In this fourth book by R.W. Alley, the four children go another outdoor adventure using imagination as a key element.

This time, Annabelle escapes her two brothers and little sister by going outside into  the snow in search of the South Pole.  “Annabelle stared into the blizzard. Horrors! It was the Abominable Snow Giant!” Annabelle knocks off its head with a snowball. Annabelle and the roly-polies (magically turned into penguins for the South Pole) help put the Snow Giant’s head back on its body once it promises to be good. Annabelle is in luck because the Snow Giant will take her to the South Pole. As Annabelle, the roly-polies, and the Snow Giant arrive at the South Pole, they realize “The Wizard of the World and his gang (AKA Ananbelle’s siblings) had gotten there first.”  They threaten to melt the South Pole using a hot chocolatey potion. Bravely Annabelle swallows the potion saving the world. Off they go “back to base camp,” which remarkably looks just like their house’s front porch.

Young children enjoy figuring out which items in the world of imagination match up with the children’s world of reality.

Imagination flies again as two brothers and two sisters go out on a fall evening dresses=d in costumes. The youngest, Gretchen, suddenly becomes frightened when the crescent moon disappears. Mitchell, the oldest, dressed in a wizard costume announces, ” ‘Only the Sorcerer of Space can ride the Moon Ladder [ belonging to the swing set] of Magic and Mystery.’ ” With a zoomity up! zappity snap! and zippity snatch! Mitchell’s lightning-wand lassoes the moon. Two Jack O’ Jerks [ extra large orange lawn refuge bags] are eating the moon until the lightning-wand POPs them. Safely back on Earth, Gretchen and MItchell with Annabelle and Clark “headed out into the moon-bright evening.”

Halloween is never mentioned, but the illustrations show the children are on their way to trick-or-treat.

Gretchen, the youngest, goes to the beach with her two brothers and sister. While her sister and brothers play in the surf, Gretchen plays in the sand until her hat flies away. Gretchen catches hold of the hat’s ribbon. Together they sail up into the clouds. Gretchen is able to swim in “the wispy wave-clouds”. A gull flies her away from a thunder storm until Gretchen sees her hat again.”With her hat as a parachute Gretchen… drifted down, down, down to the beach.” As the family picnics, Gretchen states, ” ‘ Big clouds are better than big waves.’ ”

Gretchen’s private adventure above the beach is quite fun, especially with the faraway beach shown in such great perspective down below.

What imagination these four children exhibit on a rainy spring day while playing on their porch. Gretchen, the youngest, calls for a circus, when her stuffed bear falls off the porch into the wet yard. Clark jumps off the porch and into the (now) sea to rescue the bear. Their dog becomes a “hungry Fur-Shark.” Then, the bear is swept “into the Fur-Shark’s ghastly dark cave.” Next, the garden hose becomes a Million-Mile Eel. Mitchell and Annabelle join the action, as the Sea Patrol, coming to Clark’s and bear’s rescue. Soon they are safely back from the sea and on the porch waiting “for the rain to stop.”

Marvelous colorfully artistic transitions from real to imaginary take place and which will keep the reader delighted!

Stickmen do not have much meat on their bones, so having them in the title makes perfect sense. There are little bits and pieces of information in this book, but nothing in great quantity (meat on their bones). I enjoyed this book most for its colorful active  artwork. The mountains are drawn in a cubism style, with lines and angles drawn in showing the mountain’s many facets. The little stickmen are a fun addition to the geologic information being presented, as they parachute, hang glide, scale down, ski and observe flora and fauna on the mountain. A fully clad person would detract from the information and fun.

The top left corner of each page has a color coded tab to help the reader determine which part of the mountain or valley is being presented: mountaintops, plains, under the crust, and earth’s core. There are labels, labels, and more labels on every page to help with topography, man-built structures, and stickmen’s gear, as the three interrelate to each other in the cross sections of terrain.

The examples in the book come from Asia, Africa, North America, and South and Central America. I wonder how accurate the locations mentioned are because on page 19 the author states that Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is in California, which is not correct. Yellowstone is in Wyoming and Montana. Is this a one time mistake? When I wrote the publisher in February/March 2017 about this error, I did not get a response back from them. There is, also, a typo on page 29: ‘exract’ should be ‘extract’ in the “Going for Gold” section.

The book does have a glossary and an index to help track down the trivia that abounds on this book’s pages.

June tells this story. On page one June states, ” I have the only ears in the whole world that can hear Sammy talk.” Sammy is her dog. They do everything together.

June is on a mission to find a new friend who must meet her 3F criteria: fun, friendly, and full of adventure. In the meantime, Grandma Penny has sent June a present with instruction on how to use it. ” ‘It’s a spinning wheel, like on Wheel of Fortune.’ ” (23) June is to write on the wheel’s chalkboard surface, dividing it into six equal parts. Inside each section, June is to write a specific word, then spin the wheel once each morning. Once the wheel stops, June will open the envelope with that word on it. Inside the envelope will be directions describing what she is to do is connection with the ‘word’  and let the wheel’s directions guide her actions that day.  The words on the six sections are: questions, animal, dance/spin again, hand, poem, and collection. Little do June and Sammy realize how much the wheel will help her on her mission to find a new friend.

New neighbors move into the house across the street from June’s house. Mae (the new girl) shows up in June’s class at school. How convenient, but no, April has already latched onto Mae by the time June gets to class. April and Mae are a pair for the first few days. June thinks Mae and June would be a better combination. Little by little with the help of Grandma Penny’s Wonder Wheel and human nature, Mae and June are new best friends by the last page of the book.

I predict this becoming a new series- Mae & June.

Ashley Spires’ illustrations on almost every other page are a delight.

I do not know how many times when driving through Seattle, I have wondered how those big cranes get on top of the skyscrapers being built. This little book answered that question for me in its first section.  The second section states that there are different types of cranes for different types of jobs and locations. And the third section names the crane’s basic parts and what each part does.  Cranes come in all shapes and sizes, and they all are meant for heavy lifting.

Short, sweet, and to the point!

Includes: www.factsurfer.com, a glossary, and an index.

This book is meant for early readers with its nine pages of text and nine pages of illustrations/photos.The text pages average three sentences per page.

The book states pterodactyls were not dinosaurs, though they were reptiles. After three page turns, the author switches from using the term ‘pterodactyl’ to using ‘flying reptiles’.

When I shared this page with kindergarten and first grade, the students were very enthusiastic about answering two of the three sidebar questions: “Do you know the names of any dinosaurs?” and “Do you know any other animals that live in flocks?”

One little boy believes dinosaurs did not become extinct by a “fiery blast”. He thinks dinosaurs are in hiding. Everywhere he goes he looks for dinosaurs in disguise.

Readers will spend their time finding the dinosaurs. There is one dinosaur disguised as the Sphinx, another as a knight’s horse, another as a Pilgrim, Santa, and the Statue of Liberty.

Slowly, the little boy comes to realize the time might not be right for the dinosaurs to show themselves: too much fast food, stress, and pollution, but “Their secret is safe with me,” he says.

Illustrator Lynn Munsinger’s dinosaur disguises will keep you looking and laughing.

In this science fiction novel, teenage Cardinal Cassidy struggles to survive in a small town called Black River. Many people in the town have been struck with the Plague which erases one’s memories. Cardinal wears a black mask, giving him the nickname Black Mask Man. He must be constantly cautious so as not to get infected by the virus. Every time Cardinal ventures into the downtown area, he comes face to face with individuals who have been infected by the Plague or are people from his personal past who are also infected. He must go on a journey to find out about those that he knows personally from his past…But those folks do not remember their past at all! Once he investigates “the infected,” he must chose to tell each one about their past or not.

The characters were very relateable which helps the reader stay intrigued and interested. The author’s diction brings the reader wanting more of the story. This book will motivate the reader to understand that everything happens for a reason. Fans of science fiction will definitely want to read this book.

— Emma S.

The Oodlethunks are a cave man family. They will remind the reader of the Flintstones in many visual ways, but without the dinosaurs. That is except for the one dinosaur Oona has hatched from a lone egg in Book #1. [ Book #1 is not given a recap, but it does not seem to matter, as this story can stand alone on its own merit.]

Oona’s baby stegosaurus , Stacy Steg Oodlethunk, is eating too much and growing too big to stay in the Oodlethunk’s cave home. Oona’s parents want to set Stacy free, but of course, Oona won’t hear of it.  After school, Oona, her friend Erma, and her younger brother Bonk go to see witch Brouhaha for a magic potion to fix Stacy’s growing problem. Brouhaha says the potion has not been tested yet. It might not work, do not take it. Oona tricks Brouhaha, takes the potion, and gives it to Stacy. The next morning, Stacy is bigger.

At school, the students go on a field trip to Rock Park and the Cave of Echoes. After school, Stacy is even bigger and hungrier.

By the next morning, Stacy has grown so much she is stuck inside the family cave and can’t get out. After school, the students come to see Stacy. Oona has the students collecting food for Stacy along the way to their home in trade for allowing them to see Stacy. Stacy eats it all!  Dad sends everybody home, saying they can come back tomorrow with the entire village to help them get Stacy out of the cave. Meanwhile, the family sleeps outside. The next morning, Stacy is sick and Oona is sick with worry so stays home from school. Once again Oona goes to Brouhaha for help.

After school, the villagers help dismantle the Oodlethunk’s cave freeing Stacy just as the snow begins to fall. Without a cave to stay in the Oodlethunks and villagers go to Rock Park and the Cave of Echoes to wait out the snow storm.  Then, the villagers hears an avalanche has buried their village.  After the snow storm ends everybody goes to help rebuild the village. The Cave of Echoes is big enough for Stacy to stay in all winter.

Ladies, do you ever get upset when people do not take you seriously or do not think you will understand the importance of something? This book is the telling of how the real Kate Warne used that kind of thinking to her and our country’s advantage. It is nice to have another piece of “herstory” out in front of young boys and girls.

The year is 1856, Kate Warne is a young widow who wants to work for the United States’ first detective agency, the Pinkertons. Kate explains to Mr. Pinkerton, ” Men liked to brag about their adventures and women encouraged them to talk by pretending to be impressed. Women she said, could also worm out secrets in places where male detectives couldn’t go.” (3) Kate was hired.

Kate often wore disguises. She would attend society parties. There Kate would talk with wives who would talk about their husbands’  careers. Kate would gain their confidence by saying her husband was in jail or she might be in the disguise of a fortune teller. Either way, Kate was able to gain valuable information.

After Lincoln’s election in 1860, “a plot to attack Lincoln as he passed through the city” of Baltimore on his way to Washington D. C., by train, was discovered.  Lincoln was disguised, put on an earlier train, then into a sleeper car, saved for him by Kate. Lincoln arrived safely in Washington D. C., but Kate stayed behind in Baltimore to listen for other plot rumors.

Kate continued on with Pinkerton agency through the Civil War and afterward.

Illustrator Valentina Belloni gave the characters simple yet expressive faces. Belloni has given the clothing the rich elegant designs of brocade fabrics against the much simpler time period backgrounds.

One small error between text and illustration exists.  The tombstone in the near final illustration has Kate’s year of birth incorrect, if she was thirty-eight when she died, as stated in the author’s Note.

This wonderful story will simply tug at your heart. Set at the beginning of summer, in the late 1960s, in North Carolina between two twelve year old girls and their grandmothers, one is white and the other is of color.

Sarah tells the story of how she is reading her library book outside when she should be watching her younger sister Robin. Then the unthinkable happens! Robin is hit by a car. (AND this is only the first page.) Sarah wrestles with herself throughout the book blaming Robin’s accident on herself for not watching Robin more closely. Sarah will be the best sister possible this summer to make up for this accident which has left active, fun loving Robin in a full body cast.  Sarah’s parents deem it necessary to give up living  in town with a mortgage if they are going to be able to pay for all of the medical bills Robin’s accident will incur. So Sarah’s family move out into the country by her grandparents’ house to live rent free in her Great Uncle John’s old house.  Out in the country away from town folks eyes Ruby Lee and Sarah are the best of friends. They have been ever since they were little. Out in the country, Sarah finally is faced with her own ‘white privilege’ when the upcoming school year draws closer. Sarah and Ruby Lee will both be going to the first integrated school in their area. Both of their grand mothers telling them they will not be able to be friends at school where others can see.  “Miss Irene sat down across from Granny, ‘Praise Jesus,’ she said.  ‘ Maybelle, I need you to help set these girls straight…’

”  ‘Sarah, are you ready to be called bad names? How you gonna feel when Betsy Carter doesn’t invite you to her birthday party? Or when you’re not welcome at the lunch table?’ “…

“Miss Irene held up her hand …’Now it’s my turn. Ruby Lee, you better mind your place. The colored children will call you uppity, and the white children will treat you like something bad they stepped in.’ (83)

Later, other words are spoken, some in anger between Ruby Lee and Sarah. Now, once best friends do not speak to each other for the rest of the summer.

Miss Irene and Granny work together to help keep the Ice Cream Social (before the first day of integrated school) peaceful. As the people begin to leave the ice cream social, feeling are heightened when it is revealed “Somebody had keyed the awful word across the side” of the ‘colored’ teacher’s car. (171) ” I hung my head, feeling more hopeless than I ever had before, but Mrs. Smyre’s voice rang out. She sang the words to ‘We Shall Overcome.’ …Then lots of people started singing. White or black, it made no difference, everybody’s voices blended.” (172)

A few days later, on a Sunday morning, Granny and Sarah find themselves alone in the kitchen making breakfast. Granny ruptures one of the bulging veins in her leg. The bleeding turns into an emergency. Sarah is forced to drive Granny in grandpa’s old farm truck to the hospital. There Sarah is eventually reunited with her parents because of Robin’s physical therapy at the hospital. Shortly, Ruby Lee shows up at the hospital because you can’t hide news like that in a small town. Tensions are eased while at the hospital between Sarah and her own guilt over Robin’s accident and between Ruby Lee and Sarah, as well.

I can hear someone say, “Ahhh, just look at those precious golden eyes,” pictured on the cover of this young readers’ book for cat lovers. The book comes in four parts, not really chapters for this early level of reading: What Are Ocicats?, History of Ocicats, Coat of Many Colors, and Lively and Loving. To answer the first question, Ocicats are large, spotted, short haired  domestic cats named after Ocelots. The breed began in Michigan in 1964 by crossing Abyssinian and Siamese cats and then crossing those kittens with Abyssinians. The diagram on page 17 sums it up nicely: large slanted eyes, spotted coat, athletic body, long tail with dark tip, weighing 6 to 15 pounds, with a life span of 15 to 18 years.

Being that this book is written for a young aged reader there are usually only two sentences per page with 75% of the page filled with a color photo of this cat species.

Hero Therapy Dogs explains what therapy dogs are and what they do. It was explained in easy to understand terms with several short sentences on a page. The book offers text features such as text boxes, an index, table of contents, glossary, and further reading. I felt that it jumped from the hospital to school to hospital again. It also dedicates a page to a specific dog, but there is only text on the page and there is not a picture of the dog. This is the only page without a picture and left me wanting to know what the dog looked like.

This book is a part of a series called Survival Zone. This book covers what is an avalanche, how they occur, and ways to avoid or stay safe during an avalanche. It includes many text features including a table of contents, diagrams, text boxes, an index, glossary and further reading suggestions. The format is straightforward and informative. Students who are interested in disasters and survival would enjoy this book.