For Those Who Crawl and Drool
1. Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in A Ball
by Churchill & Fuge
A darling board book with vivid, captivating illustrations that follows Little Wombat's busy, noisy day until he curls
up at night for a good rest.
2. A Rainbow of My Very Own
by Don Freeman
Who hasn’t wanted to spend a day playing with a rainbow? This is a magical picture book that every child should own.
3. I Am America
by Charles Smith, Jr.
From clothes and music to religion and ethnicity, this joyful picture book celebrates modern American diversity with lots of full-color photos and fun poetic text.
4. Little Green
by Keith Baker
A clever board book with catchy poetic text that mirrors a young boy as he paints the movements of a hummingbird as it merrily zigs and zags outside his window.
5. In the Rain with Baby Duck
by Amy Hest
Fall in love with poor Baby Duck, a pouty, grumbling girl who doesn’t like getting wet in the rain. No one understands! Until Grandpa helps her find a clever solution to her problem.
Chapter Books For Elementary Readers
1. Night of the Twisters
by Ivy Ruckman
A high-action, fast-paced chapter book based on a 1980 disaster in which multiple tornadoes devastated a real Nebraska town, this fictional first-person narrative follows two young boys as they try to survive the night.
2. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo
This book, by Newbury Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo, is a surprising tale of adventure, self-discovery, redemption and love, all told through the most unlikely character.
3. Van Gogh Café
by Cynthia Rylant
Miracles are always in the making at the Van Gogh Café in Flowers, Kansas. Readers will share the wonder of ten-year-old Clara and her father Marc, the cafe's owner, as they witness a series of serendipitous occurrences involving stranded sea gulls, aged film stars, magic muffins, lost pets and mysterious travelers.
4. There’s a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
by Louis Sachar
A humorous novel about Bradley Chalkers, a friendless, lying, insecure bully who is learning to like himself and to make friends. Sachar deftly captures both middle-grade angst and joy.
5. The New Captain Underpants Collection – Boxed Set
by Dav Pilkey
Overflowing with humor, action, and that world-famous cheesy animation technique, Flip-O-Rama, this boxed collection will make kids laugh uproariously and, oh yeah, read!
For Like, Your Teen, Or Something
1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
A captivating and humorous novel about identity, friendship
and what it really means to have a tribe.
2. Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
The absorbing and gut-wrenching story of Melinda, a happy 9th grader turned social outcast who stops speaking almost entirely after a harrowing trauma turns her world upside down.
3. Too Stressed To Think: a Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You Crazy
by Annie Fox
A well-organized and upbeat book with real world tips to help teens manage stress.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
A funny, touching and memorable novel that captures the voice of a 10th grade boy teetering on the brink of adulthood with resounding accuracy. Note: you may have to explain to your teen what a mixtape is.
5. It’s Your World - If You Don’t Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers
by Mikki Halpin
A chatty book with great tips on how to find a cause you care about and make a real difference in the world.
For The Baby Boomers
1. Miss Alcott’s Email: Yours for Reforms of All Kinds
by Kit Bakke
An intriguing, imaginary correspondence in which Bakke and Louisa May Alcott exchange e-mails across time, many on the subject of how women can maintain a life of purpose while entering middle age.
2. 100 Greatest Baby Boomer Toys
by Mark Rich
A nostalgic picture book of the toys and playthings from the baby boomer generation.
3. The Five People You Meet In Heaven
by Mitch Albom
A ponder-worthy, easy-to-read book that reminds us that our small gestures and seemingly insignificant actions might actually be impacting another person’s world in a powerful, life-altering way.
4. A Deadly Silver Sea
by Bob Morris
The fourth Zack Chasteen mystery finds the former football player and ex-con, and his very pregnant wife, at sea, aboard a luxury cruise ship that has just been hijacked by armed terrorists.
5. You’ve Earned It, Don’t Lose It: Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make When You Retire
by Suze Orman
A specialist in retirement issues and a Certified Financial Planner, Orman shares advice, in a straightforward manner, for those new to navigating the often-confusing course of retirement planning.
For HER
1. Loving Frank
by Nancy Horan
This great historical novel retells the true story
of Frank Lloyd Wright's most tragic love affair.
2. Gorgeously Green
by Sophie Uliano
Start living a stylishly "green" lifestyle with oodles of great tips, practical advice, and eco-conscious product recommendations.
3. Talk Before Sleep
by Elizabeth Berg
A gripping chick-lit novel about female friendship, tragedy and self- discovery.
4. Soul Sisters: The Five Sacred Qualities of a Woman’s Soul
by Pythia Peay
For any woman on a spiritual journey, this is the perfect field guide.
5. Ellen Foster
by Kaye Gibbons
One of our favorites about a young orphan living in the south who overcomes tragedy and creates family her own way.
For HIM
1. Ignore Everybody
by Hugh McCleod
Irreverent and creative perspective on how to unlock your own brilliance and unleash it on the world.
2. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
by Daniel H. Pink
We're not left-brain haters, but this book illustrates
the power of creative thought.
3. The Scarecrow
by Michael Connelly
Crime writer and national superstar Michael Connelly hits hard with this nail biting thriller.
4. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories
Ernest Hemingway
A collection of classic short stories by history's manliest writer.
5. Who are we kidding?
Most guys really prefer reading magazines. Here are some great ones:
For The Poetry Lover In Your Life
1. Actual Air
by David Berman
Open it up to any page and be pleasantly surprised by lines like, “…he felt his book was ineffective / like a watercolor of a fire engine / or a statue of the fastest man alive.” Cerebral, hilarious, historical, hysterical, irreverent, read it already.
2. Brutal Imagination
by Cornelius Eady
A collection of startling poems with an entire section devoted to Susan Smith, the woman who accused a non-existent black man of driving her car full of children into a lake. The poems move from Smith's head, to that of the interrogating officers', to the shadow of the accused man himself.
3. Blood Dazzler
by Patricia Smith
An amazing and inventive collection of moments before, during and after Hurricane Katrina. Much like Eady's book, these poems take on many perspectives––the president, the drowned, a stray dog. Unflinching, devasting and yet hopeful, these poems break through the numbing sensation caused by news coverage and make you feel!
4. The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens
by Wallace Stevens
From the early poems he wrote in and about Florida, through the rest of his dual career as poet and lawyer for an insurance company, Stevens is always concerned with our imaginations. This book will challenge and unlock yours.
5. Ballistics
by Billy Collins
The former U.S. poet laureate is never carefree, but he is, as always, accessible and high-spirited, making light even when telling himself that nothing lasts.
For Your Green-Minded Friends
1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver
Novelist Kingsolver recounts a year spent eating home-grown
food and, if not that, local.
2. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan
This remarkably clearheaded book examines "our national eating disorder" (the Atkins craze, the precipitous rise in obesity) in a fascinating journey up and down the food chain.
3. It’s Easy Being Green
by Crissy Trask
A handy tool that helps even the busiest person make better choices for the environment today.
4. Wake Up and Smell the Planet
by Grist Magazine
A non-pompous, non-preachy, very humorous guide to greening your day.
5. Grow Organic: Over 250 Tips and Ideas for Growing Flowers, Veggies, Lawns and More
by Oste and Walliser
A fresh, welcoming, and common-sense approach to pesticide-free growing.
