In this issue:
Children's Programs
HCPL Children's Staff
New Children's Books and Audio

Summer may be over but Harris County Public Library continues to offer children's programs throughout the year! Each of our libraries offers a weekly preschool Story Time and most also offer Baby Time and Toddler Time--introducing books and a love of the library to our youngest customers.

All of our libraries offer an afterschool or Saturday program at least once a month. It could be a craft, movie, science club, chess club, game time or some other special program.

Check out the calendar for your local branch library to find out what is offered near you:

Calendar of Events

Miss Chrissy

Chrissy Cortez is the Children’s Librarian at the Tomball College & Community Library.  She has been there for over 4 years.

What do you like to read?
I like all different genres. Carl Hiaasen is one my favorite adult authors. Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of my favorite children’s authors. When you read one of her books, you feel like you are there with her.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
I loved Switcharound by Lois Lowry.

What are your hobbies?
Besides reading, I also like to go to the movies, listen to music, and surf the internet.

What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was reading. I like reading because books take you to another place. When I read a book, I feel like I am there with the characters. Reading books also stirs up my imagination. I remember reading about grubs, so I wrote a little story about a stuffed bear who hunted for grubs at night.

What do you like best about your job?
I love performing for the kids whether I am doing a storytime or a puppet show.  My favorite thing is hearing the kids laugh.

Anything else you want to share about yourself?
I’m a real bookworm, so the library is the perfect workplace for me.

What are you reading right now?
I am rereading A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks.

Mr. D

David Novosad (Mr. D) is the Children's Librarian at the LaPorte Community Library. He has worked for Harris County Public Library for 9 years. He began as a Circulation Assistant at the Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library and then became the Children's Assistant at the Laporte Community Library in 2001. He moved into his current job earlier this year.

What do you like to read?
I love ghost stories. Although I have never seen a ghost, I know they must be out there, somewhere.  Mary Downing Hahn is my favorite author of ghost stories. 

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
My favorite book was Woody Woodpecker Shoots the Works.  I was willing to eat spinach, squash and even broccoli to get my mom to read it after dinner.  This book has this great ending where Woody sets off fireworks that explode a mountain of fresh popcorn.  Listening to the story would take away all of the broccoli taste from my mouth.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy playing the sport of badminton, making sport of poetry, and sporting white tube socks while listening to my favorite local music group.  The band’s name is Trout Fishing in America, and they write songs about things that really matter.  One of their songs is about a kid in a library who discovers an alien living in his nose.  He faces the awkward problem of how to discretely dispose of it!

Do you have any pets?
No, but I used to have an ant-lion that would devour any ants that I tossed into its pit of death!  An ant-lion is this tiny creature that buries itself in fine sand and then waits for insects to stumble across its secret lair.  My ant-lion was named Pete.  But I called him “Pete the Pitiless”.

What do you like best about your job?
I like to show kids just how much fun finding things out in the library can be.  I believe that we have something for everyone here, and I also believe that all of our problems in life are due to a lack of good information.  OK, that, and I get to be Santa’s little helper at Christmas!

Anything else you want to share about yourself?
Yes.  My elementary school librarian was a real life Madam Pince.  She was just as mean as the librarian in the Harry Potter series.  She made us all cry if we could not learn the Dewey Decimal System.  She was in league with our elementary school music teacher, who made us all cry if we could not learn the families of musical instruments.  We cried a lot back then.

What are you reading right now?
I am reading Mon Chien Est un Éléphant, which means My Dog Is an Elephant.  It is a very funny French picture book about a boy who finds an elephant hiding in his sandbox.  To help this elephant escape home, the boy disguises it to look like different animals, including a dog.  As you can imagine, this does not work out so well.

Tedd Arnold. Green Wilma, Frog in Space

Green Wilma the frog is mistaken for an alien child and taken on a trip through space.

Keith Baker. Just How Long Can a Long String Be?!

Be it tied to a balloon, or kite, or hanging a picture, or stringing a banjo or a mop, a bird explains to an ant how long a string needs to be.

Deborah Chocolate. El Barrio

A young boy explores his vibrant Latino neighborhood, with its vegetable gardens instead of lawns, Nativity parades, quinceañera parties, and tejana and salsa music.

Regis Faller. Polo and the Magic Flute

In this story told through wordless illustrations, a simple boat ride turns into a magical adventure for Polo the dog.

Joanna Harrison. Grizzly Dad

One morning Dad wakes up in such a bad mood that he turns into a bear.

Helen Lester. Tacky Goes to Camp

Tacky the penguin and his friends go to Camp Whoopihaha where they scare each other by telling ghost stories around the campfire, never expecting that one of the frightening stories will come true.

Linda Urban. Mouse was Mad

Mouse struggles to find the right way to express his anger, modeling the behavior of Hare, Bear, Hedgehog, and Bobcat, only to discover that his own way may be the best way of all.

Salina Yoon. Super Babies On the Move

After following Baby Mia as she sneaks out during naptime to go to the playground, the reader may turn the book upside down to watch Baby Max skip bathtime to join in a backyard animal chase.

David A. Adler. Young Cam Jansen and the 100th Day of School Mystery

To celebrate their 100th day of school, Cam and Eric's class party will have snacks that start with "P"--pretzels, popcorn, pineapple juice, and pizza. But when the pizza disappears from the kitchen, it's up to Cam and her photographic memory to solve this delicious mystery.

Doug Cushman. Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Missing Books

Investigative reporter Dirk Bones sets out to discover who is stealing books in the town of Ghostly.

Eleanor May. Keesha's Bright Idea

Keesha's plans to save energy in her household conflict with her brother's band rehearsals, until they find a way to work together.

Nan Walker. The Bay School Blogger

When Bailey starts a blog about her school, her hardest task is keeping her identity a secret, especially when her ideas for fixing the problem of overly-heavy backpacks make her blog famous.

Sue Bentley. Muddy Paws

When Beth spends two weeks at her aunt's farm over the summer, her encounter with a magic puppy helps her make friends with her annoying cousin.

Niki Daly. Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club

A controversial new teacher at Bayside Preparatory School introduces the exciting world of art to aspiring artist Bettina Valentino and her fifth-grade classmates, encouraging them to see everyday life in a different way.

Gail Donovan. In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog

When irrepressible fifth-grader Josh finds a five-legged frog in his backyard pond, it leads to him learning a lot about amphibians--and himself.

Kimberly Jones. The Genie Scheme

When twelve-year-old Janna, who lives in a small house with her single mother, helps a homeless woman who turns out to be a genie, she discovers how interconnected the world really is.

Michelle Knudsen. The Dragon of Trelian

A mage's apprentice, a princess, and a dragon combine their strength and magic to bring down a traitor and restore peace to the kingdom of Trelian.

James Roy. Max Quigley: Technically Not a Bully

After playing a prank on one of his "geeky" classmates, sixth-grader Max Quigley's punishment is to be tutored by him.

Elissa Brent Weissman. Standing for Socks

At the end of fifth grade, Fara decides to wear mismatched socks as a statement of individuality, but once middle school starts and she wants to be known for her ideas rather than her clothing, she feels burdened by an image that she no longer wants.

Jim Arnosky. Slither and Crawl

Explains how to identify venomous snakes and their harmless cousins, where to find a 200-pound lizard, how to avoid becoming an alligator's lunch and features snake fangs, alligator claws, and turtle shells--all life-size!

Harry Bliss. Luke on the Loose: A Toon Book

A young boy's fascination with pigeons soon erupts into a full-blown chase around Central Park, across the Brooklyn Bridge, through a fancy restaurant, and into the sky.

Jarrett Krosoczka. Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

The school lunch lady is a secret crime fighter who uncovers an evil plot to replace all the popular teachers with robots.

Zachary Pitts. The Pebble First Guide to Rocks and Minerals

A basic field guide format introduces 13 rocks and minerals.

Scot Ritchie. Follow That Map!

Introduces mapping concepts to children and assists them in mastering this essential skill.

Mary Engelbreit. Mary Engelbreit's Nursery Tales

A collection of twelve classic tales for your enjoyment with a Mary Engelbreit touch.

Andrew Clements. Extra Credit

As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other. Read by Gabra Zackman.

Lenore Look. The Alvin Ho Collection: Books 1 & 2

A young boy in Concord, Massachusetts, who loves superheroes and comes from a long line of brave Chinese farmer-warriors, wants to make friends, but first he must overcome his fear of everything. Read by Everette Plen.

Michael Reisman. Simon Bloom, the Octopus Effect

When twelve-year-old Simon becomes the official Keeper of the Order of Physics, he and his friends Owen and Alysha face extreme danger as they try to protect the Universe from destruction by evil forces. Read by Nicholas Hormann.

Mary Rodgers. Freaky Monday

Thirteen-year-old Hadley begins to better understand her teacher and herself when she has to spend a day in her teacher's body. Read by Jennifer Stone.

Sesame Street Playground

A musical journey through Sesame Street productions around the world.