Washington

This is a very up to date book about the state of Washington, and interesting facts about it’s people, places, and products.

It is easy to read, has nice pictures, and clearly written facts about the state.

Nice addition to our geography collection.

From Iron to Car

This is a simple interesting explanation of how we obtain the material for, and then make a car.  It has detailed actual photos of the processes taking place.  The font is easy to read, with a simple vocabulary young people can understand.

The book is interesting and informative.

The Box

This story is creative and fun.  It teaches a lot about the fun of using your imagination.  I liked the way the boy with t he box includes everyone, even the boy who was showing off.

The font changes when the characters are talking, however the choice of font style is somewhat hard to read and fairly small in places.

The pictures are interesting and unique.

This is a good read for children!

Oopsy,Teacher!

This would be a great book to read to a class of children.  The final word of each thought is extra large print; making it easy for a group that was being read to to read and say together.  The story is light and funny.  The story makes the best of a bad situation.  It’s a good lesson in not letting problems get you down but just getting up and doing your best.

I think the children would enjoy the rather slap-stick things that happen to the teacher in this story.

The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit

Brer Rabbit is a trickster that lives in the folktales told for hundreds of years and collected by Joel Chandler Harris in the 1880’s.  This is a collection of seven tales and the language has been modernized from the original, but the humor remains.  Kids will love hearing about the escapades of Brer Rabbit as he pulls his tricks on Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Turtle.

Speaking Dog: Understanding Why Your Hound Howls and Other Tips on Speaking Dog

This new series from Capstone is of high interest targeting struggling or reluctant readers.  The vocabulary is controlled and the sentence structure is short and direct.  All parts of a non-fiction book are included such as a table of contents, glossary and index.  The photos do a good job of showing exactly what is referred to in the text.  The quick guide to canine body language data table does a nice job of explaining what dogs are trying to say if they could speak.  A book every school library should have to enable struggling students to experience success in reading non-fiction.

The Pets You Get!

This is a cute little story with fun pictures.  It deals with peoples differences and learning to appreciate each others and enjoy them.  It is a quick easy read that young children would enjoy.  The words are large easy to read font.  The pictures are bright and colorful.  It’s a fun addition to our library.

The Story Behind Maps

This reference on maps gives a brief history of mapmaking and famous mapmakers. It also provides information on types of maps, reading maps and on map projections. It ends a chapter titled, “The Future of Maps” that discusses satellites and sky surveys. There is a timeline, glossary, resources for more information at the end of the book in addition to the beautiful photographs and maps throughout the book. However, the book is aimed at a very young audience, and as a high school teacher, I do not know if it will find an audience in an elementary school.