What’s not to love about Mr. Putter & Tabby? Cynthia Rylant writes another lovely book about dear old Mr. Putter and his companion, Tabby (who is old as well!). Arthur Howard adds his signature illustrations and we are off on an adventure with our friends, Mr. Putter & Tabby!

In this book, Mr. Putter becomes restless as winter sets in – his garden is under snow as is his hammock. He and Tabby need some fun and he reminisces about his childhood days of sledding and outdoor play. So, he contacts his good friend, Mrs. Teaberry, and her dog, Zeke. They are always up for an adventure and usually have the gear with which to do it!

They meet up with Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke and have a lovely, exhilarating time sledding. Tabby isn’t as excited as Mr. Putter, but they both enjoy a warm bath, muffins and cream and nap afterwards!

This book is a moving historical novel told in free verse poems. The use of second person voice is an approach that draws in the reader and and one feels like a part of the pilots’ story. There are few books about the Tuskagee Airmen that are accessible to younger readers and this book does a masterful job of imparting the history and emotion of those historical moments.

These incredible men fought in two wars, World War II and the war on prejudice at home. They fought with dignity, integrity and great sense of pride in their chosen path.

The accompanying scratchboard illustrations in black and white are stark and vivid. They add just the right touch to the power of the written words.

A timeline and added resources are welcome additions, which students will absorb with great interest. This book will lead to some phenomenal discussions and reports! Highly Recommended.

This title is #4 in the DATA Set series. It is an early chapter book and can be considered science fiction.

Gabe, Laura and Cesar are the brainy group of friends that make up the DATA Set of their school. In this book, the students are challenged by their science teacher, Mrs. Bell, to build robots that would make life better. The friends are up to the task and with the aid of their friend, wacky scientist Dr. Bunson, they perfect their robots.

But, chaos reigns, on presentation day, when the robots malfunction and take over the school. The DATA Set and their new classmate, Olive, need to save the day!

The story is a fun read with diverse characters and a science theme, which will be welcome in schools, given the current STEAM emphasis. Verdict: Add it to your collection. There are very few early science fiction chapter books and this fill this niche.

This title is a follow-up to Rosie’s Walk and Pat Hutchins has done an excellent job with our friend, Rosie!

Rosie has laid an egg and it hatches when her back is turned. She looks all over and her chick, with part of the egg shell on its head, is right behind her. Rosie finally turns to greet her chick when her friend all shout “Behind you!”.

Children will delight in pointing out the chick behind Rosie on each two page spread. Great discussions will follow about the ‘near misses’ of the chick as it passes a cat, a fox and other hazards. Familiar illustrations and a fun story – buy it!

This title is part of an early chapter book series under the Branches division of Scholastic. Tooth Bandit is the second book in the Stella and Night Sprites series.

Stella can see sprites and fairies with her glasses and her adventures with them are chronicled in this series. In Tooth Bandits, Stella discovers that sprites are taking coins that the Tooth Fairies leave under children’s pillows. They use the coins to decorate their scooters. she hears all of this from a shy night sprite called Piper, who she catches trying to swap a paper clip for Stella’s coin. Stella shows Piper and the other sprites how to decorate their scooters with glitter, sequins and stickers, thereby saving future coins from possible thievery. She also helps shy Piper make friends with the other sprites.

While the language is very appropriate for the target audience and the illustrations are well done, the story will appeal to a small group of readers who might be really excited by fairies. The story drags a bit and the reader may wish for less sweetness and more excitement. Make this an extra choice.

“Liam loved to get mail.” So begins the story of a boy who NEVER received mail and decided to do something about it – he wrote a letter to his mailbox! The mailbox responded by sending Liam a fire-breathing dragon. Liam, who must have been raised by very polite parents, wrote a thank you letter back to the mailbox (with a request for more stuff) and received many wonderful items, like trombone-playing pigs and an air whale (i.e. a whale that flies). He and the mailbox went back and forth until he had TOO MUCH MAIL! He then decided to share the wealth by sending gifts to others through the mail and decided that it felt good to give to others, too.
This book is full of fun, with cartoon-like drawings, speech bubbles and little side jokes that will appeal to older readers as well as the target k-3 crowd. Writing letters and the enjoyment of sending and receiving mail are explored in a silly, entertaining way. This will be a great addition to a lesson on letter writing or a unit on community helpers (post office).

This series focuses on four friends and their adventures as Critter Club members, who care for and find homes for pets. They operate a volunteer pet rescue center with help from Amy’s mom, Dr. Purvis, a veterinarian.
In this book, Ellie can’t wait for her cousin’s wedding, but she becomes even more excited when Hailey asks her to be the flower girl! To add to the excitement, the Critter Club girls (Ellie, Amy, Marion and Liz) get a cute bulldog puppy that needs a home. Ellie’s enthusiasm turns to dismay when she ruins her flower girl’s dress with paint. How will she fix this and can they find a home for Lulu, the bulldog puppy? Fortunately, things seem to work out for the Critter Club!
This series is a great one for early chapter book readers. The combination of cute animals and the diverse girls who help them is a winner and the accompanying illustrations are quite charming. The stories are relatable and the language is appropriate. Pick this book up for your primary students – it will fly off the shelf.