Reviews
The New Kid
“[This] phonics-based easy reader would make a welcome addition to any collection. . . [This] story [is] interesting, makes sense, and have engaging characters. However, it is the colorful photographs on double-page spreads that make these texts come alive. The children’s… View →
I Like to Win!
“[I]ntended for very beginning readers [that] subtly reinforce concepts of. . . sportsmanship. . . I Like to Win! features an African-American boy and girl. . . who resolve their arguments over winning and losing at board games. The small amount of print per page, the crisp color View →
Best Friends
“These three stories intended for very beginning readers subtly reinforce concepts of friendship, sportsmanship, and emotional expression. I Am Mad! features a bullying older sister, and is the weakest of the lot, due perhaps to the difficulty of telling a complex story with such View →
“Close-up, quality, color photographs of children excelling at activities-physical, mental, musical, and artistic-show that everyone can do something well, that individuals have different strengths and abilities. The brief text suggests that being good at something takes time and… 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 →
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 →
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 →
“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 →
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 Sounds
“These attractive books present hands-on projects to accompany phonics and letter recognition lessons. . . Sounds presents phonics activities such as a ‘Most Marvelous Moose’ made from a brown lunch bag for the letter M. . . [Includes] ideas for supplemental… View →
Crafts from Your Favorite Children's Stories
“Children will like these 20 imaginative projects. . . Each one is covered in a two-page spread, with a materials list followed by a numbered list of steps. The directions are clear and well illustrated with cartoonlike watercolor art. . . As a supplement to storytelling or for… View →
Christmas Presents Kids Can Make
“Ross offers 29 handmade gifts for children to create for their families and friends. Most of the materials can be found in the home and often involve recycling items (old felt-tip pen caps, film canisters, laundry-bottle caps, Christmas catalogs). . . Although there are a… View →
All New Crafts for Valentine's Day
“Colorful, child-friendly,watercolor paintings take readers step-by-step through 20 easy crafts. The materials needed are easy to find and are show at the beginning of each spread. Most projects involve cutting and gluing. Some also require simple drawing and hand lettering a… View →
Nature's Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse
“The art is lovely – a snow-covered wall in black and white melts into a spring pastel with the blurred edges of chalk. Summer’s blue sky deepens with a purple cast as the watercolor warm days become a frenzy of oranges and golds carrying youngsters full circle to a… View →
Almost to Freedom
“A compelling story told from the point of view of an enslaved child’s beloved rag doll. This accessible story. . . makes its impact without frightening or overwhelming readers. It is ultimately a story of hope and resilience, love and friendship. The evocative oil… View →
Sometimey Friend
“A heartwarming, humorous sequel to Sylvia and Miz Lula Maye (Carolrhoda, 2002), set in South Carolina in 1978. . . Flood’s characters are likable, and the realistic dialogue lends an appealing ethnicity to this charming story about a loving African-American family.… View →
Read Anything Good Lately?
“From ‘an atlas at the airport’ to ‘a yoga book in the yard’ and ‘the zodiac at the zoo,’ a little girl moves playfully along through biography, comics, dictionary, encyclopedia, magazine, poetry, quotations, recipes, and a variety of genres.… View →
Dino-Hockey
“In this fast-paced and wild hockey championship, the carnivores in red jerseys (Meat-Eaters) take on the herbivores in green (Veggiesaurs). Clever rhyming couplets keep the game lively and slip in facts about dinosaurs (‘Socks and jerseys keep them warm/cold-blooded beasts View →
Mallory on Board
“Readers will enjoy the details of the cruise and the fancy wedding arrangements on board. The book is well designed, and the frequent black-and-white illustrations enhance this easy chapter book. There is bonus end matter, featuring Mallory’s spring break report and a… View →
“. . .there have been a number of books for young readers about African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston. This volume, written in engagingly fresh prose and attractively laid out in large, clear type, is one of the best. . . Probably the most objective look at this highly… View →
Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret
“Banks’s highly stylized paintings are wonderfully expressive and amplify the deep emotion of the situation. Her palette of yellows and browns shows people who are swathed in moonlight yet avoids the dimness that night scenes sometimes have. An extensive author’s note View →
Swish: The Quest for Basketball's Perfect Shot
“Stewart and Kennedy offer an engaging history of the sport, followed by profiles of some of the most impressive shots of all time and the players who made them. Whether they are discussing amazing feats at the college or professional level, the tone is conversational and… View →
Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors?
“Large pen-and-ink illustrations feature cartoon cats rendered in bold, vibrant colors. The style is fun and inviting. The text, which appears in an oversize, whimsical font, is spare, ranging from 9 to 15 words per page. Large pictures and uneven placement of the text keeps the… View →