Great Books About Sports

Today we have a roundup of great sports books to share with you - many of these were found on the Bleacher Report's 10 Greatest Sports Books Ever Written plus a few extra goodies that we recommend.

• A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour by John Feinstein
• Heaven is a Playground by Rick Telander
• My Losing Season by Pat Conroy
• Paper Lion by George Plimpton
• The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
• Loose Balls: Easy Money, Hard Fouls, Cheap Laughs, and True Love in the NBA by Jayson Williams and Steve Friedman
• Ball Four: The Final Pitch by Jim Bouton
• Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
• The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World by Jere Longman
• Pretty Good for a Girl by Leslie Heywood
• The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
• Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters by Joan Ryan
• Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball by Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford
• Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever by Jack McCallum

Find these books in RockCat, the library's online catalog, or give us a call and we'll put them on hold for you!

Picture Books About Thunderstorms

A lot of kids are really interested in weather—especially thunderstorms! Some kids love ‘em, others not at all. 

Reading and learning about thunderstorms can be a great way to help kids understand what’s happening behind the bright flashes and loud booms that come during a storm. Here are some great picture books about thunderstorms to check out!

• Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson
• Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
• Waiting Out the Storm by JoAnn Early Macken, illustrated by Susan Gaber
• Boom! Boom! Boom! by Jamie A. Swenson, illustrated by David Walker
• Thundercake by Patricia Polacco
• Franklin and the Thunderstorm by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Brenda Clark
• It’s a Thunderstorm! by Nadia Higgins, illustrated by Damian Ward (non-fiction)

Find these and other great books in RockCat, the library's online catalog and ordering system.

Books About Kindergarten

‘Tis the season for back-to-school book lists, and today we’re sharing some great picture books about kindergarten! I don’t need to tell any of you that the anticipation of starting kindergarten can be both exciting and stressful for kids and their families, but these books can help start conversations about what you might expect in the kindergarten classroom.

• Planet Kindergarten by Sue Ganz-Schmitt, illustrated by Shane Prigmore
• The Pocket Mommy by Rachel Eugster, illustrated by Tom Goldsmith
• On the Way to Kindergarten by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Elisabeth Schlossberg
• The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Mike Lowery
• Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss
• Miss Bindergarten Has a Wild Day in Kindergarten by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
• Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Daniel Jennewein
• Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Amy Wummer

Put these and other books on hold by going to RockCat, or give the library a call at 608-882-2260! 

Listen Up! Audiobooks for Family Trips

Are you gearing up for a final road trip before school starts in September? Check out these recommended audiobooks for family road trips to keep you and your gang occupied!

• The Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary
• Winnie-the-Pooh series by A.A. Milne
• Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder (read by Cherry Jones)
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald
• Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
• Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• Hank the Cowdog series by John R. Erickson
• The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart
• How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
• Matilda by Roald Dahl

Books to Ease Pre-Preschool Jitters

Before library programs go on summer break, we’re doing a Heroes at School story time with one of our awesome local 4K teachers! 

There are a lot of kids in Evansville who are going to be starting 4K or preschool in about a month, and so today we’re highlighting great picture books that can help with nervous jitters or worries about starting school.

• The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Amy Wummer.
• Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney.
• What to Expect at Preschool by Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff.
• I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child.
• Preschool Day Hooray! by Linda Leopold Strauss, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata.
• Rosie Goes to Preschool by Karen Katz.
• Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins.
• The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna.

Check out one of these books by visiting the library, calling us at 608-882-2260, or sign in to RockCat and put them on hold yourself!

UNBROKEN

Next month, our book club will be reading Unbroken:: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.  Unbroken follows Louis Zamperini as he trains for the Olympics and enlists in the war.  It is a captivating read, and I could not put it down. 

Laura Hillenbrand is also the author of Seabiscuit: an American Legend, and both of her works have been made into movies.

For more information on Laura Hillenbrand and her work, visit her website: http://laurahillenbrandbooks.com/

Already finished reading Unbroken?  Here are some other books you may want to try.

Devil At My Heels: a Heroic Olympian's Astonishing Story of Survival as a Japanese POW in World War II by Louis Zamperini

An American Plague: the True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester

Lost in Shangri-La: a True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Ghost Soldiers: the Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission by Hampton Sides

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel Brown

Into Thin Air: a Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

Shadow Divers: the True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson

Double Cross: the True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre

Check one out today!

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=9781400064168/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

This month's selection for Book to Movie Club is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Lee's novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and the movie starring Gregory Peck won 3 Oscars: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Writing/Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium, and Best Art Direction.  It was also nominated for Best Picture!

And, as I am sure you are aware, Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman is now available.

Can't get enough of To Kill a Mockingbird?  Try one of these read-alikes!

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora
Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington

Remember, Book to Movie Club meets on Thursday, July 30th at 6:00pm at Creekside Place!

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=0060194995/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12