AT THE LIBRARY

"Dig Wait Listen: A Desert Toad's Tale" by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Barbara Bash, Greenwillow, 32 pages

Read aloud: age 5 and older

Read yourself: age 7, 8 and older

"Deep in the desert, under the sand, the spadefoot toad waits. She waits?for the sound of rain."

The deserts of the Southwest are full of sounds, and the toad must be able to distinguish the sound of the rain from many other sounds she hears aboveground. Scorpions, woodpeckers, a snake and a park ranger's boots are among what she hears. Finally, at long last, she hears the plip, plop of raindrops, and she begins to dig her way up to the open air.

A fascinating book about the spadefoot frog, this little gem teaches readers lots of facts in a quick-paced, interesting way.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Bill Memorial Library, 240 Monument St., Groton

Library Director: Hali Keeler

Children's Services: Mary-Jane Carle

Choices this week: "The Life and Death of Crazy Horse" by Russell Freedman; "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy; "I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean" by Kevin Sherry

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"Scholastic Discover More: Planets" By Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris, Scholastic, 2012, 80 pages, $12.99 soft cover

Read aloud: age 7, 8 and older

Read yourself: age 8, 9 and older

In January 2012 Scholastic launched an awesome new nonfiction series, Scholastic Discover More. Boasting numerous books for all reading levels from age 3 to 13, each book also contains a corresponding free digital companion "book" to further understanding of the subject.

In "Scholastic Discover More: Planets," readers take an incredible tour of our solar system. Learn fascinating facts about the planets, space exploration, moons, galaxies far away, some of the people and machines that have helped us learn what we know, and much more. Written in an engaging, fast-paced way and loaded with fantastic photographs and illustrations, readers will emerge with a fuller understanding of our solar system.

To check out other books in the series go to www.scholastic.com/discovermore.

"Kingfisher Readers Level 5: Ancient Egyptians" by Philip Steele, illustrations and photographs various sources, Kingfisher, 2012, 48 pages, $3.99 paperback/$12.99 paper over board

Read aloud: age 5 and older.

Read yourself: age 8, 9 and older.

In March 2012 Kingfisher launched a new nonfiction beginning reader series, Kingfisher Readers. Created by early literacy experts, each book is leveled according to degree of reading ability and all of the titles feature terrific photographs/illustrations that further enhance the reading experience.

In "Kingfisher Readers Level 5: Ancient Egyptians," readers learn fascinating facts about ancient Egypt, including Egyptian gods and goddesses, ways of writing, everyday life and Egyptian pharaohs, to name just a few.

To learn more about the titles in this series, visit www.kingfisherreaders.com.

www.greatestbooksforkids.com