Music CD
When I Get Little
Dog on Fleas
There are many children's music albums to choose from, but only a handful are good enough that I listen to the whole album without cringing. There are even fewer I'm willing to listen to over and over. When I Get Little is one of those rare albums. Four top-notch artists make up Dog on Fleas. This is their fourth album, and it contains a number of gems: "The Coo Coo," with a catchy piano tune, as well as "Give It Away," "Honeybaby," and "Peace Will Come." The harmonies are simply beautiful. Although this album was released in 2006, it was only recently added to the library's collection. Check it out today and see if you agree with me.
- Carissa Christner
Books
Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid
By Lemony Snicket
Fans of the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books know that horseradish is a very bitter root, which can sometimes be very useful (especially in the case of deadly fungus spores). Equally unpalatable and useful are the little snippets of wisdom espoused in this charmingly pessimistic quotation collection. While we would all love to tell our children that everything always works out in the end, the fact is, it doesn't. The world sometimes throws unpleasant things at us, and while it's no fun thinking about it, it's often better to be prepared. At times funny ("If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats"), and at times serious ("It is difficult, when faced with a situation you cannot control, to admit that you can do nothing"), Snicket leaves his readers with a sense of being better prepared, but not hopeless.
- Jill Olig
Orange Pear Apple Bear
By Emily Gravett
Emily Gravett provides a very simple story using only four words: orange, pear, apple and bear. While this might seem limiting, it makes the book accessible to even the youngest readers, yet a narrative can be constructed by older readers to complement the spare text. The illustrations are soft and charming.
There are opportunities to experience the book in different ways. I would recommend this book to children ages 26 years and wouldn't be surprised if they asked for it again and again.
- Kelly Verheyden
Reviews provided by Youth Services Librarians of the Madison Public Library.