Parent/Caregiver FAQs
As a parent or caregiver, you are your child’s first and best teacher. You should feel empowered to set parameters that are right for your family, and there are a number of ways the library can help. Our Guide for Parents and Caregivers outlines tips for navigating our collection, setting up library accounts, and more!
The West Ada School District provides access to Overdrive using the Sora app for schools. To access Meridian Library District’s Overdrive materials, just add our library within the Sora app! Your school credentials will allow you to check out materials from our collection.
School accounts through Sora limit access to materials by grade levels. You will need to download the Libby app separately and log in with your Meridian Library card to access our complete collection.
P is for Pets
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Hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are favorite pets for young kids! This introductory title shows what it takes to care for these critters, from habitat needs to changing shells. Features include a labeled diagram of a tank and common species of this pet. Simple sentences and clear photos help students who are just starting to read grow along with these fun pets!
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Turtle
Fun-filled facts and tips on proper care of animals can be found within the pages of theMy Pet series. Each volume provides information about breeds, myths, behaviours, as well as how to house, feed, and care for a pet.
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Birds
Tweet, tweet! Birds can be rewarding pets! This lowl-level title introduces beginning readers to the joys and basic care of owning a pet bird through easy-to-read text and colorful photos. Features include a diagram of a pet bird's home and favorite toys. Young students practicing independent reading can find out if a pet bird is right for them!
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Be a Hamster and Guinea Pig Expert
Do you know your Syrian hamsters from your Skinny Pigs? Whether you own a hamster, rat, or guinea pig, this guide to everything rodent is packed with essential information from the usefulness of rodents in history to how to look after different kinds of rodents to other fascinating facts.
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Slithering Snakes and How to Care for Them
The Perfect Introduction To Being A Pet Owner For The Child Ready To Get A Snake.
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Curious about Lizards
Can I take my lizard on a walk? Spark kids' natural curiosity about pets with this inquiry-based nonfiction book about lizards. From the cuddly bearded dragon to large iguanas, lizards make interesting pets. Nine questions that kids would ask and well-researched, easy-to-understand answers teach readers about life with these reptiles, including terrarium needs, handling techniques, and lizard behaviors like head bobbing and arm waving. Simple infographics support visual learning. A Stay Curious! feature encourages kids to keep asking questions and models media literacy skills. Includes table of contents, glossary, and index. Perfect for curious kids in early elementary grades.
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Weird Pets
Dogs and cats are common pets, but what about sharing your home with more bizarre critters? Corn snakes, tarantulas, hermit crabs...learn about some of the world's weirder pets inside!
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Allergic
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with severe allergies who just wants to find the perfect pet!
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur!
Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
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Surprise Puppy!
The bestselling DK Readers series has a fresh new look featuring redesigned jackets and interiors, and up-to-date vocabulary throughout. In DK Readers, stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging age-appropriate stories, creating a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge.
Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these captivating books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade four.
With DK Readers, children learn to read -- then read to learn!
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Kitten Nobody Wanted
When Mia loses her beloved cat, Sandy, she can't ever imagine having a cat again. Mia never wants to forget or replace Sandy! Until her friend's cat has kittens and one of them would be just perfect for Mia! Can Mia allow another cat in her life?
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Brina the Cat #1
Brina, a city cat, moved to the mountains with the owners for a summer holiday. Here she meets some stray cats who call themselves “The Gang of the Feline Sun". The new friends convince her to escape her owners and become a free cat. But while Brina enjoys her newfound freedom and all the new types of delectable bugs the countryside has to offer, her young owners are panicking over losing her, a member of their family. Brina must make a choice to live with her owners, where it’s safe (but confined) or go free in the wilderness. A heartwarming tender cat tale.
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Pet Jokes That Will Make You Howl!
What state has the most cats? Catifornia What's a dog's favorite festival? Mardi paw. What's a toad's favorite part of the newspaper? The wart ads. From snaky "Hiss-terical Humor" to "Polly Wants a Crack-Up," these wildly funny jokes will have animal-loving kids howling in amusement. They can choose from "Jokes that are Bad to the Bone," "Wild Movies" (Jurassic Bark), and "Tabby's Text Messaging."
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Presidential Pets
This inside look at the White House's animal residents features a rollicking, rhyming verse for each commander-in-chief's pets, accompanied by cool facts, presidential stats, and laugh-out-loud cartoon art. John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the bathtub, while Thomas Jefferson's pride and joy was his pair of bear cubs. Andrew Jackson had a potty-mouthed parrot, and Martin Van Buren got into a fight with Congress over his two baby tigers. First daughter Caroline Kennedy's pony Macaroni had free reign over the White House. But the pet-owning winner of all the presidents was Theodore Roosevelt, who had a hyena, lion, zebra, badger, snake, rats, a nippy dog that bit the French ambassador, and more!
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Unusual Pet Pals
From where they sleep to what they eat and how you can make them feel safe and at home, this book gives you pet care advice on a variety of different pets. Learn the inside information on how to care for and understand the behavior of pets such as snakes, insects, chinchillas, newts, and salamanders.
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The EXpets
Perfect for fans of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, this first book in a hilarious new middle grade graphic novel series follows a stinky dog reluctantly recruited by a team of super-pets to rescue missing kittens!
Bosco the dog loves being a house pet, loves his comfy dog bed and nice big house and, of course, his favorite toy kitty. So when two burglars break in, Bosco defends his home with all his might, which includes releasing some well-timed—and near supersonic—stink that repels the would-be thieves. With his foes in retreat, Bosco thinks it’s all over…until a robot descends from the sky.
The flying robot delivers Bosco to the city and tells him that, due to his unusual “abilities,” he’s been chosen to become one of the eXpets, a team of superheroes with extraordinary abilities who team up to solve problems of all sizes. Bosco would be joining a turtle mastermind, a laser-eyed kitty, Wonder-Guppy, and Ginormous Gerbil. The mission? Rescuing the world’s kittens, who have all gone mysteriously missing. Bosco isn’t sure he’s all that extraordinary and certainly doesn’t enjoy tasks with a lot of pressure. But…how can he turn his back on kittens?!
Can the ragtag group move past getting off on the wrong paw to track down the catnapped cuties and save the day?
Cool and Cozy Reads for Kids
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Allergic
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with severe allergies who just wants to find the perfect pet!
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur!
Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
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A Very Merry Christmas
Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.
'Tis the season to be jolly -- and holey cheese was I trying! But on my way to New York City to meet my family for the holidays, my luggage got switched with another mouse's... Oh, rats! Now I had to scurry all over the Big Apple trying to track down that mouse... and all my Christmas presents! And I, Geronimo Stilton, am not a big cheese when it comes to getting around the Big Apple! -
Santa Claus Doesn't Mop Floors
A classic Bailey School Kids adventure is back with a new cover art just in time for the holidays! The fresh look of this long-time favorite makes it the perfect gift this season.
There have always been some pretty weird grown ups in Bailey City, but the new custodian at the Bailey School is one of a kind. When he appears out of nowhere just before Christmas to help out at the school, Mr. Jolly's white hair and beard and longing for cold temperatures bring the fabled St. Nick to everyone's mind. Could this man really be Santa Claus? The Bailey School Kids are going to find out! -
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
A New York Times BestsellerThe Chronicles of Narnia (Book 2)Four adventurous siblings step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
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Sisterland
Fall under the spell of this contemporary fairy tale that's perfect for fans of Emily Winfield Martin's Snow & Rose and the Chronicles of Narnia series.
Alice thought it was unusual to see a dragonfly in the middle of winter. But she followed it until she fell down-down-down, and woke up in a world unlike any other.
Welcome to Sisterland, a fantastical world where it is always summer. The most enchanting magic of all, though, is Alice's new friend Marissa. But as the girls explore the strange land, they learn Sisterland's endless summer comes at a price. Back on Earth, their homes are freezing over. To save their families, Alice and Marissa must outwit the powerful Queen Lili. But the deeper they go into Sisterland, the less Alice and Marissa remember about their homes, their lives before, and what they are fighting for.
This is a wondrous tale about heroism, loyalty, and friendship from one of the most celebrated Finnish children's authors, Salla Simukka. -
Warriors: The Broken Code #1: Lost Stars
An epic new adventure begins in Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series!
For the first time, all five warrior Clans have settled into their true homes in the territory around the lake. But when a shockingly harsh leaf-bare season descends on the forest, a new darkness begins to spread—a shadow that threatens a beloved Clan leader, the cats’ connection with their ancestors in StarClan, and the very warrior code they live by.
Packed with action and intrigue, the beginning of this sixth Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world. And dedicated fans will be thrilled to discover the new adventures that unfold after the events of A Vision of Shadows.
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The Way Past Winter
The Way Past Winter is a riveting adventure about magic, an eternal winter, and one girl's unbreakable determination to reunite her family.
Mila, her sisters, and her brother, Oskar, live in a small forest cabin, surviving in a world gripped by frost and snow.
When a mysterious man shows up on her doorstep, Mila and her family grant him shelter for the night. But in the morning, the man is gone--and he's taken Oskar with them.
* Written by awardwinning and internationally recognized author Kiran Millwood Hargrave
* Inspired by European folklore
* Middle grade novel that explores deeper topics--grief, inner strength, and the unbreakable bonds of family
Determined to save their brother, Mila and her sisters set out on a mission to rescue him. But challenges await them at every turn: wolves with the speed of demons, tempestuous gold, an untrustworthy mage--and always the relentless, stinging freeze of winter.
The Way Past Winter is a classic adventure story in the vein of Phillip Pullman, Anne Ursu, and Kelly Barnhill that evokes the best of the middle grade fantasy genre.
* A beautifully written, smartly paced tale of riveting adventure with a focus on family
* Perfect gift for children ages 10 and up who love fantasy and magic
* Great for librarians and teachers looking to expand their classroom novel collection
* Add it the the shelf with books like Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. -
Winter Turning
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling series soars to even greater heights with a new prophecy and five new dragonets ready to claim their destiny!
Daring mission... or deadly mistake?
Winter has been a disappointment to his royal IceWing family his whole life. When his sister, Icicle, runs away from Jade Mountain Academy, fleeing terrible crimes and possibly planning to commit more, Winter knows that they both need a second chance to make things right -- if only he can find her.
Winter's new clawmates, Moon, Qibli, and Kinkajou, won't let him make this dangerous journey alone. They don't seem to understand that IceWings, the most superior of all dragon tribes, can fix their own problems. When their search leads the dragonets straight into Queen Scarlet's vicious talons, Winter is grateful to have some help. But even the bravest dragons can't follow him to the Ice Kingdom, where he'll have to face the greatest threat of all: his own family. -
Ant and Honey Bee
The funny, endearing insect pals find a way to be more than fair-weather friends in a second early chapter book from Megan McDonald and G. Brian Karas.
Brrrr! The leaves are off the trees, and frost is on the ground. It’s time for bugs to hunker down and hide out for the winter. But Ant isn’t ready to hunker down. Ant isn’t ready to be all by herself for months on end. The thought of a long chilly season without her best friend, Honey Bee, is enough to make Ant shiver with dread. Can Ant brave the cold for one last surprise visit before the snow flies? And will Honey Bee welcome an interruption of her peace and quiet? The author of the Judy Moody series teams up again with award-winning illustrator G. Brian Karas to show that true friends can weather whatever comes their way — even if one is feeling antsy and the other has blissful hibernation in mind. -
Fox Versus Winter
Fun-loving, mischievous Fox--the hilarious trickster character featured in Geisel Award-winning Fox the Tiger--goes up against a surprising foe!
Fox does not like winter. None of his friends are around to play. He is bored and alone. Then Fox has an idea. If he cannot escape winter, he will fight it!
Fox versus Winter is a My First I Can Read book, which means it's perfect for shared reading with a child. Other Fox books include: Fox the Tiger, Fox Is Late, Fox and the Jumping Contest, and Fox and the Bike Ride.
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Middle School: Winter Blunderland
Sometimes middle school feels like a dangerous mission in the cold, unforgiving tundra. Sometimes it literally is. Will Rafe survive his most (frost)biting adventure yet?
Things heat up at Hills Village Middle School when Rafe gets an invitation from Dr. Daria Deerwin to join a research study on polar bears. How many times in life do you get a chance to come face‑to‑face with a real polar bear in the wild? Rafe is ready to find out!
Alaska is pinkie‑freezing, hair‑freezing, snot‑freezing cold, but Rafe might be headed for a meltdown. He's spending every waking moment with Penelope, who he definitely has a crush on, and a polar bear Dr. Deerwin is tracking goes missing...with poachers on the tundra. It's up to Rafe, Penelope, and their new friends to save the day in Rafe's coolest adventure yet. -
Winter Lights
Rich, luminous fabrics.
Eleven miles of thread.
An uncountable number of stitches.
Clear, sparkling words.
With these ingredients Anna Grossnickle Hines celebrates the lights that brighten the darkest season of our year. In poems and quilts she captures each heartening glow and flicker, from the moon and aurora borealis to the holiday lights of Santa Lucia, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year to one lone candle and a hidden flashlight in the deep, dark night.
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The Ice Castle
Hi! I’m Daisy Dreamer and my totally true imaginary friend Posey and I are going on a winter adventure! Oh, and you’re totally invited, too!
I love snow days! I mean, who doesn’t? But do you know what’s better than a snow day? A snow day in the World of Make-Believe! Obviously! But do you know what’s even better than that? A snow day in the World of Make-Believe visiting a really real Ice Castle! Join Posey and me, as we build snow-nimals, go bed-sledding, and have a brrr-tastic snowberang fight. There’s just one thing to remember: Stay out of the Ice Castle’s tower. It may be a little cursed, but that’s snow reason to not come along!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Daisy Dreamer chapter books are perfect for emerging readers. -
Winter
Winter brings ice, snow, and cold temperatures. Some animals hibernate while others change their habits to survive the cold months. Readers will learn about how people, animals, and plants deal with the cold, chilly weather of winter!
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Kids in the Holiday Kitchen
Kick off the holidays in the kitchen this year! Here are kid-friendly projects including easy entres, sweet and savorynoshes, and fantastic crafts to display, wear, or give. Kids will love makingand then eatingcupcakes that look like Christmas ornaments and Snowballs in the Forest, creative little pizzas perfect for little hands. That special someone will be delighted to receive Santas Suds decorated soap or a candy-cane decorated gift tin. With these unique craft and snack ideas, the holidays will certainly be merry and bright.
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