Have a reading list even between semesters

The unwrapping is over and all through the house, boredom is stirring; children might start to grouse.

Break open a book, librarians say. Be it e-book or hardback, page-turners save the day.

“The part that grabs me more is the emotional energy that comes with immersing one’s self in a book or story,” said Karen Stanley, head of Children’s Services at Rosenberg Library in Galveston. “It’s a chance for readers to go somewhere they’ve never gone before, or experience another’s joy or pain.”

Kayla Jackson, children’s librarian at Moore Memorial Public Library in Texas City, delights in the high-tech twists for children offered by e-books.

“The Nook (and I am sure other reading devices do this as well) actually reads the story out loud to the person using the Nook (so it can work on vocabulary and phonological awareness),” she said. “The illustrations also move and act out the story as each page is turned and the story is read.”

She owns a Nook herself and enjoys the ease of checking out books online, but regrets the loss of page turning.

“The disadvantage, though, is the actual feeling of turning the pages of the book, and it is important for pre-readers to learn print awareness and narrative skills,” she said.

“This means children need to learn to tell the story themselves (using the pictures or repeating back a story they know), and children need to know how to follow the words on a page, the different parts of the book, and other things that are easier to learn from a physical book.”

Julie Fornea, children’s librarian at the Mae S. Bruce Library in Santa Fe, hopes the digital books will pull in children who otherwise don’t like reading.

“It’s the computer age right now,” she said. “e-books might be great for children out there who like to game and everything. The technological world is changing, very much and very fast.”

Stanley said another advantage of digital books is the online catalog.

“With Rosenberg Library’s e-library you can take the library with you no matter where your family spends the holidays,” she said.

The holidays also provide unique opportunities for reading as a family, whether from e-books or hard copy.

“Books provide a warm, cozy opportunity to snuggle up close to the people you love,” Stanley said. “A long chapter book offers multiple chances to come back together for many nights in a row.

“The family can also explore a new hobby and use books as a resource — stargazing, shell collecting, cooking, bird watching, etc. Read about someone famous; we all need heroes and history has certainly provided many.”

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Karen Stanley Recommends

For preschoolers

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkne

“King Jack and the Dragon,” by Peter Bently

“Mine,” by Shutta Crum

“Mouse & Lion,” by Rand Burkert

“Three By the Sea,” by Mini Grey

“Red Sled,” by Lita Judge

“Can We Save the Tiger,” by Martin Jenkins

“Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom,” by Shane Evans

“Snow Blew Inn,” by Dian Curtis Regan

“Good night, Goodnight, Construction Site,” by Sherri Duskey Rinker

“It’s Snowing,” by Gail Gibbons

For beginning readers

“Happy Pig Day!,” by Mo Willems (other Elephant and Piggie titles available)

“Fancy Nancy, Aspiring Artist,” by Jane O’Connor (other Fancy Nancy titles available)

“Biscuit,” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (other titles in series)

“Henry & Mudge,” by Cynthia Rylant (other titles in series)

Chapter or informational books

“The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life With the Chimps,” by Jeanette Winter

“Secrets at Sea,” by Richard Peck

“Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again,” by Juliana Hatkoff

“Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters”

“Smells Like Treasure,” by Suzanne Selfors

“Titanic Sinks!,” by Barry Denenberg

“Wonder-struck,” by Brian Selznick (same author who wrote Hugo)

“Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart,” by Candace Fleming

“Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems”

New books to watch for

“Chomp,” by Carl Hiaasen

“Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale,” by Carmen Agra Deedy

“Fly Guy vs. the Fly Swatter,” by Tedd Arnold

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Kayla Jackson Recommends

For younger readers

“Pinkalicious, “The Fancy Nancy,” “Maisy,” “Scat the Cat”

For middle readers

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (the sixth book, “Cabin Fever,” just came out a few weeks ago), “Big Nate (very similar to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”), “The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda” and its sequel, “Darth Paper Strikes Back,” “Babymouse” (a graphic novel series about a small mouse with a big imagination), “Goosebumps,” “Captain Underpants,” “Magic Treehouse,” “Junie B. Jones,” and “Percy Jackson” (there is a new series: The Heroes of a Olympus series with the Percy Jackson characters in it).

For teens

“Hunger Games” trilogy (the first movie will be out soon), “Vampire Academy,” “The Internal Devices” (the Steampunk prequel for the “Mortal Instruments” series), “Maximum Ride,” “Vampire Diaries” (there is a show on the CW channel), “Dork Diaries” and manga series (comics created in Japan) like “Naruto,” “Bleach,” and “Vampire Knight.”

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Julie Fornea Recommends

Texas Bluebonnet Award books, www.txla.org/tba

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Details

• Rosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy Avenue, in Galveston, will host story times Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. beginning Jan. 18. Story fairs for preschool groups require registration; the library offers three each month for school or day care groups. In February, the library be in Children’s Mardi Gras parade with book characters. This year’s theme is “Salute to Children’s Literature.”

With a library card and a computer with Internet connection, patrons can access additional audio books, e-books and videos through the Houston Area Digital Media Catalog. Materials can be played on a variety of mediums, including desktop and laptop computers and portable devices. For information, visit rosenberg-library.org or call 409-763-8854.

• Moore Memorial Public Library, 1701 Ninth Ave. in Texas City, will resume story times Jan. 3 -4. Toddlerific story time is Tuesdays at 10 a.m. for 1- to 2-year-olds, and preschool story time is Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for 3- to 5-year-olds. The teen advisory board meeting is Jan. 6 at 4 p.m., the manga club meeting is Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. and the board games you’ve never played day is Jan. 20 at 3:15 p.m.

For information, visit texascity-library.org/child.htm, or call 409-643-5979.

• The Mae S. Bruce Library, 13302 6th St., Santa Fe, will resume story hour on Tuesdays on Jan. 10 with sessions at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for children ages 6 and under. The library also hosts two journal clubs — Junk Food and Journaling for children ages 9-12 and Journal Club for ages 13 and up, meeting monthly.

For information, visit maebrucelibrary.org or call 409-925-5540.