Recommended by Librarian Becky O’Neil and Adult Service Librarian Mindy VanHouten

Jump!
By Scott M. Fischer
In this lively rhyming picture book, every page turn reveals a bigger animal. To get out of the way, you might have to JUMP! This book is great for reading aloud and participation.

Stone Voice Rising
By C. Lee Tocci
In a world of whispering stones and corporate evil, Lilibit and six other orphaned children with mysterious powers battle a shape-shifting enemy in this teen fiction book.

Conspiracy 365: January
By Gabrielle Lord
In the first of a 2010 teen lit series, which will release a new thriller each month, Callum Ormond is given a disturbing warning on New Year’s Eve: “They killed your father. They’ll kill you. You must survive the next 365 days.”

Baby Sign Language Basics: Early Communication for Hearing Babies and Toddlers
By Monta Z. Briant
Because babies can understand words and signs before they can speak, signing with your baby is a form of communication that can reduce frustration.

Bright from the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, from Birth to Age 3
By Jill Stamm, with Paula Spencer
A pioneer in the field of infant brain development, Stamm presents the idea that what babies need is as simple as A-B-C: Attention, Bonding and Communication.

The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education
By Diane Ravitch
The former assistant secretary of education applies more than 40 years of experience to explore how today’s current educational system, which is based on standardized test scores, is not preparing students for life beyond the classroom.

How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them
By Daniel Wolff
From Benjamin Franklin to Elvis Presley, the learning experiences of 12 notable Americans are brought to life in colorful narrative, showing some of life’s best lessons are learned outside the classroom.

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan
By Greg Mortenson
Mortenson shares his mission and the work of his nonprofit group – the Central Asia Institute – to create schools for girls in the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, while facing obstacles such as Taliban violence and the Kashmir earthquake of 2005.