Beginning with what it means to volunteer, suggestions are given for people wanting to make a positive difference in the life of an animal.  Realistic ideas are child and family centered.  Proposed motivations include: adopting a pet from a rescue center, providing food, water and shelter to pets or wild animals, volunteering for animal care at a shelter or when a family goes on vacation, donating to animal organizations or fundraisers, and helping take care of the environment.  One does not need to be rich or connected to make a difference.  Colorful photographs show examples of children helping in many situations.  Recommended books and appropriate websites are included with the glossary and index.

Making a Circuit is one of four books in the “It’s Electric” series.  It introduces the concept of electricity and clearly explains terms and procedures in making a circuit.  The font is large, sentences are brief, color photographs are relevant and labeled, most with captions, and words to know are in bold font.  The layout is clean, simple, and pleasing.  All learners, including English language learners, can benefit from this book and/or series.  It is a terrific resource for understanding the basic scientific concept of circuitry and components.  Other titles in the series are Conductors and Insulators, Using Batteries, and Using Electricity.  All are written at a similar level and are recommended for elementary libraries.  Books to read, helpful websites, a glossary, and index are included.

This quiet, simple story illustrates some common zen concepts: living in the moment, being kind and pleasant without regard to reward, and letting go of past unpleasantness to enjoy the here-and-now.  A girl is angry and upset about losing an earring.  One of two boys gets dirty while searching but finds the jewelry.  The girl is rude when he returns it and stomps off.  The boy’s friend cannot understand why her behavior does not upset him.  His reply is that the event happened a while ago, the girl is gone, the day is beautiful, and they should be enjoying the moment, not stewing about the past.  Worrying and thinking about the event will not change it so letting go prevents the girl’s negative behavior from affecting his.  This story presents one more tool for children to try when dealing with problems.  Large, uncomplicated illustrations are a good match with this calm approach to conflict.

Ol’ Mama Squirrel is a valiant protector of her babies.  She chases off cats, dogs, kites, airplanes, and repairmen with her loud and scolding, “Chook chook chook!”  One day a grizzly bear was unaffected by her zeal or barrage of nuts.  Instead of being frightened, Ol’ Mama Squirrel voiced an alarm all over the park.  Just as grizzly approached Grandpappy’s nest, Mama returned with her angry “Chook chook chook!” – along with a hundred other furious mamas, scolding and throwing nuts!  Grizzly ran away, never to return and Ol’ Mama Squirrel’s babies were safe.  The townspeople were so grateful to be rid of the grizzly they erected a plaque next to her tree – which you should go see… if  you can get near it!  David Stein’s humorous ink and watercolor illustrations are a great combination with the action and passion of the text.  This fun story would be a great read-aloud, too!

This is the second book by this author/illustrator that I’ve read (the other being Dancing with Grandma), and I’ve loved them both.  The illustrations are utterly charming, and the stories are whimsical and fanciful, even while they are very relatable (and I like that the grandparents are spunky).  This one tells of a young boy spending the day with his grandfather, and all the adventures they get up to (at least in their imaginations) with the things they find laying around Grandpa’s    shed and yard, from tree house and tire swinging to building a race car, rocket, and sailboat, and battling dragons in the bargain.

It’s fine.  I suppose it’s a good idea for all library collections to include a story about the kid who doesn’t want to have a babysitter, and this would work, but I’m not sure you can’t find better out there.  It’s a pretty basic story:  Tiny Troll is watching his mother get ready to go out for the evening, protesting that he doesn’t want a sitter, kindly older sitter comes, Mom goes, Tiny Troll throws tantrum, calm and nurturing sitter wins him over with mudmilk (monster equivalent to cocoa?) and a story, Tiny Troll falls asleep, and Mom returns safely.   The only thing that makes it particularly unique is the monster twist.

This fictional story set in France in the late 1800s describes an encounter between a young girl and artist Camille Claudel.  When Mademoiselle Claudel comes to stay for a time at the home of the girl’s grandmother, the famous sculptor helps the young girl look at the world and develop her own artistic skills while using the girl as a model for her own work.  A blurb in the back of the book shares the historical facts which inspired the story.  The soft illustrations suit the story and the setting.  A glossary in the front of the book (including pronunciation guide) introduces young readers to the French words sprinkled throughout the story.

A beautiful book, in illustrations and in sentiment, for young children.  With just 2 to three lines per page, told in rhyme, it works through a variety of animals, showing parents nestled with their young in a variety of animal homes, always keeping their young “safe and sound.”  It’s sappy, but in a good way.

In this poem, a young boy walks us through his day, sharing how his feelings shift as different things happen, each time comparing his mood to a color.  A good pairing to go with Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days.  Also a good tool for helping children talk about their feelings, or for teaching about the figurative language of poetry.

Beautifully illustrated non-fiction, addressing the question as to what happens to insects in the winter, when we don’t notice them around anymore.  Each two-page spread takes on another insect, using the approach of, “If you were a…” to offer a few sentences about what that insect does to survive the cold of winter.  In the back of the book, a section on “More about the Insects in this book” offers further details, with a paragraph on each.  On the one hand, I wish those extra paragraphs had been offered directly on the pages for each insect, but perhaps that would have detracted from the artwork, which really is one of the assets of this book.