I secretly love to peek at people’s shopping carts in the grocery store and their stacks as they check out books at the library. In the spirit of fairness, thought I’d share glimpses of what we select at our local public library and why. (Hooray for public libraries and FREE books!)

Here’s our latest haul and the reasons behind some of our choices:

• My older son (10) is has become interested in inventing/engineering. He was pretty bummed to discover I had neither the knowledge nor inclination to make him a hydraulic bed that launched him out in the mornings. I figured I could at least wrangle up a few inventing and engineering themed books he might like. 

• I’d read great things about THE LITTLE GUYS by Vera Brosgnol—how cute are those little acorn dudes?— and had that on hold for my little guy (6). Always exciting when a hold book comes in. Score.

• Both of my boys are into goats, after a bit of goat-minding at a summer camp last year, so goats a recurring theme in our house. 

• Thumbed through FLIGHTS OF FANCY at the library and loved it. Really cool writing/drawing ideas for young writers as well as the stories behind various children’s book authors’ and illustrators’ inspirations and processes. Great book for teachers too. My older son is a Quentin Blake fan and picked it up right away. 

• My boys like graphic novels/stories of all sorts and FAIRY TALE COMICS is a collection of fairy tales as interpreted by a variety of comic artists (edited by Chris Duffy). Both of my boys are firmly back into fairy tales thanks to the amazing Adam Gidwitz, whose awesome Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest podcast (https://tinyurl.com/wu3eo34) made our last road trip a lot less, well, grim.