Children’s Day is here and Danbi cannot wait to invite her friends to the party just like she did in Korea. Danbi tells them there will be kites, magic castles, tigers, train rides, and chocolate chip cookies. Danbi’s party does not live up to the hype and she must get creative to save her favorite day.
The artwork in this book is outstanding. The characters are expressive and personalities distinct. The colors are delicate and vibrant in complement to the story.
Hiro loves ramen and he wants to make the perfect bowl of ramen just like his dad. His dad makes ramen every Sunday and Hiro has been studying how his dad makes ramen. When he turns 7, Hiro decides that he is ready to make ramen. He follows all of the steps, but his ramen did not turn out like his dad’s. Hiro and his dad come up with a way to save dinner.
Shiho Pate’s illustrations are colorful and expressive bringing in the feelings of hope and frustration in Hiro. The end pages include notes about ramen, rules for the kitchen, and a recipe for Easy Miso Ramen.
Two Native American baseball players, Charles Bender and John Meyers, face off in the 1911 World Series that newspapers recounted as “Indian against Indian.” The story bounces back and forth between the World Series games, their different backgrounds and life growing up, and the racism that they faced and how it is still apparent today. Charles is Ojibwe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. He was taken to an Indian boarding school where he learned the game watching older boys play. John grew up on the Cahuilla tribe’s reservation in Southern California. He learned to play baseball on the reservation. The two experienced racism inside and outside of the ballpark and the author goes on to explain that over 100 years later Native athletes still face those challenges. Then end pages also include and author’s note, time line, quotes and sources.
Worm and Caterpillar are best friends. Worm thinks they are alike, but Caterpillar keeps trying to tell Worm that they are different. One day Caterpillar suddenly changes. Worm sticks by Caterpillar while it changes, but wonders if they can still be friends.
This is a Ready to Read Graphics and explains how to read a graphic novel at the beginning of the book. Worm and Caterpillar explain speech bubbles, thought bubbles, panels and what direction and order to read the text. For younger readers who want to read graphic novels, these would be a good introduction. The beginning does have the feel of a picture book because after explaining about panels, the first four pages of text are two page panel spreads and readers do not get to multiple panels on the page until the 6th page.
The life cycle of a worm and a butterfly are included at the end. The author also has included steps for how to draw a worm and how to draw a butterfly on the last page.
Isla Verde has a secret. She can talk to animals. Her best friend is an gecko named Fitz. No one else on the island new she could talk to animals, except the animals. Isla loves her island home. One day Isla notices that a new girl was moving in next door. Isla can’t wait to show Tora Rosa, who is from a big city, her island home. Isla and Tora seem to be opposites. Will Isla make a human friend?
This beginning chapter book has black and white pictures on almost every page and would be great for those starting to read chapter books.
This is the fourth and final book in the Mother Earth series by Jorge Argueta and illustrator Felipe Ugalde Alcantara. This trilingual book is told from the point of view of Mother Earth. Each page includes Spanish and English and the poem is included in Nahuat at the end of the book. Mother Earth is a planet, creation, and nature. The book depicts an appreciation for and a celebration of Mother Earth. The colorful illustrations complement the text and evoke a feeling of peace and tranquility.
There are five species of rhinoceros and three of them are critically endangered. This informational text gives a few facts about rhinoceroses as well as information as to why they are at risk. The reader learns that human impact is the main reason that rhinoceroses are considered vulnerable. The book also describes things that are currently being done to help rhinoceroses.
The Animals At Risk series focuses on animals that are in danger of being extinct and what can be done to help them. The series includes many text features that aid the reader in their learning including maps showing the animals range, diagrams, bold words to highlight important vocabulary and a glossary. This series is a part of the Blast Off Reader Level 2 series and is 24 pages. The text is 2-3 sentences per page with color photographs.
Ostrich vs. Cheetah 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 Ostrich vs. Cheetah, a cheetah hiding in the tall grass stalks an ostrich. Each animal has unique characteristics that could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top? This series is perfect for fans of Who Would Win.
Tiger Shark vs. Leopard Seal 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 Tiger Shark vs. Leopard Seal, the tiger shark attacks the leopard seal as it enters the water. Each animal has unique characteristics that could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top? This series is perfect for fans of Who Would Win.
American Alligator vs. Wild Boar 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 American Alligator vs. Wild Boar, an American alligator is sneaking up on a wild boar, but the boar hears the alligator. Each animal has unique characteristics that could lead to it winning this face-off. Which animal will come out on top? This series is perfect for fans of Who Would Win.