Books

Having a second child, as joyous as it is, can be seriously stressful—especially for your first born, who up until now was the center of attention. Even if your kid is excited about becoming a big sister or brother, mixed emotions may set in once the baby actually arrives. Sharing toys at school is one thing; sharing mom and dad and toys at home? Cue a tantrum.

Although the siblings will inevitably bond, you can jump-start the process by sharing books about new brothers and sisters, even while you're still pregnant. So for this month's Little Lions post, we asked Katie Crook, the senior librarian at the Francis Martin Library in the Bronx, to share her favorite children's titles about families welcoming new arrivals.

Since April is National Poetry Month, we asked our friends at the New York Public Library to come up with a list of poetry books for kids for this month's Little Lions post. Luckily Peggy Salwen, Senior Children's Librarian at the 67th Street Branch, is a big poetry fan so she was up to the task.

While many children's books are written in verse, these tomes feature true poems, not just stories that rhyme. And since poetry books, like poems, come in many styles, there are a variety of choices here, from themed collections to a single illustrated ode.

In honor of the start of spring, our March Little Lions post is all about nature. There are lots of colorful kids' books about communing with the great outdoors, even here in New York City.

Tiffany James, senior librarian at the Mosholu branch of the New York Public Library in the Bronx, put together this book list of her favorite titles featuring growing gardens, wiggly worms and hopping playgrounds.

Unless you and your kids have been living under a plastic rock, you know that the animated film Dr. Seuss' The Lorax opens this Friday, March 2. What you may not realize is that Friday is also the late Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday and the annual launch of the National Education Association's Read Across America campaign.

Unlike the 2011 edition of Read Across America, this year's kickoff at the central branch of the New York Public Library isn't open to the public. However, there are still many ways your little Cat in the Hat fanatic can celebrate Seuss’ birthday in New York City. Read on for special storytimes, a super-cool Seuss art exhibit and ideas for marking the doc's big day on your own.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but showing your kids how much you care is something you do every day. Just think of all the times you've missed watching Modern Family so you could read your children a bedtime story. Now that's love.

So for our February Little Lions post, we decided to focus on books about the unbreakable bond between parents and children. NYPL senior librarian Auria Morales, who recommends books in Staten Island's Todt Hill-Westerleigh Library’s Children’s Room, shares nine of her favorite love stories.