Brer Rabbit is a trickster that lives in the folktales told for hundreds of years and collected by Joel Chandler Harris in the 1880’s.  This is a collection of seven tales and the language has been modernized from the original, but the humor remains.  Kids will love hearing about the escapades of Brer Rabbit as he pulls his tricks on Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Turtle.

This new series from Capstone is of high interest targeting struggling or reluctant readers.  The vocabulary is controlled and the sentence structure is short and direct.  All parts of a non-fiction book are included such as a table of contents, glossary and index.  The photos do a good job of showing exactly what is referred to in the text.  The quick guide to canine body language data table does a nice job of explaining what dogs are trying to say if they could speak.  A book every school library should have to enable struggling students to experience success in reading non-fiction.

Things happen that disappoint, make you sad, and even hurt, but it’ll get better, and crying won’t help.  That’s the message here.  But then sometimes you have to cry because nothing else will do.  That’s okay, too.

This is a cute little story with fun pictures.  It deals with peoples differences and learning to appreciate each others and enjoy them.  It is a quick easy read that young children would enjoy.  The words are large easy to read font.  The pictures are bright and colorful.  It’s a fun addition to our library.

This book takes what was an extremely volatile issue at the time, and what is likely to be seen by many students now as confusing, and leads the reader clearly through each of the chain of events that led to the Supreme Court decision Bush v. Gore. The explanations are clear. There are enough photos, inserts and quotations and excerpts from primary source documents to keep the material interesting. A timeline of events and rulings, a glossary, and additional resources are included.

Thick, heavy pages free the young reader to turn the pages with enthusiasm and no worries.  Although, the binding on this particular copy wasn’t strong enough to withstand library use, it may be that it was stitched this way because it’s a demo and will have stronger binding in publication.  The visual layout of the book is exceptional.  It feels “layered”.  There are pictures that are larger, some have frames, and there are captions along with regular text.  Just the right amount of visuals, not overdone, as is the case with more and more nonfiction books.  Glossary and Index at the end.  No websites listed in this book, but there was a free e-book download.  Got the book to download, but it was complicated to operate.  I recommend this book for a primary reader.

Not too spooky, this is an adorable book about the famed holiday, Halloween.  Gentle illustrations softly convey the sweet personality of the ghost Oliver, as he readies the house for his holiday guests.  He “dusts” the house, wakes the black cats, and delivers invitations.  The doorbell rings and he has human trick or treaters: a jack o’lantern and a cow.  What to do?  Scare them away, or invite them in?  They are “treated” to a wonderful party by Oliver.  The next morning Oliver finds a birthday invitation on his doorstep, to Jack (o’lantern)’s home!

Preschool and primary age story explaining the different types of friendships: other children, adults, pets, stuffed animals, etc.  Bright pictures and a good size to the book, help make this a nice book to share with young children.  This story would make a good addition to a primary library.

Stephen is a scavenger.  He travels around a post-biological-attack America with his father, looking for usable items and avoiding threats.  One day he finds himself in need of help and a group of strangers come to his rescue.  They have built a microcosm of civilized society in what used to be a gated neighborhood.  Dystopian and post-apocalyptic settings are all the rage in teen literature today.  In a field overflowing with books of this type, this is one of the good ones.  In a blurb on the jacket, Suzanne Collins (author of The Hunger Games) describes this novel as “taut,” and she has found just the right word to describe it.  The first chapter opens with Stephen and his father burying Stephen’s grandfather and they are immediately thrust into a dangerous situation.  Eventually Stephen is forced to make important decisions without the help or advice of his father.  As he struggles to decide what the “right” thing to do is in a world where every choice is life-or-death, the reader witnesses a true coming of age.  This is a novel which will catch teen’s attention at the very beginning, make them think, and keep them reading through to the end.

Frank is a name you don’t hear much anymore, nor is it word often used to describe being totally honest.  But it’s a word that shouldn’t be forgotten, as this book so aptly shows.  Being totally frank with someone does not make one popular.  Learning how to be honest without hurting someone’s feelings is a skill in diplomacy of which we all need a reminder.  Frank learned from his grandpa that you can still say what you think, and be honest, without alienating people.  A great book with a great lesson.

Beginning with some words to know, one learns about the life of pigs on a farm.  Simple text tells what pigs like to eat and what they like to do.  Photographs are focused and colorful.  Most have captions that provide additional information.  This short 24-page book provides many clear facts and quality photos that raise it above other typical nonfiction animal books.  Other books to read, websites, and an index are included.

This 32-page book tells of the diverse land forms, the basic groups of indigenous people, and culture of this island country.  It is packed with information, many facts useful as-is, others invite further investigation, if desired.  Maps, colorful photographs, “Did You Know” sections, and “Fun Fact” boxes, along with informative paragraphs fill every page.  Photos are labeled or clarified in the text.  Bold words are defined in the glossary.  A page of fast facts are in the back with books to read, a factsurfer website, and an index.  This book provides plenty of facts for those looking for a quick introduction to a fascinating country.

Mr. Tate’s class gather on the beach to help on Clean-up Day.  They meet Captain Ned, who explains how important the ocean is to the health of the planet.  They listen to the ocean and become aware of the animals who call the ocean home and depend on it being clean: one whale, two giant sea turtles,… to 10 bottlenose dolphins.  On shore, they collect 10 bags of trash as they think about the water cycle and pollution.  Plants and animals that live in the ocean provide food for people, resources for medicines, and clean air for all.  The class also goes out on Captain Ned’s boat to scoop up floating debris.  The message that everything in the natural world is connected and that people need to be responsible for their actions is repeated throughout.  A final page gives more in-depth information on how the world’s climate and weather rely on a healthy ocean.  Sarah Snow’s digital collage illustrations are colorful and full of texture and light.  They provide strong visual images to accompany the message of protecting our ecosystem.  Good resource for explaining the importance of being responsible care-takers of our world.

In 1936, a young Joe DiMaggio’s skills were to be tested  before being accepted on a major-league team.  The greatest pitcher in the 1930s was Satchel Paige, who was only allowed to play in the Negro leagues.  An exhibition game was scheduled.  Paige’s skills as a pitcher and batter kept the game close, even though his team was much more inexperienced than the opposing team of major-league stars.  Suspense builds as Satchel Paige throws his amazing “bat dodger”, “wobbly ball”, and his whipsey dipsey do”.  Joe DiMaggio was up to bat four times before her was able to make it to first base.  Both players proved they had what it takes to be placed among the best.  Floyd Cooper’s amazing artwork in muted tones is a good match for this retelling of a day in baseball history.  The illustrations are action packed and full of emotion.  Great book as a spring-board for discussions on the sport, about segregation, or during Black History month.

As first introduced in Diary of a Wombat, this mostly sedentary wombat arouses during the Christmas holidays to the smell of carrots.  In his typical low-key humor, he continually fights “strange creatures” (reindeer) for his favorite food (carrots).  Finding a good place to nap (Santa’s sleigh), he soon discovers these strange creatures are terrific at finding carrots all over the world!  Bruce Whatley’s humorous illustrations show this irresistibly charming wombat’s confrontations in a variety of situations.  This delightful book will appeal to people of all ages.

In the early 1800s, Molly Williams was a cook for Mr. Aymar and his volunteer firefighters.  One winter, when many volunteers were ill with influenza, a house caught fire.  Molly rushed out, gathered boys to warn others, and raced to the equipment shed.  She put on a helmet, gloves, and “splatterdashes”, assisted the struggling men pull the pumper to the fire, fill it with buckets of water, and pull burning wood away from the house.  Molly is known as the first female volunteer firefighter.  There is an author’s note and some frequently asked questions and answers in the back.  Both author Dianne Ochiltree and illustrator Kathleen Kemly attempted to portray Molly and the early firefighters as accurately as possible.  There is an extensive list of books to read, websites and links, places to visit, and a bibliography included.  Many historical facts are included in the story and represented in the illustrations.

The first three-fifths of this book about social networking is devoted to methods of communication – how Americans historically have formed communities. It begins with cave painting and wampum and eventually moves to the printing press and the telegraph. But it is only the last 20 or so pages that talk about what our students would recognize as social networking. And 20 pages is hardly adequate for a thorough discussion of media fandom, gaming, the World Wide Web, the Information Superhighway, blogging, YouTube, and devices such as smart phones. The title is misleading and students will be disappointed if they expect much information on what they consider social networking.