Reviews
Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur
“Filled with lively illustrations, children will be engrossed by this animated tale, while they learn the importance of reconciliation.” — Jewish Journal View →
My Happy Life
http://www.reading.org/reading-today/post/rty/2013/08/21/back-to-school-books#.UxSw4fldV20 Back to School Books BY THE CL/R SIG August 21, 2013 Lagercrantz, R. (2013). My happy life. Reprint Edition. New… View →
Map My Neighborhood
“The subject heading for these books is cartography, and these map-making directions are indeed simple enough for a new reader…. These work best read together to reinforce the concepts and give children ideas for things they can map themselves.” —Booklist View →
Can People Count on Me?: A Book about Responsibility
“The informative text and full-color photos of kids navigating difficult life situations are great for teaching social skills. Educators can point to the children’s expressions in the photos and ask their students to identify what each child might be feeling. What a wonderful resource… View →
David Karp: The Mastermind behind Tumblr
“Children should delight in Karp’s success at such a young age while easily identifying with his need to stretch the truth about his age and experience to prove his worth.” —School Library Journal View →
Jeremy's Dreidel
“Jeremy’s Dreidel is a simple yet compelling story, which, in its short narrative, conveys so much. It is Hanukkah time and the art project at the community center is dreidel-making. This is a fun project and everyone involved has great ideas about how to make a special dreidel… View →
No Baths at Camp
“It’s bath time at Max’s house, and he’s cranky about it. He grumbles that he’d rather be back at summer camp, because ‘there are no baths at camp!’ His mom is skeptical, so Max narrates a week of activities. From rock climbing to art class,… View →
Cheesecake for Shavuot
“Cheesecake for Shavuot is a magnificent picture book with a thoughtful ratio between the text and the photographs, with pages that vary in background color and with photographs that vary in size, giving the book an interesting and original look. The endearing story… View →
Oh! If Only...
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=24965 Book Review By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Oh! If Only . . . Michael Foreman Sometimes it is the little things that cascade out of control and cause big time chaos. A little View →
Rise & Shine: A Challah-Day Tale
“Rise and Shine: A Challah-Day Tale,” by Karen Ostrove and illustrated by Kimberly Scott, is an intergenerational tale of siblings Sammy and Sophie, who find a crumpled piece of paper in the pocket of an old apron. When they can’t read the letters written on… View →
My Happy Life
“For young middle grade readers, a new chapter book, ‘My Happy Life,’ takes up the subject of resilience in such a natural and powerful way, children won’t remotely feel like they’re reading a manual….If only all early chapter books were this… View →
My Happy Life
“For young middle grade readers, a new chapter book, ‘My Happy Life,’ takes up the subject of resilience in such a natural and powerful way, children won’t remotely feel like they’re reading a manual….If only all early chapter books were this… View →
The Purim Superhero
“PreS-Gr 2—Nate is having a hard time choosing a costume for his synagogue’s Purim celebration. All the boys in his Hebrew class plan to dress as superheroes, but he is much more interested in aliens. With help from his two fathers (Daddy and Abba) and inspired by the… 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 →
The Count's Hanukkah Countdown
“Sesame Street’s famous regulars and Hanukkah meet in a cute story that delivers the holiday combined with numbers up to eight. Grover hosts a latke party for Israeli muppet friends; the Count loves the idea; he includes himself because eight is the perfect Hanukkah number. The… 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 →
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 →
Speak Up, Tommy!
“Tommy’s classmates tease him about his quiet voice and his Israeli accent. He doesn’t like reading to the class, and stays by himself at recess. One day, Officer Sweeney and his police dog, Samson, pay a visit to Tommy’s class. Tommy instantly feels comfortable with Samson, who… View →
The Pets You Get
“Taylor’s children have a sweet sibling relationship… while page turns nicely build suspense.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
My Happy Life
“The illustrations complement the narrative well, and will enable younger readers to feel a sense of accomplishment for tackling a lengthy chapter book….The difficult subjects are handled gracefully, allowing children to realize that happiness comes and goes, and that… View →
The Pets You Get
“[T]he children and animals shine and take center stage in the big, bold, and colorful illustrations, with backgrounds minimal or nonexistent.” —School Library Journal 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 →
My Happy Life
“The illustrations complement the narrative well, and will enable younger readers to feel a sense of accomplishment for tackling a lengthy chapter book….The difficult subjects are handled gracefully, allowing children to realize that happiness comes and goes, and that… View →
My Happy Life
“A sweet read for both children and their parents, who may be grateful at the reminder of emotional complexity lurking behind their children’s smiles.”—Kirkus Reviews View →