There is lots of humor in this retelling of Humpty Dumpty’s fall.  It takes place in a hospital setting with animal characters.  Weasel is getting bubblegum removed from his fur when  cracked Humpty Dumpty is brought in.  The king’s men explain they tried to put him together before calling for help0.  Dr. Glenda questions Humpty and discovers he fell while watching the king’s men and horses because of a loud POP (Weasel’s bubblegum!).  Dr. Glenda’s quick thinking using Weasel’s bubblegum and headphones save the day – but not before admonishing the king’s men to not move an injured person until help arrives.  This is a fun twist on an old favorite with a little bit of medical information thrown in.  Illustrations are simple and colorful, the txt is easy to read, and the plot is fast paced.  Readers can enjoy other adventures in this animal hospital series.

The  Land Sharks (carnivores) are in a swimming competition with the Algae Eaters (herbivores).  They compete in several pool events from swimming to diving.  Told in rhyme, the various dinosaurs strut their stuff.  Some names are shortened to fit the rhyme, but dino-fans will love the realistic action.  As the dinosaurs compete, many experience mannerisms as most kids – making mistakes, bragging, pouting, being nervous, etc., as they  join in energetic performances.  Illustrations are large, colorful, and stylized.  The Land Shark uniforms are red, while the Algae Eaters are green.  Even the names of each dinosaur are either red or green to help identify the teams.  In this book, the Land Sharks win the meet.  However, reader can follow their competitions in other dino-sporting events y Lisa Wheeler.  Illustrations are colorful and lively.

Tales of dragons are told in many cultures.  Here, Mould collects four folktales, one original tale by another author, and five of his own stories.  The illustrations are the highlight here.  Mould’s artwork is curly and crisp, evocative and bright.  His dragons are beautiful and creepy, but friendly too.  His writing is uneven – mostly serviceable, with the occasional run-on sentence.  One glaring issue is that he labels three of the folktales with their region of origin, but when it comes to the story from his cultural heritage, merely marks it “traditional.”  Many children will enjoy reading through the selection of stories and poring over the pictures, but this is an additional purchase.

It is thought that Miss Muffet ran away because of a spider, but that is wrong. She is not interested in arranging flowers, or identifying insects or being demure. She wants to play her fiddle, but her mother finds this appalling and hides the fiddle. So while sitting on her tuffet, she sees a spider who knows where the fiddle is hidden. They decide to go off together. Along there adventure they come upon Bo-Peep and other characters and eventually end up Old King Cole’s castle.

This fractured fairy tale is told in verse with dialog and stage/setting notes. The story lends itself to a reader’s theater or some type of performance.

Pax befriends a pigeon he calls Blue. Every morning he feeds Blue a piece of toast. One morning Pax’s mother is in a hurry and he doesn’t get to feed Blue a piece of toast before he is hurried onto the subway. Pax is worried that he left Blue alone and you don’t leave a friend behind. Pax did not know that Blue followed him on the subway and now Blue was lost. Pax sees Blue on the subway and helps him get off.

The story is very simple with only 1-2 sentences on a page. The pictures are muted with Pax and Blue having the most color, but effectively tell more of the story.

What could you do with a bubble-gum-related superpower?  Gabby Gomez is walking down the street, minding her own business, blowing the biggest bubble-gum-bubble ever, when she finds out.  This early chapter book will appeal to the hybrid readers and bridge book lovers alike. Montijo uses black, white, and pink to illustrate, and writes a superhero story relatable to everybody.  He incorporates Gabby’s culture, sprinkling Spanish words and phrases into the dialog.  A sure-fire winner, the main drawback to this title is is that there are only a couple of books in the series.  Highly recommended for libraries serving elementary audiences.

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a giant pile of garbage.  Scientists have studied the phenomenon, and the creators of this book journeyed to witness science in action.  They focus on three scientists, and show some of the methods of study.  Text is broken up with plentiful photographs of things found in the ocean and the scientists at work.  Maps display how all that garbage got there.  This phenomenon in the world deserves all the publicity it can get, and the straightforward approach here is perfectly accessible to upper elementary and middle school students.  Important for most collections serving youth.

An early elementary informational book about the moon. It is a part of a series about things in the sky. The book features bright photographs, an index, table of contents, key facts, and bold keywords. Some of the vocabulary used is not as attainable to younger audiences, but with minimal assistance could be a resource for those wanting to learn more about the moon. The book did not focus just on the moon. The Key Facts page gave more information about the moon that I would have liked to see in the text itself.

Early elementary informational text about levers. This book is a part of a series called Simple Machines. Each page includes 1-2 clear and concise sentences. The vibrant photographs and text gives examples of levers and the text discusses the features of different levers and why we use levers. Several text features are utilized including bold keywords, glossary, table of contents, and index.

Early elementary nonfiction book about beluga whales. There are 1-2 simple sentences on a page and the information is basic. This would be a good book for beginning readers. Text features such as bold words, glossary, index, and table of contents are included. There is also a quick stats section and online learning resources.