Vermont, the Green Mountain State, is one in a series of books presenting facts about the states.  A map of the state’s position with the United States, a brief history, landmarks, wildlife, industries and natural resources, as well as places and things to do are included.  “Fun Facts” and “Did You Know?” sections can be found on many pages.  Photographs and insets are colorful and highlight the text.  The layout is pleasing.  The last pages include quick facts about Vermont along with the glossary, index, and book and internet resources.  Sufficient information is presented to introduce readers to basic facts about the state.  Good general resource for state reports.

Best friends Fish and Snail live in a book.  Each day, Fish journeys to a new book and returns home with a story to tell Snail.  Then one day Fish returns all excited to show Snail the fun and adventure of a pirate ship and treasure discovered in another book.  Timid little snail likes the quiet and safety of their own book where they can pretend to be kittens.  They argue and Fish angrily leaves.  Snail is sad and hesitant after Fish is gone.  Gathering courage and taking a leap, Snail tumbles down into the new book.  Surprised, Fish congratulates Snail’s bravery for leaving the security of their old book.  Snail is tentative but willing to try a big adventure in small steps, as a kitten pirate, as long as they can be together.  The gender of Fish and Snail is never revealed, leaving it to the reader.  The message of all the wonders found in books cannot be missed.  Beautifully illustrated in watercolor and pencil, this book is sure to attract readers.

Eye-catching photos, detailed captions, and well-written text make this book on flowering plants exceptional.  Scientific terms are defined within the paragraphs and are continually used throughout the pages.  The reader quickly becomes knowledgeable about commonalities of flowering plants.  Each spread is its own chapter, focusing on one aspect of a plant’s life.  There is a good balance of text and illustrations.  Diagrams are well labeled.  The glossary and index are comprehensive and a list of books for further reading are also included in the back.  A Facthound internet site provides related information.

Who can resist the cute puppy faces gazing out of this book?  But is owning a dog the best choice for you and your family?  This book is jam-packed with all sorts of facts and specifics a potential owner should know.  Beginning with how to make the decision to get a dog and finding a breeder, bringing a puppy home, and making a knowledgeable commitment to owning a pet, this book provides comprehensive information on an extensive variety of essentials one should know.  Every page has several titled paragraphs about a specific topics, photos, and sidebars of information.  Best practices, advice, and checklists are sprinkled among the chapters telling how to feed, care for, play with, and train your pet.  Complete index, excellent internet sites, and books for further reading are at the back.  Extensive and well-organized, this book will be an awesome addition to any library, public or personal.

Here is a new way to think about arts and crafts – use ice!  These projects can be done outdoors when the temperature is below freezing, or anytime by using the freezer.  Most items needed can be found in the home or are inexpensive to purchase.  Each of the 8 projects includes clear, simple directions, photographs that illustrate the procedure, and a list of items needed.  Many projects include fun facts and tips.  The layout is pleasing and colorful.  Obviously, the projects will last longer in cold temperature, but many could be used as temporary extraordinary decorations in many settings.  Small glossary included.

The topic of UFOs is indeed a mystery for those who believe and those who do not.  Short chapters tell of reports by people who have seen some and, at this point, not satisfactorily explained events.  The font is large and the photos and artwork of the occasions are thought provoking.  Words to know are defined on the page as well as in the glossary, which also has the phonetic pronunciation.  Some pages contain additional facts in “!” boxes.  The book becomes confusing on the last pages of chapter 4.  Some of the statements are misleading when presented as true or false statements.  One statement under False reads, “Many things are mistaken for UFOs.  Mistaken objects include sunlight reflection off ice crystals, birds’ wings, mirages, and marsh gas.”  This statement bewilders me.   Without the last chapter, this book is  informative for those wanting to read about observations of unexplained flying objects.

The sheriff and his deputy have a special assignment to safely deliver a dozen donuts home.  The sheriff, a young boy, and his deputy, his dog, decide to check the package for quality.  Oh my!  One plump, powdery donut appeared a little smushed.  The only logical thing to do was to try to even it up.  Oh no!  Now it was missing!  Hoping no one would notice, the sheriff and his deputy hurried home.  Many citizens smiled and asked how he like the donut.  How did they know?!  Arriving home, his parents casually asked about the delivery minus one donut.  Confessing, the sheriff asked how they knew he had eaten one.  Readers will know the answer!  The sheriff has powdery sugar all around his mouth.  Case solved.  Digitally colored artwork is humorous and expressive.  Text is fun as it keeps the young boy in sheriff-mode while the illustrations tell the secret.  Could also be used to start discussions about honesty and responsibility.  Fun and recommended.

Olive’s perfect world involves doing anything and everything with her best friend Emily.  But things are not always perfect in the real world.  When Eva came, things were no longer perfect.  Emily and Eva began doing many things together: taking ballet classes, wearing the same clothes, and eating the same things – all without Olive.  Olive suggested doing things together but Emily and Eva did not want to.  As Olive’s perfect world dissolved, the real world became too much and her eyes filled with tears.  Eva and Emily realize that they have not been including Olive in any of their activities.  Olive realizes that a perfect world can involve more than one friend.  As they started talking, it didn’t take long for the world to become  perfect again as they started laughing and doing things together.  The pastel pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations show the girls as young cats spot-lighted on largely while pages.  Feeling left out is common.  This story lightly shows that a perfect world is possible with more than one best friend.

People have been ice fishing for thousands of years on frozen lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers.  Although not a dangerous sport, ice fishermen need to know how to be safe.  A variety of equipment measures ice thickness, drill holes, and attract fish.  Some people take tents or small houses out on the ice to protect them from cold wind.  Some even provide heat and other comforts.  Insulated clothing is a must, as well as rescue gear in case of an accident.  Ice anglers clean up after they leave and mark abandoned holes so others will be safe.  Minnesota is a popular ice fishing state because of its cold winters and thousands of lakes and streams.  This short book gives very basic information but does not go into much detail.  Photographs are large and a good match to the text.  Some photos also have labels.  Words to know are in bold, red font and are defined in the glossary.  The layout is pleasing.  Many pages have additional facts.

Beginning on a stormy afternoon, the Alden children take a shortcut through the Greenfield Cemetery.  A shadowy figure appears briefly and the children run to the local café.  They join Miss Wolfson who tells them about the legend of the LaFonte’s.  Madame LaFonte had a dress shop and was a benefactor to families with ailing children and to the hospital.  After her death,  according to legend, it is good luck to leave gifts at the cemetery once a year.  The Boxcar children decide to solve this mystery of the ghost, Madame LaFonte, and the gifts required to avoid bad luck.  Using local legend, newspaper reports, and interviews with friends of the historical society, the Aldens bravely push toward the truth.  What is the truth, what is just superstition?  Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote 19 stories before her death in 1979.  This story follows her formula.  The characters are not as developed as many of those in popular literature.  This is #133 in a series that has touched many readers.  Nothing new, but a comfortable new adventure in a reliable series.

Anna, Jose, and Henry are junior members of the secret Silver Jaguar Society and swear to protect important artifacts from around the world.  In this fast-paced adventure set in Costa Rica, a gold Jaguar Cup has been stolen and replaced with a copy.  All members of the Society try to discover the thief and regain the cup.  They travel to Costa Rica and meet Sophia and her family who own the lodge where they will be staying.  Their parents then fly to San Jose to check out the gold museum, where the cup went missing.  Sophia becomes their guide and fellow investigator.  The focus shifts from one suspect to another as the teens track down clues.  Messner’s description of the rainforest and its animals bring the reader right into the scene – sweating in the sultry humidity, stumbling upon biting ants, avoiding poisonous snakes, spotting incredible, yet camouflaged animals within the wilds, as well as running out of breath and energy during riveting chase scenes near the end.  An author’s note in the back includes photos of some of the animals and scenery mentioned in the book.  This is book two in the series, although they do not need to be read in order.  Great series for those who enjoy action adventures and mysteries.

Curious George has his heart set on a red train engine at the toy store only to find he did not have enough money.  Although he does not know how long it will take to earn it, he is determined to do odd jobs and save money.  He learns about addition and hard work along the way.  Finally able to buy the engine, he sees children trying to get a windsock out of a tree.  George sets his piggy bank on a bench and helps retrieve the windsock.  He forgets all about his bank as they all play together the rest of the afternoon.  When he returns to the bench, the bank is gone.  As he sadly walks home, he passes the toy store and sees a little girl holding his bank.  He rushes inside and discovers she and her mother saw it in the park and were returning it to the store whose label was on the bottom.  As George hurries over to get “his” engine, he realizes he should thank the girl and reward her for her honesty.  He buys a less expensive train for himself and another for his new friend and fellow train-lover.  Money facts are included in the back.  Illustration style is reminiscent of other books by Margret and H. A. Rey.

Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi are the free-thinkers that publish The Cruiser, an independent school paper at the Da Vinci Academy for he Gifted and Talented in Harlem.  Once again they dip into hot water.  Their paper outranked the official school paper, The Palette.  Kambui took candid photos and happened to catch another student talking with some boys accused of robbing the mall theater.  The Cruisers have to decide what to do with the photo.  Innocent or guilty?  Should they let the police go through their own procedures?  LaShonda is trying to start a small fashion design business and needs to get the attention of the stores.  Bobbi presents a math problem involving geometry and Fibonacci for the class to solve that pops up throughout the book.  Students share their opinions and thoughts in articles published by both papers.  Dialogue is realistic and the content includes many thought-provoking incidents.  Although this is the fourth in the series, none of the books need to be read in order.

Calef Brown has written and illustrated 18 poems on all types of friendship – some silly, some clever.  Each are first-person poems but illustrated as people, animals, or aliens.  The poems are cheerful and upbeat and point out the qualities that make one person appreciate another.  “I cackle and you chortle.  Together we chorkle.”  ” Noticing things about me, especially, seems to be your specialty.”  “… then my heart twinkles.”  The colorful acrylic illustrations are a great match for the some silly, some clever poems.  This is a fun collection to read to or with a friend.

!  CAUTION  This book contains slime, snot, mud, and other trollific treats!  Crude (finger up your nose)  upper primary and lower intermediate grade humor is laced throughout this collection of three – 4 chapter stories dealing with the lives of two trolls – The Grunt and Grouch.

In story one – ‘ Pick ‘n’ Mix! The Grunt and Grouch are excited about the new movie showing at the theater. They cut to the front of the ticket line by making a terrible smell after eating moldy cheese. The theater’s snack bar has a sign reading ‘ Pick ‘n’ Mix” , which they take to mean they should add some of their own ear wax, real-worms, long slimy booger, and belly-button lint snacks to those already in the snack bar. The Grunt and Grouch get escorted out of the theater by the manager, but they re-enter dressed in the movie’s monsters’ costumes. The audience is scared away, so The Grunt and Grouch are able to watch the rest of the movie by themselves.

In story two- ‘Spick and Span!’ Aunt Greta comes for a long visit and begins cleaning up their house. She sends them to bed without dinner for their terrible ‘dinner-table behavior’. The Grunt and Grouch decide to scare Aunt Greta away using ghost costumed, but that doesn’t work. Finally, they figure out that to beat Aunt Greta’s cleaning, they should keep the house clean themselves, then she won’t have a reason the stay. It works. Aunt Greta is out the door, The Grunt and Grouch mess up the entire house only to have Aunt Greta ring the door bell saying she’s forgotten her purse.

In story three- ‘RAT RACE!’ A teacher becomes ill on his way to school and The Grunt and Grouch decide to take his place at school when they learn it is RATS Award Day. Little do they know RATS stands for Reading and Thinking Silently. The Grunt and Grouch turn the children and their classroom upside down making rats’ nests, an obstacle course, and rat masks.

Almost every page turn reveals some of Lee Wildish’s black, white, and grey illustrations.

Here is a book with a few new twists in dealing with bullying, children with divorced parents, being a twin,  and a teacher who ‘means well’.

Fourth grade Monty (Montana) and his twin Sierra live in Portland, Maine. Sierra is athletic and decisive, while Monty can’t seem to make a decision on anything. Monty needs to make decisions on : choosing a pet, a writing topic, choosing a place to seat for lunch at school, choosing a book for silent reading in class and sticking with it, choosing a name for his new pet rat, and choosing an instrument for band class among other things.

Monty’s indecisiveness has earned him a trip to the school office where his well-meaning teacher decides to put three ‘band-aids’ on his arm as an aid in helping him make decisions. Each time Monty changes his mind in class, the teacher will rip off a band-aid, now known as “decision-aids”. Ouch – both physically and psychologically. While in the office, the principal gets involved calling Monty a waffler. Then, “Principal Edwards said, ‘Well, Jasmine, a waffler is somebody who waffles. They can’t make up their mind. They go back and forth from one thing to another, wasting their time and everybody else’s.’ She pointed to the big clock on the wall, ‘And we don’t have time to waste! It’s time to be learning! So, Jasmine –Monty–off you go!’ (p. 25)” Soon,thanks to Jasmine the ‘town-crier’, the whole school is calling Monty “waffle” , which he doesn’t like.

Next, Monty’s mother wants to start flip-flopping the twins, so one twin is with her, while the other twin is with their father. Now the plot has step-parents and step-siblings involved, in addition to splitting up that special bond between twins (they are already in different classrooms at school).

Kindergarten Reading Buddies are assigned to Monty’s fourth grade class, one per person. Monty feels sorry for the kindergarteners who weren’t assigned a buddy due to the fact these kindergarteners are in their pull-out special education class, or ELL, or some other pull-out program during Reading Buddy time. One by one, Monty gains 3 “unofficial” reading buddies which he meets with during his recess time unbeknownst to his teacher, who insists Monty and all other children may only have ONE buddy.

Special bonds form between Monty and his official and ‘unofficial’ Reading Buddies. When the Reading Buddy -Culminating Event is about to take place, Monty is forced by his teacher to choose only one buddy for the event. How will Monty ever choose and not break the hearts of his other three buddies? Parents, teachers, classmates, and buddies all help in this with multiple twists!

reading buddies.

Here is the book for dog lovers who are intimidated by books of one hundred pages or more. Twelve separate authors have each submitted one short story, approximately twenty pages, dealing with the life of a dog at Pawley Rescue Center and the person who eventually adopts it. Four of the stories are written from the dog’s point-of-view. The human circumstance in each story vary greatly, but always comes back to the yearning for love a dog can provide.

In the first story author, Kirby Larson, tells the story of a boy sent to live with his aunt when his military father is deployed. A different author’s story tells of a boy whose constantly fighting  divorced parents finally agree to let him have a dog. Yet another story tells of how a bullied boy wants a vicious dog, but the dog which chooses him makes friends with  the dog of one of the boy’s bullies. Through the two dogs’ friendship, the boy gains acceptance at school.

OUTSTANDING! A yearning to be outside near an oak tree, so I can witness the stages of an oak tree’s life cycle for myself, overcomes me as I look through this book! The full page photos, in the 7″ X 6″ book, immediately grab the reader’s attention with their detail, while the 2 or 3 sentences on the opposite page refines what the reader in seeing.

The photo on page 8  of the root emerging from the cracked acorn and the photo on page 11 with the hull of the acorn still attached shows , “A small shoot, or stem, pushes up from the acorn. Tiny leaves unfold on the shoot.”  (p. 10) Awe. Silent wonder.

One of the five “Fun Facts” sprinkled throughout the pages states, “About one out of 10,000 acorns will become an oak tree.” (p. 25) while a squirrel munching on an acorn stares the reader down from the opposite page. Shhh, quiet contemplation.

Hoky, a wolf pup, lived near a small village in the mountains.  When winter came, the hungry wolves came down to eat farm animals.  Village men captured all of them except Hoky, who had hidden in a cave.  Jacob, a young shepherd, watched over his flock as well al all the animals in the field.  He often spotted Hoky in the distance and noticed that he was hungry.  Jacob left bread on a stone then took the sheep to another area.  Over time, Hoky came to trust Jacob.  One day while climbing a tree, a branch broke and Jacob tumbled to the ground, falling unconscious.  Hoky heard the noise and hesitantly approached Jacob.  Jacob didn’t move.  As the temperature dropped, Hoky curled up near Jacob to keep him warm.  By morning, Jacob was able to move and Hoky ran off.  Back in the village, Jacob shared his story and advised the villager to help feed the animals in winter so all could share the mountains and fields.  Good reminder that when one has respect for nature and a love for animals, all can live together in unity.  Lovely, large, colored pencil and watercolor illustrations are a perfect match to this gentle tale.  Original Spanish title: Hoky el lobo solidario.  English translation by Jon Brokenbrow.

These ants aren’t marching two by two, but they are doing math. “Ants work together as a group.When we want to know how many there are altogether in a group, we can add to find out. Let’s add some ants!”  (p. 5) Kindergarteners and first graders enough read stories about ants and study ants as part of science. Now we will be able to add math to the list of things ants can do in their class.

These  photographed ants are one inch or larger, plus it is not the same ant reproduced over and over again, but multiple photos of  individual ants. The detail in these photos is impressive.

Addition sentences are in a large bold font beneath the ants to be added. Sentences include: 1+2, 3+3, 6+3, 2+5  &  5+2, and 9+7. Number lines with advancing arrows are shown , as well as, an addition chart with an invitation for the young reader to try to solve  7+4=? using the addition chart.

While learning about adding the young reader is also gaining knowledge facts about ants. Then there is an entirely separate page entitled ‘Ant Facts‘. There is a separate ‘Math Glossary‘ from the ‘ Ant Glossary‘. Followed by a separate page of “Teaching Notes-… This title supports an understanding of quantity by putting together groups of objects (ants) and introducing the mathematical vocabulary and symbols of addition.” (p. 24)  Finally ‘Related Common Core Standards‘ for kindergarten and first grade are listed at the bottom of the page.

The name of Ruth Wakefield may not be as well known as her invention, but everyone in the USA knows about chocolate chip cookies!  The first thing one reads is how this popular cookie was developed – original recipe included.  Her life as a young child cooking with her mother and grandmother and going to school with a focus on nutrition follows.  After she and her husband married, they opened a little restaurant in a toll house in Massachusetts.  Specializing on good food and desserts, the restaurant flourished.  They were generous with patrons and sent Toll House cookies to troops throughout WWII.  A deal was made with Andrew Nestle – she got free chocolate for life and he got permission to print her recipe on every bag of chocolate chips, one of his new inventions to go with her cookies!  A good portion of the book is devoted to encouraging children to think of inventions to make something better.  Suggestions are given on how to record thoughts, sketches, and procedures in a logbook, and how to sell the invention or apply for a patent.  Recommended books are focused on inventions and are written at a higher reading level than this book.  Interesting book – either for reports or pleasure!

As a practicing super hero, Tom is proud of the things he can do.  However, he is not sure how he feels about his new baby brother, Nathaniel, AKA the Blob.  The Blob receives a lot of attention and Tom’s super hero talent of invisibility happens now with no effort.  As relatives show up to see the new baby, each one mentions how cute he is and that they could just eat him up.  What?!  Now as the protective older brother, Tom offers cookies and shows off his tricks to get their minds off nibbling on the Blob.  One day his mom tells Tom they are having a party so everyone can meet the baby.  Eat the baby?  Tom gets worried and decides to hide the Blob.  He is much relieved to discover dinner is really chicken and mashed potatoes with apple pie for dessert.  And the Blob, AKA Nathaniel, now notices his awesome older brother with a huge smile.  Cute “new baby” story which also introduces idioms.  Many older siblings may recognize similar thoughts and behaviors.  Bright acrylic illustrations add a touch of humor as Tom imagines different scenarios.

The octopus is an amazing invertebrate.  Large, plain text tells: the kind of animal they are, where they live, about their unusual bodies, ways they camouflage themselves, and ways they learn.  Scientists gather many varieties of octopuses to study their abilities.  Since the parents die when eggs hatch, they do not teach their young.  Scientists hope to find out how octopuses learn and solve problems.  Many inventions have been inspired by the octopus – suction cups for diverse uses, for example.  Diagrams show external body parts and the location of the brains and hearts.  Clear photographs are well captioned.  Many pages contain extra sidebars with facts.  Glossary, index, resources, and websites included.