Those of you with pre-school youth will enjoy this 6″ X 6″ book containing recorded sounds of six animals: rooster, cow, duck, pig, sheep, and horse. The sounds are so life-like my dog comes running to find the animal, each time I push one of the six sound buttons.
This is a sturdy board book, with a hidden on/off switch under a flap inside the back cover.
Former science and math teacher Rob Ives has compiled nine projects to make using common everyday supplies. Each project comes with step-by-step illustrated directions, including warnings when open flames and utility knives are involved. At the end of each set of directions there is a color photo of the project and a photo of an actual working devise. Example: a balloon hovercraft is assembled in five steps on pages 12-13, ending with a photo of an actual hovercraft skimming over water in the section entitled, “Amazing Science”.
The first project is fairly simple, but fun, with each consecutive project’s instructions becoming a little more involved/difficult.
The projects are close-ended as they are presented in this book, but could easily be made open-ended if the builder needs to present something with a hypothesis.
Experiments include: bottle rocket, ball in orbit, balloon hovercraft, elastic band dragster, paper plane, candle seesaw, soap-powered boat, warm-air spinner, and a vortex.
Going back to school is a BIG worry for a Bigfoot! Finding clothes that fit, getting a full body hair cut, worries about lunch time and even picture day make BigFoot want to quit school! Yet, there are so many great things about school such as his teacher, the study of mythological creatures, and, most importantly, his friends. That is enough to change Bigfoot’s mind. Illustrations are bold and bright. This silly story will have young students laughing.
Alphie Bloom thought his Summer would be boring, until he gets told he has inherited a castle, Hexbridge Castle, which has been closed up for hundreds of years. Alphie receives a letter explaining that he must be sure not to open the basement with the talisman-key enclosed. Alphie and his two cousins have a great time exploring the castle and finding a large bear skin rug that magically comes to life and takes the trio on a magic carpet ride through the city. Unfortunately, they nearly escape the wrath of a two headed dragon before reaching the safety of the castle again.
Alphie attends school where two horribly mean head mistresses have targeted him as a victim. There, the students are preparing to put on a theatrical show in the auditorium until a fire breaks out. In fear the show may not go on, he offers the use of the castle which could allow someone to open the basement and let a nest of hibernating dragons out. While the show is in progress, the two headmistresses turn into the two headed dragon in an attempt to get the talisman-key, but good always wins, and the dragon is taken down. Adventure, magic, time travel, and mystery awaits.
Princess Juniper’s father sent her message, in Queen’s Basin, two weeks ago telling how his kingdom is under attack by the Monsians. Meanwhile, her cousin Cyril unsuccessfully tried to usurp her valley. Later, Cyril admits, ” I know who thieved your horses.”(22) What else can go wrong in Princess Juniper’s life? Juniper’s group can’t help her father without their horses, so Juniper will work with her treacherous cousin Cyril to get the horses back. This leads to an adventure through tunnels in the mountain to find a whole different world. Little by little, Juniper realizes this is the world her deceased mother came from, the world of the Anju. The Anju have prematurely lost their leader. They are preparing to celebrate their lost leader’s life and then, begin the trials to determine who their new leader will be. It is slowly revealed, Juniper’s mother is of the Anju bloodline to take part in the trials. Now, Juniper feels she must go through the three Trials: Tests of Might, Mind, and Mettle. If Juniper is successful, she will have the army she needs to help her father. Juniper is considered an outsider by most of the Anju, but a case is made to allow her to be in the trials. Trickery, skill, and happenstance woven together by several in the trials eventually determine Juniper to be the new chieftain of the Anju. But how will Juniper be a proper chieftain for the Anju if she does not, in fact, know their culture? How will the Anju be a willing army to fight for Juniper’s father when they are against violence? Once again, Juniper must deal with the problems of being a leader, but this time by declining the role of Anju’s chieftain. And by doing this, Juniper wins the trust of Zetta, the second in the trials, now the Anju’s new chieftain. Zetta vows to help Juniper in her fight with the Monsians, who are also longtime enemies of the Anju.
Get ready for book three.
The ‘Brands We Know’ series provides readers with a history of world famous Pokémon. This book is strictly facts. Instructions for games are not included or hinted upon.
Pokémon began as three Japanese companies for video games, card games , and television shows and movies: Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, Inc. Pokémon was first released in Japan, then two years later in the United States of America.
Players battle wild Pokémon and trainers, gaining extra speed and strength, then come to gyms, and evolve into different characters. “Every few years, a new generation of Pokémon games is released.”(12)There are seven generations at time of publication.
In 2016, Pokémon Go was introduced to over one hundred countries and has been downloaded over six hundred million times. The Pokémon TV show airs in over one hundred countries and there are over twenty movies. “Pokémon brings people of all ages together for fun and friendship!” (19)
Includes:Table of Contents, Timeline, Glossary, www.factsurfer.com, and Index.
Pre schooler will enjoy this 18 page board book told in rhyme.
“Where did all the dinos go? Some say they vanished long ago.
But I’ll bet if we take a look,
We just might find some in THIS BOOK.”
The dinosaurs are finding in plain sight dressed as a city cowboy, a business man with a courier bag and another one wearing a neck tie. There is one driving a car. Another one is playing in the park, while others are wanting to share your ice cream cones.
Large bright colors.
“What’s the PEST going to eat NEXT?” beans? corn? peas? turnips?
There is a mole or gopher in the vegetable garden. First it eats all of the beans, then corn (sheep’s favorite-‘sniff’), then the peas –“YIPPEE!” , donkey doesn’t like peas. Before the pest strikes again duck comes up with a plan. Duck beats the pest at its own game by eating all of the turnips. When the pest leaves the farm, the animals replant the garden and build a fence.
Super BIG, simple illustrations with great facial expressions and minimal dialog.
Includes for parents a “get your child to read in three simple steps” chart.
Young readers are introduced to the concept of traveling long distances by train through a series of outdoor photos of trains in the United States of America, Korea, and Australia. There are also photos of people eating in a dining car, sleeping in a sleeper car , and sightseeing.
There are two sentences, in large font, on the left hand page accompanying the full page photo on the right hand page.
Books contains : Table of Contents, 6 word Glossary with small photos, an Index, and “on the Web” www.factsurfer.com .
Set at Storm Cliff Stables, a camp “for girls crazy about horses” (4) Aunt Jane, the owner/director of the camp, asks the camp girls to plan her wedding at the camp, when Aunt Jane announces she will be marrying Clyde in two days. Khadija, whose parents are currently in Pakistan for a wedding, is overjoyed to help. All the fun of planning a wedding, while learning about Khadija’s Pakistani Muslim culture, are rolled into one. Plus, there is the mystery of who seems to be thwarting Khadija’s plans for a Pakistani style wedding while also including Aunt Jane’s three requests: red velvet cake, flowers in her hair, and “to ride down the aisle[ in the horse arena] on Sapphire.” (26)
“Family isn’t just who you’re related to. It’s who you spend your time with and who you love to be around. I miss my family. I wish I could have been with them in Pakistan, but I’m thankful to be with my family here.” (111)
This book has all the fun of camp life, horses, and a wedding, to boot!
Each of the ten chapters has an illustration by Paula Franco