Beginning with a Cherokee Indian legend about copperheads, facts are presented about this fascinating reptile.  Their habitat, coloring, types of copperheads, and how they hunt fill this 32 page book.  Highlighted terms are defined on the page as well as again in the glossary.  Fact boxes provide extra details.  Photographs are large, colorful, and show features of each type of snake.  Glossary, index, and books for further reading are in the back.  A facthound internet site and a publisher site provide further information and activities.

Ramona loves to play beach volleyball and dreams of playing in the Olympics.  When a developer plans to build on their court, Ramona must learn how to be a team player instead of just a skilled one.  Each chapter has black and white illustrations.  In the back are: a glossary of volleyball terms, brief information about the author and illustrator, discussion questions, writing prompts, two pages of beach volleyball facts, other Jake Maddox stories, and two internet sites for further information and activities.

Karri, the bouncing koala, is peacefully relaxing at home in the bush when a gang of scruffy, homeless cats move in.  The small animals and birds are frightened so Karri is elected to ask them to leave.  The cats have no place to go so they decide to play a football game – the winners get to stay, the losers must go.  Although Karri’s team wins, Karri offers to help them find a new home.  They find a successful solution by getting food from humans and by giving friendship in return.  This amusing book is a sequel to “The Koala Who Bounced”.  Good message of teamwork vs fighting.

“A kiss means I love you, a wave means hello, a smile means I’m happy, a tug means let’s go!”  Beginning with these simple, rhyming lines, young children see large, vivid photographs of peers using body language to illustrate actions and emotions.  This colorful book would be easy to read one-on-one or with a group.  Photographs fill the whole page, the text fits nicely.  Words aren’t always necessary to convey a message!

Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner work together as author-illustrators in this creative and humorous book about a baseball game for dogs.  Homer, a golden retriever, sneaks out one night to play a championship game with his team, the Doggers, against their rivals, the Hounds.  Well-chosen photographs and digitally drawn uniforms portray the game and emotions of both teams.  This book is full of visual humor and word puns.  Whitey is literally “walked” to first base, Lucky hits a “droolball” that splashes over his bat.  Players watch from their “dog-out”.  The end-pages show baseball cards of both teams showing positions and breeds.  Readers of all ages will enjoy looking at all the doggy details in this amusing baseball story.

Brian Selznick grew up drawing, painting, sculpting, and watching movies – just the thing for his imaginative mind!  Thinking he would work in film or the theater, illustrating and writing children’s books was not one of Brian Selznick’s plans.  This very readable biography tells of Selznick’s introduction to children’s books and illustrating for himself and others.  It contains colorful photographs as well as some of his drawings from his own stories.  Information presented is complete without being too wordy.  Books in this series are a good resource for reports as well as being an enjoyable way to read about people who create popular books.  Glossary, index and website are included.

This book is divided into two parts based on two Hannah Montana episodes on the Disney Channel.  The story for part one tells of Miley Cyrus trying to help her tom-boy girlfriend, Lilly, become more feminine.  Pat two is about Lilly spending all of her time with new boyfriend, Lucas.  Miley discovers Lucas has an extra girlfriend and can’t get Lilly to believe her.  Included are photos from both episodes.  Those who enjoy watching the T.V. series will probably also enjoy reading books in this series.

Sula and her mermaid friends have a chance to sing for Princess Rowena.  The princess is trying to get assistance to help others rebuild after a storm.  Sula learns of a missing singing shell that has the power to cause storms or calm waters.  When her friends become trapped by surging water, Sula decides to try to locate the missing shell.  The text is large and there are many black and white illustrations within the pages.  The story line in rather bland, but young readers who are mermaid fans will probably seek out these Sula books.

With a focus on food, one learns about the history, climate, religions, and cultures of Nigeria, a diverse country with many ethnic groups.  Many of the staple foods came from trading with other countries.  Because running water and electricity in rural areas is rare, food is often prepared in traditional ways.  There are recipes included but most of this informative book describes how food is prepared, which foods and spices are used together, and how it is eaten.  Full-color photographs show meals and typical activities.  This is a terrific resource for anyone wanting to know about Nigeria as well as the variety of foods prepared for meals.

Beginning with a short quiz to check prior knowledge, chapters start with describing each position, defining the terms, and telling how the game is played.  An illustrated map of the playing field shows how to set up and mark the area.  Soccer is a physical game and the benefits of the activity  as well as how, when, and what to eat is given.  Also included is a recipe for a snack and a craft.  Large, full-color photographs show girls at play.  Other books in the series are guides to basketball, softball, and volleyball.  Recommended books are written at a similar level.  Glossary, index, and facthound internet site are included, along with one from the publisher including projects, games, and more.