Spring has finally sprung! I am so happy the vernal equinox has finally occurred and it’s spring. I am looking for green grass, new buds on the trees, flowers pushing up from the soil, and new books to read while I wait out the next three or four weeks until spring really starts here in south-central Minnesota.

Caldecott Honor author and illustrator Marla Frazee gives us an uplifting picture book about blessings with In Every Life. This book has very few words but they aren’t necessary. The message of this book is told through the beautiful illustrations that carry the idea that in all things there are blessings to be found.

Just in time for spring, Anne Wynter and Daniel Miyares have created Nell Plants a Tree. Before anyone climbed the tree to read within its branches, or scraped a knee trying to climb as high as they could, Nell found a seed and planted a tree. Before her grandchildren made a pie with the fruit of the tree, Nell watered the seed and made sure it had sunlight. This is a lovely story about how Nell as a young girl cared for and nurtured a tree, and how as an adult she has done the same for her family.

In Rock Out, a graphic novel by Stephen Shaskan, Pizza and Taco are starting a new rock band. They’ve got a name, the instruments, well sort of, and they are ready to set the rock and roll world on fire. At least they think they might. Hopefully this garage band will make it out of the garage.

A History of Words for Children by Mary Richards is a look at how humans have created ways to communicate with words. All around the world words are spoken and written in all different languages and with all different intents. Some are used to sell a product, some are used to entertain, and some are used to educate. All words and the way we use them have their own histories and this fascinating book illustrates it all.

In Jeff Millers’ Rare Birds, eleven year old Graham Dodds knows what it’s like to wait. He is waiting to hear what’s wrong with his mother from the next doctor. Waiting to find out where they will have to move for her next treatment. Waiting to find out if she will finally get the transplant she needs to save her life. While stuck in a hospital waiting room in Florida for the summer, Graham meets a girl. Lou needs a distraction as much as Graham. The two of them enter a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which lives in the local swamps that are filled with gators. The adventure to find this rare bird might just result in Graham finding something more important. He just might find himself. This is a beautiful story about love, hope, and how to survive in the face of uncertainty.

If you like cold case mysteries, you’ll want to read Maureen Johnson’s Nine Liars. The story starts in 1995 when nine friends, who have just graduated from Cambridge University, go to spend a week in the country before moving on with their lives. The week begins with a midnight game of hide & seek and ends with two of the friends found dead the next morning. The case was thought to be a robbery gone wrong. Stevie Bell, teen amateur sleuth, is in London for a study abroad program and to visit her boyfriend, David, who is taking college courses there. David’s friend Izzy has heard all about Stevie and is anxious to have her look into the case for her aunt, Angela, who was one of the nine. Stevie has solved two other high-profile cold cases in the United States. Izzy is certain her aunt knows more about what happened to her friends that night so long ago. After they ask Angela about the murders, she disappears. Stevie agrees to help Izzy find her, and find out what happened the night two of the nine liars were murdered.

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 – Thursday 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday – Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.