Using the Public Library to Expand Our Shelves

Our library shelf. The kids know this is where to find

any library books we have checked out -

and where to put them when they are finished reading.

I have shared before that we live in a smallish 3 bedroom house for the 12 of us (think 1200 sq. ft. of living space outside of the icky basement and unfinished attic). We own more books than the average family, I suspect, but even so, we make regular use of the library. We check out stacks of books, especially picture books or titles we wouldn't spend money on but the kids enjoy for a season. My kids like taking stacks of books to bed to browse through for the hour of flashlight time they have (8pm-9pm). I thought I would share this week's library haul. Of these books, only 2 were reserved ahead of time, the rest I found simply by browsing the shelves.

• Poppy and Vivaldi by Le Huche - We actually found four in this series at our last trip and the kids love them. These books play sounds, integrated with the stories, and focus on composers and their musical pieces, or groups of instruments. The kids wouldn't let me return them yet.
• Big Book of Pirates by Vinyoli - Thirteen suspenseful pirate tales for my pirate loving boys.
• How the Sphinx Got to the Museum by Hartland - This fits in well with our current history studies.
• PJ Masks Race to the Moon (and one other PJ Masks book) - This early reader is a great example of a fluff book we wouldn't spend money to add to our personal shelves, but that are a current favorite character for some of my littlest boys.
• There's No Place Like Space - This is a Cat in the Hat Learning Library title. These are always fun and educational.
• Hark! A Shark! - Another in the Cat in the Hat Learning Library.
• A Castle Full of Cats by Sanderson - The Queen's cats try to befriend the king, with mixed results.
• Nanuk the Ice Bear by Winter - We have polar bears at our zoo so it is a familiar favorite.
• Melissa's Octopus and Other Unsuitable Pets by Voake - A cute story of kids with very unusual pets.
• Goodnight Ark by Sassi - A laugh out loud tale set on Noah's Ark.
• Castaway Cats by Wheeler - Fifteen felines are marooned on an island and make a new home.
• One Night, Far From Here by Wauters - A trip through different biomes with see through pages.
• Seadogs: An Epic Ocean  Operetta by Wheeler - An interesting mix of comic book style illustrations with poems and songs along the way.
• The Whole Foods Diet by Mackey - One of the books ordered ahead of time, for me. 
• Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Colfer - I found this one on the new titles shelves and picked it up for Emma, who loves this series.
• QB: My Life Behind the Spiral by Steve Young - The second book I ordered ahead of time, for me. 
• Dalmatian in a Digger by Elliot - Cute picture books with animals and a construction project.
• Over Under in the Garden by Schories - An alphabet book of plants with insects hiding on each page as well.
• Pirate Puzzles by Maidment - 30 puzzles to solve to follow the adventure of Pip.
• Cowboy Puzzles by Maidment - 30 puzzles to follow the adventure of Rocky.
• Curious George early readers - I grabbed Fire Dog Rescue and Dinosaur Tracks.
• Big Size Surprise by Baruzzi - This is a fun board book where each page shows a picture and then the page unfolds to expand that picture into something new. Tobias adores this one and also loved Look, Look Again by the same author.
• Picture Puzzle Book by Usborne - A very large board book with things to find on each page. As you will see in the next several titles of the list, I pulled a stack of search and find style books at this library trip.
• Under the Sea Picture Puzzle Book by Usborne - Another large board book with colorful illustrations to search through.
• Color Camouflage by Schuette - A spot it book where each two page spread has items jumbled together all in one color family. At the end of the book are extra challenge lists for the very enthusiastic.
• Very First Book of Things to Spot Out and About by Usborne - A board book with less cluttered pages for younger kids new to search and find books. This includes question prompts for me to ask my little ones to find something specific on each page, like who is wearing red boots or find a car with two passengers.
• Let's Find Pokémon by Aihara - My pokemon loving kids can find their favorite characters.
• Where's Waldo? Deluxe Edition by Handford - It was time to introduce some of my younger children to Waldo. Mason and Samuel are loving it! This is the first Waldo book that was created, with a few fun extras.
• Where's Waldo? The Wonder Book Deluxe Edition by Handford - Under the flap of each page of the deluxe editions is a list of more things to find in each puzzle. 

We still have some books from an earlier library trip up in the kids bedrooms. I know Makayla has a stack of chapter books and Emma probably has a few as well. Sometimes I order a lot of books ahead of time and pick them up at our library's drive through window. Our library has no late fees and large lending limits (99 books out per card). They have many other things available to borrow, including instruments, dvds, music cds, and board games, but we mostly stick to books. 

What are some of your currently checked out library titles? Have your kids read any of the ones on my shelf right now?