FOR CHILDREN

The mark of real genius isn’t having all the answers; it’s knowing where to get them. One of the tools that enable us to be exposed to an infinite variety of people, places and events is reading— reading about the real and the imaginary. The more we read, the more we know, and the better equipped we are to meet the challenges our world presents.

BOOKS TO BORROW

“10 Little Rubber Ducks” by Eric Carle, HarperCollins, 2005, 31 pages, $19.99 hardcover Read aloud: age 2 and older

Read yourself: age 7 and older A giant wave has washed a box of 10 rubber ducks off of a cargo ship and into the sea—“10 rubber ducks overboard!” cries the captain.

Bobbing away in different directions, each little rubber duck encounters a different sea creature in many areas of the globe. From a polar bear in the north to a flamingo in the south, a seal in the east and a dolphin in the west, the 10 little rubber ducks meet these and other creatures as they bob along the wide sea. As the sun begins to set, the 10th little rubber duck is still alone. What will happen to it?

LIBRARIAN’S CHOICE

Library: Groton Public Library, 52 Newtown Rd.,

Groton Library Director: Betty Anne Reiter Children’s Librarian: Kim Balentine

Manager, Library Public Services: Jennifer Miele Choices this week: “Maisy Goes Camping” by Lucy Cousins; “Aaaarrgghh! Spider” by Lydia Monks; “The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy” by Jeanne Birdsall

BOOKS TO BUY

“The Silver Donkey” by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Don Powers, Candlewick, 2014, 266 pages, $16.99 hardcover Read aloud: age 9, 10 and older

Read yourself: age 10, 11 and older On a spring morning in France, sisters Coco and Marcelle are walking in the woods and come across a soldier curled up on the ground. The Great War is raging and the soldier— a deserter— has been blinded and is attempting to find his way home across the English Channel to England. He is cold and hungry, and the sisters are determined to help him.

As the girls secret food and drink and a few other provisions to the soldier, he returns their generosity with what he has to give— four enchanting tales about loyalty, honesty, courage and determination. As they soon discover, each tale is linked to the magical keepsake the soldier keeps in his pocket: a tiny silver donkey.

www.greatestbooksforkids.com