This is another Lightning Bolt Book and is from the series, Famous Places. This book focuses on the Everglades. The book starts with welcoming the reader to the Everglades, “a giant wetland in southern Florida.” The book tells about the Everglades and what animals are found there, along with the importance of this wetland to humans. The book also teaches students about the water everywhere, the plant life, the animal life, and the changing Everglades. The book also has a map of the area, fun facts, glossary, further reading and index. The book has great information on this place and amazing photographs. The layout of the text and photos makes this a really attractive book kids will pick up. While  I would love to have the entire set, it is a really nice addition to any elementary library that can stand alone.

This book is all about money. In the attractive Lightning Bolt style, this book is from the Exploring Economics series and is all about the logistics of money. The book showcases earning money, goods and services, many kinds of jobs, making choices and spending money. Kids are intrigued with the idea of money and this book give a nice, basic explanation of money in general kids terms. The book ends with a wants vs. needs and save or spend activities, glossary, further reading and index. It would be a neat series to invest in to do a little unit on $$$ with younger grades.

This book is from the Lightning Bolt series, Colors Everywhere. The focus of this book is on the color, blue. The first chapter is on the relaxing world of blue and all the blue things one can find in the world (flowers, jeans, water and sapphires). Next, the book discusses the hues of blue. There is light blue, navy, turquoise, and periwinkle. There is also a chapter about feeling blue and what that means, like singing the blues. There is a chapter about a little girl whose favorite color is blue. At the end of the book, there is a neat activity page about blending colors, followed by a glossary, further reading and index. The pictures in this book are really high quality and I like the easy reading. The layout is nice and attractive. I would like to have the entire set. Children will enjoy it.

With the simple premise of wondering why elephants need the sun, author/illustrator Robert E. Wells gives simple explanations to some very complex concepts about our sun.  He tells of the sun’s importance in photosynthesis, the water cycle, gravity, and nuclear fusion.  He shows how people have created ways to use the sun – from telling time to generating energy.  His pen and watercolor illustrations are simple, colorful, and do an admirable job of helping to explain the often difficult ideas scientists have observed about our sun.  The layout is appealing and the cartoon nature of the book helps reduce the impact of advanced scientific terms.  This is a terrific resource for explaining the sun’s importance to plants and animals.  It will make an excellent addition to school and classroom libraries.

This book explores the science behind many common sayings and the old beliefs about our bodies.  It takes 17 such myths and gives an easy to understand explanation of what is actually happening.  Some of the beliefs discussed include: Can eating chicken soup cure a cold? Can listening to loud music cause hearing loss?  Should you wait a half hour after eating to go swimming?  Do humans really use only 10% of their brains?  The section on “Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?” includes a website about servings of fruits and vegetables.  this book has lots of color and easy to read sections of text.  Many pages have a “Did you know…” section.  The photographs are clear and focused.  Both photos and drawings are appropriate for the text.  In the back are the glossary, a bibliography, a list for further reading, an index, and acknowledgements for photos used in the book.

This is the cutest picture book about a little girl, Nellie Sue that is a cowgirl through and through. The problem is that she lives in the city and doesn’t have the most important thing, a HORSE! She comes up with a master plan for her birthday to get a horse, turning her house, yard and garage into a corral and paddock. Through her imagination, she lives the life of a cowgirl on her birthday, harvesting hay (raking leaves), rounding up cattle (gathering up the kids for the party) and riding her HORSE (actually her new bike!). A fun, cute story about every girl’s dream of having a horse and harnessing your imagination. The perfect story for every little girl who loves horses.

From the Xtreme Predators series, Big Cats tells about mountain lions, leopards & jaguars, cheetahs, lions, and Siberian tigers. Each predator is introduced on facing pages, with additional page (s) about each cat. The book has good information such as the size and habitats of these cats. There are also neat Extreme Quotes and Facts throughout the book in a nice visual, stand out box. The book ends with two sections on humans and cats, a glossary and an index. I think this book has great information for those elementary animal reports, but some of the pictures are a little graphic (bloody). They sure make these cats looks scary with the growling, fangs always out.

Meet the new ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN character for a younger reading audience , Klooz. He is a young boy detective who works for 5 packs of Carpenter’s Chewing gum.

In 5 chapters , Klooz solves the case, by being very sequential, organized, and observant.

Readers will enjoy the black and white sketches that accompany every other page of the story.

Translated by Ann Berge from German.

This chapter book, set in 1985 tells the story of two sisters moving to Salt Lake City and about their adventures in their new house. Thirteen year old Sadie, her new best friend, Bella and little sister, Zuzu discover a journal in a secret room in the attic. The journal chronicles the life of Helen, a little girl going through the  flu epidemic of 1918. The girls start almost living through the journal it is so intriguing while going through their own hardships of Bella feeling unloved by her mother and Sadie and Zuzu being very frightened of their stepmom giving birth. This book has a lot going on, but it just all fits together so nicely that it makes a wonderful read. I just loved it. The reader gets a little romance, some historical fiction, and deep family issues.

5 little crazy looking turkeys count down to Thanksgiving Day, as one after another, runs off in hopes of not ending up upon a Thanksgiving Day table.

66 word count

Wonderful high definition close up photos of the different stages in the life cycle of an apple tree with large print and simple sentences.

At first glance, the outline of the dark seed (p. 5) on the apple seed’s sprout is very difficult to discern from the book’s black background the photo is printed upon. Page 13 states , “The flowers fall off, and tiny green apples begin to grow.”  When in actuality only the petals fall off.

This book about Robert Cormier is one of a series of books on authors whose works are challenged by public schools and libraries.  His works are widely read by teens but criticized by those who think the themes and language is not appropriate for young adults.  It begins with information about the history of banning books and the thought, philosophy, process, the first amendment, and cases related to free speech.  A chapter is devoted to discussions of three books: I Am the Cheese, The Chocolate War, and After the First Death.  There is a good balance between both sides of the censorship debate.  Although this is a biography, most of the book is devoted to the banning and censorship of his work.  It is well researched and will be useful to those wishing to know more about Cormier or censorship.  Recommended for libraries used by teens and adults.

This picture book goes with the Wiggle and Bounce series that Doreen Cronin collaboratively worked with Scott Menchin to write and illustrate. This is a cute story with a dog as the main character showing all the different ways you can stretch. “You can stretch with a whisper. You can stretch with a roar.” With rhyming text and fun illustrations paired with photos throughout the story, little ones will really like this book.

In 283 words, in 31 pages, Rico and his friendly robot first prepare and wait for the arrival of snow. Then, they race down the snowy hill using 5 different kinds of snow equipment, but the last time is best because they do it together.

At 16, Zac Baxter loves his grandfather but does not believe his stories about being a descendant of a king in Africa and a treasure – until his grandfather is murdered and their apartment is ransacked.  Zac travels to Ghana to uncover the truth about his family’s history.  The British government wants him out of the way, his grandfather’s killers seem to be always just ahead of him, and he is afraid to confide in or trust anyone.  His grandfather’s words guide him through many harrowing experiences.  This adventure takes place in England, Africa, jungles, and dungeons.  Much of the story is based on historical facts and events.  Suspense, mystery, and history all in one.

This book is we researched and readable.  Clear, focused photographs and/or artist’s conceptions accompany every page.  Elaine Scott shares a brief history of what astronomers have learned since Ptolemy (100-175) to present and from looking through telescopes to landing on the planet’s surface.  Photographs from several spacecraft (Mariner(s) and Viking(s)) illustrate scientists’ observations and speculations.  With the successful landing of Spirit and Opportunity on Mars in 2004, scientists have been able to gather further data over the years to determine more about the red planet and its similarity to Earth.  The book includes an extensive glossary and index, an author’s note and bibliography, additional books to read and websites for further up-to-date information.

Penny Clarke has written many non-fiction books for children.  This book on hippos contains many fascinating facts, illustrations, and photographs.  Most pages contain “Did You Know” sections with additional information.  The text and illustrations are presented in a pleasing format.  One page directs the reader to look at the feet of a hippo on the table of contents page.  Another says to hold a page up to the light to see the skeleton inside the hippo’s body.  Words in bold print are found in the glossary.  Information about hippos includes how they were seen as gods in ancient times as well as how and where they live today.  There are 30 titles in this spectacular Scary Creatures series.  These books are recommended for all elementary libraries.

A basic portrayal of the life of Benjamin Franklin is told in the 32 page graphic novel written in Spanish.  Many of the highlights of his life are described in text boxes, within conversations, and detailed illustrations.  At birth, his father thought he would be a minister, however Franklin became many things: a printer, an inventor, a Patriot, and a statesman.  He was one of the most influential people during his lifetime and the results of many of his experiments and ideas remain today.  The artwork of Gordon Purcell and Barbara Schulz  reflects the clothing styles, jobs, and artifacts from the 1700s.  The text contains a good basic introduction to the life and wisdom of one of the most significant people in our country’s history.  This book is also available in English.  The expected glossary, reference sites, bibliographies and index are found in the back.

The Hallelujah Flight is based on a true story of ace pilot James Banning and his mechanic/co-pilot, Thomas Allen.  In 1932, towards the end of the Great Depression, African-American James Banning had a dream to fly across the United States.  He and his friend Thomas Allen fixed up an old bi-plane, much to the amusement of the airport crew.  The rickety plane began its wild, sometimes erratic, flight across California.  To help pay for food and repairs as they traveled, Banning and Allen relied on the generosity of strangers.  Each time they landed, they called out, “Hallelujah!”  Other than the trials of unreliable weather and repairs, one of the worst dangers they meet was prejudice.  After 22 days, they landed as heroes in New York.  The world read about them as the Flying Hobos, but they called their adventure the “Hallelujah Flight”.  John Holyfield’s expressive acrylic on canvas paintings reflect both the joy and dangers of the transcontinental flight.  A map on the endpages mark their journey from California to New York.

Ambelin Kwaymullina is from the Pilbara region of Western Australia and tells this tale of finding one’s destiny.  Crow looked into a waterhole and thought that bird she saw could change the world.  Wishing to be like her, Crow flew away to find her destiny.  After many interactions helping beings in distress, Crow kept seeing reflections of wonderful crows.  She despaired of ever being as good as those crows and began to cry.  When kookaburra heard why she was so sad he laughed and laughed because she was looking at her own reflection.  Crow now knows, “Your destiny lies within you.  All you need to do is learn how to see it.”  A good fable for finding one’s strengths.   Native-looking designs in vibrant colors illustrate this fable.  White text on most of the pages is easily read.

John Feierabend adapted this telling of the crabfish (a crab or a lobster) from an old tale which can be traced back 600 years, and 400 years as a song.  Vincent Nguyen’s large paintings colorfully illustrate the song, which is reproduced on the last page.  The tale is about a man who’s wife got sick and asked him to get her a crabfish.  He hurried out in the night to get her one.  When he brought it to her, she leaned in to smell and it pinched it on the nose.  She called to her husband, but it had already pinched him on the ear!  The moral: If you desire a crabfish, cook it first!  In a note at the beginning of the book, John Feierabend mentions a website where the song may be downloaded in order to hear the melody.

Toby the rabbit hated being cute.  To change his image, he pierced his ear, got a tattoo, and bought a motorcycle.  One day, while trying to act like a tough guy riding his noisy motorcycle, he saw Tara, a very cute rabbit.  He was stunned when she called him a creep.  He discarded all of his new purchases and took flowers to Tara.  They were perfect together.  When 12 small, fuzzy, baby rabbits were born in the spring, the author surprises the reader with a twist.  Marji Tolman’s colorful illustrations are simple, yet include interesting details.  The theme of the book is “cute” and so are the animals and the scenery.

Mrs. Shepard’s class is taking a field trip to Farmer Fandangle’s organic farm.  23 students and chaperones go over the rules.  Right away, they count only 22 – one missing.  Juan is found examining the sign, which is the beginning of the tour.  Farmer Fandangle guides them past each area on his environmentally frieindly farm.  Throughout the tour, chaperones continually count students in a variety of mathematical ways.  Juan is always missing, but is found seeking out the next point on Farmer Fandangle’s tour.  On many pages, readers can count the students in groups, which add up to 22!  Thor Wickstrom’s ink and watercolor illustrations are playful, colorful, and show all the action 23 students, chaperones, and animals can have on a farm field trip!

Told in rhyme, Ella Kazoo’s hair is described in many terms: hair, locks, mane, mop, curls, frizz, and tresses as it continues to grow longer and wilder.  As her hair grows, more and more items become entangled within it.  The ink and watercolor illustrations by Jennifer Plecas humorously depict Ella’s objections to brushing her hair and the eventual outcome.  At her wits end, Ella’s mother takes her to the hairdresser to find a style with which she can live.

“All due to a haircut, quite simple and snappy,

both mother and daughter are blissfully happy.”

This is a delightful story with equally delightful illustrations.  Mom keeps finding stray cats to rescue, much to the dismay of Dad, who has many reasons not to keep the cat(s).  He always relents when faced with the grim “future” of the poor kitty.  As Mom continues to find stray cats, Dad’s protestations become wilder and more absurd.  The ink and watercolor illustrations by David Parkins, make a humorous match with Dad’s comical objections.  When the pet count climbs to five cats, Dad wanders out and returns with… a dog!  Told in rhyme, the reader is entertained with clever reasons for keeping strays, the amusing objections for sending it on its way, and the witty and colorful illustrations.