I LOVE this book! The illustrations are simple, yet really charming and sweet.  The story is one every child can relate to:  it’s a whole series of things that Aberdeen didn’t mean to do, but circumstances keep leading him a little farther from home on an adventure that starts with following a red balloon that floated by.  Before he knows it, he’s alone and lost and it’s getting dark.  When Mom comes and finds him, he apologizes and says he didn’t mean to worry her.  Mom hugs him tight, and tells him she knows he didn’t mean to.  But he did.  I think it does a fabulous job of recognizing that very human experience of creating unintended consequences that wasn’t really what we meant to do, while also getting in that reminder that we need to acknowledge those consequences, whether or not it’s what we meant to do.

It’s basically a celebration of kids spending a day with Dad.  The illustrations and words work together to honor ordinary everyday delights, like pancake breakfasts and running errands and playing in the park and building forts and reading stories, while giving them some fun alligator twists (a fish tail sticking out of the pancake, bathtub letters spelling out, “swamp,” etc.)

The illustrations are fun, colorful, childlike cartoons.  The story is convoluted.  It starts out with a knight who rode away, but then the teller of the story remembers he didn’t actually have a horse, so he changes his mind and says that he strode away.  It continues is this manner — every time something is said to have happened, the narrator changes his mind and says it was really something else.  It rhymes more or less, but is still awkward to read.

It’s a bedtime story a little bit reminiscent of Goodnight Moon, but in a softer, more lyrical sort of way.  And instead of saying goodnight to the things in the room, the young boy and his friend are walking around the whole farm/household watching as the world settles into night.  There are only a few words per page, with lots of repetition and rhyme.  The illustrations set a quiet bedtime mood.  It’s sweet.

I’ve read several books in this series, and I keep being disappointed.  They have a really good designer who has created a layout that makes for an attractive book to sit on the shelf, or pick up and flip through.  The covers are shiny.  There are lots of attractive color photos.  I just wish they’d paid more attention to the most effective communication of information.  These are dull and basically read like textbooks — a general overview of all the pertinent information on a very shallow level.  They miss so many opportunities to use the photos in a more effective manner:  when they are describing unusual fruits or animals specific to the country, likely to be completely unfamiliar to students from other parts of the world, photos would have been highly appropriate.

The illustrations are really cute.  The story is okay.  Edgar is a mouse who loves to build things from the food scraps he finds, but his best friend Toby keeps eating his creations, so he heads off to go where he will be appreciated, only to find mice everywhere keep eating his creations.  He heads home dejected, but finds a gift from Toby — his own set of inedible building blocks.  It’s fine, but I’m thinking the solution to the problem seemed a bit obvious.

Starting with Earth’s atmosphere and moving outward through our solar system to the Universe, this book covers the huge topic of space. The book attempts the difficult task of introducing complex concepts to young readers and does not quite succeed.  For example, the parts of the sun and atmosphere are labeled as if they are significant, but not description is included.  The diameter and orbit period of all the planets are highlighted in the solar system spread, but the terms diameter and orbit period are never defined.  Because of these shortcomings, comprehension for young readers would be limited to rote recall and opportunities to develop deeper understanding and draw connections would be lost.

Text and graphics are visually appealing.  Contains table of contents, limited glossary and no index.

The Super Simple Body series celebrates your amazing body.  With simple text, photographs, illustrations, and activities, this book describes the types of muscles, how muscles work, and the essential role of muscles play in everyday activities.

Pronunciation of anatomical terms are in parenthesis following the word.  Visuals include photographs and detailed illustrations with labels.  Limited glossary and no Index.

Wagari was a Kenyan trailblazer for women’s rights and the environment.  Growing up in rural Kenya, she was one of the few women in her country to read, let alone graduate from high school.  Wagari continued her education in the United States before returning to a newly independent Kenya.  Upon her return, she was devastated to see the scarcity of trees and animals.  She strongly believed her mother’s teaching that a tree is worth more than its wood.  Her efforts in environmental advocacy and towards peaceful democracy were internationally recognized in 2004 when she was the first African woman to be award the Nobel Peace Prize.

The text is reminiscent of African oral storytelling traditions.  This beautifully illustrated book concludes with photographs and a timeline with highlights of Wagari Muta’s life and Kenyan milestones.

Even a gray city can come alive when art is shared.  Mira loved art and she shared pieces of her art and through her art, her joy with her neighborhood making it a little less gray.  Then Mira met a man with a pocket full of paintbrushes, a muralist who showed her how to infuse the neighborhood with energy and light by adding color and meaning to walls.  As Mira and her neighbors painted their songs onto the walls, the community celebrated together and the color spread to utility boxes, benches and even the sidewalks.  Together they created something beautiful. And so the book invites us spread something beautiful, for the world is our canvas and we are all artists.

A Note from the Authors explains the book is based on the true story of the East Village neighborhood in San Diego, California and Rafael and Candice López.  The husband and wife team were instrumental in transforming their community into the artistically vibrant community it is today.  The illustrator, Rafael López was the inspiration for the character of the muralist.  López has created community-based murals around the world.