Greek myths are exciting and kids love reading about them. Odysseus is always a popular hero and the story about the cyclops is one of the best. Odysseus and his men came to an island and found a cave full of food. Waiting, they found that it was a cyclops who lived there and he was none too friendly. For breakfast and dinner he would eat two of Odysseus’s men. Finally they came upon a plan. They would give the cyclops some wine and when he fell asleep they would blind his one eye. After doing so, they disguised themselves as part of the sheep and slipped out of the cave. I especially enjoyed the cleverness of Odysseus when he said his name was Nobody, so when enraged, the cyclops yelled ‘Nobody did this to me!’ Fun reading for kids.
Author Archives: SSBRC Former Member
The Legend of the Loch Ness Monster
The first sighting of the Loch Ness monster was in AD 565. Throughout time, there have been reported sightings of Nessie, but none have been confirmed. Hoaxes and fakes have been reported as well, making the reality of there ever being a monster is quite dubious. Kids enjoy reading about monsters, however, and they’ll enjoy this one, also.
A Mutiny in Time
The Infinity Ring is a new series similar to 39 Clues. There are several books all written by different authors, plus games cards to allow online playing. A Mutiny in Time is the first book in this new science fiction series. The Infinity Ring is actually a time travel device which allows participants to travel back or forward to any time. The story is based in the future and that the earth is being destroyed by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, climate change, and a ruling group which refuses to recognize it. Dak and his best friend Sera, plus Riq, travel back in time to undo the breaks in history, all of which have have compiled to create these disasters. In this first book, they travel to Spain and set out as deckhands on the voyage with Christopher Columbus. Apparently Columbus was a bad guy and his men mutinied and killed him. The futurists must stop the mutiny and allow Columbus to discover the new world and set history correct. Fast paced with lots of action. Kids not familiar with history might become confused. But as with 39 Clues, this series will also become a hit.
Fishing: The World’s Greatest Fishing Spots and Techniques
Though fishing isn’t on my list of favorite pastimes, I found this small book fascinating. It is full of tips on how to catch fish, but also takes readers to spots around the world where fish are caught.
Australia’s Sydney Harbor, the weir across Italy’s River Arno, and the Mekong River were the locations that interested me the most. My vote for best picture goes to the Mekong fisherman holding a 644.6 pound catfish in his arms. It is the largest freshwater fish ever caught.
This book is a worthy addition to any library, and researching these fishing holes must have been great fun. Short, factual text boxes, bright and attractive pictures, and helpful fishing tips are on every page. A glossary explains fishing words. Websites, books, and magazine titles are included.
City Chickens
Very informative books on a rescue home that houses abandoned and homeless chickens, preparing them for adoption. This was very informative with the latest thinking and information on factory farming, cock fighting, and proper caring for roosters and hens. The format is inviting and pleasing to the eye. There is something for everyone with the story weaving the owner of the rescues story in with her rescued birds. Informative and compassionate. The only thing I would change would be the title. I assumed from reading it that the book would be about how to raise chickens in the city. Instead the book is about rescuing and caring for chickens. Recommended.
Jangles, a Big Fish Story
Another winning book, by David Shannon, complete with his signature artwork. This story takes on a more serious tone than is typical of this author;s style. The plot of the story has an oversized fish living in a lake and every “fisherperson” would like to catch him. A father is spinning a tale as his son listens, about the time he caught Jangles and was convinced to “let him go”. As proof, he has all of the rusty lures and hooks in his fishing box, that were once hooked into Jangles jaws.
Meet Me at the Moon
This picture book is for everybody! The illustrations are nothing less than charming and beautiful. The artwork will grab everyone at every age, from the beginning. This story is matching with the plot focusing on a young elephant’s fear of being separated from his mother. She reassures him with by having him focus on things they can both always see, such as the moon. She assures him that her love is with him at all times. Recommended for Pre-1st grades.
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
Every middle and high school library should have at least one copy of this book. It Gets Better is a compilation of essays and statements created by a huge variety of people, from Barack Obama to Ellen Forney to a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. Each of the messages target teenagers in middle and high school who are bullied because of their sexuality. Many of the messages tell personal stories of teenage bullying, and seek to communicate to bullied teens that life will get better after high school. Even though this focuses on GLBTQIA teens, the message will hit home for any troubled young person. Simply having this volume in the library will send a signal of hope and safe space to GLBTQIA patrons, and, hopefully, to everyone else as well.
Kitten’s Summer
Animals flee a rainstorm in this short and sweet picture book. Almost every spread features four words – two animal names and two verbs (i.e. “Chipmunk skitters, Raccoon ambles.”). Kitten observes each animal either hiding from or enjoying the rain according to their disposition, while on the way to kitten’s own warm bed. While the low word-count and focused vocabulary make this a nice choice for group sharing, the real star of this show is the illustration style. Every image is a combination of self-hardening clay, acrylic paint, and mixed-media collage. The result is a vibrant, detailed, three-dimensional collection of adorable illustrations. The low-point of this book is its small size, as children will have a difficult time seeing the detail of the illustrations in larger group settings.
Frost Wolf
There are perils aplenty in this fourth book in the Wolves of the Beyond series, and fans should be satisfied. I found it interesting that author Kathryn Lasky has observed and researched real wolf behavior in order to write these books. That’s evindent when the wolves enjoy feasting on the still-warm blood of an unlucky victim. But these wolves seem to have human intelligence as well when they discuss dinner preferences for marmot or red squirrel over caribou.
If you’ve read the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books and the first three books in the Wolves series, this will be familiar territory for you. As a first time reader, I had a time keeping up with new words like “gadderheal” and “raghnaid.” I admire Ms. Lasky for her work. It would not be easy to invent and name whole new countries and populations, and to keep the characteristics of each true-to-form in each appearance. No wonder her readers keep coming back for more.