BOOKS TO BORROW

"Robespierre: Master of the Guillotine" by John DiConsiglio, Franklin Watts/Scholastic, 128 pages

Read aloud: age 8, 9 and older.

Read yourself: age 9, 10 and older.

As a young lawyer in a small town outside of Paris in 1781, Robespierre defended the poor and aided those who suffered. In 1789, Robespierre made his way to Paris to help overthrow the king of France and to create a new government. His belief in freedom for all people made him the most powerful man in all of France and he was hailed as a hero.

Then the killings began; Robespierre suspected enemies everywhere, and under his direction, at least 15,000 were beheaded. At first the people cheered. Then they began to realize that Robespierre had gone too far. On July 28, 1794, thousands of people watched Robespierre executed by the very machine that had made him famous - the guillotine.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

Library: Westerly Public Library, 44 Broad St., Westerly, R.I.

Library Director: Kathryn Taylor

Head of Children's Services: Helen Mochetti

Children's Librarian: Krystal Laharty

Selections: "The Black Duck" by Janet Taylor Lisle; "The Ghost in the Noonday Sun" by Sid Fleischman; "Left for Dead: Lincoln Thall's Story" by Tim O'Shei

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"Rocket Writes a Story" by Tad Hills, Schwartz & Wade, 2012, 40 pages

Read aloud: age 3, 4 and older.

Read yourself: age 7 and 8.

Rocket the dog loves to read, thanks to the help of his wonderful teacher, the little yellow bird. Now, Rocket wants to write his own story, but it isn't as easy as Rocket thinks. At first Rocket struggles, but his teacher encourages him to look for new words, inspiration and the characters for his story. As Rocket writes and rewrites time and again, his story begins to unfold. And best of all, the main character and inspiration for his story becomes his new friend.

"Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose: Growing Up on Mount Rushmore" by Tina Nichols Coury, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport, Dial, 2012, 36 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 5, 6 and older.

Read yourself: age 8 and older.

In 1924, sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln, travel to South Dakota where Gutzon presents his idea of honoring four great U.S. presidents by carving their faces into the side of a mountain. Local businessmen like the idea, so three years later Lincoln and his dad return to South Dakota to begin the job. Gutzon is a patient teacher and Lincoln, a fast learner. By 1938 Gutzon puts Lincoln in charge of the project. When Gutzon dies few years later; it is up to Lincoln to see Mount Rushmore finally completed.

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