Book Review: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

Imaginary friends are hanging out all around us adults and we don't even notice most of the time.  They're sharing cupcakes, drawing pictures, having conversations and going on adventures with the whimsical youngsters in our lives.  (When I do a head-count during storytime, I should probably start including all the imaginary friends in the room.  That would definitely boost my numbers.)

Have you ever asked your little one where that imaginary friend came from?  In The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, author and illustrator Dan Santat offers an answer to this question.  They're all relaxing together over in the land of rainbows and misty mountains, awaiting the glorious day when a child beams them up (see page 4 for more information).  Beekle waits every day for his turn, but it never comes.

Sleepover with Beatrice & Bear

Are you looking for a sweet story that will help a child with the topic of separation? Here's your book!

Sleepover with Beatrice & Bear is a heartwarming story about two unlikely friends with very different sleep schedules. One spring day Beatrice and Bear stumble upon each other, and quickly a friendship is formed. They didn't just become friends, they became the absolute best of friends. They do everything together, but what are they to do when Bear has to hibernate for the winter? You have to read it to find out!
This story gives a great idea for how a child can cope with loved ones they see intermittently - what to do while they wait! And how to share the time they spent away from each other.

Pick up Sleepover with Beatrice and Bear, by Monica Carnesi, at your local library to ensure a fun time for all!  

~ Roller Derby Librarian

Gifted Toddler or Preschooler?

Gravity by Jason Chin will spur your burgeoning genius in the playpen or your fledgling engineer in the sandbox to Einsteinian heights of intellectual prowess. Well, maybe not Einsteinian, but Newtonian at the very least! This visual edification of the abstract concept of "gravity" will send the Wiggles scurrying in ignominious defeat as little ones everywhere pack this mentally stimulating tome into diaper bags, strollers, and grandpa's knitting or golf bags. From the plummeting copy of the book depicted in detail-rich watercolor on the first page to the comical depiction on the absolute last page of a startled child trying desperately not to drop the jug of lemonade that suddenly falls into his hands, Chin holds young (or perhaps not so young) scientists' attention effortlessly.

The simple oversized text compels the reader to follow the star-blazing path of book, toys, and fruit as they first defy and then helplessly succumb to the law of gravity. The eye-popping view of the sun as it looms over this drifting collection of childhood flotsam successfully brings into focus the interconnectivity of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. A compilation of preschooler-friendly facts rounds out this exceptional foray into exploring one of the most important forces of the universe.

MightyM