Little Bear is worried his mom will not love him any more when he tears his jacket.  Mom reassures him she will always love him.  As she works on the repair, Little Bear presents her with other more and more outlandish scenarios: what if he was really bad, did poorly in school, or was ugly and green.  Mom says she may be disappointed or sad by his actions, but she will still love him.  As Little Bear put his jacket on to leave with a friend, he comes to realize that nothing will change that.  Young ones are often concerned about security in a family.  This book asks many of those same questions and the answers reinforce confidence.

Sea Otters is one of many titles in this nonfiction series on animals.  Each spread contains two sentences describing different characteristics of the otter with an endearing photograph to illustrate that feature.  Simple text is in large print.  Words to know are in bold font and are defined in the glossary.  Recommended books for further reading are written at a similar level.  Index and website included.  There are 38 titles in this series, all written at a similar reading level.  A great resource for young readers.

The Bermuda triangle is an area in and over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida, east to Bermuda, south to Puerto Rico and back to Florida.  Mysterious disappearances without satisfactory explanations have occurred in this section for over a hundred years.  Some of the more memorable events are mentioned.  Possible explanations range from stormy weather to aliens.  McClellan does not emphasize any proposed answer.  Basic information presented in simple text with large font.  Many pages include short additional fact boxes.  Photographs are interesting and the layout is pleasing.  Six famous disappearances are listed in the back with the glossary, index, and website.  Recommended books are written at a higher reading level but may still offer appropriate additional information.  Although this book does not include a wealth of details, it does offer enough examples to pique curiosity and encourage further reading.

Facts about the Civil War are presented in a cartoon format.  The reader assumes the character of a Connecticut farmer who decides to enlist in the Union Army in 1861.  Chapters tell of daily life as a soldier and during battles, differences between Union and Confederate soldiers, weaponry, field hospitals, and battles.  Handy Hint boxes on each spread give suggestions on how to handle specific situations.  A timeline of the war and map of major battles begin on the inside front cover.  A glossary, index, and a list of 10 bloody battles end the book.  Just the thing for reluctant readers who are interested in the Civil War but don’t want to wade through a lot of text.

Twelve year old Abigail Stewart continues her tale where she left off in The Winter of the Red Snow.  Abby’s father had joined the Continental Army.  Left homeless in Valley Forge by a house fire, Abby, her mother, seven year old sister, and one year old brother decide to follow the army with other families of the soldiers.  Through her diary, she tells of the hardships endured by George Washington’s army for three years from 1779 to 1781.  The day-to-day aspects of surviving cruel winters, starvation, lack of suitable clothing, and the constant moving bring history to life.  The lives of people they meet and events witnessed are realistic and not idealized.  An epilogue brings Abby’s story to an end.  A historical note add details about life in America during the Revolutionary War.  It is followed with illustrations of people and places from the 1770s which are reproduced with permission.  Books in the Dear America series are a great way to experience life as it was in the early days of our country.

Fox is bored with his daily diet of big, fat toad.  Consulting recipe books, he discovers they all recommend fresh, young toads.  Returning after an exhausting night of capturing small toads, he is considering which recipe to use when Mamma toad hops in.  As Mamma tries to dissuade Fox from using her babies, little toadlets are everywhere getting into everything.  Mamma suggests the recipe Toad-in-the-Hole and tells Fox how to make it.  Suspicious because the ingredients do not include toads, he reluctantly takes a nibble.  Delicious!  And, it requires no late night trips to catch more toads!  Digital artwork is colorful and humorous.  Mamma Toad includes her secret Toad-in-the-Hole recipe for the rest of us.

Young Carter tells of the traditions his family follow during the Christmas holidays.  He works on making a gift for Grandma, they shop for others, buy and decorate a tree, bake cookies, go to church to hear the story of Jesus, decorate the house, and prepare for Santa.  On every spread is a nonfiction fact box that add details about each tradition.  Bright, colorful, cartoon-like illustrations are a combination of collage, paint, and ink and add to the festivity of the season.  Directions for making an ornament are included with the glossary, index, and other resources for the holiday.

Anastasia is a cockroach.  Fairy Brunhilda took pity on her when she overheard her complaining about looking for food in the garbage and turned her into a princess.  Life as a princess was not as pleasant, or as easy, as one would think.  Word got back to Brunhilda that Anastasia was not happy as a princess.  In a rage, Brunhilda cast another spell.  Happily back to being a carefree cockroach, Anastasia’s new home was in a humble house with delightful people.  When she watches confused Grandma Paula sprinkle ant poison instead of salt into the stew, she dove in head first.  The family was saved when Grandma saw the floating cockroach and threw the stew down the toilet.  Brunhilda appears again to give Anastasia a new life as a princess, which Anastasia emphatically declines.  Anastasia loves the untroubled life as a household cockroach, helping humans who need it.  After reading about Anastasia, one is certainly to see cockroaches in a different light!  The illustrations are whimsical, large, colorful, and fun.  The text includes many challenging, high-level words which may require having a dictionary close by (seneschals, doyenne, tristesse, octogenarian, repugnant, ingrate…) but the story is appealing none-the-less.

The Jamestown Colony, founded in 1607, was the first British settlement in North America.  Author Peter Benoit incorporates primary and secondary sources to share the challenges (sickness, starvation, and relationships with native people, specifically the Powhatan) as the colony grew.  Three ships carried 144 men and boys on the original voyage.  Some were landowners, some religious leaders, and some were soldiers.  A few of the influential people were Bartholomew Gosnold, organizer of the expedition, Christopher Newport, privateer and seaman, John Rolfe, grower who introduced Orinoco tobacco to Jamestown and England, John Smith, soldier and explorer, Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan chief and married John Rolfe, and Wahunsenacawh, Powhatan chief.  Differences of opinions caused dissention which added to the challenges.  The struggle to survive and grow in chronicled from 1606 to 1699.  Illustrations are captioned.  Spotlight boxes provide additional information about people, places, or events.  Readers are encouraged to view primary and secondary sources provided on a scholastic website.  A timeline, glossary, and extensive index are included with a short paragraph about the author.