Reviews
The King Who Wouldn't Sleep
“Determined to find the perfect prince for his daughter, a king never sleeps. A comical procession of princes is interviewed; each unsuccessfully tries to lull the king into sleep so he can speak directly to the princess. A farmer and his miscounted sheep finally succeed. This new… View →
The Great Sheep Shenanigans
“Lou Pine, ‘a wily old wolf,’ craves lamb for dinner. With Rambo the Ram standing in his way, Lou must plan a way to infiltrate the flock. He bullies Little Red’s grandmother into knitting him a sheep costume, but he underestimates Granny’s own trickery and is finally… View →
Death of a Dreamer: The Assassination of John Lennon
“Beginning with the announcement of Lennon’s death on December 8, 1980, the author then adeptly presents two chronological biographies of Lennon and Mark David Chapman and comes full circle with a more detailed telling of the events leading up to the assassination. Black-and-white… View →
H.O.R.S.E.
“The freewheeling format and broadly popular topic makes this eminently saleable as either a readalone or readaloud.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books View →
No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller
“Opened at the end of the Great Depression, Michaux’s National Memorial African Bookstore became a central gathering place for African American writers, artists, intellectuals, and political figures. In this extraordinary, inspiring book, short chapters are written in… View →
Queen Latifah: From Jersey Girl to Superstar
“Each book contains background about social movements, fashion, and musical influences, plus excerpts from USA Today articles. Queen Latifah’s childhood and family life, as well as Lady Gag’s development of her persona, are covered in detail, while topics… View →
Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue
“With softly lit pastel artwork and a clear, exciting narrative, this picture book blends the history of Jewish persecution with a young boy’s role in a gripping rescue story. In eighteenth-century New Bedford, Massachusetts, nine-year-old Emanuel’s father owns a whaling supply… View →
Battle of the Dinosaur Bones: Othniel Charles Marsh vs Edward Drinker Cope
“Packed with photos, maps, and diagrams, this orange-and-gray-heavy book emphasizes the importance of the scientific method on evaluating hypotheses and the misconceptions that arise with shoddy research. Dinosaurs are a topic of interest for many kids, and this well-researched… View →
A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many?
“Mathematical concepts can be daunting for children of all ability levels, but using such concrete examples in a storybook format makes this a spot-on introduction to some very abstract concepts. To be used either as a primary mathematics classroom resource or as a unique storytime View →
Che Guevara: You Win or You Die
“Interspersed with quotes from his diary entries and from CIA files and newspaper reports over the years, Kallen’s narrative is objective and clear, and the accessible design includes numerous photos and screened inserts, which are fully documented… View →
Can You Tell a Cricket from a Grasshopper?
“Varied close-up and annotated photographs point out the differences and similarities between these two often-confused insect species. Readers learn how to distinguish between grasshoppers and crickets as well as how they sing, chirp, and grow. Though busy, the colorful layouts… View →
The Normal Kid
“Told in the voices of Sylvan and Charity, this novel offers a well-balanced look at two kids who are realizing how events affect individuals—and how they themselves are affected deeply by events they want to ignore… Fans of school stories by Gary Schmidt or Jerry Spinelli… View →
Spotty, Stripy, Swirly: What Are Patterns?
“An engaging introduction to patterns as observed in science, math, and art.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
What Are the Articles of Confederation?: And Other Questions about the Birth of the United States
“Informative sidebars and colorful graphics enhance these lively narratives. Salem and Oregon Trail especially stand out because they give young readers an understanding through the eyes of people who lived at the time. Articles is a more linear, factual account, clearly showing… View →
The Girl Who Owned a City: The Graphic Novel
“This graphic novel adaptation of Nelson’s 1975 story maintains the original tension and finds room for political discourse.” —The Horn Book Guide View →
Cool Brands
“Edgy topics with ‘pros and cons’ will provoke discussion. The daring art represents whimsical self-expression in a variety of wacky forms. The chaotic page design may challenge some readers. The many flavors of hip ‘street style’ include branding (like Coke View →
Oh Boy, Mallory
“Ready or not, fourth-grader Mallory is growing up, but she’s feeling not so ready these days. Although her friends think she should be thrilled when a fifth-grade boy expresses interest in her, Mallory’s not sure she’s ready for boys. As usual, her desire to please… View →
Secret Diary: Book 1
“In these French imports, twelve-year-old Lou ponders problems such as being teased at school, experiencing unrequited love, and having an underemployed single mom who is a writer/couch potato. The format makes them look like picture books, but the stories are told in comic panels; View →
Chelsea's Chinese New Year
“Children from different cultural groups describe their families’ celebrations. Information about the occasions is included in the simplistic stories, but text boxes provide more details than the young narrators do. Bright, cheerful illustrations will draw readers to these… View →
Sammy Spider's New Friend
“By now, young fans of the Sammy Spider series are well acquainted with the formula that makes these warm, sweetly spun tales so endearing. Whether discovering the true meaning of the Jewish holidays or, as in his latest adventure, observing the Shapiro family bake a cake to… View →
Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue
“Emanuel, inspired by the whalers who frequent his father’s shop in New Bedford Massachusetts, dreams of a life at sea. According to his father, ‘the life of a whaler is lonely and dangerous’ and he encourages Emanuel to become a merchant when he grows up. Emanuel views View →
Bruno Mars: Pop Singer and Producer
“These crowd-pleasing titles will fly off the shelves. Written in shorts chapters and sentences, with easy font size, and filled with well-captioned, eye-popping photographs, they will draw in readers…. The writing style is engaging throughout.” —School… View →
Battle of the Dinosaur Bones: Othniel Charles Marsh vs Edward Drinker Cope
“These books showcase major scientific developments and the brutal competition behind the scenes. They are highly engaging accounts of researchers resorting to cheap shots, spying, and double crossing to take credit for pivotal discoveries. But they are also disturbing… View →
Jennifer Lawrence: Star of The Hunger Games
“This no-frills biography covers up-and-coming actress Jennifer Lawrence’s childhood, early acting work, breakthrough roles, and critical acclaim, culminating with her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger… View →