Reviews
My Brother, the Pest
“Sibling rivalry is the scenario in this book in the Real Kids Readers series that integrates phonics practice with a realistic rhyming story. . . [N]ew readers will enjoy the older sister’s anger about her younger sibling and then her rueful affection.” … View →
Molly in the Middle
“series has a unique look: bright, cut-out photos of the characters are set against expanses of white; the text is longer than those found in many easy readers. Phonics guidelines appear at the book’s conclusion, and there are also tips for parents on reading with their… View →
No New Pants!
“The Real Kids Readers, whose hallmark is blending phonics and whole language and illustrating with color photos, tackles a familiar subject here – kids and clothes. A young African American boy is not interested in going shopping with his mother; and once in the store, he… View →
I'll Do It Later
“An all-too-familiar scenario provides the plot for this book in the Real Kids Readers series, which blends phonics and whole language. A boy has a week to do a big school assignment, but he procrastinates. Luckily, because of snow, school is canceled on the date his assignment… View →
Let Me Help!
“Tara’s good intentions to help only make more work for her father when she spills the bag of potting soil, knocks the basket of clean clothes into the freshly potted planters, and tips paint on the floor. The model of patience and forgiveness, Dad merely cautions her to… View →
Earth Cycles
“. . . clear language suitable for beginning readers. . . Straightforward, realistic watercolor illustrations. . . Direct, simple, and ideal for classroom support. . . appealing introduction to Earth’s movement. . .” —Booklist View →
It's Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories From Around the World
“For each of the 11 countries – Kenya, Japan, China, Peru, Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, Germany, Russia, India, and the U.S. – there’s a short paragraph written in the child’s excited voice, accompanied by a page of facts about kids and school, including View →
Marsh Morning
“Short rhymes describe each bird’s part with musical references and metaphors, but it is the lush watercolor illustrations that really sing here. They orchestrate an evocative aviary concert, preserving the individual characteristics of each bird in the attractive… View →
Brilliant Bees
“. . . excellent, large-scale pictures in colored pencil . . . clearly written . . . first-rate. The clean look of the book and the detailed drawings make this a most attractive first look at bees.” —Booklist View →
“Ordinary books of shapes concentrate on the geometric basics, such as squares, circles, and triangles. Rau looks to nature for inspiration and finds stars not just in the sky but in an orange half, a starfish, and a snowflake. She sees spirals in a seahorse, a ram’s horns, View →
All-Girl Crafts
“In her familiar, well-illustrated, step-by-step style. . . instructions are very clear and precisely illustrated with color pictures, the first of which shows the finished project.” —Booklist View →
All New Crafts for Thanksgiving
“This attractive book . . . pages have a cheerful look. As always, Ross offers clear directions . . . A good source of Thanksgiving-themed ideas for parents, teachers, caregivers, and scout leaders.” —Booklist View →
Lots of Grandparents
“. . .brief, affirmative text. . . clear, color photographs. A useful addition to many library collections.” —Booklist View →
![Cover: Pigling: A Cinderella Story [A Korean Tale]](https://assets2.titleleaf.com/lerner/product/cover/s_9781580138253_fc.jpg)
Pigling: A Cinderella Story [A Korean Tale]
“This graphic-novel adaptation is a fine marriage of art and text, neither outshining the other. Emotions emanate from facial expressions, especially evident in Pear Blossom’s gradual emotional change, which helps draw readers into the story, and brightly colored panels… View →
The Vowel Family: A Tale of Lost Letters
“Children are sure to enjoy the goofy story, which lends itself to group decoding as vowels are gradually introduced. Kevin Luthardt’s bright illustrations, featuring people with cartoonish balloon heads, ably echo the story’s silliness. This clever approach to… View →
Hurricanes
“On nearly every page, color photos show people preparing for hurricanes, storms in progress at sea and on land, and communities damaged by hurricanes.” —Booklist View →
Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret
“Illustrated with extremely stylized pictures that don’t prettify their subjects, this captures some of the fear and horror associated with slavery. However, it’s the detailed author’s note that will really give kids insight into the subject. A good choice for… View →
I Know an Old Teacher
“. . .this rendition features plenty of crowd-pleasing gross bits that will get kids going.” —Booklist View →
People and the Environment
“With a clear, full-color photo and a short caption on each page, this small, square title shows how people across the globe use land, animals, and plants to grow food, make clothes, keep warm, and have fun. . . this is an excellent starting point for discussion with young… View →
Think Happy!
“Carlson teaches lessons about positive thinking with humor as she shows Frog exuberant with the crowd (‘Throw a party’) and calmly spending time alone biking and practicing yoga. The bright color pictures show the animals daring to be different (wearing flashy socks, View →
From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between
“Atkinson describes Alice’s ethical development credibly and engagingly. Consider this as comfort food, especially for readers wanting insight into that first foray into a new community – a time when kids can remake their image or accept themselves without… View →
Used Any Numbers Lately?
“Though the types of numbers are not discussed in the book, teachers with curriculum units on cardinal, ordinal, and nominal numbers will find it a good source of examples. . . A useful addition to picture-book collections.” —Booklist View →