Bill, the dog, was very smelly and escaped every plan for a bath, until the family went on vacation and left Bill with Aunt Bleach! Aunt Bleach had quite a tussle, rolling in the compost bin where Bill was hiding, where she finally trapped him. Aunt Bleach finally prevailed with Bill smelling like a rose…but Aunt Bleach stunk! Adorable watercolor illustrations enhance this fun story. This story is told in changing rhyming patterns.

Author Michael Spradlin researched the short and courageous 18 months of the Pony Express.  Few accurate records remain but this story pieces together the first 11-day journey between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.  Although several riders participated, many names were lost.  However, it is known that on April 3, 1860, Johnny Fry left St. Joseph, MO on the first leg west while Billy Hamilton left Sacramento, CA on the first leg east.  The book is a composite of riders’ experiences throughout the history of the Pony Express.  Each rider carried a mochila, a small locked pouch, of mail to be delivered to the next rider waiting at a station on the trail.  He then helped out at the station until a rider arrived from the opposite direction with another mochila.  He would take that pouch and return to his original base.  Each leg could be hazardous and riders needed to be expert horsemen.  The end-pages contain a map and a timeline of the route.  Layne Johnson’s lively, richly colored oil paintings do an admirable job of illustrating the text.  Along with an author’s note are suggestions for further reading, a bibliography, and websites for more information of this exciting time in out country’s history.

This nonfiction book is from the Backyard Wildlife series (Blastoff! Readers) and is all about coyotes. This book is a Level 1 (Emergent), making the text quite simple. The book gives basic information about coyotes such as what they eat, their habitat and physical attributes. The book has great photos and a predictable layout with facing pages of pictures and text.

The animal poems in this book are too ridiculous and sugary and just plain lame, and the illustrations are too juvenile for even second graders to appreciate.  I have enjoyed other books by Karma Wilson and can appreciate her soothing style, but this one not so much.

The History of Latin Music is a great book in the Music Library series by Stuart A. Kallen.  This series would be a wonderful addition to any school library collection for students in Spanish classes, Music appreciation classes or for anyone interested in Latin music.  It is a comprehensive look on how the Latin genre has had a major impact on popular music and how each nation in Latin America has its own unique musical form.  The series does an excellent job focusing in on modern musicians as well as the instruments used and the cultural history of each region.  Each chapter has numerous color photographs, informative sidebars, and annotated bibliographies.   I have truly enjoyed the series I have received and would like to purchase the whole collection.

     Claire’s hum-drum life takes a turn for the better when she is struck by lightning and immediately everything begins to go her way.  She gets the lead in the school play, the boy she likes is suddenly interested in her, math is finally easy for her, and her parent’s relationship begins to improve.  Claire first believes that the lightning has brought a bit of magic to life; as things begin to settle back to normal, Claire realizes you can create your own good luck by believing in the positive.

Lulu was tired of being a little chick. She couldn’t do anything because she was so small, so she decided to go far, far away.  Lulu learned her lesson when she found herself alone and scared. However, Mama found her and Lulu felt much better! Lulu decided the next time she was going far, far away, she was going to take her mama with her. Fun, colorful illustrations add to the story.                          

Little Emmy, who is only three, seems to cause a lot of trouble only to have her brother and sister take the blame. Eventually it catches up to her in the end when her parents finally send her to her room for the mischief she causes.  This story is creatively told in rhyme and has fun watercolor illustrations.

One day, four chickens take the ride of their life when they crawl into the back of a truck to get to the open feed sacks just as the farmer drives off toward town. Once in town, they fall out of the truck and experience the terrifying sights, sounds and smells of the city, all the while asking, “What if we get flattened? What if our brains turn to mush? What if…” The chickens eventually find themselves in the back of the farmer’s truck heading home…safe and sound. This fun, silly story uses many unique and eccentric adjectives and verbs!

Soccer stand-out Jake Stuart faces a new situation when a family move lands him on the worst team in the league.  The coach, noticing his talent, asks Jake to be a “coach on the field” to the rest of the team, helping Jake to realize the importance of good team chemistry.  Jake’s toughest challenge is learning how to become a friend to teammate Kevin, who is suffering the loss of his mother and shutting himself off from the world.  Jake’s own personal challenge is learning how to get better at losing.

As the series title suggests, (Comeback Kids), the book ends with an up-set victory, with Jake, clearly the best player on the team, unselfishly letting Kevin win the game for the team.