Part general cultural information, part cookbook, this volume makes efficient use of its 24 pages.  It begins with an overview of how food fits into Chinese culture, and common traits, as well as regional differences.  In the back four recipes are offered, that look both tasty and doable — and this coming from a picky eater and novice cook.  The information is well-illustrated with color photos, including in the step-by-step portion of the recipes.  The binding is sturdy, and all the classic non-fiction text features are included. I haven’t actually tried cooking the recipes yet, but I’m encouraged to do so.  If they don’t live up to my expectations, I’ll update my review to reflect that, but for now I highly recommend the title.

The story tells about a boy and his dog racing along a crowded seaside boardwalk when they get separated.  As the frantic young boy goes looking for his dog, he first only sees a variety of knees, but keeps climbing on progressively higher items in attempts to get a better view, seeing bellies, then hair, before he climbs to the top of a deserted life-guard stand where he gets a decent vantage point, and eventually finds his dog snagged by his leash under the boardwalk, where the two hang out to escape the storm that’s been gradually building in the background throughout the story.  The illustrations are really quite fun, drawn in a rather cartoonish style that captures a wide, exaggerated variety for each body part the boy finds himself surrounded by.  At times the text of the story has a fun rhythm and rhyme to it, but by going in and out of rhyming, rhythmic text, alternated with more prosaic text, it’s got a bit of a clunky feel to it.

The illustrations are fun and inviting, and the book would make an excellent choice for sharing with a child before a trip to Paris, or as a souvenir from such a trip, as the story describes a dash through the Louvre, and the illustrations show a lot of world-famous artworks that are at home in the famous museum.  Likewise, the scenes outside the museum do a great job of capturing a sense of Parisian sights: the Eiffel Tower, the architecture, the baguettes in a cafe, etc. But aside from that, for general audiences, I’m not sure the story has enough of a plot/climax.  It basically tells about an old woman who turns down an invitation from a friend to visit the Louvre, to which she’s never been despite living in Paris, because they won’t allow her dog; when her dog escapes and races through the museum, she and her friend follow, and when eventually stopped by a guard Madame Martine apologizes, but the guard says they can make an exception because her friend works there.  It’s fine, but a little flat.

On the plus side:  the project uses common, inexpensive items that are easy to come by; the instructions are broken into easy-to-follow sequence; photo illustrations clearly support the written instructions; and key points are clearly labeled with an “Ask for adult help” tag.  Oh, and the binding is sturdy and it’s got all those standard non-fiction text features.  On the negative side:  the child photographed with the project looks about six, which completely fits the obvious target audience for this book & project, yet experience tells me there is no way that the project photographed with the child was actually created by a six-year-old (adult-created artwork being passed off as kid artwork is a pet-peeve of mine); also the hammer and nail used to puncture holes in the plastic caps are not included in the original list of things you need; also $16 for instructions to make one craft doesn’t seem like a lot of bang for your book buck.

The Wombats and their teachers Ms. Annabel and Mrs. Nott visit the zoo ready to make the most of their experience.  Let loose on the zoo, each of the Wombats and their teachers records his or her experiences in first person, often including a short poem.  Facts are interspersed with humor and word play.  The same humor can be found in the busy illustrations.  The complex interactions of the numerous characters makes this a title that would benefit from a second or third read.

This is an international publication with English spellings.  The Wombats Go on Camp contains the same goofy characters.

“Every day, millions of creatures are locked in a battle for survival”  Dead of Alive? is full of examples of how creatures, both big and small, survive unique challenges.  From the wood frog that can survive being frozen solid to the barnacle that turns a crab into a zombie, the book is full of intriguing facts about animal survival.

The book is graphically engaging with colorful illustrations and photographs as well as different size, font style, and arrangement of text.  Contains a Table of Contents, Quiz, Additional Resources, Glossary, and Index.

Published in the UK, the English spellings such as centimetres instead of centimeters may be confusing for young readers.

Sieb Posthuma’s Where is Rusty? is a treat for the eyes.  Posthuma’s illustrations are wittily creative and are the prize of the book.  Readers follow Rusty and his family as they enter a busy multi-floored department store to do some shopping.  Both the title and the mother’s guiding foreshadow what’s to come — Rusty wanders off.  Remembering the audience, Rusty doesn’t come across as too scared.  Instead, he’s inventive in how he’ll hide from the patrol watchdogs around the store while still looking for his mother.  The only lacking caveat is that there is no remorse in Rusty.  Instead of an apology when is mom is snuggling with him that evening at home, “…Rusty’s not listening.  He’s worn out and dreaming about the dog-biscuit machine.”  A simple “I’m sorry mom” would have gone miles with this reader.  Because of this, Where is Rusty is an additional purchase instead of recommended.

A poetic celebration of a blustery day, and a tool for teaching nouns and verbs, too.  The book describes all the ways different things behave on a windy day, told in two-word sentences, always coming back to the many things “we” do on such a day. (e.g. “Twigs drop. Clouds race. Seeds scatter. We chase!”)  The illustrations support the text, providing readers a chance to hunt for where each example is found, and they also extend the text, rounding out the story of who is doing what as the windy day progresses, showing a family sharing a day together, enjoying simple pleasures. Oh, and it would be good for hunting for rhyming pairs and exploring interesting verb choices as well.

The illustrations are really charming, but I wish the story was stronger.  It’s basically about five little mice who are out and about when one disappears and the others look for him, eventually finding him, and then the others disappear.  The fun in the book comes from searching on each page for the little bit of the missing mouse that is peeking out from somewhere.  It’s strictly a choice for the youngest set, PreK or kinders.

Law and Disorder is part the Beware of Batman series of graphic novels.  The story follows the typical super hero story line with a villain for the good guy to beat.  Batman’s backup is a woman named Katana.  A Visual Questions and Prompts section in the back helps teach readers to effectively engage with the graphic nature of graphic novels.  Also contains a Glossary with pronunciation of key words.