Category Archives: Recommendation

Throw a Valentine’s Day Party

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Written by Christina Leaf

Express!: Party Time! is a six-book series that introduces holidays and their history. Then, gives directions for some simple decorations, foods and activities. Everything has step-by-step directions with illustrations and a list of extra materials over those noted at the beginning of the books. Each project is introduced with some information connecting it to the history of the holiday. There are Table of Contents, Index, Glossary and “To Learn More” section with extra resources. Particularly helpful are the “Top Tips” scattered throughout each book. Color illustrations are engaging and the text is accessible.

Throw a Valentine’s Day Party shares information and projects related to the holiday. Foods, decorations and other crafts are presented, beginning with a short history or description of the relevance of the project to the holiday. Kids will love reading about the origin of the heart-shaped box of chocolates and candy hearts. A fun addition to the holiday is that several cultures celebrate Friendship Day on this date as well. This book gives directions for making a friendship bracelet for a friend in honor of that aspect of the holiday. All in all, this is a great resource for budding party planners as well as kids that are curious about the holiday and its origins. Add this to your library!

Throw an Earth Day Party

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by Christina Leaf

Express!: Party Time! is a six-book series that introduces holidays and their history. Then, gives directions for some simple decorations, foods and activities. Everything has step-by-step directions with illustrations and a list of extra materials over those noted at the beginning of the books. Each project is introduced with some information connecting it to the history of the holiday. There are Table of Contents, Index, Glossary and “To Learn More” section with extra resources. Particularly helpful are the “Top Tips” scattered throughout each book. Color illustrations are engaging and the text is accessible.

Would you like to have an eco-friendly celebration of Earth Day? Take a look at Throw an Earth Day Party, a part of the Express!: Party Time! series. In this book, you learn about the history of Earth Day and directions for a variety of party decorations and foods for the celebration. The decorations rely on recycled items, which most people should have access to at home. Foods are healthy, using items readily available in most grocery stores. This book has very accessible activities and readers will enjoy preparing for a fun Earth Day party. Highly recommended.

Throw an Independence Day Party

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by Elizabeth Neuenfeldt

Express!: Party Time! is a six-book series that introduces holidays and their history. Then, gives directions for some simple decorations, foods and activities. Everything has step-by-step directions with illustrations and a list of extra materials over those noted at the beginning of the books. Each project is introduced with some information connecting it to the history of the holiday. There are Table of Contents, Index, Glossary and “To Learn More” section with extra resources. Particularly helpful are the “Top Tips” scattered throughout each book. Color illustrations are engaging and the text is accessible.

Throw and Independence Day Party has all the red, white and blue that one would expect for this holiday. Projects range from decor and food and drinks to games and party hats. Readers learn about the history of this day and the symbolism of the colors, Stars and Stripes and fireworks. One fact that I learned was the Thomas Jefferson had his own ice cream recipe – yum! Many of the projects use easy-to-find materials. “Top Tips” are located throughout to help make the process easier or different. For example, one tip suggests that you can make a sweet version of the veggie dip flag using cut fruits and yogurt dip of the same colors. This is a nice addition to your holiday books.

A Dump Truck’s Day

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Written by Betsy Rathburn and illustrated by Mike Byrne

Blastoff! Missions: Machines at Work is a series of ten narrative nonfiction books that explore different large machinery led by “Blastoff Jimmy”, a cute cartoon astronaut. Each book has mission goals that enhance the reading adventure. Readers learn facts about the large equipment and unfamiliar words are bolded within the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Bright, engaging illustrations are labeled and each book has an index, table of contents and “To Learn More” section. The machines’ jobs are noted and a diverse mix of workers are happily working with the equipment.

Young readers will be surprised by this book, because it isn’t about your everyday dump truck. This dump truck is used in pit mining and is huge! Besides the huge tires, there are ladders to climb up into the cab, which gives you perspective in size. Most kids have probably never seen a dump truck of this size. Therefore, it should be a high interest topic and a fun read! One illustration that really stands out is of an open pit mine with dump trucks way down inside driving along the roads. The mine is absolutely enormous, because the dump trucks look tiny in comparison. Readers will find this book an engaging read. Highly recommended.

A Backhoe’s Day

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written by Betsy Rathburn and illustrated by Mike Byrne

Blastoff! Missions: Machines at Work is a series of ten narrative nonfiction books that explore different large machinery led by “Blastoff Jimmy”, a cute cartoon astronaut. Each book has mission goals that enhance the reading adventure. Readers learn facts about the large equipment and unfamiliar words are bolded within the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Bright, engaging illustrations are labeled and each book has an index, table of contents and “To Learn More” section. The machines’ jobs are noted and a diverse mix of workers are happily working with the equipment.

The backhoe has a big job and many tools to use move dirt, level surfaces and dig a trench. Readers learn about all the functions of the backhoe and why it does some of its work (what are those trenches used for after the backhoe makes them?). The female operator is having a great time as evidenced by her smile as she works. Young readers will want to try it out! Highly recommended.

A Bulldozer’s Day

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written by Harriet Loy and illustrated by Mike Byrne

Blastoff! Missions: Machines at Work is a series of ten narrative nonfiction books that explore different large machinery led by “Blastoff Jimmy”, a cute cartoon astronaut. Each book has mission goals that enhance the reading adventure. Readers learn facts about the large equipment and unfamiliar words are bolded within the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Bright, engaging illustrations are labeled and each book has an index, table of contents and “To Learn More” section. The machines’ jobs are noted and a diverse mix of workers are happily working with the equipment.

A Bulldozer’s Day takes the reader through a typical day on the construction site. The bulldozer and other large machines are introduced and then the bulldozer gets to work. It uses several accessories to do the various jobs on the site and, eventually, completes the task of preparing the site for a building. This won’t stay on the shelves long. What kid doesn’t love a bulldozer?

A Tractor’s Day

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written by Lily Schell and illustrated by Mike Byrne

Blastoff! Missions: Machines at Work is a series of ten narrative nonfiction books that explore different large machinery led by “Blastoff Jimmy”, a cute cartoon astronaut. Each book has mission goals that enhance the reading adventure. Readers learn facts about the large equipment and unfamiliar words are bolded within the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Bright, engaging illustrations are labeled and each book has an index, table of contents and “To Learn More” section. The machines’ jobs are noted and a diverse mix of workers are happily working with the equipment.

A Tractor’s Day details the hard work that this piece of machinery throughout the seasons. Driven by a female farmer, the tractor and its extra implements prepares the soil in the fall, plants the seeds in the spring and looks forward to the harvest at the end of the summer. After a quick clean up by the farmer, the tractor is back in the barn and ready for its next job. This will be a hit with your youngest readers!

An Airplane’s Day

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Written by Harriet Loy and illustrated by Mike Byrne

Blastoff! Missions: Machines at Work is a series of ten narrative nonfiction books that explore different large machinery led by “Blastoff Jimmy”, a cute cartoon astronaut. Each book has mission goals that enhance the reading adventure. Readers learn facts about the large equipment and unfamiliar words are bolded within the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Bright, engaging illustrations are labeled and each book has an index, table of contents and “To Learn More” section. The machines’ jobs are noted and a diverse mix of workers are happily working with the equipment.

In An Airplane’s Day, Blastoff Jimmy leads the reader through the day of an airplane and its crew. Starting with leaving the hangar, fueling up and loading cargo and passengers and ending with a completed trip and preparations for the next one, this book does a fantastic job of giving the reader a general idea of the work done with an airplane. Text is accessible for young readers and the labeled illustrations are really helpful. Give this book to young travelers or kids that love airplanes. They will love this book!

Sam’s Super Seats

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by Keah Brown and illustrated by Sharee Miller

Sam is excited – her mom is taking her school clothes shopping at the mall with her two best friends, Sarah and Sydney. She starts the morning with her dad, singing and brushing her teeth and then saying four things that she likes about herself that day. Her mom joins in the fun and they end up downstairs where we meet Sam’s couch, Misty, names after famed African American ballerina, Misty Copeland. Sam often rests on Misty, because she has cerebral palsy and her legs get tired at times. Her other favorite seat is Laney, the jokester back seat of her mom’s car. She and her friends giggle and chat in the back seat as they head to the mall, where they try on some amazing school outfits, including Sam’s cute adaptive clothing. They take a break on a new bench called Maya and then are on their way back to Sam’s house and a final fashion show. Sam is really excited for school to start now!

Colorfully drawn illustrations enhance a story that embraces and celebrates differently abled children. Characters are diverse. Sam and her parents are Black, Sarah is Asian and Sydney is a red-haired white girl. This is a sweet story that normalizes differences. It’s a winner!

The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half Stories

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Ame Dyckman & Mark Teague

Three friends (Bat, Cat & Rat) are introduced in this book containing three (and a half!) short stories centered around their move into a new home. Personalities are evident from the start. Cat unpacks books and is somewhat serious. Rat unpacks a bunch of joke and prank stuff (he’s the funny one) and Bat is smart and able to turn the tables on jokester Rat in one story. Stories are short (up to sixteen pages) with simple text and few sentences on each page. This accessible book is filled with Mark Teague’s cartoon–like illustrations, colorful and bright. Young readers will feel very accomplished after reading three-and-a-half stories about three friends that live together and care about each other. Highly recommended.

The Spooky Story

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by Amy Marie Stadelmann

Paige is a fact collector and carries around a handy notebook in which to write her facts and solve mysteries. Along the way, she engages the reader by sharing her notebook pages and insights. One might notice that she seems to be using parts of the scientific process in her methods. In “The Spooky Story”, she and her friends, Penn and Karla, investigate the mysterious ghostly occurrences at Karla’s home. Karla shares a house with her grandmother, who teaches music to a collection of interesting characters that were introduced in the first book of the series. In this case, there are ghostly footsteps on the stairs, an upstairs door that slams shut and eery shadows that show up. Paige and friends are able to use their keen senses to determine that the occurrences can be explained with observable facts, although Penn is still a little caught up in the notion of ghosts. Paige remarks, “Even when you have fully investigated, made clear observations, and proven the facts, some people still come to their own conclusions”. Hmm…that rings true even with adults, doesn’t it?

There are color illustrations throughout and glimpses of Paige’s notebook pages help explain her reasoning as the story moves along. The cover of the book calls this story “a graphic novel chapter book”, which should hook your graphic novel readers AND your easier chapter book readers. Highly recommended.

Kelp Finds a Way to Help!

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Fans of the original Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima are sure to like this Pre-Level 1, Ready to Read early reader. Kelp meets up with his friend Pixie to help walk Crabbie. When Crabbie gets lost, Kelp and Pixie use their problem solving skills to find him. Characters are also in the Netflix adaptation of Not Quite Narwhal.The text uses short sentences with easy text. The cute and colorful illustrations mimic the animation from the Dreamworks series.

Lawrence and Sophia by Doreen and Brian Cronin

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Lawrence is a boy who is scared to venture out of his yard. Sophie is a bird who is scared to venture down to the ground. One day Sophie is feeling brave and walks down to the end of a branch and finds Lawrence. They start spending time together in the yard – Lawrence on the ground and Sophie in the tree – sharing things they love with each other. Sophie moves her nest to be closer to Lawrence. Lawrence builds a tent to be closer to Sophie, but still neither will venture beyond their comfort zone. When a big storm hits, both are worried enough for the other to go beyond their fears to find and protect their friend.

By Doreen Cronin, the author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and Diary of a Worm. A precious story of how the strength of friendship can bolster someone to step into situations outside their comfort. Highly recommended.

Just Snow Already! by Howard McWilliam

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A young boy gets excited one morning when he’s told it might snow. He checks outside – nothing yet. He fixates on the idea of snow and all the fun he will have. Outside the house, the day goes on with increasingly exciting people and occurrences. The mail carrier spills her mail, the fire truck comes to get a cat from a tree, a Safari Park Truck crashes, and monkeys escape. The rest of the neighborhood is caught up in the excitement, but still the boy’s day is ruined because there is no snow. Finally, SNOW! The neighborhood has become a fun carnival, and at last, now that there’s snow, the boy is ready to dive in.

Impatience and fixation leads the young boy to miss all the excitement happening in his neighborhood. Colorful animated illustrations become increasingly entertaining. A fun winter read.

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet

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By Jake Maia Arlow

Al is having a really rough school year. After a few close calls with needing to poop during the school day, her mortifying embarassment with this issue, and her own questions about who she’s crushing on, life has gotten really complicated. It doesn’t help that her mom is all in her business about her health and her diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. She’s also struggling with her best friend and neighbor who has taken a sudden interest in the drama club and balancing new friends in a IBS support group. This is a good book for anyone dealing with severe medical issues, particularly  the embarrassing poop-related ones, but also anyone trying to just feel comfortable in their own skin. Al learns to deal with her shyness with personal issues as she tries to be her most authentic self – not an easy task! I liked that it normalizes IBS and “poop” and shows someone struggling to come out of the silence to advocate for herself. Al also deals with coming to terms with her own sexuality and those of her friends and mother. I imagine all the poop talk will cause some readers to giggle or be uncomfortable, but in the end, I think it shows just how many hidden issues students are dealing with on any given day. Some may even see their own struggles in some of Al’s – especially her difficulties with communication with her mother and friends. 

Ever Since by Alena Bruzas

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This book was really difficult to read because of the content; it’s very powerful, but will need content warnings if added to a high school collection.

The main character, Virginia, is a victim of sexual assault and abuse – but she is keeping it hidden. Instead, she displays risky behaviors with drinking, drug use, and sex. As the reader, we are not made aware of the extent of the abuse, and the fact that there are multiple abusers, until much later in the book. Instead we follow Virginia’s journey of self-loathing desire to feel love.

As details about Virginia’s story unfold, other victims come forward – all of which are close friends of Virginia’s and all were groomed by the same abuser.

This book should be considered for high school libraries only.

It is set in Washington State and has some local references, which I always appreciate.

Aardvark or Anteater?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Aardvark or Anteater? is a highly engaging look at two animals that initially seem very similar. Yet, we learn that despite those similarities, they are very different animals. They are both mammals with long tongues that eat ants. But, their fur, snouts, ears and habitats are very different. New readers will enjoy discovering new information in a simply written book packed with facts and wonderful photos. This won’t be on your shelves for long!

Crow or Raven?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Reader Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty books set that delves in the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar word are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Crow or Raven? There’s a lot to learn about these two types of birds! This book gives some really solid differences between two birds that seem very alike. For instance, crows have fan shaped tails and ravens have wedge shaped tails. Additionally, their beaks, size and throat feathers differ. Accompanying these memorable facts are photos that show those characteristics very clearly. Young readers will enjoy learning about these differences and will be quick to share! Word choice is appropriate to the audience and the nonfiction text features are helpful. Recommended.

Dolphin or Porpoise?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details their physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include: table of contents, index, glossary and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are bold type and the animal pair’s differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Dolphin or Porpoise? starts out by sharing that both are mammals and swim in oceans or rivers. Then, the book describes several different features, including fin shape and size, tooth size and their general body types. Behavior differences are also touched upon. Young readers will be able to share some solid facts about each animal and make some great comparisons. This book would be great for beginning animal reports. It has just enough information to be interesting and not so much that it’s overwhelming. Perfect for the target audience!

Lizard or Salamander?

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by Mari Schuh

Blastoff! Readers Level 1: Spotting Differences series is a twenty book set that delves into the differences between animals. Each book focuses on a pair of animals and details physical and behavioral traits. Text is accessible to your newest readers and accompanying illustrations are high quality and engaging. Nonfiction text features include: table of contents, glossary, index and labeled diagrams. Unfamiliar words are in bold type and their differences are repeated at the end as a wrap up. Suggested websites and resources are noted for further investigation.

Lizard or Salamander? looks at the differences between those organisms. Different physical features are noted like dry skin vs. wet skin and claws vs. no claws. Then, behaviors are compared. The reader also learns that lizards come out at daytime and salamanders are active at night. and each live in different places. Photos are clear and crisp and text is not dense. Give this to your new readers as the books have high interest content. These won’t stay on the shelves!

The Polter-Ghost Problem

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by Betsy Uhrig

What do you do when you have a long, boring summer ahead of you and a journal-writing assignment to go along with it? Three friends (Pen, Aldo and Jasper) discover an abandoned orphanage with some ghostly children. These young ghosts are trapped in their old home by a poltergeist that throws some major tantrums, furniture and lots of other stuff. The boys want to help these trapped entities while still dodging Aldo’s older brother and the possibility of being grounded for the rest of the summer. They investigate the old orphanage through documents at the library and the cranky librarian turns out to be more help than they can believe. With her next to them and Aldo’s brother tailing them, they plan to figure out what the poltergeist wants and free their ghostly friends.

Told in a conversational tone, with lots of middle school humor, this story moves along at a nice pace. It is humorous and slightly scary at times, ending with a nice twist that wraps it up with some laughs and a a big brother that really is kinda nice to have around. Give this to your readers that enjoy slapstick adventure.

Frog Can Hop

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written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Fred Blunt

Frog can do many things – hop, shop, bop and chop. Pig can….flop. But, Frog suddenly flops and Pig takes over and hops, shops, mops, bops and pops. He pops a little too much popcorn and Frog jumps in to hop mop, and flop with him. They can do it all together!

Simple, repetitive sentences and engaging illustrations make this short reader a perfect book for a young student. There is an added word box in the front and questions in the back to increase depth of understanding. Put this in your library for kids that love “Elephant and Piggie”. They’ll thank you!

Night Market Rescue

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written by Charlotte Cheng and illustrated by Amber Red

GoGo, a stray dog, is resting near the bustling night market when his nose leads him to some delicious snacks. As he wanders through the crowds, he notices a little girl that looks sad and alone. He leads her through the market, sharing its vibrant scents and sights. Eventually, she breaks away from him to run into her parents’ arms, who tearfully hug her. GoGo thinks his friend is now gone. But, no! They call him over and he now has a family and a home!

This vibrantly illustrated book is a wonderful glimpse at the lively hustle and bustle of a night market. Text is spare and the illustrations serve to fill out the story beautifully. And, who doesn’t love a story where the girl and the dog become best friends forever?

Out of Range

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by Heidi Lang

Three sisters are sent to a rigorous camp together as a punishment for their constant fighting and terrible choices. Ollie ( age 9), Emma (age 12) and Abby (age 14) had moved to a new home and making friendships was difficult. Prior to this move, they had had typical sibling relationships, sometimes doing things together or sometimes two breaking off to have their own adventure. Abby starts to pull away as she tries to forge new friendships and in the process embarrasses Emma at school pretty horribly. Emma and Ollie then team up to get revenge and target Abby. As a result, their parents send them to a camp known to help kids figure things out.There are lots of unpleasant hikes and the girls don’t seem to regain their previous close bond. There is an incident and the head of the camp decides to take the girls on a punishment hike. During this hike, the girls stray from the trail and leave the camp director. What ensues is a harrowing few days as the girls work together, surviving every possible outdoor disaster (ear drownings, falling down a cliff, bear encounter and so much more) and realize they really do love each other.

The story is told in alternating views and jumps back and forth from the present (at camp) and the past (all the awful stuff leading up to it). These girls are absolutely horrible to each other and I was feeling secondary embarrassment on their behalf with each social/emotional attack they wielded. The camp part was a little over the top, with every conceivable disaster befalling the girls. I could see a couple things going wrong. But, this was EVERYTHING. You might want to take my view with a grain of salt, though, because my family has grown up in the outdoors and guides in Alaska during the summers. So, that part might be more believable to a reader that doesn’t have such a background. I did like how the girls spent quite some time reflecting (individually and together) on their actions and came to the conclusion themselves that they needed to change. Buy this book if you are looking for a survival story that has all the bells and whistles.

Harvey Hammer : S.O.S. Mess!

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Harvey Hammer, the hammerhead shark, is off on a family vacation where they will encounter humans up close! Harvey and his family, plus friends, are off to see Leggy-Air Breathers (LABs) at Seafari Park. When their tour guide cuts the tour short because of dangerous conditions and starts a film by Dr. Jacques Crusteau Harvey, his sister Hettie, and their friends Flash -the turtle and Poppy- the octopus sneak off to get a closer look at the LABs. Flash gets caught between two young LABs and needs rescuing. Harvey comes up with a rescue plan using his superhero alter-ego Hammer Boy. The rescue is successful and they get back to the tour group just as the film ends. The next day, back at school Hettie and Poppy present their science research project on LABs to the entire school. The previous day’s exploits mentioned in Hettie’s and Poppy’s project turn Harvey, Hettie, Poppy, and Flash into school heroes.

Large font, short chapters, fun word play, black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout the story, and a glossary make this an entertaining book for young readers venturing out to bigger, longer books.

Submitted by Mary Pong