Beginning with some words to know, one learns about the life of pigs on a farm.  Simple text tells what pigs like to eat and what they like to do.  Photographs are focused and colorful.  Most have captions that provide additional information.  This short 24-page book provides many clear facts and quality photos that raise it above other typical nonfiction animal books.  Other books to read, websites, and an index are included.

This 32-page book tells of the diverse land forms, the basic groups of indigenous people, and culture of this island country.  It is packed with information, many facts useful as-is, others invite further investigation, if desired.  Maps, colorful photographs, “Did You Know” sections, and “Fun Fact” boxes, along with informative paragraphs fill every page.  Photos are labeled or clarified in the text.  Bold words are defined in the glossary.  A page of fast facts are in the back with books to read, a factsurfer website, and an index.  This book provides plenty of facts for those looking for a quick introduction to a fascinating country.

Mr. Tate’s class gather on the beach to help on Clean-up Day.  They meet Captain Ned, who explains how important the ocean is to the health of the planet.  They listen to the ocean and become aware of the animals who call the ocean home and depend on it being clean: one whale, two giant sea turtles,… to 10 bottlenose dolphins.  On shore, they collect 10 bags of trash as they think about the water cycle and pollution.  Plants and animals that live in the ocean provide food for people, resources for medicines, and clean air for all.  The class also goes out on Captain Ned’s boat to scoop up floating debris.  The message that everything in the natural world is connected and that people need to be responsible for their actions is repeated throughout.  A final page gives more in-depth information on how the world’s climate and weather rely on a healthy ocean.  Sarah Snow’s digital collage illustrations are colorful and full of texture and light.  They provide strong visual images to accompany the message of protecting our ecosystem.  Good resource for explaining the importance of being responsible care-takers of our world.

In 1936, a young Joe DiMaggio’s skills were to be tested  before being accepted on a major-league team.  The greatest pitcher in the 1930s was Satchel Paige, who was only allowed to play in the Negro leagues.  An exhibition game was scheduled.  Paige’s skills as a pitcher and batter kept the game close, even though his team was much more inexperienced than the opposing team of major-league stars.  Suspense builds as Satchel Paige throws his amazing “bat dodger”, “wobbly ball”, and his whipsey dipsey do”.  Joe DiMaggio was up to bat four times before her was able to make it to first base.  Both players proved they had what it takes to be placed among the best.  Floyd Cooper’s amazing artwork in muted tones is a good match for this retelling of a day in baseball history.  The illustrations are action packed and full of emotion.  Great book as a spring-board for discussions on the sport, about segregation, or during Black History month.

As first introduced in Diary of a Wombat, this mostly sedentary wombat arouses during the Christmas holidays to the smell of carrots.  In his typical low-key humor, he continually fights “strange creatures” (reindeer) for his favorite food (carrots).  Finding a good place to nap (Santa’s sleigh), he soon discovers these strange creatures are terrific at finding carrots all over the world!  Bruce Whatley’s humorous illustrations show this irresistibly charming wombat’s confrontations in a variety of situations.  This delightful book will appeal to people of all ages.

In the early 1800s, Molly Williams was a cook for Mr. Aymar and his volunteer firefighters.  One winter, when many volunteers were ill with influenza, a house caught fire.  Molly rushed out, gathered boys to warn others, and raced to the equipment shed.  She put on a helmet, gloves, and “splatterdashes”, assisted the struggling men pull the pumper to the fire, fill it with buckets of water, and pull burning wood away from the house.  Molly is known as the first female volunteer firefighter.  There is an author’s note and some frequently asked questions and answers in the back.  Both author Dianne Ochiltree and illustrator Kathleen Kemly attempted to portray Molly and the early firefighters as accurately as possible.  There is an extensive list of books to read, websites and links, places to visit, and a bibliography included.  Many historical facts are included in the story and represented in the illustrations.

The first three-fifths of this book about social networking is devoted to methods of communication – how Americans historically have formed communities. It begins with cave painting and wampum and eventually moves to the printing press and the telegraph. But it is only the last 20 or so pages that talk about what our students would recognize as social networking. And 20 pages is hardly adequate for a thorough discussion of media fandom, gaming, the World Wide Web, the Information Superhighway, blogging, YouTube, and devices such as smart phones. The title is misleading and students will be disappointed if they expect much information on what they consider social networking.

Bold and colorful paintings of animals and trees of the Kalahari Desert help tell the tale of friends Ostrich and Lark.  Ostrich and Lark spend each day together, wandering under the African sun.  Lark sings and flits as Ostrich remains silent.  One day, Ostrich surprises Lark and the veld by booming his own powerful voice.  Marilyn Nelson begins the book with a note about the !Kung San, one of the many indigenous people of South Africa.  The paintings are done by six members of the Kuru Art Project of Batswana.  Broad, colorful strokes in vibrant oranges, reds, greens, blues, and browns create vivid images which complement this simple tale.

What a fun introduction to rules and routines in a kindergarten classroom!  A little girl loves school and one day invites her mom to stay.  She is shocked when her mom enthusiastically joins in – blurting answers, being messy, not following expectations…  She constantly reminds her mom how to behave and be appropriate so all children can learn and share.  Mom admits that kindergarten is hard work and that she should probably stick to doing big-people jobs.  Her daughter gave her a hug and told her she was really good at being a mom – then gently reminded her to get in line so the class could be dismissed.  Mike Lowery’s expressive cartoon-style illustrations are a perfect match for the many classroom activities in kindergarten.