The large, up close photographs are a wonderful way to  illustrate the measuring concepts presented in this primary text.  Will Sue use her foot or her nose to measure how tall her newly sprouted flower is growing?  It is obvious by the photo of the foot and the nose, next to the sprout, that one is too big and one too small.  Enlarged and bold photos of rulers, yardsticks, and tape measures show the standard tools that are used for measuring.  When a ruler is used to measure the height of Sue’s plant, the text says…”The ruler shows that her plant is 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) tall.”  First of all, throwing in a decimal into a primary, introductory book just doesn’t make sense…and second, it is obvious from the exquisite close up photo that the plant does not even measure as tall as 5.5 inches.  Also, why include the centimeters, when you can not see 14 centimeters on the ruler, due to the fact that you measure inches and centimeters starting from opposite ends of the ruler.   This was quite confusing.  A few other photos are equally confusing, with respect to the text.  Other pages have the visual and concepts work quite well together.  The kids will love the “Cool Measuring Facts” in the back, listing things like tallest dog, longest hair, tallest man, etc. (Photos of each of these would have been very “cool”.)

Using animals in the zoo, the author explores the use of different graphs to organize and understand data.  Each two page spread explains  specific graphs such as pictographs, tallies, bar graphs, pie graphs and line graphs.  With clear, uncluttered graphics, the visuals greatly support the text.  Yet, the undersized book would be better  presented as a larger book or with a document camera, to be shared with the whole class.  I’m glad to have this comprehensive introduction to graphs to add to our collection.  Other titles in this set include primary books on analyzing data, probability and sorting.

Soo Min, a young Korean girl, is adopted by an American Family where most everything is new and different for her. She makes a friend in the family cat, but her world is turned upside down when the cat goes missing. Although she is comforted by her mother, her world is righted again when the cat returns. Readers will be able to feel with their hearts the story of Soo Min’s intercountry adoption. Korean words are written on each page that say: family, home, mommy, daddy, child, safe, love, and cat. Illustrations are made in paper collage and acrylic and oil paint.

This well loved fable will be loved even more! Although the concept stays true, it is told in rhyme with great modifiers and verb choice! The illustrations are are fun and bright.

Kaycie Shay has a fairy tale childhood. However, her life is about to change when young Kacie Shay is told that her dad will be moving to another neighborhood. The issue of divorce is handled very well with statements of having no one to blame, and even though there was sadness, over time mom and dad got along better. The story is told in rhyme which seems to lighten the weight of this topic. Water color illustrations enhance the story line.

This Garfield graphic novel is based upon the characters created by Jim Davis. It contains 3 stories that are simple and nonviolent. Garfield lovers will appreciate the same humor in these stories as they would find in the comics and the TV series.

This Garfield graphic novel contains three stories based upon the characters created by Jim Davis. The stories are nonviolent, simplistic, and last from 6-11 pages each. Readers will find the same humor in this book from this lasagna loving cat as in the comics and the TV series.

This 24 page book contains very basic facts about our earth and the pollution that plagues it. Each page has 1-2 sentences of information with a color photograph to enhance the message. This book is written so simply that it does not report information beyond common knowledge. This would be appropriate for preschool through kindergarten.

Dave Wencel takes a look at unidentified flying objects and reports  from those who claim to have seen them.  This 24 page book defines UFOs and provides data about accounts of sightings.  Other books in the Unexplained series are: The Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, ESP, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, The Loch Ness Monster, and Near-Death Experiences.  A glossary and index are included along with books to read and a website to visit for more information.

Miss Smith returns with her Incredible Storybook in this ocean-based adventure.  he class goes on a field trip to an aquarium.  The high-seas voyage comes to life as Miss Smith and the class are transported with the Owl and the Pussycat in the pea-green boat.  Their action-packed day continues as she reads Moby Dick, The Little Mermaid, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, and Gulliver’s Travels.  The characters from each story join Miss Smith and the children in the pea-green boat until the final adventure with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  Michael Garland’s computer generated illustrations are brightly colored and are well-matched with this quick introduction to seven well-loved classic stories.