Glancing at the headlines yesterday I saw that meteorologists have made predictions for the coming of spring this year to see if they aligned with Punxsutawney Phil. Interestingly, they believe that we’ll see six more weeks of winter and spring will appear in a “near normal” manner. And while that is something to look forward to, right now I am so excited that we have six more weeks to snuggle up with a great book. So let’s take a look at some of the new books that have arrived with the New Year.

“Sloth Wasn’t Sleepy” by Kate Messner is a sweet bedtime story about a little sloth who is too beset by worries to be sleepy. Her mother teaches her to breathe deep, feel the night breeze, and let all her worries blow away like a leaf in the breeze.

“13 Stories about Harris” by Amy Schwartz is a silly collection of short stories about, you guessed it, Harris. Some of the stories are very short, others are a bit longer, but all of them give you a glimpse into a toddler’s world from the perspective of a toddler and a parent.

“Show Me a Sign” by Ann Clare LeZotte is a fascinating junior historical fiction about hereditary deafness on Martha’s Vineyard from 1640 through the late 1800’s. In one small community on the island, one of every four residents was born deaf. These communities often created their own sign language. The last native speaker of MVSL, Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, died in 1952. This is the story of Mary Lambert who felt safe and protected on the island until her brother died. Land disputes erupt between the settlers and the native tribe and Mary becomes the subject of an experiment to investigate the hereditary deafness within her small community.

“Yuzu the Pet Vet” by Mingo Ito is a manga for the junior reader. Yuzu is a kind and compassionate 11 year old who is forced to live with her uncle while her mother is hospitalized. Yuzu’s uncle is the vet at Blue Sky City Bow Meow Animal Hospital. She’ll be helping her uncle at the animal hospital but having never had a pet before, Yuzu is afraid of animals. This lovely story about how Yuzu finds friendship and a home just when she feels she’s lost both. This is a true manga written in the Japanese style of writing right to left. But don’t worry if it seems confusing there is a wonderful guide to help you through it included in each volume.

If you are looking for a new non-fiction book, try “Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular” by Kira Vermond. (Junior 306 Vermond). Learn how seemingly random toys, game and fashion can turn into “the next big thing,” how the word spreads, and how fads are made, not born, by advertisers. Vermond also delves into “Bad Fads” and gives us a glimpse at how propaganda can be used to change minds and lives.

New for the Young Adult fiction is “This Will Be Funny Someday” by Katie Henry. Izzy seems to be a shy, quiet sixteen year old, but is that the truth? Or is she in a bad relationship with a controlling boyfriend who speaks for her and overwhelmed by her siblings and high-powered parents? When she finds herself on stage during open mic night at a comedy club she discovers that she has a lot to say. This is a funny and poignant coming of age story where Izzy finally finds her voice.

If nothing here catches your eye, no worries, I have plenty more on the NEW shelves in the Children’s Room and the YA section of the public library. Come on in and take a look for yourself.