Author Archives: Candy Ranney

About Candy Ranney

Candy is an elementary school librarian in Shelton, WA at the school where she was a student (so many years ago!). Her library is unique in that she brings her background and love of biology to her students in many ways. Not only does she have an awesome selection of science books; she also has a beaver, bobcat and mink sitting on her shelves and a variety of jarred specimens for her students to study. When she's not in the library, she is taking care of her baby trees on her tree farm and hanging out with her family and many pets.

Nobody Hugs a Cactus

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Hank was the epitome of a prickly cactus. He was grumpy, mean and wanted to be alone. He grumps at all manner of possible friends, from tumbleweed to coyote, until a cowboy strolls by and says “Nobody hugs a cactus”. It is at that moment that Hank wonders if a hug might be a nice thing to have. He goes from grumpy and mean to sad and lonely. One day, a cup flies by in the breeze and gets stuck on his face and he can’t get it off. Fortunately, Rosie the tumbleweed tumbles by and knocks it off. Her act of kindness kindles a yearning for friendship and reciprocity. So, Hank grows a lovely little flower to thank Rosie. When she next tumbles by he reaches out to give it her and she hugs him. Oops, he’s a cactus and can’t let go of Rosie! But, Hank decides that “…it’s better to be stuck in a hug than stuck all alone”.

This pictures in this lovely book are done in earth tones with water color. The characters are typical of a desert – cactus, tumbleweed, tortoise, hare, coyote and cowboy. Interestingly, one can see (and believe) the emotions playing out on the cactus’ face as he transforms from a grumpy guy to a friendly hug-lover. Students will enjoy his change of heart and hope that the other characters come back for hugs, too!

The Frog Book

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The Frog Book is a 33 page mix of glorious illustrations and amazing facts about some of the over 6,000 (that we know of so far) amphibians that inhabit most parts of the world. Information is presented in small bites under such page headings as “What is a frog?” and “Finding a mate”. While this information could tend to be somewhat dry if presented in a flat, fact-filled tome, it is nothing short of incredible in this incarnation. Many of the pictures are presented half life-sized, except for a few notables (the largest and smallest, fore example). Some of the illustrations are labeled and there is a fine two page spread of the life cycle of a typical frog. Students will love the detailed information given in this book and, I am sure, will ask to share some of the more ‘interesting’ facts such as the facts that the golden poison frog has enough poison to kill ten adult humans and the hairy frog (yes, it does look a little hairy!) can break its own finger bones that penetrate its skin and act like claws. Wow! I want to learn more about frogs now! This magnificent book will enthrall your young scientists and turn your non-scientists into frog experts hungry for more!

Astronomy You Can Nibble

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Apparently, science and food go together very well. This was a fact I didn’t realize until I picked up the book, Astronomy You Can Nibble. This slim and colorful book begins with a definition of “Astronomy”, moves through the current study of the subject and continues through six easy, recipes that illustrate the subject. Each recipe has numbered steps, many with corresponding photos along with lists of ingredients and tools. Students will certainly enjoy this topic when they can eat the constellations while they study them or discuss the eclipse while munching or cookies that illustrate the phases of a solar eclipse. I know that I would remember my astronomy lessons if I had eaten my way through them!

This book is part of six book set that touches on geology, math, engineering, technology, chemistry and the above-mentioned astronomy. Purchase these books for your K-2 students. Theses books will not be on the shelves for long1

Mallory McDonald, Super Sitter

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Mallory and her friend, Chloe Jennifer, agree to take a job with Mallory’s new next door neighbors, the Goldmans. They will babysit twin five year old boys for two hours each day after school for three weeks. The girls are excited about the prospect and things go well until the twins decide to have some real fun – jumping off the the outdoor toy and coloring on the walls. Mallory is also feeling a time squeeze as her homework builds up and she has no time to put together a cool poem for the upcoming poetry slam.

Things start to fall apart for Mallory until she learns to manage her time and be responsible for commitments. Along the way, she has some rather painful experiences and discovers that she can finish what she starts even when the going is tough. This is a nice, sweet book for those would-be babysitters out there – although it might scare them off! Recommended

Field Tripped

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Fifth graders Eddie, Aaron and their classmates from Liberty Falls Elementary School are on a field trip to the town’s famous inventor’s home – Minks’ Mansion. Eddie, a Minks descendant, has a plan and map. He wants to find hidden inventions that might help his family keep their home. The original Mr. Minks donated his mansion and inventions to the town of Liberty Falls when he died several generations ago. There is another mystery as well. Jessie overhears the tour guide and his helper talking about moving the inventions and believes they plan to steal everything. She just needs to convince her classmates that this is a real thing.

The students, their teacher and principal are touring the mansion and barn when a huge snowstorm hits and forces them to stay the night. Unfortunately, the group is split up and all the adults end up in the barn with a class, while the other class stays in the mansion without adult supervision. Not surprisingly, mayhem ensues. Students get lost, break inventions, scare each other, have a snowball fight and catch a couple of thieves…actually, an innocent tour guide and a principal.

In the end, there is a perfectly good explanation for everything, new friends are made and a mean girl gets her comeuppance. Along the way, the students discover their strengths and make some crazy discoveries of their own.

Each chapter is told in a student’s voice and switches between four different students: Eddie, Jessie, Chloie and Aaron. It takes some time to differentiate between the students. But, as the story unfolds, their voices are stronger and more easily determined. The adults are goofy and the terrible puns are somewhat painful. This is a light, humorous adventure, with a touch of mystery. Additional purchase

Pug Meets Pig

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Pug has the good life – a great home, yard, food and a bed. Things are going great until the day a Pig moves in. All of sudden, life isn’t so great as the Pig takes over all of Pug’s stuff! Well, life isn’t too good until a doggy door is put into the house door and Pig doesn’t fit. Suddenly, life is great. Except…Pig is sad! So, Pug decides to help him by gnawing through the doggy door to make a larger Pig door and the (now) friends are together and having fun.

This is a sweet little story with simple illustrations and text. There are many books out there with animal friendships. But, pugs are popular and and who doesn’t love a cute pig? Buy it if you need to refresh your dog picture books.

My Adopted Family

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Lenny visits his classmate, Adam, and his family to report on this Student of the Week. Along the way, he discovers that Adam and his sister are adopted and are part of a loving, normal family, much like his own.

This book is part of a series on different types of families and the story introduces this particular family type in a very natural way. The illustrations are somewhat cartoon-like and colorful. My Adopted Family, along with the rest of the books in the My Family series would be a sweet introduction to units on families in the primary grades. Recommended

Agatha Parrot and the Thirteenth Chicken

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Agatha Parrott and her school mates are tasked with caring for thirteen chicks after their heated box at school breaks down. Unfortunately, one goes missing and Agatha is sure that it’s her fault. Mayhem ensues as she and her friends search high and low for chick #13. Do they find it at the end?

This book is fast paced and in Agatha’s voice, which makes it a fun read for those ready for chapter books. The language is accessible and the black and white illustrations are hilarious. Agatha and her friends manage to make even losing a chicken great fun. Recommended

If You Were a Kid in the Wild West

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This book is a blend of fact and fiction as we read the story of Nae (cowboy) and Kate (storekeeper’s daughter) as they navigate life in the wild west. Along the way, there are text and photo boxes with facts about that time period. There is a timeline and map included, as well as index, glossary and table of contents.

While the mix of facts and fiction is interesting, it is somewhat confusing that the fact boxes often do not coordinate with the fictional story line presented on the same pages. For example, Kate’s brother is really sick and the doctor is at a ranch five miles away. Yet, on the same two page spread there is a fact box with information about the Pony Express. The facts are great, but the story is a bit weak and doesn’t really mesh with some of the facts (as mentioned previously). And, elements are (very) briefly mentioned in the story line, but a have a big presence in the accompanying fact box.

This might be a decent book to rouse student interest for more substantial information. But, don’t rely on it. Not recommended.

Let’s Visit the Evergreen Forest

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Let’s Visit the Evergreen Forest is an introduction to the plants and animals that are part of this particular biome. Pictures are engaging and accompanying text boxes have extra information. A map details where this biome is located. And, information is presented in simple terms, with a glossary to explain the more difficult words.

This book leads the reader to believe that an evergreen forest biome is simply a stand of towering trees, which is incorrect. There are many parts to this ecosystem, some of which are pictured but not discussed in the text. Meadows, wetlands and immature stands of trees as well as the mature forest are all part of a healthy evergreen forest biome. Different animals thrive in different parts of that biome and that is not described in the text. I would not recommend this book for purchase unless it is used in conjunction with instruction on all aspects of an evergreen biome.

Rhymes with Doug

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Doug receives a mysterious package in the mail and opens it to find a magical rhyming parrot. Everything is great while the parrot rhymes ‘Doug” with “mug” and Doug gets hot chocolate and “Doug” with “pug” and a puppy appears. But things get crazy when the rhyming words are “slug” (Doug turns into one) and “bug” (ditto). The rhyming mayhem continues until the end when the word is “snug” and Doug is pictured in his bed. Uh-oh, did the bird just add “…as a bug in a rug”? No wonder the last page shows the same mysterious package near his friend’s car. A gift, perhaps?

Cartoon like characters and a mix of word bubbles and narrative text make this book an enjoyable tool in teaching rhyming. It is one of many out there (Seuss, et al). So, buy it if you have extra money to spend to freshen up your collection of rhyming books.

The Sky is Falling

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Data Set are in another adventure-this time with an alien who wanted to visit earth after hearing from Dr. Bunsen in his new language. sending light and sound to space, Dr.Bunsen has attracted the attention of the townspeople, aliens and, possibly, government agents. Can the Data Set fix this scientific mess?

This book offers science in a fun, fast-paced easy chapter book with multi ethnic kids solving whatever problems their scientist friend, Dr. Bunsen (somewhat reminiscent of Doc Brown from Back to the Future movie fame) manages to cook up. And, as always, the kids manage to do so with ingenuity and intelligence. Recommended

The Early Cretaceous: Notes, Drawings, and Observations from Prehistory

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Imagine studying prehistoric life first hand. Well, that is what you will find in this book that is set up like a naturalist’s journal. Drawings and notes fill the pages with descriptions of animals that many of us wish we could see standing before us (although, the carnivores could stand a ways away from us). The newest scientific information is presented in a format that makes us feel as if we are reading notes from a scientist that has actually recorded data from living, breathing organisms. Helpful comparisons in size between humans and dinosaurs are a highlight of each two to four page section. Would-be paleontologists will study this book in – depth and dream of their own discoveries to come. Add this book to your dinosaur collection – it’s a nice update.

Confusion is Nothing New

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Ellie’s mom is dead and Ellie is mad. She is mad that she never looked for the mother that left a few months after Ellie was born. She is mad that her dad never wanted to talk about her mom. And, she’s mad that her mom never really reached out to her.

But, she has a shoebox of mixed tapes, cd’s and odd items that her mom had apparently sent to her a year before. So, she and her band friends try to find out who this woman was that had been Ellie’s mom. She discovers so much along the way, most importantly that she is surrounded by loving friends and a dad that is her champion. Oh, and there are so many 1980’s songs mixed in that the reader will be compelled to turn up the stereo and sing along to some Cindy Lauper, et al.

This story is a fast -paced read with likeable characters who behave just like one would expect as they work together to put together who Ellie’s mom really was. Fortunately, there is believable closure for all as Ellie figures out who really matters to her. Recommended

Road Trip with Max and his Mom

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Third grade Max is set to embark on his first road trip with his mom to a family reunion in Pennsylvania. But, he must first present his chosen hero’s biography at his class’ Inspiration Celebration. Putting together polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s costume is easy. Saying “Antarctica” correctly will be the challenge. In addition, he has some worries about his trip with his mom, because he usually spends weekends with his dad at dad’s apartment.

Fortunately, both sources of anxiety are handled simply and sweetly. Mom encourages him in his public speaking and his presentation is amazing. Then, his parents (not long divorced) ease his fears about missing his weekend with dad. So, mom and he take off from Michigan for their trip to the family reunion and great-great Aunt Victory’s 100th birthday party.

Max meets new family members and works through his fear of the huge roller coaster, the Big Buckaroo. And, he made some wonderful memories with his mom along the way.

Max’s story is a familiar one for many young readers who split their time between their divorced parents. His loyalty and love for both of his parents is apparent and his family’s new ‘normal’ after divorce is handled very well. This book also deals with those experiences that can cause a child to worry – class presentations, meeting new people, making mom and dad happy. Young readers will connect with Max and empathize with him as he navigates life as a third grader. Highly recommended.

Super Simple Thanksgiving Crafts: fun and easy holiday projects for kids

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This book gives the reader some history about Thanksgiving and information about how it is currently celebrated. And then, the fun begins! A great two page spread that shows pictures of materials and tools needed for the crafts shows the reader that most of the items are easily accessible. Following that are two page spreads with pictures and clear steps to use in order to make each of the crafts presented. In addition, there are directions for making a treat, which kids will enjoy adding to the Thanksgiving table. Pick up this book and the rest of the series for your library. Highly recommended.

Inside the U.S. Army

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Inside the U.S. Army gives a very basic overview of this military branch. Four short chapters highlight what it is, training, equipment and what the future might look like for the army. Short, descriptive paragraphs and color photos of army personnel of different genders and ethnicity are further explained with extra information boxes. There is also a very nice diagram explaining the gear of a typical infantry soldier as well as a page detailing the history of the army.

This particular book is part of a four book series on the branches of the military and includes typical nonfiction features. A table of contents, index and glossary are helpful. And, a page of books and websites for further reading will be helpful for those students seeking more information. This book will be popular and accessible. Highly recommended.

A world of cookies for Santa : follow Santa’s tasty trip around the world

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This is a delectable collection of Christmas traditions around the world, some of which include cookie recipes. Each short description is on a page with colored illustrations of children from that particular country. Young readers will enjoy learning the names and traditions surrounding Santa on his travels around the world. Endpapers have maps of Santa’s path around the world and the end of the book includes recipes for several of the cookie recipes.

This book will be a fun addition to holiday collections. And, BONUS! Students might bring you some cookies from the recipe collection in this book! Recommended

Pen Pals

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Oscar the ant and Bill the octopus become pen pals through their respective school and enjoy a year of writing letters to each other (and sometimes sending little gifts as well). Each animal is pictured sitting at his desk with the letter to his new friend on the opposing page. Oscar’s letters are blue and Bill’s are yellow, helping the reader keep track of who’s writing which letter. Along the way, the pen pals send each other little gifts that show up in the other’s room on the next page. And the surprise at the end…read it and find out!

This book brings reminds us of the fun of writing and sending letters. There is a wondrous pleasure in eagerly waiting for the response from your pen pal. The drawings are simple and clean with pops of color. All in all, this is a fun story that will encourage readers to consider writing some letters of their own.

Be Brave, Little Penguin

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Pip-Pip is a nervous little penguin and very anxious about the idea of swimming in that absolutely HUGE ocean! Who knows what might be out there that might want to eat him? So, Pip-Pip plays alone, hearing the words ‘scaredy Pip-Pip’ from the other little penguins. Daddy penguin thinks this is silly, but mommy penguin takes a gentler approach. His family’s encouragement works and Pip-Pip overcomes his fear and discovers a world of wonder under the sea.

The lovely illustrations coordinate well with the lyrical prose. This story might just help a small human reader overcome a fear. Besides, who doesn’t love penguin chicks? Recommended

Olympic Records

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This slim book succinctly describes many of the greatest Olympic records and athletes of all times. Exciting photographs punctuate the bits of information, which will be jut enough for those sports buffs that don’t want to wade through lots of information in a larger reference book. Many of the athletes and sports will be familiar (example: Michael Phelps and swimming). But, some will be new to middle grade readers (example: coxless pair rowers Hamish Bond and Erick Murray).

Typical nonfiction features are present: table of contents, glossary, index. And potentially unfamiliar words are bolded. Olympic Records is part of the Blastoff! Discovery: Incredible Sports Records series and is a nice addition to those collections that need a boost of new material. Additional selection

Nick the Sidekick

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Nick has some very special powers – he has super hearing and he is super smart. Unfortunately, his super hearing comes at a price…super big ears. And, those ears make him the brunt of schoolyard jokes and mean kids. His best friend, Tess, is always there to encourage and help Nick in any way she can, though.

Nick’s talents do not go unnoticed and he is recruited to be a sidekick…er, assistant…to Super Fantastic Guy, a brawny and not-so-bright superhero. Nick trains for his job and doesn’t quite get the flying part down. But, he uses his super intellect and hearing to fight crime alongside…er, behind….Super Fantastic Guy, who loves to take credit for their fabulous crime fighting.

Fortunately, Nick’s contribution is not totally unnoticed. A reporter spots the truth and gets a few digs in to Super Fantastic Guy, who doesn’t really get it until Tess changes part of his acceptance speech at a city ceremony and he reads the truth out loud. He also reads that he has poopy pants. Geez, can’t this superhero read ahead a bit? He acknowledges at the end that he might have deserved it, though. So, we have hope that Nick will get the accolades he deserves in the future.

The bright colors and quick pace of the story through the panels makes this a quick read and it should appeal to the Captain Underpants crowd in a big way. And, that’s no cliche! Highly recommended.

Crawly School for Bugs: Poems to Drive You Buggy

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Who would have thought that bugs could be fun? Well, open this book of bug poetry and be prepared to laugh your way through a day of fun at insect school. These little critters are learning some important lessons in each poem. For example, Hiding from Spiders: Run, Don’t Count. “Teacher says, Don’t count their eyes, If you count eight- it’s too late.” And, the school motto is spot-on: “Never eat a friend at school”.

The short, rhyming poems with the accompanying humorous, multi-media illustrations are a perfect introduction to insects and poetry. The language is lively and is matched well to the actions of the buggy students and staff of this very unique school. Readers will giggle their way through a day at insect school. Add this book to your poetry collection to liven it up a bit. Highly Recommended

Percy, Dog of Destiny

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Percy, an energetic little dog with a cute black eye-patch, is on his way to the dog park with his beloved ball. There, he meets up with his friends: Molly, Fluffy and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and they do all kinds of doggie things. What can be more fun than running along a fence, digging holes, sniffing and peeing on trees with your best friends? There is a problem…a terrible squirrel, who steals Percy’s ball. But, what ho! Fluffy puts his bone down long enough to save the day and save Percy’s ball. The day is saved as the four friends, special toys in mouths, walk away and the end.

This story uses spare text and lots of white space around the penciled drawings to engage the youngest readers. The energy of Percy and his friends is apparent in the illustrations and readers will enjoy the silliness of these canines as they spend their day at the dog park. Recommended