Reviews
The Freak Observer
“Woolston’s talent for dialogue and her unique approach to scenes makes what sounds standard about this story feel fresh and vital. . . . A strong debut about learning to see yourself apart from the reflection you cast off.”—Booklist View →
Does an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?: And Other Questions about Your Health and Body
“On each two-page spread questions are answered in a succinct, clear, and understandable manner. In addition, further-related information is provided. The illustrations, a mixture of photographs and cartoons, will grab students’ attention.”—Library Media… View →
The Punctuation Station
“The young audience will enjoy learning the concepts as they pore over the details in the cheerful, wittily detailed cartoon art. . . . [O]verall, this offers a fun entry point to the rules of punctuation.”—Booklist View →
With his village beleaguered by an outbreak of cholera, Pinsk’s learned Rabbi Yamferd decides, as legend dictates, to initiate a miracle by officiating at a “black wedding” of two orphans in a cemetery. Yiske and his Klezmer band are summoned to perform, but soon… View →
Tisha B'Av: A Jerusalem Journey
“Spending a day with a young boy as he tells us about his tour through Jerusalem to learn about the somber holiday of Tisha B’Av becomes an engaging read full of information despite the dry topic. Colorful photographs in a varied layout show readers what our narrator sees as he… View →
Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva
“How lovely to have this jewel-colored picture book to share the love story of Rachel and Akiva with elementary-age children. The man who became a famous sage at the end of the first century was too poor to attend school, and started his work life as an illiterate shepherd. And… View →
Sammy Spider's First Shavuot
Spider Sammy learns about the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. During the Shapiro family’s preparations, curious Sammy is almost burnt by cooking oil, splashed with strawberry juice, and covered with pollen while he learns about such customs as making blintzes. The brightly colored but… View →
Shake It, Morena!: And Other Folklore from Puerto Rico
“Here the reader learns games, songs, stories, and other folklore from Puerto Rico. The book takes its readers through a series of activities from sunrise to sunset. The author includes a diversity of curriculum related activities so a teacher can use the book as a teaching… View →
Sammy Spider's First Shavuot
In this addition to the series, Sammy the spider learns about Shavuot, which “celebrates the time when God gave the Torah to Moses.” He watches as the Shapiro family makes blintzes and reads parts of a small Torah scroll. The brightly colored paper-collage illustrations have… View →
My Name Is Hamburger
The title of Jacqueline Jules’s highly recommended new novel-in-verse reflects the ironies of growing up Jewish in a small southern town in the mid – twentieth century. Trudie Hamburger has loving parents and close friends. Her father’s German accent and her family’s… View →
All About Passover
“The bright colors and attention to detail make these books a joy to read. . . recommended not only for students beginning to learn about the holidays, but also for teachers and parents to use as guidelines for teaching children who have not yet been exposed to the holidays in… View →
All About Hanukkah
“The bright colors and attention to detail make these books a joy to read. . . recommended not only for students beginning to learn about the holidays, but also for teachers and parents to use as guidelines for teaching children who have not yet been exposed to the holidays in… View →
Sammy Spider's Shabbat Fun Book
“…a fun and innovative introduction to the Jewish practice of Shabbat. Sammy Spider’s Shabbat Fun Book is very highly recommended as a fun learning tool about this Jewish celebration event.” View →
Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein
“The reader learns about Albert Einstein’s beliefs and private life. His unprecedented contributions to science were addressed with unusual clarity.” —Authors note View →
“Part of the umbrella Pull Ahead Books series, these small, square Community Helpers books introduce young children to jobs that enable society to function smoothly. Each page has a well-chosen, full-color photo accompanied by a sentence of text that extends or explains the… View →
Double Cheeseburgers, Quiche, and Vegetarian Burritos: American Cooking from the 1920s through Today
“. . .this interesting, accessible title – for an older audience than others in the series – will find a readership among both report writers and browsers, and it will help satisfy the growing need for titles that encourage kids to learn about the origins of their… View →
Harriet and the Roller Coaster, 2nd Edition
“Children will be encouraged to brave new adventures, even if they’re scared, and learn not to be swayed by those who claim they’re not.” —Booklist View →
Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition?
“. . . children will enjoy and learn from the ride.” —Booklist View →
Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave
“Roessel. . . weaves bountiful insights regarding Navajo culture into his photo-essay, ranging from ancient stories about weaving to the current state of Navajo unemployment. . . Both the process of weaving and the culture surrounding it are fascinating; the varied photographs… View →
Christmas Decorations Kids Can Make
“With the help of standard supplies such as construction paper, glue, yarn, sequins, ribbon, and markers, this old-fashioned craft book shows children how to transform everyday items into seasonal decorations and gifts. Readers who follow the step-by-step instructions will learn View →
“Using Dr. Howard Gardner’s work about multiple intelligence as a framework for the text, Rotner and Kelly portray young children with linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and interpersonal talents. . . The message (everyone is good at… View →
The New Kid
“In the new Real Kids Readers series, [this]. . . book tell[s] [a] simple, realistic stor[y] and [is]illustrated with full-color photographs of contemporary children from diverse backgrounds. . . Hood’s story is about a new kid, Sid, who acts silly and irritates the teacher View →
The Vowel Family: A Tale of Lost Letters
“Children are sure to enjoy the goofy story, which lends itself to group decoding as vowels are gradually introduced. Kevin Luthardt’s bright illustrations, featuring people with cartoonish balloon heads, ably echo the story’s silliness. This clever approach to… View →
“Highly recommended for all ages, it conveys a joyous message: learning the structure and meaning of the rituals and prayers will add to our enjoyment of celebrating Shabbat and the Jewish festivals.” View →