Maine Humanities Council

Library Lion by Michelle Knudson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, is one of five books that Raising Readers included in an anthology of Maine stories for pediatricians to give to 5-year-olds. Kevin Hawkes lives in Maine, and the Born to Read program recently visited his studio, where he talked about Library Lion and read the first few pages aloud. You can find a recording of the entire book in audiobook read-along format from Live Oak Media here, or at your local library.

Text and illustrations copyright 2006 by Candlewick Press, Inc. Audio copyright 2007 by Live Oak Media. Permission to record this excerpt was granted by Live Oak Media.

Library Lion [ 7:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2815)

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell, illustrated by Jonathan Bean (Henry Holt, 2007), is intended for children ages 8-12, but its whimsy and wit broaden its appeal. The novel was chosen as one of School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2007, and now it’s a contender for a Maine Student Book Award in 2008-09. Here, school librarian Connie Burns introduces the story and reads the first chapter aloud. You can find the book at your library. A complete professional recording by Full Cast Audio will be available in the fall of 2009.

We welcome your feedback on this book talk.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat [ 17:40 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2929)

Alison Hawthorne Deming is the author of three books of poetry, three nonfiction books, and two limited-edition chapbooks. Her place-based writing has earned her fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown , the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the Tucson/Pima Arts Council; as well as many awards, including the Bayer Award in science writing from Creative Nonfiction for the essay “Poetry and Science: A View from the Divide.” Deming was born and raised in Connecticut, but currently lives near Aqua Caliente Hill in Tucson, where she serves as Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Arizona. Here, she is introduced by Stonecoast faculty member Barbara Hurd.

This reading took place in Brunswick, Maine, during the summer residency of the Stonecoast MFA program in July, 2008. Stonecoast is the low-residency MFA program in creative writing at the University of Southern Maine.We welcome your feedback on this Alison Hawthorne Deming podcast.

Alison Hawthorne Deming [ 33:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (4085)

Here is another story by Martin Waddell about Little Bear and Big Bear. It is read aloud by Rachel Davis, children’s librarian at the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth. Then Rachel shares two fingerplays.

Text copyright 2005 by Martin Waddell. Illustrations copyright 2005 by Anita Jeram. Reproduced by permission of Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA, on behalf of Walker Books Ltd., London. We welcome your feedback on any of Rachel Davis’s readings.

Sleep Tight, Little Bear [ 5:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2745)

Amy Hest is the author of this book about a duck who learns to love the rain. Here is Amy Hand, children’s librarian at the Camden Public Library, reading the book aloud and sharing a rhyme and two songs. For more children’s books about rain, see this Born to Read booklist.

Text copyright 1995 by Amy Hest. Illustrations copyright 1995 by Jill Barton. Reproduced by permission of Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA. We welcome your feedback on any of Amy Hand’s readings.

In the Rain With Baby Duck [ 5:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2909)

Owl Babies is not the only bedtime book by Martin Waddell. He also wrote this book about a bear who cannot fall asleep. Amy Hand, children’s librarian at the Camden Public Library, reads the story aloud, then shares two rhymes and a song about the night sky.

Text copyright 1988 by Martin Waddell. Illustrations copyright 1988 by Anita Jeram. Reproduced by permission of Candlewick Press, Inc., Somerville, MA, on behalf of Walker Books Ltd., London. We welcome your feedback on any of Amy Hand’s readings.literature, Maine, parenting, bedtime, storytime, reading

Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? [ 9:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3018)