The question-answer format invites students to ponder their own ideas about where they see numbers in nature.  The illustrations are beautiful.  The examples given of number sets in nature are all things kids can recognize (birds have 2 wings, clovers have three leaves, etc.), and after reaching ten fingers and toes, it asks what comes in numbers too big to count, and suggests the starts.

A fun romp celebrating the power of imagination.  Told in the style of a graphic novel, all the words and dialogue tell the story of a dragon encountering what he thinks is a pirate, but turns out to be a ship’s captain whose ship has been stolen by pirates, and they work together to rescue the ship.  The bright-colored illustrations go back and forth between images of what the boys see in their imaginations, and the prosaic realities of the boy in the dragon suit playing with the boy in the sailor’s hat in the backyard while the moms do laundry.

A good book to have on hand to help students who may be watching their parents go through something similar.  As seen from a young boy’s point of view, it simply tells what it’s like to watch as his father who used to like to go for walks in the big wide colorful world starts to lose interest and says he’s lost his color and spends all day in bed, and throughout the boy keeps worrying that he’s done something wrong, but Dad keeps telling him he didn’t.  Eventually Dad visits people at the hospital who give him medicine for his brain and has someone he can talk to, until gradually the color starts coming back and when the boy fixes him a cup of tea he enjoys it and they return for a walk and a hug and his dad is back.  The book doesn’t pretend it all happened suddenly, but it does provide hope and a sense of empathy for others who might need reassurance.

A sweet story about the benefits of patience and dedication:  a young mouse is disappointed (at first) with his grandfather’s birthday gift of some seeds, but his grandfather assures him that if they plant one and water it every day and wait patiently, soon it will grow into something that will provide both food and a play place.  After planting the seed together, the young mouse rushes out the next day to see what he’s got, only to learn he must be patient. Eventually he is rewarded with a small sprout, which still seems a little disappointing.  One day he runs off with his friends to play, only to return to find his neglected sprout wilting.  He apologizes, and returns to his efforts, and calls upon others for help when he is ill and cannot tend it himself, and in the end he has a beautiful tomato plant that he and his friends all play in while enjoying its fruits.

Ahhhh… There’s something sort of Velveteen Rabbittish about it, in its softness and gentle lesson about what it really means to be alive.  It tells the story of a stone lion outside a library who longs to be real and alive so that he could run in the park and swish his tail.  The wise gargoyle nearby tells him that sometimes stone animals are granted the opportunity to become real for a short time, “if they desire it greatly, with a generous heart.”  As it turns out, when the lion does get his chance to come to life, it is so that he can rescue the homeless girl and her baby brother, who have come to visit him so often, from a terrible snow-storm, by dragging them into the warmth of the library.  Though he never gets the chance to run and frolic, he builds relationships and shared memories that give him a better understanding for those who visit with him, making him feel alive even when he’s stone.

A good book for units on insects, or on habitats, or on animal adaptations/camouflage.  Or just a fun book for kids who like to hunt for the hidden things in a picture, and who like bugs. One two-page spread showing and telling briefly about a particular habitat, with all the bugs kind of hidden, is followed by another two-page spread showing those bugs on a plain back-ground and giving more detailed information about each.  This set-up allows the reader to test their eyesight hunting for what they think they see, and then checking their finds when they turn the page, going back when necessary to find something they may have missed the first time through.

It’s a cute story, with a good message, and one many children can relate to, even if they don’t have a pet elephant.  It tells of a young boy who has a tiny elephant for a pet, and while he shares the joy he takes in his friend, he admits that it means he never fits in because nobody else has a pet elephant.  One day he sets out for Pet Club day, only to find a sign declaring no elephants allowed, and though sad at first, he befriends another sad girl, who was not welcome with her pet skunk, either.  Together they decide to start their own club, and find themselves joined by children with pets like a hedgehog, a swordfish, an armadillo, a penguin, a bat… And at their club, all are welcome.

The illustrations in this book are amazing!  Strong enough to earn a recommendation all on their own.  To be honest, I found the story that accompanies them to be a bit convoluted and hard to follow, but there’s something so magical about the illustrations that I’m left feeling like my failure to follow the tale is somehow a lacking of imagination on my part.  It tells of a boy (at first called Nightlight, and later Jack Frost), who is best friends with the Man in the Moon and has sword an oath to the parents of the Man in the Moon to watch over and protect him, but after a battle with a nightmare, he falls to earth and seems to lose his way for a while, but the Man in the Moon remembers their friendship and keeps watch and eventually brings him out of his loneliness, by helping him to remember his oath, which he ends up turning toward the children of earth, and gives him purpose.  Interestingly, the book jacket recommends it for kids ages 4-8, but I thought it was more for older children, a picture book suitable for ages 8-12.  I think it takes the older kids to be able to follow the story, but maybe it takes the littler kids to lose themselves in it?

Wow!  I love this book! Completely cool and fabulous and amazing.  Gives me the shivers.  Must get the rest in this series.  The illustrations are incredible, drawing on imagination and shifts in perspective to gradually guide the eye to two completely different pictures at once, depending on what part of the art you are looking at, but not like those cheesy black and white optical illusion things; more like an attention to detail and focus exercise.  While the artwork is the main draw, the text which accompanies it is poetical and draws one in even more to ponder the world of imagination.  The poems and the artwork each add to the other.  With young children, they’ll be drawn into the beauty and fun and the magic of it, but I think for older audiences there’s also things to be gained from this to be shared in art classes and poetry classes, too.

I recommend this one with reservations.  Consider your audience.  It tells the true story of a boy and woman in New York who struck up a friendship after young Alex asked for spare change on a street corner, and Laura shared a meal with him instead.  They began having weekly meals together and Laura invites Alex to spend Christmas with her and her family.  It’s written from Alex’s point of view, but the focus seems to be on how kind and generous and wonderful Laura is.  As a story to share with middle-class kids to encourage them to reach out to those less fortunate, showing that even small acts can build strong relationships and make big differences, I think it’s great.  But I wonder how students who are living in poverty will feel reading it, wondering why they haven’t had someone swoop down and offer them all these things?  For that matter, the story tells us that Alex has two sisters and a grandmother and mom, but there’s no mention of any of them being invited to participate in Laura’s generosity? One wonders how they felt about that.

A nearly wordless book, the story is mostly told through the pictures, but the connecting thread running through the whole book is a single word accompanying each picture, and as the reader proceeds through the story, that single word changes by just a single letter each time (plan, plane, planet, plant…until it circles all the way back to plan again).  The chain of words provides a wonderful way for young students to consider word structure, and how that single letter changes the word, and the illustrations turn this chain of words, that would otherwise be connected by nothing else, into a story of a young girl and her dog on a farm, who find a photo album telling the story of the old bi-plane in the yard, and cook up a plan to resurrect it with her father to bring it back to new adventures.  It even manages poignancy within the simple tale, as the word pain is accompanied by the illustration showing the family laying flowers at mom’s grave in remembrance.

The illustrations are classic De Paola, and the environmentalist message is certainly as relevant now as it was when it was originally published in 1975, but it’s an odd little story.  Never once is any reference made to explain why Michael is a Bird-Boy, who wakes up every morning and puts on a bird suit.  And when he complains to the boss-lady about all the smoke her factory is producing, she had simply never considered where she could get real bees, and presto-chango everything is better.  I don’t think DePaola’s illustrations are enough to carry it.  I think there’s a reason why this one hadn’t surfaced with all his other classics in the last forty years.

Apparently the sequel trend is not a new phenomenon, as this one was originally published in 1954.  Not sure why it’s been under wraps for more than 60 years, but it might have needed the new updated illustrations to bring it up to snuff.  I tend to be a bit suspicious of sequels, but I like this one.  It’s written by the original author of the original story, and shares the same style of being written in rhyming couplets.  There are a few times when the rhyme is a bit awkward, but I like the story:  it picks up in the preparation for another Christmas, when the other reindeer are jealous of Rudolph’s fame and have started to turn on him, so he is feeling left out.  He gets so depressed his nose goes out, and seeing himself as now of no use, he heads out, sad and lonely, on his own.  While wandering in the woods, he comes across a family of rabbits who have lost two of their little ones, so he sets out to help.  Forced to rely on his other skills (sniffing and listening), he still manages to find the lost rabbits, just in time to save them from the prowling wolves.  Upon reflections, he realizes that others have problems much bigger than his, and even without his glow he was able to be of help, so maybe he can still be of help to Santa.  And on the way home, through fog of course, having abandoned his whining and weeping and thinking of others, his glow comes back, and he returns to find the other deer sorry for their pranks, welcoming him home. It’s nicely sentimental  for the season, and has a good message.

The series is a popular one, and kids will gravitate to the familiar character.  The rhyme helps build literacy skills.  The situation is one that many students can relate to:  little Llama is going on his first overnight sleepover at his grandparents’ house, but he leaves his treasured stuffed llama in the car, which leaves him feeling nervous.  When he finally confesses, grandpa comes to the rescue by sharing his own special toy from when he was young, emphasizing the point that we all were young once, we all get scared at times, and we all cling to our special somethings.  Literature snobs may cringe at the poor grammar, as the whole thing is written in sentence fragments, but as my high school English teacher told us, once you know the rules well enough to break them intentionally, you’re allowed.

This is a fabulous little book for young children.  I think it’s got all the makings of a classic:  it’s got the rhythm and rhyme and repetition that is so helpful with emergent readers; the illustrations support and extend the text, and set readers up for opportunities to make predictions.  And besides, it’s fun:  the rhythm is catchy; the pictures are cute; the situation (a dog venturing forth to explore beyond his yard, and then getting spooked, and deciding home is best — a little like Goin’ on a Bear Hunt) is one that kids can relate to.  Even though it’s audience may be limited to the very young, I still highly recommend it.

Media 1 is in charge of your life.  You’ve signed a contract that you’ll have your life watched 24/7 as you’re a cast member of Blissful Days, the ultimate reality TV show, where reality is really scripted after all.  So is the life of Nettie Starling.  Navigating life on and off the mic, with missives from the producers on what products to promote or work into conversations, living via Blissful Days had been a good life.  Until Nettie starts to question the “Big Brother” control of Media 1 and how their “Initiative” may bring her more harm than good. In questioning their control, she discovers disturbing and possibly deadly aspects to the blissful life.  Slightly reminiscent of the movie The Truman Show, Nettie resembles in Mockingjay. Other characters are carefully crafted by Maya Rock to keep readers wondering who to trust, as one person’s “initiative” might lead to another character’s downfall.  This was a young adult novel that was looked forward to every night, ironically much like one’s favorite TV program.  Highly recommended.

Reading through Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings is a search for substance and story-line. Set in a huge Hawaiian high school, Lea is the perpetual new girl at school. While maneuvering the highs and lows of teen girl dramas and the “cool guys” romantic come-on games, Lea searches for friendship and a sense of belonging . She has a loving, healthy relationship with her mother and a deep friendship with a guy friend from childhood that are her guides for what is genuine and true. The descriptive language about Hawaii and the hanging-out surf/ sun culture is a delightful addition to often redundant situations of excited nervousness and soul crushing rejection. The weak action of the story is counter point to the internal dialogue that Lea expresses as she tries to figure out what she REALLY thinks and feels. Juniors shows how the younger, next-generation mirrors the superficial qualities of an older moneyed generation. Teenagers, especially young women, will probably identify with Lea and her teenage angst.

Time seems somewhat suspended when reading this book; it’s almost hypnotic.  The verse is melodic, the words conjure images long forgotten.  It seems to be best when either read alone or seated next to someone who enjoys the sound of words.  The illustrations are fanciful; lots of hidden details.  Hard to decide how to categorize this book; is it a picture book? a poetry book? a fairy tale?  maybe all three.  For those children who love words and love art, this is the book for them.

In this Super Sandcastle book, intended for younger audiences, the idea of freedom is presented, with examples, for children can begin to understand their rights.  Examples include freedoms to vote, for education, speech, religion, and to choose where you live.  The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, proposed by the UN, is also listed, which includes right to life and health care.  The book states what the freedoms are but does no explaining whatsoever.  The photos are basically headshots and do not show or exemplify the freedom listed on the page.  This book is a good start towards explaining what freedom can look like, but still leaves the need for more.

The President of the United States.  Giant Bug Monsters.  A very aggressive videogame.  This book goes in some… improbable places.  But that’s the fun – and what will get the kids excited to read it.  The plot rockets between accessible middle class life and wild fantasy, communicated in a style adjacent to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  Schreiber writes in a candid, kid-friendly style (one chapter title is “Oh Yes, There’s More”) that is fun and fast to read, even for the older set.  This book is all high interest, especially for videogame lovers.

I almost didn’t read this book–the blurb on the inside jacket didn’t sound especially exciting, nor were there any reviews or recommendations on the back.  I went online to check it out first, and I saw that this book was a National Book Award Nominee, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, Nebula/Andre Norton Award Nominee, and a New York Times bestseller.  Who knew?  I started to read and I literally couldn’t put it down.  Greenglass House is literally a green glass house–a house loaded with green stained glass.  It is located high up in the mountains and used to be a home for smugglers.  Access is difficult, especially in winter, and is by cable car.  It is currently a bed and breakfast inn, run by the Pines and their 10-year-old son, Milo.  Winter is usually a slow time, however, the week before Christmas is suddenly booming.  Five unexpected guests show up, then another, and then two old regulars. A village woman and her daughter, Meddy,  come to help Mrs. Pine take care of the guests.  With the guests come personality clashes and if that wasn’t bad enough, someone is stealing from the guests.  As the story unfolds, you learn more and more about each guest.  Each is at Greenglass House for a specific reason, not a winter vacation.    After the thefts,  Milo and Meddy play a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons in which they make up characters for themselves complete with a new name and biography.  They analyze each guest, pretending why they are there, and who could have stolen the items.  Working off of their hypotheses, they find the items and return them.  They uncover the secrets and history of the house, but also reveal a dangerous character.  The pace of the story is perfect–not too slow but fast enough to make you not want to put the book down.  This book is highly recommended for those who love a good mystery.  Plus, get a new book jacket printed to advertise how good this book actually is.

Eleven-year-old Nora has a very special relationship with her Grandma Sylvia.  The first Saturday of every month Nora spends the night with Grandma Sylvia and they do all sorts of wonderful, adventurous things.  They shop in Manhattan, go to the museums, Central Park, terrific restaurants, shows–you name it.  Grandma Sylvia has a pretty exciting life–she is an assistant designer for a fashioner designer.  As such she travels to Paris twice a year for business.  Grandma Sylvia tells Nora so much about Paris that Nora is dying to go.  For her twelfth birthday, Grandma makes plans to take both Nora and Faye (Nora’s mom and Sylvia’s daughter) to Paris, however, shortly before the trip she dies in a car accident.  In cleaning out her home, Nora discovers the tickets and convinces her mom that they should still go.  Once in Paris, Grandma Sylvia has arranged for them to visit her favorite places and has included envelopes for them with a letter for each location, explaining why its one of her favorites, and either tickets or money for admission.  She has also sent ahead a gift for Nora and Faye to be given to them upon their arrival to each location.  The envelopes must be opened in order and the scavenger hunt culminates at the famous Parisian design show that her grandmother worked on.  Throughout the week, Nora and her mom, Faye, learn about each other and how similar they are, and Faye finds out how much her mother loved her.  The places they went sound absolutely fabulous.  I looked them up online and they really do exist.  If I was planning a one-week visit to Paris, I would definitely use this book as a guide.  This book should appeal to girls who love to travel and love realistic adventure.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence was born and raised in Kentucky. She did not have early visions of being a movie star. Jenny Lou was a very active tomboy, with two older brothers, who enjoyed riding her favorite horse on the family farm. Jennifer never quite ‘fit in’ at school. She was targeted by bullies and so changed elementary schools several times. While she was insecure in groups of her peers at school, at age 9, Jenny was in her first play at church. She enjoyed it so much she appeared in more plays and musicals  at church and at school. She talked her mother into taking her to New York City for Spring Break, when she was fourteen years old. “Suddenly, a talent scout approached them and asked if Jennifer would be interested in working as a model! … her parents let her return to New York during the summer…Jennifer got an agent and booked several commercials and some modeling jobs.” (p. 16) Just as Jennifer was about to go home she won a few small TV roles.  Then, the one on THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW on TBS which lasted three years. Her move to the movie screen came in an independent film, Winter’s Bones in 2010. Then came 2011 with her role as Mystique in X-Men: First Class and 2012 in The Hunger Games. She went from being unknown to being followed by paparazzi the day after the first Hunger Games came out.

Fame and fortune has ‘not’ gone to her head. No dieting for her. Jennifer remains ‘real’, but she does work out. “With Jennifer’s down-to-earth attitude and talent, it doesn’t look as if she will be going up in flames anytime soon… unless it’s as Katniss, Girl on Fire!” ( p. 45)

Includes: glossary, index, and web site: www.factsfornow.scholastic.com keyword Jennifer Lawrence.

When I think of the native people of the Arctic regions the Inuit come to mind. This book explores the Tuniit, a people who lived in the Arctic prior to the Inuit. The Tuniit were not nomads like the Inuit. The Tuniit used flint tools and had stone shelters. The Tuniit were a shy people who had their own ways of hunting, surviving, and understanding the world. They were not just an early Inuit culture. “Tuniit are very special beings, because they blend the realms of Inuit myth and fact. Scientists say that they existed. But if we go by what Inuit stories have to say about them, the Tuniit were anything but normal people.” (p. 2) The Tuniit were extremely strong. “The strength of the Tuniit was said to be so great, in fact, that they did not always need spears to kill their prey. It is said that if they caught their prey by running it down,…they could snap the neck of even a bull caribou by simply wrestling with it.” (.13)

In the 1920s, anthropologist Diamond Jenness gave the Tuniit the name Dorset when he realized they were culture separate from the Inuit.

No one knows why they disappeared, perhaps they were exterminated by the Inuit, or they intermarried, or plague.