2010 Caldecott

The Lion & the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney

Originally created as a one-day event to
celebrate the joy of reading on March 2,
Dr. Seuss's birthday, National Education
Association's Read Across America has
grown into a nationwide initiative that
promotes reading every day of the year.
Harris County Public Libraries celebrate
Read Across America Day with programs
at all of our branches.

Dr. Seuss Book List

2010 Coretta Scott King-
Illustrator

My People
Charles R. Smith, Jr.

Akhila Bhat

Akhila Bhat is a Children's Librarian at the Barbara Bush Branch Library. She has been there a little over a year.

What do you like to read?
I like reading picture books, juvenile fiction and some young adult fiction books. I love mystery and fantasy books. The Percy Jackson series and the 39 Clues series have been my favorite books to read.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
I grew up in India so I was exposed to lot of stories with morals behind them.  I liked to read Jataka tales in comic format. I also liked to read comics like Superman, Batman, Archie etc.

What are your hobbies?
I love to travel, watching movies, and listening to music.

What was your favorite subject in school?
Science was my favorite subject in school. The human mind and body always intrigued me. My curiosity about human mind led me to choose Psychology as my major in college. Math was not one of my favorite subjects, but I always worked extra hard on it and made good grades. Languages was also one of my strong areas in school.

What do you like best about your job?
Working with children is the best part of my job. I work with preschoolers during storytime and older kids during afterschool programs. When a child comes to me and hugs me after storytime it just makes my day. When I can provide programs that challenge the minds of older kids it makes me really happy. Opportunity to work with different age groups makes my job more interesting.

What are you reading right now?
I have just started reading Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Ms. Anna

Ms. Anna is the Children's Assistant at the Katherine Tyra @ Bear Creek Branch Library. She has been there over a year.

What do you like to read?
I like to read stories that make me laugh and make others laugh when I read them out loud. A couple of examples I like include Cock-a-doodle-moo! by Bernard Most and My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman.  My favorite kinds of stories have an underdog to root for where the main character goes against all odds to fight for hope and humanity!

What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
Almost anything by Tomie de Paola was a big hit with me.  Legend of the Bluebonnet, Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, and Strega Nona were at the top of my favorites list. I also loved Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree and Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina.

What are your hobbies?
One of my favorite things to do is to go to the park and walk new trails I haven’t been to before.  Nature can keep me fascinated for hours.  As I walk around, bugs and other creatures that I have never seen before suddenly appear. On my last walk I came upon two huge white tail deer at Telge Park.

What was your favorite subject in school?
I loved science in school. I am a very curious person; when I have a question I like to try to figure out the answer.  I still like watching science shows on TV and I like trying home-grown experiments with the children at the library. Scientists ask questions about the world around us and then gather up the things they need to find the answer.  I like to do the same.

What do you like best about your job?
I’m honored to hang out with an enthusiastic group of little ones and their dedicated and kind caretakers (they can be pretty enthusiastic too). The best part of spending time with this bunch is that they are always so creative with the projects we do. I have learned so much from the children’s exploration at Bear Creek.  Just last week we were playing with “snow dough” (familyfun.com).  Most of us made snow men, but I know one little girl made crepes!  This group is always reminding me that life’s possibilities are endless.

Anything else you want to share about yourself?
I love, love, love reading, but reading was not an easy thing for me as a kid.  I was not a fast reader, and it was hard for me to finish a book. Then I found stories that I really liked, and I began to read more and more.  I loved that I could go into a world the author created for me to visit.  Now, I can’t imagine my life without the stories and characters that help shaped me.

What are you reading right now?
I am reading My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult and a cluster of articles for school. 

Thad Krasnesky. I Always, Always Get My Way

A rhyming text tells the story of Emmy, who uses the excuse that she is "only 3" to avoid being punished for misbehaving. Eventually the family catches on to her pouting and tantrums and she is sent to her room to ponder her behavior.

Michael Rosen. Red Ted and the Lost Things

When a teddy bear is accidentally left on the seat of a train, he uses his ingenuity--and some new friends--to search for the little girl who lost him.

Jim Aylesworth. The Mitten

A retelling of the traditional tale of how a boy's lost mitten becomes a refuge from the cold for an increasing number of animals.

Lynne Barasch. First Come the Zebra

When two young Kenyan boys, one Maasai and one Kikuyu, first meet, they are hostile toward each other based on traditional rivalries, but after they suddenly have to work together to save a baby in danger, the boys begin to discover what they have in common.

Elizabeth Bluemle. How Do You Wokka-wokka?

A young boy who likes to "wokka-wokka, shimmy-shake, and shocka-shocka" gathers his neighbors together for a surprise celebration.

Sebastien Braun. Meeow and the Big Box

Meeow, a black cat, plays with a big box.

Margery Cuyler. The Little Dump Truck

A happy little dump truck, driven by Hard Hat Pete, hauls stones, rocks, and debris from a construction site to a landfill.

Mario Lopez. Mud Tacos!

Mario and his younger sister make tacos out of mud and other things they find in their Nana's backyard.

Toni Morrison. Peeny Butter Fudge

Children spend the day with their grandmother, who ignores their mother's carefully planned schedule in favor of activities that are much more fun.

Carol Roth. All Aboard to Work--Choo-Choo!

Animal mothers and fathers with various professions take the train to work and return at the end of the day to spend time with their children.

Irene Kilpatrick. Playdate with Lulu

In this early reader, Kai-lan has a playdate with her friend, Lulu! But there's a problem. Kai-lan wants to dance and Lulu wants to blow bubbles, and since they're playing apart, they're not having much fun. How will they find a way to play together?

Lori Haskins. Busy Tractors, Busy Days

See how busy tractors are each day on a farm.

Melissa Lagonegro. Big Friend, Little Friend

Join the characters from the Princess and the Frog in learning opposites.

Fran Manushkin. No More Teasing

The class bully loves to tease Katie Woo until she decides to ignore him.

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club

Nate and his dog Sludge help Rosamond discover who has been tearing pages out of her books.

Darleen Gailey Beard. Annie Glover is Not a Tree Lover

When her grandmother chains herself to the tree across from the school to save it from being cut down, fourth-grader Annie wants to die of humiliation, but when she dicovers the town's history, her attitude changes.

Trenton Lee Stewart. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, Benedict Society members Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance follow clues on an adventure that threatens to separate them from their families, friends, and even one another.

Tony KiTerlizzi and Holly Black. The Wyrm King

Nick,Julie, Laurie, and their friends try to prevent a hydra from destroying Florida.

Bruce Hale. Dial M for Mongoose

Fourth-grade detective Chet Gecko and his associate Natalie Attired investigate a series of mishaps that all seem to point to the school janitor.

Lynne Jonell. The Secret of Zoom

Ten-year-old Christina lives a sheltered life until she discovers a secret tunnel, an evil plot to enslave orphans, and a mysterious source of energy known as zoom.

Lauren Myracle. Luv Ya Bunches

Four friends--each named after a flower--navigate the ups and downs of fifth grade. Told through text messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative.

Emily Rodda. The Wizard of Rondo

Cousins Leo and Mimi return to the world of Rondo through their family's enchanted music box to rescue a missing wizard and foil the plans of the evil Blue Queen.

Jill Santopolo. The Ransom Note Blues

When the newspaper announces that something belonging to the whole town has been stolen, fourth-grade sleuth Alec Flint investigates, aided by his partner, Gina.

Catherine Stier. The Terrible Secrets of the Tell-All Club

When four fifth-grade friends complete a "tell-all" survey, tensions arise and come to a head during an overnight class trip.

Mark Teague. The Doom Machine

When a spaceship lands in the small town of Vern Hollow in 1956, juvenile delinquent Jack Creedle and prim, studious Isadora Shumway form an unexpected alliance as they try to keep a group of extraterrestrials from stealing eccentric Uncle Bud's space travel machine.

Brian P. Cleary. Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What are Similes and Metaphors?

Provides humorous explanations of similes and metaphors.

Peter Earnest. The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy

Created by the founding executive director of the International Spy Museum, who is also a former operative in the CIA’s Clandestine Service, this is the official handbook for kids who dream of one day becoming a spy or working in the intelligence field.

J. A. Kelley. Meteor Showers

An illustrated introduction to meteor showers that explains the differences between a meteor and shooting star, how meteors travel through the Earth's atmosphere, and related topics.

The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics

This treasury created for young readers focuses on comic books, not strips, and contains humorous stories that range from a single-page to eight or even twenty-two pages, each complete and self-contained. The comics have been culled from the Golden Age of comic books, roughly the 1940s through the early 1960s.

Stephanie Bearce. A Kid's Guide to Making a Terrarium

Instructions for making a terrarium, what is needed and what can be grown.

Lisa McCourt. I Miss You, Stinky Face

In Lisa McCourt's second Stinky Face book, Mama calms her nervous son over the phone. As Mama explains that nothing will keep her from getting home safely to him, her loving son imagines Mama braving all sorts of elements and experiences to get home. Read by Kristen Krohn.

Mac Barnett. The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

When twelve-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. Read by Arte Johnson

Fred Gipson. Old Yeller

The story of a Texas pioneer family in the 1860's and the big yellow stray dog that profoundly affects their lives. Read by Peter Francis James.

Gary Paulsen. Woods Runner

From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, who is a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes. Read by Danny Campbell.

Michaela Morgan. Dear Bunny

A family of matchmaking mice help two love-struck bunnies overcome their shyness and realize their true feelings for each other. Read by Skip Hinnant.

Arlene Mosel. Tikki Tikki Tembo

When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names. Read by Marcia Gay Harden.