Alicia Z. Klepeis explores the 29,120 square miles Central America’s Panama. Klepeis uses snapshots of Panama’s location, landscape, wildlife, people, school and work, play, and food. The 32 pages just give a quick overview of what this country has to offer with two or three paragraphs of text per topic accompanied by half a page-spread of color photos.
I continue to find the TIMELINE in this “Country Profiles” series confusing to the eye with its segmented lines stating facts above and below the actual timeline leading to the events’ locations on the timeline. It might be better to print the statements on a slant with a single line segment drawing the eye to the timeline location.
The PANAMA FACTS on pages 28-29 provide good visual graphics to show the flag, where people live, their work, important cities, main exports, and unit of money.
Factsurfer.com provides more information with safe internet.
Nicole E. Rodriguez Mata explores the 352,144 square miles South America’s Venezuela. Rodriguez Mata uses snapshots of Venezuela’s location, landscape, wildlife, people, school and work, play, and food. The 32 pages just give a quick overview of what this country has to offer with two or three paragraphs of text per topic accompanied by half a page-spread of color photos.
I continue to find the TIMELINE in this “Country Profiles” series confusing to the eye with its segmented lines stating facts above and below the actual timeline leading to the events’ locations on the timeline. It might be better to print the statements on a slant with a single line segment drawing the eye to the timeline location.
The VENEZUELA FACTS on pages 28-29 provide good visual graphics to show the flag, where people live, their work, important cities, main exports, and unit of money.
Factsurfer.com provides more information with safe internet.
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.
Nicole E. Rodriguez Mata explores the 278 square mile urban city-state of Singapore. Rodriguez Mata uses snapshots of Singapore’s location, landscape, wildlife, people, school and work, play, and food. The 32 pages just give a quick overview of what this city-state has to offer with two or three paragraphs of text per topic accompanied by half a page-spread of color photos.
I continue to find the TIMELINE in this “County Profiles” series confusing to the eye with its segmented lines stating facts above and below the actual timeline leading to the events’ locations on the timeline. It might be better to print the statements on a slant with a single line segment drawing the eye to the timeline location.
The SINGAPORE FACTS on pages 28-29 provide good visual graphics to show the flag, where people live, their work, main exports, religion, and unit of money.
Factsurfer.com provides more information with safe internet.
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.
In My Fade is Fresh, a young girl heads into the barbershop with a clear vision of what she wants. It seems like everyone has a suggestion for what she should have done – A PERM? A PRESS? A TRIM? A CHOP?. With fun rhyming text and dynamic, engaging illustrations, suggestion after suggestion is put forward and dismissed. The patience of both the barber and the little girl are increasingly strained as no one seems to be listening. Finally, after 3 hours, the young girl gets her fresh fade and proudly leaves the barbershop with a confident smile.
A fun celebration of black hair and creative ways to shine one’s personality through self expression.
Children with parents in the military do face unique challenges. In When Your Daddy’s a Soldier, the feelings and experiences of a young boy with an active duty father are portrayed in an age appropriate way. The strong connection between a soldier and his young son is clearly shown in both the text and illustrations. The additional emotional burdens that fall on all members of a military family are also addressed. This book belongs in collections that serve children of military families.
While about 80% of active duty service members are male, the way this story is told excludes both the female service members as well as the daughters of service members. Female characters (in particular mothers) in the book are portrayed as not coping well.
Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Acadia National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.
Leaf gives basic facts and visuals on Acadia National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Acadia National Park was the 6th most visited national park in 2021.
Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how ice breaks down granite (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.
Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Acadia National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).
More information on the Acadia National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..
Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Grand Canyon National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.
Leaf gives interesting basic facts and visuals on Grand Canyon National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Grand Canyon National Park was the 4th most visited national park in 2021.
Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how river erosion happens (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.
Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Grand Canyon National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).
More information on the Grand Canyon National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..
Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Yosemite National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.
Leaf gives interesting basic facts and visuals on Yosemite National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Yosemite National Park was the 8th most visited national park in 2021.
Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how geologic intrusions formed (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.
Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Yosemite National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).
More information on the Yosemite National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..
Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Rocky Mountain National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.
Leaf gives basic facts and visuals on Rocky Mountain National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Rocky Mountain National Park was the 5th most visited national park in 2021.
Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how geologic uplift happens (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.
Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Rocky Mountain National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).
More information on the Rocky Mountain National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..
Personal rule: a book that starts with a map is going to be great. Trapped in Terror Bay is no exception to that rule, although it takes some skill and attention to navigate, much like the poor sailors on the lost Franklin expedition to the Arctic. Written almost in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure, this non-fiction book puts the reader in the doomed shoes of Captain Francis Crozier, sailing through imagined accounts of events onboard the ship, tracking the voyage across the Atlantic, around Greenland and eventually into the maze of ice and islands between the North American continent and the North Pole. As weather worsens, disease rampages, and nature triumphs over the technology of 1848, the reader explores this tragedy and its mystery in short, engaging chapters.
Within each chapter are subsections that include modern forensic research into the expedition, sidebars about characters, politics, nautical technology, and knowledge from the native peoples who have lived on the Arctic ice since time immemorial.
It took me a while for me to notice subtle changes in fonts, page color or border, or headings to denote these different sections, but once I did I read this like a textbook, skipping around to follow the parts I was interested in, then doubling back to read the sidebars that explained something in the main storyline. With that in mind, this is a great book to teach some textbook reading skills. Readers will love the inevitable doom, perfectly captured by the author, the fascinating facts and insights into life in the mid-1800’s, and the modern quest to understand the events of the past.
A sequel of sorts to Night Shine, this book takes place in a captivating fantasy world with an interesting social structure and engaging magical forces that shape the world and its people. Characters are vibrant and complex, and I was definitely curious with each chapter to learn more about who or what was at work in the lives of the characters.
Names and gender identity play an important part in the story, and this was often distracting. I found myself frequently having to flip back to previous chapters to trace a complex name to figure out who a character was or why they were significant, and while I enjoyed the gender-fluid pronouns and descriptions I had trouble tracking who was sword fighting, wielding magic or even simply speaking, sometimes even within a single paragraph. Readers will enjoy the rich magic of this world, the poetic mythology that shapes its cultures, and the unflinching and comfortable representations of LGBTQIA+ characters – but keep a character list handy!
Family mysteries, clashing cultures, and long… dramatic… pauses… The Noh Family tells the story of 18-year-old Chloe Chang and her sudden discovery of the Korean family she never knew she had. The SUPER RICH Korean family she never knew she had. With all the haunting secrets and plot twists of a K-drama, this book is a fun dive into another culture and the process of becoming an insider while still being an outsider. Chloe’s struggle to define herself as a young adult is honest and engaging, and the exploration of what love and loyalty within a family really mean is surprisingly sweet and genuine. Readers will enjoy the Korean language, customs, and foods (yum!), as well as the high fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and insider scoop on the lives of the rich and famous.
Russia covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of the expansive Russian country as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: kasha, pirozhki, and borscht. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.
The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”
Mexico covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of Mexico as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: pozole, chilaquiles, and dulce de leche. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.
The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”
Japan covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of the Japanese Islands as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: miso soup, sushi and sashimi. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.
The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”
Italy covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique weather of the Italian peninsula as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: risotto, salsa al pomodoro and delicious gelato. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.
The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”
Iraq covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of Iraq such as: the Arabian horned viper and the sand cat as well as some of the exotic foods the people eat including: quzi, khubz and dates. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.
The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”
![The Noh Family by [Grace K. Shim]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51J7fm6na0L.jpg)
