Reviews
School Library Connection - World of Work
Each book in this series begins by offering an informal self-assessment asking its young readers what they enjoy doing or are curious about, presented alongside the topics covered by the series. The books then present various job profiles with accompanying photos. “Check it Out” lists… View →
School Library Connection - Global Citizens - World Religions
This series is an excellent source for reference materials about the major religions. Each is laid out identically with: History—roots of the religion; Geography—maps and how it formed; Civics—organization and ideas; and Economics—funding the faith. Inserted within each chapter are text… View →
School Library Journal - Blue Corn Soup
Abuelita Mouse prepares a batch of blue corn soup one wintry day. Soon, the wafting smell reaches the nearby canyon animals, each of whom wonders if sopa is on the menu. Upon reaching the mouse’s home, the animals realize there is not enough food to share on this frigid day. But Mouse… View →
School Library Connection - Global Citizens: Environmentalism
Each book in this series begins with the basic definition of environmentalism, which then leads into the particular topic of discussion within the field. While the series works through many known concepts, the author does bring forth additional topics the student may not have heard… View →
Booklist - Ethical Data Use
Here’s a complicated subject made easy—well, easier. This title from the Data Geek series introduces the topic at hand by breaking it down by the title’s main words, explaining the forms data can take, and how ethics can be both cultural and personal. Finding reliable data and using it… View →
Booklist - My Friendly Neighborhood Firefighter
The My Friendly Neighborhood series introduces youngsters to community helpers, with this volume supplying an up-close look at firefighters. Bell focuses on what firefighters do, and readers may be surprised to learn that in addition to putting out fires and rescuing cats from trees,… View →
School Library Journal - Good Night, Reindeer
In simple, patterned language reminiscent of the classic Goodnight Moon, Mr. and Mrs. Claus say good night to each of their reindeer, saving Rudolph for last. Bucci’s paintings are full of humorous details that give each reindeer a distinct personality. “Good night, Donner./Good night,… View →
Publishers Weekly - Good Night, Reindeer
Readers get a behind-the-scenes look at the lives and habits of Santa’s reindeer in this bedtime-oriented Christmas story. As Santa and Mrs. Claus bid the reindeer good night (“Good night, reindeer./ Good night, Blitzen./ Time for bed./ Good night, Vixen”), the animals’ bedrooms give… View →
School Library Journal - Murphy's Ticket
Most baseball and sports fan will know about the history-making win of the Chicago Cubs at the 2016 World Series, but do they know that the “Lovable Losers” were once believed to be cursed? The story of Murphy the Goat and the billy goat’s curse is the stuff of legends in the Second… View →
Publishers Weekly - Missile Toe: A Very Confused Christmas
Puns and misheard Christmas carol lyrics abound in this goofy collection of a dozen holiday-themed poems from news anchor and children’s book author Scillian. Writing mostly in rhymed couplets, he contemplates the mysteries of what decking the halls means and what sugarplums are before… View →
School Library Journal - K is for Kindergarten
The alphabet frames this collection of activities for kindergarten, highlighting 26 (and more) words and challenges for youngsters anticipating the highlights of a school day. As rhyming verse introduces each activity, a sidebar lists Countdown and Challenge activities for more… View →
Booklist - S is for the Stanley Cup
Though featured in the title and reappearing throughout this colorful book, the Stanley Cup is just one of many hockey championship–related topics covered here. The information and stories include something for everyone, from anecdotes about the trophy and its storied travels to… View →
School Library Journal - Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade
School Library Journal – Vivid artwork and a descriptive narrative re-create a vibrant 1918 New York City populated by immigrants struggling to survive an influenza pandemic at the tail end of World War I. Rettie is nine and the oldest of four siblings; she labors to keep their… View →
Booklist - Ghost Cat
Miss Maggie McCullen is the lighthouse keeper of Port Carrick, where she lives with her cat, Sailor Boy, the narrator of this tale. After a long and happy life with Miss Maggie, Sailor Boy decides to stick around View →
School Library Journal - Ghost Cat
Although no longer living, Sailor Boy, an opaque ghost cat, rendered in pen-and-ink, hasn’t left his owner’s side. This title is set in the 19th century, in a lighthouse in Port Carrick, Ireland. Miss Maggie McCullen and her faithful cat light the beacon each night to keep sailors safe… View →
School Library Journal - Full Moon Lore
This picture book takes readers through a calendar year of full moons. A cursory introduction explains, “People long ago kept track of the seasons by giving each full moon a special name.” Each month’s unique moon is identified, from January’s Wolf Moon, to June’s Strawberry Moon, to… View →
School Library Journal - Around the World Right Now
A clever nonfiction picture book that introduces the concepts of time zones, continents, and culture. Readers begin their international journey at six o’clock in San Francisco and then progress through each time zone, moving across the Atlantic, roaming through Europe, and so on, before… View →
Kirkus Reviews - Blue Corn Soup
On a snowy afternoon, a mouse grandmother’s cooking aromas attract the noses of her neighbors. A nice warm sopa, just enough for one, will make things cozy in Abuelita’s sagebrush house. As she cooks, stirs, tastes, and adds ingredients to her pot, the distinct smell of piñon View →
Kirkus Reviews - Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade
A parade brings good tidings to an immigrant community beset by war, poverty, and illness. Thanksgiving morning on the Lower East Side is a special day for a white immigrant girl named Loretta “Rettie” Stanowski. It’s the day of the Ragamuffin Parade, when children… View →
School Library Connection - Magic, Myth, and Mystery
This high interest series is aimed at older elementary students and written at a second-grade reading level to engage struggling readers. Students will love reading about what people believed about these mythological beings in the past, where those legends came from, and what we know… View →