As a former library worker, I sometimes feel I'm in a position to complain about our library system. For example, notice how each title is obscured by the bar code sticker. Drives me crazy. But we are able to find or reserve a lot of good books there, and they've even bought three books that I requested they add to their collection. Here are 4 books Toby and I have enjoyed together in the last month.
by Byrd Baylor
I don't remember which website or booklist recommended this book, but I reserved it from the library. It's written in rhyming verse and tells the story of a boy who lived long ago; although his people have never met another group of people and believe they are the only ones, he wonders if maybe somewhere else in the world there is another boy like him. Tobias enjoyed the story enough to request it several times, and it was interesting to ponder together how people lived in such a different way.
by C.W. Anderson
Came across this series as something recommended for younger kids who are learning to read. Toby and I enjoyed the story, and we shared the job of reading it: I would take one page and then he would take one. I think my dad would like this book, so maybe Toby can read another in the series with him!
by David Weitzman
Toby grabbed this one off the shelf at the library. I guess I'm a book snob because half the time when he picks something it is strange or junk and I try to return it as soon as possible, maybe even on the way out the door the same day. But this one was great. An old photo album prompts a grandmother to tell her grandkids all about the airplanes the great-grandmother flew and how and why they were built. We both learned that "pusher" airplanes had the propeller in the back to push the airplane, and "tractors" had the propellor in front to pull the airplane through the air. He built both kinds out of Duplos afterwards. There was a lot of historical information that was over Toby's head (WW1 and WW2), as well as some of the science (weight of aluminum vs. cast iron...he didn't know what an aluminum pop can was so my explanations fell flat). This would be a great book for us revisit again in a few years again.
by Elizabeth Rusch
Some of the science in this book was over my head, but I did understand most of it. It explains Nikola Tesla's life: how he became interested in electricity, his rivalry with Thomas Edison, how he lit up the Chicago World's Fair with electric lights for the first time, and how many of his inventions we use today. Toby's favorite part was when Tesla sent 250,000 volts of electricity through his body without killing himself. Apparently if it is alternating fast enough, it travels through the edges of the body and doesn't zap your heart. Don't try it at home though. This is another book that would be beneficial to read again when we are both older and understand electricity and motors more.
