BOOKS TO BORROW

"The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair" by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley, illustrations, various sources, Charlesbridge, 117 pages

Read aloud: age 11, 12 and older

Read yourself: age 12 and older

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most celebrated composers of all time. While Beethoven composed extraordinary music, he suffered poor health and was completely deaf. What many never knew, until recently, is why his health was so compromised.

The trail of discovery began immediately after Beethoven's death in 1827 when musical protégé Ferdinand Hiller clipped a lock of Beethoven's hair. The lock of hair was passed from Hiller to his son many years later and continued its journey during WWII and beyond. Finally, the lock of hair was auctioned in London and purchased by two people who contracted the help of leading scientists to perform forensic tests on Beethoven's hair. What they finally discovered shocked the world.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Waterford Public Library, 49 Rope Ferry Rd., Waterford

Library Director: Roslyn Rubinstein

Department Head of Children's Services: Christine Tkaczyk

Choices this week: "Cars on Mars: Roving the Red Planet" by Alexandra Siy; "Winters' Tail: How ne Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again" by Juliana Hatkoff; "Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley" by Sally M. Walker

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"The Secret Life of the Woolly Bear Caterpillar" by Laurence Pringle, Boyds Mills Press, 2014, 32 pages

Read aloud: age 7 to 9

Read yourself: age 8 and 9

The banded woolly bear caterpillar has a fascinating life cycle. Follow it from its early days as it feasts on leaves of many kinds, hides from danger, molts throughout the summer, grows larger, then finds a safe place to spend the winter. In the spring, she weaves a cocoon that encloses her whole body and soon emerges as an adult Isabella Tiger Moth.

With information about woolly bear caterpillars and a glossary of terms, this selection is bound to capture the interest of budding nature lovers.

"A Baby Elephant in the Wild" by Caitlin O'Connell, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

Read aloud: age 4 to 8

Read yourself: age 8

After growing inside of her mother for two years, an elephant named Liza is born in Namibia, Africa. She weighs 250 pounds, and within a few hours of birth, learns to walk. Within one day, she is able to keep pace with the rest of her large family, which will continue to teach her important life skills.

Gorgeous photographs and fascinating text will give readers terrific insight on elephants in the wild.

kendal@sunlink.net