In rhyming text a whole assortment of baby animals ask their mamas whether they’ll still love them and do all the same things when new babies come, and each mama replies, “of course,” calming fears and giving assurances.  It definitely has a very specific target audience and purpose (kids with pregnant moms who need reassuring), and it does a sweet job of fulfilling that purpose if you don’t already have something to fill that niche, but it doesn’t have wide reading appeal.

A sentimental, sweet, and touching story told from the perspective of a small teddy bear who shows patience and perseverance through much rough play in order to win a place in the heart of his young boy.  He wins the boy’s heart and stays with him until the boy is grown, at which point the once-boy shares his beloved bear with another child in his role on a rescue squad.

Cute water-color illustrations help tell this rhyming story of a four-year-old who becomes friends with all the animals in the zoo.  Disturbed by their confinement behind bars, she decides to set them all free one night and invite them to live at her house.  Of course this arrangement creates problems too, but her bold initiative spurs the zookeeper into upgrading their home.  One problem for American readers:  because it was originally published in Great Britain, the rhyme is thrown off a bit for our pronunciation at times (door-saw?).

This book is full of heart.  I don’t know much about the history of baseball (in fact, I had never heard of Honus Wagner, this turn-of-the-twentieth-century ball player who was one of the first players inducted into the Hall of Fame).  But now I’m a fan.  His story from poor, homely, son-of-immigrants coal miner to well-loved baseball star seems like the epitome of the American dream.  Illustrations capture the era and the mood of the story beautifully.

I love this book! I promptly bought it for my first-grade niece for Christmas and recommended it to several friends.  The illustrations are fun, and the rhyming, rhythmical text carries a great message:  it celebrates all the things a girl can do, even while delighting in wearing a sparkly crown, including getting dirty, playing sports, and using power tools.  It simply broadens the view of what it can mean to be a princess.

Designed for beginning readers and language learners, this bilingual books shares very basic information about ballet.  A few simple sentences on each page are accompanied by full-page color photos supporting the text with images of diverse dancers.  It includes all the appropriate non-fiction text features for teaching purposes, it is a high-interest topic attractive enough to appeal to recreational readers, and it has enough structure to make the information accessible to emergent readers and language learners.

This sweet story begins when Santa returns from making his annual deliveries with one little kitten left over.  Like a child asking his mom, Santa asks Mrs. Clause, “Can we keep him?”  Unfortunately Mrs. Clause is left to be the voice of reason, reminding Santa of his allergies.  When Santa goes to review his letters, the romping kitten discovers one last lost letter under the desk.  In a neat and tidy Christmas ending, the problem of finding the kitten a home and the problem of finding a last-minute gift for the child who sent the letter are mutually resolved to the delight of both kitten and child.  Admittedly schmaltzy, sappy, and sentimental, it might have only ranked as an additional purchase, except sap and schmaltz is just what the Christmas season calls for, and besides, the illustrations do such a wonderful job of capturing the expressions of the characters, that it gets the final nudge into “Recommended.”

From the opening pages, the reader experiences the sharp contrast between 17 year old Delilan and her workaholic, unemotional, always in charge mother. Unjustifiably labeled as a troublemaking teenager, Delilah struggles with memories of  her childhood, years of loneliness she experienced as a latch key kid, and the ‘what if’s’ of the father she never knew.

Unexpectedly called back to her mother’s home town by the death of Delilah’s  grandmother from whom her mother has been estranged for eight years, Delilah re-enters a world she has longed for. Upon arriving back to the lake house in rural Vermont, Delilah is full of questions that her mother and aunt will not answer: Why did her mom and aunt and Grandma get in a huge fight on the dad of her Grandpa’s funeral?’ Why didn’t her Grandma ever try to get in contact with her?

Adding to the suspense is the mystery of her youngest aunt’s death at the age of 19, less than a year before Delilah was born.  Why won’t her mother, aunt or other family friends tell her the details of what happened to Aunt Stephanie? Why doesn’t anyone have her diary, and why are there no photos of her?

While helping her mother and aunt with estate sale and funeral preparations, Delilah reconnects with her childhood friend who lives in the house next door to her grandmother. This childhood friend, who she hasn’t seen or talked to in eight years, is now a handsome 18 yr. old young man.

The story of their rekindled friendship, her rebuilding of her relationship with her aunt, and the search for answers to the mysteries of the family history makes this an intriguing and compelling book.

This is a well written book, with characters and situations that teens and adults alike can relate to.

This book, written and published in Canada, tells how to recognize, share, and enjoy public spaces.  Because it’s a book for young people, it addresses the need kids have for spaces to hang out, visit friends, ride bikes, and play Frisbee.

The author admits that kids who are “just hanging out” aren’t always popular in cities or parks, and often for good reason.  Her tips for becoming good neighbors include getting in touch with local government to learn the rules for a park or plaza, and how to advocate for change if you feel that the rules aren’t fair.  Some examples of successful projects, like a skateboard park, are included.

From city planners to “guerrilla gardeners,” to examples of notable public areas in other countries, there is a lot of information in the book’s 80 pages.  A glossary helps to understand unfamiliar words, and Marc Ngui’s realistic drawings throughout are exceptional.

Apparently this book is an adaptation of a musical stage production which in turn is an adaptation of the classic ballet.  The CD included begins by reading the book aloud, and also includes songs from the musical.  I don’t know that I’m much of a fan of the music (though maybe it would be better in context), but I quite enjoyed all aspects of the book: story, illustrations, and audio, too.  One probably has to be familiar with the original story to appreciate this modern twist with a male protagonist and a female nutcracker.  It opens when Fritz gets in trouble and has his Mouse Hunter video game taken away, and sentenced to stay at home being baby-sat by the neighbor, Mr. Drosselmeier, while the rest of his family go out to see the Nutcracker ballet.  After sneaking into the closet where his video game has been stashed, Fritz plays so much he finds himself taking on the Mouse King himself.  When the Nutcracker comes to his aid, together they pursue the Mouse King to Toy Town to keep him from ruining Christmas, and after many adventures mirroring those of the original ballet, Fritz finds himself waking from his dream at home, as everyone troops in for their Christmas festivities.