Tree Frogs is one of  the 50 books in the Animal Safari series of non fiction books for emergent readers. The cover photograph reels the reader in with its big red-eyed, larger than life tree frog.  Once inside the book, the two-page spreads contain two large font sentences on white, opposite the larger than life  photo on the right. The book is divided into  four sections: What are Tree Frogs?; Climbers; Hunting and Hiding; and Males, Females, and Babies.

The nine bold type vocabulary words included in the book’s text and defined in the glossary include: amphibians, gills, pads, and predators. Three different habitats are pictured in small insets when the rain forests are mentioned. The tree frogs’ prey of moths, crickets, and flies are also given small insets.  A very brief mention the life cycle from egg to tadpole to adult living in trees is mentioned without using the term life cycle in the last section of the book.

Includes an index and www.factsurfer.com web address for further information and pictures.

The series title: Super Cute! nails it! Baby Orangutans is one of  the 25 books in this series of non fiction books for emergent readers. The cover photograph reels the reader in with its big eyed (life-sized) baby orangutan face. The baby might be smiling, too.  Once inside the book, the two-page spreads contain two large font sentences on a patch of white, overlay the photo.

There are three, four page sections in the book: Orangutan Infant!, Life with Mom, and Learning from Mom. The seven vocabulary words  in bold type can be found with their definitions in the glossary at the back of the book. These include: ” bond – a close connection”,  comfort, grooms, and rain forest. Page 6 states, ” The infant acts a lot like a human baby. It sucks its thumb for comfort.”

Though this book is more picture than words, it does inform the reader the mother orangutan shows the baby how to build a nest for sleeping and how to find food, among other activities.

Includes an Index.

Lights, Camera, Perry? is an abridged version of the Disney Channel show Phineas & Ferb, episode ” Perry the Actorpus” from season 3, but with easier vocabulary used. If your patrons are fans of the TV show they will be able to follow the plot more easily than if they do not watch the TV series. This is partly due to the way TV segues jump so quickly and partly due to the abridgement of this story.

The story revolves around Phineas and Ferb’s entering Perry the platypus into a contest to be Totally Tools spokesanimal and Perry won. Now there are Totally Tools ads posted all over town with Perry the platypus wearing a fedora. By shear coincidence, this is Perry’s disguise when he is fighting evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz as Agent P. Temporarily, Agent P ( Perry) is replaced by Agent S (Sergei the snail)  in the latest fight against Doofenschmirtz and his latest invention the Mustache-inator.

Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb’s sister Candace attends a retreat- “Stop the Busting” in her attempt to be nicer to her brothers. Candace is making headway until she is informed the machine she is using was created by her two brothers. Smash! Candace eliminates the machine.

In the meantime, Perry’s picture in the Totally Tools ads around town have been replaced using Sergei’s photo in Perry’s place. Now Agent P is back on the job.

Traumatic Brain Injury – From Concussion to Coma is a concise 88 page informational text that doesn’t feel like the informational text coming from most publishers today.  Glossy cover with images and font choices that make the overall impression of the page much more relevant to teen readers, Connie Goldsmith, an RN with her master’s degree in health care administration, does an outstanding job explaining the literal “impact” concussions have on the brain and the side effects that follow.  For example, in the chapter titled “Motor Vehicle Accidents, Goldsmith writes that “It’s easy to understand why brain injuries suffered in auto accidents are so serious.  Think of it like this.  When a person inside an auto moving at 50 miles (80 km) an hour is hit by another vehicle, the brain goes immediately from 50 miles and hour to zero.  The brain slams back and forth inside the skull resulting in severe damage” (59).  Other chapter titles include “Brains in the News”, “The Traumatized Brain”, “Sports-Related Concussions”, “Assessing and Treating Concussions”, “Wounded in War”, and “Living with TBI”.  While the numbers of reported concussions is on the rise, the author states that this might mostly be due to the larger awareness and reporting of concussions by the public.  Most sports teams, both professional and amateur, conduct a pre-season neurological screening to set base line measurements.  This aids in better diagnoses as well. Most shocking to this reader is the research and development going on to both monitor and prevent concussions.  Tiny sensors are now in some U.S. army helmet and the author claims that that NFL is looking to do that as well.  Additionally, the army is developing a pill that soldiers could take before battle to help protect brains cells if injury occurs.  Overall, librarians will be impressed with this title from Lerner Publications and probably be inclined to purchase more from this publisher.

Shadow Squadron is “- a top-secret special missions unit. Assembled by the United States’ Joint Special Operations Command, the unit was comprised of elite soldiers from the Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Army Rangers, and the Marine Special Operations Regiment…From one end of the world to the other, the team had showed up wherever the US government required military intervention but couldn’t act openly for tactical, political, or legal reasons.”  (p.12)

Carl Bowen sounds like he has a recipe for middle school-aged boys who want modern day adventure! The story is just shy of 100 pages, written in five chapters, has nine full-page color-graphic illustrations, uses military jargon / lingo – “boots on the ground”, and begins each chapter with what appears to be classified computer screen intelligence listed as “com chatter”.

As this book in the series begins, Shadow Squadron is introduced to its newest member of the team, who just happens to be a woman. They are briefed on a ‘blind’ mission which will be taking them to Northwest Africa to rescue Senator Barren’s kidnapped son. Once Shadow Squadron locates Jack Barron, they find out Jack has not been kidnapped, but instead wants to use money from his trust fund to pay protection money to keep a village safe. Shadow Squadron sends  Bubaga’s band of slavers away from the village. Fearing Bubaga’s retaliation on the village, Shadow Squadron makes a big show of leaving the area, only to ready themselves to defend the village and stop the protection racket. Once Bubaga is defeated at the village, the Shadow Squadron hands their intel over to the local Malian Army. The Malian Army will stop the slave ring and graciously take the credit because the Shadow Squadron was never really there.

Includes: Author Debriefing with questions and answers and a 12 page preview of another Shadow Squadron book – Dark Agent.

This 6.5″ X 7.5″ counting book is one of the BEST I have ever wanted to use with young children!

The top 2/3s of each page captures the word “Nature” from the book’s title with  a bright, colorful, close-up look of an item from nature just begging to be counted by the young reader: mushrooms, bird’s eggs, acorns, tulips, dewdrops, icicles, and 14 more.

Below the photo are two sentences. The first sentence includes the name of the item to be counted. The second sentence states the number of items to be counted. “Lotus seeds grow in a pod. This pod has 13 seeds.”  (p. 16)

Below the sentences is a thee part display:  gives a display of dots, followed by an “equal sign”, followed by the numeral, followed by an equal sign, followed by the numeral written as a word.        ***  =  3  =  three

Finally, across the bottom of each page is a number line from 1 to 20. The numeral for each page is highlighted with an arrow pointing to it from below. YES, this book does count to twenty!

The only down side of this book would be the color selection for the book’s front cover. Mauve  and pinks while attractive to an adult might not make the book jump out to the young reader.

The Nethergrim is an evil force once thought slain but now, after many decades, has reawakened; it is a force so strong that it can grant everlasting life to those who choose to worship it.  In order for life to be given to a chosen individual, life must be taken from elsewhere, namely seven children.  As children begin to disappear and the search for them uncovers unimaginable terrors, the stories of The Nethergrim resurface.  A  trio of three unlikely friends join forces to solve the mystery of this hideous monster and to save the children of the village.  For reasons of their own, each of these friends has something to prove, and together they are a force to be reckoned with.  The Nethergrim is very well written; it is thrilling, exciting, thoughtful, sad, and a real old-fashioned page turner.  I can’t wait to read the next installment.

On a rainy day in the jungle, four friends, a moose, a zebra, a lion, and a sheep, are looking for a warm, dry place to play.  They settle in a cave, unaware it is already occupied by a cranky, sleepy bear.  Back outside in the train, they discuss how to cheer up the bear so he will let them back in.  Thinking about what makes them happy, the zebra suggests making him stripes, the moose makes a pair of antlers, and the lion suggests a golden mane.  Sheep waits outside while they take the gifts inside.  A loud ROAR chases the animals back outside.  Bear looks hilarious in his new attire.  As he rips it off, he grumbles that he just wants a quiet place to sleep.  Sheep is the only one to empathize.  She shears off half her wool to make a pillow for the bear.  He cuddles down to sleep and the four friends return to the warm, dry cave to play a quiet game of cards.  Jaunty rhyming text is illustrated by large, colorfully expressive artwork.  A fun read-aloud and a visual treat.

An easy rhyme tells of the adventure of a curious cat.  While exploring outdoors, a gray cat curls up on a chair in the back of a pick-up truck.  “Shake cat.  Quake cat.  There must be some mistake cat.”  Ending up far from home, the cat injures a foot jumping out of the truck.  A woman finds the cat and takes it to a shelter where her foot is bandaged.  Meanwhile, the cat’s owner, a little girl, hangs posters advertising her lost cat.  Eventually, the cat is returned to happily cuddle with her girl.  “Wrap cat.  Lap cat.  The only way to nap cat.”  Pencil, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are large, simple and colorful.  Digitally rendered, they show the emotions of this little cat’s adventure.

Hazel has waited forever for her baby brother to be born so she could read to him.  She practices with her stuffed bunny, Rodrigo.  When Edgar finally does arrive, Hazel thinks he’s not that much different from Rodrigo, or a watermelon!  so, she goes back to waiting. Eventually, Edgar says his first word, “No!”  He gets a lot of practice saying it as he says “No!” to everything Hazel suggests.  Mom records Edgar’s “firsts” as Hazel unceasingly tries to interest Edgar in anything.  One evening, ever-patient Hazel once again takes baby Edgar onto her lap to read a story.  Edgar cuddles in and listens.  When she finishes, it’s quiet.  Then Edgar says his second word, “Again”.  And his third word, “Again, ‘azel?” to which Hazel happily replies, “Again”.  This story certainly rings true to little ones learning a language and asserting their wishes.  Illustrations are colorful, uncomplicated, and are rendered digitally.