Six different items are described using shape, color, and texture. Clues for each item are given on the left page (7″ X 7″) . The extra long (7″ X 14″) folded right page has 4 pictures for the reader to choice from before opening the fold (gatefold) to reveal the answer.
Items include: a ball, a cat, a cheese sandwich, a cupboard, a flower, and Dad.
Large, simple child-like colorful illustrations which explore a child’s environment command your attention.
Fortunately, Unfortunately is a crazy adventure featuring many of the fantastic settings kids dream about. In only a sentence or so per page, the story (and our intrepid hero) ricochets through the ocean, an alien spacecraft, a pirate ship, a dinosaur-populated lost world, and more. Each scenario has an upside and a downside, and one or the other usually propels our protagonist into the next environment.
This story has many strengths, including its relative brevity, its rollicking rhythm (while not in rhyme, the repeated use of the title words give the text a driving pace), and its mix of appealing settings.
However, there are a few things which could be improved. The adventuring child, as well as his mother and grandmother, are all extremely anthropomorphized monkeys, for no apparent reason. In contrast, our pirates (the only other humanoid characters) are entirely human. There is no obvious purpose for the ape-ish appearance of the starring character, and in a tale that is already fantastical, making our introductory characters of a non-human species is unnecessary and worse, distracting.
The pictures themselves are of varying sizes, sometimes taking up just a small portion of the large pages, sometimes filling an entire spread. While the text is extremely conducive for large group sharing, the smaller-scale watercolors would be difficult to see from any significant distance.
Although this title has weaknesses, children will enjoy the bright colors, fast-pacing, and dramatic setting(s) of the story. This is a fun take on the familiar “good-news, bad-news” genre, and will be a fun addition for many libraries.
Students are hearing a lot about “the economy.” Abdo Publishers has a series called Economy in Action. This book helps students and guides teachers in an introductory understanding of economic systems. In each two page spread, questions such as, “What is an economy?”, “How does an economy work?”, or “What are the three main types of economies?” are explained. Grasping the concepts means understanding the specific economic vocabulary (capital, allocate), which is covered in an ample Glossary. Traditional, Free Market, Managed, and Mixed Economies are all discussed. The author acknowledges that probably no economy would work best for all societies given the diverse resources, cultures and priorities. A couple of interesting Economic Exercises are included at the end, as well as Websites and Index. For a book attempting to represent a global discussion, the choice of having two pages of photographs with females wearing hijabs was notable. The first prominent photo was welcomed in a book with a multicultural subject. The second prominent photo left me wondering…why?
This is a wonderful addition to your A TRUE BOOK collection.
The text is full of important generalized information, but it is the full-color photos with their specific information and bits of trivia that will keep the reader going. An example from page 24, “A single maple tree loses 600,000 leaves every autumn.”
Contains 5 chapters: Forest Features, Forest Life, Hard Times, Forests in Danger, and Conservation.
Also contains: True Statistics, Resources, Important Words, Index, and About the Author.
“You can count faster when counting by tens. Let’s count by tens while these monarch butterflies get ready to fly south…” introduces this counting / science book for young readers.
Each two-page spread contains a number line, counting by 10s to 100, running cross the bottom of both pages, plus an addition sentence (0+10=10, 10+10=20, 10+30=40, 10+40=50 and so on), with the focus number of that page highlighted. The foreground of each page spread has 10 large monarch butterflies to count. The background has 10 monarch butterflies gathered per tree with the number of trees increasing by one with each page turn. The sets of ten are distinct and easily counted. ( I counted them all.)
Each turn of the page contains: 1) a butterfly action, 2) a science statement, and 3) “Count the monarchs by tens: …”
The glossary adds to the science information presented in the book: examples- antennae, proboscis, and (wing) scale.
This republished classic of LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE with its original tri-color illustrations in green, yellow, and red still keep young listeners attention!
There are four Lyle stories in this one book: The House on East 88th Street, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Lyle and the Birthday Party, Lyle Walks the Dogs, and Count with Lyle! Counting Activity.
First, how Lyle came with the brownstone ‘House on East 88th Street’ in New York City when the Primm family moved-in.
Second, Lyle’s presence at East 88th St. upsets one neighbor, Mr. Grump and his cat, who vow to have something done about the crocodile…have him moved to a zoo… then after Lyle’s return to East 88th St. he rescues Mr. Grump and his cat from their smoke-filled house.
Third, Lyle discovers that helping others is the best medicine when feeling blue or green with jealousy.
Fourth, a counting story. Lyle has taken a job as a dog walker. Each day, for 10 days, he gets one more dog to walk simultaneously. Readers will enjoy counting the with with each page turn.
A jewelry store was robbed at night, the next day Milo finds a diamond necklace in his desk at school. Jazz gives Milo 24 hours to solve the mystery before they turn in the necklace. First, they ask around school to see if any of the girls have lost a necklace. Then, they decide to see if the necklace has real diamonds or not. Then, the latest issue of ” Dash Marlowe-Secrets of a Super Sleuth” arrives in the daily mail entitled ‘ Work Backwards’. Milo keeps jumping to conclusions while Jazz keeps bringing him back down to earth and getting him to focus on facts.
Includes 5 logic puzzles after the story to keep reader’s minds sharp.
When Betty Bunny’s mother said she and her siblings could have one toy at the toy store, Betty Bunny begins to fill the whole cart. When she insists on wanting all of the toys, Mother buys one for her brother and sister but none for her. Betty Bunny pitches a full blown tantrum thinking it will help her get her way. To help her learn the value of money, Mom and Dad give her cash to spend any way she chooses. Comments from her brother and sister are humorous and typical of older siblings. Stephane Jorisch’s colorful watercolor and pencil/ink illustrations are comical and expressive. Michael Kaplan captures the family dynamics most have experienced while shopping with children. Readers will recognize the money lesson, but Betty Bunny clearly refuses to acknowledge it!
A fall ended Luciano Anastasini’s circus career as a high wire performer but not his desire to continue working with the circus. He adopted and worked with abandoned dogs to create new circus acts. Patience and careful observation showed him the strengths and abilities of each dog. This photo-essay tells of the original five dogs and how their “undesirable” behaviors were incorporated into performances. Luciano’s troupe grew to ten, which are now hired by many circuses to entertain people of all ages. Luciano and his “hopeless” dogs are a great example of second chances and what can be accomplished with love and caring.
In this series, the reader is invited to play a role. In this case, a cabin boy explains life on board a pirate ship in 1730. The narrator “directs” the action and provides additional facts. The artwork is a combination of acrylic and digital. The crew, lingo, food, weapons, and customary behaviors fill each page. The text tells of life long ago without romanticizing that of a pirate. Extra text boxes in the form of planks supply even more information. Other topics in the series show life as a settler in Colonial America, a pioneer on the Oregon Trail, an explorer on a Viking ship, and a cabin attendant on the Titanic. Glossary, index, and books to read are in the back with a Facthound internet site. Suggested books are written at a higher reader level than this book, but readers will probably enjoy information from each. A publisher website for kids has projects, games, quizzes, and contests – fun, but not necessarily related to this series.