Established 1956
April is Autism Awareness Month. This annual celebration “represents an excellent opportunity to promote autism awareness and acceptance.” In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we’ve put together a list of books that includes titles about neurodiversity, as well as titles that will help children cope with childhood fears.
[Read more…] about Books for Autism Awareness Month
April is a month full of celebrations including National Poetry Month. It’s also the Month of the Young Child, when we focus on the benefits of early childhood programs and services. In honor of this annual celebration, we’ve selected seven picture books that are perfect for reading aloud to the young children in your life — over and over again. [Read more…] about Picture Books to Read Over and Over (Again)
National Library Week is April 7 to 13. This annual observance, highlighting the contributions of our nation’s libraries and library workers, has been celebrated for more than 60 years! Let’s start the celebration by highlighting books featuring our favorite subject: libraries. This list includes mysteries, romances, and true tales from the front lines of library work.
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern
Kit, the isolated head librarian of Riverton, New Hampshire’s public library, finds herself drawn out of her shell by teenage Sunny, sentenced to community service for shoplifting, and former Wall Street hotshot Rusty. A quirky collection of library regulars rounds out the cast as the three come to terms with their pasts and find happiness.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
If you haven’t yet read Susan Orlean’s page-turning account of the Los Angeles Public Library and the catastrophic 1986 Central Library Fire, add it to your TBR pile. It received critical and popular acclaim and is a can’t-miss title for library lovers.
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
Timid librarian Martha Storm has spent her life helping everyone around her, but feels invisible herself. But when a strange package prompts her to investigate the mysterious death of her grandmother years before, that seems likely to change.
I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan
Sheridan delivers a collection of strange-but-true tales from her own and other librarians’ experience working on the front lines at the public library. From awkward conversations to unique reference questions, I Work in a Public Library will introduce you to the challenges and joys of public librarians everywhere.
The Undateable by Sarah Title
This first book in Sarah Title’s Librarians in Love series brings all your favorite romance tropes into the library. Librarian Melissa Bernard finds herself suddenly famous after she’s caught rolling her eyes in a viral video of a marriage proposal in her library’s stacks. Romance columnist Colin Rodriguez, unlucky in love himself and with his career on the line, approaches her with a different proposal – he’ll help her find love and get a story out of the deal. You can see where it’s headed, but do you really mind?
— Recommended by Jennifer M., Collection Management Coordinator
Have you heard of the Month of the Young Child? In April children, parents, and teachers focus on fun, creative ways to learn and grow. Join in with the 14th annual One Book, Every Young Child celebration, when libraries, child care centers, and early learning programs throughout Pennsylvania will share common books with children to promote the joy and benefits of reading. [Read more…] about One Book Every Young Child
“If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” – Emily Dickinson
April is National Poetry Month. After checking out this month’s Discovery Studio Poetry Month installation at the Quakertown Branch, you might be inspired to read some poetry. Because we couldn’t possibly begin to recommend every worthwhile book of poetry, here is a brief selection to get you started. From classic to modern, for every age, there is a poem waiting just for you and your head. [Read more…] about There is a Poem Waiting Just for You
There are so many wonderful children’s books out there, many of which we read ourselves when we were younger. It’s a wonderful experience to be able to read a book that you adored as a child to your own children.
Let’s face it though – some books don’t age too well. Sometimes the jokes are no longer funny, and sometimes things that aren’t intended to be funny are now hilarious. Enjoy the following list of books that have made me raise my eyebrows or laugh out loud for one reason or another. [Read more…] about Small Details in Children’s Books That are Weird
Is your TBR list growing and growing and growing — to the point that you may never finish the books on it? We’re sorry to tell you that it’s about to grow longer! You’re sure to find one or more books of interest in this list of new fiction and nonfiction titles. [Read more…] about More Titles for Your To Be Read List
Baby Sign Language is a unique form of wordless communication that lets babies as young as six months old, express to their caregivers their wants or needs. Non-verbal young children usually cry when trying to communicate and cannot be understood. However, learning and using Baby Sign Language will break the communication barrier, and the crying and frustration between the young child and their caregiver will disappear. When using Baby Sign Language with your child you are helping to create a connection. [Read more…] about Discover Baby Sign Language
Celebrate the vital role of women in our society by reading one or more titles from this list of nonfiction and fiction books by and about strong women.
If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt – from one of the greatest and prolific first ladies of all time who gave us quotes like “You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” this book chronicles her role as advice columnist for Ladies Home Journal and McCalls Magazine.
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren – Jahren tells her story of how she came to love science at early age, and her success as researcher and promoter of women in science shine through in this autobiography.
Galaxy Girls by Libby Jackson – filled with full-color illustrations, this book is short one-page biographies about 50 amazing and inspirational women who helped fuel space exploration from the 19th century to the present.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara – a true crime book detailing the author’s story of tracking down the Golden State Killer. Her work describes not only the search but also towns and lives irrevocably altered by the horror of the killer.
Hidden Figures: the American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly – before John Glenn orbited the earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians used their problem-solving skills to help launch those first rockets.
Becoming by Michelle Obama – an intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir from the former First Lady of the United States.
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu – this graphic-style book offer 29 compelling biographies of renowned women artists, scientists, athletes, explorers, activists, and more. This book is a great mix of famous women but also includes less recognized names and women of all ages and national origins.
Little Women by Lousia May Alcott – this story of a family of women bonded when the patriarch of the family is off at war has lasted for generations for its timeless messages of love, sisterhood, and fighting for what you want.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi – magic has disappeared under orders from the ruthless king in Zelie’s world. Now her mother has been killed, and Zelie has the magic running through her. She has one chance to strike against the brutal monarchy with the help of a rogue princess.
Recommended by Holly A., Collection Management Director
Celebrate Women’s History Month with your child with these new picture books written about strong women who made a difference in our world.
Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote by Kirsten Gillibrand
This is an inspiring picture book with gorgeous illustrations about ten suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote.
Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker
This book tells the bold story of Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA during the space race and was depicted in the film Hidden Figures.
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome
Enjoy this inspirational story and vibrant artwork about two tennis legends who were fierce competitors on the courts, but close sisters above all.
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe
This book tells the true story of eighteenth-century mathematician Sophie Germain, who stopped at nothing to solve the unsolvable and achieve her dream.
She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History by Chelsea Clinton
This book is the companion to Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger’s number one New York Times bestseller She Persisted. It is perfect for tiny activists, mini feminists, and little kids who are ready to take on the world.
Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor
The first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, tells her own story for young readers for the very first time.
What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton
Congresswoman Barbara Jordan had a big, bold, confident voice, and she knew how to use it. Learn all about her amazing career in this illuminating and inspiring picture book biography of the lawyer, educator, politician, and civil rights leader.
Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers? The Story of Ada Lovelace by Tanya Lee Stone
This picture book biography tells the true story of Ada Lovelace, the woman recognized today as history’s first computer programmer.
– Recommended by Kathleen L., Collection Management Librarian
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