Lights, Camera, Perry? is an abridged version of the Disney Channel show Phineas & Ferb, episode ” Perry the Actorpus” from season 3, but with easier vocabulary used. If your patrons are fans of the TV show they will be able to follow the plot more easily than if they do not watch the TV series. This is partly due to the way TV segues jump so quickly and partly due to the abridgement of this story.

The story revolves around Phineas and Ferb’s entering Perry the platypus into a contest to be Totally Tools spokesanimal and Perry won. Now there are Totally Tools ads posted all over town with Perry the platypus wearing a fedora. By shear coincidence, this is Perry’s disguise when he is fighting evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz as Agent P. Temporarily, Agent P ( Perry) is replaced by Agent S (Sergei the snail)  in the latest fight against Doofenschmirtz and his latest invention the Mustache-inator.

Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb’s sister Candace attends a retreat- “Stop the Busting” in her attempt to be nicer to her brothers. Candace is making headway until she is informed the machine she is using was created by her two brothers. Smash! Candace eliminates the machine.

In the meantime, Perry’s picture in the Totally Tools ads around town have been replaced using Sergei’s photo in Perry’s place. Now Agent P is back on the job.

Traumatic Brain Injury – From Concussion to Coma is a concise 88 page informational text that doesn’t feel like the informational text coming from most publishers today.  Glossy cover with images and font choices that make the overall impression of the page much more relevant to teen readers, Connie Goldsmith, an RN with her master’s degree in health care administration, does an outstanding job explaining the literal “impact” concussions have on the brain and the side effects that follow.  For example, in the chapter titled “Motor Vehicle Accidents, Goldsmith writes that “It’s easy to understand why brain injuries suffered in auto accidents are so serious.  Think of it like this.  When a person inside an auto moving at 50 miles (80 km) an hour is hit by another vehicle, the brain goes immediately from 50 miles and hour to zero.  The brain slams back and forth inside the skull resulting in severe damage” (59).  Other chapter titles include “Brains in the News”, “The Traumatized Brain”, “Sports-Related Concussions”, “Assessing and Treating Concussions”, “Wounded in War”, and “Living with TBI”.  While the numbers of reported concussions is on the rise, the author states that this might mostly be due to the larger awareness and reporting of concussions by the public.  Most sports teams, both professional and amateur, conduct a pre-season neurological screening to set base line measurements.  This aids in better diagnoses as well. Most shocking to this reader is the research and development going on to both monitor and prevent concussions.  Tiny sensors are now in some U.S. army helmet and the author claims that that NFL is looking to do that as well.  Additionally, the army is developing a pill that soldiers could take before battle to help protect brains cells if injury occurs.  Overall, librarians will be impressed with this title from Lerner Publications and probably be inclined to purchase more from this publisher.

Shadow Squadron is “- a top-secret special missions unit. Assembled by the United States’ Joint Special Operations Command, the unit was comprised of elite soldiers from the Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Army Rangers, and the Marine Special Operations Regiment…From one end of the world to the other, the team had showed up wherever the US government required military intervention but couldn’t act openly for tactical, political, or legal reasons.”  (p.12)

Carl Bowen sounds like he has a recipe for middle school-aged boys who want modern day adventure! The story is just shy of 100 pages, written in five chapters, has nine full-page color-graphic illustrations, uses military jargon / lingo – “boots on the ground”, and begins each chapter with what appears to be classified computer screen intelligence listed as “com chatter”.

As this book in the series begins, Shadow Squadron is introduced to its newest member of the team, who just happens to be a woman. They are briefed on a ‘blind’ mission which will be taking them to Northwest Africa to rescue Senator Barren’s kidnapped son. Once Shadow Squadron locates Jack Barron, they find out Jack has not been kidnapped, but instead wants to use money from his trust fund to pay protection money to keep a village safe. Shadow Squadron sends  Bubaga’s band of slavers away from the village. Fearing Bubaga’s retaliation on the village, Shadow Squadron makes a big show of leaving the area, only to ready themselves to defend the village and stop the protection racket. Once Bubaga is defeated at the village, the Shadow Squadron hands their intel over to the local Malian Army. The Malian Army will stop the slave ring and graciously take the credit because the Shadow Squadron was never really there.

Includes: Author Debriefing with questions and answers and a 12 page preview of another Shadow Squadron book – Dark Agent.

This 6.5″ X 7.5″ counting book is one of the BEST I have ever wanted to use with young children!

The top 2/3s of each page captures the word “Nature” from the book’s title with  a bright, colorful, close-up look of an item from nature just begging to be counted by the young reader: mushrooms, bird’s eggs, acorns, tulips, dewdrops, icicles, and 14 more.

Below the photo are two sentences. The first sentence includes the name of the item to be counted. The second sentence states the number of items to be counted. “Lotus seeds grow in a pod. This pod has 13 seeds.”  (p. 16)

Below the sentences is a thee part display:  gives a display of dots, followed by an “equal sign”, followed by the numeral, followed by an equal sign, followed by the numeral written as a word.        ***  =  3  =  three

Finally, across the bottom of each page is a number line from 1 to 20. The numeral for each page is highlighted with an arrow pointing to it from below. YES, this book does count to twenty!

The only down side of this book would be the color selection for the book’s front cover. Mauve  and pinks while attractive to an adult might not make the book jump out to the young reader.

The Nethergrim is an evil force once thought slain but now, after many decades, has reawakened; it is a force so strong that it can grant everlasting life to those who choose to worship it.  In order for life to be given to a chosen individual, life must be taken from elsewhere, namely seven children.  As children begin to disappear and the search for them uncovers unimaginable terrors, the stories of The Nethergrim resurface.  A  trio of three unlikely friends join forces to solve the mystery of this hideous monster and to save the children of the village.  For reasons of their own, each of these friends has something to prove, and together they are a force to be reckoned with.  The Nethergrim is very well written; it is thrilling, exciting, thoughtful, sad, and a real old-fashioned page turner.  I can’t wait to read the next installment.

On a rainy day in the jungle, four friends, a moose, a zebra, a lion, and a sheep, are looking for a warm, dry place to play.  They settle in a cave, unaware it is already occupied by a cranky, sleepy bear.  Back outside in the train, they discuss how to cheer up the bear so he will let them back in.  Thinking about what makes them happy, the zebra suggests making him stripes, the moose makes a pair of antlers, and the lion suggests a golden mane.  Sheep waits outside while they take the gifts inside.  A loud ROAR chases the animals back outside.  Bear looks hilarious in his new attire.  As he rips it off, he grumbles that he just wants a quiet place to sleep.  Sheep is the only one to empathize.  She shears off half her wool to make a pillow for the bear.  He cuddles down to sleep and the four friends return to the warm, dry cave to play a quiet game of cards.  Jaunty rhyming text is illustrated by large, colorfully expressive artwork.  A fun read-aloud and a visual treat.

An easy rhyme tells of the adventure of a curious cat.  While exploring outdoors, a gray cat curls up on a chair in the back of a pick-up truck.  “Shake cat.  Quake cat.  There must be some mistake cat.”  Ending up far from home, the cat injures a foot jumping out of the truck.  A woman finds the cat and takes it to a shelter where her foot is bandaged.  Meanwhile, the cat’s owner, a little girl, hangs posters advertising her lost cat.  Eventually, the cat is returned to happily cuddle with her girl.  “Wrap cat.  Lap cat.  The only way to nap cat.”  Pencil, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are large, simple and colorful.  Digitally rendered, they show the emotions of this little cat’s adventure.

Hazel has waited forever for her baby brother to be born so she could read to him.  She practices with her stuffed bunny, Rodrigo.  When Edgar finally does arrive, Hazel thinks he’s not that much different from Rodrigo, or a watermelon!  so, she goes back to waiting. Eventually, Edgar says his first word, “No!”  He gets a lot of practice saying it as he says “No!” to everything Hazel suggests.  Mom records Edgar’s “firsts” as Hazel unceasingly tries to interest Edgar in anything.  One evening, ever-patient Hazel once again takes baby Edgar onto her lap to read a story.  Edgar cuddles in and listens.  When she finishes, it’s quiet.  Then Edgar says his second word, “Again”.  And his third word, “Again, ‘azel?” to which Hazel happily replies, “Again”.  This story certainly rings true to little ones learning a language and asserting their wishes.  Illustrations are colorful, uncomplicated, and are rendered digitally.

“Beautiful” and “dung beetles” may seem like an oxymoron, but dung beetles are considered “ancient symbols of life and renewal”.  Found on every continent except Antarctica, these beetles are nature’s clean-up crew.  Waste of other animals mean life to the dung beetle.  They rely on dung for nutrients and water and use it to complete their life cycle.  There are three types of dung beetles: dwellers, rollers, and tunnelers.  Dwellers eat before it dries out, rollers push balls of dung away from the pat to use later, and tunnelers dig tunnels under the pat to store the dung.  Competitions can be tough, mates are chosen, and eggs are laid.  Plants also benefit from nutrients as dung is buried in the soil.  Young beetles (grubs) feast on dung.  Grubs evolve to pupa, which eventually grown into adult beetles.  Pages contain a simple narrative as well as a more detailed paragraph.  Watercolor and pencil artwork is stunning – a great match to the intriguing facts of this fascinating insect.  Additional facts, glossary, and bibliography are also included.

When one thinks of war heroes, one rarely thinks of a horse.  In 1952, during the Korean War, Lieutenant Eric Pedersen thought his platoon could use a packhorse to help transport munitions and equipment to soldiers.  He bought a reddish-brown filly from a racetrack in Seoul and named her Reckless after the recoilless guns.  Until the Marines bought horse feed, she ate whatever they ate.  She was trained to step over wires and kneel or lie down under enemy fire.  She trusted her handlers.  At the first blast of the recoilless rifle, she jumped high in the air, but didn’t bolt.  With each blast, she shook less.  For months, she delivered ammo to gun crews, sometimes by herself following the sound of the guns.  She followed her handlers even when wounded by shrapnel.  At the end of the War in 1953, she helped string communication wire.  In honor of her bravery and service, Reckless was promoted to staff sergeant.  In 1954, she was shipped to California to live at the Marine base in Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.  Artwork is large and colorful.  Although the horse and settings are realistic, the soldiers’ faces are cartoonish with button eyes.  Also included are a glossary, bibliography, website and 3 Common Core critical thinking questions.

Tucker MacBean, a promising 7th grade artist, takes on the school bully and the girls’ basketball team in order to secure a bulletin board for the Art Club.  One thing leads to another and culminates in an exciting and crucial dodge ball game.  Art Club members are few and not at all athletic.  The outcome appears to be a foregone conclusion.  However, the Art Club, with Tucker’s comic cartoon Beanboy, have a few ideas to try first.  Frequent illustrations, sketches, and handwritten notes are interspersed throughout the text.  This is a fun read with a satisfying conclusion.  The illustrations are digital.  Sequel to The Adventures of Beanboy.

Just Grace gets invited to Grace F’s sleepover birthday party, which will be outdoors with sleeping bags and tents in her backyard.  Grace worries about bugs, bears, and mean older sisters.  Forgetting to make Grace F. a birthday card, Just Grace invents a ghost inside a recycling bin to deflect attention.  The small lie snowballs and soon the whole school begins lining up to “see” the ghost.  Grace doesn’t know how to let people know there is no ghost without admitting she made it up.  Just Grace has a practice sleepover with her dad in their own backyard and realizes there is nothing to worry about.  She also finds a way to solve the ghost problem.  Just Grace books are told in the first person narrative.  The books are filled with list and drawings to explain and illustrate Grace’s view of things.

Little Chick hops into the farmer’s house one night and uses his computer.  At first, she browses and purchases a few items.  The second night she buys more.  The farmer and his wife don’t know what to think when packages start to arrive.  Little Chick gets more comfortable and continues to order even more expensive and outrageous items.  When she orders a boat, all the other chickens take off on a trip.  All alone, Little Chick goes online again to find a friend.  She takes photos of herself to post online with her name and age.  Soon she finds a perfect friend.  Little Chick rushes off to meet her, without telling her mom and dad.  All dressed up, she waits at the appointed spot in the woods for her friend.  The last page shows a huge, cunning fox sitting next to a picnic blanket.  The contrast to the naive chick is startling.  What a perfect book for showing how easily one can feel comfortable using the internet, yet how important it is to stay safe online!  Large, colorful, full-page illustrations portray the fun and innocence of Little Chick, right up to the disquieting ending.  Targeted towards younger students, this is a great message for all ages.

Loula is tired of her rowdy, triplet brothers so she asks her parents to make her a sister.  They hesitate saying making a sister is like making a cake – it takes special ingredients.  As they reminisce,  they tell her she needs a mama and a papa, butterflies in the stomach, a full moon, hugs and kisses, a candlelit dinner, and chocolates.  Loula resolves to make herself a sister!  With the help of Gilbert, the family chauffeur, she sets about gathering the ingredients.  First on the list is chocolate and Gilbert knows just the place.  Then they go for butterflies.  That evening, under a full moon, they prepare the dinner, including Loula’s favorite cheese tartines (French open-faced sandwiches).  Loula gives her cat hugs and kisses and releases the butterflies.  When the recipe doesn’t seem to be working, Loula remembers the mama and papa and rushes off to get them.  When she returns, she discovers an enormous dog devouring the cheese tartines.  Loula sees the dog loves everything she does and decides this is her new sister.  Her parents point out that the sister is a mister.  But as Loula plays with, teaches, and picks up after her new “sibling”, she determines that mister is the best sister!  Ink and watercolor artwork beautifully illustrate this adventure.  I enjoyed the fun twist.

In previous stories, Tallulah has learned much about ballet.  Now she is excited because she and her brother are going to dance camp.  Once there, she finds she is also going to take the dreaded tap class.  She loves the grace of ballet and hates the clickety-clack noise of tap.  Her roommate, Kacie, loves tap and hates ballet.  Both like being skilled in their dance choice and dislike being corrected.  It’s Tallulah’s brother, Beckett, who helps them realize that although they both have their favorite styles, trying something new involves coaching.  It takes patience and a willingness to try.  The watercolor illustrations are a good complement to the text showing action and dance moves.

This another of Natasha Wing’s “The Night Before…” books.  Following the format of The Night Before Christmas by C. Clement Moore, the rhyming text shares the hopes and fears of a preschool boy.  On his first day, Billy mostly hangs back and watches.  The others enjoy singing, dancing, dressing up, playing outside, and eating snacks.  At nap time he can’t relax until one girl shares her plush bunny.  When his mom arrives at the end of the day with his teddy, Billy decides preschool is fun and he would be back!  Colorful, pleasant illustrations portray Billy’s worries and all the fun to be had at preschool.  Originally published in 2011, this delightful story is a re-issue.

After enduring all kinds of hugs from all kinds of friends and family members, Little Hog has had enough.  He posts a sign stating “Hogs Hate Hugs” and signs it Little Hog.  The others are shocked.  Mouse has an idea and she shares it with Mommy Hog.  Late one day, Little Hog is walking through the forest feeling a bit lonely.  When he hears strange sounds behind him, he glances around and sees a scary “monster” getting close!  Panicked, he starts to run.  Then the monster trips and his mother and all his friends tumble out.  Little Hog is so relieved he decides he loves hugs after all.  Colorful and expressive watercolor illustrations add humor and details to the story.

“Spy Guy was a spy.  But not a very good one.”  Spy Guy needs help so he goes to the Chief, his dad.  In short rhymes, the Chief gives advice.  To sneak, don’t speak or squeak.  Spy Guy’s attempts fall short.  Finally the Chief offers Spy Guy a challenge – to sneak up on him.  After several tries, Spy Guy gets a hint from a spider and surprises his Chief.  Mission accomplished!  One last rhyme provides a closing rule, “The secret to spying is to never stop trying.”  Illustrations are large and expressive with plenty of white space to showcase details.  There is a spider on every page, watching the trials of Spy Guy.  Its inclusion in the artwork adds detail and interest to the story without using words.

In a tale told in rhyme, two scarecrows, Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, decide to marry.  After making a list of everything they will need for the wedding, they set off to gather them.  The geese give feathers for a dress, the cows have bells, a crab brings a necklace of shells, and mice find rings from a curtain.  The only thing left are pink flowers.  While Betty rests, Harry goes off to find them.  Meanwhile, the farmer notices Harry is gone and replaces him with Reginald Rake.  Reginald quickly begins to woo Betty by showing her how clever he is.  He foolishly lights a cigar and tries to blow smoke rings.  A small fire starts when he drops the cigar.  (Everyone knows smoking is harmful.)  Betty is in danger yet Reginald runs off in a panic.  Just in time, Harry returns with pink flowers in a pail of water.  Disaster is diverted and the wedding takes place as planned.  The artwork is bright and colorful, filled with additional details of the insects and small animals found in fields.

A journey through the music and lives of the most influential classical musicians, these illustrated biographies (First Discovery – Music) include a CD and fragments of the musicians’ most iconic compositions. Ludvig van Beethoven is easy to read with great illustrations and photographs and paintings from this time period. On each page there are also recommendations of creative activities.

Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Award winning author, has used a simple rope connecting generations of family history.  For three generations that rope is first used as a jump rope, then passed down as a rope to secure suitcases onto a car for a big move from South Carolina to New York City, then as a clothes line, a pull toy and a string to hold up a sign at a family reunion.  Even though this is a work of historical fiction, the story is based on the Great Migration that her family, and six million other African Americans, experienced over generations from the early 1900’s until the mid 1070’s.  The rope is a symobl of “Hope.”  Written with such insight and poetic grace, this thoughtful and moving piece of storytelling will linger in the hearts of the readers for a long time.  So will the beautifully done James Ransome illustrations.

Alex the Ant Goes to the Beach is a delightful adventure story that both entertains and educates the young listener or reader. Facts about ant natural history, such as scent trails, scout ants, and their diet of ‘Yummy mold’ grown on decaying wood, are introduced seamlessly. While the book teaches knowledge and facts about ants, it is also playful and engaging for young readers, including sound play, interesting word choices, and some suspenseful moments. Appealing, fun illustrations make this book a gem!

In this idealistic vision of our world as run by children, the Dillons envision a world of peace, fairness and kindness, where everyone’s basic needs would be met. No one would be hungry, and everyone would have a place to live. Sick people would have medicine, and good schools would be universal. Unsurprisingly, this world is populated with smiling, happy children of many skin tones, wearing clothing from all corners of the world and representing a variety of religions. The figures on each spread are painted against a bright white background, making the children pop off the page in contrast. Well-meaning but saccharine, it feels like a gesture rather than a call to action. Sentiments such as “No bullying would be allowed” and “Kids would love school” reveal a wistful adult rather than an enthusiastic child.