April/May

The new Fairfield Cordelia Library picks favorites

    Terry Jacobsen, head of the new Fairfield Cordelia Library on Business Center Drive in Fairfield, says she loves selecting books for libraries. “I’ve been doing book buying for as long as I can remember. What’s not to like about book selection? It’s shopping.”
    After working in Southern California libraries for almost 30 years, Jacobsen started at the Solano County Library in 2005. “I came here because of the community support for the library with passage of Measure B. This is a progressive library with a real sense of purpose. We’ve made visiting the library easy and convenient with express check-out machines. And patrons can go online to put books on hold.”
    Open seven days a week, the 15,600-square-foot library occupies the first floor of a two-story building with city offices on the second floor. The totally Wi-Fi computer center provides access to 40 computers and there’s a meeting facility for 75 people that’s available to community groups for a nominal fee.
    Jacobsen touts the library’s 47,000 items in their collection. “DVDs are our most popular items, but we had no idea how well received our children’s CDs and non-fiction collection would be.” The library hosts a story hour four mornings a week, including baby bounce, toddler time and a traditional preschool story hour.
Jacobsen chose her book recommendations with the help of children’s librarian Kristen Murray, whom Jacobsen calls a local legend. “She’s well-known for her storytelling abilities. As librarians, we order books based on book reviews and we also look for award-winners—two of our picks have won awards. We’re also familiar with many authors’ work and we use the children’s responses as well. When kids love it, you remember what makes them happy.”
    Here are Jacobsen’s and Murray’s recommendations.

---

Baby-Preschool

Jacobsen calls Carry Me! (Hyperion, $15.99) by Rosemary Wells a lovely book about a rabbit family that is fun for parents to read. “There’s lots to observe on each page and the book carries a sense of optimism. It’s a very comforting book with not too many words. And Wells has a strong reputation in the picture book world.” Told from a small bunny’s point of view, Carry Me! embodies shared happiness between child and parents. Her watercolors are joyous and hopeful, a perfect match for baby bunny’s desire to be held close by a loving parent.

Ages 4-8

Bear’s New Friend (Margaret K. McElderry, $16.95) by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman (illustrator), the fourth book in the series about Bear and his friends, delivers entertainment with a dash
of suspense. Jacobsen says this is a picture book, but more sophisticated. “Our children’s librarian uses Bear’s New Friend for kindergarten and first grade class visits because the children really get involved with the story. They love this book because there’s plenty of repetition but it requires them to think about what is happening. There’s a bit of a hunt.” Someone seems to be hiding from Bear and his friends. With each clatter in the tree or scampering creature, Bear asks, “Who?” The heavy-handed refrain sets the guessing game in motion with children anticipating each page as they try to figure out who Bear’s new friend is.

Ages 9-12

For Children’s Book Week in November, Jacobsen says the library chose Al Capone Does My Shirts (Putnam Juvenile, $16.99) by Gennifer Choldenko. “All across Solano County, we’ll be reading this award-winning book. We’ve arranged for Bay Area author Choldenko to participate in the readings. The story, set in 1935, is about 12-year-old Moose Flanagan, whose father is a prison guard on Alcatraz Island. All the kids ride a ferryboat to school every day and people want to know if anyone has seen Al Capone.” In this coming-of-age tale, family dilemmas are at the center of the story. Moose’s sister, Natalie, is autistic and her condition isn’t easily treatable in 1935 America. Choldenko uses history and the setting to adeptly portray an era, adolescence and the pain of a disabled sibling. “This is a great story with a real and fascinating feel that’s never too heavy-handed.”

Young Adult

Looking for Alaska (Dutton Juvenile, $15.99) by John Green won the American Library Association’s Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Jacobsen describes it as the familiar triangle of a young girl and two boys at a Birmingham, Ala. boarding school. “This is from a fairly new author who really understands adolescent boys and it resonates well with young people. The characters are kind of geeky. They’re trying to find their way in the world.” Green captures the angst of teen life, and the reader experiences the full range of emotions when a young life ends unexpectedly. “The characters do things that aren’t smart or mature and there are consequences. Sometimes the consequences are really dark.” This book will inspire young adults to ask the important questions about life and death.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Solano Magazine »