Children love to read books about animals and the Children's Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library has just received some new fun ones that I'd like to share with you.

Chloe (2012) by Peter McCarty. Chloe has ten older brothers and sisters and ten younger brothers and sisters which puts her right in the middle where she's happy to be. Chloe especially enjoys the evenings when the whole family gets together for family fun time. One evening dad brings home a surprise which threatens to ruin the family fun time that she loves. What can the surprise be and how does Chloe manage to bring everyone together? We first met Chloe in Henry in Love by McCarty and I think that this bunny will be having many more adventures to share with us, so stay tuned.

Dini Dinosaur (2012) by Karen Beaumont. After having a great time playing in the mud all day Dini Dinosaur is ready to take a bath, or is he? Children will laugh at Dini's antics but of course with mom's help Dini gets his bath and lovingly gets tucked into bed. Sweet story. Be sure to check out the other books by Karen Beaumont; another one of my favorites is Who Ate all the Cookie Dough?

My Rhinoceros (2011) by Jon Agee. What kind of animal can you buy in a store called "Exotic Pets?" A rhinoceros of course! Our little friend buys one and at first he is quite disappointed since his rhinoceros doesn't do much: he doesn't chase stuff, he doesn't roll over, he just sits around and keeps to himself - BORING! So it's off to a rhinoceros expert who tells him that rhinoceroses only do two things - they pop balloons and poke holes in kites, how pathetic! Or is it? This special rhinoceros, by using its talents, is able to catch two bank robbers plus our little friend learns about another one of its talents - this rhinoceros can fly! What a fantastic pet and what a fun book! Mr. Agee is the author of a dozen highly acclaimed picture books; check out Milo's Hat Trick, Terrific and Nothing.

I Got Two Dogs (2008) by John Lithgow. John Lithgow has written many books for children but this one is my favorite. The book , which is a song and is accompanied by a CD, is about two dogs named Fanny and Blue who are much loved by their owner. It's wonderfully illustrated and it is such a bouncy song that you won't be able to get it out of your head! Just listen:

When other people in the family give Buddy orders, Buddy always does the opposite.  When the boy gives orders, Buddy always does whatever he asks.  His advice is:  "You have to know how to talk to a dog."

The cartoonish illustrations make this book look very cute and fun to read.

Written by David Milgrim.

Grade level: Preschool-K-1.

When Rick is sick, his friend Jack comes to visit him and tries to help him in many different ways.  The book shows you how to help a friend when that friend gets sick.  It also shows you how to make a Friendship Award.

Written by author-Illustrator David McPhail.  Ages:  Preschool-K-1st grade

Some kids enjoy scary stories before bedtime... but what do ghost kids consider to be a scary story? Find out in the hilarious new picture book by David LaRochelle, The Haunted Hamburger. There are actually three separate stories in the book which father ghost tells to his wide awake ghost kids in an effort to get them to go to sleep. 

The first tale, the Scary Baby, is all about ghostly Uncle Ned who flies about town trying to scare various people without any luck whatsoever. When he finally ends up in the bedroom of the scary baby, the baby’s crying is so awful that he decides to hide in an open drawer - big mistake - as (spoiler alert!) the baby’s mother comes in and mistakes Uncle Ned for a diaper! While this is truly a horrifying thought for the ghost children listening to the tale, human kids will definitely get a kick out of the illustration of poor Uncle Ned turned into a baby’s diaper.

Then there is the title story in which boastful cousin Nell somehow gets defeated by a hamburger in a race, solving math problems, and even in a scary face making contest. The full page illustration of the hamburger’s winning scary face: two green pickle eyes, scary yellow mustard mouth, and ketchup red cheeks is sure to get a laugh from non-ghost kids.

Lastly the tale of the Big Bad Granny... most frightening of all to the ghost children - where ghost Grandma comes up the stairs with a “Thump Thump Thump” to kiss ghost children all over the face with her red lipstick if they don’t go to sleep!

Can you guess what these objects have in common? Give up? Well they are all characters in three brand new concept books you can find at the San Jose Public Library. Most children’s librarians will agree that a concept book is “a book intended for young children that focuses on colors, shapes, sizes, number and counting, and the alphabet.”  The following are new ones that I enjoyed and I think children will too:

Perfect Square by Michael Hall: It starts with a “perfect square that has four matching corners and four equal sides and is perfectly happy.”  As the week progresses our perfect square changes into things that are different but make him just as happy. Beautiful colors, beautiful shapes, a perfect book. Enjoy!

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray: A young girl bakes an apple pie and her pup wakes up to the delicious smell. He definitely wants a taste! He is Eager for it, he Jumps for it, he Ogles it, he Pines for it and so on through the alphabet. Will pup ever get a taste of that apple pie? Check out Apple Pie ABC to find out and learn the alphabet too!

Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin: Meet Pete the Cat who is wearing white shoes that he just loves so much that he sings about them.  But do they stay white, of course not. Follow Pete throughout his day as his shoes turn so many colors. Here’s a great clip of the author, Eric Litwin and illustrator James Dean performing their book!

Are you looking for great books to get your Preschool to First Grader interested in reading?  Rhyming and word families never seemed so fun! Check out the flip-a-word series by the Japanese illustrator, Yukiko Kido, and written by Harriet Ziefert. 

Each book highlights three different word families. Stop pop includes the –op, -un, and -an families. Pig Wig looks at words containing the letter combinations -ig, -ug, and -at, while Snake Cake features -ake, -oat, and -ant. Kids will have fun turning the pages with cut-outs representing each word family.  Your children will definitely be drawn to the bright, bold illustrations in this series. Check out Snow Bow  (-eat, -ate, and -ow), Quack shack (-ack, -ick, and -ock) and Wet Pet  (-et, -ed and -am).