This is the fourth book in a non-fiction series “The Superpower Field Guide.” I confess I’ve never been a big fan of eels, but this book really held my interest. I wanted to know about Olenka’s migration. Black and white line drawings and more realistic colored illustrations help tell the story of “Olenka, migrating mistress of mystery.”
Olenka is a freshwater eel and her saga is divided into her ten “superpowers.” The author prefaces the superpower section with an introduction to eels in general and hooks the reader with the mystery of European eels, specifically one named Olenka. Having a specific eel to follow engages the reader in a story rather than just providing a list of facts.
A true-false quiz (with answers) adds some facts about a third of the way through the book. A second quiz at two thirds is a ‘Where’s the Eel?’ picture with the answers at the end of the book. The end of the text also includes a glossary and bibliography. Sadly there is no Table of Contents or Index provided.
Descent by Roland Smith
This is Bk. 4 in the Peak Marcello Adventure series and the final installment. The “outdoorsy” cover will attract readers who love climbing / survival stories. Welcome into the novel, also, those with an interest in international politics. Peak’s famous mountaineering father, Josh, and his climbing partner, Zopa, are on the run from Chinese government, wanted for questioning by the People’s Liberation Army. The setting is Tibet, the goal is to safely descend while not being discovered, while at the same time facing the usual survival challenges of avalanches, food and drink scarcity, and unpredictable weather.
Having not read the previous three books in the series put me at a disadvantage, especially in the lack of character development, probably established in the earlier books. The pacing was sometimes slow, typical for a survival story, but often action-packed as well.
Bad Brows by Jason Carter Eaton
Children’s books can be silly, sad, serious or goofy. But, it is not often that you can call a picture book “absolutely weird”! This story is just that – weird! Bernard wakes up one morning and his eyebrows have taken on a life of their own. He tries to smooth them down, but to no avail. They bunch up, grow to crazy lengths, bush out, tie in knots and all sorts of other strange activity ensues. Bernard has no control over his brows and those around him are offended, angered and stumped by their unruliness (and place a bit of the blame on Bernard). Fortunately, things calm down for Bernard when his real eyebrows return. Apparently, they were on vacation. Hmmm…where did the substitute brow go? The answer is on the last page on his baby sister’s forehead. Oh, no!
Cartoon-like illustrations match the weirdness of the text. Characters are diverse, which is one normal part of this book. Hand this to your readers who like some of the stranger cartoons on television, like Gravity Falls or Steven Universe. They’ll understand this book.
I Got You a Present! by Mike Erskine-Kellie & Susan McLennan
It’s a birthday party and Duck comes bearing…nothing! He tells a story of his search for the perfect gift, from socks that took six months to make (and still look pretty bad) to a a really cool rocket ship that some lost aliens needed to use to fly home. But, all is not lost! Duck has the perfect gift – this story! What could be better than a story about your favorite things and your good friend, Duck?
Fans of silly friendship stories like Elephant and Piggie will enjoy this zany duck and his mishaps as he tries to find the perfect gift for his friend. Illustrations are bright and cartoon-like. Duck is animated and engaging as he moves from gift to gift in his search for the perfect one. Recommended.
As Many Nows As I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl
From looking at the attractive cover, one may predict that this will be a cute love story. The cover is deceiving. While it is the love story of two teens,Scarlett and David, during the summer before they leave for college, there are much deeper themes. Note: there are mature topics that may be triggers for some students.
LGBTQ Service In the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PHD
LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces by Duchess Harris, JD, PhD. looks at enlisted LGBTQ people and legislation that made their experience in the US military difficult. It also discusses how LGBTQ soldiers served during times of war but were often discharged for their gender identity or sexuality after the war. The book includes include a glossary, further readings, websites, source notes, sidebars, and an index. Period and modern photographs put faces to the historic characters and modern service members discussed in the text. LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is appropriate for use in school curriculums and is aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
LGBTQ Service in the Armed Forces is part of a series which includes Being Transgender in America, Growing up LGBTQ, LGBTQ Discrimination in America, LGBTQ Rights and the Law, and LGBTQ Social Movements in America.
Just One Itsy Bitsy Little Bite / Solo uan mordidita chiquitita
Written by Xavier Garza with vibrant illustrations by Flor deVita, this bilingual picture book is fun both for young children as well as older student learning Spanish. It is a cute Day of the Dead counting story: one skeleton, then two, and more and more, come to the Joaquin’s door wanting his mother’s traditional pan de muerto. They eat it all up, not leaving even one itsy bitsy little bite for Joaquin.
EL Crossover by Kwame Alexander
This is the Spanish edition of Kwame Alexander’s award winning novel in verse, Crossover. This is the story of two 12 year old brothers, Josh and Jordan Bell, who live and breathe basketball. They are whizzes at the crossover dribble (a player dribbling the ball switches the ball rapidly from one hand to the other, to make a change in direction in an effort to deceive the defender). Things start to fall apart when Jordan meets the new girl at school.
Crossover won the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize.
Having a Spanish edition of this popular title will be a real asset to our school libraries, and is relevant to upper elementary, middle school and high school students.
Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel
In Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Talk, Think, And Feel environmental educator and photographer Nancy Castaldo explores the minds of animals and explores how animals communicate, use tools, live in social societies, and show empathy. Using interviews and historical information, Castaldo looks at the researchers from Charles Darwin to Jane Goodall, and many others, to look at the minds of animals. The reader will discover all kinds of fascinating information, including that dolphins are the animals with largest brains relative to body size next to humans. But dolphins have more folds in their cortex than any other animal, including man. Scientists believe that the folds provide more room for neurons.
There are many more interesting facts and stories of animals, accompanied by wonderful photographs. The book includes sidebars, a glossary, source notes, an index, lists of recommended videos, books, and a Nobel Prize lecture, in addition to an extensive bibliography.
For those enjoying science non-fiction, Castaldo has two other books of interest, Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (And Their Noses) Save the World, and The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, And How There’s More of Less to Eat Around the World.
Beyond Me by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu
Maya lives with her Japanese father and American mother in Japan. Her grandmother and Great Grandfather live nearby. Maya is in school on March 11, 2011 when an earthquake hits off the Japanese coast, followed by a tsunami and damage to a nuclear plant. Her family is safe and intact, but Maya is scared as the aftershocks keep coming for days and weeks. She makes paper cranes and writes messages to “The People in the Northeast” to help her cope.
Written in verse, the author uses fonts and color to show the aftershocks and Maya’s feelings. Dates at the top and timestamps for the aftershocks make you feel the anxiousness that Maya was feeling. Maya and the other characters in the story of different ways of coping and the story shows us that we all have different ways of getting through a disaster.