The Ship in the Window is written by Travis Jonker, author of 100 Scope Notes a School Library Journal blog, and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell. This book gorgeously tells the story of a three character, a man, a child and a mouse and how although they are three separate strands, they are connected, just like a roped, twisted together and much stronger that way. The man creating a beloved model ship, covets his model and puts such care in it. He clearly wants the child to also love the ship, but isn’t ready to have the child help with the special project. Any grown up can relate to this as you work so hard on something and want your child to love it as well, but don’t feel like they are ready to partake in creating it to your standard yet. The mouse watches it all from a distance. And then, one night, the mouse dares to take the ship out to sea. The mouse, now the captain of the ship, sails until dawn when he is discovered by and angry man and shocked child. Slowly joy takes over both the man and the child as they see the ship doing what it is meant to do. Until….tragedy! The story comes to a magnificent and compassionate ending and you discover this book is really about how we react in hard situations, its how we move forward that matters the most. And this man, child, and mouse, choose to move forward together. Finally seeing that there is love and power in connection and creating things, like the ship, together.

This book is important to both grown ups and children! The illustrations add to the simple, yet strong text and make it even more profound. Every time you flip through the story you will find something else to look at in the drawings. Every person should at least read it twice.

I highly recommend this beautiful book and think it belongs in every school.

Red Fox vs. Fisher by Nathan Sommer is part of a 40 book Bellwether Torque set of Animal Battles. This set is geared towards third grade through seventh grade, with full color pictures and a reading level of third grade. Perfect for your reluctant readers. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short introduction to each of the competitors.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, labeled photos, and infographics for easy access to information.

All of my students in elementary really enjoy this series, especially the pages showing the secret weapons of each animal and the hearing of a red fox! In each book you’ll find eye-catching colorful symbols that make the information pop and easy to understand.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your young researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Torque Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. I love, and so do my readers, how the text is combined with the photos and graphics to make something on each page accessible to so many students. My students enjoy these immensely and often check out more than one.

I highly recommend adding this collection to your library collection.

Saltwater Crocodile vs. Great Hammerhead Shark by Nathan Sommer is part of a 40 book Torque set of Animal Battles. This set is geared towards third grade through seventh grade, with full color pictures and a reading level of third grade. Perfect for your reluctant readers. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short introduction to each of the competitors.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, labeled photos, and infographics for easy access to information.

All of my students in elementary really enjoy this series, especially the pages showing the secret weapons of each animal and the tooth size of the crocodile! In each book you’ll find eye-catching colorful symbols that make the information pop.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your young researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Torque Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. I love, and so do my readers, how the text is combined with the photos and graphics to make something on each page accessible to so many students. My students enjoy these immensely and often check out more than one.

I highly recommend adding this collection to your library collection.

World War II by Alex Monroe is part of a Torque set of War Histories. This set is geared towards third grade through seventh grade, with full color pictures and a reading level of third grade. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short description of the war.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos.

My students in grade four and five really enjoy this series, especially the pages 8-9 where there is a comparison between the Axis Leader and Allied Leader. In each book you’ll find a timeline of the impact of the war on page 14-15 – this is done with eye-catching colorful symbols that definitely make you look toward the bottom of the page. I find the infographic on page 21 very useful, as it shows students fatalities and the impact of war with graphics that are easy to compare to one another.

This book also happens to have a box on page 13 that acknowledges the suppression of Japanese Americans during WWII, and how around 120,000 of them were interned in camps across the country. I would have liked to see this number also represented graphically in the infographic on page 21.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your young researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Torque Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. My students enjoy these immensely and often check out more than one to compare different wars.

If you need to update your books on wars, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

The American Revolutionary War by Kate Moening is part of a Torque set of War Histories. This set is geared towards third grade through seventh grade, with full color pictures and a reading level of third grade. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short description of the war.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos.

My students in grade four and five really enjoy this series, especially the page 11 gives details about the musket used during the war. In each book you’ll find a timeline of the impact of the war on page 18-19 – this is done with eye-catching colorful symbols that definitely make you look toward the bottom of the page. I find the infographic on page 21 very useful, as it shows students fatalities and the impact of war with graphics that are easy to compare to one another.

This book also happens to have a box on page 10 that acknowledges the role that Native Americans and Black soldiers played within the war. I appreciated this, however would have wished for a bit more than four sentences – maybe instead highlighting a Native American or Black soldier.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your young researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Torque Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. My students enjoy these immensely and often check out more than one to compare different wars.

If you need to update your books on wars, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

The Vietnam War by Alex Monroe is part of a Torque set of War Histories. This set is geared towards third grade through seventh grade, with full color pictures and a reading level of third grade. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short description of the war.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos.

My students in grade four and five really enjoy this series, especially the pages like 8 and 9 where the leaders of the two countries are compared with easy to read facts. In each book you’ll find a timeline of the impact of the war on page 18-19 – this is done with eye-catching colorful symbols that definitely make you look toward the bottom of the page. I find the infographic on page 21 very useful, as it shows students fatalities and the impact of war with graphics that are easy to compare to one another.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your young researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Torque Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. My students enjoy these immensely and often check out more than one to compare different wars.

If you need to update your books on wars, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

Kenya by Monika Davies is part of a Blastoff Readers series of Countries of the World. This set is geared towards kindergarten through grade 3, with short sentences, bright color photographs, and bolded vocabulary words. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short description of the country.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a country to early elementary through third grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes several short sentences and a photograph describing the country (p. 4), land and animals (p. 6), and what life is like in Kenya (p. 12).

This book is a good introduction to a foreign country. The photos show different parts of the country and are eye-catching for younger students. I love the facts pages (p. 20-21) as it summarizes the points talked about in the book and adds details.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for younger elementary students about countries, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

Theodore Roosevelt by Rebecca Pettiford is part of a Blastoff Readers series of the American Presidents. This set is geared towards kindergarten through grade 3, with short sentences, bright color photographs, and bolded vocabulary words. Each book is 24 pages and starts with a table of contents a short description of the former president.

This book includes not only a table of contents, but also headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a president to early elementary through third grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes several short sentences and a photograph describing the president’s background is (p. 6) and their time in office (p.12). 

This book is a good, biography of the Theodore Roosevelt. The photos show different parts of the former president’s life, although all are tinted green. I love the timeline page (p. 19) as it summarizes the points talked about in the book.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Readers a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for elementary students about presidents, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

This bright, colorful, nonfiction text teaches key coding concepts through step by step unplugged activities. I love that this series (Adventures in Unplugged Coding), geared for 3-8 grades, and how they use fun concepts, games, and activities to teach efficiency in coding, loops, and commands to upper elementary and beyond. There are fun activities that need minimal supplies as well as activities you can do with peers. The book has plenty of text, but it’s presented in cut-outs and with different color backgrounds, and fun images so it doesn’t feel text heavy and overwhelming. Each unplugged activity has numbered steps, a supply list, and then a section to see how you did. There are also extensions for each activity in the “coding challenge” sections!

This is perfect for the upper elementary crowd. You will find all your classic nonfiction text features in this book: a table of contents, glossary, bolded words, cutouts, images that support the text. Each of the books in this series also has a “to learn more” page where you are provided with resources you might find at the library as well as the resources you will find on the web.

My students love this series and how, no matter their interests, there is a coding book for them.

What a fantastic way to learn coding! I love that this series (Adventures in Unplugged Coding), geared for 3-8 grades, teaches kids activities that do not require technology, but teach key coding concepts like looping, problem solving, and decomposition. There are fun activities that need minimal supplies as well as activities you can do with peers. The book has plenty of text, but it’s presented in cut-outs and with different color backgrounds, and fun images so it doesn’t feel text heavy and overwhelming. Each unplugged activity has numbered steps, a supply list, and then a section to see how you did. There are also extensions for each activity in the “coding challenge” sections!

This is perfect for the upper elementary crowd. You will find all your classic nonfiction text features in this book: a table of contents, glossary, bolded words, cutouts, images that support the text. Each of the books in this series also has a “to learn more” page where you are provided with resources you might find at the library as well as the resources you will find on the web.

I tried one of the activities with my 5th graders and they loved it and it really helped with our problem solving ability before entering our LEGO coding world.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day by Rebecca Sabelko is part of a Blastoff Beginners series of the Happy Holidays. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. Each book is 24 pages and starts with the sight words for review before beginning the book content. As a parent of a kindergartner, I like that they provide a list of sight words to review before we begin reading the book together.

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a holiday to preschool through second grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes a few sentences and a photograph describing when Indigenous Peoples’ Day is (p. 6), and a variety of ways you could celebrate the holiday (p.10). 

This book is a good, quick overview of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The photos show different aspects of the holiday really well, from people reading books about indigenous cultures, to celebrating the art, and their Native history. I love the Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes the activities talked about in the book with simple photos, labels and key words.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for primary students about holidays or books that provide a simple to understand overview of a holiday, I recommend adding this book to your library collection. 

Kwanzaa by Betsy Rathburn is part of a Blastoff Beginners series of the Happy Holidays. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. Each book is 24 pages and starts with the sight words for review before beginning the book content. As a parent of a kindergartner, I like that they provide a list of sight words to review before we begin reading the book together.

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a holiday to preschool through second grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when Kwanzaa is (p. 6), and how to celebrate the holiday (p.14). 

This book is a good, quick overview of the Islamic holiday Kwanzaa. The photos show different aspects of the holiday really well, from lighting candles to celebrating with family. I love the Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes the traditions talked about in the book, with simple photos, labels and key words.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for primary students about holidays or books that provide a simple to understand overview of a holiday, I recommend adding this book to your library collection. 

Ramadan by Betsy Rathburn is part of a Blastoff Beginners series of the Happy Holidays. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. Each book is 24 pages and starts with the sight words for review before beginning the book content. As a parent of a kindergartner, I like that they provide a list of sight words to review before we begin reading the book together.

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a holiday to preschool through second grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when Ramadan is (p. 6), and how to celebrate the holiday (p.12). 

This book is a good, quick overview of the Islamic holiday Ramadan. The photos show different aspects of the holiday really well, from fasting and praying to celebrating Eid-al-fitr. I love the Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes the traditions talked about in the book, with simple photos, labels and key words. The one adjustment I would make in this book is a pronunciation guide for Allah and Eid-al-fitr.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for primary students about holidays or books that provide a simple to understand overview of a holiday, I recommend adding this book to your library collection. 

Day of the Dead by Betsy Rathburn is part of a Blastoff Beginners series of the Happy Holidays. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. Each book is 24 pages and starts with the sight words for review before beginning the book content. As a parent of a kindergartner, I like that they provide a list of sight words to review before we begin reading the book together.

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for introducing a holiday to preschool through second grade and working with them on identifying non-fiction text features. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when Day of the Dead is (p. 6) and how to celebrate the holiday (p.12). 

This book is a good, quick overview of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. The photos show different aspects of the holiday really well, from celebrating to remembering your lost loved ones. I love the Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes the traditions talked about in the book, with simple photos, labels and key words.

This series also includes a page referring you to Factsurfer (factsurfer.com) for additional kid friendly web sources. I liked this website and feel like it would be a great place for your beginning researchers to find online sources, or broaden their knowledge base. At the website you type in the title of your book, click the picture of the book cover that pops up, and then are given three age appropriate sites to go to for more information. 

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for their eye-catching covers and photos, their quality, and their consistency in content and readability. 

If you need books for primary students about holidays or books that provide a simple to understand overview of a holiday, I recommend adding this book to your library collection.

Summer by Christina Leaf is part of a four book Blastoff Beginners series of the Seasons. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. This book has the biggest vocabulary words of any in the Seasons set: thunderstorms and lightning (p. 13). This, and the fact that the words are used to define each other in the glossary, makes this the most challenging book in the set. 

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, timeline, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for teaching non-fiction text features to your youngest elementary students. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when summer is (p. 6-9), including a timeline on pg. 6-7 of the seasons, things to do in summer (p. 16), and what summer looks like (p. 10). 

This book is a good, quick overview of summer. It may be a little more difficult than the others in the set for a kindergartner to read independently. I like the Summer Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes many of the facts in the book, with photos, labels and key words.

I did not like that the definition of lightning contained the word thunderstorm, and that the definition of thunderstorm contained the word lightning (p. 23). I think this would be confusing for a child who did not know what those terms meant.

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for quality and consistency in content and readability. 

Fall by Christina Leaf is part of a four book Blastoff Beginners series of the Seasons. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, simple two syllable words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. 

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, timeline, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for teaching non-fiction text features to your youngest elementary students. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when fall is (p. 6-9), including a timeline on pg. 6-7 of the seasons, things to do in fall (p. 16), and what fall looks like (p. 10). 

This book is a good, quick overview of fall and is easy enough for kindergarteners who are sounding out two-syllable words to read independently. I like the Fall Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes many of the facts in the book, with photos, labels and key words.

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for quality and consistency in content and readability. I also appreciate the consistency in headings and page numbers throughout the books in a set. I can give out multiple books from the same set and ask students to find something to turn to page 16 and tell me one thing to do in that season. Great for beginning research skills.

Spring by Christina Leaf is part of a four book Blastoff Beginners series of the Seasons. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, simple two syllable words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. 

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, timeline, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for teaching non-fiction text features to your youngest elementary students. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when spring is (p. 6-9), including a timeline on pg. 6-7 of the seasons, things to do in spring (p. 18), and what spring looks like (p. 10). Spring also contains a good amount of information about animals and plants in spring and how it is a time of growth. 

This book is a good, quick overview of spring, easy enough for kindergarteners who are sounding out two-syllable words to read independently. I like the Spring Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes many of the facts in the book, with photos, labels and key words.

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for quality and consistency in content and readability. 

Winter by Christina Leaf is part of a four book Blastoff Beginners series of the Seasons. This set is geared towards kindergarten, with sight words, simple two syllable words, short sentences, and bright color photographs. 

This book includes a table of contents, headings, bolded words, timeline, glossary, index, and labeled photos – perfect for teaching non-fiction text features to your youngest elementary students. 

Each section includes 2-3 sentences and a photograph describing when winter is (p. 6-9), including a timeline on pg. 6-7 of the seasons, things to do in winter (p. 16), and what winter looks like (p. 12). 

This book is a good, quick overview of winter, easy enough for kindergarteners who are sounding out two-syllable words to read independently. I like the Winter Facts page (p. 22) as it summarizes many of the facts in the book, with photos, labels and key words. 

I find these Blastoff Beginners a go-to in my library because I know I can count on them for quality and consistency in content and readability. 

Kelly Yang crafted an excellent book with an easy to follow prose that teaches people about Asian American history and the people who have had a role in building a better future for us all. Each page is illustrated by a different Asian American and shows a point in history where Asian Americans were fundamental in the changemaking that happened there. The text and illustrations are also accompanied by a one line biography of the person or historical moment you see on the page.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. They are dynamic and vibrant and full of emotion and motion. Get the book just to look at the illustrations!

At the end of the book, you will find an extended biography of all the people and moments depicted throughout the book.

This book is a must have for your school library!

That’s Not My Name is written by Anoosha Syed and is a picture book that covers a familiar scenario for many students with cultural names. In this lovely book Mirha starts her first day of school and when she shares her name with her new classmates, she finds out none of them can say it right. The illustrations add to her dismay with all the speech bubbles of kids calling her any number of variations of her name, none of them correct. Even teachers say her name wrong. Mirha goes through many emotions about people saying her name incorrectly and what she should do about it. Should she change her name to something no one could get wrong? At the end of the day, Mama saves the day reminding Mirha about the beauty behind her name and the strength she has behind her to make sure classmates and teachers say it correctly.

Many kids go through this exact same experience and because of that – this book is important!

I highly recommend this beautiful book and think it belongs in every school.

The illustrations, by Grant Snider, are one of my favorite things about this picture book. I love the torn paper and colored pencil drawings of the iceberg and airplanes and snow falling on the ocean.

The story is wonderful as well. Blue is an iceberg that breaks off from his parents and begins to float away from them. You can see the apprehension and nerves on his face as he unwillingly leaves them. But, soon he floats and meets friends and enjoys seeing the sights. He travels far from his home and the water becomes warmer. He is melting into the ocean – he becomes the ocean! His friends were a bit frightened when he disappeared, but then he transformed into a cloud and got to see new things from this new perspective.

This is a great story about the water cycle without throwing the water cycle in your face. I would way rather read this, than many others out there!

I highly recommend putting this book in your classroom library or school library! A must have for teaching the water cycle and there are some great art projects you could do alongside it.

While this book feels different than Jacqueline Woodson’s other picture books, I love the prose with which she writes. This story is about friendship, community and summer. Every kid can relate to the excitement of getting out of school for summer and all the plans they have. Set in Brooklyn, the vibrant illustrations, by Leo Espinosa, add to the energy of the words with smiles, movement and color.

Students run down the steps of their school building into the Brooklyn streets to begin their summer vacation. They play in fire hydrants, let their curls go natural, play street games like hopscotch and jump rope, told stories that had each person enthralled to the last moment, and joined together to lift each other up and bring everyone along for the ride…that is, until. the grownups call everyone home.

This is a relatable story for kids about the joy of summer – it would be a great addition to any library, but especially in urban schools where their experiences may be similar to those in the book.

This is a fantastic book about kids bringing lunch to school that are traditional to their home culture. Each kid who is highlighted is subjected to another student saying their lunch doesn’t look good or doesn’t smell good – and ultimately they decide to switch to a boring sandwich instead. After a few days of only sandwiches, the traditional home lunches start to come back, and smiles start to return on the faces of kids.

I love the illustrations, by Jing Li, of the food, the home kitchens, and the shopping markets. What a great window into some lives!

Words are powerful and this book is a great example of that. It uses real life experiences of four professional chefs who used to bring traditional home lunches to school and who were each in turn told it looked “ewww.”

A must have for any school library! My fourth graders give it a double thumbs up!

In this book written by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Wenjia Tang, you travel around the world to see how and where kids live. The book begins with a quick introduction to maps, going over a Compass Rose, Legend, and Scale Bar. After this, each page introduces a friend, their real neighborhood, describes their community, and gives you a word or two in their language.

This is a great book to introduce maps to your class. It has beautiful illustrations incorporating the maps with animals and the friends who live there.

I can see this book being used for social studies, introducing mapmaking, and when talking about community – it is a beautiful addition to your library.