The color and clarity of these photos of zebra sharks are amazing–it seems that the fish are being suspended by some invisible thread.  The details such as their eyes, gills, and teeth are clearly seen.  The information is concise–not too much and not too little.  After all, most young children check out sharks books mainly just to look at the pictures, and they won’t be disappointed here.  Great book for use in teaching non-fiction skills.

The photos of the Siamese cats are large and clear, as they show off their beautiful blue eyes.  This book talks mainly about the social characteristics of the cat, but does not state anything about grooming, life expectancy, etc.  Towards the end there is a photo of a young girl holding both a Siamese cat and a dog; the cat doesn’t look too happy.  However, the accompanying text states that Siamese cats are good with children and other animals. Sure doesn’t look that way, plus on the very next page under More Facts, it states Siamese cats tend to be jealous.  They would not be happy if you brought home another animal.  It seems that there is a contradiction here.  This book would be good for teaching young children about the table of contents, glossary and index.  However, in my opinion, the facts and information need to be beefed up some more.

This book is like those Super Bowl commercials featuring the golden retrievers and horses–who doesn’t love them?  The photos in this book are crystal clear and the text aptly describes what the photo is showing.  The book provides basic information about the breed and would make a good beginning book to teach about index, glossary, and table of contents.

Little Sheep was bored and wanted some excitement.  So, to really stir things up, she convinced her mom to knit her a wolf’s costume and let her go to wolf school wearing it.  Some parents really are too lenient.  Anyway, she made a friend at wolf school and was invited to his house for dinner.  Surprise, surprise, when she found her parents tied up and ready to be roasted at Little Wolf’s house.  Unable to hide any longer, Little Sheep confessed to Little Wolf that she was a sheep and dinner was her mom and dad.  He provided a distraction and she and her parents safely escaped.  Happily, Little Sheep did not feel the need for any more excitement.  Great illustrations and certain parts of the text are in very large and bold type print highlighting some important words.  Kind of silly, but kids enjoyed it, and the story really was a good example of being careful what you wish for.

Young readers in the primary grades will enjoy seeing 12″ X 9″ color photos of  big work trucks. Two or three sentences of  large font text on the left are opposite the action photo on the right side of each page spread. The book is divided into three sections: Trucks, Parts of Trucks, and Different Kinds of Trucks.  There is a photo with the cab portion of the semi-truck labeled. The different kinds of trucks include: tow truck, fire, semi-trailer, garbage, flatbed, logging, and monster. This is followed by More Facts, Glossary, Index, and Abdo Kids Code. It is interesting to find that the on-line Abdo Kids Code portion contains 5 of the 9 photos from the book, and the text condensed and paraphrased down from 16 sentences to 4. There are, also, 3 printable activities[ the ‘craft’ is mistakenly a ‘floating boat’], a 1:43 minute video consists of a song counting 20 different types of trucks, and 3 “Learn More” .

Young readers in the primary grades will enjoy seeing 12″ X 9″ color photos of enlarged mosquitoes -yikes . Two or three sentences of  large font text on the left are opposite the photo on the right side of each page spread. The book is divided into three sections: Mosquitoes, Food, and Mosquitoes Help the Earth. There is a photo with the three main body parts outlined and labeled. I found it interesting on pages 16-19, “All mosquitoes eat nectar and plant juices. Only female mosquitoes bite and drink blood. They bite humans and animals.” These last two sentences are opposite a photo of a frog with 7 mosquitoes sitting on it above the water line. This is followed by More Facts, Glossary, Index, and Abdo Kids Code. It is interesting to find that the on-line Abdo Kids Code portion contains 4 of the 9 photos from the book, and the text condensed down from 17 sentences to 7. There are 3 printable activities [one of which is mistakenly an ‘ant’ word search- instead of the ‘craft’ promised], a 3 minute video showing the complete life cycle of a mosquito,  and 3 “Learn More” – the first one has a broken link and another is a somewhat cartoonish though factual video about mosquitoes.

Young readers in the primary grades will enjoy seeing 12″ X 9″ color photos of  wolf spiders in the wild, or maybe not because their photos are about 10 times their actual size. Two or three sentences of  large font text on the left are opposite the photo on the right side of each page spread. This book is definitely more visual than written facts. The book is divided into three sections: Wolf Spiders, Hunting, and Baby Wolf Spiders. This is followed by More Facts, Glossary, Index, and Abdo Kids Code. It is interesting to find that the on-line Abdo Kids Code portion contains 5 of the 9 photos from the book, and the text condensed down from 21 sentences to 5. There are, also, 3 printable activities, a 3.3 minute video, and 3 “Learn More”  two of which are from Oklahoma and  Michigan universities.

The Garbage Gang is a group of six friends who live in the city dump, although only Gordy, a small rhino, is the only living one.  The others are all inanimate.  Gordy is taking a bath when he makes a bubble that pops.    He knows it’s gas, but wonders ‘why does my body make bubbles?’  Then the bubble he made shows up and explains the digestive system, along with a field trip through the system.  There are the usual poop jokes but, actually, the information about why poop is brown, where does the smell come from, the acids and enzymes, are all interesting and factual.  The comics appearance make it easier to digest.  For those kids studying the human body and nutrition, it is a good resource.

The title is true, at least for me.  I need books in my life.  However, this book makes me a little crazy.  There are just too many distractions on each page and my eyes and thoughts were jumping from one image to the next without fully taking in the information.  I found the front and the back of the book the most interesting–the endpapers.  They used these pages to show a timeline of the history of books and to tell about the development of the printed book, without any of the little illustrations–I wish more of the book had this style.  For instance, the part about the burning of books throughout history and the significance of the printed word would make a great print only section.  I also enjoyed the part of how to make paper from papyrus.  I thought it was interesting to find that Don Quixote is the number one selling book.  I guess people were hungry for a good story shortly after the invention of the printing press.  This book had a lot of good ideas, but was a bit too jumbled up for my taste.

The more I look at this book, the more I like it.  First of all, memories of childhood came flooding back after reading the first couple of pages about sibling rivalry.  Got that one right!  Even the facial expressions of the donkey characters reflect their competition as they each try to be first in everything they do.  After a family outing to the river for a picnic, the brother and sister, together, take a different way home, alone.  Not such good things happen to them, such as eating sour berries–there’s a lesson in itself, to falling into a creek bed.  No one got hurt, but without the parents around the competition stopped and was replaced with caring for one another.  This lasted all the way home and throughout the rest of the day.  Even their parents noticed, and as the saying goes….’the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,’ the parents started in on the ‘me first’ bickering.  This is a delightful book with many opportunities for lessons.  The colors are beautiful and the illustrations are reminiscent of Bill Peet’s earlier books.  Great binding.  Even the reverse title page had a phrase which I agree with and appreciate…Copyright fuels creativity …….You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.  This book is a highly recommended purchase for all elementary school libraries.

Young readers in the primary grades will enjoy seeing 12″ X 9″ color photos of  pumas ( mountain lions or cougars) in the wild. Two or three sentences of  large font text on the left are opposite the action photos on the right side of each page spread. The book is divided into four sections: Pumas, Big Cats, Hunting, and Baby Pumas. This is followed by More Facts, Glossary, Index, and Abdo Kids Code. It is interesting to find that the on-line Abdo Kids Code portion contains 5 of the 9 photos from the book, and the text condensed down from 20 sentences to 6. There are, also, 3 printable activities, a 2.5 minute video by National Geographic, and 3 “Learn More” one of which is by the San Diego Zoo.

Young readers in the primary grades will enjoy seeing 12″ X 9″ color photos of  heavy machinery digging dirt. Two or three sentences of  large font text on the left are opposite the action photos on the right side of each page spread. The book is divided into three sections: Excavators, Excavator Parts, and Different Kinds. This is followed by More Facts, Glossary, Index, and Abdo Kids Code. It is interesting to find that the on-line Abdo Kids Code portion contains 5 of the 9 photos from the book, and the text condensed down from 20 sentences to 5. There are, also, 3 printable activities, a 4 minute video, and 3 “Learn More”.

Sara is in 6th grade, rehearsing to be Wendy in the class Peter Pan play, and missing her mother who died a couple of years ago.  She is a lover of cats but not allowed to own one.  She is coming down with the flu and what she really needs is a soft, loving hug.  Her dad, still grieving, is remote.  One particularly lonely night the doorbell rings and in darts a little white kitten.  Fate?  Luck?  Serendipity.  Sara convinces her dad to let it stay until the weekend, hoping to be able to change her dad’s mind about keeping it.  With the help of their neighbor, Mrs. Whittier, Sara tries to help her dad get over his sadness, find out more about her mother, as well as explore her friendship/crush with Garrett, a boy in her class.  Roth weaves a compelling tale of loneliness, loss, and love.  Written in free verse form, each word is well chosen.  The pace is constant as the layers of the story unfold.  This is a story that will stay with you after reading the last word.

Lily finally gets a pet her mother says will be no trouble – a kitty.  She slowly warms to the cute little kitty and leaves it alone for a moment.  She is unaware a large tiger is missing from the zoo.  Illustrations show this large cat prowling around Lily’s home causing all kinds of catastrophes.  Lily blames each incident on her innocent little kitty.  Readers are aware of the tiger lurking around while Lily remains oblivious.  After cleaning the last of the messes inside, Lily takes her kitten outside.  The dog from next door scares her and she yells for help.  The tiger pokes his head over the fence and frightens the dog back to his own yard.  Lily thinks her kitty saved her!  As they go back into the house to relax, the reader sees all sorts of zoo animals in the back yard.  The end pages show a newspaper with articles of animals escaping from the zoo and being located in Lily’s neighborhood.  Future adventures in store???

When deciding to babysit young children, one must be aware of basic rules of safety, fundamentals of caring for infants and toddlers, how to care for preschool and school-age children, and parents expectations for behaviors.  This book contains many lists of what responsible babysitters should know.  Also included are quizzes (with answers), and questions to ask parents before caring for their children.  Hints for feeding, diapering, nap/bed times, and playing with children are included along with practical advice for encouraging positive behaviors.  A person who reads this book will have a good idea of the rules babysitters need to know as well as if this is a job they should consider.  Other books in the series are: “Let’s Play! Awesome Activities Every Babysitter Needs to Know”, “No Running in the House, Safety Tips Every Babysitter Needs to Know”, and “You’re Hired! Business Basics Every Babysitter Needs to Know”.  Well-written and timely.  Consider owning the set.

Countries around the world share common themes found in fairy tales.  The basic premise of Rapunzel is of a beautiful girl taken from her family by an old woman and being kept isolated in a tower or room.  She is discovered by a handsome young man, they fall in love, and devise a plan to free her from her confines.  Meister gathered Rapunzel stories from Germany, the Philippines, and Italy to include in this book.  Each are adapted to local customs and traditions.  A fairy tale is defined/explained on the first page.  Included in the back are: a glossary, three Common Core critical thinking questions, and a couple of writing prompts.  The book concludes with a bibliography for other Rapunzel stories, internet sites, and  list of other books in this series (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White).

Spiders are not usually considered pets but this book introduces many possible choices.  Life spans and basic foods are mentioned for tarantulas, wolf spiders, trapdoor spiders, jumping spiders, fishing spiders, and grass spiders.  While some like to be handled, some do not.  Excellent, large, colorful photographs illustrate each spider showcased.  “Xtreme Fact” boxes provide additional information.  Glossary and index included.

An illustration of an actual-size footprint for different animals from around the world is located on a double-page spread.  Short rhymes give clues to the animal that left the track.  The answer is found on the next page along with additional facts about the animal.  The clues are usually enough to identify the animal although the identity of the true animal may still be a revelation.  Posada’s images are detailed and colorful.  She uses collage with watercolor to capture attention.  This is an interesting mix of poetry and nonfiction facts.  Questions to ask when trying to identify an animal track are suggested in the back with websites and a bibliography for further reading.  Recommended addition to elementary home or school libraries.

Holidays have different characters to represent them, so why not a Birthday Queen?  Audrey and Don Wood have created a colorful, fun tale celebrating birthdays.  The Birthday Queen has her work cut out for her.  She writes invitations, test games for suitability, auditions clowns, bakes cakes, wraps presents, and magically has decorations ready when guests arrive.  As usual, Don Wood’s paintings are large, warm, and vivid.  One cannot help but feel the love and joy the Birthday Queen shares with you, the birthday child.  Not until the last page does the reader discover the Queen is actually “your mom”.  This book will probably be most appreciated by mothers!

The conventional Cinderella story is fractured into a humorous version with elephants featured as Cinderella and the royal family.  Nasty warthogs are the step-sisters and a tiny mouse is the godmother.  The Warty Sisters are mean and rude while poor, lonely Cinderelephant is forced to do all the work.  Prince Trunky decides it is time to find a spouse so he and his parents, King Saggy and Queen Wrinkly, invite all the girls to a ball.  After the Warty Sisters leave, Cinderelephant meets her Furry Godmouse who transforms her into a vision in pink.  When she arrives at the ball, Prince Trunky finally sees the one person he will not squish on the dance floor.  They dance together until Cinderelephant rushes home at midnight, leaving her plus-sized shoe.  A search throughout the kingdom finds no one whose foot was large enough to fit the shoe until he stumbles upon Cinderelephant.  Humor and puns are both visual and verbal.  Large digitally created illustrations are cartoon-like and colorful.  This is a fun retelling of the traditional Cinderella tale.

In this 7th book of Mouse and Mole, the best friends make valentines for their friends.  Every time they think about each other, they get butterflies in their stomachs, but they do not yet realize the depth of their feelings for each other.  They make secret deliveries of the cards to their friends and furtively sneak special valentine clues to each other.  Directions for making valentines are included within the story as well as at the end of the book.  There is good plot progression, new details and hints in valentine messages are frequent, and there is humor throughout.  Drawings in litho pencil and gouache create warm, colorful, outlined illustrations that add even more fun information to the story.

Here is a fun book to get you out of the house and get the blood pumping.  Using the directions in this book with its readily available supplies, making and flying rockets (without the use of expensive or explosive engines ) can be a dream come true.   Using empty 2 liter soda-pop bottles, duct tape, bicycle pump, wire coat hangers, water, and a bicycle tire value, full-time engineer Paul Travis  helps the reader put together one, if not several, rockets for some hands-on fun in the neighborhood.

The book is divided into three parts: Rocket Basics, Extending Your Repertoire, and Advanced Rockets. Each rocket begins with a list of supplies, step-by-step illustrated directions,  4 or 5  actual photographs of each specific rocket being fired, and finally a ‘firing report’ on what to expect from the rocket as to ease of firing, height results, and enjoyment factor. This reviewer feels confident I could make the first rocket in this book and successfully fly it without having to go to the store to purchase a single item. Most of the rockets consisted of similar supplies and progressed from simple to more elaborate in small steps.

The most difficult piece of equipment to locate was a 1/2 inch (13mm) brass compression water-pipe fitting. I took the book to Home Depot to make sure I could locate the exact part. I could find a 1/2 inch brass fitting, but it wasn’t 13 mm, for approximately $7. I could also find a similar part in plastic for approximately $3. I’m guessing the rocketeer could adjust for the size difference at the pressurization stage as it states, “a pressure of about 60 psi (pounds per square inch) works well. If you don’t have a gauge, you will need to experiment to find the optimum pressure. Keep a record…and then try repeat flights with more or fewer pumps to find the optimum pressure for each rocket.” (p.12)

This is the third in the BIGFOOT BOY graphic novel series.

Friends, Penny and Rufus, will soon be spending their summer together in Northwood, when Rufus comes to stay with his grandmother. Meanwhile, Penny’s older sister is busy picketing / protesting to “save the forest” from becoming a golf course. It seems Rufus had found a totem in the forest on a previous visit and then lost it. Currently, ravens have the totem but can’t figure out how to make it work. Wolves want the totem to stop the deforestation caused by the humans. The wolves ask Thunderbird to help protect the forest from humans’ construction.

While Penny and Rufus are birdwatching with the Explorer scouts (Grammy signed them up without asking them),  they get separated from the group. Then Rufus gets separated from Penny and eventually runs into the Raven with the totem. Thunderbird has Raven return the totem to Rufus, then Rufus changes into Sasquatch, when he puts the totem on around his neck. Rufus, the Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot Boy scares off the Realtor and “The New Leaf Development representative would comment no further except to say that construction was on hold indefinitely.” (p. 95)

This is the first graphic novel I have enjoyed from start to finish! I could relate to the issues of land conservation, skepticism over the existence of Sasquatch,  the joy of being a part of a scouting troop, and the Native Americans in the storyline, as well as, in the illustrations are presented in a modern positive light.

In the Vietnam War, U.S. Troops fought in Vietnam in Southeat Asia.  Some soldiers had enlisted voluntarily, but others were forced to join the military.  Far from home, they all faced great hardships, including deadly jungle insects, monsoon rains, and an enemy they could rarely see.

Life on the Front Lines takes one behind the scenes of the major conflicts.  I liked that it used eyewitness accounts, revealing photographs and detailed text to let you feel like you were standing in the soldiers’ shoes and experiencing all parts of their lives in the conflicts.

The A.R. reading level for this book is a 5.9 and would likely appeal to late elementary and middle school students…boys and girls.