Lily loves to draw!  She draws “cats and girls, birds and boats, and houses and hearts.”  When Lily drew a bear, the picture came to life.  The bear loved all of the things that Lily did, like royal tea parties, drawing big pictures, and racing around on tricycles.  Best of all, they loved to sing while the bear played the banjo!  But after a while, the bear decided that he wanted to do bear things so he took Lily by the hand and they picked huckleberries, caught slippery fish, and scratched their backs on knotty pine trees.  But then it was time to sleep and dream of their next adventure.  This book celebrates the power of imagination, love and friendship.  “I love you Bear.”  “And I love you, Lily.”

“I have a dog….an inconvenient dog.”  This story tells the tale of a boy and his dog.  His dog is often inconvenient, making messes and creating obstacles everywhere he goes.  At times, the dog is less inconvenient, like when he takes the blame when the boy accidentally breaks something.  But when it is time for bed, and snuggling, the dog is always convenient!

Larry was a legend, as least for a rooster.  When Larry left Sunrise Farm, Clyde (the new rooster) soon learned that Larry would be a very hard act to follow.  Could Clyde live up to Larry’s legacy?  “Could he put on a show of a crow?”  Every attempt to outshine Larry ended in disaster.  Finally, Roberta (the maternal goose) told Clyde to “Forget about Larry.  Just crow your own crow.”  When he did, the whole barnyard sang with him.  This delightful farmyard tale reinforces the age-old truth about the value of being true to yourself.

I don’t think that there is an ideal “intended” audience for this book.  By appearance, one would think that this is a delightful story about a pet goldfish.  But as the pages turn, we learn that April’s parents “were aquaholics” and that life had no meaning and she “even tried to end things.”  In a children’s book!!!!  I realize that this book was originally published in French and translated; the translation did not work.

Dressed as a dragon, a young boy boasts that he is a big, scary, fire-breathing dragon.  When two dragons visit, he is horribly disappointed when they inform him that he isn’t big, or scary, and that he certainly doesn’t breathe fire.  But he is soon cheered when they tell him about all of the things he CAN do that they can’t, like play hide and seek, turn cartwheels, and eat ice cream.  But the real fun starts when they decide that there are many things that they can do together, like make a silly face, act like Frankenstein, and do the funky monkey dance.  This book, with it’s vibrant illustrations, will prompt the imagination of young readers and spur some imaginative play!

The title just about says it all, Unusual and Awesome Jobs Using Technology: Roller Coaster Designer, Space Robotics Engineer, and More, Here is a book to inspire ‘tweens to use computers for more than just gaming and Googling. The ten jobs, which use technology, are giving brief descriptions of three or four paragraphs after their introductory information of Job Description, Requirements, Technology Used, Salary, and Hours. The jobs compiled are: roller coaster designer, animal psychologist, video game designer, rock band sound engineer, medical illustrator, software developer, pet photographer, space robotics engineer, ROV pilot technician, and wind turbine technician.

“If you’re interested in learning about the latest gadgets, you’ll love reading about the jobs in this book.” ( p. 4) Some jobs never crossed my mind, but what an interesting jumping off point for students to begin thinking about their future and for asking that age old teacher question, “Why do I need to know this?”

Each of the ten jobs comes with a photograph of someone working in that particular field and an added bit of job trivia under the heading “You’d Better Believe It!”

Includes a glossary, index, www.facthound.com website, and two questions under the title – “Critical Thinking Using the Common Core”.

What a wonderfully visual book on lightning, nature’s fireworks!

Thunder and Lightning is divided into four sections: Thunderclouds, Lightning. Thunder, and How Lightning Forms. “Thunderclouds” describes these clouds as being dark, containing hail and / or water droplets and/or ice. Page 8 states, “ The wind moves everything around. The water droplets crash into each other. This makes static electricity. An electric charge builds up.” Then the next section,  “Lightning” goes onto state the static electricity “escapes” as lightning. Lightning moves between clouds, inside of clouds, and/or from clouds to the ground. Lightning travels to earth from negative charges to positive charges. “Thunder” states the heat from the lightning causes “a rumbling or cracking noise. This sound is thunder.” (p.18)  The information ends with two labeled graphics. The first graphic shows the relationship of the speed of lightning in connection with when the thunder will be heard. The second graphic shows “How Lightning Forms” in relation to positive and negative charges within clouds and on the ground.

The young reader will find four large font sentences on the left page opposite of the 9″ X 10.75″  color photo on the right hand page which bleeds over onto the left hand page.

Includes a Glossary, Index, and abdokids.com.

This delightful bedtime story introduces a pup who is reluctant to go to bed.  After checking the house and reminiscing about his day, he finally settles into bed and falls fast asleep.  The lyrical text and endearing pictures will make this a favorite bedtime story.

Enslow Publishers brings to their American REBELS series the unauthorized biography of Andy Warhol. The author does a fine job of consolidating information to produce this biography; it does satisfy basic information requests. The book is a well-organized and readable resource. Color and black-and-white photos enhance the text. The book provides a snapshot chronology of Andy’s life, a glossary, a bibliography and an index.

DC Comics Tiny Titans are grade school aged super heroes: Super Girl, Aqua Lad, Robin and Barbara Gordon, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl to name a few. Third graders, who watch TV, are very familiar with these characters from their daily television show. In this graphic novel’s first episode, villainous Principal Slade is  handing out the tiny titans’ reports to their guardians/parents one by one and making verbal comments (inside conversation bubbles) describing each tiny titan’s strong suits, such as, ““KID FLASH NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN AND PAY MORE ATTENTION.” ( next bubble) “HE SEEMS TO BREEZE THROUGH HIS HOMEWORK!”

Two of the other four episodes include: ‘Happy Feeling Blue’ about the Blue Beetle being painted pink* and ‘Joke’s on You‘ where Robin confuses a birthday party clown with the Joker.

The book includes what they call a “BONUS PIN-UP!” which consists of a two-page spread of tiny titan head shots plus mini bios of 17 of the tiny titans.

There is a  half-page  glossary and half-page of tiny titan ‘action accessories’. These are followed by a two-page spread of “Visual Questions & Prompts“. Here the reader is given a chance to look deeper into four of the graphics in this book. For example, “1. WHAT DO YOU THINK BLUE BEETLE’S BACKPACK SAID TO HIM IN THE PANEL BELOW? WHAT CLUES DOES THE ILLUSTRATION OFFER*?”

Hades is the narrator of this book who takes the reader on a tour of the many levels of the Underworld that is filled with monsters, furies, giants, and vampire demons. He also tells very intense stories of the Gods and heroes associated with the many different locations of his underworld. Greek myth lovers will find this book quite intriguing!

This book is a collection of riddle style of puzzles. The puzzles are presented in the conversation of Watson and Holmes. Illustrations from the world of Sherlock Holmes accompany most puzzles.  These puzzles will test the readers’ intellect as well as their patience. Over 50 puzzles are included. Solutions to each puzzle are in the back of the book. Many puzzles are very challenging!

This Titanic book is a great book for most for readers of most ages. Although the content does not cover much of the ship’s construction, the passengers, or the tragedy, it does cover the facts around locating the Titanic and the recovery of artifacts. It is displayed in a simple context that covers the most basic information. The simple but informative text is accompanied with amazing photos, charts, illustrations and maps on each page.  This is a very intriguing read that is the third in a set of four books.

Ten-year-old Max Monroe discovers the house behind his grandpa’s home used to be the office of the Monroe Detective Agency. Max finds out that his grandfather had a brother, Larry, that ran the agency, but Larry died years earlier. However, Larry’s ghost still exists in the agency house, yet he is sad because he never solved a case. When a magician calls with a problem, Larry gets another opportunity to solve a crime. Because Larry is a ghost, he relies on Max to help him finally crack a case.

This is book one of “The Ghost and Max Monroe” series. With occasional black and white illustrations, this is a good early chapter book.

If your youngest readers are into Mexican wrestling, Lucha Libre, this easy reader might be the book for them.

“HOLA AMIGOS! WELCOME TO LUCHAVILLE, THE TINY TOWN OF WRESTLING LIZARDS!“(p. 4) the announcer says into his microphone as this graphic novel for young readers begins. The wrestlers are wearing their colorful masks has they ‘rumble’. After the first matches there’s an argument about ” ‘SALAMANDERS AREN’T LIZARDS!’… ‘NO… YOU’RE NEWT!  ‘  ” (p. 6). This is followed by a cartoon diagram explaining the difference between ‘lizard vs amphibian‘(p. 7). Little Leon chameleon is afraid of wrestling, but he can change colors when around danger. Soon King Komodo comes to Luchaville and states there will not be anymore wrestling. “WHATEVER WILL THE LUCHA LIZARDS DO?!” (P. 17) Slowly, slowly, one by one, first Flying Dragon, then Gila Monster, and finally Thorny Devil each try to defeat King Komodo to restore wrestling, but they each fail. Then, seven other lizards come forward, in separate wordless cartoon frames, to try their luck. They, also, fail. Little Leon comes forward to wrestle. Leon tricks Komodo by disappearing at key times to successfully win the match and restore wrestling to Luchaville.  “ADIOS.”

With the story over, wrestling lizard trading card information is given on the next few pages. The factual  information includes: real name (scientific name), weight, length, habitat followed by a silly bio and special moves. “Blue-tongued skinks

Real name: tiliqua scincoides

Weight: 15 ounces

Length: 23 inches

Habitat: grassland, rainforest, desert

Bio: These awesome Aussies are friends, not fighters. But they’re not afraid to give competitors a good (blue) tongue lashing.

Special move: the tongue twister!” (p. 39)  [ The first four lines are factual, before the silliness begins.]

Larger than life close-up photos ( 9 X 11in. ) of guinea pigs are on every right hand page throughout this Early Intervention reading non fiction book. The book is presented in nine parts: Purr-fect Piggies, Eyes, Nose, Whiskers, Ears, Teeth, Legs, Feet , and Fur. Text on the left hand hand page is factually presented in three or four sentences. “Cavies’ big eyes see in color, but they don’t see very well. ” ( p. 6) Guinea pigs or cavies ( “another name for a guinea pig” (p. 22 [glossary] ) possess a good sense of smell, hearing and touch- through their whiskers.

Nice addition to a library’s 636 pet section.

208 word count.

Includes:www. facthound

In a blend of fiction and non-fiction, this book follows a family for 175 years over two continents.  Starting in Germany in the 1850s, the Peters family makes the difficult choice to emigrate to the United States.  The book describes the forces behind the decision to emigrate, the departure, the sea voyage, the Mississippi River, the wagon train, and establishing a farm with both historical information and fictionalized characters.  Skimming forward five generations, the story quickly reaches the present day when the interracial Peters family investigates their family’s past through pictures, family artifacts and online research.  This American family then travels full circle as they discover and explore their ancestral roots in Germany.  An engaging story, this book effectively communicates the magnitude of the historical journey to a farm in the central United States.  The establishment of farm, however, lacks the depth of detail and accuracy found in the description of the journey.  The encounter with Native Americans in the first year on the farm fails to recognize that the Peters were part of the influx that displaced the Native populations.  The hardship of establishing a homestead are also minimalized when the sod house of the first year is replaced within a year with a wooden house, barns, orchard and garden.

Originally published in German and translated by Susi Woofter.  All and all, good choice for young children to inspire them to investigate their family heritage and genealogy.

When their family moves to a farm, Luke, Ellie, and Joey find an old car in the shed.  Too busy to take it to the dump, their dad moves it out under a tree and tells the kids they can play with it “for the time being.”  The car is transformed through imagination and creative play into a sailing ship, vehicle for the queen in a parade, a Mount Everest basecamp and more.  When the farm’s previous owner comes to visit, the children are concerned about the car’s deteriorating condition, but Mrs. Crosby just “smiled and smiled.”  Over tea she shares stories and pictures of all that the car had been for her.  To the children, her stories are just as amazing as the ones their imaginations had created.  Told in first person, this lovely book shows that stories and imagination transcend generations.

Pom Pom wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and nothing seems to go right.  He can’t find his blanket, his brother is playing with his favorite toy, his cereal is soggy and it goes on and on with Pom Pom responding with “Harrumph!” to everything and everyone around him.  Finally Pom Pom yells at his friends on the school playground to, “Go, away!” and is surprised when they do. Pom Pom realized that isn’t really what he wants.  Finally the acceptance of his apology turns Pom Pom’s day around, that is until he’s tagged by his friend Buddy in a game of tag. “Harrumph.”

Pom Pom’s scowl and posture clearly reinforce his grumps.  This is a good choice for young children learning to recognize their feelings and the consequences of their behaviors.

Simon the dog is surprised with a new bed and knows that after his walk he’ll have “the best nap of his life.”  With bone in mouth, he enters the room only to find Adora Belle the Siamese cat has already settled in his new bed. Polite requests, barking, begging – nothing seems to work.  Simon finally settle for a compromise and shares his first nap in his new bed.  The charming illustrations clearly show Adora’s sly looks and Simon’s joys and frustrations.  This is a fun, sweet choice for pet owners and siblings that shows the benefits of compromise.

This book provides an engaging graphic description of the sport of hockey that includes timelines, graphs, maps, and diagrams.  Hockey’s increasing popularity, rules, players, equipment and game statistics are all part of this visual guide. Each two page spread includes clear headings, easy to read captions, and a descriptive paragraph in addition to the inforgraphic. Occasionally the graphics interfere with the content being communicated, though overall the book is a positive example of this format.

Contains table of contents, glossary, further information, and index.  The table of contents is organized in a circle making it misleading and difficult to follow.

This translation of the Korean original uses simple yet rich text to describe the water cycle.  The story and images create a cycle of their own using a young girl in a red dress to follow the water from one page to the next. The illustrations are simple yet charming.  Includes questions and an activity.  The book focuses more on the story than the science as it is lacking a table of contents, glossary, or index.  A pleasant read to introduce the water cycle or as an extension on a rainy day.

Shaken Up is part of The Kicks series by Olympic Gold Medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion and US Women’s National Soccer Team member Alex Morgan.  The series holds obvious appeal for young girl athletes.  The main character, Devin is a middle school soccer player beset with friend, crush, and self-confidence issues typical of that age.  As a new resident of California, she is “freaked out” when a earthquake hits and it affects her ability to cope with both soccer team rivalries and the challenges of middle school life.  The story resolves with her on top in the friend, crush, and soccer drama.

The content is more appropriate for a middle school audience, but the simple plot and “cute” cover is a better fit for younger grades.  While this is definitely a recreational read, it could easily be used in the classroom as an example for writers to “write what you know.”

Mr. Pants the cat and his two cat sisters, like mischievous siblings everywhere, spend their seemingly endless energy both provoking each other and aggravating their human mom.  In Slacks, Camera, Action!, Mr. Pants has only one day to enter a film contest and his fixation on creating a film encounters continual hiccups.  When it appears he’s run out of time, his mom shows him how to edit and add audio to what he already has filmed and Mr. Pants gets the film submitted just in time!

Slacks, Camera, Action is the second book in the Mr. Pants series.  The colorful pictures and simple text are in the format of a graphic novel with speech bubbles and multiple panels on each page.  The silly story is organized into eight easy-to-read chapters offering young readers a sense of accomplishment and a good option for readers not quite ready for more challenging chapter books

This is a math concept book for addition and subtraction.

Nora is counting down the days to her dog, Ruffer’s birthday. “Nora is planning a birthday party for him– an awesome, unforgettable birthday party.” Nora decides which people and their pet friends to invite, then begins adding up the number of invitations to send.  (3 + 6 + 2 = 11 ) Nora and Ruffer cross out the four days until the party day on the calendar page, one day at a time. When Nora goes to bake “the most delicious puppy cake” there are not enough eggs. They need 10 eggs, they have 4 eggs, they need 6 more eggs. “Oh no! Ruffer accidentally stepped on the egg carton and broke too* eggs! … Nora needs eight more eggs. She decides to buy one carton, which has ten** eggs.” At the store there is a sale happening, so subtraction is shown on the various signs:  

“Eggs

$3 per carton

Today only:

You save $1

Only $2“

Then, they add the prices on the receipt using partial sums. ( $4 + $5 = $9 + $2 = $ 11) Cake baked just in time, the guests arrive for the party. Ruffer graphs the number of bones, stuffed animals, and balls received  and adds the columns. They play ring toss before the party ends.

The illustrations are cute, fun, and animated.

Includes 2 adult help pages and 2 pages of “Addition and Subtraction Game with Ruffer”.

*“too” should be two

** Perhaps eggs are sold in cartons of 10 in South Korea ( where this book originated) , but  seldom, if ever, in the USA.