Check It Out

Books recommended for young readers by Ilene Abramson, senior librarian for the children’s literature department, Los Angeles Public Library:

Millennium madness--Happy New Year.

Preschool: “The Blessing Seed,” by Caitlin Matthews

A “creation myth for the new millennium.”

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Kindergarten to second grade: “Turn of the Century,” by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis

Depictions of a child’s life 1,000 years ago and at 100-year intervals thereafter.

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Third grade: “The Kids’ Guide to Fortune Telling,” by Louise Dickson

Games and activities that predict what fun might be like in the next thousand years.

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Fourth grade: “The Kids’ Guide to the Millennium,” by Ann Love and Jane Drake

Party ideas, time capsules to start the new century.

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Fifth grade: “When the Beginning Began,” by Julius Lester, illustrated by Emily Lisker

Adds humor and wisdom to Book of Genesis stories.

Storytime

Some of the books to be read on KCET’s “Storytime,” weekdays at 12:30 p.m.

* “The Little Red Hen,” by Paul Galdone

A cat, dog, mouse and hen live together, but it’s the hen who does all the work, until she makes and eats a cake. Themes: cooperation, responsibility.

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* “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” by Iza Trapina

Illustrated version of the popular song. Themes: nature, music.

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* “The Woman Who Outshone the Sun,” based on a poem by Alejandro Cruz Martinez

A beautiful woman, ousted from a small town, takes the town’s beloved river with her. Themes: fairy tale, differences.