When the Frost King brought the winter snow, Anna fashioned a snow dog.  She and her brother dressed him in a scarf and cap and loved him as if he were real.  The Frost King spotted Snow Dog, blew “life” into him and carried him back to the Ice Palace.  Snow Dog missed the children and searched until he found their house.  Exhausted, he curled up and fell asleep.  In the morning, Anna saw him at once and she and Olen dragged him inside.  As he rested, the snow melted and his ice coat was replaced with real fur.  As Anna hugged him, Snow Dog felt his heart beat with love for her.  Later, when the Frost King saw Snow Dog sleeping indoors, he realized there was a magic power he did not have.  He sprinkled more snow, and disappeared into the Northern Lights.  In the morning, Anna and Olen saw the Frost King had returned – and left enough snow to make a snow cat!   Loretta Krupinski paints with cool winter colors until the children bring Snow Dog indoors.  The colors then switch to warm reds, oranges, and browns.  Many pages have borders which complement the illustrations.  Good supplement for art lessons on color and design.

A little girl imagines the skills, equipment, and procedures needed to be an effective firefighter.  Along with her observations are boxes with additional information.  The bright watercolor and colored pencil artwork excellently illustrates the large text on each page.  A final page tells about classes one needs to take and physical fitness required to become a firefighter.  A glossary, index, internet sites, and books to read are included.  Other books in the Dream Big! series are:  If I Were a Ballerina, If I Were a Cowboy, If I Were a Major League Baseball Player, If I Were an Astronaut, and If I Were the President.  Books in this series are a good resource for children imagining their futures.

One can not only read facts about food and cooking in Italy, one also learns about history, climate of different regions, religion, culture and traditions.  Each photo has a caption.  Green colored boxes provide additional information.  There are 3 recipes for traditional favorites with measurements in both standard and metric systems.  Books for further information and websites provide more recipes and facts about Italy.  A glossary and index are included.  This book is a good resource for those looking for country information.

This is a fascinating book on the  seemingly disgusting microorganisms that keep our bodies healthy.  About 3 pounds of bacteria cover our bodies inside and out.  Their presence helps keep our skin healthy, aids in food digestion, consume dead material, is used to make medicine and make food tasty, as well as providing oxygen for us to breathe.  The text is well written at about a fifth grade reading level and is filled with intriguing facts.  Colorful, magnified photographs of a variety of microorganisms illustrate this engrossing book.  The glossary includes pronunciation as well as the definition of 10 words.  Also included are a list of resources, an Internet link, and an index.  Books in this series will appeal to reluctant readers who like science.  Other titles in the series are: “Bat Spit, Maggots, and Other Amazing Medical Wonders”, “Farts, Vomit, and Other Functions that Help Your Body”, and “Onion Juice, Poop, and Other Surprising Sources of Alternative Energy”.  The titles alone will draw an audience – especially boys!

Beauty standards are constantly changing, rarely realistic, and vigorously promoted by media.  Lip service is given to healthy eating and adequate exercise which is often resisted by the fashion industry.  However, anorexia is a symptom of a mental illness.  In this book, anorexia is discussed from a variety of viewpoints that cover a wide range of opinions.  Some of the contributors include  university professors, a fashion critic, an anorexia survivor, a parent of a child who died from anorexia, information from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a manager of an online program, an expert on eating disorders, medical writers and reporters.  There is no conclusion as to solutions.  Included are a list of organizations to contact and an extensive bibliography of books and periodicals for further reading.  This book provides a balanced discussion of this controversial topic.

Cartoon-like illustrations accompany photographs and magnified images of dust mites, bed bugs, clothes moths, germs, bacteria, and mold that can be found in a bedroom.  Each living thing is described along with its living conditions.  There is a box on most pages with additional information.  This colorful book is well designed with a good balance of photographs, illustrations, and text.  A glossary, index, related books to read, and two informational websites are included.  Readers will enjoy the “gross” factor.

It’s the first day of second grade in a brand new school, in a brand new city, and Lillian is nervous.  The teacher explains that Friday is her show-and-tell day, and each day as she watches and listens to her classmates tell about their toys and other possessions, she gets more and more nervous.  She’s nervous because she doesn’t feel she has anything to share with her new classmates.  She and her mom had to leave their home and all their possessions to move to a shelter, and all their money is being saved to pay for a new apartment.  When Friday comes around, Lillian shares her magic beads.  With them she shows her class all the wonderful things she can do with them:  use it to play circus and walk a tightrope, use it as a leash to walk her pet elephant, and turn it into a snake to scare the monsters out from under her bed.  Her classmates all see the wonder of imagination and want to play, too.  Imagination beats toys, hands down.

The title says it all, this dog loves books.  So much, in fact, he opens his own bookstore.  But no one comes.  Tired of waiting, dog decides to read and loses himself in one adventure after another, and realizes that this is the exact reason why he loves to read.  A customer comes in, a little girl, and he loves to share his favorites with her.  Very simple story, very simple illustrations, but it needs no more embellishments.

This 32 page book puts two dinosaurs, the T-Rex and the Velociraptor, in a battle, although they lived in different time periods on different locations of the earth.  It compares each dinosaurs size, speed, weapons and attack style, and then proceeds with a fictional, blow-by-blow, announcement style of attack. Illustrations and fast facts trivia are found throughout. This book contains a glossary, read more, internet sites, and index pages.  This was a fun read!

Airy Fairy attends Fairy Gropplethorpe’s Academy for Good Fairies. However, things tend to be a bit tough for Airy Fairy because Scary Fairy tends to pick on her, and Scary Fairy is the neice of the teacher, Miss Stickler. With Scary Fairy’s help, Airy Fairy seems to get into trouble. When the Academy takes a camping vacation, Scary Fairy tries to cause trouble for Airy Fairy, but her friends Buttercup and Tingle come to the rescue. Miss Stickler is proud when Airy Fairy wins the scavenger hunt.