Proper Badger is off to school. He would never trash a classroom, but of course that is what inadvertently happens. Proper Badger thinks he is doing things right, but of course he is just creating chaos. Did he burrow under the desks? Did he eat the class pet for lunch? Of course not! Proper Badger would never! The illustrations add to the tale showing all of the mischief Proper Badger gets into.
Good night, Himalayas! The sun begins to set over the mountain crest.
Explore the Himalayan mountains with this bedtime story. Travel by bike or by boat. Swim in a lake or have a picnic. Each page explores a different feature of the Himalayan mountains with a text box that includes a pronunciation guide and facts about the area that will introduce readers to an area they may not be familiar with. The illustrations are vibrant, inviting, and fill the 2 page spread.
This graphic novel series highlights memorable sports accomplishments from the past. From boxing to tennis, horse racing to rowing the series highlights the achievements of 20th century athletes.
The stories are factually accurate and told through illustration, text boxes, and speech bubbles. The speech bubbles with red font are direct historical quotes. Speech bubbles with black font are recreated dialog for the sake of the narrative story.
Fox loves sharing a cup of cocoa around the fire with his friends. But as the sun sets, all his friends head off to bed. Feeling lonely, Fox sets out to find someone awake with whom to share a cup of cocoa. He helps turtle, bear, rabbit, and duckling, but as soon as they can, they head off to bed. Finally in frustration, fox yells, “Doesn’t anyone want to have cocoa with me?” All the animals grumpily rouse to “Shhh!” fox. Fox starts to cry. Owl, bat, frog, and raccoon gather around to comfort him and are thrilled with the idea of having a cup of cocoa with him. As dawn arrives, they all head to sleep…until fox is awakened by all of his daytime friends arrive to share a cup a cocoa.
A fun and engaging title to include when studying nocturnal and diurnal animals.
A young girl and her father arrive in his country of origin. She has grown up speaking English and is not confident in her Spanish. This makes her nervous to meet her large extended family. At the same time, the sights of her father’s birth country and the Spanish language fascinate her as she meets her tíos, tías, and primos. And finally she gets to meet her abuela and they share the biggest hug. She learns that differences in language don’t keep her from feeling the closeness of family. As she leaves her extended family at the end of their trip, she has a sense of connection and the confidence that they will see each other again.
This book has a place in multicultural lessons especially when focused on celebrating students’ diverse origins. Pair with Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh to highlight the continued connection of extended families across borders.
Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, particularly in the dialog with family.
Isha’s birthday is coming and her grandmother is coming from India to visit. Isha can’t wait for her Nani to come. She tells her neighbor Mrs. Garcia all about Nani and she invites Mrs. Garcia and others to the party. As she gets things ready for her Nani, her Nani says she is sick and can’t come. Isha is so sad, but soon realizes that her friends are like her family and Nani will visit when she is feeling better.
A heartfelt story of dealing with disappointment and discovering the value of friendship.
This book is set in the 1990s and presents an accurate portrayal of the times, especially in regard to societal treatment of lgbtq communities. This story begins by showcasing two best friend relationships: Bird and Kayla; Jessa and Dade. When Kayla and Dade begin dating their best friends don’t like it and feel like neither is good for the other; because of this, Jessa and Bird team up to try and split up Kayla and Dade. Jessa and Bird start out as reluctant partners that have little trust for one another. Not long after they partner up with a common goal, the combative nature of their interactions begins to shift; the two realize they have a lot in common and sparks of interest begin to ignite. In addition to this storyline, we also gather insight into the families of Jessa and Bird; both are dealing with heavy family responsibilities.
If you like books by John Green or Becky Albertalli, you will like this book. I really like the 90s music references that were sprinkled in throughout. There is good character development, making readers want to root for main the characters – and really dislike those who get in their way.
Reviewed by Annette Wells, teacher librarian
Included in series: The Circulatory System, The Digestive System, The Muscular System, The Nervous System, The Respiratory System, The Skeletal System
This high interest series, easily accessible for elementary readers (target age is 3rd grade), is visually appealing with simple and engaging images that feature diversity in ethnicity and age. Every book in the series is 32 pages, making it easily digestible (pun intended) for those exploring nonfiction for the first time, or wanting to review body systems. At the end of each book, you’ll find tips for success, a glossary, a list of “read more” suggestions, “learn more online” links, and an index. Teachers and librarians will love this series if they’re teaching nonfiction text structures. Also, a HUGE bonus: ALL books in the series use OpenDyslexic font, ideal for readers with dyslexia. As an introductory series, I recommend this for all elementary school libraries and even middle grade libraries if you serve emerging readers.
Reviewed by Aspen, a high school student
Reilly Rhoades is not looking forward to the opening of her family’s amusement park since it will be the first year without her grandfather. When her grandmother lands in the hospital, her mom and her aunt have a huge fight and her aunt takes Reilly’s best friend and cousin Nic to visit Nic’s father. Now Reilly has no grandfather, no grandmother, and no Nic to help her get through the summer. While walking her dog by the creek that separates the amusement park from the adjacent campground, she meets Alex, who is staying in the campground. With Alex’s help, Reilly takes on her grandfather’s last unfinished project.
This book is not just a story about an amusement park, it is about friendships, learning to let go, and taking things one step at a time.
Reviewed by Aspen, a high school student
This book follows a young boy, Eddie, who is reluctant to return to the dentist after a bad experience at his last appointment. Eddie visits Dr. Yankum, a new dentist in town who seemed to appear overnight. The new dentist pulls two of Eddie’s teeth, teeth he could’ve sworn were healthy. When he discovers that he was not the only kid with unnecessary extractions, he begins to suspect something sinister. To make matters worse, Eddie’s mom begins to date Dr. Yankum. With the help of his best friend, Darryl, Eddie creates a plan to find out what is really going on. The ending is unexpected, and contributes to the horror and mystery of the book.
Overall, this book is fast paced, and mixes funny and spooky perfectly. It will make you shiver and grin at the same time! This book gives off the same eerie vibe and would be perfect for readers who like Goosebumps.
