Everybody Loves a Parade

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
by Melissa Sweet
32 pages
2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-19945-0

Find it at your library!

Have you ever wondered who came up with the idea for the giant balloons featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Well, stop wondering because Melissa Sweet has the answer for you. Balloons Over Broadway introduces readers to Tony Sarg, a creative puppeteer who loved to figure out how to make things move. His relationship with Macy's department store began when he created wonderful marionettes and scenes for their storefront windows. Soon Macy's wanted Tony to help them with something bigger: a parade. After much work, Tony figured out how to create upside-down marionettes which became the giant balloons we still see in the parade today. Melissa Sweet has created a visual feast with this picture book biography. Her mixed-media collages, watercolors, and toys are beautifully intricate and imaginative.

Winner of the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal and 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award.

A Dragon, a Griffin, a Cyclops! Oh my!

 King Arthur's Very Great Grandson
by Kenneth Kraegel
32 pages
ISBN: 9780763653118

Find it at your library!

Henry Alfred Grummorson is a brave little boy. Of course, one would have to be brave if descended from one of the bravest knights to ever live. Henry is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of King Arthur of Britain. On the morning of his sixth birthday, Henry sets off for adventure with his trusty donkey, Knuckles. Together they journey into hills, mountains, valleys, and the sea in search of monsters to battle. During their travels, Henry attempts to fight a Dragon, a Cyclops, and a Griffin. But none of these terrible beasts is willing to engage in a battle of strength and might. Perhaps the enormous Leviathan lurking beneath the surface of the sea will be ready to fight Henry.

Written and illustrated by newcomer Kenneth Kraegel, King Arthur's Very Great Grandson is a charming adventure story for all ages. What begins as Henry's search for swordplay and a battle to the uttermost ends with his finding something much more rewarding. His great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather would be proud.

Hee-Haw! Ol' Bloo Just Wants to Sing!

Ol' Bloo's Boogie-Woogie
Band and Blues Ensemble
Written by Jan Huling
Illustrated by Henri Sorensen
ISBN: 9781561454365

Find it at your library!

Ol' Bloo is a donkey who has spent his life hauling cotton in the fields. Now that he is getting on in years, he's looking forward to retiring, taking it easy, and just singing his heart out. But the farmer who owns Ol' Bloo has a different kind of retirement in mind. When Ol' Bloo overhears the farmer telling his wife that it is time to put Ol' Bloo out of his misery, that donkey decides that it is time to seek retirement elsewhere.

Ol' Bloo is pretty well convinced that everyone would just love to hear his bee-you-tee-ful voice, even though he sounds like an accordion falling down the stairs. So he decides that singing in a New Orleans honky-tonk will be just the ticket. As Ol' Bloo sets out, he meets a variety of other down-on-their-luck animals, all of whom love to sing and love the idea of going to the Big Easy. So, together Ol' Bloo, Gnarly Dog, One-Eyed Lemony Cat, and Rusty Red Rooster make a rag-tag band of not-so-great musicians ready to seek their fortune. But on their way to New Orleans, the quartet happens upon a ramshackle house in the middle of the woods where a trio of thieves is just sitting down to eat...

This book is a Louisiana-version of the classic folk tale, The Bremen Town Musicians. So, if you want to have a good laugh and find out what happens to Ol' Bloo and his friends, you'll need to read Ol' Bloo's Boogie-Woogie Band and Blues Ensemble by Jan Huling. This book is one of the 15 nominated titles for the 2013 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award for 3rd- 5th grades.

And the winner is...

The 2012 LYRC 3rd-5th grade winners have been announced!

The winning title is The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman; illustrated by David Roberts.

Miss Breakbone has gone too far this time. Now, the Dunderheads will have to do something about it. This is a wildly funny story about a group of misfit students with special talents who decide to teach their horrible, kid-hating teacher a lesson.

The honor goes to Sassy: Little Sister Is Not My Name by Sharon M. Draper.



Poor Sassy! No one ever calls her by her real name. Everyone always calls her "Little Sister", and Sassy is getting sick of it. Why can't her family realize she doesn't want to be known as "Little Sister"? But one day, Sassy realizes being little has its advantages.

LYRC 2012: Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

ISBN:9781416949299

Find it at your library!

Who dislikes doing homework? Yeah, it's not the most fun thing in the world. Well, Abby Carson doesn't just dislike doing homework; she hates it. She hates it so much that she just doesn't do it. Now she's failing her classes, and it looks like she'll have to repeat 6th grade. Abby can't stand the idea of being held back, so she begs her teachers for help. She promises to do all her homework, study extra hard, and asks if there is anything she can do for extra credit. So her teacher lets her pick an extra credit assignment out of a box. The slip of paper she chooses says that she must find a pen pal in a foreign country. Abby's teacher has contacts in three countries around the world: China, Indonesia, and Afghanistan. Abby loves rock climbing, so she asks if any of these countries have mountains. Her teacher directs her to a globe which is where she sees that Afghanistan has mountains. So, Abby writes to a student there and waits for a response.

Halfway around the world in Afghanistan, a letter arrives at a school from a girl in the United States. The letter is requesting a pen pal, and the teacher at the school wants his best student to be the one to write this girl. But there is a problem: the best student is a boy. In Afghanistan it is inappropriate for boys and girls to correspond in this manner. The teacher requests that the village leaders make an exception for Sadeed Bayat. He is very bright and has an exceptional grasp of the English language. The village leaders say no, but will allow Sadeed to help his little sister write letters to Abby. This seems to be the perfect solution for this situation. But Sadeed soon grows tired of helping his sister and does not find her letters to be very interesting. So he decides to secretly write letters to Abby. This could lead to big problems for Sadeed. And Abby might be facing problems, too. If you want to find out what happens with these pen pals, then you should read Extra Credit by Andrew Clements.

There are 15 titles nominated for the 2012 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Grades 3-5 Award. Students must read or listen to at least 3 titles in order to vote for their favorite. Votes must be in by February 1, 2012. Contact your local library to vote for your favorite!

The Ravenous Readers Book Club will be discussing Extra Credit at their meeting on Thursday, October 13th at 4pm at the Moss Bluff Library.

Summer Reading!!

Wow! The Summer Reading Program is cruising right along. We are only two and half weeks into it, and there are already over 2,000 children registered and over 4,500 books logged! That is awesome!

The Summer Reading Program is for babies through 5th grade. Children must read 10 books or have 10 books read to them by July 15th in order to complete SRP. If you haven't registered yet, don't worry. You can register online throughout the summer or at your local library. Our website explains how to register and log your books.

The books that are read do not have to be library books; you can read books you already have at home. Also, you can count the books that are read at storytime or other programs towards your completion. Once you have read or listened to your 10 books, please stop by your local library to get your prizes. You will receive a completion certificate, coupons, and a Library Champion yard sign. Happy Reading!!

Spotlight: 2012 LYRC Grades 3-5 Nominees

The Brixton Brothers #1: The Case of the Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Adam Rex

ISBN: 9781416978152
Find it at your library!


Have you ever daydreamed about being a detective? Investigating mysteries and solving crimes? Well, those are exactly the things Steve Brixton dreams of doing, just like his favorite supersleuths The Bailey Brothers. Steve consults his copy of The Bailey Brothers Detective Handbook constantly and is always on the lookout for any suspicious activity. But what Steve never thought would happen is that he would be mistaken for a REAL detective AND become a fugitive from the law. And just where did this case of mistaken identity take place? At the library!! While Steve is trying to check out a book for a school assignment all kinds of craziness happens and he is surrounded by secret-agent Librarians who believe he holds the key to solving a mystery. And no matter how much he tells them, nobody believes that Steve is just an average 12 year-old. Everyone is convinced that he is a REAL detective. Will Steve be able to rise to the challenges before him? Can he solve this case? And will he have time to write his paper? Find out in The Case of the Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett.

This book is one of the 15 nominated titles for the 3rd- 5th grade Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award for 2012.