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HPL Kids

The Kidzone has programs galore as well as books, movies, and other cool stuff. Read our blog below for more information and check out our upcoming events to get an idea of what's happening at the Kidzone! Our main phone number is 205.444.7830.

Recent Book Reviews

Horten's Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure
Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom & the Challenges of Bad Hair
A Mutiny in Time
Starry River of the Sky
Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
Iron Hearted Violet
Jake and Lily
Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Me and the Pumpkin Queen
Read All About It!
The Boy on Cinnamon Street
Nerd Camp
The Classroom
Smells Like Dog
Mission Unstoppable
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
The Mark of Athena
A Whole Lot of Lucky
Alien on a Rampage
One for the Murphys

More of our favorite books on GoodReads »

Kidzone Blog

It's Reading Cats and Dogs! #3

Are you ready for something a bit more sophisticated?  Because this isn't just a list of cat books.  This is an inventory of Feline Fiction.  If you think you're a cat lover who has read it all, think again.
Cat Diaries: Secret Writings of the MEOW Society by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey & Laurie Meyers
Cat Found by Ingrid Lee
The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead George
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles De Lint
Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin (#1)
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson (#1)
The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin
Highway Cats by Janet Taylor Lisle

Who Needs Words?

Bet you never expected word-obsessed me to post a blog with a title questioning the necessity of words!  And guess what?  I mean it.  The question is totally valid . . . when applied to wordless picture books.  Wordless books tell the story with amazing illustrations and give you the opportunity to supply your own words.  Wordless books are great for kids who need to work on their language skills by creating accompanying stories -- either through speech or writing.  They are also an excellent catalyst for children with vivid imaginations and a flair for dramatics.  The best thing about wordless picture books?  You never outgrow them!  They are a perfect fit for any age, even adults.  Here are some of my very favorite wordless books.  Pick one up for your classroom or family today.
Bluebird by Bob Staake
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden
The Boy & the Airplane by Mark Pett
Chicken and Cat Clean Up by Sara Varon
The Crocodile Blues by Coleman Polhemus
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Frog on His Own by Mercer Mayer (one of a series)
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief by April Wilson
Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
Tuesday by David Wiesner
The Umbrella by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
Wave by Suzy Lee
Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage
 

A.B.C. = August Book Challenge, Round Six

You've heard it before -- from your parents, your teachers, and your librarians.  "Watching the movie is NOT the same as reading the book.  Plus, the book is usually better than the movie."  But you don't have to take our word for it.  Conduct your own comparison.  This week's challenge, Book Vs Movie, encourages you to pick a pair and decide which is better, the book or the movie.
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild VS Ballet Shoes (2008)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo VS Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
The Borrowers by Mary Norton VS The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson VS Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White VS Charlotte's Web (1972)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming VS Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau VS City of Ember (2009)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman VS Coraline (2009)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine VS Ella Enchanted (2004)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling VS Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Heidi by Johanna Spyri VS Heidi (2005)
Holes by Louis Sachar VS Holes (2003)
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen VS Hoot (2006)
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell VS How to Eat Fried Worms (2006)
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks VS The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke VS Inkheart (2009)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick VS Hugo (2011)
The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes VS The Iron Giant (1999)

Schoolhouse Rockin' for 40 Years

Who would have guessed that a Saturday morning cartoon show (actually, it was more like a blurb) that debuted in 1973 would still be teaching history, grammar, math, and science to kids in 2013?!  The toe-tapping, fact-filled songs of Schoolhouse Rock! still fly off the shelves here at Hoover Public Library.  Find out why "Three Is a Magic Number."  Listen to "The Shot Heard 'Round the World."  Connect with "Conjunction Junction."  Meet "Inter-planet Janet."  I've just doubled our Schoolhouse Rock collection, so it should be easy to do.
Schoolhouse Rock!: America
Schoolhouse Rock!: Earth
Schoolhouse Rock!: Election Collection
Schoolhouse Rock!: Grammar
Schoolhouse Rock!: Money
Schoolhouse Rock!: Multiplication
Schoolhouse Rock!: Science
Schoolhouse Rock!: Special 30th Anniversary Edition
 

It's Reading Cats and Dogs! #2

This week is going to the dogs, and that's a good thing!  This list of Picture Books with Bark is dedicated to my very favorite kind of pooch -- the small but mighty dachshund.  With a special shout out to Lucky and Zambezi!
10 Little Hot Dogs by John Himmelman
Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Bark George by Jules Feiffer
Bertie Was a Watchdog by Rick Walton
Boot & Shoe by Marla Frazee
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden
Cosmo Zooms by Arthur Howard
Daisy 1-2-3 by Peter Catalanotto
Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail by James Horvath
Do Your Ears Hang Low? by Caroline Jayne Church
Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley
Doggone Dogs! by Karen Beaumont
Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! by Diane De Groat
Don't Lick the Dog by Wendy Wahman

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