This book almost got a “Not Recommended” from me, but I do think it’s a topic that a lot of crafty kids would enjoy exploring.  The photos and layout are inviting, and would encourage them to try something new, and with significant adult support, I think many could successfully do so with this book.  The reasons I don’t fully recommend it come from inconsistencies and lack of clarity in the directions offered.  It begins with four pages dedicated to, “Tools of the Trade,”  in which they include patterns which are never again mentioned throughout the instructions for any of the projects, and an unnecessary bag in which to store all your tools, but they don’t include several items which are later needed to complete the projects (though they do at least include the additional items in the list at the beginning of each project, but it would have been handier to have them included up front): bowl of unspecified size, markers, felt, cookie cutter, etc.  Most projects try to fit all the directions on one small page, with only three photos as support, and I had trouble understanding exactly what was meant; they would have benefited from breaking things into small steps, with clearer photo support along the way.  And though they do list a tape measure as one of the tools frequently needed, they repeatedly give directions calling for 1/3 of an inch, which I have never in my life ever seen on any standard tape measure.  Why confuse kids?

A good story to help children understand their own power over their own imagination, and how to channel it for the positive.  It opens with Small Blue waking in the dark of night, thinking creepy thoughts, imagining goblins in his room, and calling for help.  When Big Brown comes to the rescue and Little Blue shares his imaginings, Big Brown suggests that if it’s dark, it could just as likely be a “delightful doggies’ Saturday-night unicycle convention” that was in the room.  In search of some soothing warm milk, the two progress through the dark house, with repeated opportunities to face new dark areas, and each time cheerful alternatives are suggested when scary possibilities are proposed.  By the end Small Blue has learned to manage his own imagination when he wakes in the dark.

Part general cultural information, part cookbook, this volume makes efficient use of its 24 pages.  It begins with an overview of how food fits into Chinese culture, and common traits, as well as regional differences.  In the back four recipes are offered, that look both tasty and doable — and this coming from a picky eater and novice cook.  The information is well-illustrated with color photos, including in the step-by-step portion of the recipes.  The binding is sturdy, and all the classic non-fiction text features are included. I haven’t actually tried cooking the recipes yet, but I’m encouraged to do so.  If they don’t live up to my expectations, I’ll update my review to reflect that, but for now I highly recommend the title.

The story tells about a boy and his dog racing along a crowded seaside boardwalk when they get separated.  As the frantic young boy goes looking for his dog, he first only sees a variety of knees, but keeps climbing on progressively higher items in attempts to get a better view, seeing bellies, then hair, before he climbs to the top of a deserted life-guard stand where he gets a decent vantage point, and eventually finds his dog snagged by his leash under the boardwalk, where the two hang out to escape the storm that’s been gradually building in the background throughout the story.  The illustrations are really quite fun, drawn in a rather cartoonish style that captures a wide, exaggerated variety for each body part the boy finds himself surrounded by.  At times the text of the story has a fun rhythm and rhyme to it, but by going in and out of rhyming, rhythmic text, alternated with more prosaic text, it’s got a bit of a clunky feel to it.

The illustrations are fun and inviting, and the book would make an excellent choice for sharing with a child before a trip to Paris, or as a souvenir from such a trip, as the story describes a dash through the Louvre, and the illustrations show a lot of world-famous artworks that are at home in the famous museum.  Likewise, the scenes outside the museum do a great job of capturing a sense of Parisian sights: the Eiffel Tower, the architecture, the baguettes in a cafe, etc. But aside from that, for general audiences, I’m not sure the story has enough of a plot/climax.  It basically tells about an old woman who turns down an invitation from a friend to visit the Louvre, to which she’s never been despite living in Paris, because they won’t allow her dog; when her dog escapes and races through the museum, she and her friend follow, and when eventually stopped by a guard Madame Martine apologizes, but the guard says they can make an exception because her friend works there.  It’s fine, but a little flat.

On the plus side:  the project uses common, inexpensive items that are easy to come by; the instructions are broken into easy-to-follow sequence; photo illustrations clearly support the written instructions; and key points are clearly labeled with an “Ask for adult help” tag.  Oh, and the binding is sturdy and it’s got all those standard non-fiction text features.  On the negative side:  the child photographed with the project looks about six, which completely fits the obvious target audience for this book & project, yet experience tells me there is no way that the project photographed with the child was actually created by a six-year-old (adult-created artwork being passed off as kid artwork is a pet-peeve of mine); also the hammer and nail used to puncture holes in the plastic caps are not included in the original list of things you need; also $16 for instructions to make one craft doesn’t seem like a lot of bang for your book buck.

The Wombats and their teachers Ms. Annabel and Mrs. Nott visit the zoo ready to make the most of their experience.  Let loose on the zoo, each of the Wombats and their teachers records his or her experiences in first person, often including a short poem.  Facts are interspersed with humor and word play.  The same humor can be found in the busy illustrations.  The complex interactions of the numerous characters makes this a title that would benefit from a second or third read.

This is an international publication with English spellings.  The Wombats Go on Camp contains the same goofy characters.

“Every day, millions of creatures are locked in a battle for survival”  Dead of Alive? is full of examples of how creatures, both big and small, survive unique challenges.  From the wood frog that can survive being frozen solid to the barnacle that turns a crab into a zombie, the book is full of intriguing facts about animal survival.

The book is graphically engaging with colorful illustrations and photographs as well as different size, font style, and arrangement of text.  Contains a Table of Contents, Quiz, Additional Resources, Glossary, and Index.

Published in the UK, the English spellings such as centimetres instead of centimeters may be confusing for young readers.

Sieb Posthuma’s Where is Rusty? is a treat for the eyes.  Posthuma’s illustrations are wittily creative and are the prize of the book.  Readers follow Rusty and his family as they enter a busy multi-floored department store to do some shopping.  Both the title and the mother’s guiding foreshadow what’s to come — Rusty wanders off.  Remembering the audience, Rusty doesn’t come across as too scared.  Instead, he’s inventive in how he’ll hide from the patrol watchdogs around the store while still looking for his mother.  The only lacking caveat is that there is no remorse in Rusty.  Instead of an apology when is mom is snuggling with him that evening at home, “…Rusty’s not listening.  He’s worn out and dreaming about the dog-biscuit machine.”  A simple “I’m sorry mom” would have gone miles with this reader.  Because of this, Where is Rusty is an additional purchase instead of recommended.

A poetic celebration of a blustery day, and a tool for teaching nouns and verbs, too.  The book describes all the ways different things behave on a windy day, told in two-word sentences, always coming back to the many things “we” do on such a day. (e.g. “Twigs drop. Clouds race. Seeds scatter. We chase!”)  The illustrations support the text, providing readers a chance to hunt for where each example is found, and they also extend the text, rounding out the story of who is doing what as the windy day progresses, showing a family sharing a day together, enjoying simple pleasures. Oh, and it would be good for hunting for rhyming pairs and exploring interesting verb choices as well.

The illustrations are really charming, but I wish the story was stronger.  It’s basically about five little mice who are out and about when one disappears and the others look for him, eventually finding him, and then the others disappear.  The fun in the book comes from searching on each page for the little bit of the missing mouse that is peeking out from somewhere.  It’s strictly a choice for the youngest set, PreK or kinders.

Law and Disorder is part the Beware of Batman series of graphic novels.  The story follows the typical super hero story line with a villain for the good guy to beat.  Batman’s backup is a woman named Katana.  A Visual Questions and Prompts section in the back helps teach readers to effectively engage with the graphic nature of graphic novels.  Also contains a Glossary with pronunciation of key words.

A origami dog and a cartoon rabbit give examples of healthy eating in Kitanai and Hungry Hare Eat Healthfully.  Dialog appears in bubbles and comes across as stilted and awkward.  While the images are kid-friendly, the food options and meals discussed are not particularly kid friendly.  For each meal of the day, specific bad choices and good choices are offered, but there is no information that would help a child develop the concept of eating healthfully.

This book is part of the series “Kitanai’s Healthy Habits.”

This well organized title about the muscular system is part of a six book Capstone series about body systems. Connections and interdependencies with other body systems are naturally integrated into the text. Topics are supported by headings, bold vocab defined on each page, diagrams, and photographs.

Includes Table of Contents, Glossary, Common Core critical thinking questions, additional information, and Index.

This book is a good choice to support the Next Generation Science Standards.

Susan H. Gray, a zoologist, has written over 140 reference books for children, and enjoys writing about animals and topics that engage children. Animals Helping to Detect Disease is one that will be of interest to kids. It is full of photos of animals being used to detect diseases, such as dogs using their keen sense of smell volatile organic compounds (VOCc) from diseased tissues, and rats smelling samples to detect TB.

The book includes a history of medical diagnosis, how dogs have been used in other helpful ways (searching for lost people), and the technology being tested for ‘electronic noses’ to sniff out disease.

There is a glossary and index, as well as resources for further study.

How Effective is Recycling? is part of the Earth Debates series which also includes Are Humans Damaging the Atmosphere?, Can we Protect People from Natural Disasters?, and How harmful are Fossil Fuel?

Chapters look at the recycling of plastics, hazardous materials, metals, tires, packaging, building materials, water, and food. Color photos illustrate the vast quantities of garbage that would end up in the landfill or worse, in waterways, if not for recycling. There is also a chapter on reuse of materials.

The book includes a quiz, glossary, index, table of contents, and a “Find Out More” section which provides websites, print resources, and places to visit, such as the Museum of Science and Industry.

SSRBC donation

This book is a biography of Malala Yousafzai with an emphasis on her activism. It gives background information on Pakistan and the rise of the Pakistani Taliban, so it is accessible to entry-level readers unfamiliar with the issue. Malala is accurately portrayed as an active player in her own story and not as a helpless victim, with the assassination attempt on her being only one part of her extensive history of activism instead of being falsely portrayed as her sole achievement.

The back contains a glossary, an index, a short reference list for further reading, a link to the Scholastic website, and a ‘True Statistic’s list of key  biographical information like Malala’s birth date and the names of her family members.

This book details various environmental threats to rivers with a short description (usually about a paragraph on one page) of each one. Basic river ecology is covered in the first chapter and it’s stressed that humans depend on rivers as much as other animals. Key words are printed in red and are defined in text boxes on the same or next page. The book touches on a number of complex issues (ex: climate change, chemical runoff, etc.) and explains the basics in concise, simple language without skimping on meaning.  The final chapter offers solutions and hope, which helps keep the book from being so depressing that environmental problems are made too scary for children to face.

The back contains a glossary, index, three Common Core discussion questions, a short reference list of related books, and a link to a publisher-sponsored internet search engine.

This book describes the biology and life cycles of scorpions. It contains lots of detailed information and quality photographs. Some of the technical terms may be intimidating for younger or less confident readers, but there is a glossary in the back for key words, and other terms (such as specialized words for body parts, etc.) are defined within the text itself.

In addition to the glossary, the back contains an index, a world range map for where scorpions live, and a short reference list for related books and a link to the Scholastic webpage for more information on scorpions.

This second edition contains a set of fully updated Big Kid Boxes designed to incorporate the latest scientific discoveries about Mars (First edition was 2006).  This fun story of Max, space dog, helping his young friend Tori on the first human mission to mars, is sure to delight kids who enjoy dogs, space, and science stories. Max Goes to Mars is part of the Big Kid Science series, and includes Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Juniper, Max Goes to the Space Station, and The Wizard Who Saved the World.