BOOKS TO BORROW

"The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney, illustrated by Matt Phelan, Atheneum

Read aloud: age 7, 8 and older

Read yourself: age 8, 9 and older

Eben longs to see the Seven Wonders of the World, and it frustrates him that he is too young to go out and explore on his own. To make matters worse, Eben considers his community of Sassafras Springs to be the most boring place in the world.

Then Eben's pa presents Eben with a challenge. If Eben can find seven wonders in Sassafras Springs that are as remarkable and interesting as the real Seven Wonders of the World, Pa will send him on a trip out West. While Eben is pretty sure that will be impossible, he decides to give it a try. What he discovers comes as a total surprise in many ways.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Otis Library, 261 Main St., Norwich

Library Director: Bob Farwell

Choices this week: "Bones Rock! Everything You Need to Be a Paleontologist" by Peter Larson and Kristin Donhan; "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White; "Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"Tuki and Moka: A Tale of Two Tamarins" by Judy Young, illustrated by Jim Madsen, Sleeping Bear Press, 2013, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 6 to 9

Read yourself: age 8 and 9

Ten-year-old Eduardo lives in a small town in Ecuador, close to the Amazon rainforest. He and his father travel by boat into the rainforest to collect Brazil nuts. Eduardo likes the work, but he especially likes the many plants, birds and mammals that live in the rainforest. Of these, Eduardo's favorites are two tamarins he has named Tuki and Moka.

One night there is a disturbance in the rainforest, close to Eduardo's camp. The next day, Tuki and Moka are nowhere to be found. When they return to town later that evening Eduardo hears familiar chattering inside a tent. He investigates and finds cages stuffed with live parrots, macaws and, in one cage, Tuki and Moka. Poachers! Can Eduardo act fast enough to set his friends and the other animals free?

"Maisy's World of Animals" by Lucy Cousins, Candlewick, 2014, 14 pages, $14.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 3 to 5

Read yourself: age 6 and 7

Another "A Maisy First Science Book," this story has readers joining Maisy the mouse as she travels around the world to learn about different animals.

From the snowy Arctic to the mountains, the desert, ocean and jungle, Maisy and readers meet many different animals in their natural habitat.

As a fun, interactive element, there are tabs to pull and flaps to lift to watch the animals in action.

kendal@sunlink.net