Kara recommends "I'll Build You a Bookcase"

 

This sweet, rhyming picture book focuses on having books around your home and in your world, and then reading them with your little ones.  Share it with your little one today to help establish a daily habit of reading, which encourages a positive association with books and reading later in life. This book is best enjoyed by children under 5, and is available in a Arabic bilingual edition.

 

Catherine recommends "I Won't Give Up My Rubber Band"

The little girl in this book has found a rubber band and it is a miraculous treasure: she imagines endless creative possibilities for what she can do with this rubber band, including using it as a fashion accessory, playing games with new-found animal friends, and even saving the world. If you have ever known a child who discovers treasures in the ordinary things adults ignore, you will recognize the child in this book. Her creativity and passion are captivating. With just a few strokes, the illustrations convey the wide range of emotions that the girl feels as she first finds her treasure and then imagines what adventures she might have with her amazing and beloved rubber band. My whole family laughed at every page of this book!

Children

 

 

Natalie recommends "Shmuel's Bridge: Following the Tracks to Auschwitz with My Survivor Father"

With May being Jewish American Heritage Month, it felt like a good time as any to pick up this book.  I always appreciate a good biography and this sounded like an interesting one.  Told from the perspective of the author, this book discusses his ninety eight year old father, a survivor of Auschwitz, and his journey to retrace his and his brother Shmuel's footsteps.  Though his father's memory is slowly leaving him, what he and the author learn and remember along the way helps the author better understand his father and the life experiences he had.  

This book brings a personal level to the tragedy that was the Holocaust as the author tries to preserve the importance of this past while trying to understand it through his father's eyes, who had experienced it.

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

Lisa recommends "Counting to Bananas"

If you would like to read a wacky counting book, this book is for you! It has a lot in common with the zaniness of Z is for Moose. This is a great book for preschoolers and look for it to pop up in future story times. Children will giggle throughout.

Amy recommends "Blood Sugar"

Ruby has no trouble telling you she’s a murderer. However, she definitely wants you to know two things – that she is NOT a sociopath and she did not kill her husband despite the claims of the police and prosecuting attorney. The book alternates between present day and her past. You will wonder if Ruby is a reliable narrator if for no other reason than she is so likeable. This one can be described as twisty and uncomfortable in the best possible ways. This book is intended for adults.

 

Uma recommends "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best: 101 Stories of Love, Gratitude & Wisdom”

"Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best: 101 Stories of Love, Gratitude & Wisdom" by Amy Newmark.

"Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best: 101 Stories of Love, Gratitude & Wisdom" by Amy Newmark, is a perfect read and feels like a May basket filled with 101 treats. After reading all these personal and heartwarming adventures of motherhood, you'll truly realize that Moms know best!

ADULT