This biography in the American Icons series from Enslow Publishers is a pretty standard issue, 90 page read.  One formulaic piece that is debatable about its effect is the introductory chapter that outlines the whole story.  This may have been directed by the publisher, but author Marty Gitlin basically tells the story of the book in the 1st chapter.  The rest of the book continues in a chronological order with quite a few more details, but if a student only reads the 1st chapter, they will get to know the bulk of Tyler Perry’s story.  This reader became bored because I already knew what was going to happen next. Unlike other publisher’s biographies, there are no glossy pictures woven throughout.  This is 90 pages of text.

The choice of the publisher to do Tyler Perry was a good one.  Perry had a very hard life as a child and chose to forgive and work hard to accomplish all that he has attained.  This message is a constant backdrop in the story.   As Perry found more success with his writing and performing, he branches out into different venues – from stage to movies to television shows.  He is presented as a very passionate man.  The controversy around his character of Madea, whom Perry himself plays while cross-dressing as a woman, is interesting because not all of his African-American audience liked this strong, religious, blunt woman figure that shows up in so many of his plays and movies.  Some feel it is low-brow humor but most feel it adequately represents the mothers and grandmothers they themselves grew up with.

Ultimately, schools with larger African-American populations should see this biography circulate.  But even those that don’t have that population can purchase this for an example of a contemporary star who continues to push himself despite such a horrible past.  Messages of forgiveness and perseverence will be remembered.

Four of V. Woolf’s books are critiqued in this book.  Each book’s synopsis is given, and then a type of criticism is employed:  historical criticism for Mrs. Dalloway, feminist criticism for A Room of One’s Own , biographical criticism for To the Lighthouse and gender criticism for Orlando.  Each chapter helps the student learn and examine how to critique a book.  Includes a biography and timeline of her life, glossary, resources, source notes, index, and photos.

The prayers are selected from the Bible and from the heritage of the Christian faith.  Both written and compiled by Mary Joslin

A compliation of three dog stories for the preschool crowd.  Molly brings a young girl safely home from being lost in the woods.  Ginger gets lost while exploring on a family outing.  And Yuki, who after her owner dies, forms a close bond with a young boy whose famly is struggling to make ends meet.  The soft, beautiful illustrations compliment the gentle tone of the short narratives.  I also appreciated the ethnic and socio economic diversity in the stories.  Here are three bedtime stories, in one book, that the wee ones will ask for time and time again.

Pig loves to play Princess where she is granted any wish she has by her friend Twig who is playing a fairy mouse.  Pig gets wish after wish until finally Twig wants a turn.  Pig says no and Twig turns to leave.  When Pig sees that Twig is serious, she relents and trades places.  The whole story is focused on words using the short voweli.  Pig and Twig are adorable wool felt animals with a setting of found objects.   The 3D look is different and attractive.  Young students who are beginning readers are able to sound out the words and feel confident being able to read a story.  This book should be in every primary grade classroom.

Rat Attack is a new Brave Mouse Reader which focuses the learner on the short vowel ‘a‘.  Coxe manages to write an exciting story of Gram who is making jam and rats keep showing up trying to get the jam.  Gram is a mouse with grandmice, however they are all dolls (I think).  Finally, Gram thinks of a way to scare off the rats and they create a cat attack to restore peace.  Their home and kitchen are all handmade from found objects and the effect of 3D is very noticeable and pleasing.  Young children will enjoy the story as well as the setting.  How fun if they could make something similar with the story they’ve written from one of the story starters at the end of the book. Rat Attack is a fun, new series helping young readers with the vowels, one at a time.

The illustrations are really quite charming, and though I’m not really well-versed in Swahili folktales, this one does include some of the classic characteristics of folktales, including providing an explanation for natural phenomena (in this case, explaining why chickens scratch at the ground).  As a general story it’s got some points that would make me question the storyline — why didn’t chicken just use Eagle’s prize needle at Eagle’s house, so the whole mess could’ve been avoided in the first place — but if you’re wanting to expand your multi-cultural folk tales, this would probably fit the bill nicely.

It gets points for a good, sturdy binding, and for clear step-by-step directions with good photo support.  But it completely utterly misses the mark of what its title claims.  The crafts included are not particularly “earth-friendly,” given that most of the materials used in the crafts are plastic; and given that few of the materials used are likely to be found laying around the typical home, it’s hard to qualify them as “recycled stuff.”  I do like that the index categorizes the crafts according to difficulty level — that’s a tool helpful to young crafters.

Stemming from a legend that Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata in G Minor, known as “The Cat’s Fugue,” was inspired by the sounds of the composer’s cat walking on his harpsichord, this story tells of a cat with a head full of music which she longs to play.  Only her owner’s strict rules that no one is to touch his harpsichord keeps the cat constrained, until one day, in pursuit of a mouse, the cat lands on the keyboard and gives herself up to temptation.  Scarlatti fears what will happen to his own reputation if people find out that even a cat is able to compose such amazing music, so he gives her away to someone who does not own a harpsichord.  If your population has a heavy interest in music, it might be worthwhile, but it doesn’t exactly count as a must-have.

It gets points for a sturdy binding and bright, full-page color photos that support the text, and including e-books as well as print books in both text and photos.  But it lost points for being about a rather boring topic that seems like a waste of money, since I think there are probably better ways to teach the parts of a book.  However, it still might have earned an “Additional Purchase” if it hadn’t also shown itself guilty of one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to books for young children:  over-simplification to the point of untruthfulness.  When describing the spine of a book, it declares, “Hidden stitches hold the pages together.”  Yet that’s not always the case; sometimes staples or glue hold the pages together.  It claims that all books have barcodes on the back and tables of contents in the front, and that facts fill up nonfiction books, yet not all books have barcodes or tables of content, and not all nonfiction is facts.  This book is full of misinformation.