As a first introduction to analogies, this book teaches the concept by using photos, and giving lots of visual support for success.  “Tail is to wag…as hand is to _______”  is the first example used to introduce the concept.  The reader is presented with three labeled photos.  Which of the pictures is related to hand the way that tail is related to wag? One photo is a hand with a ring on one of the fingers.  The second photo shows a person with one finger standing straight up (Like the the tail of the dog.)  The third photo shows two kids waving with their hands.  The text explains why the first two examples do not  work, and why the third one does.  The book is a large enough format, and the photos clear and simple so that a teacher of primary children could share this analogy game with the whole class at circle time.  This Eye-Look Picture Games series support national math standards related to grouping and sorting and national language arts standards related to the use of comparisons and analogies.  Primary kids will have a lot of fun playing the game with this beautifully designed publication.

Coast Guard rescue swimmers endure rigorous training in extreme conditions and are highly prepared to rescue people in dangerous situations.  Trainees are both male and female, must pass extensive physical trials for endurance and swimming, and learn how to perform effective first aid.  Swimmers have specialized gear to help keep them safe while rescuing victims and often train in extreme conditions.  I was exhausted after reading how prepared a rescue swimmer must be and was not surprised to read that only about half of the trainees graduate.  This book is highly engaging and has photographs of active training scenarios.  Glossary, index, and a factsurfer internet site included.  Two of the three recommended books are written at a similar reading and interest level, the third is a bit higher.  Other books in the series are: “Bomb Squad Technician”, “Deep Sea Fisherman”, “Lumberjack”, and “Smoke Jumper”.

Children can easily get separated from their family or group.  This is a “self-help” book written for young children but applicable to everyone.  Scenarios include a carnival, walking to school, a store, a field trip, a beach, and the woods.  Each one has a “safety tip” box.  A list of basic rules and procedures are included along with a fun way to memorize a phone number.  This is well written without being scary.  Recommended books for further reading are similar in reading level and directed toward young children.  Also included are a short glossary, index, internet site and a paragraph about the author.  Anara Guard has written other “What if…” books in the Danger Zone series.  Titles include:  “What if a Stranger Approaches you?”, What if there is a Fire?”, and “What if You need to Call 911?”  Each of these titles could generate essential conversations between adults and children on safety.

22 free verse poems take one back to the 1860s and life on a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas.  Dan Burr’s realistic digital paintings are an excellent combination with Harrison’s descriptions of life out west living under the stars with 3000 longhorn cattle.  Sometimes humorous, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes candid, these poems give insight to the hard life of a Texas cowboy.  Words like hardened, rugged, tough, and grizzled just begin to describe life on the Chisholm Trail but can’t conceal the pride the cowboys had as they endured every aspect of their job.  The poems depicting life during this period in our history are geared toward upper elementary or middle school readers wanting to experience the tough life of a wrangler.

Danny is not the most popular kid in school. In fact, he is a bit of a geek. Unfortunately things get in his way of success, like the new kid, Ty Randall. Ty seems perfect. He is handsome, serious and dedicates his time outside of school to worthy causes which is everything Danny’s not. Danny’s jealousy of Ty gets out of control, and he sets up Ty to fail in the school talent show. But when the show rolls around, Danny regrets his choice and makes the sacrifice himself, protecting Ty from the embarrassment. Illustrations throughout will entice reluctant readers.

When Tara makes the trip to stay with extended family in Willow Falls, she loses all her cash forcing her to accept an odd job from an odd woman in an odd antique shop. While working for this woman, Tara makes new friends, has adventures, and makes connections with people from her parents’ past. All her hard work pays off as her job comes to a close in a big way on her 13th birthday.

Years ago, a young girl named Dodie played with her little sister and sled dog pups. In short chapters sprinkled throughout the book, her story is told.

Present day, twelve year old Tee, her father and younger brother, Jack are on an extended stay in Nome, Alaska. While Tee’s father is busy with research, she and a new friend, Quin, take walks enjoying the snowy scenery. They are repeatedly disturbed by an aggressive shadow of a ghost dog. At one point, a sudden blizzard traps the girls in a shack. The mysterious ghost dog leads the way to a long time resident, Dodie. Together the girls and Dodie put pieces of the mysterious puzzle together discovering the truth about the ghost dog and the death of Dodie’s little sister. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel creates an adventure with an intriguing mystery that demands the reader to get answers.

Michael Carroll’s success with his Quantum Prophecy series continues to spill over with this second book of a trilogy that is a prequel to the 1st series.  The evil Krodin was gone, or so the superhumans Roz, Abby, Lance and Thunder thought 3 weeks earlier when walked away into their separate lives again.  But overnight everything changes.  The U.S. is now run by Chancellor Krodin.  Martial law is in place and each of the main characters will be chase all over the U.S. by Krodin’s forces once they begin using their superhuman powers.  This section of the story is a bit challenging to read as a stand alone.  Though Carroll does give background via character’s conversations and has flashbacks to the previous book, each chapter also houses at least two shifts of scene, sometimes three.  For a few pages Abby will shooting her arrows to crash a hovercraft and then Lance will be in jail for alledgedly lying to a police officer. Carrol is a master of creating suspenseful cliffhangers — great to keep a reader going, but slightly frustrating that the next chunk jump around so much, like from Max’s setting in the citadel to Roz’s scene with Victoria.  It’s difficult to have to wait until it’s Max’s scene again.  Still, any cartoon superhero fans will probably love this prose rendition of a superhero tale.  With not a single love interest or use of foul language, it can easily span upper elementary to high school audiences as an additional purchase if you already have the Quantum Prophecy series.

Jack is easy to forget.  He doesn’t make friends easily, and his own parents seem to ignore him on a regular basis.  Then, one day, he goes to spend the summer with relatives in a small town in the Midwest.  In this town, the very walls of the house where he’s staying seem to respond to his presence.

What follows is a wide-ranging tale which combines elements from The Schwa was Here (Shusterman) with a contemporary interpretation of ancient Gaia myths (though Gaia is never named).  The story starts strong, with suspense and foreboding dripping from short chapters describing the experiences of several different characters.  Barnhill attempts to combine classic elements (a small town setting, an ancient destiny, a small group of heroic kids) with more contemporary touches (a skateboard, occasional turns of phrase).  Unfortunately, it doesn’t entirely work.  The reader gets the feeling that a more experienced writer might have told the story in a more effective way.  The (very appealing) cover of this title foretells the climactic revelation in such a way that when it comes, it is not a surprise.  There are sophisticated themes here, but also plot holes — and overall, things don’t quite gel.

National Parks have not been around forever.  There were many steps required to create a protected lands system in the United States.  Theodore Roosevelt played a pivotal role during one of those important points in history.  This book tells the story of one camping trip which influenced Roosevelt’s passionate advocacy.  In the middle of a busy trip across the states, President Roosevelt spent several days with the naturalist John Muir, camping in the land which would become Yosemite National Park.  This is an approachable piece of a much larger story, told in simple, concrete terms.  The men are referred to using their childhood nicknames, and the story is told chronologically, with short paragraphs on nearly every page.  The text is complimented by full color illustrations, which are surrounded by white space until the men enter the wild land, and which then engulf the pages.  Mordicai Gerstein’s depictions of redwood forests and Yosemite Valley are particularly stunning.  This is a lovely story spotlighting a little-known piece of history in a way that will be approachable and engaging to young and old alike.