Patch Picks: 5 Books Picked By Local Librarians, For Kids And Adults

In honor of National Reading Day, this week’s installment of Patch Picks brings you reading suggestions from two Ardmore librarians. Below is a list of children’s librarian Gail McCowm’s picks for children and parents to read together, followed by librarian Jane Quin’s picks for older readers.

1. Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mark Artell - This New Orleans twist on Red Riding Hood is written in New Orleans patois and is “a beautiful funny book about Mardi Gras and New Orleans and all those great little New Orleans traditions,” McCowm said. Instead of a big bad wolf, there’s a big bad alligator.
2.  "Every Minute On Earth: Fun Facts That Happen Every 60 Seconds" by Steve Murrie - "Every Minute on Earth" contains fun and funny trivia for kids with “wild cartoony illustrations of all of it,” McCowm said.
3. “A Family of Poems” edited by Carolyn Kennedy - This book of poems subtitled “My Favorite Poetry for Children,” is full of poems and gorgeous watercolor paintings. “The day we got it, I bought one for myself. It is fabulous,” McCowm said.
4. “Only You” by Rosemary Wells - Wells, who wrote the popular Max and Ruby books, wrote this book as a young bear’s loving poem to his mother.
5.  “You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You: Very Short Stories to Read Together” by Mary Ann Hoberman - This book contains early readers stories in two voices. The stories are written line by line in different colors: one for the child, one for the parent, and one to read together. “They are adorable, absolutely amazing,” McCowm said.

Library Jane Quin suggested the following reads for adults:

• "Blind Your Ponies"  by Stanley Gordon West
• "The Cookbook Collector"  by Allegra Goodman
• "Some Sing Some Cry"  by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza
• "Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters"  by Donald Bogle
• "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand