This 10 chapter Milo & Jazz Mystery is set at the outdoor swimming pool with a snack bar.  ” Jazz and Milo are detectives.” In this mystery they investigate how and why someone would dye the swimming pool water purple, thus closing down the  swimming pool for a day. Jazz finds purple “dribbles” on the grass outside the swimming pool’s fence. Jazz and Milo have two suspects, but this plot has a twist in it and someone totally unsuspected did it. The reader finds out this is due to a preconceived idea that all people from California are good swimmers.

Includes: Super sleuthing puzzles after the story

This is an excellent 48 page non-fiction book about the history of the Erie Canal.  Explained in context with the political events of the time and in particular the development of the United States as a nation, this book is well-written and interesting.  The format is also impressive.  Rather than a glossary, key words are defined in the margins on the page on which they appear.  So much more reader-friendly, it ensures that the reader takes the time to fully comprehend the text.  Photographs, primary source paintings, maps and diagrams are plentiful throughout the book.  There is an AR test (level 5.7, 1 point).  I was engaged throughout this book and believe that students will enjoy reading about the history of the Erie Canal.

Before choosing a pet a responsible future owner should acquaint himself with a breed’s characteristics. This book will help those curious about the American Pit Bull Terrier breed understand this breed which often has a bad reputation. The American Pit Bull Terrier “were originally bred in England to be good fighters… to be aggressive toward other dogs, but not toward humans.”

In 9 short, 2-page chapters include: The Dog Family, American Pit Bull Terriers, What They’re Like, Coat and Color, Size, Care, Feeding, Things They Need,  and Puppies, plus Glossary, Web Sites, and Index.

Pinch is hungry, but hasn’t any prepared food in the house and “Pinch was too lazy to make his own soup.” He decides to see his friend Dash who is a good cook. What follows reminds me of the classic “STONE SOUP”, with potatoes, spinach, and cheese being added to Dash’s soup pot. While Dash sets the table in the dining room, Pinch adds pepper and hot sauce to the pot. Then unannounced to Pinch, Dash does the same thing. When Dash tastes the soup the spiciness overtakes him. In the end, both Pinch and Dash reveal what they each have done.

This book, specifically geared for young readers,  provides a literary analysis of the play Macbeth.  The introduction clearly presents information on William Shakespeare’s life and plays and the Globe Theater AND ends with a glossary of literary terms – a good choice for students needing quick background information.  The play is dissected into acts/scenes – each given an quick overview and a short analysis.  A list of characters and their roles are also given to the reader.  The author provides a closer look at the play’s theme, motifs, symbols, and language.  A chronology, a Shakespeare’s glossary, a Suggested Essay Topics section, a Testing Your Memory section, a Further Information section, a bibliography and an index are given in the book.  The pages are colorful and the writing is clear and organized.  This is an easily digestible book for those who wish to grab a quick insight into Shakespeare and his life and this particular play.

This book, specifically geared for young readers,  provides a literary analysis of the play Hamlet.  The introduction clearly presents information on William Shakespeare’s life and plays and the Globe Theater AND ends with a glossary of literary terms – a good choice for students needing quick background information.  The play is dissected into acts/scenes – each given an quick overview and a short analysis.  A list of characters and their roles are also given to the reader.  The author provides a closer look at the play’s theme, motifs, symbols, and language.  A chronology, a Shakespeare’s glossary, a Suggested Essay Topics section, a Testing Your Memory section, a Further Information section, a bibliography and an index are given in the book.  The pages are colorful and the writing is clear and organized.  This is an easily digestible book for those who wish to grab a quick insight into Shakespeare and his life and this particular play.

This book, specifically geared for young readers,  provides a literary analysis of the play Romeo Juliet.  The introduction clearly presents information on William Shakespeare’s life and plays and the Globe Theater AND ends with a glossary of literary terms – a good choice for students needing quick background information.  The play is dissected into acts/scenes – each given an quick overview and a short analysis.  A list of characters and their roles are also given to the reader.  The author provides a closer look at the play’s theme, motifs, symbols, and language.  A chronology, a Shakespeare’s glossary, a Suggested Essay Topics section, a Testing Your Memory section, a Further Information section, a bibliography and an index are given in the book.  The pages are colorful and the writing is clear and organized.  This is an easily digestible book for those who wish to grab a quick insight into Shakespeare and his life and this particular play.

Mannie is an imaginative little girl who takes her elephant and little doll on a picnic adventure one sunny day.  When the sun hides behind some clouds and they all feel cold and a little scared, the usually shy elephant finds his courage, pulls out a giant ladder from Mannie’s little case, and blows away the clouds.  The mood revived, this whimsical story ends with Mannie and her friends trotting home tip toeing over the roof tops to curl up safe and warm in bed.  The rich illustrations are a beautiful mix of sketch and watercolor.  The text is full of sounds and some repeated lines which little ones enjoy for story prediction.

This is a darling peep hole picture book about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  Perfect for pre-k up to 1st grade, students will enjoy the familiar story and colorful illustrations depicting the first Christmas night.

Don’t try to digest The Word Snoop too quickly.  You may want to linger over some of the strange euphemisms for death, like “joined the choir invisible, or “permanently out of print.”  And who knew that cuneiform means “wedge-shaped” and Hieroglyph means “holy writing?”  Kids who text may think that leaving out vowels, (like “bn” for “been”) is pretty tricky, until they learn that the original alphabet had no vowels.

Told with humor and fun, this story of the evolution of the English language explains origins, history, and uses of words, from malapropisms to rebuses, Pig Latin to plurals.

A detailed table of contents makes the book  easy to navigate, a glossary gives yet more explanations of the terms used, and keys to the puzzles are at the end of the book.  Tohby Riddle’s drawings, silhouettes, and red text boxes make this wealth of information easier to understand.  The Word Snoop would be fun to read aloud, even to very young “word snoops.”