Randy’s Corner is a new series intended to introduce young readers to biographies.  While I don’t actually consider this to be a biography, but instead the life, ‘day by day,’ as it’s billed, of a sports celebrity.  This book will be popular with basketball players, especially boys, who are reluctant readers.  While the book may get them to read, I’m not so sure about a couple of things mentioned in the book: first off, he has two children with a girlfriend he has dated since high school–are they still dating?  Or are they a family?  And, secondly, he says he hasn’t changed one bit–how about asking the people around him what they think?  I believe that having millions of dollars at your disposal does change a person, so how is he excluded?  I understand that young readers won’t zero in on these details, but still, it gets in their heads and stays there.  Are these ideals that we want kids to come away with?

In this sci-fi novel, a time period paralleling the start of World War I, the son of the Archduke of Austria, Aleksandar, escapes from his father’s German killers.  Meanwhile in Britain, a young girl, Deryn Sharp, disguises herself as a boy so that she can join the British air service.  Their paths collide despite the scientific discoveries of their countries.  The Darwinist countries (Deryn) believe in the powers of natural science and creating new species with their understanding of genes.  Whereas, the Clanker countries believe that machine power is more powerful and not unnatural.  Despite the constant bickering of the two main characters, they grow to become good friends in their fight for survival.

This fast-paced novel will have readers biting their finger nails!  Even if readers are well-versed in World War I history, this explosive story will keep the reader guessing.  The writing is descriptive and the characters are relateable; a telling perspective on human interaction even in a “different reality.    The illustrations give the reader an image of the Darwinist creations and the Clanker machines.  From sci-fi fans to historical fiction fans, this novel will have you at the edge of your seat.

Michael S.

In this classic folk tale, three little kittens lose their mittens, soil their mittens, wash their mittens, much drama and crying.  The illustrations are beautiful and clean and crisp.  This is a popular nursery rhyme for children and they need to hear the repetition of verse. However, it ends so abruptly, with …’we smell a rat nearby.”  What has that got to do with mittens, or the story for that matter?  Is it that they are supposed to catch the rat?  I don’t really get it.

I love this story!  And I am so glad to see that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt continues to publish it.  It was originally published in 1979 and renewed in 2001.  The little red hen works her tailfeathers off gardening, cleaning, and cooking, and when she asks for help from the dog, the cat, and the mouse, they are all ‘too busy’ to even give her a glance.  At the end when she asks for help to eat the cake, they are all wide awake, eager to help, but she shows her backbone and eats it all herself.  She shows them!  Next time they learn to pitch in and help with the work if they want to enjoy the benefits.  This story is so good to teach young children to help with the work and not to be lazy.  This book and other classic folk tales needs to be in every elementary library and every child needs to be familiar with the story and the concept.  Illustrations have great color and simplicity, while remaining interesting.

Denver is a rich, generous, and all round good guy, who decides to sell everything and divide up his riches to give equally to all the people in his town.  Until then, the people had been happy, but a stranger came to town and questioned the fairness of it all and spread discontent amongst them.  With the money they were all happy again.  Denver left town and went off to paint.  Again, he became successful and rich, and the people of his new town became prosperous and happy; same as before.  But after people from his old town returned home with the money spent, life wasn’t so good.  Gone was their happiness.  An interesting parable that kids will need to hear the story a few times in order to pick up on it.  Lesson learned: money doesn’t buy happiness.  Illustrations are clear, colorful and not muddy.  The peoples’ heads are extra large which seems awkward, but works as you can clearly see their expressions.

This folk tale classic is a joy to read and should be an integral part of every elementary school library.  This version has a delightful cover with gold embossing for the title and author’s name.  The pictures are simple, colorful, and interesting, without clutter to distract the reader.  The story remains true to it’s origins, three pigs each build a house only to be threatened by the big, bad wolf.  The first pig’s house of straw and the second pig’s house of stick, are blown down and the pigs eaten by Mr. Wolf.  At the third house, Pig was smart and build of bricks.  Mr. Wolf couldn’t blow it down, nor could he trick Pig into coming out.  Pig outsmarted Mr. Wolf and ate him instead.  Every kindergartener should be familiar with this story and if s/he isn’t, needs to have these classics read to him time and time again.  Great for patterning, predicting, and other literary devices.

Author Carolyn Meyer has researched her historical novel about Charles Darwin so meticulously that perhaps even her famous subject would be pleased.  Using sources such as Edna Healey’s Emma Darwin: The Inspirational Wife of a Genius, and The Autobiography of Charles Darwin and Selected Letters, edited by Darwin’s third son, Francis Darwin, Meyer builds her story around a good supply of factual information.

 The son of an English country doctor, Darwin tells about his boyhood love of roaming the Shrewsbury countryside collecting, studying, and categorizing plants and animals, often at the expense of his formal education.  Though his father worried that Charles lacked the focus necessary to lead a successful life, Darwin’s boyhood passion proved to be the beginning of his life-long endeavor, and served him well on the voyage of the HMS Beagle and the subsequent writing of On the Origin of the Species.

 This story of a boy who followed his passion has plenty of excitement and adventure to please young readers.  A map of Darwin’s travels, diagrams of the HMS Beagle, a bibliography and online sources will aid readers who want to know more.

This book has been reissued after 60 plus years and the story is dated.  I fondly remember these Swedish triplet girls and how well they played together.  In this story, it is Christmas time and the girls all get ice skates.  After Christmas they go to visit their aunt and uncle and he takes them to a frozen pond to go skating, with a warning as to not go near the thin ice.  Then he leaves.  A little boy joins them and chases their dog and soon afterwards they both fall through the ice.  The little girls help to pull the boy out and take him home.  His appreciative mother sends the little triplets identical girl dolls and they all have a tea party.  The colors and illustrations are clean and fresh and simple.  It makes me nostalgic to think of how simple life was back when this was first written.  Nowadays I couldn’t imagine this actually happening, as I am sure it did back then.  Oh, for the good old days!  Although children will enjoy the simple story and pictures, I would hate for them to think it was okay to go out on a frozen pond and skate all by themselves, especially knowing that not all of the water was frozen.  Life isn’t the same anymore.  I wished the story itself had been updated to current conditions and behavior.

Fruit is an introductory nutrition book for young readers. Photos show children enjoying: orange juice, sliced bananas atop cereal, fruit salad with kiwi and bananas, an apple, a wedge of watermelon, cranberry sauce atop sliced turkey, blackberries, green grapes, and an apple pie before baking next to a simple text in very large font.

Beans, Nuts, and Oils is an introductory nutrition book for young children.  While the photos contain the food mentioned in the text, the connection between the food in the photo and the food in the text will not self-evident to a young child.

Includes: cereal bar with nuts, muffin with walnuts, “peanut butter on my sandwich” , “nuts on my plate”  along with slices of apple & avocado and rice, falafel with beans, olive oil with bread,  * lima beans in mixed vegetables (only time a food item is encircled ), * walnuts – whole and empty cracked shells, * peanuts in shells, and slivered almonds on a cake.

* best examples in book.