New crowd pleaser just in time for Halloween

I am seeing lots of Christmas books as I am ordering for the system right now, but I will steadfastly ignore those in favor of the holiday at hand. And although Halloween is more than a month away, this little gem came across my desk this morning and I had to rave about it.

 This is the third Mouse adventure from Judy Cox (Cinco de Mouse-O; One is a feast for Mouse: a Thanksgiving Tale) and it is just as great as the other two. The pictures are fantastic, and there is so much happening on each page that the book begs to be re-read and explored often. I particularly enjoyed seeing the world from Mouse's angle. He is so cute and I love how he reacts to the Candy! Added bonus on the cute factor: Mouse wears little blue glasses! He reminds me of my 22 month old nephew who just got blue plastic frames and is constantly waddling about getting into things.

This is one I am going to be putting on display October 1st , and will definitely be recommending to families.

Wolves of Mercy Falls

I finally got around to finishing the last of the Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. Although I got an A.R.C. of Forever in New Orleans at ALA, I will admit I was nervous to read it. I wasn't sure if the book was going to have a satisfying conclusion, and after falling in love with Sam & Grace's story I feared I would have a hard time letting go. I am happy to report that I did enjoy the book and would highly recommend this YA series to any werewolf fans out there.

with the author in NOLA

Books in the series:
Shiver
Linger
Forever

Fall Forever

Fall is my favorite time of the year! I will admit (but don't tell anyone)-- fall is the one time during the entire year that I wish I didn't live in Southern California. I know, I know, slap me now. But seriously, I used to live in the midwest and watching the fall leaves change, feeling that crisp "I need a scarf and sweater, but not a jacket yet" wind blow around me, eating apple butter and drinking apple cider, going to football games, and seeing pumpkins in my uncle's garden was pure heaven. So now I basically celebrate fall as soon as September hits, hope that no one complains, and cross my fingers that the kids will use their imaginations to envision the weather changing ('cause it is hot as all get out right now).

A few of my favorites that I will be using during various storytimes--I do baby, toddler, and preschool--over the next month are:
Fall Isn't Easy by Marty Kelley
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens
My Father's Hands by Joanne Ryder
One Bean by Anne Rockwell
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash by Sarah Weeks
Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

And drum roll please....my absolute favorite is:
Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip by Denia Lewis Hester

I LOVE that "The Turnip" was adapted to feature an African American family!

Mel has some great rhymes/fingerplays to do with fall leaves over Mel's Desk too.
What are some other great fall stories that you love?

Who Loves You?

Are patrons always commenting on how helpful you are?

Do kids and teens run up to hug you whenever they see you at the library or in their school?

If so, this is their chance to say thank you by nominating you for the I Love My Librarian award sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation, New York Times, ALA, and @ your library. In addition to the honors and accolades, it also comes with a $5,000 cash prize!

The nomination process is simple and the form can be found on the @YourLibrary website. All you fabulous librarians out there should post this information to your blog or website and wait for the nominations to roll in. Or if you're a librarian fan, show them how much you love and appreciate them by nominating them today.