2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles just makes you want to smile every time you see her smile, which seems to be all of the time! This book concentrates on Simone Biles’ enjoying what she does, being good at jumping and then striving through hard work to get even better at it. There is not much ‘meat’ to the text (only two short sentences per page turn) but this is a ‘feel good’ book all the same. The nine photos just make the reader want to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh’ at Simone Biles’ form, concentration, and the happiness she is experiencing.
Pro Wrestling
Pro Wrestling is a high/low book that describes the sport, gives some history and sprinkles in some fun facts. All of this information is presented in short paragraphs with highlighted words that might be unfamiliar and are defined in the glossary. Photos typically spread over two pages and text is attractively inserted within. Wrestlers are varying in ethnicity and gender. This book is part of the Arena Events six-book series.
Pro wrestling is a big deal, even among the younger crowd. Many students are avid fans and this book will be a favorite. Written as a high interest/lower level volume, it will certainly attract its target audience of 3rd-6th graders, as well as those above and below. Pro wrestling has been around for sixty years and it doesn’t appear to be diminishing in popularity. So, the pop culture aspect of this book is somewhat moot. It should be relevant for some years to come. Update your sports section with this one!
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson, part of a six book series, gives the reader some history and some great photos of this iconic American motorcycle. Photos are on two page spreads with one to three sentences. Unfamiliar words are boldface and defined in the glossary in at the back of the book, which also has an index and table of contents.
This is a great book for the early readers. It should keep them reading and they will certainly enjoy the ‘coolness’ of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles! I don’t think this book will stay on the shelves.
Fear the Bunny
A tiger happens upon a group of woodland animals listening to the hedgehog reading a book about scary bunnies. That doesn’t sit well with the tiger. So, he tries to explain to them that HE is much more fierce than bunnies. What will they do – cute him to death? He scoffs until a band of headlamp wearing bunnies begin to chase him and the story ends with the tiger reading a story about scary bunnies to a group of animals, including other tigers!
Cartoon-like illustrations accompany a cute story that vaguely references the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake, which is printed at the end of the book. Students will enjoy this slightly scary and cute story, although they might not appreciate its connection to the poem.
Not Your Nest!
What a fun book! Wait, I should tell you about it first, shouldn’t I? Well, this story is about an industrious, little yellow bird in the African Savanna and his adventures in building a nest. This shouldn’t be a difficult endeavor. But, every time he is returns to his newly completed nest, he is greeted by an animal visitor that plans to claim it as his own. So, he builds another nest and the same thing happens. Nest after nest is claimed by animal after animal (gazelle, gorilla, zebra and so forth), until the poor little bird can take it no longer. He enlists the aid of a wildebeest and in one big “BAM” knocks the animals and nests out of the tree. He sadly looks at his ruined nests and the other animals seem to finally realize the error of their ways. They work diligently to build a huge nest in the tree and gently place the little bird into it. He watches them walk a way dejectedly and shouts “Wait!”, invites them to join him and they gladly do so. The story could end here, but the industrious little bird finishes the story by finishing the project he started a the beginning…building his own nest, which is next to his new animal friends.
This story is brimming with fun and comic wit. While the text is spare, it and the illustrations do a fantastic job of giving us a sense of the animals’ attitudes and feelings. The bird’s growing frustration and fatigue as he tries over and over to just build a nest for himself is perfectly pictured in his expressions and words. The zebra is a little bit pompous and the elephant is a little apologetic. And, we can’t help but be satisfied at the end when the bird finishes what he starts and get the nest he really wanted.
Buy this book and wait for the giggles as you read it out loud to your students. It’s that good!!
Cleo and Cornelius : a tale of two cities and two kitties
Cleo and Cornelius are living the high life in ancient Egypt, where cats are treated like gods and their days are filled with lounging, eating, napping and being worshiped. One day, Cornelius accidentally boards a boat for Rome, which is a very different place than his home. Here, dogs are revered and cats are supposed to keep mice out of houses. But, there is adventure, as he and Cleo discover when she comes to Rome to find him. They race chariots, dip their paws in a Roman bath, perform in a theater and so many other activities. Exhausted, they hop a ship back to Egypt and their luxurious lives of eating, napping and being worshiped, which is fine with Cornelius. Cleo, on the other hand, grows bored and the heads back to her adventurous life in Rome.
This story is loosely based on Aesop’s “Town Mouse and Country Mouse” fable and is full of richly illustrated scenes of the ancient worlds of Egypt and Italy…and Cleo and Cornelius! There are two pages of notes for the reader, explaining life in those two societies. Photos of artifacts are included. This is a fun romp of a story and we learn some things along the way.
Cat Wishes
Cat is very hungry as he wanders around the woods and catches a snake. This snake is magical, though, and offers Cat three wishes if he releases the snake. Cat doesn’t believe in wishes, but lets the snake go. He is still hungry and wishes for a fish, which he catches. Still skeptical, he wishes for a house when he becomes cold and wet in the rain. A lovely, warm house with a cushion for him to lie appears before him. He still doesn’t believe in wishes, but as darkness falls he wishes for a friend and a little girl quietly enters the room. She describes a wiggly snake that granted her three wishes – a picnic basket, a coat and a friend, the Cat.
Gentle illustrations accompany spare text to make this fairy tale come a sweet story to share with young students. This a great addition to your library.
4 X 4 Trucks
All kinds of 4×4 trucks are shown in various crazy driving situations, whether they involve lots of dirt, mud or water. This informative book is a high interest- low level book, so it is written for a 3-6 grade interest level and a 2.6 grade reading level. There is a timeline, labeled vehicle and typical nonfiction features (glossary, index, table of contents, extra resource list, etc.). This book is part of the Full Throttle series that includes eight different vehicles and it is a certainty that none of them will be on your shelves if you buy them!
Journey Across the Hidden Islands
Twins Seika and Ji-Lin were two princesses whose destiny was known to them, or so they thought. Seika would become the Queen and Ji-Lin would be her royal protector along with the winged lions. They also both knew that one day they would travel to the Hidden Island of the dragon to ask for her protection against monsters and invaders, just as their ancestors had for many generations. Yet, this was not what was to happen. They began their journey before their training was finished and so began an adventure of epic proportions. Along the way, they picked up a helpful young boy and used strength and intellect they didn’t know that they possessed. But, would it be enough to save their land and people from those outside that would destroy them? And, why is the ever-protective dragon allowing this to happen?
This book is a wonderful fantasy with strong, young female characters. They are likable and realistically ‘snarky’ at times, as tweens tend to be. Their loyalty to each other and their bravery is remarkable. Buy this book!
I Feel Teal
This is a sweet book about a child who “feels” a wide range of colors over the course of her day. Illustrations are single colors on each two page spread until the end when the author writes that “you are all the colors” and “they make you you”. The illustrations are colorful at this point. This book would be great to share with students and determine together what emotions are illustrated. The illustrations do a fine job of hinting at the emotions through the faces and body language of those pictured. And, attributing colors to those emotions might be helpful when working with younger children, who could use those colors to help them describe their feelings at any given time.
A Lady Has the Floor
This picture book biography shares an important but little-known bit of American History. I took American Women’s History in college (admittedly several decades ago), but I don’t remember ever learning about Belva Lockwood, the first woman admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the first woman to have her name on the ballot for President of the United States (before women could even vote). We learn the names of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in the fight for American women’s suffrage. We should know about Belva Lockwood, too.
Walking in the City with Jane: a story of Jane Jacobs
It’s a fictionalized picture book biography about a woman who woman who got civically involved in New York City in the 1940s and 50s to protest city planners who were not taking the needs of the local community people into their plans. One of the weaknesses of the book, if the target audience is young children (the typical audience for picture books), is that it depends too much on clues in the illustrations to convey some of the context, clues that young children are unlikely to pick up on. Never during the text of the story does the author ever indicate the time period in which the story is taking place. I was able to get a general sense from the clothes people were wearing in the illustrations, but kids wouldn’t necessarily recognize those clues.
MVP: most valuable puppy
There’s no point to this book, no story. A family adopts a puppy and they play in the park with their puppy. The reader just keeps waiting for the climax, the where-is-this-going? But it never goes anywhere. There’s a label on the front declaring that proceeds for the book will be donated to pediatric cancer research, so I thought it might have something to do with cancer. It didn’t.
Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest
The city pigeons are feeling unappreciated. They get together and bemoan how the other birds, such as the robin and the cardinals, get people to oooh and ahh, while they get sweated at. They ponder their own great history about which the people seem unaware, such as their ability to carry messages during war time. And so they conspire to all disappear one day, and send a note with their demands to the mayor: removing the spikes off of ledges, no shooing them away or running them down in cars, and in return they agree not to splat on cars or heads. They return with the first annual pigeon day parade, and shower the city with fortune-cookie-sized notes declaring, “when you are loved, you can love in return.”
Spencer and Vincent: the jellyfish brothers
The illustrations are cheerful and cute. The author plays with words in a fun way as he tells the story of two jellyfish brothers who are close as can be, until one is swept away by a “wave of superior magnitude.” Spencer tries to race to his brother’s rescue, but speed is not really a jellyfish’s strong suit. And so he calls upon his friends for help. With the help of a whale of superior magnitude, a mermaid, and a starfish, he locates his brother and figures how to lure him back out to sea before they both end up on the sand, and Horace once again helps the two find their way home. An author’s note in the back share additional information about jellyfish.
The Greatest Adventure
I really like this one. It’s a lovely celebration of the power of imagination and the joy of sharing one’s imagination. It starts by describing for us ways the Eliot uses his imagination to find adventure in his every-day life, then his frustration over how his imaginings must always come to an end. When his grandpa comes to visit, he’s got such stories to tell of his adventures through jungle rivers and sailing the sea in his boat, the Hispaniola. The next day Eliot asks his grandfather to take him adventuring, and after exploring the adventures the city holds, Eliot suggests they take out Grandpa’s boat, but Grandpa says they can’t. Then he shows Eliot why: down on the waterfront there is an old wreck of a boat for sale, with a hole in her side. Once again imagination comes to the rescue and the two set off together on a new adventure. The illustrations are great, and they use subtle shifts in color palettes to distinguish between real life and adventures born of imagination.
Good Night, Mr. Panda
I know the Mr. Panda books are popular, so I guess my school library ought to have this one, too. It’s cute. I don’t object to it, but I have to confess I don’t quite “get it.” A bunch of assorted animals tell Mr. Panda good night. He tells each of them something they forgot to do before bed, but they all dismiss his advice. Lemur keeps popping in to say he’s done everything he should. Mr. Panda needs a reminder to tell Lemur good night, then he goes to bed in Lemur’s bed. It’s fine, but somehow I feel like I’m supposed to like it more than I did.
Loch Ness Monster
This book describes the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. Illustrations and text explain the history of sightings, searches, hoaxes and hopes for finding this seemingly elusive creature. The reader learns where the Loch is located, what kind of tools are used to search for it and possible alternative animals that it might actually be. Extra tidbits of information are included in text boxes throughout and there are the typical nonfiction features – index, glossary and resource lists in the back of the book. Add this book to your collection if you want to update your section on supernatural creatures. It’s actually kind of fun!
I Just Ate My Friend
Yes, he just ate his friend. So, the not-very-scary monster (even though he ate his friend) looks for a new one. Unfortunately, he’s either too big, too small, too scary, et cetera, et cetera, for all the monsters he encounters. Just when he’s about to give up, a lovely teal monster agrees to be his friend and…eats him! Readers will enjoy this darkly humorous story which is simply told and not very scary. It might lead to a wonderful discussion about how we really should treat our friends. Not eating them would be the first thing, right?
Ready, Set…Baby!
Anna and Oliver tell us what it’s like to have a new baby join the family. This book starts with the announcement from mom and goes through the last stages of pregnancy and all the changes that occur for older siblings when the new family member arrives (and stays!). Word bubbles are interspersed with minimal text around sweet illustrations that give a good amount of information for new big brothers and sisters. This book is lighthearted and touches on many topics in which ‘bigs’ might have an interest, like all those sounds babies make instead of talking, the whole yucky diaper thing, spitting up, bedtime routines, visits and so forth. There is a resource list for added information and tips for parents in the back of the book. This book will answer many questions for older siblings and does so in a friendly, easy manner. It will be a great resource for parents who want some help answering those questions in an age-appropriate way.
Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack! : an Onomatopoeia Story
Mrs. Garcia’s class roams the school and nearby farm searching for onomatopoeia in this silly, rhyming picture book. They find numerous examples of this elusive literary device in the gym, science lab and elsewhere until they are “shooshed” at the end by the concerned principal (apparently, they were a little loud with their “shrieks”, “grunts” and so forth!
This book will be useful for the teacher that is working on this topic. Students will enjoy the fun illustrations and the additional examples in the back of the book. They might be excited enough about it to go on their own search for the elusive onomatopoeia!
The Whiskers Sisters. #1,May’s wild walk
Three sisters, antlered Maya, feline Mia and pink-eyed May are awaiting the return of their grandfather, the the Guardian of the Forest. One morning, Mrs. Owl brings them a letter and after reading it, Maya and Mia plan a celebration. They don’t include May (who is younger and speaks in baby talk “ga ga ga”), so she wanders off and ends up in Mrs. Owl’s letter bag. She is carried off and falls into the forest when the strap on the bag breaks, dumping her and the rest of the mail. Interestingly, the animals in the forest understand May perfectly and she has a great time locating the missing letters with them. Maya and Mia spend their day preparing for the celebration and realize May is missing just as the party is to start. They have just a short time to be sad before May, the forest animals and, surprise(!), grandpa show up. Let the celebration begin!
This is a light little story with manga-like characters set in a cute cottage in a lovely forest. There isn’t a lot of depth to the story in this graphic novel. But, that’s ok, given it appears to be directed at the younger crowd. It’s a sweet introduction to graphic novels and is sure to please the target audience.
Cool Indy Cars
Cool Indy Cars is an adrenaline rush inducing introduction to the history, parts and current racing of this type of vehicle. The book is loaded with photos, both historic and current and text boxes add tidbits of fun information about those pictures. A labeled diagram, extra facts, extra resources, index and glossary come together to make this an accessible interesting read for young students. The sentences are short and sometimes choppy. But the content is solid and interesting.
The Flea-Tastics
I didn’t like it. I found the illustrations terribly distracting: there is all sorts of extra text throughout the illustrations showing the voices of all the other fleas in the story, but there’s no way to read those without completely disrupting the flow of the story. The main story is pretty much a selfish little flea who wants the limelight all to herself and creates a disruption that she then solves and somehow gets to be considered the hero so she gets her own way. Ugh.
Keith: the cat with the magic hat
The binding is not sturdy enough to stand up to library usage. The story is fine, but kind of lame. It would maybe be suitable for PreK audiences, but since most of our schools start with Kindergarten, I don’t think the sparkles and glitter on the cover is enough to make it worth purchasing. It tells of a cat who got an ice cream cone dropped on his head and in order to get the other cats to stop laughing at him, he declares it to be his magic hat, and with the help of a couple coincidences he convinces his friends until a dog comes by and he’s not able to magic them out of that jam. They climb a tree and the ice cream cone falls on the dogs head and he runs away, being chased by bees.