Reviews
My Crocodile Does Not Bite
“Brightly colored, cartoon illustrations depict an expressive, goofy-looking crocodile cavorting about and stealing the show.” —Booklist View →
Elmer and the Birthday Quake
“Fun for fans of elephants in general and Elmer in particular.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
“The Monkey King books can be read as a portfolio of demons and dragons, or they can be read as a psychological study of someone gaining wisdom and compassion. However they are read, they’re terrific adventure stories for anyone willing to climb out from beneath the bed.”… View →
“Humorous, enjoyable and light.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Two Shy Pandas
“Pandas make adorable stand-ins for little children, as Varley’s friendly watercolor illustrations attest. Sweet tonic for skittish young listeners.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
“Markle uses the epic yearly journey of the godwit to capture young imaginations and present an important fable about perseverance, courage, and family….Delicate and ethereal illustrations by Posada bring their voyage to life….An obscure yet fascinating topic is the… View →
Cookie, the Walker
This is for more than one reading—all the better to get the message across." —Booklist View →
Breezier, Cheesier, Newest, and Bluest: What Are Comparatives and Superlatives?
“Cleary’s verse sets the tone, clearly setting out to offer entertainment as well as instruction….Gable creates energetic, comical scenes based on a few words; a cast of madcap, dressed-animal characters; and some unusual color combinations. A useful, amusing… View →
Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg
“Based mostly on Tillie’s own recollection of the conflict, which she wrote and published in 1889, this book combines that writing with Anderson’s smooth retelling to describe the weeks leading up to and following the battle from the perspective of an extremely… View →
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
“There’s a bit of Otto Dix in Morse’s distinctive paintings, with their angular contours and somber, blue-tinted skin, which lends an incongruous, though not displeasing, coolness to the notably hot-blooded sport.” —The New York Times Book Review View →
Cookie, the Walker
“Told in a bright and fun comic-book style with plenty of illustrations that will hold readers’ interest upon repeated viewings, ‘Cookie, the Walker’ is the rare picture book that actually questions the value of standing out.” —The New York Times… View →
Mallory and Mary Ann Take New York
“From the girls’ success when they work together to their discord when one pressures the other, this high-energy chapter book hits both the high and the low notes of friendship. Many grayscale drawings illustrate the action in this lively addition to the Mallory McDonald… View →
Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud That Changed Baseball
“The colorful, exaggerated paintings artfully (and comically) capture the full allure of ballpark ambiance by including plenty of behind-the-scenes activity. The information provided in the minimal text is bolstered by a solid two-page author’s note.” —Booklist View →
The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street
“The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street (Kar Ben, £5.99) are a nuisance, thinks Mr Modiano. He is forever shooing them away from the Tel Aviv Fish Palace. But his neighbour, Mrs Spiegel, loves cats. She is fond of Mr Modiano, too, but he always says ‘lo’ (no) when she… View →
The Twelve-Fingered Boy
“Readers will enjoy this trilogy debut, a wild and riveting tale full of allusions to fairy tales, movies, and comic book heroes…Polydactyl heroes are rare in children’s literature, and so are novels like this that make the fantastical utterly believable.”… View →
Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio
“Skead effectively uses a little-known baseball episode to portray larger issues of race and justice in America, while superbly developing the game’s tension inning by inning. Grainy brown-toned illustrations nicely evoke the dreamy reminiscences of baseball legend, and… View →
Your Pajamas Are Showing!: Book 1
“The episodic stories, translated from the original French, employ universal humor relating to family and school. The colorful, cartoony art adds to the laughs, while the simple panels and word balloons help young, novice readers negotiate the comic-book pages….Young readers… View →
The Sin-Eater's Confession
“Bick proves again she is a writer to her core, never at a loss for things to say and uninterested in easy answers. Her handling of Ben’s increasing paranoia and delusion is nimble, making this a violent, and very smart, take-no-prisoners experience.” —Booklist View →
Cookie, the Walker
“Monroe proves here again that she is a master of understated absurdity and quirky humor….The amusingly goofy text and absurd asides will appeal to a wide age range of kids. Monroe’s detailed illustrations, which frequently utilize comics-like panels and word balloons,… View →
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
“The fun here is in the contrast between Coy’s straightforward narration and the stylized mayhem of Morse’s cast of maroon-shirted, all-American-looking college guys.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books View →
The Mitzvah Magician
“Gabriel’s overzealous wand-waving gets him into trouble when he plays magician: he knocks things over and pokes his sister in the tummy. Mom helps him redefine the role of magician. ‘Good magicians do things that make people happy, not sad. They do mitzvot–that’s a Jewish… View →
You've Got Spirit!: Cheers, Chants, Tips, and Tricks Every Cheerleader Needs to Know
“A brief but strong list of recommended reading and websites is included. Youngsters would enjoy this guide.” —School Library Journal View →
The Sin-Eater's Confession
Reminiscent of Bick’s Drowning Instinct (Carolrhoda Lab, 2012), the story is told in flashback, this time in diary-type letters….This novel should be in all YA collections, and would be interesting reading for members of GSA’s." —School Library Journal View →
Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio
“The author builds suspense with dazzling descriptions of Paige’s ‘wobbly ball’ and ‘windmill wind-up’ that even nonbaseball fans will appreciate….[T]he action-filled poses are consistently dramatic, and the portraiture is outstanding. Use this… View →