Meet Beak and Ally in the New Juvenile Graphic Novels

 The Beak and Ally series by Norm Feuti consists of four titles:

#1 is Unlikely Friends--Ally the alligator is perfectly happy being alone . . . until one day a noisy bird named Beak lands on her snout. Beak thinks Ally is lonely and needs a friend. He has all sorts of friendship goals in mind, like riding bikes together, going to the movies together, and even solving mysteries together! But when a Long-Billed Party Pooper crashes Beak’s nest-warming party, Ally decides to show Beak something important to her: sticking up for what’s right.

#2 is Bedtime Jitters--Beak & Ally are back, and they’ve got some bedtime jitters! Late at night, the swamp is full of weird noises . . . spooky noises! Like the GUURNT GUURNT! of the horrible Grunty Beast, the CHH CHH CHH CHH of the chilling Chatter Ghosts, and the ZZUMP ZZUMP of the mechanical Zump Monster! How’s Beak the bird supposed to get any rest with all these strange sounds sounding off around him? Thankfully, Ally the alligator has some good ideas about where all the racket is coming from.

#3 is The Big Storm--Ally’s enjoying a peaceful, rainy day down in the swamp until Beak tells her that a big storm is coming. As Ally makes her way home to prepare, she can’t help but notice other swamp critters struggling to get ready for the bad weather. Even though she has a lot to do, she offers them a hand. But before she knows it, the storm is upon her, and she has to take shelter in the first secluded spot she can find. Once the storm passes, Ally returns to find her once beautiful home in utter ruin! Will Ally be able to save her home, or will she be forced to leave the swamp . . . for good?

#4 is Snow Birds--Winter is coming! Beak loves the snow, but his hopes are dashed when Ally informs him the swamp stays warm year-round and not much changes. As a matter of fact, the only big change is that it gets a lot more crowded! Beak soon discovers what Ally means when the snow birds arrive . . . Hawaiian shirt–wearing, music-jamming new neighbors who have flown south for the winter. At first, Beak is thrilled when they decide to spend their vacation in his tree—he loves to party! But when the noise gets louder and louder, it’s time for Beak and Ally to take action. Confronting new friends can be hard, but anything is possible when you have your best friend by your side to help.

Enjoy the Wildlife

"Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution? The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito.  Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power.  The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village.  Imagine for a moment a world without deadly mosquitoes, or any mosquitoes, for that matter? Our history and the world we know, or think we know, would be completely unrecognizable.  Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito by Timothy C. Winegard is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquito’s reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order." (from Amazon.com)

"In Supernavigators, award-winning author David Barrie catches us up on the cutting-edge science. Here are astounding animals of every stripe: Dung beetles that steer by the light of the Milky Way. Ants and bees that rely on patterns of light invisible to humans. Sea turtles and moths that find their way using Earth’s magnetic field. Humpback whales that swim thousands of miles while holding a rocksteady course. Birds that can locate their nests on a tiny island after crisscrossing an ocean. The age of viewing animals as unthinking drones is over. As Supernavigators makes clear, a stunning array of species command senses and skills—and arguably, types of intelligence—beyond our own. Weaving together interviews with leading animal behaviorists and the groundbreaking discoveries of Nobel Prize–winning scientists, David Barrie reveals these wonders in a whole new light." (from Amazon.com)

"Every year, before they decide to take defensive action, vulnerable homeowners throughout North America suffer expensive damage as deer and various other pesky mammals devour their gardens and landscape plants. Deer-Resistant Landscaping by Neil Soderstrom arms homeowners with the proven strategies they need to repel and combat deer and 21 other troubling pests, from armadillos, chipmunks, and gophers to rabbits, raccoons, skunks, and squirrels.
Outstanding features include:

• strategies for every season and every size pest— from simple, low-cost home remedies, scare tactics, and deterrents to live trapping, barriers, and community action procedures suitable for more intense problems
• interviews with and tips from regional gardening and wildlife control experts from coast to coast
• encyclopedic coverage of more than 1,000 resistant plants—especially those least likely to be grazed upon or destroyed by deer, based on scientific studies and a consensus of gardening authorities throughout the continent
• stunning full-color wildlife photography featuring deer and pest behaviors as well as solutions and deterrents

With more than 400 of the author's own gorgeous wildlife photos as well as ones by the legendary naturalist Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III, the most published wildlife photographer in North America, Deer-Resistant Landscaping provides the most wide-ranging, authoritative, and helpful information on this topic ever assembled in one volume." (from Amazon.com)

"Make a Home for Wildlife by Charles Fergus helps you see your property in new ways and is the resource you need to take the sometimes daunting steps to improve the quality of your land.
According to U.S. Forest Service, 250 million acres of woods and forests in the United States are privately held by 10 million individuals/families. Whether you live on a quarter-acre lot in the suburbs, own a 20-acre woodland retreat, run a farm of 100 acres, or belong to an outdoor club with hundreds or thousands of acres, you can make changes to the land—improvements that will turn your property into a better home for wildlife. Habitat projects can be simple or complex, short-term or spanning decades. Cost can be minimal—a few hours of your time spent doing pleasant work in the outdoors—or can run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars. And there is funding to help landowners make wildlife habitat. Focusing on the eastern US from Canada to Florida and west to the Great Plains, this book describes basic habitat types—forest, shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands—and highlights over 150 select native and introduced trees, shrubs, and plants, explaining how they are used—or not—by wildlife. The book includes more than 100 profiles of prominent and interesting species of insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals with information on animals and their habitat needs. Large and small mammals, resident and migratory birds, and insects are covered. Fergus relates stories of landowners who have made habitat in different states and regions in different ways." (from Amazon.com)

For the Love of Mississippi

First, let's look at the people of Mississippi through two of it's most important pastimes--football and the Blues.

Mississippi JUCOS: the Toughest Football League in America is by X.M. Frascogna, Jr., X.M. Frascogna, III, and Martin Frank Frascogna. "Mississippi JUCO football is one of the oldest and most colorful leagues in America. Tucked away in Mississippi arguably the most rabid football state of all is a self-contained, highly unique football ecosystem. The Mississippi JUCO football league, or, as the locals refer to it, JUCO ball , or simply the League , consists of fourteen Junior Colleges (now referred to as Community Colleges except for one) all inside the boundaries of Mississippi. On the surface the League has the characteristics of any small college football conference one might find at the NCAA Division II or III levels. However, upon closer examination you discover a fascinating athletic subculture. Depending on one s perspective JUCO ball could be described as a league wrapped in violence and brutality, a vicious athletic underworld. But to most of the players matriculating through the JUCO League, it is football Nirvana. Hidden from the national media JUCO teams in the Magnolia State compete for the League s Championship each year. Every game played during the season matters and many are bitter rivalries. The result is all out war from the beginning of the season to the last regular season game. The two playoff games for the League s Championship are like Armageddon I and II. The League has produced literally thousands of players who have gone on to compete at the NCAA Division I and professional levels. The number of JUCO players who go on to play at four year colleges at the Division II and III levels is staggering. However, even more impressive is the large percentage of the coaching profession who are graduates of the JUCO league. Famous JUCO coaches such as Dobie Holden, Sim Cooley, the Delta Fox Jim Randall, Bull Cyclone Sullivan, Goat Hale, H.C. Hook Stone, Joe Renfroe and A.J. Kilpatrick are spread throughout the annuls of the League. The record books bulge even more when considering the accomplishments of Bobby Ray Franklin, Parker Dykes, Billy Ward, Mike Eaton, Wooky Gray, Gene Murphy, James Sloan, Hugh Shurdon and George Sekul. Love it or despise it, Mississippi JUCO ball is unique." (Amazon.com)

Live from the Mississippi Delta by Panny Flautt Mayfield, "showcases a rare collection of photographs and stories about musicians from Robert Plant, B. B. King, and ZZ Top to local guitarists playing gigs on the weekend. Panny Flautt Mayfield, a lifelong Delta resident from Tutwiler and an award-winning journalist, documents multiple decades of blues and gospel music in her native land. Her first book collects over two hundred black-and-white and color photographs from a long career of photographing live music. Featuring text by Robert Plant in honor of Mayfield, the book opens with him addressing senior citizens gathered in Tutwiler to honor their town as the birthplace of blues. From there, the book proceeds throughout the Delta from juke joints and festivals to blues markers and museums. Mayfield presents images and tales of local icons such as Early Wright, Wade Walton, and the Jelly Roll Kings, as well as international celebrities. She shares intimate photos, including Garth Brooks and Bobby Rush charming elementary school kids in West Tallahatchie, along with insider stories and photos of B. B. King's Homecoming, the Governor's Awards, the Delta Blues Museum, the Sunflower and King Biscuit festivals, and a fascinating side trip to Norway's Notodden Blues Festival, which has a rich sister-city relationship with Clarksdale and the Sunflower Festival. Years ago volunteer tour guide Shirley Fair announced to visitors that there is a church or a juke joint on every corner in Clarksdale. Those demographics are still mostly accurate. Igniting a high-octane finale are photographs taken at iconic juke joints such as Smitty's Red Top, the Bobo Grocery, the Rivermount Lounge, Po' Monkey's, Hopson, Shelby's Dew Drop Inn, the Rose, Ground Zero, Sarah's Kitchen, Margaret's Blue Diamond, and Red's." (Amazon.com)

For a look at Mississippi's natural resources, why not try one of these?

Guide to Birding Coastal Mississippi by Judith A. Toups, Jerry Bird, and Stacy Jon Peterson highlights the wonderful birds that populate Mississippi's Gulf Coast area. "Each year a wide variety of birds and numerous birders flock to Mississippi's Gulf Coast, making it one of the most exciting bird watching locations in the US. In this definitive guidebook, three seasoned Mississippi birders lead the reader through the area's swamps, forests, and beaches, dispensing plenty of insider advice along the way. Maps and bar graphs illustrating monthly probability of occurrence ensure that, no matter what time of year, visitors will find a trip to the region to be a rewarding birding experience. Includes listings for all coastal species and the months in which they appear as well as detailed maps for Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Greene, Pearl River, Stone, George, Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties." (Alibris.com)

In Mushrooms of Mississippi and Other Fungi and Protists, George H. Dukes, Jr. takes us around the state and introduces the reader to one of the most overlooked and misunderstood organisms on the planet: Fungi. "A compendium of over 200 species of naturally occuring macroscopic mushrooms and related fungi, Mushrooms of Mississippi presents textual and photographic records on facing pages for quick and easy reference. Edible, poisonous, and hallucinogenic forms are described; the role of fungi in the environment, including saprobic and parasitic relationships, beneficial and harmful effects and habitats is documented." (Amazon.com) Dukes also includes some very cute photos of his "mushroom hunting" dogs.

New Series to Read in the Children's Department!

We have added several new series to our Children's Easy Reader collection.  Here are a few :

First, we have a set of six books on Farm Animals.  Three are by Kathryn Clay : Farm Dogs, Goats, and Chickens.  The other three are by Sheri Doyle : Cows, Horses, and Pigs.

The next series is on Backyard Birds.  The four book set contains Cardinals, Goldfinches, House Sparrows, and Robins.  All are written by Lisa Amstutz.

A four book series on owls by Melissa Hill is also new.  The titles are Barn Owls, Burrowing Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Snowy Owls.

Finally, for train lovers, we have a set called All Aboard written by Nikki Bruno Clapper.  The set contains these four titles : City Trains, Freight Trains, High-Speed Trains, and Passenger Trains.




These and many more are waiting for you - come check out our selection today!