Now that we have snow on the ground in central Iowa, here are a few books about snow to share with the young readers in your life. After you’re done building snow people and sledding down hills, snuggle up inside and read.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs
Martin tells the story of Wilson Bentley who, as an amateur photographer in the late 1800s, perfected a technique to photograph individual snowflakes under high power magnification. Bentley’s photographs proved that no two snowflakes are alike. Snowflake Bentley won the 1999 Caldecott Medal.

Ken Libbrecht’s Field Guide to Snowflakes
This book features dozens of gorgeous snowflake photographs, as well as the science behind the composition of snowflakes and how to take your own snowflake photos.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
This a picture book originally published in 1943. Tenacious Katy the beautiful red crawler tractor plows out the roads in the town of Geopolis after a major blizzard.

Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin
A book that illustrates the footprints of a variety of animals, including a small girl and her grandmother, as they all make their way home in the snow.

I am Snow by Jean Marzollo
This easy reader contrasts the different forms of water and shows how to make easy six-sided paper snowflakes without a pattern.

No Two Alike by Keith Baker
We join a pair of curious red birds as they explore how everything everywhere is unique, but similar.

Hope you enjoy these snowy books! All these selections, and many more books about snow, are available at your Waukee Public Library.

I was oh-so-lucky to receive a package from Random House in early November containing an advance reader’s copy of Melanie Benjamin’s latest novel, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, which will be published January 26.

Based on Truman Capote’s life in New York and his gloriously wealthy lady friends – “The Swans”, as Truman called them; this fictional story offers a well-told glimpse of society’s upper crust in New York City’s late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

From his modest roots in Alabama, Capote climbed into New York society. The publishing of his seminal non-fiction best seller, In Cold Bood secured his place there. The powerful husbands of these fabulously rich women approved of Capote and felt no rivalry with him – after all, he was gay. As such, he was included in the intimate gatherings of his Swans, and soaked up myriad secrets of the wealthy and powerful.

Alas, Capote’s writing success did not continue, largely due to his excesses of drugs and alcohol. In 1975 he wrote a short story for Esquire magazine, titled ‘La Cote Basque 1965’, which laid bare the excesses, affairs, and confidences of the Swans, which insured his immediate expulsion from the group.

Benjamin beautifully describes the clothes, beauty rituals, and luncheons, and Capote’s relationship with his Swans. I’d recommend it, but be prepared to stay up late reading as it’s hard to put down once you start!

I’d like to propose a resolution you’ll be able to keep – a reading resolution. How does it work? Just follow these simple steps:

• Read for pleasure. Pick up something you really LIKE – whether it’s a magazine, a light romance, an action-packed adventure, or the book you’ve wanted to read forever and haven’t taken the time.
• Remember it’s not a race. You’re reading for enjoyment, not for competition.
• Talk books. Find out what your friends and acquaintances are reading, and what books are their favorite reads. Talk to the gal or guy behind the desk at the library – we love to give recommendations.
• Try an eReader for portability. Even if you prefer a paper book, having something to read available on your tablet or phone the next time you’re waiting to pick up the kids is quite handy.
• Go with an audiobook. During your commute, work out, or housework, an audiobook can entertain or inform.

Have a Happy New Year, and enjoy your 2016 reading resolution!

One of the things I really miss about having small children at home is picture books. You know the kind I mean – large, easy-to-read books featuring lovely big pictures to help tell the story; the kind that are perfect when you hold a child on your lap and read aloud.

Listening to you read books aloud helps prepare preschoolers for school. Waukee Public Library offers a program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. This is a year-round, self-paced program for infants through preschoolers who have not yet entered Kindergarten.  Studies show that children who are exposed to 1,000 books before kindergarten have a more solid foundation for school and are more prepared to learn.  Sign up at the library for your child to receive rewards for every 100 books read. After completing 1,000 books, a library staff member can take a photo of your child wearing a tiny cap and gown.

So pick up a stack of picture books and get started on a fun and easy way to help your child succeed in school – by reading picture books together. Snuggling up together and reading right before bed is an opportunity for you both to wind down at the end of the day.

The best part of holidays and birthdays when I was growing up was new books. Sure, there were other presents, but I could always count on at least one new book to add to my own little library.

At some point during the day I would find time to curl up in an out of the way spot with my newest print acquisition – usually in the company of one of my sisters and a cousin or two who were reading their own new treasures.

I’ve continued the tradition with my son and nieces and nephews by giving books and bookstore gift cards over the years. It has made my heart warm to see my nieces and nephews grow up and share their favorite books with their children.

Several years ago, one of my nephews introduced me to interactive children’s books on his laptop. What a great and fun innovation! A wide variety of titles for children of all ages is accessible on the library’s website: http://www.waukee.org/515/Downloads-Databases. Click on Tumblebooks and enjoy.

I’m hoping there’s a book – print or digital – under the tree with your name on it! Merry Christmas!

Occasionally at the Waukee Public Library, I have a parent ask me the best way to get their kids to read more. My answer? Read yourself.

Read with your children. Read aloud to your child and have your child read aloud to you. Set aside time to read together as a family several times a week, with each family member reading something he or she really wants to read. When your kids see you immersed in a novel or a magazine you enjoy, you are setting the best possible example, the example of reading as a pleasurable leisure activity.

I just finished two books that I’d like to share with you. The first is Charles Belfoure’s second novel, “House of Thieves”. Set in 1886 New York, this book drew me into the mystery of why one of the city’s preeminent architects would go to work for a gang of thieves. Combining historical fiction with mystery, it’s a real page-turner.

The second is “The Long Walk: a Story of War and the Life That Follows” by Brian Castner, who served three tours in the Middle East as part of an explosive ordinance disposal unit. His story contrasts the intensity of combat with the lonely inward battle he fights now that he has come home.

Whatever you’re reading, enjoy!

Learn more at http://www.waukee.org/291/Library

It’s with mixed feelings that I’m starting to ready my gardens to rest for the winter.  On one hand, it’s hard to see the bounty of summer come to an end; on the other hand, I’m looking forward to a little more reading time once I get everything done. There’s great comfort in sitting in front of the fire with a new book, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and one of our cats. Both of our cats seem to regard reading time as extra lap time; often one will be cuddled up with me and the other will be draped over my husband.

We drove out to Brenton Arboretum last Sunday to enjoy the gorgeous day and do some walking while enjoying the fall colors. Scattered throughout the arboretum are comfortable chairs. We both wished we had brought our books to do some reading after our walk – the weather was perfect.

The beautiful trees prompted me to remember the big sugar maple in our next door neighbor’s yard when I was a kid.  It was the perfect tree to read in, easy to climb with one particular substantial branch that was nearly horizontal and had adjacent branches in just the right places for back and foot rests.  I read dozens and dozens of books, including “Treasure Island”, perched on that branch high in the tree.

Thinking of “Treasure Island”, I just finished “Under the Wide and Starry Sky,” Nancy Horan’s novel about the relationship between Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and his American wife, Fannie Van de Grift Osbourne.  Stevenson penned numerous novels, including “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. This new book follows the couple from the time they meet until Stevenson’s death on the Pacific island of Samoa, where they lived for several years.

I’d recommend it!