Baby lions join the mom’s pride and play with other cubs. This nonfiction series is adorable. While the information is very simple, it is great for beginning readers. The print is large and there are 1-2 simple sentences on the page. Key words are in bold and photographs with a label is included on the page to illustrate what the word means.The back includes facts about the animal, a picture glossary, an index and a website for more information.
Author Archives: Amy Covey
Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Marquez
The illustration on the cover makes you want to pick up the book and the story inside did not disappoint. Meli is enjoying playing in the beautiful waters of Playita del Condado when she spots some tidal pools and encounters a talking hermit crab named Jaiba. Jaiba takes Meli on adventures to explore the ocean. She learns about different animals in the ocean and the effects of ocean pollution. Jaiba eventually takes her to the future to see herself as the Mother of Sharks.
The pictures are bright and evoke the feeling of being underwater. The text is in English with Spanish words incorporated throughout. The print is small for a picture book. The end of the book includes a letter from the author, glossary, translations, and resources. The end pages include illustrations of different sharks.
The author is a Hispanic marine biologist and was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30: Science list.
A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast by Colleen Larmour
Croc is late for work one morning and doesn’t have time to eat breakfast. That’s okay, he will grab donuts from Hippo. But Hippo is sold out. At least he has an emergency banana, but the banana is bad. Croc starts dreaming about food while he is trying to work, hopefully he won’t eat the animals who are his passengers!
The illustrations are whimsical and the colors of the book are bright and vibrant. Most of the animals are drawn in the actual colors, while the alligator is blue and the hippo is pink. It is a funny, fast paced story with text and speech bubbles which lends itself to various voices as a read-aloud.
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir with Judith Henderson
Bilqis started playing basketball at the age of three. By high school she is the star player of the varsity team until one day they say she can’t play because she is wearing a hijab. Her teammates stand with her and she is allowed to play where she becomes the all-time lead scorer in the state of Massachusetts. She goes on to play in college and even plays with President Barack Obama.
This story follows Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir from the time she was three to an adult where she is forced to choose between her hijab and playing professional basketball. She decides to fight for the rights of Muslim girls and women in sports.
The text is simple and lyrical and the first person narration will be impactful for young readers, encouraging others to stand up for what they believe in. A short biography with photographs is included at the end of the books as well as discussion questions and resources to learn more. This book is a part of the Citizen Kid series.
Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong
Every night at midnight, Felix turns into a wolf. He loves his velvety paws and his long bushy tail. There is no one like him. At school, there is no one like him because he can’t go to sleepovers since he turns into a wolf. He thinks it will be easier to keep to himself. Even though he is fine on his own and he loves exploring as a wolf, he wishes he didn’t turn into a wolf every night. One day a new girl arrives at school and soon after he meets a new wolf at night. They enjoy running and leaping until the new wolf stumbles and Felix is lonely again.
A story about friendship, being comfortable with who you are and finding your pack. The colors on the page are striking and as the reader, you want to look back and see things that you may have missed that tell you more of the story.
Empanadas for Everyone
Carina makes empanadas with her Tia Mimi every Saturday, but this Saturday, Tia Mimi is volunteering at the food center. She asks Carina to gather the ingredients for the empanadas. Carina is worried that she can’t do it alone. As she travels through the neighborhood gathering the ingredients, she notices how samosas and dumplings she sees in the neighborhood are similar to empanadas but different. Carina and the neighborhood come together to help those volunteering at the food center.
There seemed to be several storylines and it was hard to pick out which direction the story was going. Is the book about finding community, finding self-confidence in trying something on your own, maybe a bit of both? The different cultures represented and how we are the same, but different appeared to be one theme in the story.
The illustrations represent Tia Mimi’s diverse community and match Carina’s adventures through the neighborhood.
There is an author note at the end and a recipe for beef or chicken Puerto Rican empanadas.
Winter: A Solstice Story by Kelsey E. Gross
On the longest night of the year, Owl asks who can help “shine the light and share a gift of hope this night.” Deer, Squirrel, Mouse, Duck, Rabbit, Raccoon, and Chickadee help decorate the tree with gifts to share. There is a page that requires the pages to fold out and the book to be tilted to see the tree in its entirety. The lyrical text and beautiful illustrations bring a soft gentleness to the book that feels like soft falling snow.
Burmese Python vs. Sun Bear by Nathan Sommer
Burmese Python vs. Sun Bear is part of the Animal Battles series. In this series, two animals face off against each other. Each book starts off with a description of the two competitors, their attack moves, their secret weapons and then finally the battle. The narrative text at the end describes the fight scene and will certainly catch the reader’s attention. The book has 4-5 sentences per page for each animal and color photographs.
Text features such as bold words, text boxes, maps, a table of contents, glossary and an index are incorporated to aid the readers. Profiles of animal statistics include the height and weight as well as the physical advantages of each animal and habitat.
In Burmese Python vs. Sun Bear, the phyton prepares to ambush the sun bear. Each animal’s unique characteristics could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top?
Arctic Fox vs. Snowy Owl by Nathan Sommer
Arctic Fox vs. Snowy Owl is part of the Animal Battles series. In this series, two animals face off against each other. Each book starts off with a description of the two competitors, their attack moves, their secret weapons and then finally the battle. The narrative text at the end describes the fight scene and will certainly catch the reader’s attention. The book has 4-5 sentences per page for each animal and color photographs.
Text features such as bold words, text boxes, maps, a table of contents, glossary and an index are incorporated to aid the readers. Profiles of animal statistics include the height and weight as well as the physical advantages of each animal and habitat.
In Arctic Fox vs. Snowy Owl, the reader learns that a snowy owl may challenge an Arctic fox for its food. Each animal’s unique characteristics could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top?
Harpy Eagle vs. Ocelot by Nathan Sommer
Harpy Eagle vs. Ocelot is part of the Animal Battles series. In this series, two animals face off against each other. Each book starts off with a description of the two competitors, their attack moves, their secret weapons and then finally the battle. The narrative text at the end describes the fight scene and will certainly catch the reader’s attention. The book has 4-5 sentences per page for each animal and color photographs.
Text features such as bold words, text boxes, maps, a table of contents, glossary and an index are incorporated to aid the readers. Profiles of animal statistics include the height and weight as well as the physical advantages of each animal and habitat.
In Harpy Eagle vs. Ocelot, the reader learns both animals have excellent eyesight. A Harpy Eagle can see small prey and ocelots can see well in the dark. Each animal’s unique characteristics could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top?