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.

The Very Impatient Caterpillar

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So, this caterpillar is hanging out with his buddies and notices that they are all heading up a tree. When he asks what they are doing, he is absurdly surprised to hear about something called metamorphosis. Apparently, he is the only caterpillar that doesn’t know about this crazy stuff and he hurries to catch up to his friends. He does okay with the chrysalis-making. But, waiting to metamorphose is soooooo boring and takes sooooo long! He’s positive that he is done and emerges to discover that he is only half way there (ewww – not only does he look funny, he can’t fly at all!). So, he tries again and this time manages to stay in his chrysalis the required two weeks’ time. It is somewhat tortuous (as depicted in a hilarious two page spread), but he finally emerges as a fully developed butterfly vowing to be more patient. But, what is this? His friends are migrating? He joins the journey and says “Are we there yet?”.

Computer generated illustrations lend a comic touch to the story as we watch a young caterpillar dealing with the dreadfully slow process of metamorphosis. This engaging book with its quirky character will delight every budding entomologist as well as those that can sympathize with a small caterpillar’s impatience. Highly recommended!

Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker: the lost city

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Edison Beaker believes that he will never be a Creature Seeker (after book #1). But, Gigi (his great grandma) has other ideas. She tells Edison that he is ready to be a Creature Seeker and must find the Spark to light the city of Pharos. Otherwise, it will be forever sunk into gloom and the evil Baron Umbra and the Underlings will rule. Edison and his sister, Tesla, go to Gigi’s house to locate her book, which will explain everything. Thankfully, Gigi gave Tesla a monster detecting bracelet before they left, because Underlings come after them as they are looking for Gigi’s book. Their friend, Knox, from the Underwhere helps them escape the Underlings and they go through the Night Door to save Pharos.

Baron Umbra won’t let that happen easily and it takes the three intrepid heroes and a new friend, an Underling named Smudge, to return the light to Pharos and save the city. Along the way, they discover that true friendship, family and loyalty can go far in making the world better.

Colorful illustrations and a little bit of scariness make this a nice elementary level graphic novel. The classic good versus evil is woven nicely into the story. The main characters are loyal, brave and accepting of others (although Tesla was much quicker than Edison in that respect). In case you might want more – the last page has a huge hint that the story will continue…

Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur

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Nothing gets a budding paleontologist more excited than a book about a newly discovered dinosaur. But, this book will turn many young readers into future paleontologists when they see the photos of the dig and the resulting life-size model.

Dr. Jose Carballido and Dr. Diego Pol followed the lead given by a local gaucho, who discovered the bone on his ranch in Patagonia while looking for sheep. When they arrived, they found a dinosaur femur (upper leg bone) that was nearly eight feet long, the largest on record! This amazing fossil was the first of over 180 bones that the paleontologists and their team uncovered and took back to the museum. Here, they cleaned them and made fiberglass replicas of every bone in order to build a model of this new species of Titanosaur.

The book is laid out in two corresponding parts. The main part details the discovery of the fossils and the painstaking work it took to remove them safely, clean them, study them and make the life-size replica. The corresponding part, which is in sidebars or the bottom of the pages, explains unfamiliar words and gives information about titanosaurs and the work of a paleontologist in this case.

Illustrations are well-done and the photographs interspersed throughout help the reader be part of the excavation. The two page spread showing the 122 foot long titanosaur, Patagotitan mayorum, is breathtaking and the final pages with a note and photos from Dr. Carballido and Dr. Pol is very engaging.

This book will be a great addition to a library collection, especially those looking to update their information. Put this book out and you won’t see it on the shelf. It’s that good!

Snail & Worm: All Day

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Snail and Worm star in three lovely stories in this sweet picture book for early readers. In Best Day Ever, Snail defines a “good day” very differently. His day didn’t go too well, but others had wonderful experiences and he was happy for them; hence, the best day ever! The Spooky Cave is a story about a dragon…er, turtle, that scares Snail enough to cause him to ‘run’ away even though Worm tries to tell Snail that the animal is really a turtle. And, the third story is A Bedtime Story that highlights the sweet relationship of these two friends. The pen and watercolor illustrations lend themselves to the simple story line quite well. Characters’ emotions are displayed and add to the humor of the book.

Give this book to readers who enjoy friendship stories like Elephant and Piggie or Frog and Toad. Snail & Worm have the same sweet, loyal friendship and will be a welcome addition to your collection.

I’m Trying to Love Math

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For those that dislike math (or those that like math and want to prove how cool it is!), one need look no further than I’m Trying to Love Math. The unseen narrator has some very valid reasons for disliking math and the cute purple alien is able to refute them all with the reality that math is useful, necessary and all around us! And, just when the narrator gets overwhelmed with the sheer volume of numbers (yep, math), the alien suggests that he give the book a shake to drop some of ’em out of the book.

Cartoon-like illustrations and some really cool math facts make this book thought-provoking and engaging. Young readers will enjoy the funny dialogue between the alien and the unseen narrator. And, they will keep reading to discover whether the narrator changes his mind. Along the way, they might find that math can be really interesting.

So, the next time you make cookies, play the guitar or travel to outer space, you’ll have to remember that it all takes math! Kinda cool, right?

The Two Mutch Sisters

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This pair of sisters have been together for a very long time. Even though their taste differs, they collect two of everything and their shared home become a tad too cluttered. Ruby decides to take her half of the collection and move into a different house. While their separate homes are no longer cluttered, Ruby and Violet feel that something is missing…each other. So, Violet takes matters into her own hands and moves their houses to a new double lot where they can be neighbors. And now, they have each other and nothing is missing!

This sweet story with its very different sisters and very interesting group of collectibles (glockenspiels and spittoons among them) is a sweet tribute to sibling love. The illustrations are detailed and fun, showing all sorts of clutter. Students will pick up this book again and again.

100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet

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This fact-filled book describes the top dangerous things that can harm (or, more likely, kill) you. Each one is detailed on a single page with photos, risk and survival ratings, “What to do” section and text boxes with extra fun facts. The book is divided into two sections – natural dangers and human dangers. Natural dangers is then further divided by the type of danger (natural disasters, dangerous weather, lost in the wild and dangerous animals).

This book is attractively laid out and will, no doubt, be of great interest to its target audience. I am concerned that there is nothing noted about where the information comes from and how the risk and survival rates are determined. While it is packed with information about what to do in case one of these awful things occurs, it leaves out a pretty significant piece of information – where did they find out all this stuff? That being said, I don’t plan to go anywhere near a pyroclastic flow, which has a survival rating of 10%. I’ll take a dingo attack (95% survival rating) over that any day. Why take chances?

My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic.Vol. 11

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Shining Armor and Cadance share the story of their meeting and romance in school (and eventual marriage) with his little sister and her friends. Shining Star was a ‘nerd’ and Cadance was a popular pony, who appeared to be headed to the dance with the awful polo team captain. Shining Star’s friends are there to help him achieve his dream of taking Cadance to the dance and they devise elaborate plans…all of which fail miserably. The book ends on a cliffhanger and we don’t know how they end up at the dance together. We have to read the next book in the series to finish the story.

This graphic novel is colorful and is varied in number of panels per page, which moves the story along nicely. Colors are vibrant and the ponies are as over-the-top sparkly and glamorous as they are in their television shows. It should appeal to young readers. But, beware – you won’t be able to get away with buying just one volume. Be prepared to purchase the series, because your students will demand to know how the story ends!

Penguinaut!

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Poor Orville! All his friends at the zoo are bigger and have more adventures than him. So, he decides to go on a really, really big adventure. He is going to fly to the moon! He plans and builds and has some disasters, but he keeps working until he makes the perfect rocket. He says goodbye to his friends and flies to the moon, where he jumps, dances and has the best adventure all by himself! He feels a little lonely and finds a note from his friends. He flies back to earth where he has the greatest adventure of all – being with his friends.

This is a sweet story about friendship and perseverance (and a penguin). The illustrations are simple and the text flows well and becomes a part of the illustration (“Orville was small. His friends were BIG.”). While the story is really about friendship; it also introduces the concept of perseverance as Orville tries, fails and tries again until he successfully flies to the moon. The end is wonderful and students will agree that adventures are best with friends.

Surprise!

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Bear, Raccoon and Squirrel are bored. Time to make new friends, but the other woodland creatures aren’t interested. So, the three friends search and locate a nice family of city folks that are out camping. Before they can introduce themselves, the family wanders away from the campsite. While they are gone, the three animals do their best to make the (future) party festive, by decorating (making a mess), preparing the food (eating it) and picking pine cones for hats.

They excitedly await the arrival of the their city folks friends. But, they have a surprise themselves. The city folks go running off like they’re scared! Bear, Squirrel and Raccoon are sad. But, they don’t let their sadness get in the way of their fun. They continue the party without the city folks. Fun!

Make a Dinosaur Your Way!

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Kids are encouraged to build a dinosaur and given some suggestions for materials and tools. They are not given exact instructions. Rather, they are given some guidance and lots of freedom to use their imagination. And, while there are some photos for inspiration, they don’t make the reader feel as if the dinosaur models pictured are the only way to create. This open-ended instructional text is a nice addition to the maker movement in your library.

Super Gross Slime and Snot Projects

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The best way to interest kids in science is to make it as gross as possible. This book does just that by introducing slime and snot and then following up with some wonderfully disgusting projects like ‘diaper snot’ or ‘fart putty’ (who wouldn’t love a batch of that?). Materials are easily procured and adults are advised to preview the projects and provide help with sharp implements, food coloring, etc. Pull this book out when you want some great reactions from your students!

Pro Wrestling

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Pro Wrestling is a high/low book that describes the sport, gives some history and sprinkles in some fun facts. All of this information is presented in short paragraphs with highlighted words that might be unfamiliar and are defined in the glossary. Photos typically spread over two pages and text is attractively inserted within. Wrestlers are varying in ethnicity and gender. This book is part of the Arena Events six-book series.

Pro wrestling is a big deal, even among the younger crowd. Many students are avid fans and this book will be a favorite. Written as a high interest/lower level volume, it will certainly attract its target audience of 3rd-6th graders, as well as those above and below. Pro wrestling has been around for sixty years and it doesn’t appear to be diminishing in popularity. So, the pop culture aspect of this book is somewhat moot. It should be relevant for some years to come. Update your sports section with this one!

Harley-Davidson

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Harley-Davidson, part of a six book series, gives the reader some history and some great photos of this iconic American motorcycle. Photos are on two page spreads with one to three sentences. Unfamiliar words are boldface and defined in the glossary in at the back of the book, which also has an index and table of contents.

This is a great book for the early readers. It should keep them reading and they will certainly enjoy the ‘coolness’ of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles! I don’t think this book will stay on the shelves.

Fear the Bunny

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A tiger happens upon a group of woodland animals listening to the hedgehog reading a book about scary bunnies. That doesn’t sit well with the tiger. So, he tries to explain to them that HE is much more fierce than bunnies. What will they do – cute him to death? He scoffs until a band of headlamp wearing bunnies begin to chase him and the story ends with the tiger reading a story about scary bunnies to a group of animals, including other tigers!

Cartoon-like illustrations accompany a cute story that vaguely references the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake, which is printed at the end of the book. Students will enjoy this slightly scary and cute story, although they might not appreciate its connection to the poem.

Not Your Nest!

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What a fun book! Wait, I should tell you about it first, shouldn’t I? Well, this story is about an industrious, little yellow bird in the African Savanna and his adventures in building a nest. This shouldn’t be a difficult endeavor. But, every time he is returns to his newly completed nest, he is greeted by an animal visitor that plans to claim it as his own. So, he builds another nest and the same thing happens. Nest after nest is claimed by animal after animal (gazelle, gorilla, zebra and so forth), until the poor little bird can take it no longer. He enlists the aid of a wildebeest and in one big “BAM” knocks the animals and nests out of the tree. He sadly looks at his ruined nests and the other animals seem to finally realize the error of their ways. They work diligently to build a huge nest in the tree and gently place the little bird into it. He watches them walk a way dejectedly and shouts “Wait!”, invites them to join him and they gladly do so. The story could end here, but the industrious little bird finishes the story by finishing the project he started a the beginning…building his own nest, which is next to his new animal friends.

This story is brimming with fun and comic wit. While the text is spare, it and the illustrations do a fantastic job of giving us a sense of the animals’ attitudes and feelings. The bird’s growing frustration and fatigue as he tries over and over to just build a nest for himself is perfectly pictured in his expressions and words. The zebra is a little bit pompous and the elephant is a little apologetic. And, we can’t help but be satisfied at the end when the bird finishes what he starts and get the nest he really wanted.

Buy this book and wait for the giggles as you read it out loud to your students. It’s that good!!

Cleo and Cornelius : a tale of two cities and two kitties

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Cleo and Cornelius are living the high life in ancient Egypt, where cats are treated like gods and their days are filled with lounging, eating, napping and being worshiped. One day, Cornelius accidentally boards a boat for Rome, which is a very different place than his home. Here, dogs are revered and cats are supposed to keep mice out of houses. But, there is adventure, as he and Cleo discover when she comes to Rome to find him. They race chariots, dip their paws in a Roman bath, perform in a theater and so many other activities. Exhausted, they hop a ship back to Egypt and their luxurious lives of eating, napping and being worshiped, which is fine with Cornelius. Cleo, on the other hand, grows bored and the heads back to her adventurous life in Rome.

This story is loosely based on Aesop’s “Town Mouse and Country Mouse” fable and is full of richly illustrated scenes of the ancient worlds of Egypt and Italy…and Cleo and Cornelius! There are two pages of notes for the reader, explaining life in those two societies. Photos of artifacts are included. This is a fun romp of a story and we learn some things along the way.

Cat Wishes

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Cat is very hungry as he wanders around the woods and catches a snake. This snake is magical, though, and offers Cat three wishes if he releases the snake. Cat doesn’t believe in wishes, but lets the snake go. He is still hungry and wishes for a fish, which he catches. Still skeptical, he wishes for a house when he becomes cold and wet in the rain. A lovely, warm house with a cushion for him to lie appears before him. He still doesn’t believe in wishes, but as darkness falls he wishes for a friend and a little girl quietly enters the room. She describes a wiggly snake that granted her three wishes – a picnic basket, a coat and a friend, the Cat.

Gentle illustrations accompany spare text to make this fairy tale come a sweet story to share with young students. This a great addition to your library.

4 X 4 Trucks

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All kinds of 4×4 trucks are shown in various crazy driving situations, whether they involve lots of dirt, mud or water. This informative book is a high interest- low level book, so it is written for a 3-6 grade interest level and a 2.6 grade reading level. There is a timeline, labeled vehicle and typical nonfiction features (glossary, index, table of contents, extra resource list, etc.). This book is part of the Full Throttle series that includes eight different vehicles and it is a certainty that none of them will be on your shelves if you buy them!

Journey Across the Hidden Islands

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Twins Seika and Ji-Lin were two princesses whose destiny was known to them, or so they thought. Seika would become the Queen and Ji-Lin would be her royal protector along with the winged lions. They also both knew that one day they would travel to the Hidden Island of the dragon to ask for her protection against monsters and invaders, just as their ancestors had for many generations. Yet, this was not what was to happen. They began their journey before their training was finished and so began an adventure of epic proportions. Along the way, they picked up a helpful young boy and used strength and intellect they didn’t know that they possessed. But, would it be enough to save their land and people from those outside that would destroy them? And, why is the ever-protective dragon allowing this to happen?

This book is a wonderful fantasy with strong, young female characters. They are likable and realistically ‘snarky’ at times, as tweens tend to be. Their loyalty to each other and their bravery is remarkable. Buy this book!

I Feel Teal

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This is a sweet book about a child who “feels” a wide range of colors over the course of her day. Illustrations are single colors on each two page spread until the end when the author writes that “you are all the colors” and “they make you you”. The illustrations are colorful at this point. This book would be great to share with students and determine together what emotions are illustrated. The illustrations do a fine job of hinting at the emotions through the faces and body language of those pictured. And, attributing colors to those emotions might be helpful when working with younger children, who could use those colors to help them describe their feelings at any given time.

Loch Ness Monster

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This book describes the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. Illustrations and text explain the history of sightings, searches, hoaxes and hopes for finding this seemingly elusive creature. The reader learns where the Loch is located, what kind of tools are used to search for it and possible alternative animals that it might actually be. Extra tidbits of information are included in text boxes throughout and there are the typical nonfiction features – index, glossary and resource lists in the back of the book. Add this book to your collection if you want to update your section on supernatural creatures. It’s actually kind of fun!

I Just Ate My Friend

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Yes, he just ate his friend. So, the not-very-scary monster (even though he ate his friend) looks for a new one. Unfortunately, he’s either too big, too small, too scary, et cetera, et cetera, for all the monsters he encounters. Just when he’s about to give up, a lovely teal monster agrees to be his friend and…eats him! Readers will enjoy this darkly humorous story which is simply told and not very scary. It might lead to a wonderful discussion about how we really should treat our friends. Not eating them would be the first thing, right?

Ready, Set…Baby!

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Anna and Oliver tell us what it’s like to have a new baby join the family. This book starts with the announcement from mom and goes through the last stages of pregnancy and all the changes that occur for older siblings when the new family member arrives (and stays!). Word bubbles are interspersed with minimal text around sweet illustrations that give a good amount of information for new big brothers and sisters. This book is lighthearted and touches on many topics in which ‘bigs’ might have an interest, like all those sounds babies make instead of talking, the whole yucky diaper thing, spitting up, bedtime routines, visits and so forth. There is a resource list for added information and tips for parents in the back of the book. This book will answer many questions for older siblings and does so in a friendly, easy manner. It will be a great resource for parents who want some help answering those questions in an age-appropriate way.

Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack! : an Onomatopoeia Story

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Mrs. Garcia’s class roams the school and nearby farm searching for onomatopoeia in this silly, rhyming picture book. They find numerous examples of this elusive literary device in the gym, science lab and elsewhere until they are “shooshed” at the end by the concerned principal (apparently, they were a little loud with their “shrieks”, “grunts” and so forth!

This book will be useful for the teacher that is working on this topic. Students will enjoy the fun illustrations and the additional examples in the back of the book. They might be excited enough about it to go on their own search for the elusive onomatopoeia!