A beautiful non-fiction book that encourages young students to observe the world around them and make predictions.  The format throughout the book repeats a similar four-page sequence:  the first two-page spread includes a close-up detailed photograph of some part of something in or around a pond, accompanied by the repeating question, “Look very closely.  What do you see?”  When the reader turns the page after making their guess(es), the see a full-page color photo that answers the question, along with information about that plant or animal.  The photos are gorgeous, the information is interesting, and the layout is fun.  It would make a good read-aloud for young students, and a good solo-read for older elementary students, useful both for curriculum connections and for recreational reading.

Wow! This book is fabulous!  I never thought I would be so fascinated with squid.  I think this book exemplifies non-fiction at its best:  it is full of information, but it’s not just stated or explained — the author truly is a storyteller.  I would love to check out other works by this author.  The book begins with the days when sailors returned from sea with unbelievable stories of encounters with monsters that those on land could only imagine.  It traces the development of early legends and the first maps that marked the unknown expanses of oceans with captions decreeing, “Here there be monsters.”  It continues to connect the dots between reported sightings and early evidence of a creature that only recently (and rarely) has been observed alive.  It does an excellent job of capturing the drama and the unfolding nature of scientific discovery, and reminding us that there are still mysteries that modern science has yet to fully uncover.  A fascinating read that fosters a sense of wonder.

Part of the Scientists in the Field series, this book centers around the issues involved in trying to protect and preserve the seahorse population, focused primarily on that in the coral reefs in the Philippines.  It does a good job of addressing the interconnected concerns of the biology of the seahorse itself, the health of its coral reef habitat, the needs of the community who make their livelihood from fishing these waters, and the wider world where seahorses are sought out for aquariums and medicines.  It does not over-simplify the issues, or support one cause at the expense of the others, but rather seeks to find ways to achieve sustainable balance that benefits all.  The photographs are absolutely lush.  The text understandable, but dense — definitely intended for older students.

Another title in this popular series that focuses on the unpleasant and sometimes downright gruesome aspects of history as a means of capturing students’ interest, this one tells about the primitive medical treatments used during the Civil War.  The book contains a lot of information, but is very readable and not intimidating: colorful cartoonish illustrations and small blurbs of information help to draw the reader’s curiosity.  A good selection of Non-fiction for recreational reading, as well as curriculum support.

It’s a cute book with brightly colored illustrations that tells of young Frog’s excitement over the pending visit of Goose and Gander with their new baby Gosling.  From the time Rabbit tells him the news, Frog is anxiously awaiting their arrival, only to be distressed when they arrive at how much crying the young Gosling is doing.  Though others try lots of ideas (hungry? tired? diaper?) to calm Gosling, it’s Froggie’s singing and dancing that eventually turn the crying into laughing.  It’s cute, and it will be a helpful book for young families with new arrivals that siblings need to learn to cope with, but there’s nothing super special/unique/creative to really say you need to have it if you’ve already got other new-baby books in your collection.

This book is a poem.  As such, it’s hard for me to say exactly what it’s about:  I’ve read it three times, and I’m still not sure how to describe what exactly it’s trying to say, but then, that’s kind of the nature of poems.  The illustrations are soft, and the text is lyrical, and the ideas give the reader things to ponder.  It is a book of simple beauty.  My first hesitation was to wonder whether children are really going to appreciate it, but then I decided I was underestimating kids.  Certainly not all kids are going to love this book, but I want to think some will respond to it.  Definitely a good tool for a poetry unit.

This popular character is back, sharing all her favorite things about Halloween, from the slightly skewed perspective of a farmyard hen.  The bright, simple illustrations are full of scenes that will be familiar to young children, but the text is full of Minerva Louise’s silly mistaken understandings of what she sees around her:  she thinks the children setting out tombstone decorations are planting a rock garden, the trick-or-treaters are farmers bringing feed-buckets to the house, and the children bobbing for apples have been working so hard they’re drinking down the water bucket.  Young children will laugh and delight in showing off their superior understanding as they correct Minerva Louise and explain what is really going on.

I think every child (and adult for that matter) should read this book.  First of all, the illustrations are fabulous.  Most importantly, the statistics it shares does a really great job of capturing a snap-shot of our planet, giving readers a real perspective as to where they fit in the world and how many other people out there share things in common and have very different experiences than our own.  Using the concept of shrinking the world population down to a village of 100 people, while keeping all ratios/percentages in tact, this book looks at a variety of statistics for the human race.  Each two page spread is dedicated to a different topic of the human experience (e.g. ages, languages, education, etc.), and using the village concept, it shares what percentage of the people on the planet fit different categories within that topic.  For example, the religion page tells us that if the world were a village of 100 people, 33 would be Christians, 21 Muslims, 13 Hindus, etc.  Throughout the book, historical perspectives are offered as well, telling how the make-up of the global village has changed over time.  Told in very simple language, it brings some of the great complexities of our world into comprehensible perspective.  A fascinating and valuable book for any library.

A great book for getting kids interested in our legal system, and setting them up to become fans of John Grisham’s adult books. At first I was skeptical of the idea of a “kid lawyer,” as not being realistic, but the title character actually comes across as both believable and likable.  Of course not actually a lawyer himself, Theodore is the only son of two lawyers, fascinated with the law himself, planning a future as either a lawyer or a judge, and friends with all the folks in and around the courthouse in his small hometown.  Well-known by his peers as someone knowledgable about the law, he does have friends and acquaintances approaching him for varied legal advice, but the bulk of the story centers around a big murder trial. Theodore becomes privy to some information that could be crucial to the outcome of the case, but he must find a way to let it be known without betraying the confidence of a friend.  Keeping in mind the youth of the target audience, who might not be completely familiar with various aspects of the legal system, the author manages to incorporate a bit of legal instruction in very understandable terms. I’m wondering whether this will be strictly a stand-alone novel or if it will be the beginning of a series — would love to read further adventures of this great character. Highly Recommended.

This early chapter book, based on the childhood of Tomie DePaola, shares the experiences of a second-grade boy during World War II.  Many of the events are common events of growing up in any time (e.g. having a big brother who is a bully, performing in a play, taking music lessons, etc.), and yet sprinkled the ordinary experiences of growing up are the effects of war on those at home:  grieving for a cousin who died, the flags with stars that people hung in the window to indicate sons or daughters who were fighting, gas rationing, etc.  Because it is all told from the perspective and in the voice of a young student, it is a wonderful way to expose young children to history in a way that makes it something they can relate to. Because it is based on the author’s actual experiences, it really rings true in the telling.