This story gets funnier and funnier as you read.

It is a creative spin off “There was an old Woman who swallowed a fly.”

The pictures are big and colorful.  The text is large, clear, and easy to read.  There is an interesting facts page at the end of the story.

I liked the book.

This book was interesting .  It is full of basic facts about the breed, as well as informative as to how to train and care for this type of dog.

I am not a dog person, but after reading this book I think this type of dog would be a fun and interesting dog pet.

Less familiar words in this book are focused on in boxes at the bottom of the pages.  They have pictures of the different types of pointers, training equipment, and table to compare the different types of pointers at a glance.

This is a nice addition to our dog book collection.

Pre-K – 1st grade students will get a number of chuckles out of Big Bad Baby by author Bruce Hale and illustrator Steve Breen.  The highly farcical story begins with a toddler who goes from doing multiple wrong things in his home to hypo-morphing into a giant baby that creates giant disasters in his town.  Leave it to mom to enlist the ever-calming power of the big blue baby blanket, hoisting bad baby away via helicopters back his home and in his mother’s arms.  The always collected mother says that even “Big bad babies need love too” to which baby replies “Gee-gah goo” and “…in bad, bad baby talk means…’I’ll be back.'”  A cute story becomes more worthwhile because of the illuminative illustrations, especially that of the faces of the characters.  They are so well done that this would be a great book to use to discuss the idea of reading body language and facial expression.  The fun nature of the entire story makes this a recommended selection.

The Katharine the Almost Great series is a good beginning chapter book for kids.  There are quite a few different things going on that make the story interesting.  First, there’s the mystery of their beloved teacher becoming Miss Crankypants; second, it’s almost Christmas and quite a few school events happening; third, Crockett, Katherine’s cousin has a hilarious sense of humor and quite a few great jokes; plus, his absent father cannot make it for Christmas and that causes some problems; and lastly, Katharine and classmates really show the spirit of Christmas for their teacher.  This is a good story that should energize kids and make them feel good and possible think that this is something they would like to do.

The illustrated children’s book “The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma” by Diane and Chrystyan Fox will be sure to give primary and intermediate readers a good laugh. In this book we follow a cat trying to read the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” to an action loving dog. However the dog is always interrupting and trying to add in it’s own commentary to the tale, much to the frustration of the cat. The humor in the book sets it apart from others, which switches between the dog voicing it’s own ideas for the story, to slightly critical of the “plothole’s” in “Little Red Riding Hood.” However the illustrations, while being comical and fitting for the text, are a bit too minimalistic at times with the size of the pages, so too much blank, white space is shown. The different approaches to and levels of comedy in this story make it a fun little read. While the drawings themselves, although being too small at times, add to the humor as well with some slapstick interaction between the two main characters. Primary readers will love the silliness of the dog, and intermediate readers will love the good natured criticism of the famous tale. Recommended.

The children’s picture book Beetle and Bug and the Grissel Hunt by Hiawyn Oram and Satoshi Kitamura is an interesting read, but not always in a good way. The story is told in a AA, BB rhyme scheme, about the main characters “Beetle” and “Bug,” who try to find a mysterious “Grissel,” a creature that has apparently never been seen, however they have a very specific description of what it looks like. They go to the ocean and up into space via their magic rug, finding strange and interesting creatures, but never the prized “Grissel.” The fun rhyme scheme is easy to digest and the illustrations are always eye catching. On the other hand the flow of the text simply can not redeem the disaster of the plot, and while the art style is unique it sometimes seems disconnected from the text with random everyday items just thrown in throughout the book. This fiction book takes full advantage of it’s classification, giving us a potentially interesting journey to go on looking for this elusive creature. However, halfway through it seems to drop any semblance of a plot, leaving us with no resolution in the end. The illustrations arenimaginative, but like the convoluted plot, the closer you look the less enchanting they become. Primary readers might enjoy the innovativeness of the creatures and the setting, but as they mature it will surely wain on them.

In this episode of Ricky and his Mighty Robot, Sergeant Stinkbug from Saturn has polluted his planet so much that he wants to move to another planet.  He looks towards Earth and spots Ricky’s cousin Lucy and plans to kidnap her.  Stinkbug and his soldiers fight Ricky and his robot and Lucy steps in to win the day.  This volume has more language for students to read and has copious illustrations to support the story.  Many pages are used for the ‘Flip-o-Rama’ and makes this an expensive comic book.

This book will appeal mainly to boys who are reluctant readers.  Ricky is celebrating his birthday and going to the natural science museum.  Meanwhile the evil General Jackrabbit has taken the heads from the dinosaur skeletons and combined it with his own fur to create a new creature that is a cross between a dinosaur and a rabbit.  He then zaps them with a ray gun and makes them evil and orders them to destroy the city.  They go on a rampage and Ricky and his Mighty Robot save the day.  The story is simple and most of it is told through the illustrations.  This is a pricey comic book.

The Glass Voice is a modern-day Cinderella story, with the main characters voice being compared to glass rather than having glass slippers.  In this version, Chantella (a name made by combining chanteuse withCinderella) mourns the death of her mother, a famous singer, as her father marries an evil woman with two equally evil children.  As the new family members move into Chantella’s house, Chantella is made into the maid and is put in the maid’s quarters.  Of course, the evil twins are evil.  Chantella’s father doesn’t seem to understand what is going on; it almost seems as if he is under a spell, but that isn’t revealed in the story.  Rather than a ball to attend, there is a singing competition similar to American Idol, and Chantella manages to audition.  As the producer of the competition arrives at the house, the stepmother and stepsiblings try to convince him they are the winners of the competition.  Chantella’s father finally shows up and gets Chantella noticed and stands up to his wife announcing their marriage is over.  Chantella and her father move to Hollywood and become famous and the ex-wife and her children stay in the house.  Chantella’s childhood nanny does show up and seems to fit the fairy godmother role, but she doesn’t really do any magic (except maybe towards the end when she produces the completed homework for one of the twins).  She acts more as a comfort and encourages Chantella.  The plot stays pretty true to the story with modernization.  I would have given the book a high rating except the illustrations were very Anime’ style and did not seem to fit with the story.

In this novel, a young girl named Jax from Maine, finds a lost Tibetan mastiff dog who leads her into an exciting adventure. The dog takes her to a Tibetan temple in the mountains of Maine and introduces her to her new friend Yeshi and his master Jampe Rinpoche. Together the girl and Yeshi embark on a quest to find a missing Tibetan statue and protect it from those who wish to steal it. Along the way, Jax finds out a lot about herself and her family due to the Tibetan teachings.
This satisfying story will leave the reader cheering. The characters are well-developed and fun to read about where the reader will be able to make a strong connection with. The plot is fast-paced and interesting. A great read for those who like dog stories and for those who like reading about other cultures.

— Kellyn S.

Set in World War II Britain when the Nazis are bombing the country, a young English boy and a young English female find a crashed German plane and a new German friend. The couple must hide the young German from the authorities for they fear for his life. As they hide the German, they learn more about Nazi Germany and their friend. They soon learn that not all German are Nazis and that one should not judge a person based on where he/she is from.
This is a heart-warming novel — quality storytelling. The characters were well developed and the reader will be able to connect with them. Readers especially interested in World War II stories will not be disappointed. This book carries the message of, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

— Kellyn Suthers

Tracks Count is also “A Little Naturalist” book and as such combines basic counting skills with animals and their tracks.  The perfect audience for this book are outdoorsy people who hike a lot and those who often frequent zoos.  I wish that the animals were all animals that were native to our area so that there might be some real possibility of seeing such tracks.  The illustrations are lovely and the thoughtfulness of choosing sepia tones for the animal pictures and a soft, mossy green for the text added to the outdoor feel of the book.  I wish a small illustration had been added to the animal facts at the end of the book so I know which animal I’m reading about.

People who have or had young children will completely understand this story, about a little boy who takes his on sweet time getting ready for bed, with everything being very dramatic.  Kindergarteners and first graders to whom I read the story were pretty quiet during the story–as if saying, so what?  The story was not unusual for them.  It wasn’t until the very last page was turned and there sits the dog wearing a tutu that they roared with laughter.  Fun, whimsical illustrations.

The Tree House That Jack Built is a large book measuring 9.25″ x 12.25″ with bold, beautiful, saturated illustrations.  The text is told in rhyme and is sometimes cumbersome with the ending the tree house that Jack built.  But nonetheless, the story has charm and kids will enjoy the feel of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.

Whack of the P-Rex is volume 5 of the series The Notebook of Doom.  This is the first installment of this series that I have read, and honestly, I’m not sure what to make of it.  I checked other reviews online to see what others had to say, and for the most part, all of it was pretty positive.  I think it must just be my lack of taste for slapstick type of comedy.  In this book, P-Rex is a monster, a giant-sized pinata in the shape of a T Rex dinosaur.  Alexander, Rip and Nikki are on their way to school with their science projects, ant farms, when they come upon a lot of candy on the ground as well as giant footprints.  More clues throughout the day give them leads as to what is causing this disturbance.  They find the monster and deal with him the way kids would deal with a pinata: hit it with a stick.  Inside the P-Rex there is a skeleton made entirely of candy.  The funniest thing to happen was that this skeleton broke the giant ant city, belonging to the teacher, and all the ants swarmed him to get at the candy. The ending is terrific.  Illustrations are funny and appropriate to the story.  Text is at 2nd grade reading level and kids seem to enjoy the silliness of it all.

I think the lesson from this story is that laughter is contagious.  Jenny is an adorable, sweet little mouse and Lorenzo is a mouse-eating cat.  Jenny is bound and determined to meet this Lorenzo, whom she has heard so much about.  Strangely enough, her parents let her go with a warning of ‘be careful!’  They meet and Jenny laughs, sings and dances and turns a backward somersault, totally befuddling Lorenzo, who breaks out laughing.  Enjoying Jenny’s good humor was much better than enjoying her as a snack, they became the best of friends.

Based on the children’s classic, I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel,is a spinoff using the Jewish celebration of Chanukah as the event. The family is all gathering at  Bubbe’s (grandma’s) house for Chanukah and the cat is playing with a dreidel, a small wooden spinning top, and drops it onto the top of a cream-cheese covered bagel.  Not seeing the dreidel, Bubbe eats the bagel and the story is off.  Throughout the story, the reader will notice familiar scenes.  After awhile, the reader will expect to see scenes that are based on famous works of art.  Throughout the story, Slonim has interspersed familiar art:  Mona Lisa, The Scream, American Gothic, The Starry Night, The Thinker, only to name a few.  Of course, the subjects in the art are all family members.  A very clever way to study art as well as hear a familiar story based in holiday celebrations.

Sports books, especially football, are very popular with elementary-age boys.  Miami Dolphins gives a history of the team since its inception in 1966.  Key players, coaches, and seasons are given extra attention.  A timeline of the team is included, as well as a ‘game recap’ — popular by TV game announcers.  This book will be a welcomed addition to the library.

Weather is a core science subject for primary grades in elementary school.  What Is a Forecast? does an excellent job in explaining exactly how the weather is forecast and why it is helpful.  Easy to read vocabulary and the photographs fit the text perfectly.  This book is a must buy for elementary schools to beef up their weather section.

Readers are introduced to Designer Cats which are trendy cats that look like a wildcat but have a domestic cat’s personality.  The Toyger is bred to look like a small version of the Asian tiger, even though it has no tiger blood.  As a hybrid, the Toyger is a cross between a domestic shorthair tabby cat and  a Bengal cat.  The process of breeding these cats to take on the facial markings and tiger patterns is discussed, as well as their behavior as pets, and how to care for them.  Oddly enough, there was no mention of how the name “Toyger” came to be.  I discovered from another online source that, due to the fact that this new domestic designer cat’s coat was reminiscent of a tiger’s, it was called a Toy Tiger, and shortened to “Toyger.”  Not all kids would have inferred that on their own.  I think kids would be quite interested in this whole series which includes Chausie Cats, Safari Cats, Bengal Cats, Pixiebob Cats, and Savannah Cats.  Back Matter includes Glossary of bolded words, Index and Web Sites.  “Web Sites” instructs the reader to learn more about toyger cats at  www.abdopublishing.com, however, when I visited the site, I could not find any information about toyger cats.

As the scene opens, 12 yr. old Ben is, yet again, the new kid at school being picked on in the cafeteria by a bully. When suddenly, the cafeteria table just folds up on itself without any help from people. Peter, a ‘loner’ ushers Ben away from the bully and the cafeteria.

After school, Ben’s mother has an invitation for Ben to join an after school Science Camp at the college where she is working. Ben soon finds out Peter is at the science camp, so Ben knows one person already. Dr. Hughes leads the camp which deals with quantum mechanics. ”  ‘Quantum mechanics inform our understanding and predictions for many things. Every natural process, whether chemical, or biological or astronomical, ultimately comes back to quantum physics…’  “ ( p. 16) From Dr. Hughes’ introduction, Ben soon finds himself being able to pull atoms and molecules together from the air to produce fireballs, rain clouds, snow, and ice in a process called actuation (much like in the movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicholas Gage).  Ben is excelling at Science Camp! But then , Dr. Hughes and her equipment are kidnapped. Ben and Peter are taken to help the ‘good guys’ of Quantum League. But Ben is not a willing participant, especially after he’s told they have wiped him from the memories of all those who have known him – including his mother!

The ‘Old One’ (who leads the Quantum League) persuades Ben to help recover Dr. Hughes, by telling Ben they will restore his mother’s memory of him. Ben will become a double agent, no a triple agent, all for the cause of ultimate good over evil. Little by little Ben unravels the truth of how both sides are lying to him to accomplish their goals. Once Dr. Hughes is safe, Ben makes the decision to leave the League, to exile himself until he finds a way to reattach himself in his mother’s memory.

Fast paced, well told,  full of action, twists and turns,  and thought provoking characters.

I know some math teachers who would be disgruntled with this book, for some the artistic license that it takes with the precision of shape definitions:  apples, pumpkins, and balloons may be more or less spherical, but not exactly so, and as three dimensional objects, using the two-dimensional term “circle” to describe them would be even less accurate; some of the checks and seed packets that are meant to represent squares are a bit wrinkly & wonkey, which really makes them not exactly squares, and there’s no squares included on the recktangle page, even though squares are technically rectangles… But if you’re just trying to get a general idea of shapes across to preschoolers, and get them looking at the world around them, the illustrations are bright and the rhyming story of the trip to the farm is fun, with lots of hunting to be done on each page to see how many different things they can find to represent the shape in question.

There’s nothing on the book proclaiming it to be part of a series, but I kinda got the sense it was, so I did an online search and did indeed find many Tashi books by the same author.  I think the reason I suspected it was part of a series was that there wasn’t really any character development, and it read kind of like we were already supposed to know who Tashi was.  If you’ve got students who already know and like this character, this might be a good addition to your collection, but as a stand-alone book I didn’t find it very strong. One year when the rains don’t come as usual, Tashi sets off to try to find the dragon who causes them and ask him why; he meets a tiger along the way who points him in the right direction, explaining that there’s a young dragon who hasn’t learned to control his powers yet; upon finding the young dragon, Tashi discovers he’s sad and lonely because he ate his sister and his mother’s been put to sleep by a demon and won’t wake up; Tashi convinces the young dragon to sing to comfort himself, which wakes Mom, who explains how to unswallow Sis and agrees to send the rains, so Tashi was a hero.  I thought it was rather long and rambly, but maybe I would have appreciated it more if I know more about the main character.

The story opens with a coat that feels disgruntled at being left as a scarecrow, feeling he’s meant for better things.  When a young man comes strolling along the road, he seems to agree that the coat is too nice to be left in the field, and he puts it on.  The coat takes over from there: the wind catches in its sleeves and carries the man off to a restaurant where he enjoys a fabulous meal, and performs for the patrons in payment, even though he’s never played before.  As the music plays, the brown tones of the opening illustrations begin to fill with color. It’s okay, but I’m not sure I agree that it’s worth of the “short-listed book” award that the Children’s Book Council of Australia gave it.

It’s basically a pep-talk/lecture with cute illustrations.  The basic theme is there’s no wrong way to paint: it starts by insisting any idea is fine, then goes on to describe different methods different painters use.  It assures the reader that it’s normal to feel cross if it doesn’t turn out as you hoped, and insists that the important thing is to have fun.  The bright colors in the illustrations will lead children to pick it up, but many will be disappointed when they read it: it’s a bit preachy. But it does have a good message.