This intergenerational book invites the reader to be present in the now and reflect on what loved ones experienced in the past. The young character can see her family’s remembrances as if through a mirror, a window, or a sliding glass door – learning more about herself, her family, and the world. Also use the book to highlight the use of description to bolster the retelling of small moments of time.

Colorful illustrations catch the eye to show the child’s present. Purply two-tone illustrations are used on the pages that describe the memories. A small, bright red bird can be found on every page, tying the past and present together.

Friends brings both joy and struggle to childhood. In the book, Friends, Daniela Sosa invites the reader to reflect on the who, what, where, why, and how of friends.

Some friends are there from the start. Others come exactly when you need them.
Some friendships last only a few moments. Others last a lifetime.
Friends can be very close or far away.

The experiences and interactions in the book are those that all young children experience at one time or another. Use Friends to support Social Emotional Learning goals or as comforting reminder to celebrate friendship in all its forms.

Character illustrations include age and racial diversity. There is little evidence of diversity in social economic or children of differing abilities.

This collection of poetry follows that Jewish year, highlighting important holidays. Starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, each holiday has a poem from the point of view of a young girl. The poems incorporate the experiences, rituals, and feelings of a child celebrating each holiday. The facing page then explains the origin and significance of the holiday as well the different ways it is celebrated.

The majority of the holidays are based in the religious celebrations of the Jewish faith. The secular holidays included are Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Yom Ha Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).

Awe-some Days will resonate with the experiences of Jewish children, but can also act as a introduction for non-Jewish readers. The format makes it easy to see connections across beliefs.

The young black girl in this book has a dream to build a robot. With the message of belief that she can accomplish her goal is the added message that no dream is out of reach. “There’s no character, no type, no mold you must fit.” From writer to cleaner, and astronaut to comedian; there is no future that is out of reach and the young girl is encouraged to choose whatever path sparks her brain and fires her heart. Along the way the girl will face challenges, but her own worth and the support of her community will help her reach her goals.

Little Black Girl has in inspiring message to bolster young black girls’ confidence to dream big and to relentlessly pursue their dreams.

Little Black Boy sets out to inspire optimism and hope with the reminder that by the choices he makes, any child can create the story of his life. The young black boy in the story loves the water and dreams of a future as a scientist. The book reassures the child that he is worthy and his life has purpose. His struggles, both physical and emotional will not stop him from succeeding. Maintaining his dreams and high goals for himself will help him ignore the naysayers. Following the path of black trailblazers, he also has the responsibility to be an inspiration and a guide for future generations.

Little Black Boy has an important message of perseverance, self-worth, and potential.

Curiosity about the Sun during a solar eclipse sends the character on an imaginary journey to the sun. At the end of the mission, young readers will have learned interesting facts about the Sun.

While the story starts with the characters wearing glasses to look at the eclipse, a stronger reminder is needed that looking at the sun without protection can harm your eyes at any time.

In the Blastoff! Missions: Journey Into Space series young readers can explore the wonders of our solar system. Each title begins with 3 mission goals; one focused on fluency, one on comprehension, and one on critical thinking. In addition to Jimmy who accompanies the reader on all the missions, each title has a different main character reflecting diversity in race and including a character with a physical disability. Through the conversational narrative, the reader is brought along on a mission of discovery. At the end of the informational text, there is a glossary, index, and To Learn More section which has three print suggestions and guidance to access suggested digital resources at factsurfer.com. Each title wraps up with three extension questions in the Beyond the Mission section.

The predictable format, easy to read text, and colorful supporting illustrations make the content accessible for developing early readers. Scientific details are seamlessly integrated into the narrative. This, combined with’ exposure to various media interpretations of space travel may blur the lines between fact and fiction for young readers. 

Blastoff! Missions: Journey to Space series is a playful STEM introduction to astronomy for curious young scientists.

This journey of imagination explores some of the over 200 moons in our Solar System. The character’s curiosity while observing Earth’s moon leads to an imaginary trip to look closer at some of the moons of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The Blastoff! Missions series Moons title does a good job at reinforcing the concept of a moon as a scientific term rather than the name of the body that orbits Earth.

In the Blastoff! Missions: Journey Into Space series young readers can explore the wonders of our solar system. Each title begins with 3 mission goals; one focused on fluency, one on comprehension, and one on critical thinking. In addition to Jimmy who accompanies the reader on all the missions, each title has a different main character reflecting diversity in race and including a character with a physical disability. Through the conversational narrative, the reader is brought along on a mission of discovery. At the end of the informational text, there is a glossary, index, and To Learn More section which has three print suggestions and guidance to access suggested digital resources at factsurfer.com. Each title wraps up with three extension questions in the Beyond the Mission section.

The predictable format, easy to read text, and colorful supporting illustrations make the content accessible for developing early readers. Scientific details are seamlessly integrated into the narrative. This, combined with’ exposure to various media interpretations of space travel may blur the lines between fact and fiction for young readers. 

Blastoff! Missions: Journey to Space series is a playful STEM introduction to astronomy for curious young scientists.