I’ve read several in this series now, and I really like them.  I think they are great tools for creating a bridge for comic book fans to stretch themselves into chapter books.  They are beginning chapter books, with large fonts, short chapters, and a few full-page color illustrations that still have a comic book feel to them.  Not just the illustrations capture the classic comics, but so do the plot lines and writing style.  This one tells of Superman rescuing Metropolis from the evil Brainiac who has developed the technology to travel the universe, shrinking whole cities and capturing them under glass for his collection.  It’s easy enough to be accessible to struggling readers without dumbing down the story.  The plot and style and characters will allow it to appeal both to young readers, and to older struggling readers.  Discussion questions and writing prompts in the back add to the usefulness of these books as teaching tools, but students will be drawn to them for recreational reading as well.

It’s kind of a flat little story:  the characters are just sort of there, without any real personality to them, and the plot is kind of bland.  It’s a beginning chapter book with large font and lots of black and white illustrations, which tells the story of a group of young vampires who go on a field trip to the county fair, and happen to overhear a gang of theives who’ve been robbing schools discussing their scheme, so they scare them into confessing to the police.  It doesn’t really feel like a real story kids would read for fun, but like something that would be used in a reading class.

This autobiography of Caldecott winning author/illustrator Allen Say traces his life from a sheltered childhood along seashore of Japan, when his mother introduced him to books and drawing early in order to keep him safely at home, through the disruptions brought upon his family during WWII, his estrangement from his father, his efforts to pursue his artistic education, his relationships with his Sensei and fellow student, his early career, and his decision to come to America.  He had to take on a great deal of independence at a very young age, and he tells his story very honestly.  It is illustrated with photographs and his own illustrations, which demonstrate the breadth of his skill in a variety of styles.

I blame the poor quality of this book on the editors’ failures.  There are some good poems in the mix, but the over-all volume is a flop.  The author’s running metacognitive commentary on her poems is often arrogant and patronizing, and always distracting.  That sort of thing should be saved for and English textbook in the poetry unit.  The illustrations do nothing to enhance the reader’s experience of the poems, and the good poems are tucked in among a bunch of less-than-fabulous ones.  This same review applies to two books I’ve read by the same author-illustrator pair.

Bound to be a topic of high interest.  This slim volume contains a lot of information about a variety of spying technologies, the purposes for which they were developed, and the historical/political contexts in which they’ve been used.  The main critique I have of the book has to do with its organization — the publisher’s efforts to jazz things up with cool graphics have led to a layout that includes random side-bar paragraphs stuck in where they interrupt the flow of other information.

Not a lot of text. Not a complex story. But ever-so-very relatable, and stunning water-color illustrations that celebrate the impromptu decision of Grandma and Granddaughter to drop everything and go dancing through the house, dressed up in scarves and crowns, with the pets joining in the fun, until they all collapse.  Grandma’s got some moves — I’m not that limber and I’m a good twenty years younger, but heck, in imaginations we all can be as graceful and Ginger Rogers.

This is a beautiful and inspiring book. Free verse poetry tells the biography of Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.  Beginning in Alice’s childhood in the 1930s, it tells of her active nature, the first time she saw a high jumper, her desire to try, and the roadblocks set her way, and how she built her own practice crossbar by tying rags to sticks.  Her self-taught high-jumping skills opened her chance to study at Tuskegee Institute High School and won her a national championship. By 1948 she was setting Olympic records.  The beautiful illustrations throughout the book really enhance the telling of this inspirational tale, and black and white photos in the back contribute with additional information for the curious reader, making Alice real to the student has trouble with the “is this a true story?” concept.

Here we have yet another new baby book.  Penny spends most of the book listing all the pink things she loves.  She is horrified when she is called to come meet her new baby brother because boys are blue, but then when the blue blanket is unwrapped and Penny sees his red hair and rosey pink skin she decides maybe she loves him after all.

The good things about this book are that it uses supplies that really are easily on hand for most kids, and both the directions and explanation are very clearly given and easy to understand.  The problem with this book is that it actually takes all the real opportunities to think away from the child.  It asks readers what they observe, and what they think, but the answers for what they will see and why are already so clearly explained that they don’t actually even need to conduct the experiments.