By Kathryn Tatnall

Youth Services Librarian

My favorite part of the month is when the new books arrive at the library. I love to look through every book I have ordered for the Children and Teen areas of the library. Some go in a pile that I know I have to check out right away. Others will go on a list for future reading. And the rest go directly to the shelves after a good perusal. Here are a few that I found worth noting for you.

In “All of the Factors of Why I love Tractors” by Davina Bell (Junior Picture book Bell), Frankie is thrilled that his day includes a visit to the library. He finds his favorite book, but his mother wants him to try a new book or two. As Frankie cheerfully lists the reasons he loves tractors his mom becomes increasingly frustrated and it is left to the librarian to sort out. This is a wonderful rhyming book that highlights all of the amazing attributes of tractors.

“Fox and Hare were born in the spring, grew up in the summer, and were best friends by autumn”. In “A Thing Called Snow” by Yuval Zommer (Junior Picture book Zommer), best friends Fox and Hare are playing one day when Fox’s nose twitches and Hare’s ears prick up with a sharp wind. Bird tells the pair that snow is on the way. But the two don’t know what snow is and when they turn to ask, Bird has flown away. So they embark on an adventure, meeting Bear and Caribou along the way, to find out about this thing called snow.

Lego has two new books out this month, “How to Build Lego Houses” and “How to Build Lego Cars” (Junior Non-fiction 639.221) are both written by Hannah Dolan. These books offer over 30 ideas for houses and cars that range from simple homes and vehicles through castles and limousines. I like the feature pages in each book. You can learn how to build simple city street items like bus stops and newsstands as well as road traffic control to make your own city scape from Legos.

“Erik vs. Everything” by Christina Uss (Junior fiction Uss) is a funny and quirky middle grade read about Erik Sheepflattener who is afraid of everything. This might not seem like a bad thing until you meet his family. Descended from a line of strong Viking warriors, Erik’s family lives by the motto, “Conquer and Win.”Erik would rather cut and run. His sister, Brunhilde, and Erik are sent to spend the summer in Minnesota with their cousins. When Brunhilde finally sees Erik’s real fear behind his chorus of “no’s”, she decides to help him overcome his anxiety and help him live a little.

If you were thinking about the English monarchy, and who isn’t, the WhoHQ company has published a biography about Queen Elizabeth called, “Who Is Queen Elizabeth II?” by Megan Stine. The book details the Queen’s life from age ten to present day and all of the challenges she has faced along the way. From World War II, to the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, and to the death of her husband Prince Phillip this year. I like these biographies because they are easy to read and contain accurate information.

Please ask at the Children’s desk if there is something you’re looking for and can’t find right away; we’re here to help. Check out our monthly calendar of programming too. We offer a variety of activities for all ages, from story time to book club for teens. You can find more information on our website at www.newulmlibrary.org on the Library Events page.

The library is located at 17 N. Broadway and is open to the public Monday to Thursdays 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday and Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

The library will be closed in observance of the Christmas holiday on Friday, December 24 and Saturday, December 25. The library will reopen on Monday, December 27 at 9:30 a.m.