Kids' News
September 2016
"'What's it supposed to be?' people asked Kandinsky. 
'It's my art,' Vasya answered. 'How does it make you feel?'" 
~ from Barb Rosenstock's The Noisy Paint Box
 
 
 

 
Please join us for a very special evening at Kitchener Public Library as we celebrate and present our vision for a new digital media lab, Studio Central. 
 
When:  Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Where: Central Library - 85 Queen Street North
Time:   5:30 - 8:30 pm
Cost:   $50 per ticket (group discounts available)
 
Tickets are available online now: partyinthestacks.eventbrite.com
 
 
 
Upcoming Programs & Events
Library Adventures
Everyone is invited to share in this 30-minute program, which includes stories, songs, and other activities. Awesome adventures for all.  
All ages. No registration required.

Forest Heights - Mondays @6:30 pm
Country Hills - Tuesdays @7:15 pm
Central - Tuesdays @1:30 pm
Grand River Stanley Park - Wednesdays @11:00 am
Central - Thursdays @9:45 am
 
Tales for Tails
Monday, September 26, 6:30 pm
Central Library - Children's Programming Room
KW Humane Society volunteers and their trained pets want to help improve literacy skills. Children can read one-on-one to a companion animal for 15 minutes at a time in a quiet room. Open to all children, this program is especially good for those who lack confidence in reading, because animals are non-judgmental! Parents are welcome to stay with children as they read with the animal and its owner. Ages 3-12. No advance registration required. Sign up at the children's information desk for a 15 minute block (starting at 6:15pm). First come, first served. No program October 10. 
 
 
 
Recent Releases
Moo
by Sharon Creech

Novel in Verse. Moving from New York City to a tiny seaside town in Maine takes some getting used to, but 12-year-old Reena is looking forward to having more freedom. However, instead of riding her bike wherever she wants, Reena and her brother are forced into helping their cranky old neighbor take care of Zora, her huge and equally cranky cow. Though looking after Zora seems like Reena's biggest challenge (shoveling manure, ugh), girl and cow start to form a surprising bond. Fans of author Sharon Creech's page-turning poetry won't want to miss this sincere, realistic read.
Full of Beans
by Jennifer L Holm

Historical Fiction. How much do you think a wagon full of empty cans was worth in 1934? Whatever your answer, it's not enough for ten-year-old Beans Curry, who just wants to help his family survive the Great Depression (and maybe see the new Shirley Temple movie). When can-collecting isn't enough, Beans turns to other money-making schemes…some less legal than others. Set in Key West, Florida, as the town transforms from ramshackle island to tourist trap, this prequel to the Newbery Honor-winning Turtle in Paradise offers short chapters, one-of-a-kind characters, and a quirky angle on American history.  
Furthermore
by Tahereh Mafi

Fantasy. In Ferenwood, where most people are brilliantly colored and magically brilliant, Alice Queensmeadow is an embarrassment. Magically untalented and a washed-out white color all over, Alice aches for change as much as she longs for her missing father, the only person who really loves her. When a boy named Oliver offers to help her find her father in the topsy-turvy land known as Furthermore, Alice agrees, despite Oliver's untrustworthy magical power. Described in splashy detail by an interrupting narrator, their journey through the wonders of Furthermore (which include sugary air, eggshell houses, and a living origami fox) will captivate readers who love clever, imaginative fantasy.
Dog Man
by Dav Pilkey

Graphic Novel. George and Harold, the heroes of the Captain Underpants series, are back with a new book about one of their creations: Dog Man! Half dog and half man, Dog Man is a canine cop with a dramatic origin story, a fiendish feline nemesis, and a hunger for justice. Scribbly artwork and misspelled words capture Dog Man in all of his slobbery glory as he battles baddies (such as power-hungry robots and rebellious hot dogs) and saves the day. If you're hooked by this uproarious series-starter and need another silly spoof while you wait for the next book, try Jarrett Krosoczka's Playtpus Police Squad series.
Art and Artists
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
by Jennifer Bryant; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Biography. As a child in the 1880s, Horace Pippin loved to draw and paint. Despite plenty of challenges, he kept making art as he grew up, painting vivid, folksy scenes. Not even injuring his right arm in World World I could stop Horace -- he learned how to guide his right arm with his left. Illustrated in eye-popping colors and a "refreshing, down-home style" (Booklist), A Splash of Red both echoes Horace's art and describes his life, including his long-awaited success. If you're intrigued by Horace's story, you might also like Kathleen Benson's Draw What You See.
Under the Egg
by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Mystery. Thirteen-year-old New Yorker Theo will never forget her grandfather Jack's dying words: "Look under the egg." Theo does her best to follow this cryptic clue, and after discovering that Jack's painting of an egg conceals another, possibly priceless, painting beneath it, she launches a citywide search for the painting's origin, which leads her to new friends -- like celebrity daughter Bodhi and punk librarian Adam -- and surprising truths. This engaging mystery offers art history and urban adventure similar to E.L. Konigsburg's classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but with a modern flair all its own. 
The Seventh Most Important Thing
by Shelley Pearsall

Historical Fiction. After he sees the local "Junk Man" wearing his dead father's hat, 13-year-old Arthur makes a split-second decision that earns him 120 hours of community service...with the Junk Man. It's better than going to juvie, and as Arthur reluctantly forms a friendship with the Junk Man (whose real name is James Hampton), he discovers the creative reason behind his trash-scavenging habits. Similar to Wendy Mass' Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, this book reveals the inner life of a grieving boy through an unusual search. Though this story is made up, the artist James Hampton was real – try Googling him to see photos of his amazing creations. 
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art
by Barb Rosenstock; illustrated by Mary GrandPré

Biography. When they first saw Vasya's art, people asked "What's it supposed to be?" But Vasily "Vasya" Kandinsky was more interested in how his art made people feel. Ever since he opened his first paint box as a child, Vasya could hear the colors: crunching crimson, powerful blue, whispering gray. He could also see music, painting it in jangly swirls and sharp lines that confused people used to ordinary art. Adding to this biography of a pioneering artist are Mary GrandPré's illustrations (maybe you recognize her art from the Harry Potter books?), which are packed with vivid colors and sweeping energy, just like Vasya's paintings.
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras
by Duncan Tonatiuh

Biography. You might not know his name, but you may have seen José Guadalupe Posada's bones. Known as Don Lupe, he transformed calaveras -- those smiling, dancing skulls and skeletons you see during Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead -- into an art form that's still used today. In Funny Bones, you'll not only get a peek into Don Lupe's life during a turbulent time in Mexican history, but also find some practical details on the printing methods he used. Best of all, the book's chunky, Mixtec-style illustrations have examples of Don Lupe's own art sprinkled throughout, so that you can see it for yourself.   
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Laura Reed
Manager, Children's & Teen Services
laura.reed@kpl.org
 
Kitchener Public Library
85 Queen St. North
Kitchener, Ontario N2H2H1
519-743-0271

http://www.kpl.org/