FROM MOTHER GOOSE TO MOTOR GOOSE

Ready to enjoy some nursery rhymes with a twist? Just take Mother Goose rhythms and Rebecca Colby’s poems, and together they make a rollicking fun book called Motor Goose: Rhymes That Go! These entertaining poems are sure to delight fans of nursery rhyme and cars, trucks, and airplanes. Itsy Bitsy Spider becomes Swoopy-Loopy Airplane and Little Miss Muffet becomes Little Miss MIxer. The whimsically illustrated vehicles by Jef Kaminsky are memorable because of their bright colors and cartoon drawings.

This exciting book is a great one to share with children. Read the unique rhymes fast or slow because they are a fun way for children to develop their phonological skills. By singing these rhymes over and over again, children will have an opportunity to hear the small parts of each word, which will help them as they learn to read. Beep! Beep! Check out this book and goooo... have fun!

For ages 2-5

HOPE IS THE THING WITH FLOWERS

It's a busy, busy, busy at the construction site. Dozer, Crane, and Digger are pushing, hoisting, and digging to build tall buildings for working, roads for driving, and bridges for crossing. One day Digger comes across a small, blue flower growing amidst all the construction. As the other construction vehicles keep building up the city, Digger visits the flower each day to nurture it's growth. Soon, the space where the lone little flower is growing is the only place that's not built up, and the Crane insists that they need to put a building there too. Will Digger be able to stop them, and if not, what will become of the last little flower in the city? 

The Digger and the Flower, simply yet poignantly written and illustrated by Joseph Kuefler, is a deceptively quiet picture book that packs a huge emotional punch. Just when things seem devastating, hope peeks through the darkness, and we readers are reminded of the triumph and resilience of the human spirit. Have your tissues handy, parents, because this book might make you cry--first from sadness, but then ultimately from the beauty of hope. 

This is not your typical construction vehicle book--it's a deeply touching read to share with preschoolers through second graders. 

OUT OF THE WAY!

Sam comes to the construction site everyday to watch the workers at the construction site but on this particular day some older boys dare him to go inside the site itself.  To their horror, Sam begins to  behave unexpectedly.  He takes their dare and drives off in the cement mixer and then pour wet concrete all over the road.  He behaves in more seemingly crazy ways for a little boy.  Scared that they have egged Sam on and are in a heap of trouble, the boys run after him, but the chaos just continues.  

But Sam is observant and clever and his actions are very logical and reasonable.  Find out what Sam is up to as he drives different types of construction vehicles in this madcap romp through the city.
There's humor, tension and action for everyone who enjoy cars, construction and a good story in Sam and the Construction Site by Tjibbe Veldkamp and Alice Hoogstad.  

For preschool through second grade.  

A HIGH SPEED CHASE OF ROYAL PROPORTIONS

The Queen's Handbag, whimsically written and illustrated by Steve Antony, follows Her Royal Highness--in hot pursuit of a sneaky swan who has stolen her handbag--on a trip all over Great Britain. Whether by car, by plane, by horse, or by parachute, the queen is determined to chase down the thief and reclaim her purse in grand style. From England to Wales to Ireland to Scotland and back again, this high-speed chase visits landmark after landmark, giving readers a veritable first-class if quite madcap tour of the best of the United Kingdom. 

Meticulously illustrated in a stylistically limited palette of blacks, blues, and reds, the artwork in this picture book certainly lends itself to readers poring over all the clever details from Windsor Castle to the White Cliffs of Dover and everywhere in between. Will the exceptionally intrepid queen finally apprehend the aviary bandit by journey's end? Armchair adventurers will have to follow her on travels to find out. 

This royally entertaining picture book should be a smashing success with preschoolers through second graders. 

THE TOUGHEST JOB OF ALL

As Bulldozer watches all his fellow construction vehicles working away--stirring, lifting, scooping--he wonders how he can help too. Bulldozer is eager to find his calling and help the others accordingly, but the other trucks tell him building skyscrapers is only a job for rough, tough trucks. So when they do find a suitable job for Bulldozer, they are perplexed to find him sitting still, not flattening the pile they asked him to clear. Why won't Bulldozer just help out and do his job? 

Bulldozer Helps Out by Candace Flemming, illustrated by Caldecott-winning artist Eric Rohmann, is definitely not your average construction vehicle book (though it will certainly please that crowd too!). It also offers a heartwarming and adorable twist that shows how toughness takes many forms, not just might and muscle, and that everyone has their own purpose to serve--they just have to find it.

With delightfully bright and bold art and a message that's both inspiring and cleverly told, this captivating picture book will appeal to toddlers through kindergartners, and anyone who's looking for their place to belong.

TRUCKS AT WORK

The Mixed-Up Truck, written and illustrated by Stephen Savage, tells the the story of a eager cement mixer's first day of on the job. All the other trucks are already working away at their respective tasks and the mixer just wants to know how it can help too. What seems like a simple enough instruction from the other vehicles ("Mix up some powdery white cement!") turns into a preposterous comedy of errors when our ambitious if unobservant protagonist doesn't read the signs and consequently blends a series of mistaken ingredients to entertaining effect. Will the mixed-up truck ever manage to get it right? 

The simple words are complimented by the bright and bold art, making this a perfect fit for toddlers through preschoolers, and will lay the groundwork for a riveting things-that-go or construction-themed storytime. This story also serves as an excellent introduction to print awareness, showing that words have meaning, as well as how important it is to notice the environmental print we see in the world all around us. 

To continue the truck-themed fun from Stephen Savage, be sure to check out the adventures of a snowplow who discovers his versatility in Supertruck. And, while the Central Library is closed for the duration of the renovation, please note that our branches will have expanded hours beginning Monday, September 12th.