Themed Bookshelves

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 in 2023, 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. To celebrate National Hat Day in 2023, check out even more great books featuring hats: Read More

Friends help us celebrate when things go well, support us when times are tough, improve our self-confidence, increase our sense of belonging, and reduce our stress. Is it any wonder that having friends is good for our health and well-being? Celebrate National Thank You Month in 2023 by discovering some of these great books about friendship! Read More

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s tallest snowman was built in 2008 in Bethel, Maine. Named Olympia, she was constructed out of 13 million pounds of snow. Her hat was 48 feet wide, her lips were crafted out of five car tires, and eight pairs of skis were used to create her eyelashes. Celebrate the first day of winter on December 21, 2022, with some of these lovely books about snow: Read More

The term ‘cupcake’ originally referred to how cupcakes were baked -- in a teacup! Not to confuse matters, but “cupcake” also once referred to a cake made with ingredients measured by the cupful (for example, 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs). However, this second type of cupcake was usually baked in a pan, not a cup. Today, cupcakes are typically baked in muffin tins. Does that mean cupcakes are muffins in disguise? Definitely not! Not only are the ingredients and mixing methods different for cupcakes and muffins, but cupcakes also have frosting (and frosting makes ALL the difference)! To celebrate National Cupcake Day on December 15, 2022, learn how to bake your own cupcakes and other sweet treats (including muffins!) with these fun baking cookbooks: Read More

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times between 1937 and 1948. Nobel Prizes are rarely given posthumously, and upon his death in 1948 Gandhi was no longer considered eligible to receive the Prize.  Over the past 120 years many remarkable people have been nominated for a Nobel Prize but never recognized as Nobel Laureates. Others have been forgotten or excluded when their partners received recognition. Celebrate Nobel Prize Day 2022 by reading about some of these outstanding individuals who didn’t receive a Nobel Prize (but perhaps should have). Read More

Scarecrows have been used by farmers to protect their crops for thousands of years. Europeans who emigrated to the US during the 18th century brought their custom of making scarecrows that resembled humans. They dressed their scarecrows in worn-out pants, shirts and coats, placed old hats on heads stuffed with straw, and tied red handkerchiefs around their necks. They called these scarecrows bootzamon or bogeyman. While today’s farmers no longer rely on scarecrows to protect their crops, the scarecrow has become a symbol of the fall harvest season. Celebrate the fall season in 2022 with some of these fun stories featuring scarecrows: Read More

Since 1938, the Caldecott Medal has been awarded every year by the American Library Association to the “artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin and written by Andrea Wang, was the Caldecott winner in 2022. The Caldecott Medal is named for English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886). Caldecott is credited with originating the modern picture book by using his colorful illustrations to help tell the story rather than simply reflect the written words. Created by Rene Paul Chambellan in 1937, the bronze medal’s design is based on one of Randolph Caldecott's illustrations for The Diverting History of John Gilpin. It features the image of a man riding a runaway horse surrounded by geese, dogs and children. To celebrate Picture Book Month in 2022, enjoy some of these gorgeous nonfiction picture books chosen by John Schu and Colby Sharp for their 2023 Mock Caldecott List, illustrated by Kate Berube, Sophie Blackall, Jason Chin, Christopher Denise, Chioma Ebinama, Eric Fan, Terry Fan, Deborah Freedman, Michaela Goade, Madelyn Goodnight, Edward Hemingway, Molly Idle, Yas Imamura, Rafael López, Deborah Marcero, Zahra Marwan, Meghan McCarthy, Daniel Minter, Frank Morrison, Christopher Silas Neal, Doug Salati, Erin E. Stead, Young Vo, and Gracey Zhang. And here we collected Jazzy’s 2022 Picture Book Month Bookshelf for you. Read More

The Diné, or Navajo People, welcome a baby into their community by celebrating the baby’s first laugh. As part of the celebration, the baby often receives a special gift of turquoise, and the meal might include rock salt, symbolizing a connection with the earth. Who gets to host this celebration? The person who first made the baby laugh!  To celebrate 2022 Native American Heritage Month, you can read more about the Diné first laugh celebration and the traditions and experiences of other Indigenous Americans in the books below: Read More

Cats sleep a lot. In fact, some cats sleep as much as 20 hours per day! But that doesn’t mean that cats spend all that time sound asleep. Most of the time, cats are just dozing and ready to jump up at a moment’s notice. Which is why we say that a person enjoying a quick, light sleep is taking a “cat nap.” :) To Celebrate National Cat Day, learn more about cats and their wilder relatives by exploring these great cat books, below. Read More