handed Catch, the inspiring story of a boy who loses his hand in an accident at his father’s butcher shop in 1946. Norm has to learn how to do everything one-handed, even tie his shoes, but with determination and lots of practice he earns a spot on his summer league baseball team and proves himself to his friends and family.

Connecticut history plays a role in Candace Fleming’s outstanding biography The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum. In terms of entertainment and giving people something to talk about, Barnum was truly ahead of his time, and even readers who have never been to the circus will be fascinated by the oddities and curiosities Barnum collected and made famous.

Here are some free June programs for children at The Ferguson Library:

• Toddler Time, for children ages 1 1/2 -3 1/2 with adult caregiver. Call 203-964-1000 for times and locations.
• Make a Splash pre-kickoff craft event, Saturday, June 12 at 2 p.m. Help us decorate and get ready for summer reading! For ages 5 and up. Call 203-351-8242 for more information.
• Teen Summer Volunteer Training, for teens ages 12-18. Train to become a summer volunteer and help facilitate our summer reading club. Registration required. Call 203-964-1000 for times and locations.
• Make a Splash — READ! Summer Reading Club Kickoff is Monday, June 28 for all ages. Call 203-964-1000 for more information.

Also, check us out online at www.fergusonlibrary.org for the full list of programs for children and adults at all Ferguson Library locations, or give us a call at 203-964-1000.