You may notice if you look at the last blog post that there are no book lists for April. There's a good reason for that - we didn't add anything! We were closed for much of the month with the rest of the country due to COVID-19. So, on to the book lists for May!

Adult - New
Adult - older copyright

Juvenile - New
Juvenile - older copyright

Audiovisual - New
Audiovisual - older copyright

Want to see all the lists posted so far? Try clicking here or on the image above.

As the library has been restricted to just curbside service for now, we've gotten requests from patrons on how they can virtually browse the shelves they were used to coming in to see in person.

After a little tinkering with the catalog "list" feature we hope the following linked lists will help you browse our catalog the way you want. If you see something you'd like please call or message us to reserve it for later pick-up!

March 2020 New To Our Shelves Adult (pre-2020 copyright)

March 2020 New To Our Shelves Juvenile & Young Adult (pre-2020 copyright)
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March 2020 New To Our Shelves AudioVisual (pre-2020 copyright)

New in the Library Adult 

New in the Library Juvenile & Young Adult

New in the Library AudioVisual

Look for separate blog posts for April, May, June, and July lists. Let us know if this helps!

You can find all of the lists HERE.

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. For the next few weeks I’ll be reviewing books new to our children’s department in honor of summer library program.

This Tuesday is Independence Day, and the library will be closed for that day only.  We’ll be open our regular hours Monday and Wednesday, and through the end of the week.

If you would like a book this summer that is pretty light on the actual reading part, try out author/illustrator Daniel Miyares.  His books are nearly wordless picture books, though they tell fantastic stories. 

The latest to the library, That Neighbor Kid, follows a young girl in pigtails as she tries to make friends with her new neighbor. The title page shows a moving truck in front of a suburban house, drawn in ink tones of grey. 

The inquisitive little girl looks over her new fence to see a funny young boy reading a book upside down in a tree.  She hides when the boy starts taking fence slats down, but creeps closer to see that he is actually building a tree house! It becomes apparent he could use some help, and as the two continue their project together the world around them starts to come into color, first with the autumn leaves on the tree, then the late afternoon sunshine, and finally blue paint as the tree house is completed.  The world returns to grey as night comes, but now instead of a moving van between the two houses there is a tree house, and two new friends wave to each other from warmly lit bedrooms.

​You can get the item reviewed here, which was That Neighbor Kid written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. For the next few weeks I’ll be reviewing books new to our children’s department in honor of summer library program.

You can count on Lemony Snicket to deliver a story just a little offbeat.  His Series of Unfortunate Events books didn’t shy away from presenting a tragic and sometimes dark storyline, aimed at grade school children.  Since then he’s come out with another series for grade school readers, but also ventured into picture books, with one winning an award.  His latest picture book is just as quirky. 

Goldfish Ghost follows an unnamed ghost of a goldfish who floats upside down, illustrated in black and white, through a world of color. Lisa Brown does the illustrations. Goldfish Ghost floats up from an abandoned bowl in the empty room of a little boy who lives in a seaside town. After a time Goldfish Ghost gets lonely as there’s no one to talk to in the boy’s room, and floats out the window.  The gulls at the pier ignore the ghosty fish, so he floats on the breeze into town and back out to the seashore, but everyone here ignores him floating silently above them. Out at sea all the fish ghosts floating upside down above the waves are friendly enough, but it’s not quite home for Goldfish Ghost. After attempting to return to his old bowl and finding it occupied by a new living fish, Goldfish Ghost finally heeds the call from the haunted lighthouse.  Who could be calling from all the way up there? 

You can get the item reviewed here, which was Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket, with illustrations by Lisa Brown, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. 

For the next few weeks I’ll be reviewing books new to our children’s department in honor of summer library program. Can you believe it?  Summer programs are nearly half over at the library! I hope everyone’s summer plans are going along well, whether you are on the farm, on vacation, or just trying to stay cool.

Tuesday is the first day of summer, although I’m sure the weather has been reminding us of that for a few weeks now! This week’s Port Pick celebrates that wonderful season of the year from the end of school to the dog days.

And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner, with illustrations by Jaime Kim captures the joy of long sunny days with just a bit of nostalgia for classic summer activities like ice cream breaks, fireworks, trips to the lake, lemonade stands, and bicycle rides. The illustrations are in bright inky colors, done in a cartoonish style that evokes all the youthful joys of a summer day.  The rhyming text follows a “when…” and an answer “then…” on each page, starting with warming weather and lengthening days, followed by the sound of lawn mowers and the end of school, to evening crickets, the Fourth of July, and finally settling down in your tent for a late summer camping trip.

This story would be a great one to read to your young grade school aged child right at the end of school, or if you’re planning several weekends swimming at Lake Waconda.

This is actually the third in a series by the same author, each title starting with “And then comes…” The library has And Then Comes Halloween as well, although it is illustrated by a different artist.  It still has the same happy, bright, and fun feel though.

​You can get the item reviewed here, which was And Then Comes Summer Tom Brenner, with illustrations by Jaime Kim and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”