This year’s summer reading program theme is “Tails and Tales” so I thought I would introduce you to some animal tales you might want to check out this summer.

“Agent Lion” by David Soman and Jacky Davis (Picture Book Soman) is a silly tale about the mystery of a missing cat and a bumbling detective who’s been asked to find him. This picture book will make you shake your head at Agent Lion’s antics trying to find the missing cat. Will he ever find the lost pet? “I Am Not a Dog Toy” by Ethan T. Berlin(Picture Book Berlin) is a picture book about a little girl who is given a teddy bear for her birthday and is less than impressed with the gift so she tosses it to her dog. The bear goes out of his way to get the girl to pay attention to him because he believes they are meant to be best friends. Throughout all of his attempts dog is his steadfast companion. Bear finally realizes that friends are sometime found in the most unlikely places. In “The Chicken Who Couldn’t” by Jan Thomas (Picture Book Thomas), Chicken’s crate falls out of the back of a farmer’s truck on the way home from the fair. Chicken needs to find her own way home but is convinced she can’t make it on her own. A host of characters come to her aid, but Turtle is the most helpful by helping Chicken learn to believe in herself.

If graphic novels are your favorite genre make sure to check out the “Owly” series by Andy Runton. In “Flying Lessons” (Junior 741.5973 Runton) Owly and Wormy discover a new animal in the tree and they can’t wait to meet her. Unfortunately, Shadow the flying squirrel is afraid of Owly, so she avoids him. No matter what Wormy says Shadow is not convinced she shouldn’t be afraid. At the same time Owly is dealing with his own fear of flying. Will Owly be able to overcome his fear in order to save his best friend? The Owly series have won multiple awards including the Eisner Award for Best Publication for a Younger Audience. “Bear” by Ben Queen (Junior 741.5973 Queen) is a beautifully written graphic novel about a guide dog that loses his sight, and feels as though he has lost his purpose. After listening to some misleading advice from a raccoon, Bear ends up in the forest alone and has to rely on his other sense to find his way back home.

There are few fiction books outside of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series where you will find a cat as the main character, so it’s refreshing to have “Leonard (My Life as a Cat)” by Carlie Sorosiak (Junior Fiction Sorosiak) on the shelf. Leonard is not really a cat; he’s an alien who was given a chance to spend a month on Earth as a human for his 300th birthday. Leonard chose to spend his month as a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park. But something goes terribly wrong in the transfer and he ends up as a cat in the middle of a North Carolina flood. Leonard is rescued by Olive who needs something to take her mind off her own troubles. Once she fully realizes who Leonard really is she tries to help him with his bucket list. They manage to see a movie, play board games and spend time at the local aquarium. But as his month on Earth grows to a close, Leonard must figure out how he will get back to his home when he is supposed to be picked up in Yellowstone. This is a sweet and funny story and Leonard’s thoughts about how cats clean themselves will make you laugh out loud!

You will find a great new non-fiction series on our shelf this month. “Be a Dog Expert” (Junior 636.7088 Barder) is part a series called “Be a Pet Expert” by Gemma Barder. Each book is packed with information on your favorite animal. Other subjects in the series include cats, rabbits, horses, reptiles, as well as hamsters and guinea pigs.

As I mentioned last month the summer reading program started on June 14 and will continue until August 16. There is no need to sign-up, simply stop in the Children’s room and pick-up a Bingo sheet, a Downtown Scavenger Hunt sheet and a weekly Take and Make activity kit. Check out Red the red panda down in the back hallway to see how the circulation count is going.

Teens can pick-up their Bingo sheet and Take and Make activity kits at the Service Desk. Make sure to stop upstairs in the YA Fiction space to find more activities for teens. We’ll see you at the library!