This majestic picture book tells the story of the American Bald Eagle as it faced extinction and was brought back to stronger numbers by the care of wildlife experts and concerned citizens.  This book focuses on one concerned boy, who helped a ranger to pair up an eagle egg with a pair of bald eagles whose eggs were weak and broken due to DDT exposure.  The eagles adopted the egg and with time, the eagle population great larger.  In the end, that boy was a father, telling the story to his own son.  The illustrations are realistic and beautifully painted in watercolor.

This sturdy non-fiction picture book is a wonderful introduction to puppies and kittens.  The pages are thick to hold up well to the many little hands that will surely be turning them for years to come.  A good introduction to these common pets, topics include early development, care, training, safety, and playing.  The text is clearly written and large and is nicely balanced with plenty of adorable color photographs with a large variety of cat and dog breeds represented.  This will be a wonderful addition to our easy non-fiction section of the library.

I LOVED this fairytale about a princess who did not want to be a princess.  She threw down her crown and ventured out to the world to be a pirate, a knight and a minstrel.  This strong female character followed her dreams and succeeded in all she pursued.  She thought for herself and acted with purpose, strength and courage.   This story really speaks to those who break out of the mold or those who wish they would or could.  The illustrations are gorgeous watercolors with an exotic style.  I am planning to read this book aloud to my elementary students.

In this Tintinesque graphic novel, the reader is introduce to the story Julius Chancer, a historian’s assistant. The assistant is caught up in an intrigue involving a silent movie actress, a cheating businessman, and the search for a rare orchid. This high-flying adventure travels all around the world as new twists to the tale are added.
This book is recommended for Grades 5 and up because of its easy mystery style which will engage the reader in an adventure beyond their expectations. It will keep the reader guessing the entire length of the tale with its fun and simple, but historically accurate art style. The Rainbow Orchid is a tale that does not disappoint.

— Mara Briggs

In this graphic novel, the reader is drawn into an action adventure story of two brothers desperately trying to find their mother and outsmart the evil treasure hunters who are searching for her as well. The boys are kidnapped by the treasure hunters and taken to the last place where their mother was last seen — a raging volcano!
This book is recommended for readers grades 4 to 12, but it can easily be read to younger children. The story explores family relationships and has enough action and humor to keep anyone interested. This fun and engaging story will definitely captivate readers.

— Mara B.

This Halloween-themed cookbook is for especially young chefs.  Featuring seven recipes, a young hostess or host could prepare a fun and delicious 5 course Halloween meal plus a spooky drink.  The recipes are clearly presented with simple step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrating each step.  The recipes have few ingredients but look very tasty.  Some basic cooking techniques (measure, slice, spread, sprinkle, stir and toss) are explained and photographed as are the kitchen tools necessary to prepare these recipes.  The pages are well-laid out with colorful backdrops which don’t distract the reader.  There are 10 themed cookbooks in this Simple Recipes for Kids series.

Manners are so important and this series does a nice job of presenting polite manners in contrast with bad ones, in various settings.  This book is set at Christmastime and features common Christmas activities.  The text is rhyming and comical and the illustrations are brilliantly colored and expressive.  Each dinosaur is subtly label in the illustration as well as on the end papers for those budding little paleontologists.

This series is hilarious!  The unique and comical illustrations, the creative character names, the whitty and silly text all add up to a very fun read-aloud.  I read both the “Darn Squirrel” books to our kindergarten students and they had a wonderful time.  I would love to see more of Mr. Fookwire’s adventures with his critter friends.

This book is a one-stop princess party resource that will delight girls of all ages!  Filled with appealing recipes, crafts and activities, this cookbook has several themes for your princess to choose from.  Each recipe or craft has a beautiful color photograph which demonstrates presentation as well.  The instructions are simple and clearly written.  I like that the binding is ringed so the pages lie flat and are easy to turn.  The index and themed table of contents helps the reader to find entries quickly.  Our students will enjoy this book.

The mood is instantly set once the book is opened by the smokey grey end paper,  followed by darker grey with fine white rain blowing from right to left across the page, followed by even darker grey with white rain blowing across the page from left to right amidst the multi- tined lightening bolt. So Hurricane Emily, in St. Petersburg, Florida,  greets the reader of this, the second book in a trilogy.  Book one is quickly reviewed in a one page prologue, but this book can stand alone.  Author, Roland Smith, uses time stamps for the chapter titles, sometimes in 20-30 minute increments and sometimes in 2-3 minute increments. Tension and suspense keeps the reader from putting this book down!

Hurricane Emily, a once in a hundred year storm, is hammering everything in sight throughout the middle of the night. Rashawn, Chase, Nicole and Mama Rossi (Nicole’s grandmother) are hunkered down in an enormous steel-sided circus barn with a very pregnant elephant. They will be cast into pitch darkness when the generator runs dry and the needed  fuel is two out buildings away. Meanwhile, Chase’s father – John and Tomas try to work their way back to them through the hurricane’s storm surge, along with a local TV news reporter and camera man .

If the hurricane isn’t enough, the circus’s lion, bear, and leopard are loose from their cages and stand between Chase and the needed fuel.

It’s said trouble comes in threes. Book three will bring Tomas’s family and Nicole’s mother (with circus) into the equation as they try to reunite with their families from their distant locations in Mexico after a major earthquake.