I didn’t find it particularly well-written.  There was a lot of repetitiveness. The use of bullets was forced, like they just wanted credit for including non-fiction text features.  It does include a lot of time-period photos, but not nearly enough to support the text on a topic is inherently a visual one and which may be very unfamiliar to many readers (e.g. on the page describing women’s hats, the text describes five different kinds of hats, but only one is pictured).

I know all these picture search books are popular with my students, and I’ve seen a variety of them before, but this being the first time I’ve reviewed one, it’s the first time I’ve examined one this closely.  Besides the rich details within each photo, I was delighted to notice the way the sequence of photos throughout the book told a story without words, from the time the train set is carved, painted, sold, unwrapped, enjoyed, abandoned, yard-saled, refurbished, and enjoyed again.

A beautiful, imaginative poem inviting the reader to share in the joys of swinging on an autumn day.  The words and illustrations work together to create a lyrical delight.  A great introduction to poetical expression.

Ugh.  This book is trying to use a shiny cover and bright graphics to pretend it has something to say.  With only a sentence or two per page, it speaks in very broad generalities, often being presumptuous about describing schools today in ways that aren’t necessarily true about all schools, and much of what they state about schools in the past still applies at many schools today.  The only thing this book is really good for is as the example to use when teaching students to be critical readers recognizing over-generalized statements.

Light on information: relatively vague statements about what some believe versus what others say.  When reviewing another book in this series, I blamed the lack of substance on what happens when trying to write about “the unexplained.” But I recently read another book about Atlantis that had a lot more specific information to offer, describing in detail how and where the myth has developed across time.  I’m not sure whether the trade of substance for ease of reading is a worthwhile one — I suppose they each fit a different niche in the library, but if I had to choose just one, this wouldn’t be the one.

An odd little story:  a kid’s in a store where he’s not supposed to touch anything, so he pretends to be a silkworm, crawling around on the floor to pretend he’s in a cocoon; and then he accidentally breaks a bunch of figurines, getting a bump on his head in the process; he gets in trouble for breaking the stuff because no one believes that he didn’t touch them, an no one pays attention to his bump; later that night he overhears his mom break a vase after he’s supposed to be in bead, and his dad tells her not to worry because it could happen to anyone; then the kid dreams that the figurines all tell him, “It could happen to anyone,” and put ice on his bump.  It seems like the stories this publisher puts out are all trying very hard to make a point, but they never really seem to hit the mark, or to make the reader care.  Maybe they’re losing something in translation, as I believe they were all originally published in other languages.

Rather than a re-telling of the original nursery rhyme, this delightfully illustrated adaptation uses variations on the first line to create a new rhyme describing different animals playing different instruments.  A great addition to support the music curriculum, as well as useful in teaching rhyme and verbs.  And just plain fun.

The illustrations are nice, but the story line is really intended for preschool audiences.  There’s not really enough of a plot to capture the attention of school-aged kids.  It basically tells of the little toy train taking the other toys to their chosen destinations around the house, including sound effects like chug chug and quack quack.

The design of the book makes it very definitely a book with an elementary school target audience, but most of the photos used to illustrate the text show teenagers, and the text itself is presumptuous, first and foremost about assuming that the readers’ school offers dance groups I’ve usually only seen at the secondary level, and then too about assuming how those groups will conduct themselves (what to expect at tryouts, etc), yet not all school groups (when they do exist) operate the same way. All in all, a rather ill-conceived book.

It’s your basic what-it’s-like-when-parents-divorvce book: a small girl describing how things used to be different, but when mom and dad started fighting they decided they needed two homes, and she lives in both, and sometimes she misses the parent she’s not with, but she can always talk to them on the phone, etc. Every library needs to have something like this, and if you need one, this is a good one — very matter-of-fact and nicely illustrated — but I don’t know that it’s any better than others along the same line if you’ve already got one.

Whereas most chameleons like to blend in, Chamelia likes to stand out.  She tries so hard to stand out that some of her efforts lead to problems: fancy outfits that get caught in the school bus doors, high heels that fall off during her soccer game, friends who don’t appreciate her creative costuming for the class play.  In the end she decides it’s okay to join in some, too, and to look for more subtle ways to express her individuality.  The illustrations reflect the substance of the story by showing all the other chameleons in soft pastels and Chamelia in vibrant prints.

Be careful what you wish for. Annabelle is tired of ordinary birthday parties so she talks her parents into letting her have her birthday party on the moon, but discovers this leads to all sorts of problems:  it takes too long to get there, they can’t light the candles on the cake since there’s no oxygen, the kids can’t eat the cake through their space helmets, etc. In the end she decides next year she’ll have a down-to-earth party instead.  Charming illustrations.

This book sends an absolutely horrid message to children — that they are not accountable for their own actions — that anytime they feel like doing something mean they can just blame it on their “Little Troublemaker.” It’s out of their control; they can’t help it; it’s not their fault.  Ugh! Plus it’s nauseatingly pink.

The illustrations are really quite fun and unique and interesting.  Unfortunately, the story does not live up to them. It’s kind of long and rambling and underdeveloped.  It starts with a mean and cranky pet shop owner with a shop full of sad animals; when a local girl goes in to rescue her rabbit which somehow ended up inside, she lets all the animals loose, and the mean owner won’t go after them because he’s too vain to go out without his wig; overcome with loneliness without his animals, the shop owner turns to creating stuffed animals and all the free animals come back to help and they’re all happy.  But there’s nothing in the telling of it that actually makes the reader care.

The glittery cover and the cartoon-like illustrations will capture readers’ attention, and it’s got a good message about the true value of grades — after much hoping and wishing for straight As, Louise learns that the value of the grade is diminished when it’s given out too freely and finds she’s happier with Bs from a teacher who really pushed her to do her best.  The only problem is that so many elementary schools no longer use letter grades; some students may find themselves puzzled.

Simple rhyming text and beautiful collage illustrations combine to share the story of kittens walk through the woods on a winter day, and what all the animals she passes are up to.  It’s a very simple story, but it’s charming, and it’s useful for teaching rhyming as well as nouns & verbs.

The text is simple and straight forward, and does a thorough job of describing different aspects of this career, from different roles aboard ship, dangers faced, and living conditions.  Full-color photos support the text.  Especially here in the Northwest, it’s informative both for people who want to consider possible careers, as well as folks who want to know more about where their food comes from.

This is an important book for all school counselors, and school libraries to have access to, for those kids who need it.  The main character is a young bunny rabbit sharing his own story of what he experienced when his dad was arrested.  Without going into any details as to what his father was accused of, he very matter-of-factly describes what he saw, the people he encountered, and how he felt along the way.  Sidebars share information about what laws are, statistics about parents in prison, etc. The story continues on through the teasing he experiences at school, visiting his dad in jail, and how his life has changed since.  It is realistic and comprehensive, and will be useful for sharing with students who may face similar circumstances.

This volume does a good job of thoroughly covering a mysterious topic, without getting too bogged down in speculation.  Beginning with the first references in the works of Plato, this book traces the different descriptions and theories about this mythical island, right up through those of twentieth century spiritualists & her celebrity followers.  It includes the viewpoints both of those who believe Atlantis is real as well as skeptics.

Text all in Spanish.  This is an early reader non-fiction describing different ways we have of measuring time.  One to two sentences per page are supported by full-color illustrations and diagrams to convey the meaning of key vocabulary, making it useful both to emergent readers or for those just learning Spanish. And it’s got a really sturdy cover/binding

It’s got a lot of good information for young readers, describing different types of farms found throughout the colonies, and what daily life was like for those who lived on them.  The text is simple, and supported by colorful illustrations.  Vocabulary words are highlighted in red and defined right on the page where they are used.  The information is accessible without being watered down.

Since all the Christmas books in a library are in demand at the same time, you’ve got to have plenty on hand to offer, and if your collection is low, this is one more that could help round things out.  When the reins to Santa’s sleigh break, and the reindeer fly off, he’s got to make new arrangements with the barn animals whose barn he crashes near.  It’s cute, and it’s got the customary bright and cheerful illustrations, but the plot is a little too weak to really make it an actual recommendation.

A very simple, very sweet little story accompanied by very simple, very sweet illustrations tells the story of a little rabbit who has a hard time being little, and is rather lonely, until he makes a friend. Most small children will be able to relate to Squish’s problems.

Vivienne is a cute little pig who is messy and proud of it, no matter how much it bothers those around her.  But when she loses her favorite necklace she must tackle the task of cleaning her room in order to find it, and (surprise, surprise) she finds it right where it’s supposed to be, in her jewelry box.  After that she’s still a messy eater and a messy painter, but she keeps her room clean.  It’s got cute illustrations, the text flows well, and of course it’s got a nice little message, but speaking as someone with lots of experience with messy rooms, come on… it’s completely unrealistic.  And every kid who reads it is gonna know it’s completely unrealistic.

I know it’s intended as an early-reader version of the fairy tale, but the language is stilted and the re-telling is a strange one: the princess breaks the witch’s spell by throwing the frog agains the wall, and she never once exhibits any kind of redeeming qualities, but then after the spell is broken they get married and live happily ever after? Why on earth would the prince want to marry her?  I know it’s good to have several different versions of folk tales, but I wouldn’t waste money on this one, even if it does have a pretty, shiny cover.