Carlos and Carmen go shopping with their grandmother for the perfect piñatas for their birthday party.  Finally in the 3rd store Carlos chooses a dinosaur piñata and Carmen chooses a elephant piñata.  When they get home, Dino and Ellie take part in many imagination filled adventures.  In bed at night, Carlos and Carmen lament the fact that their piñata friends will be smashed at their birthday party.  The next day their grandmother shows them how to cut out a square and use ribbons, scissors and tape to make door to let out the piñata prizes.  Now their piñatas will survive their party.  Hugs all around.

Spanish words are quite naturally interspersed in the text.  Spanish-English glossary in the back of the text.

This is a fun engaging story with young latinx characters celebrating their cultural heritage.  In the story the characters solve a problem of today by relying on family and the cultural expertise of their elders.

A very basic introduction to the moon. Although this book contains 1-2 sentences per page and geared towards younger students, the words used are not as attainable to those students. There is an educator note in the front of the book suggesting that the questions posed on some of the pages could lead to discussion, so possibly the intent of the book was to be used in the classroom. There is a picture glossary at the end that helps explain some of the words like astronaut and telescope, but the definitions could have been included in the text or with the corresponding picture in the text. The author did not use bold words, so readers would not know they could look up those in the picture glossary until they got to the glossary.

The main character, a mermaid named Cora, fails a spelling test and is kicked off the Singing Sirens group. She can return to the group if she passes her next spelling test, otherwise she will lose her spot to one of beautiful Vivian Shimmermore. The book is written from the point of view of Cora writing in her diary. Hilarity ensues like Cora finding a tiny shrimp under a barrel of toxic sludge. Some of the sludge spills as she tries to free him. She finds it odd that the shrimp is glowing, but leaves him to get home. The shrimp grows and follows her home. She tries to get rid of him by throwing a tuna tied to a coral stick for the shrimp to chase. She misses him as soon as he is gone and then finds herself surrounded by a gang of sharks that are bullies. It seems that when Cora solves one problem another one pops up and she is again distracted from studying for her spelling test. Although the illustrations are limited to black, blue and white they add to the story.

It was summer and Hank was bored and lonely. No one was using his pet-sitting business.  When the new kid in town stops by to use his services, Hank is thrilled.  Hank will be pet sitting for an escape artist sheep named Elmer.  That night the sheep does escape the garage, but not to get away, but to come find Hank.  After the sheep wakes Hank yet again, Hank finally settles down on the hay in the garage with the sheep.  Tommy arrives the next morning for his sheep and is impressed with Hank’s success.  Hank’s business has found him a new friend.

This beginning reader title adds a goofy twist to the kid friendly topic of pets.  Young readers can identify with Hank’s desire to earn money and his loneliness when his friends are away for the summer.

Black holes, by there very nature cannot be seen.  The only information about black holes is from observing how other objects in space behave around them.  This book details many of the devices that are used to collect information about black holes.  It also discusses the evolution of black hole theories over time.  The complexity of the concepts mentioned make this a book for a student with some prior knowledge of black holes and a basic understanding of cosmology.

The book contains a number of amazing illustrations and diagrams that imply they are showing a black hole.  These illustrations and diagrams, however, portray astronomers theories which don’t always agree with each other.  It is only in the last 2 chapters of the book that it clearly communicates that what is considered “knowledge” of black holes is in truth only theories and that aspects of these theories are continually being supported or disproved as more data is accumulated.

I feel the scope of this book is too great for its size. Ideas and concepts are mentioned in passing and not adequately explained.  Either focusing on current black hole theory, how black holes were discovered, or the tools and technologies used in the study of black holes would be more appropriate for this age level and allow for more clarity.  I also found the glossary entirely inadequate.  It includes the word “merge” yet not things like binary, gamma ray, or jet bursts.

A national park is more than just a name or a boundary contained place that we can witness now.  And Glacier National Park is more than “a wilderness landscape of forest, mountains, and lakes.” It stands witness to the impact of the forces of nature on the land as well as the footprint left by humans.  Glacier National Park, established in 1910 is one of the top ten most visited National parks in the nation with more than 2 million visitors in 2015.

In Glacier National Park from the Core Library National Park series, the reader experiences much more than a description of the park itself. This book incorporates multiple areas of study as it examines this beautiful wilderness landscape.  The science topics include: glaciers, continental divide, weather, geology, climate change, flora, fauna, and conservation. Personal perspectives include input and quotes from an award winning park ranger, a naturalist, a climate change expert, a historian, and multiple local Native Americans. The history of the region reflects multiple perspectives. Primary source documents are seamlessly integrated to support the content.  Suggestions for online exploration are embedded at the end of chapter 1 and 3 and include relevant leading questions.

With potential for NGSS STEM and C3 socials studies alignment this high quality title leads me to consider adding whole series to my library.

In this short, easy to read biography we learn very basic information about Mary Pope Osborne. The text features compliment the text and some are more interesting than the text itself, like the fact that she planned the Magic Tree House series to be only four books. This would be great as a read aloud for younger students who are learning about text features, while the text is accessible to 2nd and 3rd graders. Readers who love the Magic Tree House series may be interested in learning more about the author.

At the 2016 Olympics, Simone Manuel was the first African American woman to win a gold in an Olympic swimming event.  In fact, she won 4 medals in the 2016 Olympics.  The book covers her childhood, education, swimming career, and her future plans.  She started swimming at age 4 after watching her older brothers racing. She began swimming competitively at age 11.  Her family motto is, “D.Y.B” (do your best) reflects her positive and competitive attitude.

This is an inspirational story of a successful African American woman worthy of being a role model for kids. Colorful photographs, captions and fast facts support the text. Contains Table of Contents, Timeline, Glossary, and Index.

This book is a basic introduction to what Earth Day is and a few ways that we can care for the Earth. There are only 1-2 sentences per page. There are many nonfiction text features including bold words, glossary, headings, index, and maps. In the back there is a page where readers can find out more in print and on the internet. The photographs are relevant to the topic on the page and directions for how to plant lettuce seeds is included.

Using simple text and colorful pictures, this book provides young readers with the physical description of the German shepherd and information on their care, personality, and history as a breed. Glossary terms are in red.  Quick Stats section at end of the book visually and numerically compares the German shepherd weight as heavier than a suitcase and its height as twice a basketball.  Contains a Table of Contents, Glossary, and Index.

Booklinks directs the reader to Abdo site where the book is selected using a search box.  One of the three links is to an information rich site, though the reading level is significantly higher than the K-1 reading level of the book.  One link is broken and the third is to a site with significant commercial intent.  The reader is also encouraged to visit Abdo Zoom Animals database, but will have not access to the information, since it is a paid site.

Every year Houndini appears in Kitty City to give a show and he draws a mustache on the portrait of the town founder, Davy Crock-cat. Officer Katz wants to catch him. After Houndini’s show, Officer Katz gives him three chances to escape. If Houndini does not escape, he will leave Kitty City forever. Officer Katz chases him around the city. Eventually the two stop fighting like cats and dogs and join together.

An informational text full of nonfiction text features. Many of these features include a table of contents, photographs, bold words, headings, diagrams, maps, index, and glossary. Each page contains one – two sentences. The pages are colorful and engaging, but should not be distracting for young readers. There is a section in the back where a reader could find out more through books or the internet.

The book starts with an explanation of what mass is and how to conduct an experiment and work like a scientist. Following that are six experiments. These experiments are not only simple, they use materials that are easy to find. At the end of each experiment is also an explanation of why the experiment works. The book utilizes many text features including illustrations, photographs, bold words and a glossary.

It’s a sentimental love poem offered by mother for daughter, declaring her undying love.  The illustrations begin and end with mom tucking daughter into bed.  In the in-between pages, the illustrations are fanciful: showing mother and daughter flying through the night sky on a cloud shaped like a whale, landing in a wild countryside, and scampering through a variety of landscapes that support the analogies of the poem itself.  A nice detail in the illustrations is that daughter has curly hair and a slightly darker skin tone than mom:  is this a mixed-race family?  Could be.  If so, it’s just presented as is…no big deal.

It tells the story of an often neglected bit of American history:  the role of women during WWI, who helped the farmers tend the fields when all the farm hands had gone off to fight.  It focuses on the tale of Helen Stevens, a New York college girl who wanted to do her bit, so she left the big city to join a camp in upstate New York that was training “farmerettes” to tend the jobs that needed doing.  Even after training to learn new skills, she and her friends still faced the prejudice of local farmers who didn’t think girls could do the same work as men.  They had to offer a day of work with no pay to show their worth, and still had to negotiate firmly, but prove their worth they did.

It’s a mash-up between that typically associated with attracting boys and that typically considered girlish:  fart humor plus tea parties. The illustrations are cute and frilly, showing a gathering of three little girls having a tea party in the yard with all the trimmings.  The text trying to outline the rules for tea parties, with repeated interruptions to accuse somebody of tooting, and every time the accused blames somebody else.  The final rule declared is that there’s no tooting at tea.  But just then the tea kettle toots to let them know the water is boiling, so they have to revise their rules.  It’s cute.  I may be guilty of succumbing to stereotypes, but I think it telling that it was written by a guy.

I love the illustrations. I like the idea of picture book biographies, especially more multi-cultural ones. From what I read, he certainly seems to have been a ground-breaking musician, so perhaps this book will help him become more well-known.  I know I don’t have a huge musical background, but even the illustrator mentions in his note in the back that he was unfamiliar with Esquivel’s music as well, so it makes me wonder how many of my elementary students will bother to pick it up.  I’m afraid its readership may be limited.  And one fault I think will make it harder for those who do to wrap their heads around:  there’s no indication in the body of the text to give a time frame context to the musician’s life and work.  A reader needs to read carefully in the end note (which few elementary students do) in order to place the bulk of his career in the 1960s.

It uses the universality of birthdays has a window into multiculturalism.  Right on the first page it begins by acknowledging that though everybody in the world has a birthday, not everyone celebrates, or even knows it, and those who do celebrate have many different ways of doing so.  I really like that it begins with a map, giving children a visual grounding on where each child lives.  I also really like that the writing is in first person, with each two-page spread describing how a different child celebrates his/her birthday; though it states where each child lives, and we can presume that the children chosen may represent typical examples from their home, it avoids falling into the trap of suggesting that every child in a particular country celebrates the same way, which of course would be inaccurate.  I also like that it includes examples of children who DON’T celebrate their birthdays,  which also adds to the authenticity of the book.  The one element I wish was different is this:  Each child’s story begins with a “Happy Birthday” type message in his/her own language, and in the back is a glossary which provides pronunciation guides and translations — I really wish that at least the pronunciation guide was offered within the main body of the book.

It’s shiny and bright, but that’s all it’s really got going for it. There are such better counting books available that I could not recommend spending $20 on this one.  It’s illustrated with photos of crayons on a white background, and it’s really just unabashed product placement.

It’s not exactly a traditional story, and not exactly a wordless picture book, but somewhere in between.  The text consists of a string of words, phrases, and onamonapeia (yes, I know that’s spelled wrong), which wouldn’t mean much alone.  But combined with the illustrations they tell a story of a gaggle of rambunctious Australian animals enjoying a day together filled with ordinary and familiar experiences (going to the park, playing on the playground, sharing a picnic, bath time, etc.).  It’s a celebration of the ordinary, and it invites children to play with language, and to consider adding their own words to tell the tale.

The illustrations are very textured, multi-media collage.  Each two-page spread with a close-up illustration of some bug, asking “What bug has a _____ like this?” is followed with a two-page spread that zooms out to show the full bug, in its habitat, and providing a description of how that particular body part serves that bug.  Most of the bugs will be familiar to young children, allowing them to participate in the guessing game the book invites. A paragraph in the back of the book explains the more scientific classification vocabulary, stating that all the “bugs” in the book belong to a large group of animals called Arthropods; it defines this term, along with the smaller groups (insects, arachnids, and myriapods) into which arthropods can be subdivided, thus inviting children into classification.

It’s a sentimental, somewhat romantic celebration of trains.  The illustrations are soft and a bit unfocused, to give it a nostalgic air, and the text is a poetic description of different kinds of trains doing different kinds of jobs.  The words play with language, giving it a rhythm reminiscent of the the chugging trains, and yet including a lot of vocabulary specific to the world of trains.  An illustrated glossary in the back provides illumination for unfamiliar terms.

It’s the illustrations that really make this book.  They are bright and bold and silly and they add an extra layer to the rest of the story.  Before the reader even gets to the first page of the story, the title page and lead-in pages show us a rather nerdy kid (which I say with the utmost affection and respect) toting around a book about bugs, drawing bugs, stopping to examine a bug on the sidewalk as the school bus approaches.  The story opens with this kid on the bus telling the girl next to him that he’s going to have to buy lunch in the cafeteria for the first time because his mom didn’t have time to pack him a lunch, which disturbs the busybody Ginny greatly, and she insists our hero take notes so he won’t forget the seven crucial rules to survive such an experience.  He then goes on to tell us of his experience, in which he manages to break all seven rules, but still survives.  Throughout the telling of the tale, we see him still toting his bug book, and his retelling includes many analogies in which he relates those around him to the bugs he’s been reading about, which the illustrations capture with humor.

The dynamic duo of Lester and Munsinger have teamed up again in their usual style, with cute illustrations and stories that address typical childhood problems.  This one is about a Badger who won’t go to sleep by day, like a good badger should, and so sleeps through his classes each night.  Students who are familiar with other stories by this pair will be drawn to the book by the familiar artwork, but I thought the story fell a bit flat this time.  The solution to the problem seemed to be that Boris just had to realize the fun stuff he missed when he slept through school, and then he made up his mind to go to sleep on time.  As someone who has struggled with insomnia, it’s not that simple:  even when someone really WANTS to go to sleep, sometimes they just can’t.

Tony Baloney is a very believable and relatable character, somehow managing to wrap into one Halloween all the struggles so many children struggle with in agonizing over the perfect Halloween costume:  he doesn’t want a costume patched together from odds and ends, or a hand-me-down costume from his big sister, or to have matching costumes with his younger siblings.  Instead he breaks into his savings to go buy the perfect pirate costume.  Unfortunately, he disregards the rules his teacher has set down about what is allowed at school, along with his parents’ warnings to take care of his costume if he wants it to last until Halloween.  In his enthusiasm, he ends up sabotaging himself by wearing it out before the big day and getting his sword confiscated by his teacher.  Yet in the end, he finds he’s able to put his creativity to work, with a bit of help from his family, and still have a good time in an odds-and-ends homemade pirate costume after all.