Themed Bookshelves

Stories about unicorns are amazing, but there’s more! Kitty-corns, nerdy-corns, bestie-corns and mermi-corns, alien unicorns, imposter unicorns, and even some unicorns who don’t seem, at first glance, very unicorny. Check out these fun books featuring exceptional, adorable characters learning to be true to their inner unicorns. Read More

Ms. Eudora Brown Almond believed that doctors, including her husband, Dr. Charles B. Almond, deserved to be recognized and celebrated for their hard work. In 1933, she began a tradition of saying “thank you” to doctors on March 30 with cards and red carnations – a celebration we continue today. Learn more about doctors, and help celebrate National Doctors’ Day, by reading some of these great stories about doctors, below. Read More

A butterfly begins life as a tiny egg. Within a week, the egg hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar eats leaves and flowers until it’s much, much bigger, and then develops a shell, called a chrysalis, that protects the caterpillar while it morphs into a butterfly. Chrysalises can often be found hanging under leaves or branches. After 10-15 days, a beautiful butterfly emerges! For more information about butterflies, check out our collection of nonfiction butterfly books, below. Read More

On January 20, 2021, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the first woman Vice President of the United States. Vice President Harris is also the first Black and South Asian American woman Vice President in American history. (And Doug Emhoff, her husband, is the first “Second Gentleman” in American history.) Celebrate Women’s History Month with these books about women who have been trailblazers in politics, science, sports and the arts. Read More

Animals appear in many fairy tales, and since magic is also a common fairy tale element, many of those animals can talk. Talking animals represent an interesting and entertaining blend of animal and human characteristics that enables the author to effectively communicate his story through metaphor. Imagine what the story of Little Red Riding Hood would be like without the wolf roaring, “The better to eat you with, my dear!” Read More

By the 18th Century, printed Valentine’s Day cards were available for purchase, but we still love handmade cards the best. The books, below, have clever ideas and fun crafts to help make your Valentine’s Day extra special.  Read More

Celebrate Black History Month by reading and sharing some of these stories about Black experiences in America and beyond. Read More

For some of his most iconic paintings, including celebrity portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol used photographs to create silkscreen “stencils,” pushing ink through the silkscreens and layering it on top of images he had already traced and painted by hand. For his Campbell’s Soup Cans, he used a slightly different technique, tracing the images using a projector and filling in the outlines using paint and brushes. Check out the books below to learn how Warhol and other artists created works of art that inspire our hearts. Read More

Jazzy is a Miniature Australian Shepherd, which is actually an American breed of dog. Jazzy lives in California, and her favorite activities include going on walks, playing “catch” with her red frisbee, and having her tummy rubbed. To celebrate National Walk Your Dog Month, check out these books featuring lots of fun facts and great stories about dogs: Read More

Hats have been worn for thousands of years. In fact, Egyptian artwork from 3200 BC depicts a man wearing a straw hat! Hats can be practical – keeping people comfortable in the sun or rain. They can also be purely decorative, like the tiny “doll hats” worn atop huge wigs in the 18th century, and the “fascinators” still worn for special occasions today. For some fun stories featuring hats, check out the books below: Read More