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Goodnight songs: A Celebration of the Seasons by Margaret Wise Brown

This book touches your heart with beautiful poetry, art and music.  There are twelve seasonal songs about nature and each one is brought to life with an award-winning artist.   It will be hard to decide whether to read or sing each poem.  This book contains a 12 song CD.

Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library

Ages 3-6 years

Click here to find this book in our catalog

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Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis with Robin Gaby Fisher

This is the story of Kaitlin Roig, a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  On December 14, 2012 she crammed 16 children and herself into a small classroom bathroom, saving their lives when a shooter entered the school and killed 20 children and six adults.  

Kaitlin was an adopted child who grew up in a loving and supportive environment with strong values and unfailing belief in God.  From an early age she knew she wanted to become a teacher.  She was thrilled when she got her dream job as a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook.  

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Happy Birthday, Yuyi Morales!

Enjoy one or more of her award-winning stories. Just click on the title to find the book in our catalog.

Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Little Night

My Abuelita

Nino Wrestles the World

Viva Frida

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I Am Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

This humorous book about spiders is full of interesting facts that just may comfort a person who is afraid of spiders (maybe).  For instance, did you know you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being fatally bitten by a venomous spider?  Does that make you feel better?  Consider the fact that spiders are helpful to have around because they can eat up 75 pounds of bugs in a year.  This book may help you to forget your fears or at least learn some new and interesting facts about spiders.

Reviewed by Michelle Zimostrad, Hoyt Library

Ages 4 ...

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The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

Gounded firmly in the darkly superstitious Welsh countryside, Brackston weaves a lovely romantic tale.  Never speaking a word and frightened by strange powers she does not fully understand or know how to control, Morgana Pritchard is beginning to arouse suspicions among the townspeople.  It is only after her fearful mother marries her off to Cai, a widow cattle drover from the far hills, that Morgana begins to realize the extent and the purpose of her gift. As Cai and Morgana’s love story unfolds and accusations of witchery begin to swirl about, Morgana learns to both h...

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It’s El Dia de los Muertos!

This is a special holiday for remembering deceased relatives and friends. Read The Day of the Dead: El Dia de los Muertosby Bob Barner.

Click here to find this book.

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Happy Horror Week!

In celebration of National Horror Week, here is a list of some of the best horror books for teens.  You can find most of them in our collections at the Public Libraries of Saginaw. Best Horror Books for Young Adults and Teens

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October 28 is National Chocolate Day!

Munch on your favorite candy bar while reading one of our recommended reads.

Click on the title to find the book in our catalog.

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

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2014 Goodreads Choice Award WinnerA beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.  Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.For other Goodreads Choice Award Winners in YA Fiction, click here.

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Kale and Coffee: a Renegade’s Guide to Health, Happiness & Longevity by Kevin Gianni

This is not just another diet/nutrition book that promises immediate and rapid weight loss and renewed vigor and health.   Gianni is a food blogger and internet celebrity, and this book really works best in those terms.  The time sequence jumps about from chapter to chapter and I found it somewhat hard to follow, but the book works well if you consider each chapter just an independent commentary.

In his search for the best diet, Gianni starts with vegan, vegetarian, paleo and raw foods diets, and rather than getting healthier he gets sicker.  This leads to a lot o...

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Better by Amy Robach

I finished reading this book a few days after the American Cancer Society came out with new guidelines on women receiving mammograms.  They have raised the age to 45 and have also recommended women over the age of 55 only get this done every other year.  Amy Robach, an anchor for ABC’s Good Morning America, was 40 when she found out she had breast cancer.  She had no previous risks or family history that would make her a likely candidate for cancer. 

The fact that she even found out was a fluke as she was just “doing” her job by having a mammogra...

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Happy Birthday

Today is Sarah Josepha Hale’s birth date. She is the poet responsible for Mary Had A Little Lamb.

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