This nonfiction book includes 25 hands-on projects, which can be completed by students with parents or teachers.  This book covers a vast array of topics with depth and extent rarely seen for children.  The hands on projects are integrated with thoughtfulness and intelligence with the intent and purpose of enhancing a concept in a meaningful way.  Topics such as Machu Picchu, the conquestion, religion, festivals, clothing, etc. are covered in chapter format.  There are illustrations and borders on every page.  It’s a very visually pleasing format, even without color. This is truly a gem! Recommended.

7 bots are advertised on the front end papers, with disclaimers added to the ones printed inside the back cover.

BIG 19″ X 11″  fun is on its way when mum and dad buy 7 of the latest job specific robots to take care of their little girl so they can go out for a much desired night-on-the-town.

Cook-bot prepares spaghetti and Clean-bot takes care of the kitchen. [ Clean-bot looks like a giant Windex spray bottle with 6 arms.] Now it’s Wash-bot’s turn and a downhill domino effect goes into action. Wash-bot’s warning-lights start flashing when the toy crocodile enters the bath tub. Wash-bot “slipped into Dress-bot, who sat down on Teeth-bot’s head.” Dry-bot was dressed while trying to dry the girl and Clean-bot was working extra hard. The little girl put herself to bed, “then everything went quiet until… … my parents walked in the door.” The house is in chaos!

The end papers begin with 7 distinct sets of footprints in sizes, shapes, and colors strolling across the pages. One by one the owners of these footprints are introduced by a dog, the narrator, who followed a set of legs home from a park. When the first new set of feet is added the dog is not immediately fond of them. Months later, tiny pink socks show up, followed by blue boots, then small feet with green rubber grippers, and finally on Sundays by a visitor – probably a grandmother. With the arrival of each set of feet there is something the dog doesn’t like, but there is usually more food landing on the floor for her. The story ends with 3 new sets of puppy feet joining the home. There is always room for family feet.

The pictures from a dog’s point-of-view and sentiment are cute, though the rhythm and repetition are not quite on the mark.

Henry goes to superhero elementary school. Henry isn’t the best in his course work there. He isn’t strong enough to “juggle refrigerators”. He hasn’t learned to fly yet. He doesn’t seem to have super powers. “Maybe I should just leave Superhero School.”  Then one day, “a gigantic monster appears outside their [classroom] windows!” The superhero students go on the offensive to capture this monster, which illustrator Philippe Goossens, has made to look like a 4-story tall giant blue furry Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. When the superhero student collective cannot successfully subdue the monster, in steps Henry with his pranks and saves the day. Then the other superheroes return to tie it up and “shoot it right back to the planet it came from.”

I was saddened to see the superheroes immediately jump to the conclusion this gigantic blue furry creature was something bad. Neither text nor illustrator show the creature is actually bad before the superheroes go after it.

Throughout human history, people have done crazy things to their hair. Here, Krull and Malone combine wild facts about hair from history with illustrations which ape famous works of art.  We follow history chronologically, learning about the white spiked do worn by the Celts a few millenia ago, the early years of shampoo, and the inspiration for the Dorothy Hamill cut.  None of the information goes in-depth – we generally only read a few – albeit entertaining – sentences about each fact.  The real feature is the illustrations, though most children will likely not recognize the referenced works of art.  The images have elements of surrealism – for example, the first blonde cave woman is pictured made up like Marilyn Monroe.  Malone’s illustrations are attractive and fun to look at, but children looking for  historical information may be frustrated by the lack of concrete detail or context.  Included is an appendix (titled “Hair Extensions”) of sorts, which includes additional facts for each period.  There is no explanation and nothing to distinguish between the facts included in the main body of the book versus this section, so the reader must wonder why they are included in this way, instead of on the relevant pages.  Although this is an attractive package and fun to read, the sparse information, overly tongue-in-cheek illustrations, and odd organization of the information makes this an additional purchase.

Could Sasquatch be real?  Halls explores the history and theories behind the belief in a species of giant primates which haunt a variety of terrains all over the world.  She describes many recent sightings and provides a window into the world of Sasquatch tracking.  This topic will seize the attention of many children (and adults) and the information is presented clearly, openly, and attractively.  Photos and illustrations pepper the pages, demonstrating the elements Halls discusses.  Halls gets much of her information by interviewing actual cryptozoologists and other primary experts in the field.  Although generally this is a plus, there is one unfortunate inclusion: On pages 13-14, Halls includes a partial transcription of a 9-1-1 call regarding a potential Sasquatch sighting.  In the introduction, she instructs readers to ask parents before listening to a YouTube video of the call because there is strong language featured on the tape.  In the abridged transcription, however, she includes three instances of potentially offensive language, even though the implication in the introduction was that those portions would be left out of the account because of the book’s young target demographic.  This inclusion will offend some audiences.  However, the rest of the book is illuminating and engaging and demands its place on library shelves, particularly in libraries which appreciate its Pacific Northwest focus.

Joe is working for the Peace Corps.  His country assignment?  Turkmenistan.  Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan is a tiny country with very little power.  While there, Joe meets a man named Azat.  Azat adopts Joe as a friend and invites Joe into his world.  Soon Joe finds himself in the middle of ill-begotten adventures, exploring some of the dark sides of this small kingdom.  What stands out here is Lonergan’s way of presenting what it is like to be from a small, relatively powerless country like Turkmenistan.  There’s a scene in the book where one of the characters asks Joe to take him to America. When Joe says that the man will need a visa, the man tells Joe he should call the president of America and tell him what a nice person this man is, so that he will get a visa.  In countries like Turkmenistan, the populace has much more access to the people in power than they do in the United States.  Using the framework of Joe’s experience in Turkmenistan, Lonergan contrasts what it’s like to live in a country like this and how it’s different than living in the United States.     

In Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, the reader learns about the large amounts of power wielded by one woman during the most famous period in the history of the Mongolian empire.  Sorghaghtani was the daughter-in-law of Genghis Khan, and the mother of Kublai Khan.  During key shifts in power, she used her considerable influence over the Khans to change history.  This title includes information about Mongolian culture alongside the narrative telling Sorghaghtani’s story.

Unfortunately, this title has two major drawbacks.  First and foremost, the book does not include any kind of finding aids or reference information.  There is no index or help for finding more information about Mongolia or Sorghaghtani.  Worse, there is not even any information about where the author got her information.  The second problem is that after one reading, the hardback binding was already splitting in a few places.  This does not bode well for library use.

This story needs to be told.  Unfortunately, the weaknesses of this title overwhelm that strength and make this an additional purchase for libraries.

Stickman Odyssey is not Homer’s epic in sequential doodle form.  Instead, it’s a whole new story, rife with monsters, characters, and settings that would be no surprise in an actual ancient tale.  The hero, Zozimos, is silly and flawed, in the company of many modern children’s book characters.  The story ricochets from setting to setting, never letting up on the action.  It is a story which will captivate readers with its effective mix of modern humor and ancient mood.

DC Comics author, Paul Weissburg, weaves a story without using the graphic novel format in five short chapters. Weissburg’s story does team up with DC Comics, Luciano Vecchio, to include ten full-color comic illustrations intermingled throughout the story. These illustrations will NOT disappoint comic officiandoes.

In disguise, Batman has been tailing villain Matches Malone on the subway of Gotham City. BUT before Batman can apprehend Matches, he and Robin save two children from a burning building. Then, Batman captures Matches and disguises himself as Matches so he can infiltrate the First Annual Super-Villain Crime Convention.

Batman’s disguise is working, but he forgets to make Match Malone’s annoying small talk as he circulates through the villains at the convention. Batman pushes the Penguin out of harms way from a falling display blowing his cover. Batman is catch and placed inside the Death Trap with water bubbling up to his head as the crowd of convention villains watch. Robin helps save the day by turning off the city’s power grid, thus releasing Batman from the Death Trap. In the dark Batman was able to out smart the super villains and leave “with the Cosmic Annihilator in Tow.” Mission accomplished.