Reviews
Electricity
“These experiments are effective hands-on activities that can be used in the classroom with younger and older students alike to enhance their understanding of electricity.” —Oneota Reading Journal View →
Pasta, Fried Rice, and Matzoh Balls: Immigrant Cooking in America
“A wonderful reference for history units.” —Oneota Reading Journal View →
Packed with Poison!: Deadly Animal Defenses
“A great read for any young, inquiring scientist.” —Oneota Reading Journal View →
All About Yom Kippur
“I wholeheartedly recommend All About Rosh Hashanah and All About Yom Kippur, individually and together, for their inspiration, their focus on the positive, and their very real success in promoting a clearer understanding of the High Holidays and of Jewish religious and spiritual View →
Sammy Spider's First Purim
“A cute story, expressive pictures and lots of noisy sounds for little ones to shout and enjoy.” —Ottawa Jewish Bulletin View →
All About Rosh Hashanah
“. . .I wholeheartedly recommend All About Rosh Hashanah and All About Yom Kippur, individually and together, for their inspiration, their focus on the positive, and their very real success in promoting a clearer understanding of the High Holidays and of Jewish religious and… View →
My Brother, the Pest
“These realistic. . . stories address some of the frustrations and fears of childhood. My Brother, the Pest is narrated in rhyme by a young girl who expresses her annoyance with her little brother until she realizes that they do have some fun together. . . [The books ueses] a… View →
You're in Big Trouble, Brad!
“[A] phonics-based stor[y] that [is] designed to encourage and assist children in their reading development. . . In [Your in Big Trouble, Brad] Brad is called to the principal’s office. As he tries to figure out why, flashbacks show his recent escapades. The… View →
My Pen Pal, Pat
“[P]honics-based stories that are designed to encourage and assist children in their reading development. My Pen Pal, Pat is amusing, if a bit predictable. Two students named Pat-one in New York City and one in Boston-are paired together as pen pals. They seem to have everything… View →
It's Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories From Around the World
“Large, eye-catching spreads introduce the school experiences of children from 11 different countries, including Kenya, Kazakhstan, China, and Canada. Each entry includes the student’s name, age (ranging from six to nine), and place of residence. Then, in chatty style,… View →
“. . . Soft, full-page watercolor illustrations lend a glow to the gentle text, which guides readers through the birth, life, death, and reuse of an oak tree and well as the travels of a drop of water. . . A valuable addition to early earth-science units.”… View →
Marsh Morning
“Morning comes to the marsh with wildlife awakening amid watercolor mist and movement in grays, browns, green and black, re-creating this unique ecosystem. Rabbit stands in mid-motion, heron is knee-deep in water and red-winged blackbird ‘starts his melody.’ Four… View →
Earth Cycles
“. . . easy-to-read but expressive language. . . Attractive watercolor paintings. . . uncluttered pages. . . will be inviting to young readers. This title will be especially useful for classroom units.” —School Library Journal View →
Greetings, Asia!
“These titles focus on each continent’s natural features, highlight many of its animals, and present a brief overview of the people. Useful information is presented in an enjoyable style. Different size fonts and background colors are used to break up the text and add… View →
All-Girl Crafts
“As with Ross’s other craft titles, this book is sure to please children and the adults who assist them. A welcome addition.” —School Library Journal View →
Written Anything Good Lately?
“The volume can be used as a straightforward alphabet book, but older readers will appreciate the detail of the illustrations and recognize the writing suggestions on each page. Bright pen-and-ink and watercolor art is cheerfully appealing.” —School… View →
“Through one-sentence descriptions and full-color, uncluttered photographs, readers are taken on a journey of discovery in the natural world. Rau begins with a star in the sky and then moves to objects that children might be able to examine more closely to find that shape,… View →
Lots of Feelings
“Many readers will find themselves represented in this multicultural array of close-up images of children displaying their emotions. From grumpy squints, excited grins, and surprised shouts, the photos move to whimsical curiosity, sadness (complete with tears), and sleepy yawns.… View →
Apple Cider Making Days
“The realistic illustrations are soft with autumnal colors and show the process that results in that glass of cider. Although listed as fiction, there is more straightforward information than story. The addition of the children makes this book more personal for young students. A… View →
Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors
“Like their predecessors, these entries in this valuable series combine clear, extended expositions with a vivid mix of colorful space photos, well-designed diagrams, and dramatic paintings of alien shores and skies. . . Solid additions for serious students of ‘worlds… View →
Uranus and Neptune
“. . . Miller points out many intriguing features. . . Sidebars offer historical anecdotes, fact summaries, and even a few simple science experiments. . . the art imparts a captivating sense of ‘being there’ that elevates these offerings above the standard run of… View →
Jellies: The Life of Jellyfish
“Gorgeous full-color underwater photos and a simple, readable text provide a fascinating introduction to some little-known and often unheralded marine organisms. Less detailed than Elizabeth Gowell’s equally spectacular Sea Jellies (Watts, 1993; o.p.), George’s… View →
Kathy Ross Crafts Letter Shapes
“These attractive books present hands-on projects to accompany phonics and letter recognition lessons. Shapes presents a craft activity based on each letter of the alphabet. . . The layout is friendly to nonreaders, including illustrations of the materials needed. . . Overall,… View →