Billy is a boy like any other except he wants to be a cheerleader.  No one seems to understand.  His family questions him and the kids at school laugh at him.  But Billy practiced and practiced on his own.  On the day of the big game, he cartwheeled, jumped, smiled and yelled.  And the crowd went wild.  The book closes by restating all the characteristic that make Billy a “boy” and then reaffirming he is also a cheerleader.  Text is simple with dialogue appearing in speech bubbles.  Illustrations are colorful and support the text.  The book introduces the concept of gender identity without clearly stating it.

Arms and hands are part of your body.  Your arms can lift and bend and your hands can touch and pick things up.  This simple text introduces the reader to body parts including how they work together and how they are similar to some animal body parts.  The book ends with a labeled diagram of the arm and hand.  Labeled parts include wrist, forearm, and biceps that are not mentioned in the text.  Includes table of contents, illustrated glossary, index, and link to crafts, games, videos and more.  The linked text and images on the Abdokids.com site support the text, but the external links are not age appropriate.

“This is the Baby, wrinkled and gray.  This is the Baby born today.” All the world embraces a baby elephant on the day she is born.  The earth supports, sisters cuddle, the herd trumpets, the lagoon baths, and the peacocks dance for the baby.  The rich language, repetitive phrasing, and sweet illustrations make this a lovely read.  Use as a mentor text for young writers to draw out descriptive language in their personal narratives.

Two children and their dog enter a cave lit only by their flashlight.  They climb and crawl as they face cold, bats, crawling things, shining eyes, and giant paws.  Finally, a light appears and the reader is hopeful that the frightened huddling characters have found a way out.  But it is only their dad telling them to find a quiet game because the baby is sleeping.  After some thought, the cave becomes a barn for the kids to ride their horses as they create a new, but not any quieter adventure.  A good choice to inspire imagination and creative play.

Created by the pair that gave us Some Bugs, Some Pets combines rhyming verse with mixed media illustrations to create a fun engaging read.  The repetitive “some pets” is followed by descriptive verbs and surrounded by colorful supporting illustrations.  This book makes a great read aloud and is sure to insight a lively conversation about both pets and word choice.

With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, titles featuring age appropriate engineering concepts are needed in our school libraries.  Making Machines with Pulleys is solid example, including informational text interspersed with images and diagrams.  The three projects provide hands on opportunities that directly support the pulley concept discussed on the previous pages.  Each of the projects has a difficulty level, introduction, materials, clear step by step directions, and a “What did you find out?” concluding section.

Includes Table of Contents, Fun Facts, Glossary, Find Out More, and Index.

Large font and colorful photos on opposing landscape pages is characteristic for Abdo Kids titles. These features make it a good choice for young non-fiction readers.  Table of Contents, More Facts, Glossary, and Index are standard features.  The inclusion of both academic and content vocabulary in the glossary add to this title’s positive points.

A good choice for young shark fans.

This informational text with large font and full page photographs on opposing pages has the basic features expected in a primary grade non-fiction text which would make this an acceptable choice to include in a collection.  Unfortunately, in a time when the national perception of police is racially charged, this book does not include images representing an adequate spectrum of our nation’s racial make-up.  Not recommended.

Mr. Andre’s class is going on a nature walk, but first they must feed and water the class gecko, Jojo.  On their walk, Mr. Andrew and the students observe the similarities between Jojo and the plants and animals they see.  These observations lead the students to identifying patterns in the nature they see around them.  As they return to their class, they summarize their learning before saying goodbye to Jojo and heading home.  The story line is contrived but the connections the students draw fit well with the Next Generation Science Standards concepts.

Contains Table of Contents, Nature Treasure Hunt Activity, Glossary, To Learn More, and Index.

When a troop of lemurs awakes, the lemur king urges them to, “follow me, follow me, follow me,” as he leads them on an energetic exploration of the things they can do.  The repetitive text reinforces this energy as it is molded around the illustrations.  Their motion comes to a quick and emphatic stop when their path leads them to a large crocodile.  The lemur king urges the troop to follow as he flees to safety and then finally to a much earned rest in their tree.

With its mischievous lemurs and rhythmic rhyming text, this makes a great read aloud that kids will want to read again and again.