Category Archives: Highly Recommend

I am Not Happy!

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Written by Caroline L. Perry & illustrated by Sydney Hanson

You may think you see a seemingly cheerful, smiling rodent. But, you would be wrong! The quokka, an Australian marsupial, is much more complex than that. And, the main character of the this delightful picture book does his best to show a (seemingly) grumpy frog that truth through a variety of examples. Dropped his ice cream? He may look happy. But, nope, definitely not. Someone stepped on his tail? Nope, he’s not happy even though he’s smiling. And, people don’t seem to understand that they shouldn’t wake him up for selfies. He’s nocturnal, for goodness sake! Fortunately, he finds a newspaper with an article stating that quokkas are not, in fact, the happiest animals. Now, he’s happy! But, the grumpy from? That frown is just the way he looks and it doesn’t mean he feels that way. Wait, didn’t we just read a story like that?

This wonderfully hilarious picture book introduces a rather misunderstood Australian animal in a way that makes learning fun. Accompanying illustrations are somewhat cartoon like and so good! The text is very accessible, with a sentence or two per page and there is a very informative author’s note at the end that describes the quokka in more detail, including its vulnerable status as a species and what we can do to help it, including leaving it alone and not bothering it for a selfie like in the story! This would be a great book to share when teaching about conservation and boundaries with human-animal interactions. Highly recommended.

Baby Ballena

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Written by Ben Gundersheimer (Mr. G) and illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero

Baby whale Juana is swimming in the warm waters of Mexico. At just one day old, she is already ready to embark on a migration to the icy waters of Alaska for the summer. Juana, her mom and other relatives in her pod travel north, noting the changing scenery along the way. They spend their summer happily eating krill and loving life. As the season changes, they turn and make the long trip back to Mexican waters, where a new calf, Juan, is born. They will stay there throughout the winter and migrate north again in the spring.

Short, accessible sentences in both English and Spanish tell the story of a 10,000 mile migration that occurs every year for these magnificent animals. The words are almost lyrical in their cadence, which are enhanced by the wonderful illustrations done by Marcos Almada Rivero. While this is a fictional piece, young readers are exposed to the basics of migration, whale size, behavior and habitat. An author’s note at the end explains Mr. G’s inspiration of the story and a few more facts. Highly recommended.

The Last Resort

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Written by Erin Entrada Kelly

Lila sees ghosts, which is strange and, at times, very dangerous. This was something new for her. She is a typical, albeit dramatic, twelve year old, who has some (typical) middle school friendship issues. That changes when her family has a car accident on their way to her estranged grandfather’s home in Ohio (after hearing that he had passed away). Lila begins to see “people” that her family can’t see. When they arrive at her grandpa’s rather creepy home, Lila meets the neighbor kid, Teddy, who explains her Grandpa Clem’s connection to the ghostly world, including a portal to that world on the fourth floor of Grandpa Clem’s home! Grandpa Clem’s ghost visits Lila and tells her he was murdered. Now, he can’t leave until she finds his killer. Things get stranger and creepier – circus ghosts, nightmares for everyone and Grandpa Clem’s business partner, Howler, who is quit a villain and in cahoots with some evil ghosts bent on revenge. Lila, Teddy and Lila’s brother, Caleb, understand that they are the only ones that can fix the portal, sending the ghosts back to the other world and ending the terrible plot of Howler and the evil sibling ghosts.

This hair-raising story begins rather benignly and draws the reader into the world of Lila, who seems like a very typical middle schooler with a very typical family and life. That all begins to change after the car accident and the tension mounts slowly as the reader is pulled into a new chapter of Lila’s life that is anything but typical. Her relationships with her brother and new friend, Teddy, become much stronger as they come together to fight the evil that has entered their lives. And, Lila grows as a person, becoming reflective and working to change some of her poor habits that did not endear her to her peers. Lila’s bravery shines through and she knows that she is the one that can fight the evil and save everyone, with some help from Teddy and Caleb. After that, it’s over, right?

There are some interesting interactive elements via a QR code at the end of the story. Hand this book to your readers that enjoy Mary Downing Hahn or Dan Poblocki books. It’s just scary enough to be fun. They will want to read it with the lights on, though. Highly recommended.

The Ghost in Cabin 13

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Written and Illustrated by J.C. Phillipps

Leah is heading to Camp Cottontail where she will be the youngest member of her cabin. Having never been to camp, she is nervous. Will the others accept her? Is it okay that she brought her favorite doll? Will she humiliate herself? The first day she and her cabinmates find out that one of the biggest rules of camp is to stay away for Cabin 13. Of course all in her cabin want to go check it out in the middle of the night. They break in with an Ouija board and from there things get a little crazy. The air gets cold, they hear a voice and then they all flee. The next day Leah goes back to the cabin in the hopes of making a friend and then the ghost possesses her doll, Beverly.

Will the camp be the same after the doll starts to cause mayhem? Will Leah get her doll back? Will friends be made? Will any of her cabin mates ever want to go to camp again. This fun, lighthearted yet spooky tale will interest upper level elementary students as well as younger middle schoolers. It has a great message of the importance of being yourself and not rushing to grow up. The illustrations are vibrant and the cover will grab readers attention. This is a quick read that won’t freak out readers…..to much.

Fiddlehead Forest

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Written and Illustrated by Jana Curll

If a tree falls in the forest……the other creatures in the habitat will hear them. This is a humorous graphic novel that explains creatures at the ecosystem created by nurse logs.Fern decides to bring together their friends: Millipede, Moth, Slug, Lichen and Mushroom to figure out how to help a fallen tree get back upright. Each creature has a different idea to help the tree but the reality is, the tree is now a log.

I would highly recommend this graphic for elementary school and plan on purchasing the rest in the series. It fits well with science curriculum and is clearly explains many organisms in this habitat with clear diagrams and easy to read words/explanations. The images are fun, bright and clear thus attracting readers.

Black Widows

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Written by Jenna Lee Gleisner

Pogo Books: All About Arachnids is an eight book series that is written in a format that is appropriate for young readers that are ready for a bit more complexity in sentence structure. Typical nonfiction features include: table of contents, index, glossary, labeled diagrams and illustrations, headings and bold typed words. “Activities & Tools” presents a simple STEM activity and “To Learn More” notes ways to gain more information. Each book has high interest photos and details habitats, behavior, anatomy and diet of a particular spider. Add this series to your library for those newer readers that are ready for something more.

In Black Widow Spiders, readers learn that only the female is black and red. The male is much smaller and is brown. That’s a surprise! These spiders have venom that is 15 times more powerful than rattlesnake venom, which means we need to stay away. Young readers will learn this and so much more after reading Black Widow Spiders. A fun activity described at the end of the book is to a little research and find out what other animals use red or another bright color to warn away other animals. This book won’t stay on the shelf long. Highly recommended.

Wolf Spiders

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Written by Becca Becker

Pogo Books: All About Arachnids is an eight book series that is written in a format that is appropriate for young readers that are ready for a bit more complexity in sentence structure. Typical nonfiction features include: table of contents, index, glossary, labeled diagrams and illustrations, headings and bold typed words. “Activities & Tools” presents a simple STEM activity and “To Learn More” notes ways to gain more information. Each book has high interest photos and details habitats, behavior, anatomy and diet of a particular spider. Add this series to your library for those newer readers that are ready for something more.

In Wolf Spiders, readers learn that there are over 2,300 different species. They are known for their long legs that they use to sprint after their prey and pounce – just like a wolf! This book is full of facts presented in accessible chunks along with stunning photos and labeled diagrams. Hand this book to your young readers and they’ll be hunting for the others in the series! Highly recommended.

Water Spiders

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Written by Natalie Deniston

Pogo Books: All About Arachnids is an eight book series that is written in a format that is appropriate for young readers that are ready for a bit more complexity in sentence structure. Typical nonfiction features include: table of contents, index, glossary, labeled diagrams and illustrations, headings and bold typed words. “Activities & Tools” presents a simple STEM activity and “To Learn More” notes ways to gain more information. Each book has high interest photos and details habitats, behavior, anatomy and diet of a particular spider. Add this series to your library for those newer readers that are ready for something more.

Did you know that water spiders are the only spiders that spend their entire lives underwater? They collect air bubbles from the surface of the water and bring them together under their web to create a diving bell – a place where they can breathe air while underwater! This is just one fact about this amazing creature in the book, Water Spiders. Young readers will enjoy the information presented in accessible chunks with accompanying photos and diagrams. Finish up this book by creating a diving bell just like the water spider! Highly recommended.

Trapdoor Spiders

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Written by Becca Becker

Pogo Books: All About Arachnids is an eight book series that is written in a format that is appropriate for young readers that are ready for a bit more complexity in sentence structure. Typical nonfiction features include: table of contents, index, glossary, labeled diagrams and illustrations, headings and bold typed words. “Activities & Tools” presents a simple STEM activity and “To Learn More” notes ways to gain more information. Each book has high interest photos and details habitats, behavior, anatomy and diet of a particular spider. Add this series to your library for those newer readers that are ready for something more.

Trapdoor Spiders begins with an insect wandering the forest floor, only to have a spider jump through a trapdoor and grab in to scurry back to its burrow, closing the trapdoor behind it. What follows is a brief introduction to the anatomy, reproduction, habitat and habits of a this particular spider. It spends most of its time in its burrow, safe from predators and bad weather, waiting for its dinner to walk by. Readers can finish by building their own dwelling with a trapdoor, just like the spider! Buy this for your updated library collection. Highly recommended.

Tarantulas

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Written by Becca Becker

Pogo Books: All About Arachnids is an eight book series that is written in a format that is appropriate for young readers that are ready for a bit more complexity in sentence structure. Typical nonfiction features include: table of contents, index, glossary, labeled diagrams and illustrations, headings and bold typed words. “Activities & Tools” presents a simple STEM activity and “To Learn More” notes ways to gain more information. Each book has high interest photos and details habitats, behavior, anatomy and diet of a particular spider. Add this series to your library for those newer readers that are ready for something more.

Tarantulas is a unique spider book in that some young readers may already have some prior knowledge of the topic, given that this spider can be a pet. Readers will learn more about the 900 or so species of tarantulas and what makes these spiders so unique. Labeled diagrams and photo illustrations add further to reader knowledge. Directions for making a pipe cleaner tarantula top off a high interest book for young scientists. Is a visit to the pet store in the future? Highly recommended.