Animal Explorers: Party with the Penguins

 

 

Hey everybody! Welcome to this meeting of Animal Explorers! I'm Ms. Meghan, and for fifteen years I was an animal keeper at different zoos.  Now that I'm here at the Galesburg Public Library, we're going to explore the animal kingdom together! Each month you can pick up a Animal Explorers kit and become an expert on a new animal! Then you can come and talk about it at our club meeting.

This month we're going to party with the penguins! World Penguin Day is April 25th and we're teaming up with Penguins International to bring you some great educational material! There are 18 species of penguin and they almost all live in the Southern Hemisphere. What's one thing you learned about penguins? Tell the club in the comments below. 

Animal Explorers: It's Not Easy Being Green

 

 Hey everybody! Welcome to this meeting of Animal Explorers! I'm Ms. Meghan, and for fifteen years I was an animal keeper at different zoos.  Now that I'm here at the Galesburg Public Library, we're going to explore the animal kingdom together! Each month you can pick up a Animal Explorers kit and become an expert on a new animal! Then you can come and talk about it at our club meeting.

This month we're going to interface about frogs (and why there are no synonyms for 'talk' that start with the letter f)! There are about 7300 frog species, making up over 80% of all amphibian species! What's one thing you learned about frogs? Tell the club in the comments below. 

Thornwood

Thornwood

by Leah Cypess

New York: Random House Children's, 2021

 

This middle grade debut is Sleeping Beauty like you've never seen it before, about a girl who lives in the shadow of her older sister and the curse that has haunted her from birth.

For years, Briony has lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Rosalin, and the curse that has haunted her from birth--that on the day of her sixteenth birthday she would prick her finger on a spindle and cause everyone in the castle to fall into a 100-year sleep. When the day the curse is set to fall over the kingdom finally arrives, nothing--not even Briony--can stop its evil magic.

You know the story.

But here's something you don't know. When Briony finally wakes up, it's up to her to find out what's really going on, and to save her family and friends from the murderous Thornwood. But who is going to listen to her? This is a story of sisterhood, of friendship, and of the ability of even little sisters to forge their own destiny. The first in a three-book series of fairy tale retellings, these are the stories of the siblings who never made it into the storybook.

 

This is a gorgeous, dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on sisterhood and saving your own self and family, rather than waiting for someone to do it for you. Illusions abound and the encroaching thorns genuinely creeped me out. There's twists and turns and lost memories, and whoever said fairy godmothers had to be good? I definitely recommend this for fairy tale lovers who can handle darkness and danger, and I look forward to the author's next book. 

Thornwood will be available from Galesburg Public Library after its April 6, 2021 publication. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC.   

Animal Explorers: On Beyond Groundhog!

 

Hey everybody! Welcome to this meeting of Animal Explorers! I'm Ms. Meghan, and for fifteen years I was an animal keeper at different zoos.  Now that I'm here at the Galesburg Public Library, we're going to explore the animal kingdom together! Each month you can pick up a Animal Explorers kit and become an expert on a new animal! Then you can come and talk about it at our club meeting.

This month we're going to rhapsodize about rodents! There are about 1400 rodent species, making up over a quarter of all mammal species! Which species did you become an expert in? What's one thing you learned about your rodent? Which rodent species is your favorite? Tell the club in the comments below. 

Animal Explorers: Bundle Up with Polar Animals

 

 Hey everybody! Welcome to this meeting of Animal Explorers! I'm Ms. Meghan, and for fifteen years I was an animal keeper at different zoos.  Now that I'm here at the Galesburg Public Library, we're going to explore the animal kingdom together! Each month you can pick up a Animal Explorers kit and become an expert on a new animal! Then you can come and talk about it at our club meeting.

This month we're going to bundle up and learn about polar animals. Which species did you become an expert in? What's one thing you learned about your species? Which polar animal is your favorite? Tell the club in the comments below. 

Kid Review: Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

 

Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

By Dianne K. Salerni

New York: Holiday Housem 2020.

From the Publisher: It's 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans.When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor and fourteen-year-old Alice are suspicious. The cousins don't get along, but they know something is not right. This ghost is more than a pesky nuisance. The authorities claim he's safe to be around, even as his mischievous behavior grows stranger and more menacing. It's almost like he wants to scare the Roosevelts out of their home - and no one seems to care! Meanwhile, Eleanor and Alice discover a dangerous ghost in the house where Alice was born and her mother died. Is someone else haunting the family? Introverted Eleanor and unruly Alice develop an unlikely friendship as they explore the family's dark, complicated history. It's up to them to destroy both ghosts and come to terms with their family's losses.

Reviewed by: Elinor, age 9.

This book was pretty good. I do think it was pretty scary so I guess the right age group would be 9 and up. I liked how the cover featured the ghost lamp. I think the way the cover and the words on the back at first glance make the book look A LOT less scary. I was surprised at the end. If you look very close at the cover you might be able to tell it was scary but the cover told a story which I really liked. Overall I would give it four stars and I would recommend it to others. 

Animal Explorers: Oh Deer!

 

Hey everybody! Welcome to this meeting of Animal Explorers! I'm Ms. Meghan, and for fifteen years I was an animal keeper at different zoos.  Now that I'm here at the Galesburg Public Library, we're going to explore the animal kingdom together! Each month you can pick up a Animal Explorers kit and become an expert on a new animal! Then you can come and talk about it at our club meeting.

This month we're going to discuss deer! Several species are familiar to us, like our own white-tailed deer, as well as moose, reindeer, and elk. Which species did you become an expert in? What's one thing you learned about your deer? Which deer species is your favorite? Tell the club in the comments below.