When a fox sneaks up to the coop at night, chickens Midge, Pip, and Dot have nothing to worry about because Rooster Sam is on duty.  Sam gets the credit for scaring the fox even though it is because he made lots of noise while running away.  It is Dot who is ultimately responsible for their safety.  A large, sleepy dog comes to hopefully help Sam keep an eye on the coop.  Again, it is Dot’s foresight that helps the inept Sam and the dozing dog scare the fox away.  Simple sentences, chapter headings, and large, funny illustrations make this a joy for beginning readers.  This is the fourth book in the series.

Who knew the hidden problems that come with NOT being afraid of monsters?  Monsters think the boy is one of them and will not leave him alone!  They eat his cereal, ruin his homework, and wear his favorite pajamas.  When he finally reaches his breaking point, the boy introduces the pesky monsters to his younger brother and walks away – monster free.  The pen and ink illustrations are large, colorful, and fun.  This could be paired with Mo Willem’s Leonardo, the Terrible Monster or Amanda Noll’s I Need My Monster.  What fun to think of how monsters can be funny and/or irritating rather than scary.

I have often told fifth graders I would not have been an explorer or a pioneer. This book confirms this statement. The graphics get the point across, but in an exaggerated cartoonish way. The graphics include  timeline, a map, a labeled cross-section of the ship, and a pictorial tool glossary. There are “Handy Hints” in the upper right side bar of each page turn, such as, “Try not to get sick. If you die on the ship your body will be thrown overboard!” (page 19)

The book’s content begins with English Separatists first emigrating to Holland before going back to England and finally to America. There were originally two ships for the voyage, but one was so unseaworthy it was left behind. The people still willing to go to America were all put onto a now very crowded Mayflower. Eighteen people did decide to stay in England. The trip itself was hard, but then” Your first sight of the new colony is a shock. There is nothing except trees and wilderness. This is the first time you understand how hard it will be to build a new life in America. At times you regret ever leaving England.” ( page 24) Plus, the women stayed on board the Mayflower tending the sick  for months until the 7 houses, 4 store-houses, and a “gun platform” are built.

Fast forward to the present, ” It is estimated that 35 million Americans-12 % of the total population- are direct descendants of the first Mayflower Pilgrims.” (p. 28) There is a replica in Plymouth of the Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower.

This is the Revised Edition.

Fourth grader, Jo Schmo, a superhero in a red cape with her dog, Raymond, are out and about once again to catch bad guys in this their fourth tongue-in-cheek adventure.

Dr. Dastardly and Numb Skull are escaping from prison using exploding macaroni and the elastic they’ve taken from the other prisoners’ underwear while working in the prison laundry. Along comes time-traveling pirate Captain Pinkbeard and his crew up to no good. Pinkbeard just happens to be drinking pink lemonade at the same place as Dr. Dastardly and Numb Skull. They join forces against Jo Schmo. The best way to capture a superhero is to take away what the superhero loves most, in this case, Jo’s dog Raymond and the three boys Jo’s fond of at school: Kevin, Mitch, and David. So,  they catch Raymond by having Pinkbeard dress up in a giant bacon suit (scented with bacon) to lure him out of the house in the middle of the night. Afterwards, Dr. Dastardly, Numb Skull and Pinkbeard kidnap the three boys and hold them hostage on Pinkbeard’s ship. “Mwah-ha-ha” (p. 76). The fight is on when Jo Schmo comes to rescue them all from the pirate ship. Raymond’s excessive amount of dog drool helps immensely in this fight as it causes pirates to slip right off of their ship and into San Francisco Bay. Good superheroes triumph over evil,  then the Coast Guard thanks Jo Schmo, and takes the pirates, Dr. Dastardly, Numb Skull and Pinkbeard away.

Oh, and did I mention that somewhere around chapter 6, Jo Schmo learns how to become invisible using the vague instructions from the Superhero Instruction Manual her Grandpa Joe keeps for her.

The illustrations by Frank W. Dormer are kid-like, similar in ways to Harold and George’s comic book creations in the Captain Underpant’s series. There at least a dozen full page and another dozen half page illustrations throughout the book.

One minor proofreading problem: the Contents page lists two chapter 18s, instead of one chapter 18 and one chapter 19.

Another stunning, up-close look at an animal species…Nic Bishop, again, has impressed us with a well-organized, breath takingly photographed, award winning publication…this time on snakes.  The text is packed with astonishing facts that rivets the reader.  “It can take an hour or so for a python to devour a deer or a leopard (yes, a leopard.)  Even animals with horns get swallowed, although snakes have spiked themselves trying to eat really prickly things, such as porcupines.”   There are such unusual snake varieties, photographed in spectacular positions.  At first reading, one wonders how Nic Bishop could ever have gotten these photographs.  Thankfully, in the Back Matter, he explains exactly how he accomplished this feat.  Kudos to this acclaimed naturalist and photographer for bringing us such stellar books, time and time again.

A True Book introduction to the process of who can serve on a jury, how they are selected, hearing the case, and reaching a verdict. This subject may not appeal to adults, but young students are often highly interested in the drama of a court room. The information is concise and educational. The design is clean and bright, alternating between photos of current times, and illustrations depicting historical juries during the time of the ancient Greeks. Back Matter includes True Statistics, Resources, Important Words (also bolded in the text), and Index.  This would make an excellent addition to your civics collection.

Wood-cut block pictures in black & white, offset with one or two hues for contrast draw the eye in for a closer look.

Each letter of the alphabet has its own page with large illustration and one sentence in a large font.  These sentences usually deal with a location or habitat. There are 14 animals and 7 plants accompanied by their scientific names in parenthesis, and 5 curious features represented, they include: alpenglow, beaver, cougar, white-tailed deer, bald eagle, fox glove, mountain goat, great blue heron, Douglas iris, Utah juniper, kinnikinnik, Canada lynx, scribe moth, red-breasted nuthatch, spotted owl, prairie dog, California quail, rose, Douglas squirrel, trillium, umbrella, turkey vulture, waterfall, Xeriscape, yucca, Zigzag, OR.

Snap is a tale of childhood innocence, simple in its detail.  A little boy is afraid of monsters, when it is time to go to day care (or maybe preschool) he puts on a crocodile mask.  “  ‘Snap! I said when I left my house. ‘Snap!’ I said when I got in the car. “Snap!” I said when they left me there.”

The other children are all wearing mask, too. The little boy’s only word is “Snap!” until a smaller child sits near him. ”  ‘Go away,’ I snapped. ‘This is my log.’   ”  But she doesn’t go away. She begins to draw. Curiosity gets the better of him as he slowly moves closer to her to see what she is drawing. The monkey face mask is perfect. He wears the monkey mask the rest of the day, even to bed that night.

The moral to the story is- what may seem scary at first, time can change.

The layered paper cut-outs are charming, especially with the little children’s bodies jointed together with brads.

Seymour Hope lives with his parents Ignatius B. Grumply (I. B. Grumply) and Olive C. Spence (I love suspense), a ghost.  The three decide to make greeting cards and form the company, Greetings from the Graveyard.  This new venture is threatened by Grumply’s old girl friend Nadia Richenov (rich enough), who is threatening to publish Grumply’s 20 year old love letters.  At the same time, two escaped convicts, Liza Lott (lies a lot) and husband Rob Z. Lott (robs a lot) come and town to start a security business.  The story is told with letters, illustrations, newspaper clippings, advertisements, and transcripts.  The whole book is rife with puns: Judge Claire Voyant, butler T. Leeves, book representative Paige Turner, sheriff Mike Ondolences.  This is book 6 in the series.  It is a fun, quick read as well as a challenge to find all of the puns.

Quincy is a horse who lives near a southwestern desert in a barn and corral owned by Cam.  He dreamed of trail riding and hearing the crunch of sand, feeling the gentle breeze, and warm sun on his back.  However, scary surprises could happen out in the desert and Quincy was reluctant to venture outside the corral.  He conveyed his worries to his friend Beau, who told him he would never feel brave if he always stayed home.  One day, Cam saddled Quincy, and more experienced Buck, for a day of trail riding.  Quincy quickly discovered Buck did not want to be a friend on the trail so he kept his distance.  He focused on the trail and the beauty around them.  At one point, Quincy stumbled and Buck kicked out at him.  Riders Cam and Cathy calmed both horses then they continued on their way.  Then they heard a strange, loud noise.  A smelly dirt bike roared past them on the trail.  The noise scared Buck and he couldn’t move.  Quincy knew the noise could not hurt them and he led they way back.  Quincy was tired when they got home, but his rider Cam rewarded him with a carrot, telling him he would be a fine trail horse.  Illustrations are in vivid oil and are an excellent match to the scenic southwest and the beauty of the horses.  This is the third in a series of award winning Quincy the Horse books.