On Christmas Eve, ten little mice are huddling out in the open, shivering in the cold snow.  One by one, each mouse finds a warm little spot to sleep.  The problem is that then they are each alone.  In the end, one clever mouse discovers a hollow log that will accommodate all ten mice.  They snuggle together warm and happy.  With beautiful, rich illustrations and a rhyming narrative, this delightful read aloud trips off the tongue.  The opportunity presents for counting practice and/or a discussion about the importance of friendship.

This easy picture book is fun, colorful and silly.  It’s about Zoe, a girl with a closet full of lovelies that certainly would impress even Fancy Nancy.  Most days, her parents get to pick out her clothes for school or soccer but today is Saturday and Zoe gets to decide.  What a dilemma!  Mom is calling up to her that it’s time to go but Zoe just can’t decide.  After all, each outfit will determine what kind of day she has, from a pocket day to a twirling day and everything in between.  She finally decides to wear it all and heads out for her day.  The illustrations are bright and comical, full of delightful details.  The language is descriptive and whimsical.  Many children can relate to Zoe’s desire for adventure as well as the dressing dilemma.  I think youngsters will enjoy hearing this book as a read aloud.

Kids with a goofy sense of humor will get chuckle after chuckle with each turn of the page in this book on dog breeds.  At first this book looks like a nonfiction title but put your tongue in your cheek and read on…Starting on the cover there are clues…two ring marks that looks as if someone set a coffee mug down on the front of the book and ruined the cover.  Also note that the book is Not by Zebedee Helm.  Kit (a cowboy from Montana) and his dog Willy love discovering interesting things.  They happen upon a dog show and begin describing dogs: “Labdradors come in the colours: black, yellow and chocolate.  Obviously the chocolate ones are the rarest as a lot get eaten and those that don’t quite often, melt in the sun.”  Fact hounds will be totally frustrated that they will learn nothing about dog breeds in this book.  Goofy kids will love it.  Oh…”Try not to get too fond of your balloon dog as they only last about a week, even less if you have a cactus in your house.”  Childlike artwork and handwriting, complete with cross outs, add to the ambiance of youthful silliness.  Surprisingly published in Great Britain…a long way from Montana! (On the back cover, an arrow points to the “bark code”.)

This book is very informative about The job of a Smoke Jumper.  It tells about the wildfires that the jumpers need to help put out.  There is information on  what a smoke jumper needs to do to help put out a wildfire and some of the training they go through.  The smoke jumpers are always in danger and need to know how to handle the danger.

There is a lot of  interesting information in this book.  There is a glossary in the back and a section “To Learn More”.  Also an index.

This book is a bit creepy.  A child would need to like to be scared to read this book.  I would be careful reading it to young children. Waga is a monster who cannot find his scare.  He looks everywhere.  Waga has left his scare in your room.  The picture of the author on the back flap on the cover is quite scary.

This is a fun book that shows a lot of different skies.  I didn’t know there could be so many different skies.  The pictures and very colorful and bright.

And it is fun to see what the people are doing at the bottom of the pages.

Kindergartners are introduced to scientific investigations in this new Foss related series , Investigate Materials.  In this title, learners find the answers to…What is cotton?…Where does cotton come from?…How is Cotton made into fabric?…What does cotton look like?…How does cotton feel?…Why do we use cotton?…What do You have that is made from cotton?  Each two page spread includes fun, engaging photographs of age appropriate, multiracial kids responding to the distilled, two sentence text and colorful photographic visuals about cotton.  However, I do question whether because cotton is soft, it makes “you feel happy!”  Interesting fact…”Old denim from blue jeans is even used to make dollar bills.”  Includes Challenge Words, listed upfront with the Contents.   Other titles in the series…Nylon, Silk, Wool.  Overall, a well executed investigative series for the very young.

This is a humorous graphic interpretation of Rudyard Kipling’s How the Camel Got his Hump.  It tells the story of a lazy camel, relaxing in an oasis in the Howling Desert of India.  When Ox and Dog and Horse discovered camel and how he was not helping with the work on the farm, they tried to convince him to join them.  Despite their efforts, camel just said “Humph!”  So the desert Djinn came down and punished the camel by giving him a humph (now pronounced “hump”) from which to live off so he could work for 3 days at a time without taking a break to eat.  Camel to this day remains crabby and uncooperative and embarrassed by his hump.  This is one in a series of four remakes of Rudyard Kipling’s tales.  The other titles are How the Elephant got his Trunk, How the Leopard got his Spots, How the Rhinoceros got his Skin.

Our students love craft books and this one takes items which might otherwise end up in the trash and demonstrates how to turn them into treasure.  There are seven projects, each using items and supplies commonly found around the house.  The instructions are clear and simple, with photographs for each step of the project, including one of a sample finished product.  The emphasis on recycling is also positive for our young people.  I expect this book to circulate frequently in our school library.

I LOVED this darling picture book!  The story is about an adorable bird named Blue who woke up one morning to an “egg” landing in her nest.  The setting is Central Park, NY, with children having a snowball fight below her tree.  Blue welcomes Egg but decides they must find her mother.  They search high and low but no one claims the missing “egg”.  Blue and Egg settle into a fun life of adventure around New York City until spring comes and Egg mysteriously starts to shrink.  Blue tries everything to help, but alas one morning wakes up to Egg missing and a puddle below her nest.  She discovers in that puddle a beautiful pink flower which she promptly plants, deciding that Egg must have simply bloomed.  The illustrations are colorful cut-paper and the reader will delight in all the wonderful details.  This would be a fun read aloud for elementary.