Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Summer (Slide) is Coming!

The school year is winding down but the youth services departments at public libraries are gearing up for a season of engaging and entertaining library programming and activities. All year your public library works hard to advance literacy skills and academic performance but because studies show that students that don’t regularly read over the summer experience a setback, or a slide/slump, in reading skills it is especially important to engage children in reading and reading-related activities between the last and first day of school.  

The Greenburgh Public Library has developed a self-directed Summer Reading Game for the children in our community because we understand that choosing your own reading material from a diverse selection promotes a life-long love of reading for pleasure. Everyone in the Children’s Department is ready, willing, and able to help you find the perfect book from our robust collection. However, if you can’t make it in, your Greenburgh Public Library card gets you access to a ton of free digital resources that give you access to books (including graphic novels/comic books), audiobooks, newspapers, and magazines.

Other activities to consider are cooking, crafts, field trips (reserve museum passes for free from GPL) and more.

Here is an especially rocking list* to get you started on your summer reading journey:

Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

ISBN: 9780375824296

Publication Date: 2005-04-26

After a long day of work, Farmer Joe goes home to bed. But meanwhile, back at the barn . . . Cow sets up her drums. Pig plugs in his amp. Goat tunes his bass. Chicken sets up her keyboards. And Sheep checks the microphone. They are Punk Farm and tonight they're ready to ROCK! With adorable farm animals - and a surprise tribute to Old MacDonald - this rollicking tale is sure to have kids cheering--and singing--along. Ages 3-7

 

Punk Farm on Tour by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

ISBN: 9780375833434

Publication Date: 2007-10-09

FARMER JOE IS heading off to a Tractor Society Conference in Reno. But meanwhile, back at the farm . . . . . . Cow, Sheep, Pig, Goat, and Chicken are getting ready to rock across the U.S.A. as they set out on a Punk Farm tour! Only, their beat-up old tour van is threatening to ruin their plans. Can the wheels on the van go round and round all the way from Maine to Colorado? This rollicking sequel to Punk Farm will have kids cheering along as their favorite rock star farm animals take the nation by storm! Ages 3-7

 

What Is Punk? by Eric Morse; Anny Yi (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781617753923

Publication Date: 2015-10-06

This unique primer uses clay figure artwork and rhyming text to teach children about the origins and history of punk rock. This is a great way for parents who love the Ramones and Velvet Underground to share their passion and appreciation of this rebellious music with the next generation. Ages 3 - 7

 

Every Little Thing by Bob Marley; Cedella Marley; Vanessa Brantley Newton (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781452106977

Publication Date: 2012-09-12

Music is meant to inspire and uplift, and no one did that better than Bob Marley. The littlest readers will love Every Little Thing, which uses the lyrics of Marley’s “Three Little Birds” (and a few new verses) to get them smiling. Ages 3 - 6

Forever Young by Paul Rogers (Illustrator); Bob Dylan

ISBN: 9781416958086

Publication Date: 2008-09-23

Turn your kids on to newly-minted Nobel laureate Bob Dylan with this interpretation of one of Dylan’s most well-known songs. The dreamy illustrations, designed to evoke Dylan’s life and the time in which the song was written, will take you back decades and prove that everything old is new again. Ages 4 - 7

 

Jimi by Gary Golio; Javaka Steptoe (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780618852796

Publication Date: 2010-10-04

Jimi Hendrix’s music was groundbreaking, provocative, eclectic, and original, just like the man himself. An extraordinary guitar player, Hendrix was once just a boy living in a boarding house with a one-string ukulele and big dreams. This is the story of his early years. Ages 6 - 9

 

Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis; Paul Rogers (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780763639914

Publication Date: 2012-10-09

Music is, at its core, a collection of sounds, so what better way to teach children about it than by making them aware of the sounds all around us and how we might put them together to create unforgettable songs. Ages 4 - 8

 

Violet's Music by Angela Johnson; Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator); Huliska-beith Laura (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780803727403

Publication Date: 2004-01-05

Violet, like most children, is a natural musician. She spends her days making music with whatever she can find. Rattles, horns, even her own voice fill her world with sound, but Violet finds she’s always making music alone. Until the day she meets children who like to jam as much as she does. Ages 4 - 8

 

Rock and Roll Highway by Sebastian Robertson; Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780805094732

Publication Date: 2014-10-21

I had never heard of Robbie Robertson before, but true rock and roll aficionados know the story of this talented guitarist who was inspired by the music he heard on the Six Nations Indian Reservation. Trace his journey from Canadian school boy to founder of The Band to Grammy award winner and film score composer. Ages 6 - 9

 

Libba by Laura Veirs; Tatyana Fazlalizadeh (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781452148571

Publication Date: 2018-01-16

This lyrical, loving picture book tells the story of the determined, gifted, daring Elizabeth Cotten--one of the most celebrated American folk musicians of all time. Elizabeth Cotten was only a little girl when she picked up a guitar for the first time. It wasn't hers (it was her big brother's), and it wasn't strung right for her (she was left-handed). But she flipped that guitar upside down and backwards and taught herself how to play it anyway. By age eleven, she'd written "Freight Train," one of the most famous folk songs of the twentieth century. And by the end of her life, people everywhere--from the sunny beaches of California to the rolling hills of England--knew her music. Ages 5-8

 

Elvis by Bonnie Christensen (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780805094473

Publication Date: 2015-04-21

Elvis was revolutionary for his time, although kids probably find him tame now. Take your kids back to 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi so they can understand how a shy, church-going boy turned the music world upside down. Ages 6 - 9

 

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton; Brooke Boynton Hughes (Illustrator); Tomie dePaola

ISBN: 9780451532374

Publication Date: 2016-10-18

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton, illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes Rock and roll’s cousin is country music, and Dolly Parton is one of its queens. Her poor childhood is the stuff of legend, and inspired her song “Coat of Many Colors”. Parton has turned that song into a touching children’s book to remind us that poor families may lack for money, but they don’t lack for love. Ages 4 - 9

 

Gus and Me by Keith Richards; Theodora Richards (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780316320658

Publication Date: 2014-09-09

A musician’s inspiration can come from many places, and for Keith Richards, it came from his grandfather, who introduced him to the guitar. That simple gesture started Richards on his incredible musical career and continued a legacy of creativity that Richards passed on to his daughter, whose artwork illustrates this touching family story. Ages 4 - 7

 

The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) by Kathleen Krull; Paul Brewer; Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780547509914

Publication Date: 2013-03-19

The Beatles were cute and talented and took the world by storm, but they were also wickedly funny. Spend some time with this vibrant and boldly illustrated picture book to find out just what made them laugh. Ages 6 - 9

 

When the Beat Was Born by Laban Carrick Hill; Theodore Taylor (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781596435407

Publication Date: 2013-08-27

For fans of hip hop, this child-friendly biography of one of the genre’s pioneers, Clive Campbell, aka DJ Kool Herc, is a must-read. Inventive illustrations compliment the narrative, which shows how one person’s creativity changed the face of music. Ages 6 - 10

 

Who Was ....? Series by Various

Call Number: Various

ISBN: 9780515157628

Publication Date: Various

Pick your favorite musician and dive into their lives with the Who Was...? series. Rock stars from Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and the Beatles and more are covered, so every young reader can find someone to relate to. Ages 9 - 12

 

*List by Devon Corneal of ReadBrightly.com