A variety of idioms related to money and numbers, are explored and explained…such as “on cloud nine”…”at sixes and sevens”…”the whole nine yards”.  Each chapter covers a two page spread discussing the possible origin and/or explanations of the idiom.  Thirteen idioms are included, in all.  “The whole nine yards”  (meaning all of something) has an unclear origin.  It may have been related to an order for a large wedding veil…or maybe it relates to a concrete truck which can hold approximately 9 cubic yards.  The design of the page layouts are visually appealing with a peppering of illustrations mixed with photographs.  I have two concerns for this well, put together book.  First of all, the font size is too small, which is not friendly on young eyes.  I have seen kids open a book, and close it quickly, if the font is too small.  Secondly, the phrases chosen to be included, are somewhat outdated for the targeted audience.  Back Matter includes Glossary, Further Reading and Index.

This is the fourth, and maybe favored book in the Theodosia Thockmorten series.  The setting is Egypt, where Theodosia, a strong, witty girl, discovers more about her birth and history…and how she is connected to the fight between the Brotherhood and the Serpent of Battle.  Filled with mystery, adventure, twists, and turns, periodic comic relief is welcomed, in order to give your nerves a break from the races against time, encounters with evil people and dark, dark magic.  Young and old, alike, would enjoy this romp of a tale.

Biographies for the primary level are becoming more prevalent.  I was impressed by the Table of Contents in this series which appeared to cover a wide range of interesting aspects in the life of Maurice Sendak.  Each “Chapter” (actually a two-page spread) answered a question…”Who Is Maurice Sendak?…Where Did He Grow Up?…What Did He Do Before He Was a Writer?”…and so forth.  However, after a closer look, I was disappointed in how very little information was actually included in the text…or how some, not so interesting information, was taking up prime real estate on the page.  (“He worked and studied hard for four years.”)  Where the Wild Things Are was mentioned in five of the nine “Chapters”!  Authors sometimes don’t realize that primary students can absorb a little more “meaty” information than what is being presented.  Timeline, Glossary, Find Out More and Index are all included in the Back Matter.

Life is full of times when everything does not go as planned.  Tallulah knows that she is an excellent ballerina.  She is attentive in class, following her teacher’s exact instructions.  Her younger brother, on the other hand, goofs off a lot and  has to sit in the time-out chair.  When she and her brother audition for The Frog Prince ballet, to her horror, her brother is chosen for a major part at being the frog and she is NOT the princess, but a lady-in waiting.      Eventually she accepts the situaltion and helps her brother with improving his part in the ballet.  This does not go unnoticed…and the story has a happy ending with she and her brother playing the leads in the next ballet, Hansel and Gretel.  This story rivets children who can identify with such difficult, real-life situations that build character.  The numerous water color illustrations are charmingly soft and beautifully support the flow of the story.  Reading this title makes me want to add more Tallulah  books to my collection.

The text grabs the reader from page one.  “Find the Truth!”  You are given a challenge, as you read along, to discover which of two statements about the solar system are true or false.  Immediately the mind is engaged.  Packed full of interesting informational text and  exquisite photos, this True Book series is a winner for all of the elementary levels.  The page layouts have wonderful visual appeal.  I can see students returning to this book again, and again, to explore all that is there.  Back Matter includes Resources (Books), Organizations and Web Sites, Places to Visit, Important Words, and Index.

This Natural Wonders series is designed to support primary and early readers with non-fiction, landform topics.   Each two-page spread presents a big, colorful and quite amazing photo on the right…with a simple three sentence text on the left.  Students learn the basics of how glaciers are formed and how they move.  Two famous glaciers are featured such as the one at Canada’s Banff National Park and Malaspina Glacier in Alaska.  How people are affected by glaciers is at the conclusion.  Having a three-year-old granddaughter, I appreciate less wordy non-fiction texts, however, I felt that this title errored on the side of too little information.  The book is over in a heartbeat…and she is wondering…is that all?  The biggest asset to this title is the photographs, which are spectacular for visual literacy.  Back Matter includes Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, and Index.