Carefully chosen books will engage children and provide them with all sorts of valuable thoughts and ideas. That's what you'll always find in this column and on my website.

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The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>“Nory Ryan's Song”</B> by Patricia Reilly Giff, Random House, 148 pages; read aloud: age 8 and older; read yourself: age 9 to 10 and older.Nory Ryan's family has lived on the west coast of Ireland for generations. Life there had never been easy, but in 1845, it became much more difficult.The English Lord, whose land they lived on, keeps raising their rent in the attempt to force all the Irish off his property. To make matters worse, a terrible blight has attacked the potato crop.Those able to scrape together enough money have left on ships bound for America, but Nory and her little brother wait for their father to return from the sea. Will he return before they are thrown out of their house or starve to death? Will Nory continue to find the strength to help her family survive?Outstanding in every way, this beautifully written novel of courage, ingenuity, love and the determination will capture readers and remain with them long after the last page is read.

<B>Library: </B>Zelienople Public Library, 227 S. High St., Zelienople<B>Library Director: </B>Jan Lawrence<B>Children's Librarian: </B>Kay Howard<B>Choices this week: “Turk and Runt”</B> by Lisa Wheeler; <B>“Buffalo Knife”</B> by William O. Steele; <B>“Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land”</B> by William Jay Jacobs

<B>“All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel”</B> written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, Knopf, 2011, 36 pages, $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 4 to 5 and older; read yourself: age 8 and older.As a young man, Michele Iaccarino left his home in Italy. He was bound for a new life of opportunities in faraway America. As his parents bid him farewell, his father handed him the little shovel Michele had used as a boy when he helped his family on their farm. His parents told him to work hard, enjoy life and never forget your family.Michele was author/ illustrator Dan Yaccarino's great grandfather, and Yaccarino spins a lovely tale of his family through the years. The little shovel served many important purposes by each generation. And no one ever forgot those words of wisdom given to Michele long ago.Full of warmth, this wonderful story will have readers and listeners wondering about their own roots and how and why their family came to America.<B>“Okay for Now”</B> by Gary Schmidt, Clarion, 2011, 360 pages, $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 10 and older.; read yourself: age 11 to 12 and older.In 1968, life is rapidly changing for Doug Swieteck. His family has just moved to a small town in upstate New York and Doug is determined to hate everything about it. Doug's brother is serving in Vietnam and is soon to return home, and his other older brother has been accused of robbery.Doug soon finds himself in a place he has never been in his life, in Marysville or elsewhere — the library. There, he encounters things that will change his life in numerous ways — the plates of Audubon's “Birds of America,” the kind Mr. Powell who encourages Doug's new-found art talent and Lil Spicer, Doug's first friend in Marysville. Working as a delivery boy, Doug's life is further changed by his customers, especially the eccentric writer, Mrs. Windermere. Throughout it all, Doug struggles to find his voice, his family and his place in the world.As seamless as any novel can be, “Okay for Now” is a rare, wonderful read. A cast of colorful, believable characters perfectly blends with humor, an emotionally-charged plot, and flawless writing loaded with rich imagery.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at her website: www.greatestbooksforkids.com.<U></U>