Reviews
Raining Cats and Detectives: Book 5
Venables’s fifth Pet Shop Private Eye graphic adventure for the chapter-book crowd is as sly, sarcastic and silly as its predecessors. Yue’s expressive, dot-eyed creatures in bright hues and cinematic panels are still perfect at bringing the tales to life and adding an extra… View →
The Main Event: The Moves and Muscle of Pro Wrestling
“A tight yet thorough history of wrestling as ‘sports entertainment’—read that as meaning staged—from Jones…. Jones shows that the best professional wrestling is a kind of primal theater, and a far cry from the much more brutal mixed martial arts, which is sadly… View →
Wrapped Up in You: Book 6
“True to this series’ winning formula, an enjoyable mix of terror, comedy and romance.” View →
Fly, Chick, Fly!
“This gentle read-aloud looks forward to the time when the child will have a young one of her own.”—Kirkus Review View →
The Big Flush: Book 4
This mystery should come with sheet music and a dance chart… [F]ans of the series will line up for the next book, and their grandparents will hope it comes with a vinyl record." —Kirkus Reviews View →
Che Guevara: You Win or You Die
“Through its focus on one major figure, Kallen’s fascinating work explores a large segment of 20th-century history. Maps, photographs and sidebars are excellent… A fine introduction to Latin American history and the ideas of capitalism, socialism and communism.”… View →
The Royal Treasure Measure
“Harris’ ABCB rhyming verses have a nice rhythm to them and some interesting pairings—sickles with pickles…. Stevanovic’s cartoonish illustrations are filled with detail, but his characters steal the show, their pointy and/or pendulous… View →
Jeremy's Dreidel
“A special Hanukkah workshop at the Jewish Community Center gives Jeremy a chance to make a unique dreidel as a surprise gift for his father, who is blind. When the workshop leader welcomes everyone, materials are out and waiting. Abby is eager to make her dreidel from… View →
Maccabee Meals: Food and Fun for Hanukkah
“This child-friendly cookbook features traditional latkes and easy-to-make jelly doughnuts as well as less-traditional, kid-inspired treats. Beyond the classic potato latke, young chefs will learn how to make seven other varieties from cheese, vegetables, apples and… View →
The Count's Hanukkah Countdown
“A family visit from Israel to Sesame Street includes a traditional Hanukkah observance while the number-obsessed Count happily looks for ways to include the perfect Hanukkah numeral 8 whenever possible. With Grover’s assistance, Aunt Sara, Uncle Joe and the twins get… View →
Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead
“Science writing at its grossest and best.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
Speak Up, Tommy!
“Tommy is shy in his new American school, where kids tease him about his Israeli accent. He gains confidence when a police officer and Israeli-trained police dog visit his class. By pronouncing the Hebrew commands, Tommy helps the officer and gains his classmates’ respect. The… View →
Hippospotamus
“This entertaining account of a mysterious red spot is told primarily in rhyming triplets, making for an enjoyable read-aloud rhythm. Children and adults alike will delight in the wordplay. The cartoon-style, watercolor illustrations are expressive and perfectly complement the… View →
The Day Louis Got Eaten
“The antics are over-the-top, and the creatures are more funny than scary, making this picture book a natural for storytime fun.” —School Library Journal View →
Food: The New Gold
“Gay presents a solid introduction to the science, politics, and social concerns surrounding food and its production. Myriad issues are discussed, including such current topics as genetically modified foods, seed saving, agribusiness, and many, many more that affect individuals… View →
Tales from the Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest with Pete Athans
“Athans’s colorful work lends a personal touch to a dramatic endeavor, and may lure adventure-lovers high into the thin, cold air.” —School Library Journal View →
The Normal Kid
“Readers will understand and relate to the social pressure they struggle to navigate and their desire to fit in.” —School Library Journal View →
Oopsy, Teacher!
“The full-color cartoon illustrations capture the nonstop action, while the rhyming text—placing the next important rhyming word on the following page—builds momentum. The characters’ protuberant eyes, open mouths, and wildly flailing arms and legs add to the humor.”… View →
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China
“Author and illustrator together give us an unvarnished and intimate account of a real childhood: plain-speaking, rough-hewn, and very much down-to-earth. While the time and place the book depicts are very different from our own, there’s not a hint of sentimentality or… View →
A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return
“Bold, graphic, black-and-white images are visually and emotionally striking…. This superb memoir is destined to become a classic.” —starred, School Library Journal View →
Barnyard Purim
“When Farmer Max goes off to see a Purim play, the resourceful animals he has left behind decide to put on their own Purim play. The biggest of them all, Horse, seems a natural choice for the role of the King. Goat’s beard makes him a shoo-in for Mordecai, and sweet, bashful Duck… View →