How are zombies and electricity related you ask? They aren’t in physical science, but the psychology behind putting them together surely works.  What intermediate or middle school student doesn’t want to see zombies! ? Author- Mark Weakland  has teamed up with illustrator- Jok,  and editor- Anthony Wacholtz (from Mummies and Sound) to make electricity memorable to students by pairing electricity with zombies in a graphic format. A reader may remember a wind turbine as a renewable resource after hours of study, but I bet it will be easier to remember once the reader has seen the hilarious picture of a zombie hanging onto the whirling blade of a wind turbine. What fun!

Chapter 2- Charge! describes the basic atom before stating, ” When electrons make the jump between atoms through certain materials, such as air or metal, electricity is created.” (page 9)

Chapter 3 -Zombies and Current Events gives the basics of terms: current, static electricity, circuit, conductor, and ground.  Each is accompanied with illustrations of zombies. “Consider a zombie dressed in a wool shirt lurching against a bunch of balloons. When the zombie brushes the balloons, negatively charged electrons move from the wool shirt to the balloons.” (page 13)

Chapter 4 -Push, Pull, and Power Plants gives the basics of terms: electromagnet, turbine, voltage, and generator.  And Chapter 5 -Safe From Zapping, Safe From Zombies gives the basics of electricity safety using brainless zombies in dangerous situations compared with humans demonstrating safe practices.

If you are looking into getting a dog, this is the perfect book for you.  Kramer takes the 200 (how many are there?) most popular breeds, shows a picture of it, and gives basic info as to height and weight.  This is what most dog books do, however, Kramer takes it a wonderful step further: how did this breed evolve, what, historically, was this dog used for, maintenace of it’s coat, life span, temperament, trainability, socilizing, special needs, health, and so on.  Kids love to learn about their own dogs and this book does that.  I, personally, think I found my next dog, and I’d never heard of the breed before.

In 1897, prospectors returned to Seattle with a fortune in gold, causing another gold rush. Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond, two young Seattle men, borrowed money from their parents to outfit themselves and headed out to Dawson City with high hopes. On their way, they encountered multiple hardships beyond belief. This piece of literature is far above other pieces due to the numerous primary sources woven together with narration. A collection of letters written home to their parents, diary entries, telegrams, and newspaper articles have been handed down to Mr. Kim Richardson, a descendent of Stanley Pearce. Kim Richardson and David Meissner made a great author team. The historical photographs deepen the understanding of their world. This is a must have for every library.

Perhaps you have eaten farm-raised salmon? Most of us usually don’t think of fish as something to be farmed. This book takes that idea a bit further with farm-raised butterflies. This 10″ X 9″  book opens up to end papers of 6 compartment sections each filled the a different variety of life-size butterfly pupae! Gorgeous!

A Boston museum receives a shipping box of live butterfly pupae from Costa Rica. The reader sees the box before and after it is opened. The text goes on to tell the life cycle of a butterfly accompanied by a diagram. A few pages later, ” Unlike most mother butterflies, this one lives in a greenhouse. She was moved here from the nearby forest so that she could lay her eggs inside the greenhouse’s tall, screened walls.” ( page 9)  So begins the photo essay of butterfly farming. Appropriate vocabulary is used to describe the life cycle as it unfolds on this farm : exoskeleton and molting. The larger than life color photos show the pupae color patterns and hairlines in great detail. As the pupae mature, some will be released back into the local forest, some will be kept to the next life cycle to begin over again inside the greenhouses, and the majority of them will be shipped to museums, etc. around the world. The reader is shown a well organized lab setting with the numerous varieties of butterfly pupae sorted for shipping, then a shipping package, and the live cargo being readied to board the airplane, while the text explains a few of the finer details.

The book ends with some general information- “INSECTS AND THEIR LIFE CYCLES”  and “INSECT WORDS”. The former describes complete, simple, and partial metamorphosis each in an easy to understand paragraph. Then the latter, gives general life cycle terminology first, followed by more specific terminology for three different insects:

egg -> larva-> pupa-> adult

egg-> caterpillar->chrysalis-> butterfly

egg->maggot->pupa-fly

egg->grub->pup->beetle.

Includes: a glossary with cross-references to photos in the book, information for a free download, books, and websites.

This 10″ X 9″  book  closes to end papers of 6 compartment sections each filled the a different variety of life-size adult butterfly ! Gorgeous!

Brian P. Cleary presents 20 of his own haiku (5,7,5 syllable poems) and 15 of his own lantern poems (1,2,3,4,1 syllable) poems, plus directions on how to create them yourself. “Traditionally, haiku have nature as their subject, and they often capture a specific moment. For this book, I’ve taken a broader approach to topics. You’ll find poems about nature as well as about school, pets, pizza, pancakes, and more.” ( page 4) These often funny poems, coupled with Andy Rowland’s often hilarious illustrations around each and every poem make this book a ‘hoot’ for even non-poetry lovers.

DECISIONS

Spanish homework or

a nap? Compromise: we’ll call

it a siesta.  (page 7)

Makes me want to take my hand at creating one or two haiku or lantern poems myself.

Includes: Further Reading list of books and websites.

This story in the Just Grace series has third grader Grace looking forward to the spring fair.  During a short visit from Grandma, Grace learns how to make amazing cupcakes.  This give her an idea for the theme for the fair.  As with all of the Just Grace books, Grace shares her thoughts, lists, and includes many mini-headings. She is continually upbeat.  She realizes when she hurts her friend Mimi’s feelings and tries to apologize.  She discovers good qualities about her least favorite classmates.  Many pen and ink drawings are sprinkled throughout the text with conversation bubbles and explanations, complete with arrows.  The format of this book provides a good transition from picture books to chapter books.  Grace’s voice is solidly third grade.

Danny Shine likes comic books, not baseball.  He was only at the baseball game because he had free tickets.  When a game winning ball came streaking toward him, he reached out to catch it.  Because the third baseman did not catch it, the team lost the championship and Danny gained the reputation as the school jinx.  Wherever he went, bad things happened.  When he bumbled his way into the spotlight to defend his friend Luke, his luck finally changed and many issues were resolved.  Danny Shine is typical of many middle schoolers and Holly Kowitt portrays the insecurities, interactions, and friendships with humor and insight.  There are many ink drawings and the text font resembles a handwritten diary.  Fans of the Wimpy Kid and Big Nate will also enjoy this series.

Another great Urgency Emergency series book, with a spin on a common nursery tale.  In this tale, the spider falls off the spout and is whisked to the emergency room, thanks to Miss Muffet’s quick actions.  At the hospital the itsy bitsy spider is treated and can be released, but has no way home.  Sad and dejected, Doctor Glenda asks Miss Muffet to take the spider home, but Miss Muffet is afraid of Spiders!  But with compassion and setting her fear aside, she agrees to help out.  Everyone is happy and it’s another winning day in the emergency room with Doctor Glenda.

An honest nonfiction book about the person named Cristiano Ronaldo as well as his soccer achievements.  There’s a chapter called “Troubling times” which talks about family issues, health problems, and the isolation he felt.  He is portrayed as emotional as well as a super athlete.  This is a good honest glimpse into Ronaldo.  This would appeal to upper elementary and middle school readers.  High interest book. Great Additional read.

A literacy book about getting ready for college and managing your own finances in a “kid friendly” way.  Great comparisons for careers with degrees and correlated pay scales.  Discussions of money and how it  effects your quality of life and choices in life.  It would make for some good required reading for students as they contemplate the idea of going on to college.  Recommended.

The hunt is on!  Geronimo, our beloved mouse  is writing a book on his laptop computer.  It must be finished in time for the party that Grandfather William is throwing for him. But, an unexpected thing happens.  Geronimo’s laptop is stolen!  It has the only copy of his book.  The mystery is set and and he is out to find the thieves.  With the help of his friends, the culprits are caught and the party goes on.

Great use of font, color, graphics and comprehension questions discussed as clues.  Recommended for elementary readers.

“In the still of the night, just before dawn, slowly and silently…

…the meadow filled with rabbits.” writes Carrie Weston to which illustrator Richard Byrne draws a patchwork farm landscape panorama of the blues, purples, and lavenders of early morning. The page turn reveals the farm is now in hues of sunrise reds, yellows, and oranges. The next page turn changes from colors to the onomatopoeia of barnyard sounds: Cock-a-doodle-do, Moo! Neigh! Baa-baaaaaaaaaa! Oink! Oink! [page turn] Meow! Woof!! Chu-chu-brrr-chug, chug, chug! “The farm rang out with noises.” As Raggety-Taggle, the rabbit, ponders the title question of “What Noise Does a Rabbit Make?” a cat begins to stalk him. The the chase is on! The miaowing cat, followed by the barking dog, the mooing cows, the baaing sheep, the neighing horses, the oinking pigs, and the cock-a-doodle-doing rooster. “The angry farm blew the tractor horn, TOOT! and everybody… stopped. All, that is except for Raggety-Taggle, who quietly tacked up his tail… and ran… and ran… and ran… all the way home.” Later  in the blues, purples, oranges of evening  Raggety-Taggle “wondered just why anybody would want to make a noise at all.”

Here’s a new book especially for the Kindergarten and First Grade teachers who love the Gingerbread Man! The ones who have the Gingerbread Man hunts all around the school in September will now have a second story for the month of October- Fire Prevention Month.  2013 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award nominee author Laura Murray has created a sequel to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School. The class is going on a field trip to the fire station. Gingerbread Man is wary of the fire station’s dalmation which seems extremely interested in him. To keep away from the dalmation, he goes into the cab of the  fire engine. “I’ll VROOM and I’ll ZOOM, as fast as I can. I’ll STEER this big truck, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” Then Gingerbread Man goes up the fire pole over the bunks and into the kitchen for five-alarm chili, when the alarm sounds. Gingerbread Man goes back down the fire pole and onto the back of the fire truck. At the fire, he attempts to hold the fire hose “but that hose whipped and bucked like a rodeo bull.”   The women fire chief thanks him for his help and takes him back to the station.

Teachers will, also, enjoy the 21″ X 16″  two-sided poster found in a pocket inside the back cover. The poster’s front shows Gingerbread Man with the saying- “Smart cookies know: If there is smoke- stay low. Crawl below!”

On the back of the poster are four reproducible student (worksheets) activities: a Gingerbread Man coloring sheet, a Gingerbread Man maze, fire safety tips, and 6 pictures from the story to be put into sequence .

This is an amazing and extremely interesting book.  There are lots of great cave photos.  The end of the book has a few pages with a chart listing and sorting many of the details and information in the book.  After teaching you about all the different things people study in caves, and people through history who have pioneered this research, they teach you how to prepare, and how to safely go caving.  The glossary has many words that will probably be new to young readers.  I would have liked to have seen a pronunciation guide on the words in the glossary as well.

This is a wonderful addition to our science collection.

This book is a nice overview of the Air Force.  It is full of large pictures and interesting facts about this branch of the armed services.  Each page has a small glossary box to define words in colored bold print for the readers.  I like that they are actually on the pages where the words are used.  The font is large and easy to read.  The vocabulary is great for young readers.

This is a nice addition to our collection of books about the military.

This is an uplifting inspiring book.  The pictures are pretty and colorful, and would hold children’s attention.  The book not only tells the brief version of Helen Keller’s life story, but has pictures of the ASL alphabet, and Braille alphabet.  The end of the  story has a sketch of her entire life, as well as information about all the dog companions she had in her life.  It is a good book, especially to help children understand the challenges of the handicapped, and would appeal to children who love dogs.

Nice addition to our collection.

This is a rather fascinating story about a girl’s imagination.  It has whimsical pictures of what she is imagining.  The story is an abstract version of how a creative writer gets their ideas.  I sort of enjoyed it.  The pictures were fun to explore.  This is a fairly quick read.  The vocabulary is more advanced, beyond a beginning reader.  It is a nice addition to our library.  I enjoyed how calm and pleasant it makes you feel.

This is a sweet fun story about a five year old and her grandfather.  Joone loves orange.  Grandpa says it is important to do things for other people.       Joone is a simple carefree girl.  The story and pictures are cute and fun.  I think young children would enjoy this story, and learn to serve others, and play creatively.

The font is fairly small, but easy to read.  There are a lot of early sight words in the text.  This story is a wonderful addition to our library.

It is a book children will love because it is so peaceful and makes you happy.

This story is a fun story for kids who love animals.  The story teaches great lessons in respecting others needs and feelings, as well as being responsible.  The end of the book has instructions for caring for a pet hamster.  It was a fun read with cute pictures.  A good choice for younger readers who want to start reading chapter books.  The font is large and easy to read.  The vocabulary is good for younger readers.

This is a story that teaches children to stand up for their feelings and needs by saying no when it’s appropriate.  It is a great book for helping children learn to be strong and independent of social pressure.

There are parent helps at the end of the book with insights into how children develop a good self image, with actual suggestions you can apply as they teach their child.

The pictures are colorful and simple.  The font is east to read, although the thought bubbles have a cursive, more difficult font for a young reader to read.

There is a typo on page 7 second paragraph, it says, “Jills hugs Hopper.”

This book has a lot of information about scorpions.  I learned that there are almost two thousand different kinds of scorpions.  But only about three dozen species can actually kill a person and only one lives in the United States.   The smallest is about one half inch.  The largest is up to eight inches long.

I wish the pictures were actual photos instead of drawings.

I like the pronunciation guide in the back.

Nothing about it is really grabbing me, but I guess I don’t really have any strong objections either, so it lands in the fuzzy “additional purchase” category.  It’s a series of very short poems (most of which follow pretty much the same five-short-line format) that together trace through the course of a day from getting up and getting dressed to playing at the park, eating dinner, and going to bed.  My only actual gripe is with the color-scheme of the illustrations that seems to be part of a trend I’ve been noticing lately in too many picture books: using colors that are rather soft and dull and kinda drab.

Horses continuously provide a certain lure to certain readers.  Wild horses have a special allure all their own.  The beautiful color photos that illustrate this book will hook the readers, and the text will inform them and make them think.  As it traces the story (across several decades) of the research that has gone into developing a medicine to control the population growth of wild horses with minimal intrusion, and why such measures are necessary, it also teaches about the history of wild horses, their genetics, and their lifestyle (although somehow that doesn’t seem like the appropriate word to apply to a community of animals, but I like how all-encompasing it is).  It is well-written and packed with science in a real-world context.