Originally published shortly after the end of WWII, this beautifully illustrated version of the Gettysburg Address uses artistic montages to draw out the wider themes of Lincoln’s speech.  The complete text of this short speech is in the front of the book, but the body of the book is dedicated to pulling apart the text phrase by phrase.  The illustrations are rich and vibrant and full of symbols drawn from all eras of history, inviting the reader to ponder why different images were paired with each line of text.  In the back of the book is a page-by-page explanation from the author sharing his thoughts/reasons for including specific images.  The Afterword provides the historic context of the original speech.  All together this book helps take one of those standard texts students are often asked to memorize and enrich it by placing it in the context in which it was originally offered, connecting it to wider issues of history, and providing illustrations to help with comprehension of big ideas.

Even for an early reader, this book is way too simplified and general.  It’s only got one sentence per page, and those sentences are so vague as to provide very little information, even bordering on misinformation by way of omission.  It answers the question, “What are fruits?” with the statement, “Fruits are parts of plants.”  Which parts? Not all parts of plants are fruits.  It tells us, “Many fruits are round.” Many are other shapes, too.  It tells us, “Fruits are full of nutrients.” So are all the other healthy foods that belong to the other food groups.  There are much better food group books available for the money.

I like the size and the sturdy binding and the color photos, and I like that most pages include 2-4 sentences rather than some early readers that only have 1-2 sentences per page, but I think it’s trying to be more than it can be.  Given the limitations of the early-reader format, it perhaps needed a smaller focus.  Each page is dedicated to safety tips for different places, but in just a few sentences, you are obviously limited to how much content you can include. For example, the “At Home” section only addresses poison safety; the “At School” page only considers slipping or getting lost on a field trip.  Obviously there are many, many ways children can be hurt both at home or at school, so a few sentences really don’t cover it.  I do like that it started with the idea safety starts with thinking before you act — that helps to cover what cannot be listed.

Recommended with reservations.  It fits a narrow curriculum niche, strictly for young readers for health lessons — not likely to be chosen as recreational reading.  But if you need something to fit this niche, it’s a good selection:  one to two sentence on each page are accompanied by full-page color illustrations; it explains what kinds of foods are part of the dairy group, what makes a serving size, how much is recommended each day, and offers meal/snack suggestions.  It’s got a sturdy binding and the full range of non-fiction text features.

I recommend this book with reservations.  It is strictly an early reader book, and it is not likely to be chosen for recreational reading, which means it serves a small niche in a school library collection.  I have a hard time recommending such books, due to the limited information one gets for one’s buck, but if you need something to fit this particular niche in your curriculum, this is a good choice.  It lists examples of foods included in the protein group, including portion sizes and daily recommendations. It describes some of the benefits offered by the protein group, and offers meal/snack suggestions.  One or two simple sentences on each page accompany full-page color photos.  The full gambit of non-fiction text features are included at a rudimentary level. And it’s got a good, sturdy binding

I love the illustrations:  they evoke the time period well and draw the reader in.  Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t live up to the illustrations.  The story is not told very well, and this reader was left wondering why I’m supposed to care about this particular bit of obscure American history. Questions are left unanswered.  After the big build up of acquiring the locomotive and explaining its purpose, it says it went three miles on its first run and had to turn around because there was a bridge it couldn’t fit under, but it never says whether they resolved that problem or not, whether it ever actually served its intended purpose or not.

In rhyming verse, this tells the story of a boy who likes to explore. When his mother protests his tendency to bring bugs home, he brings a mouse home instead.  As mom continues to protest, he continues to escalate, bringing home a pig a moose, an elephant, and a whale.  In the end mom decides bugs aren’t so bad after all.  The illustrations are cute, the story is one that will make kids giggle (even if it never does explain where he acquires his pig and elephant, etc.); it would likely have earned an R* if the rhythm of the poem read a little more smoothly.

A young rabbit who’s nervous about his upcoming baseball tryouts listens to his dad’s stories about what he and his friends did for luck when he was a boy.  On the way to tryouts, young Luis stops at the market and enjoys a free sample on offer, and does really well.  The stops at the market become part of his routine at the beginning of a very successful season, but one day when there are no samples left, he seems to lose his mojo, and becomes superstitious that his luck is dependent upon his pre-game snacks.  His dad assures him that success comes from listening to your coach and working hard, but young Luis is not convinced until the very end, when he concentrates and hits the ball even though he didn’t stop at the market.  It may come across a wee bit preachy, but it gets its message across.

I very nearly gave this a “recommended.”  The riddles are generally quite clever (all school themed, as the title indicates), and these types of play on words are good for developing children’s vocabulary.  The reason I hesitate is based on bang for one’s library buck — given the cost of reinforced library binding, I’d like to see more than 20 jokes in the entire book — but if you can afford it, it is a fun book.  I do however disagree with the publisher’s target audience.  They list it with a reading level of K-1 and an interest level of PreK-2.  Though preschoolers do tend to show an interest in the concept of riddles, they rarely “get” them, and it would take a very advanced kindergartener to read this.  I would suggest it for grades 2-5.

It’s charming.  The text is simple — one sentence per page, arranged in rhyming pairs, all starting with “I see…”  It lists all the things one might see around them to indicate the season is fall (both in nature and in society), a good tool for young classes studying the seasons.  The color palette reflects the season, and the illustrations both support the text and charm the reader.