This book, specifically geared for young readers,  provides a literary analysis of the play Romeo Juliet.  The introduction clearly presents information on William Shakespeare’s life and plays and the Globe Theater AND ends with a glossary of literary terms – a good choice for students needing quick background information.  The play is dissected into acts/scenes – each given an quick overview and a short analysis.  A list of characters and their roles are also given to the reader.  The author provides a closer look at the play’s theme, motifs, symbols, and language.  A chronology, a Shakespeare’s glossary, a Suggested Essay Topics section, a Testing Your Memory section, a Further Information section, a bibliography and an index are given in the book.  The pages are colorful and the writing is clear and organized.  This is an easily digestible book for those who wish to grab a quick insight into Shakespeare and his life and this particular play.

Mannie is an imaginative little girl who takes her elephant and little doll on a picnic adventure one sunny day.  When the sun hides behind some clouds and they all feel cold and a little scared, the usually shy elephant finds his courage, pulls out a giant ladder from Mannie’s little case, and blows away the clouds.  The mood revived, this whimsical story ends with Mannie and her friends trotting home tip toeing over the roof tops to curl up safe and warm in bed.  The rich illustrations are a beautiful mix of sketch and watercolor.  The text is full of sounds and some repeated lines which little ones enjoy for story prediction.

This is a darling peep hole picture book about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  Perfect for pre-k up to 1st grade, students will enjoy the familiar story and colorful illustrations depicting the first Christmas night.

Don’t try to digest The Word Snoop too quickly.  You may want to linger over some of the strange euphemisms for death, like “joined the choir invisible, or “permanently out of print.”  And who knew that cuneiform means “wedge-shaped” and Hieroglyph means “holy writing?”  Kids who text may think that leaving out vowels, (like “bn” for “been”) is pretty tricky, until they learn that the original alphabet had no vowels.

Told with humor and fun, this story of the evolution of the English language explains origins, history, and uses of words, from malapropisms to rebuses, Pig Latin to plurals.

A detailed table of contents makes the book  easy to navigate, a glossary gives yet more explanations of the terms used, and keys to the puzzles are at the end of the book.  Tohby Riddle’s drawings, silhouettes, and red text boxes make this wealth of information easier to understand.  The Word Snoop would be fun to read aloud, even to very young “word snoops.”

The book jacket clearly summarizes this Recipient of the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal book:  “Here is the story of the land, of the people who transformed it, and the terrible price they paid.”  The author writes about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.  He introduces to the readers the ecology of Great Plain which sets the stage for a better understanding of the dust storms.  The reader is given another introduction into the history of the Great Plains in the late 1700s and the 1800s.  Farming life in the late 1880s and the 1890s prepares the reader for the role of the farmers in World War I.  As time progresses, the reader is able to follow those farmers into the 1920s,  the Depression era and then into and after the devastating Dust Bowl Days.  In the final chapter, the reader is told, “The lesson is clear:  serious droughts are inevitable. We should expect them and plan for them.  If not, we will see more Dust Bowls.”  Evidence of an immense dust cloud in China (2002), excessive erosion on cropland (1997) and the desertification of the Amazon rain forest are presented leaving the reader wanting to pay attention to history and not make the same mistakes again.  The book contains a glossary, a “Books for Kids” section, a bibliography, a timeline and an index.  The brown-and-white photographs are well-chosen and greatly complement the text.  Students, teachers and history buffs will enjoy this well-written thought-provoking book.

The author has created a visually stunning and clearly presented book on this event in history.

I found this 32 page non-fiction book about the Wright Brothers to be easy to read and full of interesting facts. The illustrations are cartoon style with funny captions which should hold the attention of young readers. There are also many good quality photographs of the Wright Brothers and their inventions which brings their biography alive. I would be interested in having more books in this series.  There is an AR test for this book (level 5.6, .5 points).

Ellray is a small third-grader.  He keeps getting beat-up by Jared, the biggest kid in the class.  Jared’s dad wants him to stay out of trouble so he tells Jared that the family will go to Disneyland if he can stay out of  trouble for one week.   Ellray has to stay away from Jared to keep out of trouble,but he is not sure he can do that.

This deals with bullying and how Ellray handles the problem without telling his parents.

This is a good first chapter book  for students who are afraid to read.

“What is religion?” is the first question the author presents to the reader in this very useful beginner’s resource.  It is not an encyclopedia per say, but an introduction to the world’s religions.  Detailed chapters are devoted specifically to Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.  East Asian religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, etc.) and Modern Religions, the Baha’i Faith, for example, are briefly discussed.  Sidebars provide interesting information.  There is no glossary, however there is an index.  The wonderful color photos complement the text.  A valuable tool for students wishing to gain a quick perspective.

This book is not for the “Twilight” fans, but rather for those who wish to learn the real history of vampires and creatures who walk the night.  The author, paranormal researcher Brad Steiger, dispels the many myths of the vampire, but does inform the reader of true frightening accounts of real vampires, etc. that walk our streets.  This is a well-organized readable resource – suitable for research, as well as, the casual reader.  Photos and sketches are printed in black-and-white.  A “Vampires: A Chronology” section and an index are included.  This dark read will definitely appeal to the horror fancier.

This non-fiction book (AR level 6.3, .5 points) about climate change on our Earth is well-written and easy to understand.  Difficult concepts are clearly explained and evidence pointing to climate change is presented amongst engaging, colorful and good-quality photography.