Reviews
A Rock Can Be . . .
“…this beautiful picture book makes an excellent classroom read-aloud, challenging children to puzzle out the ideas in the poetic phrases and to broaden their thinking about rocks.” —Booklist View →
Game Time, Mallory!
“Mallory’s first-person narration reports her thoughts and emotions with play-by-play immediacy, while the many grayscale illustrations portray this appealing fourth-grader in action, on and off the court. " —Booklist Online View →
Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Water Hole
“A fine volume of verse for independent reading or sharing with a class.” —Booklist View →
The Nitty-Gritty Gardening Book: Fun Projects for All Seasons
“This book encourages budding horticulturalists with the notion that gardening doesn’t have to depend on having access to the perfect climate and location.” —Booklist View →
Place Hacking: Venturing Off Limits
“This look at the controversial but endlessly fascinating pastime of urban exploring should have readers scanning their skylines, checking out dilapidated buildings, and even eyeing manhole covers in a new light…. High-interest stuff that appeals to both the intellect and the View →
Your Head Shape Reveals Your Personality!: Science's Biggest Mistakes about the Human Body
“This pithy book, from the Science Gets It Wrong series, gives readers a look at some of the mistaken notions that seem amusing now but resulted in untold deaths…. Source notes and a bibliography will lead on students, many of whose curiosities will be piqued.”… View →
The Bunker Diary
“[The Bunker Diary] is for everyone, playing just as well as can’t-stop-reading entertainment as it does an allegorical passage into darkness.” —starred, Booklist View →
Arctic Thaw: Climate Change and the Global Race for Energy Resources
“Succinct and clearly written, the text offers up-to-date information, illustrated with clear color photos and useful maps. An articulate introduction to the Arctic in a time of profound, striking changes.” —Booklist View →
Tear You Apart
“Twisting together the tales of Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin—with a dash of Romeo and Juliet and Hades and Persephone—this fantastical mash-up is full of angst, star-crossed romance, and magic. There’s plenty of high-stakes drama to keep readers engaged.”… View →
Saturday Night Live: Shaping TV Comedy and American Culture
They say dying is easy; it’s comedy that’s hard. And writing about comedy is hard as well. Kaplan does a fine job of detailing the history of the iconic TV show Saturday Night Live, introducing some of the cast’s biggest stars over the eras. But chronicling their… View →
Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes
“Keyser offers an illuminating synthesis of history, science, commerce, and sports that shows why kicks are where it’s at….This will be popular.” —Booklist View →
Bubbe's Belated Bat Mitzvah
“The chunky, stylized art is a good match for this pleasing story, which not only shows a lovely link between generations but also proves that you’re never to old to learn.” —Booklist View →
A Bat Cannot Bat, a Stair Cannot Stare: More about Homonyms and Homophones
“[A] lesson on homonyms and homophones is such a natural for the Words Are CATegorical series, with its signature combination of fast-paced rhymes and zany illustrations, that the topic is well worth revisiting…. An enjoyable mix of wordplay and grammar.” —Booklist View →
Remaking the John: The Invention and Reinvention of the Toilet
“DiPiazza brings home how the history of a seemingly ubiquitous object can reveal fundamental and important truths about a society’s history and values.” —Booklist View →
Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone
“Creepy shots of ghost towns and tumor-ridden animals help make this a high-interest look at a low point in world events.” —Booklist View →
Sammy Spider's First Mitzvah
“a good read-aloud for families or religious schools.” — Booklist Online View →
When Lunch Fights Back: Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses
“From the award-winning science author Johnson comes another somewhat gross but definitely engrossing book…. Some of the animals are featured in other similar books, but few bring them together with such a punch.” —Booklist View →
BirdCatDog
“The bird’s peril adds just enough drama for young readers, and the wordless story allows them to make up their own dialogue and narrative based on the pictures. Bosch’s colorful illustrations add lots of humor, too, for eagle-eyed kids who like to spot details.”… View →
I Remember Beirut
“Abirached’s childlike memories altogether compose a deeply personal portrait of Beirut unlike any historical account, and for readers curious about conflict in the region, it will provide a useful, humanizing entry point.” —Booklist View →
The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats: A Scientific Mystery
“An informative book on a timely topic.” —Booklist View →
Fat & Bones: And Other Stories
“Bloodthirsty young readers will revel in Theule’s anthropomorphic short stories…. Doyle’s black-and-white, pen-and-ink illustrations complement the stories with just the right amount of gloom and whimsy.” —Booklist View →
Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole
“A heartwarming and cozy offering that encourages appreciating small moments of delight.” —Booklist Online View →
My Heart is Laughing
“Keep this volume in mind as an accessible chapter book for younger children and a riveting readaloud choice for the classroom.” —starred, Booklist View →