BOOKS TO BORROW

"Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George, Harper Trophy, 201 pages

Read aloud: age 11 and older

Read yourself: age 11 and older

She is known by two names - Miyax, in her small Eskimo village, and Julie, by her pen pal in San Francisco. Barely yet a woman, Miyax's life takes sudden and difficult turns, and when it becomes clear to her that life is too dangerous in her village, Miyax decides to run away.

We she gets lost in the Alaskan wilderness Miyax isn't frightened at first; her father had taught her many valuable skills. But as the days pass, things look less promising. Her only chance at survival is to copy the ways of a pack of wolves nearby and hope to win a place with them. Her task is great and her struggles are many, but eventually Miyax gains their trust and a good friend in the pup named Kapu.

LIBRARIAN'S CHOICE

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

Library Director: Hali Keeler

Children's Services: Mary-Jane Carle

Choices this week: "Babies in the Bayou" by Jim Arnosky; "The Wide-Mouthed Frog" by Keith Faulkner; "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

AT THE BOOKSTORE

"A Hen for Izzy Pippik" by Aubrey Davis, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, Kids can Press, 2012, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4, 5 and older

Read yourself: age 7 and 8

Young Shaina is thrilled yet confused when a beautiful, exotic hen appears at her doorstep. An honest girl, Shaina is determined to find the hen's owner and soon discovers that the hen belongs to a man named Izzy Pippik. But no one in town knows where Izzy is.

Life has taken a wrong turn in Shaina's town. Jobs are few and food is scarce. While many see the hen as a good source of food, Shaina vows to keep the chicken alive and all her eggs and return them to Izzy Pippik when he returns.

Readers will be bolstered by this plucky heroine, charming illustrations, and the surprise ending created by one trustworthy girl.

"Lick!" by Matthew Van Fleet, Simon & Schuster, 2013, 13 pages, $9.99 board book

Read aloud: age 1½ to age 4

Read yourself: age 5 to 7

What can a tongue do? Open this fun book as it features different animals, their tongues and what they can do with them. This rhyming touch-and-feel book with sturdy tabs to pull proves that a tongue is made for a lot more than just tasting!

www.greatestbooksforkids.com