New Books for Kids

Check out a few of the new books added to PCL’s children’s collection!

What do librarians take fishing?

Bookworms 📚🪱

New Picture Books

Is your young reader in Pre-K or Kindergarten? Try…

Con Pollo: A bilingual Playtime Adventure by Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez

Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure is an engaging and hilarious picture book that serves young readers as an introduction to basic Spanish vocabulary, brought to life by superstar team-up Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez.

Meet Pollo, a friendly little chicken who just wants to play. And play, and play, and play all day! Pollo makes any activity more fun. Why just go to the beach when you could go to la playa con Pollo? Do you want to play soccer, or play fútbol con Pollo? Do you want to go dancing, or bailar con Pollo? Whatever you decide to do, you’re in for a busy, adventurous day with your new friend, Pollo!



Is your young reader in Pre-K through Grade 2? Try…

Not Yet, Yeti by Bethany V. Freitas

It’s Yeti’s first day of school and there are so many new things to try! Maybe he can’t do everything he wants to do perfectly just yet, but his supportive teacher and helpful classmates are there to remind him that he can always try again.



Is your young reader in Kindergarten through Grade 2? Try…

Hey, Bruce!: An Interactive Book By Ryan T. Higgins

Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs, the fun-loving mice in Bruce’s begrudgingly expansive family, guide readers on a quest for a fun reading experience, with Bruce the ever-reluctant star. As readers turn the page, flip the book, and follow the mice’s increasingly silly instructions, Bruce is sent flying and tumbling―all as he looks right up the reader’s nose!

How will you interact with Bruce?



New Grade School Novels

Is your young reader in Grades 3-6? Try…

The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto by Adrianna Cuevas

Rafa would rather live in the world of The Forgotten Age, his favorite role-playing game than face his father’s increasing restrictions and his mother’s fading presence. But when Rafa and his friends decide to take the game out into the real world and steal their school cafeteria’s slushie machine, his dad concocts a punishment Rafa never could’ve imagined―a month working on a ranch in New Mexico, far away from his friends, their game, and his mom’s quesitos in Miami.

Life at Rancho Espanto isn’t as bad as Rafa initially expected, mostly due to Jennie, a new friend with similarly strong snack opinions, and Marcus, the veteran barn manager who’s not as gruff as he appears. But when Rafa’s work at the ranch is inexplicably sabotaged by a man who may not be what he seems, Rafa and Jennie explore what’s behind the strange events at Rancho Espanto―and discover that the greatest mystery may have been with Rafa all along.



Is your young reader in Grades 3-7? Try…

Virtually Me by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

A mysterious package. A new school. A chance to be someone new.

A new virtual reality school where students get a fresh start.

The pandemic was rough on everyone, especially since school went from being a fun place where you could hang out with your friends to a bunch of heads in small rectangles all trying to talk at once. For Bradley, Edelle, Hunter, Jasper, and Keiko, that’s about to change.

A mysterious box arrives at each of their houses, and they’re invited to attend a virtual school. More than just being online, they’ll be able to create an avatar of themselves and interact with their friends and other classmates in real time using VR headsets.

For each of them, that presents an opportunity to become someone they’re not, or someone they haven’t been. For Bradley, it’s a chance to come out of a self-imposed shell. Edelle hopes everyone will see her for who she really is, not just for how she looks. Hunter is looking forward to pretending he’s still the person he was last year. Jasper wants to get over past assumptions. And for Keiko, it’ll allow her to disappear into the crowd.

For all of them, it’s a chance to see just how much they’ve assumed about each other in the past and maybe an opportunity to become friends.v



Is your young reader in Grades 5-6? Try…

Time to Roll by Jamie Sumner

A mysterious package. A new school. A chance to be someone new.

A new virtual reality school where students get a fresh start.

The pandemic was rough on everyone, especially since school went from being a fun place where you could hang out with your friends to a bunch of heads in small rectangles all trying to talk at once. For Bradley, Edelle, Hunter, Jasper, and Keiko, that’s about to change.

A mysterious box arrives at each of their houses, and they’re invited to attend a virtual school. More than just being online, they’ll be able to create an avatar of themselves and interact with their friends and other classmates in real time using VR headsets.

For each of them, that presents an opportunity to become someone they’re not or someone they haven’t been. For Bradley, it’s a chance to come out of a self-imposed shell. Edelle hopes everyone will see her for who she really is, not just for how she looks. Hunter is looking forward to pretending he’s still the person he was last year. Jasper wants to get over past assumptions. And for Keiko, it’ll allow her to disappear into the crowd.

For all of them, it’s a chance to see just how much they’ve assumed about each other in the past and maybe an opportunity to become friends.



New Juvenile Nonfiction

Is your young reader in Grades 5 and up? Try…

What Can I Say?  By Catherine Newman

Middle school is an essential time to learn and practice social skills, including how to get along with others, talk about hard things, be an ally, and be a good friend.

In What Can I Say?, Catherine Newman provides supportive guidance and instruction to help kids establish or and maintain meaningful relationships and effective communication with friends, teachers, family members, and others in their communities. Talking the talk can be tricky, and every page of this super-useful book provides easy, accessible scripts and guidance on the right thing to say in all kinds of situations, from how to be inclusive, listen, give advice, argue, stick up for yourself, and ask for help to how to turn down a date, express sympathy, deal with offensive comments, respond to bullying, and be trustworthy.

Humorous, graphic-style illustrations that play our familiar scenarios reinforce Newman’s friendly, non-judgmental tone and her commitment to helping kids develop the skills to express themselves clearly while showing empathy, care, and generosity towards others.



Is your young reader in Grades 4-7? Try…

You-ology: A Puberty Guide for EVERY BODY by Melisa Holmes, Trish Hutchison, and Kathryn Lowe

From the most trusted name in child health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, comes a new, inclusive approach to learning about puberty!

Remember that awkward day in school when the boys went to one classroom and the girls to another and everyone nervously giggled, learning about taboo topics like menstruation and erections? What if your kids could learn about changing bodies in a way that isn’t secretive or shameful? And what if it could even be inclusive, fun, and, well, kind of adorable?

A new kind of puberty guide, You-ology embraces an inclusive approach that normalizes puberty for all kids. Traditional puberty education only contributes to a sense of isolation and often does not include all kids’ experiences of puberty and leaves kids with questions about how puberty will affect their friends and classmates.

For curious kids and parents looking to talk about puberty in an inclusive way, You-ology offers fact-based, age-appropriate, and body-positive information about the physical, social, and emotional changes ahead for all kids



Is your young reader in Pre-K through Grade 2? Try…

One Million Trees: A True Story by Kristen Balouch

When Kristen Balouch was 10 years old, her parents made a surprising announcement: their whole family was going on a trip to plant trees!  Kristen, her sisters, and her mom and dad—and their pet, Wonder Dog!—flew from their California home to a logging site in British Columbia.  There, they joined a crew working to replant the trees that had been cut down.

In One Million Trees, Kristen reflects on the forty days they spent living in a tent, covered in mud and bug bites, working hard every day to plant a new forest.  Young readers will learn a little French, practice some math skills, and learn all about how to plant a tree the right way!

The kid-friendly, engaging text is paired with bold illustrations, full of fun details and bright colors. The story ends with a modern-day look at what Kristen’s family helped accomplish: a stand of huge trees growing on what used to be an empty, muddy patch of bare stumps. 

An author’s note shares more information on deforestation, sustainable logging practices, and the irreplaceable environmental benefit of old growth forests. . . . Plus, the amazing things even a small group of people can do when they work together.
A fun story with an important environmental message, One Million Trees is bound to inspire kids to get their hands dirty to make our planet healthy!


Looking for more fun at the library?

Check out our booklists, events, and storytimes!



For Fans of Outlander

Outlander fans we have you covered! Enjoy our book picks no matter where you are in the Outlander series. To the Highlands!! For Outlander fans that enjoy complex, character-driven, and suspenseful historical fiction… Transcription by Kate Atkinson In 1940, eighteen-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department…

Continue Reading For Fans of Outlander

Food Collection

June-August 2023 The Parkland Community Library is a dropbox location assisting Parkland CARES Food Pantry as a food collection site! Parkland CARES is seeking donations of Granola BarsMac and CheeseChicken Noodle SoupCanned FruitPlease consider donating to this worthy cause! We are pleased to announce our continued partnership with our local food pantry, Parkland CARES. We…

Continue Reading Food Collection

Rainbow Book Month

Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. What is Rainbow Book Month? Rainbow Book Month™ is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences…

Continue Reading Rainbow Book Month