As in many of the popular Black Lagoon books, Hubie’s imagination get away from him.  A new gym teacher, Mr. Green, is coming from the junior high school and rumors start flying.  Coach is big, hairy, and scary.  It is not until the first day, that Hubie an his pals discover Mr. Green is a regular guy and gym class is going to be great.  Jared Lee’s ink and watercolor illustrations continue to have fun with all of Hubie’s worries.  This is a re-issue of the story first published in 1994.

Books in this series have detailed maps on the end-pages – a large country map in the front and the country’s location in Europe in the back.  The land that is known as Romania has had a wide and varied history.  Several periods of various ruling countries or people are covered in brief paragraphs.  The text, in this book of the series, is dry and captions for some photographs need further explanation.  Conversation bubbles appear to be a flimsy attempt at humor and seem out of place.   The series includes chapters on history, cities and towns, transportation, people and culture, education, cuisine, economy, tourism and nature.  This is an additional resource for writing country reports.  The quality of each book in the series is inconsistent, however, each provides sufficient information for grade school reports.

Books in this series have detailed maps on the end-pages – large country map in the front and the country’s location in Europe, in the back.  The book on Bulgaria begins with an abbreviated history, regions, and physical features.  Several cities are highlighted.  Because Bulgaria is a transit city (people from other countries travel through it), there are a variety of modes of transportation.  The chapter on people and culture include holidays and traditions.  The section on education begins with a statement saying public education has decreased in quality since 1989.  Some photos have conversation bubbles that appear to make light of the situation , which seems inappropriate.  Cuisine is influenced by many surrounding countries.  Traditional and common foods are described along with a salad recipe.  Economic concerns and a section on tourism concludes the book.  Text contains enough information for reports but is not exceptionally well written.  Glossary and index are included.  Websites provide good additional information.

The front end pages contain a large map  of Poland.  The back end pages contain a map of Poland and surrounding countries in Europe.  The book begins with a brief history and geographical features.  Several cities are highlighted.  The people and culture chapter includes names of famous Poles.  The education system is described.  Christmas and Easter are two important holidays.  Favorite foods and traditional dishes are mentioned.  One recipe for beet soup is included.  Although most people travel by car, other methods are by railways, by water, and by air.  The book concludes with short chapters on nature and tourism destinations.  Glossary, index, and several reliable websites are included.  There are many colorful photographs that complement the text.  Contains good information for writing country reports.  There is no photo or illustration about the country flag, but accurate information can be found on the recommended websites.

Benjamin Middlemouse’s mother disappears while doing errands.  He and his friend Bumper, the elephant, gather supplies and prepare for the search.  They learn Sir Pouncelot, the cat, is hunting mice and moles for dinner.  They find Benjamin’s mother in a cage in Sir Pouncelot’s tower.  They trick the cat, free mother, and convince Sir Pouncelot to eat new favorite foods.  Molly Cox is the author of several children’s books.  As a child, she made clothes and furnishings for stuffed animals.  The charm of this book are in all the details she has included on each page.  Oliver Toppin’s photographs do an excellent job of adding intrigue to the adventure.  Some of the supplies Benjamin and Bumper took with them are a ladder for Benjamin made from matchsticks, a ladder for Bumper made with nails and strips of cloth, and a slingshot with popcorn ammunition.Molly Coxe’s attention to details is incredible.  This book is a visual treat.

Julie Andrews, a life-long entertainer, has written many books for children, as well as several with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.  This book is for all fairy princesses!  Geraldine knows exactly what is required of a fairy princess.  Her sparkle really shines when she sings and dances.  In ballet, she is disappointed when another girl, Tiffany, is chosen to be th Crystal Princess.  Geraldine’s costume is for the jester and, disheartened, she loses her sparkle.  However, she still wears her crown under the jester’s hat.  She falters and trips during her solo.  But when Tiffany’s crown is broken, Geraldine saves the day as she loans her crown to Tiffany.  Her sparkle returns.  Christine Davenier’s ink and colored pencil illustrations include lots of pink and purple – fairy princess colors!

“Four Friends at Christmas” is a reprinting of a chapter from Tomie dePaola’s book,”Four Stories for Four Seasons”, which was first published in 1977.  Mister Frog normally slept through the winter.  His friends told him about the joyous holiday of Christmas.  So, this year, Mister Frog decided to stay up to join in the celebration.  He made lists and plans to make everything perfect.  All the work made him tired, so he lay down for a nap.  He awoke with a start on Christmas Eve.  Stores were closed and Mister Frog had no food or decorations. As he wondered how his friends were celebrating, the doorbell began to ring and three Santas (his friends) brought everything needed for a fine celebration.  Tomie dePaola’s delightful illustrations add details to the story with visual hints about each Santa’s arrival.  No Tomie dePaola collection would be complete without this new edition of this Christmas tale.

Mike Huckabee, politician, has written many books for adults.  This is his first one for children.  He relates the true story of talking his sister into helping him open their presents before Christmas.  Mike wanted a football.  Sister Pat wanted a chemistry set.  They played with them for almost two weeks while their parents were at work.  Although they acted surprised Christmas morning, their parents noticed the football was dirty and the chemistry set was used.  This led to a discussion of when one does something sneaky, it takes the joy out of the celebration.  Jed Henry’s colorful illustrations show the warmth in the Huckabee household.  The cat and dog share joy with the mischievous children.  This is a wholesome holiday story with a moral about patience.

Emily Green has written many nonfiction books for young readers.  This book on raccoons contains large, full-page photographs on one side of the spread, and one or two large font sentences on the other.  Photographs are well matched with the text.  A colorful top border creates a pleasing look to the spread.  Books listed for further information are a a slightly higher independent reading level.  Factsurfer.com website provides an online opportunity for learning.  Some material is at a much higher reading level.  A glossary and index are included.  This nonfiction book is a good resource for emergent readers.

In another of her nonfiction animal books for young readers, Emily Green describes skunks.  Each spread contains a full-page photograph and one or two sentences written in large font.  Photographs are well-matched to the text.  A colorful top border unites the pages.  Books listed for further reading are written at a higher independent reading level.  One is fiction instead of another nonfiction.  Factsurfer.com website is listed for additional information however the reading level is for more proficient readers.  A glossary and index are included with photo credits in the back.  Recommended for beginning readers looking for factual information on skunks.