Reviews
Santa's Secrets Revealed: All Your Questions Answered about Santa's Super Sleigh, His Flying Reindeer, and Other Wonders
“. . . may be enjoyed by children who are old enough to know Santa doesn’t exist but young enough, still, to sit on his lap at Macy’s. The essence of Solheim’s story is reassuring and sunny: Barry Gott’s determinedlybright paintings have a slick, slightly… View →
Oy, Santa!: Or, There's a Latke to Learn about Hanukkah
“‘Oy, Santa’ is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Jewish Holiday/Fiction collections for children ages 4-9.”—Midwest Book Review, Judaic View →
Remember the Ladies: A Story about Abigail Adams
“The author of this excellent biography succeeds in presenting Abigail in a sympathetic way, helping her readers see how much Abigail did in her lifetime.” —Through the Looking Glass Children’s Book Review View →
How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots: A Swahili Tale of Friendship
“Barbara Knutson clearly has the gift of storytelling.How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots is an endearing retelling of a Swahili story, in which Ms. Knutson has woven together the elements of a wonderful friendship and a traditional ‘explanation’ folktale to create a… View →
Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride
“The emotion of Sybil’s determination, fear, and courage is clearly brought to the reader in Amstel’s text and Beier’s colored illustrations. Teachers of second and third grade will find this an excellent read-aloud selection of a true historical event.”… View →
A Feel Better Book for Little Tears
“A useful picture book for encouraging social-emotional health. . .®eaders may also find value in its potential to foster empathy or to pre-emptively address sadness as one of many emotions we all experience. Validating and soothing.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
Everybody's Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
“Bright watercolor illustrations follow the true story of a book’s remarkable journey through generations and across multiple wars…People of all cultures and faiths come together to protect the book from Nazi invasions, Serbian bombs, and the passage of… View →
The Warriors
“Gr. 5-8. Jake, who grew up on an Algonquin Indian reservation, becomes a lacrosse star at his highbrow Washington, D.C., boarding school. Following a school shooting, he organizes an all-school game to help his classmates cope with the tragedy. A thought-provoking novel about… View →
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride
“A welcome addition to rainbow bookshelves.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?
“This book subtitled ‘What Is a Noun?’ appropriately abounds with persons, places and things, while rhymes drop broad hints about using nouns.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
De-Extinction: The Science of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life
Written especially for young adults, yet utterly fascinating for readers of all ages to browse, De- extinction: The Science of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life is about advances in scientific technology to potentially bring back animal species that have gone extinct. A real-life… View →
The Country Artist: A Story about Beatrix Potter
“An excellent portrait . . . of a woman who was terribly restricted by her times and by her parents.” —Through the Looking Glass View →
Hanukkah Moon
Isobel is going to spend Hanukkah with her aunt Luisa. She is a little worried because her aunt has only just come from Mexico and Isobel wonders if her aunt will know ―how we celebrate Hanukkah here.‖ Her father tells his daughter that at Aunt Luisa’s house she will get to celebrate the View →
Frizzy Haired Zuzu
“The book’s beautiful, sometimes whimsical cartoon illustrations skillfully depict the unsuccessful endeavors to reduce Zuzu’s hair volume and capture her emotions in response. The tale offers an important message—that kids should love and accept themselves wholeheartedly . . .… View →
The Bat-Chen Diaries
This book is a selection of diary entries, writings, poems, and drawings of Bat-Chen Shahak, a 15-year-old Israeli girl who was killed by a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv in 1996. Although she died at a young age, Bat-Chen left be-hind a lot of herself, as the reader can see through her… View →
Mendel's Accordion
“This book is upbeat and delightful, demonstrating that amidst hardships, music can keep people alive and energetic.” View →
Home for a While
“Ultimately, the book is as much a model for foster parents as it is a story to provide validation of foster children’s experiences . . . . Gentle and wise—especially as a read for foster parents.”—Kirkus Reviews View →
Mallory vs. Max
“Punctuated by pointed family discussions on attitude correction and the importance of team play, this unsubtle sibling-tiff tale should please fans of Junie B. Jones and similar whiny fair. Mallory’s diatribe should draw, if not excite, fledgling chapter-book… View →
A Feel Better Book for Little Poopers
“Help for kids whose No. 1 fear is going No. 2. . . . The text goes on to offer validation of children’s fears, tips for relaxing, and the reassurance that everyone poops (to borrow Taro Gomi’s title line from his popular 1977 picture book). . . . Sure to help kids with this bummer View →
Big Brain Book: How It Works and All Its Quirks
“Introducing a complicated and astounding natural computer. The science of the human brain and nervous system, and its myriad connections and functions, is addressed in a visually appealing format along with suggestions for experiments requiring little equipment . . . . Gill’s… View →
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
“. . .fans of Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants will be heartily amused by this broad British farce.” —Kirkus Reviews View →