Reviews
“This two-in-one flip book features the story Alef is for Abba. Turn the book upside down and Alef is for Ima is on the other side. Hebrew words that begin with the letter alef are included on each page. The Hebrew word, the transliteration, and the… View →
Detective Gordon: The First Case
“The full-color illustrations add whimsy to the tale and perfectly complement this gentle read….Hand this one to precocious readers who have graduated from early chapter books but aren’t ready for too much strife in their novels.”―School Library Journal View →
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
“This handsome presentation of grassroots environmental activism is certain to inspire young readers.” —The Horn Book Magazine View →
I Remember Beirut
“[T]he author revisits that era in a loosely connected series of sobering vignettes and impressions, each beginning with the phrase ‘I remember’…. In one particularly striking spread, Abirached envisions the family’s many relocations as the squares of a… View →
Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis
‘Alice + Freda Forever’s’ Alexis Coe on a Shocking, Forgotten Case of Teenage Lesbian Murder Books | By Karen Abbott | October 9, 2014 Karen Abbott, the author of the new Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, and Alexis Coe,… View →
“Writing an ABC book has its challenges, as the end of the book may involve a xylophone, yogurt and a zebra; Kafka’s story is refreshingly unarbitrary. Fortunately, the author had to work with only one letter of the alphabet, the Hebrew View →
Fat & Bones: And Other Stories
“Tonally these read a bit like folk or fairy tales, but the edges are sharp; the dark, ink-blotted design and pen-and-ink art make this an object to admire as well as read. Strange and strangely compelling, this is one of those books that needs the right reader—who will eat it… View →
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence
“Woelfle keeps the spotlight on Mumbet and brings her to life as a strong, smart person. Using a vibrant acrylic palette, Delinois highlights the brilliant greens and blues of the Berkshires setting and allows the light to play on Mumbet’s face to show both her humor and… View →
Mitzi's Mitzvah
“A sweet board book, age-appropriate for the youngest listener, introduces an adorable dog who is searching for her role while visiting a nursing home with her family. The adventure begins with a happy, excited dog looking out the back window of the family car. As the family… View →
The Whispering Town
“Rounding out this literary threesome of resistance and escape is ‘The Whispering Town,’ a picture book written by Jennifer Elvgren and illustrated by Fabio Santomauro. The setting is a Danish fishing village, but one of the book’s charms is how little context you View →
Where's My Tushy?
“©hildren love funny books, and this one will get many of them chuckling.” —School Library Journal View →
The Milo & Jazz Mysteries: The Case of the Superstar Scam, Lewis B. Montgomery, 2013. Ages 7–11, 112 pp., $6.95 paper. ISBN 978-1-57565-519-2. The Kane Press; www.kanepress.com. Second- and third-grade students would love to follow Milo and Jazz,… View →
Gabriel Gets a Great Deal
For Math Awareness month, check out three series that guide students on the path to financial literacy. In Lisa Bullard’s Gabriel Gets a Great Deal (Ill. by Mike Moran, Millbrook Press, 2013, 24 p. 978-14677-0766-4), Gabriel needs new sneakers, but the ones he wants cost too much.… View →
The Purim Superhero
“Look on any bookseller’s website and you’ll find a long list of books about children with same-sex parents. Some attempt to explain how children were conceived or adopted, and others reassure children that having a family that’s different is okay. As a gay… View →
Sammy Spider's First Book of Jewish Holidays
“Kar-Ben, Sylvia Rouss, and Katherine Janus Kahn, the long-time successful and marvelous Sammy Spider team, have now brought Sammy and the Shapiros to the toddler crowd in a new sturdy board book. Bright, colorful illustrations, Sammy-style, attract little eyes and hands and… View →
Secrets of the Sky Caves: Danger and Discovery on Nepal's Mustang Cliffs
“The book design is attractive and accessible and includes quality photographs and clearly labeled map. The book will enlighten young readers to one of the most fascinating explorations and discoveries happening today. . . . This well-executed narrative envelopes readers in a… View →
The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains
http://bookegg.blogspot.com/2014/01/its-monday-january-13th-what-are-you.html Monday, January 13, 2014 It’s Monday, January 13th What Are You Reading? It’s Early… View →
Sex & Violence
http://earlynerdspecial.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/book-review-sex-violence-by-carrie-mesrobian/ Book Review: Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian Posted on December 11, 2013 by Clementine Bojangles Evan Carter has always found one thing to be true for himself: he… View →
Drat That Cat!
http://amomssparetime.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-drat-that-cat-by-tony-ross.html Review: Drat That Cat, by Tony Ross 9781467720304 “Whenever anything bad happened, Suzy got the blame…usually because she had done… View →
Eight Is Great
“A new Hanukkah board book, told in simple rhyme, Eight is Great shares a family celebrating with a multitude of holiday customs. Each page has two sentences, each with a connection to the number eight and the holiday, such as ‘two dreidels with four sides—that’s… View →
Netta and Her Plant
“A little girl’s understanding of the annual Jewish New Year for trees, known as the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, begins with a seedling she continues to care for through her primary years, watching it grow into a fine small tree. This gentle narrative incorporates the… View →
Esther's Hanukkah Disaster
“Esther, a purple gorilla, tries to be a good friend for Hanukkah, but the gifts she picks out are all spectacular failures, from huge socks for her diminutive monkey pal, Sarah, to a jogging suit for slow turtle Josephine. Esther feels terrible – until on the last night of… View →
Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons
“I’ve been longing for another kind of picture book: one that appeals to young children’s wildest imagination in service of real evolutionary thinking….Bone by Bone, by veterinarian and professor Sara Levine, fills the niche to near perfection.”… View →
Lotsa Matzah
“Appealing board books can sell anything to tots, if the adorable works. This new one is a good one . . . The warm, joyous illustrations rush all over, tirelessly, just like the targeted audience. Perfect for greasy hands and teeth tempted to chew, this latest addition to the board View →