Reviews
Itch & Ooze: Gross Stuff on Your Skin
“These titles work the ick factor to the max with their irreverent style and over-the-top look at body functions. Solid information layered between sarcastic comments and kid-friendly terminology like fart, poop, barf, and puke will keep readers engaged.”… View →
Crust & Spray: Gross Stuff in Your Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
“These titles work the ick factor to the max with their irreverent style and over-the-top look at body functions. Solid information layered between sarcastic comments and kid-friendly terminology like fart, poop, barf, and puke will keep readers engaged.”… View →
Senses at the Seashore
“Rotner has created a wonderful book with minimal text. . . and glorious, full-bleed color photographs that evoke the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the look of things at the beach. . . The message regarding how we use our senses comes across effortlessly.”… View →
Where Does Food Come From?
“Large print, a well-spaced text, varied typeface, simple explanations, and appealing color photos of children on every page make this book a pleasant reading experience. . . This is a book that teachers, librarians, and parents will find useful, informative, and fun to… View →
Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective?
“Descriptive words of many kinds are presented in bouncy, rhyming text. . . The text bounces, too, with the words printed in wavy linves and unevenly sized letters. The adjectives are colorfully highlighted and readers will see their function demonstrated in a wide variety of… View →
Dinosaur on Passover
“The friendly, oversize creature from Dinosaur on Hanukkah returns to celebrate Passover with a boy and his family. In silly, rhyming text, the reptile tries to help perform the holiday rituals. . .The illustrations are bright and sophisticated, complementing the cheery mood of… View →
Mallory vs. Max
“Schmitz’s expressive cartoon illustrations and the large typeface make the book appealing to beginning chapter-book readers. For fans of Barbara Park’s ‘Junie B. Jones’ series (Random) and Megan McDonald’s ‘Judy Moody’ books… View →
“The plot is fast paced and gripping in this exciting blend of science fiction and fantasy. Fans of the first two books will not be disappointed by this installment and aficionados of A Wrinkle in Time will take pleasure in hearing about this series.”… View →
Bedtime Without Arthur
“Meserve’s vivid, dreamlike cartoons function less as a backdrop to the words and more as the primary story. . . its vibrant illustrations, gentle story, and direct lesson make it a potential read-aloud for parents looking to wean their child from bedtime crutches.”… View →
Many Ways: How Families Practice Their Beliefs and Religions
“Children and parents of different races and religions are shown practicing their faith and expressing their love for one another and ‘for our beautiful earth.’ The message that is reinfoced is that although all of the people pictured have different religions, they… View →
I Am a Dancer
“Graham’s beautiful oil paintings are filled with solidly built children on the move, while some of the backgrounds are almost ethereal. Even the brushstrokes convey action. This book is a lovely merging of art and poetry and gives a delightful sense of joyful… View →
Touchdown: The Power and Precision of Football's Perfect Play
“The blend of history, trivia, and statistics is ideal for browsing, and readers who want to learn more can refer to the appended list of print and electronic resources. With its eye-catching cover, this volume won’t spend much time on the shelves.” … View →
Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim: A Passover Story
“The digitally prepared, mixed-media illustrations utilize muted yellow, orange, and brown tones to depict the sweltering heat of the desert and bright blue and green tones to illustrate the celebration of freedom. They complement and enhance the text marvelously. A wonderful,… View →
Lay-ups and Long Shots: Eight Short Stories
“Whether the stories are based on the authors’ own childhoods or not, these protagonists are engaging, and middle schoolers will find much to relate to in the reassuring reminders that perfection is highly overrated. A great way to introduce reluctant readers to some… View →
Will and Squill
“A sweetly told tale about the friendship between a boy named Will and a squirrel named Squill. . . Lively watercolor-and-colored-pencil artwork keeps the message simple and soft. The repetition in the text makes the reading predictable and pleasurable and suitable for young… View →
“. . . Soft, full-page watercolor illustrations lend a glow to the gentle text, which guides readers through the birth, life, death, and reuse of an oak tree and well as the travels of a drop of water. . . A valuable addition to early earth-science units.”… View →
Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More about Adverbs
“Wacky illustrations in bold colors complement a bouncing rhyme as the zany cats of Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb? (Lerner, 2005) take another humorous and instructional look at the part of speech ‘that describes when, how, where, how often, and… View →
Girl Power in the Mirror: A Book about Girls, Their Bodies, and Themselves
“Cordes cuts to the quick with these spirited, no-nonsense, yet still gentle and approving self-help titles [Girl Power in the Mirror and Girl Power in the Classroom] for young teenage girls. . . a lively design, a very engaging style, and substantive lists of resources.”… View →
Monster Songs
“These realistic. . . stories address some of the frustrations and fears of childhood. . .In Monster Songs, Hal is afraid of the creature that sings under his bed until his brother Jack helps him conquer his nighttime fears. . . [The books ueses] a limited vocabulary, making… View →
“This gentle tale is both comforting and effective as an explanation of the mezuzah. Noah’s emotional arc rings true, and information is smoothly woven into the narrative. The art is warm, welcoming, and interesting with its combination of watercolor, collage, pen and ink,… View →
Willie McLean and the Civil War Surrender
“These beginning readers offer basic historical overviews in story format. Both books have clear, unencumbered texts complemented by serviceable period art in color and an author’s note. These books offer perfunctory descriptions and interpretations for readers just… View →
Hunter's Heart
“Like many 14-year-old boys, Simon is fascinated by weapons and wilderness survival, but his fascination transcends the norm and his obsession with hunting fills the early pages of the novel with a powerful sense of foreboding. . . the compelling characters and story will keep… View →
Apple Cider Making Days
“The realistic illustrations are soft with autumnal colors and show the process that results in that glass of cider. Although listed as fiction, there is more straightforward information than story. The addition of the children makes this book more personal for young students. A… View →