Based on characters created by H. A. Rey and the Curious George television series, in this science storybook, Curious George learns about germs.  George does not feel well and the man with the yellow hat says he is fighting a bad germ and puts him to bed.  Similar to Miss Frizzle’s Magic School Bus, as George drifts off to sleep, he dreams he is germ-size and inside his own body.  George learns about both good and bad germs, how germs are spread , how they can affect people, as well as how to get rid of and avoid bad germs.  Side panels give additional nonfiction information.  An experiment soup recipe, and suggestions for healthy habits are found in the back with a glossary.  What a great way to introduce germs to young children.

Based on characters created by H. A. Rey and the Curious George television series, in this science storybook, Curious George learns about the ocean.  This adventure actually begins in the sky.  Curious George and the man in the yellow hat are in a helicopter when they learn a weather satellite from space just fell into the ocean.  They are involved in the retrieval and get to ride in a submarine.  In his trip underwater, George learns about animals and plants that live there.  Side panels provide additional nonfiction information.  In the back are experiments and activities (answers included) and a glossary.  This is a great introduction to aquatic life, ecosystems, and sonar/echo science for young children.

Based on characters created by H. A. Rey and the Curious George television series, Curious George learns about the sun’s energy and solar panels in this science storybook.  This story begins in the dark when extreme heat during the summer causes a power outage.  Curious George learns about solar power and that batteries store energy.  By using power form the sum, Curious George and the man in the yellow hat are able to create light and cook a lasagna for a special birthday celebration.  Side panels provide additional nonfiction information about forms of power and activities to try.  In the back with the glossary, there are three other experiments or activities to explore.

Everyone wants to fit in.  At some time or another, everyone has wanted to be able to do something they just can’t do.  In this animal story, Elephant want to be able to jump.  His mother and other elephants tell him it’s impossible, elephants can’t jump, it’s their knees.  But Elephant believes that if he tries hard enough, he can do it.  He tries dieting and jumping, but just can’t jump.  He gets so frustrated he thinks he’s not as good as the other animals.  Until he sees a boy who is stuck on a ledge.  The other animals all scramble to help him, but they all get stuck, too.  It’s Elephant’s trunk that is able to pull them all to safety.  And he’s the only animal with a trunk.  He is special after all, even if he can’t jump.

Little kids have seemed to absorb all the information there is about dinosaurs, but here is a fresh, new arrival.  Dinosaurs from Head to Tail shows only the head or the tail on one page and gives the answer on the following page, plus some new little factoids.  The art is colorful on white paper with no background so the illustrated dinosaurs really stand out.  The type is bold and large.  This will be a popular book for our dino-lovers.

Young families and kids today need to know that they are part of something, part of a bigger community.  This community is made up of other people who live near and around you.  When a person/family needs help, the community is there to support them.  And it works both ways:  you get support when you need it and you give support to others when they need it.  The theme of community is taught in the primary grades and it is a difficult concept for kids to understand.  Especially those in families who move frequently; they haven’t really had a chance to experience community.  It’s a give and take relationship. This book explains the concept in a gentle way that hopefully kids can relate to.

All around the world, plastic bags have caused serious problems.  After decades of use, the plastic bags have accumulated in massive quantities in landfills, never decomposing.  Some cultures do not have landfills and garbage is dropped and left wherever.  In Gambia, Africa, the piles of bags grew and grew, smelled bad, and was killing the goats the people used for food.  Isatou Ceesay and other village women decided to solve their serious garbage problem by crocheting the plastic bags into purses which were then taken to the city to sell at market.  The purses were popular and earned the ladies money.  They cleaned up their environment, saved the goats, and earned money to use for their families.  The lady with the vision, Isatou Ceesay, became quite involved with worldwide agencies empowering women, and found ways to build a skills center for her village to provide better learning for people, animals and the environment.  This book is a fine example of it just takes one person to start something.  Its an inspiring story of these women’s courage and tenacity to fix a problem.

In the Pacific Northwest there are numerous opportunities to go hiking and camping, and generally just being outside in nature.  This non-fiction picture book does a great job in explaining the characteristics of poison ivy and how it can affect humans.  The part that stuck with me, personally, was the fact that burning it and inhaling the smoke can be fatal.  The students to whom I read the book were riveted and really paid attention to it.  Although the illustrations were beautiful and highly detailed, I wish there would have been actual photos of the plant available.  This book should be a first purchase for all libraries in cities where poison ivy grows.

This biography briefly introduces the life of Benjamin Franklin, touching on his inventions and his contributions to the city of Philadelphia as well as to the newly formed United States of America.  This book is part of the Rookie biographies series printed by Scholastic.  Colorful photos, engaging nonfiction text will encourage children to read on their own – as they discover how this incredibly accomplished man contributed to the founding of our nation.

Nick Cannon, husband of  singer Mariah Carey, and father to twins Moroccan and Monroe (Roc & Roe) has taken the traditional Christmas carol THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS and updated it the new lyrics.

Today’s children will identify more readily with the items Roc and Roe are hanging on their Christmas tree, then with the items in the traditional song, i.e. a partridge in a pear tree. The traditional melody easily fits the new words for most lines. The words for the ‘7th day’ have the correct number of syllables, but the words themselves do not slip easily off of the tongue when sung.

AG Ford puts whimsical action into his illustrations as the pages build one day at a time to the twelfth day climax.

“On the twelfth day of Christmas, Roc and Roe put on their Christmas tree

twelve chugging choo-choos, eleven teddy bears, ten candy canes, nine jumping Jacks [Jack’s their dog],

eight tiny reindeer, seven balloons with bows, six festive fairies, FIVE GOLDEN BELLS,

four skiing snowmen, three “pip” photos, two singing Santas,

and an angel with sparkly, shiny wings.”

This is a YOU CHOOSE story. Meaning, after the reader has read the opening fives pages of the story, the reader is given two or three choices to make at each plot turn leading up to 14 different possible endings. The plot begins when Poison Ivy : AKA- Pamela Isley has escaped from Arkham Asylum. ”  ‘She’s a toxic villain who cares more about plants than humanity… ‘ ” (p. 8) and is headed to Giordano Botanical Gardens.”Poison Ivy is too powerful in the gardens. She’s literally a force of nature there.” (p. 9)  All plants in Giordano Botanical Gardens are ‘potential weapons‘. Poison Ivy is out to steal the seeds stored there for use after a disaster.

Off Batman goes to recapture Poison Ivy. At the first junction, Batman [and the reader] must decide whether to look for Poison Ivy in the lilacs, the peonies, or in the crabapple orchard. If he chooses the lilacs, there are at least four possible paths or choices (given in blue type at the bottom of the page) until Poison Ivy eludes Batman and ends the story. BUT then the book prompts the reader “To follow another path, turn to page 7.” I did my best to follow all of the choices for the lilac routes, the peony routes, and the crabapple routes. Chasing Poison Ivy through the various gardens with Batman at the Giordano Botanical Gardens was exciting, especially when I was given such choices as: “If Batman decides that it’s safe to rush Poison Ivy now, turn to page 56.”      or       “If he uses his stealth skills to follow her, turn to page 81.” 

All of the twists and turns Batman makes along the way trying to recapture Poison Ivy are much like the vines and tendrils she orders to grow in Batman’s way to stop him.  The chase is what this book is all about! It’s fun and exhausting! Don’t tell anyone, but Batman never catches Poison Ivy in any of the scenarios.

Eleven illustrations are sprinkled throughout the book done by professional DC Comics artist Ethan Beavers.

Includes: Glossary and Poison Ivy bio.

This factual book is written in four sections: What are Gray Wolves?, Pack Life, On the Hunt, and Pups. There are an average of two sentences per page. Included within the pages of text are a map, a graph, and two charts. Wolves’ physical characteristics of height, weight, and color are stated, as well, as what they eat, their habitats, and where they live. The photos of the wolves are captivating.

The map on page 5 showing the wolves range around the Western Hemisphere is correct, but the sentence below the map states eastern Greenland, when according to the map (and National Geographic from the book’s www.factsurfer.com) the wolves reside in western Greenland.

Includes: Contents, Index, Glossary, and www.factsurfer.com.

This United Kingdom non fiction picture book dealing with the celebration of Christmas uses high interest photos with low word count to open dialogue between the young reader and an adult.

I point out U.K. because of the use of ‘crackers’ (p. 17) and the types of desserts (mince meat pie [ p. 19]) used in this holiday’s celebration.

I found the same grammatical mistake in two places: (p. 18) ” How do YOUR family…” and (p. 12) ” What do YOUR family put…”

The best part of the book just might be the “Notes for adults” found on pages 22-23 on how to use this book with young children. The book is said to support “Early Years Foundation Stages”.

Contains an Index and Contents.

Clifford the BIG red dog is pairing up with word opposites while Emily Elizabeth and he visit a zoo. They see at least nine animals and compare them to Clifford: small / big – penguins / Clifford, sleeping/awake – koalas / Clifford, light/heavy – butterflies / Clifford, dirty/clean – hippo / Clifford, noisy/ quiet – howler monkeys / Clifford, hard / soft – tortoise / Clifford, up/down – birds / Clifford, curly / straight – chameleon / Clifford, and wet / dry – seals / Clifford.

After the story’s conclusion, there are four pages which include a 2 or 3 sentence factual paragraph about each of the nine animals Emily and Clifford saw while at the zoo.

The book’s front cover is a tactile  bonus for preschool children and kindergartners alike.   A thick board cover with a cutout of Clifford is filled with a soft padded red fabric inset of Clifford. Clifford’s padding is almost flush with the board, so it should not cause a problem when shelving this book.

Jan Brett’s skilled and customary art style accompany the speculated tale of how a young cave boy becomes friends with a Paleowolf. In customary storytelling fashion, three times the cave boy stops to ask the Paleowolf a question and then deny the animal any of his roasted Wooly Rhino bones. Each time the Paleowolf leaves, Kip the cave boy discovers and eludes a dangerous animal in the nick of time. “Finally, Kip made a speech. He said, ‘Wolfy, if you will use your keen nose and your fine ears and your sharp eyes to keep me from being eaten up, I promise to share with you all the Wooly Rhino ribs and even Mammoth meat that I cook over the fire.’  ”

From inside back cover, “The images and ornaments of her borders were inspired by the cave paintings and artifacts surviving from this time.”

Gorgeous photographs illustrate this informative book on dolphins, written in Spanish.  These intelligent mammals are fast swimmers that hunt and play together.  Physical characteristics,  the life cycle, and habitats are explained.  This is a terrific resource for anyone looking to know more about this amazing animal with few enemies.

This book on ancient Egyptians, written in Spanish, is jam-packed with information and fascinating photos.  One can almost imagine life 4000 years ago.  There are many facts about pharaohs, the methods of preserving mummies, the construction of pyramids, and activities of these ancient peoples.  In the back are questions and with answers from Anna Garnett, an Egyptologist and expert on mummies, along with information concerning Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt, and Julius Caesar, emperor of Rome.  The layout is captivating and spectacular.

Gilbert Stuart painted portraits of several famous people, but capturing a pleasing likeness of President Washington was a challenge.  This book begins with a letter of apology from Charlotte, one of Stuart’s 12 children, promising Mr. Washington that she and her siblings would be better behaved the next time he came to the house for a portrait sitting.  The grim president sent them a book of Rules for Good Behavior for Boys and Girls – some of which are mentioned.  In another letter, Charlotte suggests he should smile as it would make him “very Nice”.  Stuart also unsuccessfully tried to have his children play away from home when Washington was there.  The book is filled with the children’s humorous antics – which finally elicited a smile from Washington.  Portrait accomplished!  There is an author’s note in the back.  Even though there is no record of the behaviors of Stuart’s children, this rendition presents a humanizing look at both Washington and Stuart.  The amusing illustrations are a colorful combination of ink, acrylic, and digital media.

Five, tired sheep wander home in this tale written in simple, soothing rhyme.  They settle down but cannot get to sleep until collie comes to tuck them in.  He gives hugs, drinks, a teddy bear, a quilt, and sings a lullaby until, one by one, each sheep falls asleep.  And what of collie?  He can be found taking a morning nap under a haystack.  The colored pencil illustrations are just as relaxing as the text.  A perfect end-of-day story for bedtime.

This simple rhyming book highlights many things children can do to make their dads happy.  The families are international, the dads are of various ages and abilities.  The one thing that makes all dads happy is a great, big hug.  Large, cheerful illustrations are a combination of acrylic and collage.

The 1800s was a challenging and changing time for our country.  Men and women were not expected to be friends and people with different skin color were not suppose to fraternize.  Susan B. Anthony had a privileged childhood, Frederick Douglass was a slave.  Despite their different backgrounds, both were vocal about their beliefs – liberty and justice for all: slavery should be abolished, women should have the same rights as men, everyone should be able to own land, go to college, and vote.  They gave speeches together, agreed and disagreed, and remained close friends for 45 years.  This book was extensively researched by both the author and the illustrator.  Beautiful illustrations accurately portray the volatile emotions and fashions of the time as well as the enduring strength of their friendship.  This would be a great discussion starter about the topics of  gender and equality.

Razia lives in Afghanistan and has a strong desire to go to school and learn to read.  She sees a new school being built in her community but needs to convince her father and brothers to allow her to go.  She begs her mother and grandfather to speak to them on her behalf.  Through the story and illustrations, one has a accurate impression of Razia’s life.  The artwork is impressive: muted colors, a collage of portraits, and photos of ordinary objects superimposed over images of life in a rural village.  The result is a realistic representation of Afghan life, traditions, and customs.  This story is inspired by Razia Jan, who was born in Afghanistan but moved to the United States as a young woman.  In 2001, she returned to Afghanistan to build a school for girls.  Included in the back: information about education around the world and Southern Asia, a short bio of Razia Jan, and a list of Dari words used in the text.

Alex loves soccer and desires to be on the Longhorn Lightning Jr. High soccer team.  Even though his past tryouts were poor, he has decided to try again.  Jake, a loud-mouth bully on the team, continually belittles and taunts Alex.  Errol is a new student from Scotland.  Errol has a strong accent, uses odd terms, and has a huge knowledge of the game.  He and Alex begin practicing together.  Errol stresses practice and teamwork and encourages Alex to keep pushing.  Sports action is exciting, the book is easy to read, and the story is fast paced.  The characters are two dimensional and the conclusion comes a bit quickly, but all-in-all this is a satisfying read for sports fans and reluctant readers.  Included are: a paragraph about the author, glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and additional soccer facts.

Interesting color photographs illustrate features of a variety of snakes.  Details of physical traits and behaviors are accompanied with humorous comments.  Both venomous snakes and constrictors are described.  There is a list of the top 10 snakes with the deadliest venom.  Attention-getting photos and facts are sure to captivate young readers.  Included with the glossary and index is a game and stickers.

Seven year old Lola’s grandmother is staying with her while her parents are on business trips.  In this second book of the series, Lola finds friendship and sharing friends to be quite a challenge.  Lola wants to dominate time with her best friend Amanda and does not want to share her with Jessie or Savannah.  Her jealousy tends to bring out bad behavior and misunderstanding among the girls.  Lola struggles to be a good friend but continually runs into complications.  The friendship issues continue during the class field trip to the Kookamut Farm.  Young children often experience the emotional roller coaster of relationships and may relate to Lola’s problems.  Expressive pen and ink drawings are on almost every page.