February is…Fabulous February!
Each month a variety of observances and celebrations take place, from well-known holidays to much lesser known fun (and downright funny or strange!) observances.
Celebrated in February ____ is…
February 3: Elmo’s Birthday!
My Fuzzy Valentine by Naomi Kleinberg
All available formats
Elmo wants to know which of his Sesame Street friends sent him a beautiful Valentine's Day card. Children ages 1 to 4 will love touching the fuzzy valentine on every spread! The sturdy board pages will hold up to hours of play as little ones leaf through them, visiting with Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, Baby Bear, Bert, and Ernie.
Cookies For Elmo: A Little Book About the Big Power of Sharing by Erin Geundelsberger
All available formats
A heartwarming new picture book about the power of sharing from beloved Sesame Street characters, the perfect Christmas gift!
When Cookie Monster tries to bake cookies to share with Elmo, he finds they're too hard to resist! How can he share when he just wants them all to himself? In this charming and funny new story, Cookie Monster proves that it can be hard to share.
Elmo Asks Why? by DK
All available formats
Elmo and his friends have lots of questions, and maybe you do, too. Why do bees sting? Why should I brush my teeth? Why do we need microscopes? Join Elmo and friends to find out the answers to these questions and many more. This first encyclopedia is bursting with exciting information and fascinating photographs about our wonderful world to help little learners grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
February 9: National Pizza Day!
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin
All available formats
Can you keep a secret? Okay, lean a little closer. You see, Raccoon loves gooey, cheesy, tomato-y pizza more than anything else in the whole world, but everyone is always chasing him away from their pizza with brooms. The only solution is to throw him a…Secret Pizza Party! Shhh! It's a secret! In fact, you should probably just forget I told you. Nope, no secret pizza party happening here. You didn't already tell all your friends, did you? Uh-oh…
Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best? by Stephen Shaskan
All available formats
Best friends are the BEST! But WHO is the BEST? Is it Pizza or Taco? The question is debatable! They both love water slides. They both are friends with Hot Dog and Hamburger. In fact, maybe they should have a debate and get their friends to VOTE for who's the best! Can their friendship survive the race for top spot on the popularity food chain? Cast your VOTE!
Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor
All available formats
Toby McGill dreams of becoming a world-famous chef, but up until now, his only experience has been watching the Food Network. When Toby lands a summer job at Killer Pizza, where pies like The Monstrosity and The Frankensausage are on the menu, things seem perfect. His coworkers, Annabel and Strobe, are cool, and Toby loves being part of a team. But none of them are prepared for what's really going on at Killer Pizza: It's a front for a monster-hunting organization! Learning to cook pizzas is one thing, but killing hideously terrifying monsters? That's a whole other story. Still, if Toby quits Killer Pizza, will monsters take over his town?
February 27th: National Pokemon Day!
123 Book (Pokemon Primers) by Simcha Whitehill
All available formats
Dozens of Pokémon can be found in the Pokémon Primers: 123 Book. With Pikachu, Eevee, and all their friends, learning numbers has never been more enjoyable! Start off any young child with a journey into the world of Pokémon! This Pokémon Primer offers a captivating storyline and over 100 flaps to lift and reveal, each showing Poké Balls, Berries, and other items! Pokémon named in the book also contain their pronunciations to help both kids and parents alike. Illustrated by Pokémon and written by beloved children's author Simcha Whitehill, this counting book will create lasting memories. The book will appeal best to younger children, so take your Trainer in training on a Pokémon adventure today!
Pikachu’s First Friends by Rikako Matsuo
All available formats
Meet cute Pokémon in a whole new way! This original illustrated storybook is perfect for moms and dads who want to introduce their little ones to the most beloved Pokémon of all time. Pikachu sets out on a voyage of exploration! The little Pokémon is looking for a home. Then it lands on a mysterious island. Pikachu begins to explore. What new friends will it meet? Join Pikachu in this heartwarming adventure as it discovers new places, foods, music, and most of all, friends! This original story will introduce Pokémon to a whole new generation of fans. With soft, whimsical art and a sweet, simple storyline, Pikachu's First Friends is sure to appeal to little children beginning their own journeys of friendship and discovery.
The Pokemon Cookbook: Easy and Fun Recipes by Maki Kudo
All available formats
Fun & easy recipes inspired by favorite Pokémon characters! Create delicious dishes that look like your favorite Pokémon characters – from desserts to pizza – with more than 35 easy, fun recipes. Make a Pokéball sushi roll, Pikachu ramen or mashed Meowth potatoes for your next party, weekend activity or powered-up lunchbox.
February is…
Black History Month!
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue
All available formats
Nine-year-old Ron loves going to the Lake City Public Library to look through all the books on airplanes and flight. Today, Ron is ready to take out books by himself. But in the segregated world of South Carolina in the 1950s, Ron's obtaining his own library card is not just a small rite of passage-it is a young man's first courageous mission. Here is an inspiring story, based on Ron McNair's life, of how a little boy, future scientist, and Challenger astronaut desegregated his library through peaceful resistance.
Sweet Dreams, Sarah by Vivian Kirkfield
All available formats
Sarah E. Goode was one of the first African-American women to get a US patent. Working in her furniture store, she recognized a need for a multi-use bed and through hard work, ingenuity, and determination, invented her unique cupboard bed. She built more than a piece of furniture. She built a life far away from slavery, a life where her sweet dreams could come true.
Sci-Fu: Kick It Off by Yehudi Mercado
All available formats
Hip-hop, sci-fi and kung fu all hit the turntables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage) sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.
International Month of Black Women in the Arts!
Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanna Walker Harvey
All available formats
Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas. Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the twentieth century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art. As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. And her parents filled their home with color and creativity despite the racial injustices they faced. After the family moved to Washington, DC, Alma shared her passion for art by teaching children. When she was almost seventy years old, she focused on her own artwork, inspired by nature and space travel. In this celebration of art and the power of imagination, Jeanne Walker Harvey and Loveis Wise tell the incredible true story of Alma Thomas, the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York City and to have her work chosen for the White House collection. With her bold and vibrant abstract paintings, Alma set the world ablaze with color.
Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin
All available formats
Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all skin tones can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured.
Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson
All available formats
Written by award-winning Black children's author Sharna Jackson, this engaging book introduces young readers to twenty-six contemporary artists from Africa and of the African diaspora, working in everything from painting, sculpture, and drawing to ceramics, installation art, and sound art.
These include prominent American artists Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, portraitist to Michelle Obama Amy Sherald, and Kehinde Wiley; British Turner Prize-winning painters Lubaina Himid and Chris Ofili; renowned South African visual activist and photographer Zanele Muholi; Nigerian sound artist Emeka Ogboh; Sudanese painter Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq; Kenyan-British ceramicist Magdalene Odundo; Afrofuturist-inspired performance artist Harold Offeh; and moving image artist Larry Achiampong, among others.
Sharna Jackson's experience as an award-winning children's author combined with the curatorial expertise of Dr. Zoe´ Whitley, co-curator of the groundbreaking exhibition “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power,” make this an essential introduction to Black artists working today. This volume will serve as revelation to a new generation of aspiring young artists.
Celebration of Chocolate Month!
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margaret and H.A. Rey
All available formats
When George and the man with the yellow hat stop to shop at a chocolate factory store, George becomes curious about how the chocolates are made. Though he begins to follow the factory tour, soon he is off to investigate on his own…
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
All available formats
In a laugh-out-loud hilarious twist on the legend of King Midas, a boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate. Can you ever have too much of your favorite food? John Midas is about to find out….
The Book of Chocolate: The Amazing Story of the World’s Favorite Candy by HP Newquist
All available formats
Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate's fascinating history. Along the way you'll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, who gave chocolate trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestle, who invented milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn't nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into two warring factions, one selling Milky Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers bars, the other Mars Bars and M&M's. From its origin as the sacred, bitter drink of South American rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today's multimillion dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world's favorite flavor.
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