BOOKS TO BORROW

"The Quilt" by Gary Paulsen, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 83 pages

In rural Minnesota in 1944, a 6-year-old boy is spending the summer with his strong and loving grandmother, Alida. The men have gone off to fight in the war, leaving the women behind to run the farms. The boy helps as much as he can, but when he and his grandmother are called to his cousin's farm to help with the birth of her first born, there is little he can do.

Women quickly fill the house. All have come to help, and while they wait for the baby to come, the women work on the quilt - the quilt of the boy's family. Each patchwork holds a story, and as they share the stories with one another, the boy learns about love and sadness, sorrow and joy, death and new life.

Beautifully rendered, this tender novel speaks quietly of what is most important in life.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Wheeler Library, 101 Main St., North Stonington

Library Director: Amy Kennedy

Children's Services: Larae Fowler

Choices this week: "When Marian Sang" by Pam Munoz Ryan; "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges; "Butterfly's Treasure" by Schimm Schimmel

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"20 Questions: Why Do Feet Smell? And 20 answers about the human body" by Gilda & Melvin Berger, photos various sources, Scholastic, 2012, 48 pages, $4.99 paperback

Read aloud: age 5 and older.

Read yourself: age 6, 7 and older.

Twenty interesting questions and answers about the human body are found in this gem of a book and are certain to fascinate kids. Included are questions/answers to "Why do noses run?", "Are yawns contagious?", "What gives you goose bumps?" and much more.

This no-nonsense approach to answering questions kids have about the human body is further enhanced with color photographs on every page.

"Wolves" by Laura Marsh, photos various credits, National Geographic Kids, 2012, 32 pages, $3.99 paperback

Read aloud: age 4 and older.

Read yourself: age 6, 7 and older.

Perfect for both newly independent readers and for younger kids who can't yet read on their own, this informative, fascinating book takes readers/listeners on an exploration of wolves.

Explaining such subjects as where and how wolves live, how wolves and dogs are related, how wolves communicate with one another, raising wolf pups and more, kids will emerge from this book with new-found knowledge.

www.greatestbooksforkids.com