by Lauren Castillo

When a little boy spends the weekend with his nana, who lives in an apartment in the city, he is unsure about the new experiences the city offers. But with Nana's special help, he quickly discovers that cities are a perfect place for Nanas to live and boys to visit. 

Is your young reader a city child like Eloise, or not accustomed to the hustle and bustle of big city life like the little boy in Nana in the City? If the latter, your young reader might share some of the little boy's fears. Nana in the City inspires independence and being open to new things. Lauren Castillo's book shows young readers that visiting new places and having new adventures is not such a scary thing after all! 

In this Issue

• City Shapes Art Activity
• Make a Paper Bag Cape
• Soft and Chewy Pretzels

By Norton Juster
Illustrated by Chris Raschka

After a hard winter, the Kentucky weather has started to take a turn towards spring. Milder temperatures have settled in and spring green is starting to fill in the brown, barren landscape. The warmer days have given us all spring fever and we are rellishing our return to spending more and more time outside. In these first few weeks of spring, the time spent outside seems extra special. The simple chores of cleaning up after winter still seem like a reward and the sightings of robins, buds on the trees, and daffodils booming make the days special. 

Our book for this week is also a celebration of simple thinks like counting starts, gathering treasures from the yard, and playing with the garden hose. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster takes readers through a little girl's overnight visit with her generous, fun-loving grandparents and you finish the book feeling just as loved and happy as if you too had been a special visitor. Illustrated by Chris Raschka (winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal and creator of A Ball for Daisy) in a loose, energetic style that perfectly matches the everyday magic of this special book. 

In this Issue

• Outside the Window Drawing
• More "Hello, Goodbye Window" Fun
• Poppy's Banana-Raisin-Oatmeal Muffins

by Simms Taback

We have often commented on our propensity to save a really good box, an unusual jar, and our most recent save - some very interesting die cut corrugated cardboard shapes used for packing in a shipment of tea we received. While this is most likely a very common trait in kindergarten teachers as well as artistic types, what allows us to be classified as savers and not hoarders is our talent (or is it a curse?) is seeing the numerous possibilities for a second life for these recyclable treasures.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat exemplifies the message of recycle and reuse. Readers will delight to see how Joseph stared with an overcoat that became a jacket that became a vest that became... until it finally became a book. Using colorful collages and die cut pages, Simms Taback adapted the traditional Yiddish folk song he grew up loving into a spirited, classic picture book that shows readers you really can make something out of nothing.

You Might Also Enjoy: The Button Box

In this Issue

• Textile Collage
• Watch and Learn: I Had A Little Overcoat
• Apple, Raisin, and Almond Kugel

by Robert McCloskey

Beloved author Robert McCloskey wrote and illustrated Blueberries for Sal, a gentle adventure story that won the Caldecott Honor Book award in 1949. From the minute you open the cover you will feel yourself relax and be drawn into the world of Little Sal and Little Bear.

The beautiful two-page introductory illustration of Sal and her mother canning blueberries sets the tone for this sweet book filled with just enough suspense that young readers will be holding their breath in anticipation. The gentle humor of two mothers' mix-up will appeal to kids’ sense of humor and the detailed blue-black illustrations allow readers to feel they too are on Blueberry Hill on a beautiful, sunny day. A true classic every book lover will treasure for years to come.

In this Issue

• Blueberry Paint
• Blueberry Yogurt Pops